March /April 19

Check This Out

Unfortunately, Scotty’s Castle is closed until at least 2020 due to severe flooding. But you can share with your students the story behind the castle, including info about Scotty himself and the storms that caused the damage back in 2015.

Watch This

See the California Highway Patrol in action in this 5-minute video where CHP officers rescue people (and one dog!) via helicopter. (Note: There is no sound in a few places.)

Check This Out

For a science connection, show your kids this article about 5 animal species that actually thrive in Death Valley.

Watch This

Show your students this 2-minute video from National Geographic. We predict your students will be surprised to learn that Death Valley has plants unique to the area and springs that provide water to nearby plants and animals.

Watch This

Our story focuses on the scary side of Death Valley, but there is much beauty, too. This 5 ½-minute video about seven sights perfect for kids helps your students understand just how varied the landscape is.

Watch This

Your students won’t want to miss this 1-minute video of LiLou the therapy pig in action! This video shows LiLou and her owner interacting with passengers at the San Francisco International Airport.

From the Storyworks Jr. Archives

This story from our October/November 2017 issue will help your students understand how Kevin, a child with autism, benefits from equine therapy.

Check It Out

LiLou’s on Instagram! You can find her latest airport schedule and adorable photos. (PS: She has more than 20,000 followers!)

Watch This

Share with your students this 2-minute video from “Inside Edition” about Daniel the Duck, who provides emotional support to his owner and travels with her everywhere, including on airplanes. Not everyone is “on board” with this idea, as you’ll see in the video. It could spark an interesting class discussion!

Check It Out

Help kids understand that not all animals are suited to work as therapy animals. For a simple explanation of what it takes to become a therapy dog, share this brief article from The Alliance of Therapy Dogs. 

Watch This

This 11 ½-minute vintage video gives students a deeper look at Frank Mastro’s story. While it’s not a thrilling video, it is filled with authentic photos illustrating many aspects of our story—and it was posted by Mastro’s grandson!

Teach This

This text pairing gives you a perfect opportunity to work in a math lesson about fractions. The Pizza Fraction Fun Game is a big hit with students and teachers alike.

Check It Out

There’s a site called Encyclopizzeria, run by two pizza fanatics from Chicago, where you’ll find 14 (!) pizza infographics. This infographic shares how much people in the United States love pizza. Your students will definitely become pizza experts after they finish this lesson!

Fun Fact

Pizza needs no translation! Swedish people put a sweet spin on their pizza by adding bananas. People in Russia add sardines.  

Fun Fact

Get this: The largest pizza in the world weighed 26,883 pounds. The pizza was made in South Africa back in 1990 by Norwood Hypemarket. 

Read This

The Library of Congress has compiled dozens of Aesop’s fables. Each one is brief and ends with the lesson it illustrates. Some of our faves are The Fox & the Stork and The Ant & the Dove. 

From the Storyworks Jr. Archives

Make connections to another fable in our archives: The Tortoise and the Hare.

Teach This

Check out California teacher Kriscia Cabral’s strategy for reader’s theater in our Storyworks Jr. Ideabook, where you can find creative ways to use Storyworks Jr. in your classroom. 

Check It Out

To learn more about Roland Smith, the author of our story, share this Q&A from his website. Take a look at his impressive roster of his picture books!

Watch This

Help your students understand what farm life is like with this insightful video interviewing kids who live on family farms in Vermont. It’s more than 45 minutes long, but we recommend watching the youngest kids’ stories, which are at the following points: 5:30, 17:32, 23:57, 28:15, and 36:00.

Check It Out

This story provides a great science connection! This infographic walks students through a simple 4-step process of making their own rock tumblers.

Watch This

Let your students know that there is a real-life space rock hunter! Share this 2-minute video from “Meteorite Man” Naveen Jain and pause to talk with your students as you watch.

Watch This

Your students will meet Gitanjali--and the scientists helping her improve her device--in this dazzling 4:30 minute video from Google’s docuseries “Search On.” 

Check It Out

Do you have a student who should enter the contest Gitanjali won? Inspire your class by sharing the 3M America’s Top Young Scientist contest page--they’ll learn all about past contestants and their incredible projects.

Read This

Boston banned plastic bags last November. Check out this Boston Globe article, in a helpful Q&A format, that explains how it works for its residents.

Watch This

Your students will probably wonder how corn becomes plastic. Play this video from the 1:12 mark and watch the process unfold.

From the Storyworks Jr. Archives

For a similar debate, don’t miss “Should Plastic Straws Be Banned?” from February 2018. 
 

Watch This

Introduce your students to J. Patrick Lewis in this 2-minute interview that explains how he became a poet.

Read This

We love this great poetry book about heroes and “she-roes” by J. Patrick Lewis. Consider adding it to your classroom library and using it to teach your students about the importance of helping others.