"Don't judge a book by it's cover....

...look at the spine label stickers to be sure what type of book you have in your hand."

That's the conversation I was having with my kindergarten students today.  This was a review lesson for the kindergarten students.  We've been learning about where books are located in the library and how to identify them.  

I used the book, Just Ducks, written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino, to bring home the point. This beautifully-illustrated book may look like a picture book, but it is a nonfiction book full of information about ducks, specifically Mallards.

Not only were there many fun and informative conversations about ducks during the lesson, but also fun and informative conversations that derived from the illustrations.  The students were using their visual literacy skills to decode information - how to tell what time of year it was, how animals camouflage, and how to distinguish the young girl and her mother from the other characters on the bridge.  I would include an illustration here, but the book is already in a student's hands!

Since this was an information book, we talked about what we had learned and how these books help us answer those wonder wall questions - "I wonder who...I wonder how...I wonder why...I wonder where....I wonder when..."

Here is what my students learned today:

AND...here are two new wondering questions they came up with:

"When ducks are upending, I wonder how they what is food and what is not."

"I wonder if they eat fish."

I WONDER.......