Comments on The Picnic Basket: Connected Wisdom: Living Stories About Living Syst...

Although I have notyet had the chance to use this ...

2009-09-14T23:22:24.852-04:00

Although I have notyet had the chance to use this book, I would rate it a 3/5 for Picnic Basket simply based on approachability. As a 5th grade teacher, I see myself using it as a frontloading tool to launch science and/or social studies discussions. The book requires deep thinking, and I feel this is a lost art for many. I am looking forward to my students' responses.

A great book! It helps to teach fundamental conce...

2009-08-17T15:16:10.889-04:00

A great book! It helps to teach fundamental concepts of environmental science such as biodiversity, the commons, and cycles, and uses folklore to illustrate each concept. It's also beautifully illustrated.

Picnic basket rating of 5 out of 5.

Sarah Oyerinde
Marion, Indiana

After putting this anthology down I immediately ca...

2009-08-07T09:50:56.910-04:00

After putting this anthology down I immediately called a good friend who teaches science and told her I had the perfect book for her to use in her class. I loved the idea of using a fable and folklore to explain the concepts in this work.

This is definitely a "teacher-friendly" book and not so much a book that students would go over to the shelves and pick up to read. What an interesting twist on science concepts though!

I give this a 4/5.

Lindsay Horne
New Kent Middle School
New Kent, VA

Connected Wisdon, written by Linda Booth Sweeney, ...

2009-07-14T18:12:24.258-04:00

Connected Wisdon, written by Linda Booth Sweeney, Ed.D, I think the upper grades would understand and enjoy this book. Letting the students think "deep" after reading this book. I give it a rating picnic score of a 4...

Connected Wisdom, written by Linda Booth Sweeney, ...

2009-06-21T20:59:14.382-04:00

Connected Wisdom, written by Linda Booth Sweeney, Ed.D., was a great book. I love how it connects Science with folklore. It is a little concerning that Allah is mentioned. I'm not sure that would go over well in my room, as many parents and some students might raise concern. However, overall it was a great way to teach children the inter connected nature of living systems!

I found Connected Wisdom to be an exemplary book w...

2009-06-18T11:25:29.488-04:00

I found Connected Wisdom to be an exemplary book which connects fables (stories that teach) with science. As a third grade teacher in a Christian school, I will use this to introduce the "Big Ideas" (state standards) in science.

The purpose of this book is to teach students that living systems are dependent upon each other and this book achieves that goal. The laws of nature have never been introduced as well. Children learn best through stories. The science objective is then easier to teach. (In addition the student learns about different cultures and about the genre of fables and folklore.)

I have no concern with the mentioning of Allah as I teach my students that there are different views in the world and the fables are STORIES. (Even in a public school setting, I would emphasize that these are STORIES from a different culture.)

I will use this book as a springboard to my lessons in life science with third grade students. I'm sure that my colleagues will also want a copy.

In the upper elementary setting (and possibly middle school), this book is best used as a teacher resource. I would rate it as a 5/5 picnic.

Pat Kramer
Palm Harbor, FL

Connected Wisdom, written by Linda Booth Sweeney, ...

2009-06-17T22:07:58.959-04:00

Connected Wisdom, written by Linda Booth Sweeney, Ed.D., is a cleverly written “prescience” book where each chapter is entwined with a fable or folklore to help students understand the concept. My biggest concern is the mentioning of Allah, in some of the chapters, and how students and parents will respond, even though religion is not being taught. As for the illustrations, they are all beautifully done. However, I did have trouble seeing the correlation of the pictures to the story/lesson in a couple of the chapters. I think this book could be used at a middle-school level as an introduction into a deeper study of the concept. I do not see students picking this book up on their own to read for pleasure.

Picnic Rating: 3

Denair Charter Academy
Denair, CA