MAC, Information Detective In....The Curious Kids and the Squiggly Question

Building on the success of The Strangest Dinosaur That Never Was, LU, 2003, a storybook approach to teaching web site evaluation to young learners, this first book, Mac, Information Detective, In...The Case of the Curious Kids and the Squiggly Question: A Storybook Approach to Developing Research Skills, and its accompanying educator's guide, is the first in a set of three dealing with teaching the inquiry process to young learners (K-3) and will begin at the beginning. Mac, Information Detective, introduces the beginning stages of the research process, The Big Question, Narrowing it Down, Making a Plan, to the Curious Kids who have found a caterpillar and want to know how to keep him alive until he can become a beautiful butterfly. They have many Squiggly questions. Accompanying the interactive storybook is an educator's guide featuring lesson plans for reading the story aloud and many extension lesson ideas for teaching the inquiry process as well as vocabulary words, and reproducible worksheets. Lessons are all coordinated to AASL information literacy standards and national content area standards as applicable in language arts and science. Lessons are framed to be collaboratively taught using the skills and expertise of the classroom teacher and teacher librarian. Barbara Stripling, Director of the Astor Center, New Visions for Public School Libraries, NY, NY. says: educators and parents can use this book as a springboard for guiding children through the early phases of inquiry, asking the big question, narrowing to smaller questions and planning the search.