If You Hopped Like A Frog
Written by: David M. Schwartz
Illustrated By: James Warhola
Intended grade level: 3rd
Website created by: Breann Peters
Summary of the book:
If You Hopped Like A Frog by David M. Schwartz introduces ratios and proportions to children through animals by comparing their specialized skills with that of humans. The book makes hilarious comparisons like, "If you hopped like a frog, you could jump from home plate to first base in one mighty leap." The book also addresses anatomy of animals such as a brachiosaurus and a crane. In the back of the book, there is an index that delves deeper into the specialized skills of each animal that appears earlier in the book.
About
the author:
As a child, David M. Schwartz loved math and science. He finds unusual ways to make math and science come alive for children through more than 40 books. Along with writing books, he also writes science articles for magazines. David travels around the world in order to do research to write his books. He has been to Africa to study hippos and Scotland to track illegal egg collectors.
Pre-reading activities
*Before reading, please do the following two activities.
Activity 1: Check out this website about frogs. Read about the largest, smallest, coolest, best website, and most poisonous frogs by clicking on the frog face buttons. Print off the page with your favorite frog.
Activity 2: Please print out this vocabulary worksheet and complete it before reading the book.
During reading activities
*While you are reading, complete these two activities.
Activity 3: Look up any words that appear in the book in an online dictionary that you do not know as you read. Please write the word and the definition on the back of the pre-reading vocabulary worksheet. Please keep in mind the context of the sentence when finding the correct definition in the dictionary.
Activity 4: Use the index in the back of the book to write down 5 facts about animals that you did not know before reading this book. Print off and write your answers on this worksheet.
After reading activities
*After you have finished reading this book and completed the above activities, please complete the following activities.
Activity 5: Create a word search puzzle using the words on the front and back of the vocabulary worksheet that you completed in the pre-reading and during-reading activities using this website. (Make up a title for your puzzle and insert it into step 1 on the webpage. Then enter your words into step 5 on the web page. Finally click on the "Create my Puzzle" button in step 6.) Please print off and complete a copy of the word search that you created.
Activity 6: Go to this website about shrews. Read about the shrew on this website and also from the index in your book. Use your own paper to write down 2 facts that are similar and 2 facts that are different from your two readings.
After you have completed the 6 activities above, please print out this rubric and grade yourself.
*Animated graphics from: http://www.animationlibrary.com/animation/23246/Frog/