Now You See it, Now You Don't
Storybook hero Harry Potter may have his invisibility cloak, but scientists today are working to make invisibility cloaks a reality. We see things because they reflect and absorb visible light. Scientists know that light waves can bend, and they’ve been experimenting with a special wire mesh—in essence a cloak—that bends light around an object, making it invisible. So far they’ve succeeded in cloaking small objects only, but research continues to increase the size of the mesh fabric and the objects able to be hidden in plain sight. Read Science in the News for the full story.

Vertebrates Rule!
What is a Vertebrate?
A vertebrate is an animal with bones and a spine that protects a nerve (spinal) column attached to a brain. Birds, fish, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians are all vertebrates. (Animals without an internal bone structure are called invertebrates. These include spiders, insects, worms, clams, and crabs.) There are many more invertebrates in the world than vertebrates, yet vertebrates usually dominate their ecosystems. The internal skeleton that vertebrates possess allows these animals to grow larger than invertebrates. The bones provide the basic shape of the animal and protect softer parts like the lungs, heart, and brain. Some invertebrates have brains, but all vertebrates have brains, and their brains tend to be more complex than those of invertebrates.

Bones
We know bones are hard, but many are also hollow. Hollow bones are lighter in weight, making it easier for a vertebrate to move. Some hollow bones contain marrow, which makes new blood for the body. Bones are also alive. They have to be alive so they can grow and repair themselves after a break. Two ways that you can keep your own bones healthy are through eating foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D, and by getting plenty of exercise. Calcium-rich foods include dairy products, broccoli, soybeans, and fortified orange juice. Most children get vitamin D through sunlight or foods like egg yolks. Weight-bearing activities like walking, running, dancing, tennis, basketball, gymnastics, and soccer are great for strengthening bones.

Writing
Many experts believe that handwriting is key to learning, yet less than ten minutes a day is spent developing this skill. Read the story in Bob’s Blog.

Junior Scientists
A school district in Detroit is changing the way it teaches science, and test scores are rising. Bob’s Blog reports.

Learning A–Z Helps Students "Bone Up" for Summer
All six of the subscription-based Learning A–Z websites are great tools to help students maintain and develop their academic skills this summer. Plus, any of these websites can be used together to integrate your instruction around a common theme. This month, we focus on vertebrates.

Let your students compare and contrast the five classes of vertebrates—birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish—with Science A–Z’s new Vertebrates unit, aimed at grades 3–4. Students can read the nonfiction book at one of three reading levels, plus take a quiz, construct skeleton models, expand their science vocabulary, and learn about high-interest topics related to vertebrates.

Writing A–Z will help you teach students to write an informational report on vertebrates or on any other subject. Find a lesson plan and many accompanying materials on the Lessons page by following the Expository genre link.

Students will have fun on Reading A–Z this month with one of the website’s many fictional leveled readers about vertebrates, such as Frog Is Hungry (Level D) or Leap! A Salmon's Story (Level K). Then they can learn what all vertebrates share by reading the nonfiction book Animal Skeletons (Level J) or the multilevel reader The Hard Stuff! All About Bones (Levels R, U, X). Each book is accompanied by a quiz and worksheets, and is also available in a projectable format. Most books come in multiple languages, too!

In the Raz-Kids version of Frog Is Hungry, students will listen, watch, and smile as they follow the hungry frog’s quest for a tasty meal. To get the “inside story” about vertebrates, students can examine Animal Skeletons on Raz-Kids as well.

Visit Reading-Tutors for fluency and comprehension lessons to accompany Frog Is Hungry.

Vocabulary A–Z contains many life-science terms, plus vocabulary lists from Reading A–Z books and Science A–Z units, including those related to vertebrates. These word lists can easily be converted into customized worksheets and lessons.

Remember to visit each site for FREE samples and demos. Click here for more information about Learning A-Z's family of websites.

Victory for Vertebrates
Your students will have fun writing, reading, and puzzle solving with New Funsheets.

Students will: complete three connect-the-dots animals; circle the correct beginning letter under each animal picture; color each animal according to how it moves; solve small word searches with hidden animal species; draw the symmetrical missing half of animal pictures; make as many words as they can from the letters in vertebrates; alphabetize a list of vertebrates; complete a word sort to put vertebrates into categories; identify the common feature among the vertebrates in each row and column; and answer questions based on a bar graph about animal populations.

Download three FREE printable books this month.

Animal Skeletons
The Hard Stuff! All About Bones
My Mini Book of Mixed-Up Animals

Remember, Learning Page members can download additional materials, such as Zoo Animal fact files.

Bone Games
Your students can learn about bones on The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis website. This site offers special games to teach children about vertebrates, explains how to keep bones healthy, introduces students to careers relating to bones, and provides information on bone artifacts.

Three sites offering handwriting, science, counting, spelling, and grammar worksheets as well as activities and games.

Free Printables @ softschools
Super Teacher Worksheets
Have Fun Teaching

To locate the sites above, use the search feature on Sites for Teachers. Also, find thousands of teaching resources by visiting Sites for Teachers. Many of the websites provide materials for free.

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during the summer months.

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vain.

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