Клуб любителей английского языка

GARDENING

"Garden" by Veronica Freeman Ellis - простая книжка для начинающих, с крупными картинками и одним предложением под каждой из них. Может использоваться в качестве введения в тему:

I have a seed.
I plant it.
A plant grows.
The rain waters it.

"The Vegetable Garden" by Pauline Cartwright - сказка о двух кроликах, каждый из которых выращивал овощи в своём огороде:

Paddy and Jess each had a vegetable garden.
"My vegetables are big and juice," said Paddy. "Yours are small."
"I know," said Jess, but she didn't seem upset.

"A School in a Garden" by Sara Flannery. У школы был грустный вид - до тех пор, пока не было принято решение разбить около неё огород:

Teachers and students cleaned up the empty lot next to the school. They put in plants that would feed the soil.

Then the school hired a cooking teacher. The teacher fixed up the old cafeteria, which became a huge kitchen. Soon kids were taking cooking classes.

Within the year, the garden was growing! Every year, the garden grew bigger. The garden was now part of the school's culture.

HISTORY

"My Trip to the Stone Age" by Vickie Saxon. Название книги говорит само за себя. Книга построена в форме дневника, который ведётся от лица девочки, интересующейся историей и получившей на свой тринадцатый день рождения необычный компьютер по имени Нина:

Nina resembles an enormous (well, five feet tall and four feet wide) black box on the outside, with a little door so that I can go inside whenever I feel like travelling through time. Nina also provides information about each time period - the people, the climate, the animals... I'm so excited to try her!

"Our Ancestors" - ещё одна книга по истории. В ней доступным языком рассказано о жизни наших предков. В конце книги даётся несколько заданий на проверку понимания.

The time before people learned to write is called prehistory. There are no written records of this period. To learn about this time, scientists look for things that the earliest people left behind.

They look for old bones or footprints that can be clues to what early humans looked like. From pieces of art, clothing, and tools scientists can learn how early humans lived. They study these clues to come up with theories, or accepted explanations, about life in the distant past.

"Secrets from a Cave" by Jean Parr - документальный рассказ о том, как четыре подростка из Франции, гуляя по лесу, обнаружили пещеру, стены которой были покрыты рисунками древних людей:

Once they got in, the boys fell down a big pile of rocks. The rocks had covered the real opening to the cave. Even with a dim lamp, they could see that the cave was very large.

They began to explore. As they went in, the cave became smaller. Then they began to notice something strange on the walls.

"When Mammoths Roamed the Earth" by Alyssa Lauren - познавательная книга о мамонтах и о находках учёных, с ними связанных:

Today scientists face many obstacles when studying animals that lived long ago. One of the hardest things to figure out is how mammoths lived. Scientists believed that mammoths lived in groups called herds. Female mammoths that cared for the young led these herds. When male mammoths were about ten or fifteen years old, they left the herd. Most full-grown males lived alone or in small groups.

GEOGRAPHY

"Our Earth" - эта книга с громким названием не содержит ничего кроме картинок, подписей к ним и дефиниций. Это выглядит, например, так:

Mountains are the highest land.
Hills are not as high as mountains.

Таким образом, её можно использовать как иллюстративный материал, беседуя о Земле. В книге освещены следующие темы:

• Mountains and Hills
• Valleys
• Plains
• Beaches
• Lakes and Oceans
• Streams and Rivers
• Weather Can Change Earth
• Floods
• Erosion

В конце книги даны несколько заданий.

NATURE STUDY

"Patterns: Do You See What I See?" by Dorothy Spangler - эта книга рассказывает о повторяющихся паттернах, которые можно встретить в природе: узорах на крыльях бабочки, в пчелиных сотах, на ракушке улитки; звуках птиц и циклах развития насекомых. В книге довольно много текста, но воспринимается он легко:

You have patterns, too. One pattern is on your fingers. Look very closely at the tips of your fingers. Do you see the lines on the skin of each finger? These lines repeat in a way that is very important. No one else has exactly the same arrangement of lines on his or her fingers as you do.

"Understanding Food Chain" - книга, доступным языком объясняющая суть пищевых цепочек в природе:

Every living thing needs food. Both plants and animals need food to grow and stay healthy. But different organisms get food in different ways.

Plants make their own food by using sunlight, air, and water. Plants are producers. Producers are living things that make, or produce, their own food. The food is full of the energy they need. Grass, bushes, and trees are producers.

SPORT AND FITNESS

"Sport Kids Answers Back" by Lola Francis. Действие книги происходит в офисе редакции журнала "Sport Kid". Школьники получают вопросы от читателей и отвечают на них. Все вопросы и ответы касаются спорта и здорового образа жизни. Пример вопроса:

Sometimes I get tired and slow down toward the end of a game. What should I eat before a game to give me enough energy to play my best?

Прежде чем прочитать ответ, можно дать возможность ребёнку предложить свой вариант.

HOBBIES AND PASTIMES

"What Children Play" by Robin Raymer - книга кратко рассказывает об играх, в которые играют дети. Книга снабжена чёрно-белыми фотографиями и содержит небольшой экскурс в историю:

Today most children don't worry about finding time to play. Long ago, it was different.

Long ago, children had to help their families. There was a lot of work to do in the house and outside. Children didn't have a lot of time to play.

MORAL ISSUES

"The Dinosaur Drawing Delivery" by Conor McIntyre. Дети нарисовали картинки для школьной выставки. Лили решила ненадолго взять свою домой и показать маме. Заботливая девочка - правда, при этом она "забыла" поставить в курс учителя. Но тайное всегда становится явным:

Suddenly, Lily saw Mom at the classroom door. She was holding up Lily's picture!

"You forgot your drawing, Lily," said Mom. "You left it at home."

Mr. Allen looked surprised. "I thought I asked you to put your drawing on the shelf, Lily," he said.