DK Activity Pack

Find dynamic activities to use in your classroom with these exciting lesson plans, featuring the following DK titles:
Oceans Atlas First Dinosaur Encyclopedia Piratepedia How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way Ultimate Visual Dictionary DK Graphic Readers The Price of Victory Terror Trail Instruments of Death Curse of the Crocodile God Crime Scene Detective

Oceans Atlas
Discussion questions
1. What are the different zones in the ocean? What kinds of animals live in each zone? 2. Why are things like people, rafts, logs, and even whales able to float in ocean water? 3. What are high tides and low tides? What causes the ocean to have high tides and low tides? 4. Describe the environment below the sunlit zone of the ocean. The animals that live in this zone have a number of biological features that allow them to live in the dark, cold, and often empty waters. How have these animals adapted to live in this type of environment? 5. What animals live near the Arctic Ocean? How do they adapt to the cold environment? 6. Who was Jacques Costeau? What part of the world did he explore? What did he coinvent? 7. How has the expansion of the Indian Ocean affected our world today? 8. Where is the Great Barrier Reef? What is it made of? What lives in the Great Barrier Reef? 9. Who was Charles Darwin? Where did he study animal life? What theory did he propose? 10. Who was Ernest Shackleton? Where did he travel? What do you think his journey was like? 11. What are some of the ways we depend upon the ocean? What resources do we draw from the oceans? How do oceans help us in day-to-day life? 12. In what ways is the health of the ocean in danger? What are ways we can help save the oceans and reverse the damage weve done?

Activities
1. Look at a globe. Can you find the different oceans discussed in Oceans Atlas? Look for the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Southern Ocean. 2. Create your own wave machine. What youll need: An empty 1 or 2 liter plastic bottle with a screw-on lid Cooking oil Blue food coloring Water

Fill the plastic bottle halfway with water. Add a few drops of blue food coloring. Then, fill the rest with cooking oil. Tighten the lid of the bottle. The water and oil will separate. Tilt the bottle back and forth on its side. The movement you see looks like the waves of the ocean. Experiment with making different wave patterns. 3. Oceans cover most of the planet, but we actually know very little about them. What do you think we might still find under the oceans surface? Draw what you think lies beneath. 4. Hurricanes are large storms that form in the tropics. The storm clouds intensify and spiral around a calm spot called the eye of the hurricane. Every year, meteorologists give the first hurricane of the year a name that starts with A, the second a name that starts with B, the third a name that starts with C, and so on, through the end of the alphabet. Prepare a list of hurricane names for the upcoming year, using every letter of the alphabet. 5. While sharks get a bad reputation in the ocean, most shark varieties are actually harmless to humans. Research the types of sharks that attack humans. How many shark attacks occur annually? Now research the number of sharks that are killed each year by humans. What reasons do humans have for killing sharks?

6.

Create an ocean diorama. What youll need: A shoe box Colored paper String Scissors Crayons or markers Optional: Shells, sand, plastic sea animals

Decorate the inside of the box so it looks like its an underwater scene. Draw pictures of fish, sharks, octopi, and more. Cut them out, tape a string to them, and hang them from the top of the box, so it looks like theyre swimming. Use your creativity to make your diorama look like an underwater picture. 7. Pick an ocean and pretend you are a tour guide for that ocean. Write a travel brochure showing where the ocean is, what kind of animals live in it, what the temperature is like, and other interesting details. 8. In the 17th and 18th century, slave traders used the Atlantic ocean to bring slaves from Africa to work on the plantations in the Caribbean and the Americas. Research conditions on those ships. What was the journey like for the slaves? What was the journey like for the slave traders?

First Dinosaur Encyclopedia

Help the Dinosaur Find Its Nest
Dinosaurs laid eggs in nests. The nests were as wide as a car and could hold up to 25 eggs. When the baby dinosaurs hatched, they were about as long as a ruler, and were as heavy as a large phone book. In the maze below, help the mother dinosaur find its way back to its nest.

Do You Want a Dinosaur for a Pet?

Pretend that you have just gotten a dinosaur for a pet. Answer the following questions:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What type of dinosaur do you have? What is its name? Describe what your dinosaur looks like. What do you feed your dinosaur? Meat or plants? Where do you keep your dinosaur? Is it safe for your neighbors to visit your dinosaur? What are some problems that might arise from having a dinosaur as a pet?

Fossil Time!
Fossils are the preserved remains of an animal or plant. Scientists have learned a lot about dinosaurs through their fossils. Years ago, when animal or plants died, their remains would decay, but their shape would leave an impression upon the surface. This type of fossil is called a natural mold fossil.

In this activity, youll see firsthand how a natural mold fossil can form.
What youll need: A tissue A leaf A coin Modeling clay 1. 2. 3. Form a bit of modeling clay into a flat round shape, like a pancake. Press the clay over an object, and then lift the clay away. Repeat the process for the other two objects.

Answer the following questions:

1. 2. 3. Which object made the best impression? Which object made the worst? Based on what youve learned here, what parts of an animal or plant do you think might make a good impression?

Piratepedia
Wanted: Pirates!
Your job is to track down some of historys most infamous pirates. Can you determine which pirate is the culprit?
1. This pirate from ancient times used to call himself Ruler of the Sea. S _ _ TU_ P_MP_ I_S 2. Which ancient pirate was rumored to have made a pact with the devil to make his ship invisible? E_ _ TAC_ T_ _ _ _ NK 3. Which unsuccessful Corsair pirate was captured and forced into slavery after raiding a few ships? FR _ _ _ _ S _ _ R _ EY 4. Which Corsair, after being captured by the English, managed to escape by rowing 150 miles to France? _ EA _ B _ _ T 5. Which English Privateer was so feared by the Spanish that he was called El Draque (The Dragon)? S _ _ F_ _ N _ _ I _ D_ _ _ E 6. Which pirate, when attacking British ships, was known for saying, I have not yet begun to fight? J _ _ _ PA _ L J _ _ ES

7. Which Buccaneer pirate, married to another pirate, dressed as a man in order to join Calico Jack? _A_Y R___ 8. Which dreaded Buccaneer pirate fought with six pistols slung across his chest? B _ _ _ K _ _ AR _ 9. Which Asian pirate is known as the greatest pirate of all time, commanding 1,800 ships and 70,000 men? _ ADA _ _ CH_ _ _ 10. Which Asian pirate stole from the government and European traders to give to the poor and himself? Z _ _ _ G Z _ I_ON_

ANSWERS:
1. Sextus Pompeuis. 2. Eustace the Monk. 3. Frances Verney. 4. JeanBart. 5. Sir Francis Drake. 6. John Paul Jones. 7. Mary Read. 8. Blackbeard. 9. Madame Ching. 10. Zheng Zhilong

Feeling Crafty, Like a Pirate? Pick your favorite pirate and make him or her a Jolly Roger, or pirate flag.

Now, make yourself a pirate flag.

Visual stimulation mobile

A key principle of Montessori learning is to provide a visually stimulating environment for infants, even from birth. In this activity, youll create a bright mobile for an infants room. What youll need: 2 wooden sticks or 2 coat hangers Ribbon, yarn, and/or string Crayons, markers, colored pencils Masking tape Brightly colored objects: pipe cleaners, felt, plastic cookie cutters, beads, sequins, plastic animals 1. Get two wooden sticks or two coat hangers, and cross them over, using masking tape and/or yarn or string to tie them together. Use as much tape or string as necessary to secure the items, so that you have a strong foundation from which to build your mobile. Choose the items to include on your mobile. Your goal is to create a bright and welcoming mobile, full of colorful and orderly items. Tie lengths of string or ribbon to your mobile items. Vary the length of the string or ribbons, so that your items will hang at different lengths.

2. 3.

* Variation #1 for older children: Engage an older child in creating a mobile for her or his room. Ask the child to come up with a theme of her or his choosing (examples: seasons, space, nature, my favorite things, the colors of the rainbow, etc.). Then, encourage the childto toyour come up with items to use on thethe mobile. Show 4. Tie the strings and ribbons sticks or coat hanger, arranging the child the range of objects that can be everyday items to creating objects for a stimulating colorful array of used, items from for the infant to gaze at. pictures on cardstock. 5. Tie a piece of ribbon to the middle of the cross if youre using sticks, so that * Variation #2the for hanger older children: Engage an olderto child in creating a mobile for an can use hook to secure the mobile the ceiling. infant,Secure explaining to thesafely child above the goals of creating 6. the mobile the childs grasp.as colorful and bright a mobile as possible.
* Variation #1 for older children: Engage an older child in creating a mobile for her or his room. Ask the child to come up with a theme of her or his choosing (examples: seasons, space, nature, my favorite things, the colors of the rainbow, etc.). Then, encourage the child to come up with items to use on the mobile. Show the child the range of objects that can be used, from everyday items to creating pictures on cardstock. * Variation #2 for older children: Engage an older child in creating a mobile for an infant, explaining to the child the goals of creating as colorful and bright a mobile as possible. Encouraging Letter Play and Comprehension Montessori encourages a hands-on phonetic approach when it comes to children learning how to read. Children begin to master the sounds made by each letter, one letter at a time, until they have a firm grasp on the entire alphabet. Try this activity to help children further grasp letter comprehension. youre able to tie the mobile to a ceiling hook. If youre using hangers, you

Shaving Cream Finger Paint Activity

What youll need: Unscented shaving cream A shallow pan or a smooth, flat surface thats easily washable 1. 2. Ask child to squirt a small pile of shaving cream on a flat surface or in the shallow pan. Remind child the shaving cream isnt edible. Trace a letter in the shaving cream, saying the sound the letter represents. For instance, if youre tracing a B, say, This is buh. Can you say, buh? Ask your child to trace your letter, then to trace his or her own letter, repeating the sound of the letter. Brainstorm other words with your child that starts with the letter youre tracing.

3.

Variation for children aged 2-3: Instead of using shaving cream, use an item thats edible, like yogurt or pudding. Create Family/Classroom Positive Guidelines: In order to set up a positive family or classroom experience, sit down with children and create positive guidelines together. Share with children the four basic rules: Treat everyone with respect If you use something, put it back correctly when you are done. If you break or spill something, clean it up. Tell the truth and dont be afraid to make a mistake.

On a large piece of posterboard or on a blackboard, write the four basic rules. Encourage children to come up with rules of their own. They may be variations of the rules above, but that will help children understand them within their own specific contexts, e.g. If you spill your juice, clean it up with a towel. Help children frame them in a positive context, rather than in a prohibitory one, e.g. instead of Stop throwing a tantrum, say, Take deep breaths when youre upset until you can calmly say whats going on. Periodically revisit these guidelines, adding new guidelines as you and the children see fit.

Ultimate Visual Dictionary

Create Your Own Visual Dictionary
Flip through the pages of the Ultimate Visual Dictionary. Do you see how each entry has a description, then pictures with labels noting different parts of the picture? Use the page below to draw a picture or paste a picture of an object. Create your own visual dictionary entry. Give the picture a name, write a brief description, and then label the different parts of the picture. Create a collection of visual dictionary pages, gathering images from your family, magazines, newspapers, and your imagination.

Scavenger Hunt
Divide up into teams of 4-5 people. When your teacher says go, work together as a team, and using Ultimate Visual Dictionary, find information on the following items in the book. Once youve found an entry that talks about the item, fill in the information requested (the name of the image and the page number it appears upon). When youre done, raise your hands. See who can find all the answers first! Remember: You have to find the item within the pages of the book.
A dinosaur Name of a dinosaur: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ A sport that uses a ball Name of the sport: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ An ancient building Name of the type of building: _____________________________________ Page number: ________ A type of fossil Name of the fossil: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ A bone in the human body Name of the bone: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ A type of painting Name: __________________________________________ Page number: ________

A stringed musical instrument Name of the instrument: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ Information about a planet Name of the planet: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ A constellation Name of a constellation: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ An animal with sharp teeth Name of the animal: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ A sport thats played with a team of people Name of the sport: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ A machine that helps us explore space Name of the machine: __________________________________________ Page number: ________ An animal with wings Name of the animal: __________________________________________ Page number: ________

A muscle in the human body Name of the muscle: __________________________________________ Page number: ________

A mineral Name of the mineral:__________________________________________ Page number: ________

A part of a train Name of the part: __________________________________________ Page number: ________

A part of a flower Name of the part: __________________________________________ Page number: ________

A part of a bike Name of the part: __________________________________________ Page number: ________

An ancient ship Name of the ship: __________________________________________ Page number: ________

DK Graphic Readers
Once students have had a chance to read a few of the DK Graphic Readers, start a discussion about the comic book/graphic novel format. Questions you may ask:
Do you like reading stories in this kind of format? Why or why not? Whats the advantage of using a comic book format? Why do you think the publisher chose to tell the story in this format? How would the reading experience have been different if the story was told in a text-only format? Do you think the author was able to present more story information or less story information in this format? Why or why not? What elements of successful storytelling did the author use in this graphic novel? (Encourage students to think about plot, character, setting, detail, etc.) What characteristics do graphic novels seem to share? (Encourage students to come up with a list of things common to a graphic novel/comic book format: pictures in boxes, brief dialogue that moves plot along, etc.) Explain the story triangle, aka Freytags pyramid, to students, defining each element. Have students identify each of the story triangle elements in the graphic novel theyve just read. (Explain that there can sometimes be several triangles at work in one story.) Explain how the story triangle can be applied to many stories, whether theyre graphic novels or not, and encourage students to list some examples.

Activity: Create Your Own Graphic Novel

Once students have identified some of the key characteristics of graphic novels, tell them theyre going to be writing one of their own.
1. Encourage students to select an event theyd like to represent. The class can vote on an event, and everyone can work with the same story. Or, the student can pick an event of his or her own. Ideas: An element from a history lesson, recreating a story they are reading, an event from their own life. Once the topic has been selected, ask students to identify the key parts of this story. Who are the main characters? What is the setting? What will the plot be? What will the main elements of the story triangle be? It may help to have them draw a story triangle and identify what they need to illustrate for each stage. Ask students to map out the story ahead of time. How many frames will they need to illustrate each part? (Encourage them to focus only on the key parts, as the DK Graphic Readers do.) Have them begin drawing their graphic novel. You may want to provide photocopied pages with blank squares on them, so they can use them to make their graphic novels. Ask students to share their graphic novels with each other. Make an Author Celebration Day, and congratulate students on their hard work.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The Price of Victory

1. In The Price of Victory, Pylades and his brother Kinesias worship Ancient Greek gods. Pick a Greek god to do a report on: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, or Hephaestus. The report should cover who the god is, how that god is related to other gods, what that god represents, and stories about that god. In The Price of Victory, Kinesias is participating in the early Olympic games. Research what the early Olympic games were like. What sports were featured? Are any of those still featured now? What traditions do the current Olympic games celebrate, in order to honor the games origins?

2.

The Terror Trail

1. The Terror Trail takes place in the days of the Roman empire. Research the following questions: What lands did the Roman empire conquer? What was life like for the privileged in the Roman empire? What was life like for slaves? What led to the downfall of the Roman empire? 2. Roman men wore togas in their day-to-day life. Bring in a sheet, and practice making your

own toga. Is it comfortable? Why might they have worn such a garment in the climate they lived in?

Instruments of Death
1. Instruments of Death takes place in Ancient China near the Great Wall of China. What is the Great Wall? How big is it? Why was it built? Can you find pictures of it as it exists today? 2. In Instruments of Death, Shen is summoned to play the zither for the Emperor. What is a

zither? Do people still play zithers today? What other instruments is it similar to? What do you think it sounds like?

Curse of the Crocodile God

1. Curse of the Crocodile God features an ancient Egyptian pyramid. What was a pyramid? How were they built? What pyramids still exist today? 2. Ancient Egyptians practiced mummification. What is mummification? How were bodies

prepared for mummification? 3. What famous tombs have explorers found today? What have we learned about the Egyptian

culture through pyramids and mummies?

Create Your Own Graphic Novel

Crime Scene Detective

Be a Word Detective! Can you find the following words in the word scramble below? Words can go forward, backward, across, down, and diagonally.
DNA ARSON ROBBERY MURDER EVIDENCE FORGERY FINGERPRINT ANALYSIS TOXICOLOGY SLEUTH XRAY SCANNER SUSPECT POLYGRAPH PARAMEDIC EYEWITNESS CASE FORENSICS BALLISTICS FIREARM DETECTIVE LUMINOL

Answer key

Whos the Sugar Prankster?

Fingerprinting in the Classroom
1. 2. Ask three staff members to volunteer for this activity. Determine who will be the criminal and ask that person to press one of their fingers carefully on several glass salt shakers. Youll get a clearer print if more body oils are present, so encourage the person to rub their finger along their nose or through their hair first. (If you have a limited amount of volunteer time, ask your culprit to only use her or his right hand in making the prints.) Handle the shakers carefully, holding them only on the top and bottom, so your prints arent included on the glass part of the shaker. Present the following mystery to your students: Someone has filled all the salt shakers in the teachers lounge with sugar. You need their help to determine who committed the crime. Divide your students up into groups of three or four, giving each group one of the imprinted salt shakers. Show your students how to gather prints by lightly sprinkling cocoa powder over the fingerprint on the salt shaker and gently blowing away the excess. Show your students how to lift the print from the salt shaker by placing the sticky side of a piece of tape on the dusted print, carefully lifting the tape, and pressing it onto a sheet of white paper. If multiple prints can be obtained, place them on the paper as well. Once each group has a lifted print, they should take time to record the prints of the four suspects, using the attached fingerprint worksheets. (If you have limited time, ask the students to only record prints for the suspects right hands.) Encourage each group to analyze the fingerprints to see if they can determine who the culprit is. Ask them to look for and note any whorls, arches, loops, or combinations in the fingerprints they recorded? Can they identify the culprit? Once the culprit has been revealed, talk with your students about the process: What other evidence could they have used? What motivations might the culprit have had? What would have made for a clearer (or less clear) print? What challenges are there in fingerprinting? Why is fingerprinting a good method for solving crimes?

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Variation for parents:

Ask family members to participate as the suspects.

Record the fingerprints of friends, classmates, and/or family members.

Method 1: Rub an area on a piece of paper with a pencil. Then, have your suspect rub their fingers over the graphite on the paper. Next, apply a small piece of tape to the finger, lift and place the tape on the sheet of paper. You should have a replica of their fingerprint Method 2: Use the inkpad included in Crime Scene Detective to gather fingerprints.

Fingerprinting Worksheet

Name

Notes

Right thumb

Right index

Right middle

Right ring

Right pinkie

Name

Notes

Left thumb

Left index

Left middle

Left ring

Left pinkie