educator’s guide
Creature Features
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
• Tell students to raise their hands and ask about any unfa-
miliar words as you read.
Post-Reading Class Discussion:
• Lead a discussion about the animal illustrations in the
book. Did students enjoy them? Are they realistic? Do
students think photographs would be better? Why do
students think the creators chose to show just a close-up
of the animals' head, and not their whole body?
• Can students name some of the reasons for the animals'
unusual features? Did they learn any new animal facts
from this book? Did they enjoy learning the “gross” facts?
Which was the most disgusting? Why do these facts seem
disgusting to them? What if they had to do these things in
order to survive?
• Talk about the humor in the text. Do students enjoy funny
stories? Have they read other nonfiction books that were
funny? Do they think that using humor makes it easier to
learn facts about the animals?
Creature Features: • Show the students the front cover of the book again. Can
Twenty-Five Animals Explain Why They Look they identify which person is the author and which is the
illustrator? Do they think that two people could share the
the Way They Do writing and drawing duties for a book? Do they ever col-
By Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
laborate on creative projects with their friends or siblings?
The activities for this book are aligned with Common Core
State Standards for English Language Arts for grades K–1, Classroom Activities
but standards for other grades may also apply and the
book can be used effectively with grades K–3. • Stage a readers' theater and “perform” the book as a class.
Go around the room with each student reading a question
Creature Features assembles a group of unusual animals and or answer until everyone has had a chance to be either an
uses a fun question-and-answer format to explain the good interviewer or animal subject. Encourage reading “with
reasons for their odd features. An appendix provides more expression” and adding animal noises! Note: You can
details about the home and diet of the animals. download and print masks of some of the animals in the
book at [Link]/doc/235639250/Creature-Fea-
tures-Mask-Kit.
Objective:
• Visit Steve Jenkins’s website and watch the slideshow
Students will listen to the teacher read the book aloud, ex- about the making of Creature Features: stevejenkinsbooks.
tend vocabulary, participate in class discussion and activi- com/creaturefeatures. Do students think two years is a
ties, and coplemete individual writing projects. long time to wait for a book to be finished?
Pre-Reading • Hand out art supplies and ask students to invent a new
• Hold the book up and show the class the front and back animal with an unusual feature. Have students take turns
covers and flaps and title page, reading the text aloud. showing their animal to the class and explaining how the
Can students explain what purpose each of these areas feature is used.
serves? Do they like the front cover? Does it make them
want to read the book?
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educator’s guide
Creature Features
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Individual Activities
• Have students choose four animals NOT in the book and
write questions/answers for each of them, following
book’s format.
• Ask students to write a story about one or more of their
chosen animals and make “thumbnail” sketches as they
would if they were making their story into a book.
• Have students write an opinion essay about why they
liked or did not like this book, giving specific reasons for
their answer.
English Langauge Arts Standards (K–1) this
guide aligns with the following:
Reading:
RL.K.1, RL.K.3, RL.K.4, RL.K.5, RL.K.6, RL.K.7, RI.K.1,
RI.K.2, RI.K.3, RI.K.4, RI.K.5, RI.K.6, RI.K.7, RI.K.10, RF.K.1,
RF.K.2, RL.1.1, RL.1.3, RL.1.5, RI.1.1, RI.1.2, RI.1.3, RI.1.4,
RI.1.6, RF.1.1, RF.1.2
Writing:
W.K.1, W.K.2, W.K.3, W.1.1, W.1.3, W.1.3
Speaking and Listening:
SL.K.1, SL.K.2, SL.K.3, SL.K.5, SL.K.6, SL.1.1, SL.1.2, SL.1.3,
SL.1.5, SL.1.6
Language:
L.K.1, L.K.2, L.1.1, L.1.2
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educator’s guide
M y F i r s t D ay
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Post-Reading Class Discussion:
• Ask students why they think that babies and baby animals
are so cute? Have students seen Internet videos with pup-
pies and kittens or other animals?
• Of all of the animals described in the book, whose first
day would students like to experience most?
• Which animal babies do things humans can do too?
Which animal is most like a human baby? Which is most
unlike a human baby?
• Have students seen any of these baby animals? Others not
in the book? Where— at the zoo, in the park?
• Can students name some of the ways that animal parents
can find or recognize their children?
• Ask students to share some of the interesting facts they
learned by listening to this book. Can they tell the differ-
ence between a fiction and nonfiction book? Which kind
is this book? Would they rather hear a book that “tells a
My First Day: story” or one that just tells facts?
What Animals Do on Day One
By Steve Jenkins & Robin Page Classroom Activities
The activities for this book are aligned with Common Core • Post a world map at the front of the class and reread the
State Standards for English Language Arts for grades K–1, appendix of the book, marking each animal’s home on the
but standards for other grades may also apply and the map. How many of the animals live close to your class-
book can be used effectively with grades K–3. room? How many live in far-away places?
My First Day explores some of the fascinating things that • Divide students into small groups and have each group
animals do on their first day. An appendix provides more choose four animals from the book. Have students design
detailed information about each animal described. flash cards for their animals, including a picture, name,
each one's home, and at least one interesting fact. Have
each group present their flash cards to the class.
Objective:
Individual Activities
Students will listen to the teacher read the book aloud, ex-
tend vocabulary, participate in class discussion and activi-
• Ask students to bring in a baby picture of themselves and
ties, and complete individual writing projects.
ask a parent to tell them what their own first day was like.
Have them write a story called“My First Day” and tell it
Pre-Reading to the class. Put all of the stories and photos together to
• Hold the book up and show the class the front and back make a classroom photo album. Note: If students can’t
covers, flaps, and title page, reading the text aloud. find out what really happened on their first day, ask them
• Ask students to keep a list of all the animals mentioned as to imagine what happened for their story.
you are reading the book.
• Tell students to raise their hands and ask about any unfa- • Have students choose an animal family from the book
miliar words as you read. and write a “script” for the babies’ first day, imagining the
conversations if the animals could speak English.
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educator’s guide
M y F i r s t D ay
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
English Langauge Arts Standards (K–1) with
which this guide aligns:
Reading:
RL.K.1, RL.K.3, RL.K.4, RL.K.5, RI.K.1, RI.K.2, RI.K.3,
RI.K.4, RI.K.5, RF.K.1, RF.K.2, RI.1.1, RI.1.2, RI.1.3, RI.1.4,
RI.1.5, RF.1.1, RF.1.2
Writing:
W.K.1, W.K.2, W.K.3, W.K.8, W.1.3
Speaking and Listening:
SL.K.1, SL.K.2, SL.K.3, SL.K.5, SL.K.6, SL.1.1, SL.1.2, SL.1.5,
SL.1.6
Language:
L.K.1, L.K.2, L.K.4, L.K.6, L.1.1, L.1.2
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educator’s guide
Animals Upside down
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Pre-Reading
• Explain that there may be unfamiliar words in the book
and ask students to keep a vocabulary list as they read, re-
cording the word and its definition. If they can’t identify a
definition from context, then have them use a dictionary to
determine meaning.
Post-Reading Class Discussion:
• Ask students to share their vocabulary lists and definitions.
• Can students name some reasons why animals turn upside
down? Have any students seen upside-down animals, and
where? Why was that animal upside-down?
• Do students wish they could do some of the things the ani-
mals in the book can do, such as changing color, spraying
toxins, swimming upside down? What ability would they
choose to have in order to protect themselves? What abili-
ties can humans use to protect themselves?
• Can students name some types of food that the animals
eat? Which animals eat the same things? Would they try
eating any of these? Can students eat while hanging upside
down?
• Do students enjoy reading books with the pop-up format?
Why or why not? Does it make the animals seem more real?
Are books more interesting when they have an interactive
Animals Upside Down format?
By Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
The activities for this book are aligned with Common Core Team Activities
State Standards for English Language Arts for grades 1–2,
but standards for other grades may also apply and the book Divide the class into five teams and assign a group of ani-
can be used effectively with grades 1–3. mals from the book to each team.
Animals Upside Down is an interactive book with pop-ups, • Team 1: nuthatch, weaverbird, hanging parrot, humming-
pul tabs, and lift-the-flaps that help students discover the bird, sparrowhawk, bird of paradise
many reasons animals need to turn upside down. An appen-
dix provides more detailed information about each animal • Team 2: darkling beetle, net-casting spider, housefly, pale
described. green weevil, Australian leaf insect
• Team 3: fire-bellied toad, pangolin, hog-nosed snake, mon-
Objective: key skink, woolly monkey
Students will read the book independently, extend vocabu- • Team 4: skunk, harvest mouse, fruit bat, opossum, three-
lary, participate in a class discussion and team activities, and toed sloth
complete individual research and writing projects.
• Team 5: upside-down jellyfish, trumpetfish, flamingo, mal-
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educator’s guide
Animals Upside down
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
lard, upside-down catfish Writing:
Have the teams read the book again together and make a W.1.2, W.1.3, W.2.2, W.2.3
simple chart of the animals in their group, including the fol-
lowing: Speaking and Listening:
• Name of animal SL.1.1, SL.1.2, SL.1.5, SL.1.6, SL.2.1, SL.2.2, SL.2.6
• Where they live, geographically Language:
• What type of home they live in L.1.1, L.1.2, L.1.3, L.2.1, L.2.2, L.2.3
• What they eat
• Why they turn upside down
• Other special abilities
Post all of the charts in the classroom.
The cover of the book shows an upside-down bat. Have each
team choose one of the animals in their group and come up
with reasons why that animal should have been on the cover
instead. Each team will present their reasons to the class.
Individual Activities
• Have students choose an animal from the book, research
more about that animal, and write a report that extends be-
yond the information in the appendix. Have them present
that report to the class.
•H
ave students write a short story or draw a comic strip
featuring an animal from the book in an upside-down ad-
venture.
•H
ave students choose two or more animals from the book
and compare them to each other. Do they eat the same
things? Do they protect themselves in the same way? How
are they alike and different?
English Langauge Arts Standards (1–2) with
which this guide aligns:
Reading:
RI.1.1, RI.1.2, RI.1.3, RI.1.4, RI.1.5, RI.1.6, RI.1.7, RI.2.1, RI.2.4,
RI.2.5, RI.2.6, RI.2.7
educator’s guide
egg
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
determine meaning.
• Ask students to keep a list of any animals that are new to
them.
Post-Reading Class Discussion:
• Ask students to share their vocabulary lists and definitions.
• Do students understand the word predator and the rela-
tionship between predator and prey? Can they remember
and explain why eggs are important to predatory animals’
diets? Has everyone in the class eaten an egg? Does that
mean students are predators?
• Can students name some places where animals lay their
eggs? Which place do they think is the strangest? The saf-
est? The most dangerous?
• Have any students seen eggs in their yard? In other places,
like the park, zoo, or beach? What kind of eggs were they?
• Which animals lay many eggs? Which animals lay just one?
Egg: Which has the largest egg? The smallest?
Nature's Perfect Package
By Steve Jenkins & Robin Page • Ask students to compare their lists of unfamiliar animals.
Were there any animals new to ALL students?
The activities for this book are aligned with Common Core
State Standards for English Language Arts for grades 2–3, Classroom Activities
but standards for other grades may also apply and the book
can be used effectively with grades K–3. • Bring in a hard-boiled egg for every student and provide
them with art materials. Ask them to design a “suitcase”
In Egg: Nature’s Perfect Package, the authors take a look at the that will protect their egg and then share their creation
curious world of animal eggs, introducing students to the with the class.
variety of colors, shapes, and sizes of eggs and exploring the
many ways animals lay and protect their eggs. An appen- • Have students to choose an animal and design an informa-
dix provides more detailed information about each animal tional poster about the animal and its eggs.
described.
Independent Research & Writing
Objective:
• Have students choose one of the other egg books from the
Students will read the book independently, extend vocabu- “Additional Reading” section at the back of the book, and
lary, participate in a class discussion and art projects, and compare/contrast that book with this one. Which book do
complete individual research and writing projects. they like better? Why? What about the writing or illustra-
tion makes it a better book, in their opinion?
Pre-Reading
• Ask students to choose two animals with very different egg
• Explain that there may be unfamiliar words in the book behaviors and write a report comparing them, using the
and ask students to keep a vocabulary list as they read, re- book’s content and appendix along with additional outside
cording the word and its definition. If they can’t identify a research. Have them present this report to the class.
definition from context, then have them use a dictionary to
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educator’s guide
egg
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
• The book presents examples of both female and male ani-
mals “parenting” their eggs. Have students research and
report on other animal types where both “moms” and
“dads” share birth, protection and child-raising duties.
English Langauge Arts Standards (2–3) with
which this guide aligns:
Reading:
RI.2.1, RI.2.4, RI.2.5, RI.2.6, RI.2.8, RI.2.9, RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.4,
RI.3.7, RI.3.9, RF.2.4, RF.3.4
Writing:
W.1.2, W.1.3, W.2.2, W.2.3
Speaking and Listening:
SL.2.1, SL.2.2, SL.2.3, SL.2.6, SL.3.1, SL.3.3, SL.3.4, SL.3.6
Language:
L.2.1, L.2.2, L.2.3, L.2.4, L.3.1, L.3.2, L.3.3, L.3.4
educator’s guide
Eye to eye
by Steve Jenkins
Pre-Reading
• Explain that there may be unfamiliar words in the book
and ask students to keep a vocabulary list as they read, re-
cording the word and its definition. If they can’t identify a
definition from context, then have them use a dictionary to
determine meaning.
Post-Reading Class Discussion:
• Ask students to share their vocabulary lists and definitions.
• Ask students what they think is the strangest location for
an animal’s eye. Which animals have more than two eyes?
Who has the most eyes? Who has the largest eye and how
big is it?
• Do students think that vision is an animal’s most important
sense? A human’s? If not, what do they think is the most
important sense?
• Share one or both of Steve Jenkins’s Internet videos about
how his books are made and then lead a discussion about
his research and creative process:
[Link]/making_books_video.html
[Link]/watch?v=hhJ1wtHSPc4
Team Activities
Eye to Eye:
How Animals See the World • Divide the class into small groups and ask each group to
By Steve Jenkins create a book of photos and/or drawings depicting your
community from the perspective of one or more animals.
The activities for this book are aligned with Common Core For example, what does a bird see as it flies overhead?
State Standards for English Language Arts for grades 2–3, What does a dog see as it crosses a street?
but standards for other grades may also apply and the book
can be used effectively with grades K–3. • Provide each group with a world map and have them use
the “animal facts” section of the book and other sources to
Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World gives readers a close- locate each animal’s home. Have them creatively identify
up view of animal vision. From bullfrogs to buzzards, ani- the animals on the map using drawings or photos and then
mals use their eyes in surprising ways. An appendix, charts, post the maps.
and a glossary provide more details about the animals and
their type of vision, diet, and habitat. Independent Research & Writing
Objective: • Have students choose an animal from the book and write a
short story looking through that animal’s eyes.
Students will read the book independently, extend vocabu-
lary, participate in a class discussion and team activities, and • Ask students to identify an animal whose vision is NOT
complete individual research and writing projects. their most important sense, write a report about it, and
present their report to the class.
• Have students choose one of the eye types mentioned in
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educator’s guide
Eye to eye
by Steve Jenkins
the book and write a report about it using this book, other
books, and the Internet. The report should include an ex-
planation of the eye type and how it works, in addition
to examples of animals with that eye type and photos or
diagrams as needed.
• Ask students to identify an animal whose vision is NOT
their most important sense, write a report about it, and
present their report to the class.
• Ask students to choose two animals from the book with dif-
ferent types of eyes and to write a report comparing them.
• Many of the eyes in the book are very different from the hu-
man eye. Ask students to write about what they could do
if they could see like of the animals does. For example, “If I
had eyes on both sides of my head, I could . . . ”
English Langauge Arts Standards (2–3) with
which this guide aligns:
Reading:
RI.2.1, RI.2.4, RI.2.5, RI.2.6, RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.7,
RF.2.4, RF.3.4
Writing:
W.2.1, W.2.2, W.2.3, W.2.5, W.2.6, W.2.7, W.2.8, W.3.1, W.3.2,
W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.7, W.3.5, W3.6, W.3.7, W.3.8
Speaking and Listening:
SL.2.1, SL.2.2, SL.2.3, SL.2.6, SL.3.1, SL.3.2, SL.3.3, SL.3.4,
SL.3.6
Language:
L.2.1, L.2.2, L.2.3, L.2.4, L.3.1, L.3.2, L.3.3, L.3.4
Visit the Common Core State Standards website
to read about the individual standards.
[Link]/the-standards
educator’s guide
How to Swallow A Pig:
Step-by-Step Advice from the Animal Kingdom
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Post-Reading Class Discussion Questions:
• Which animal traits do students most admire and
wish they could claim? Would they like to have a
shovelhead like the ant lion larva, or the leaf-cutter
ant’s scissor-like jaw? Which traits would they NOT
like to have? Why?
• In the appendix, readers discover that the spider in
the book is a barn spider, like Charlotte in the book
Charlotte’s Web. Can students name other animals who
are the “stars” of fiction stories? Can they suggest one
of the featured animals in this book who would make
a good character in a fiction book? Why?
• Ask students to identify and name some of the positive
traits the animals have. Examples: sharing (monkeys),
creativity (tailorbird), collaboration (whales). Then
ask for examples of bad traits portrayed. Discuss how
humans exhibit some of these traits, both positive and
negative.
The activities for this book are aligned with Common Core • Some of the activities in the book may be disgusting
State Standards for English Language Arts for grades 2–3, to some students and fascinating to others. Lead
but standards for other grades may also apply and the book a discussion about this—why is it that disgusting
can be used effectively with grades 1–4. things are compelling? Why are people fascinated
with scary, creepy, or gross things?
How to Swallow a Pig reveals the skills animals use to • Do students think that having instructions using
survive in the wild in an imaginative and humorous both words and pictures made the steps easier to
how-to format. With step-by-step instructions, readers understand? More enjoyable? Did they learn things
learn about specific behaviors; how to catch thousands from the pictures that they didn’t “get” from the
of fish like a humpback whale or how to sew up a nest words? Can they give examples?
like a tailorbird. An appendix provides more detailed
information about each animal described.
Team Activities:
Objective:
Vocabulary Garlands
Students will read the book independently, extend
Divide the class into four teams and provide each with
vocabulary, participate in a class discussion and
some white card stock cut into large triangles. Using
complete individual and team activities exploring the
their vocabulary lists, have each team add their words
book.
to the triangles, decorate them, and then share them
(definitions too!) with the rest of the class. String each
Pre-Reading:
team’s words together and hang these festive word
Explain that there may be unfamiliar words in the book chains around the classroom.
and ask students to keep a vocabulary list as they read,
recording the word and its definition. If they can’t Step by Step
identify a definition from context, then have them use
Divide the class into 4 teams and ask each team
a dictionary to determine meaning.
to brainstorm some other animals and activities
that could have been included in the book. Have
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educator’s guide
How to Swallow A Pig:
Step-by-Step Advice from the Animal Kingdom
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
them each choose two of these and design step-
by-step instructions following the format in the
book. Then have each team present theirs to the
class. Have the class vote on their three favorites!
Individual Activities:
Have students complete one or more of these creative
writing and art activities:
• Design a simple “infographic” using the animals
in the book. They can draw a simple three-section
piechart, and then draw small pictures of the
animals, placing them in their appropriate section:
land, sea, or air.
• Choose their favorite animal from the book,
complete further research on it, and write a report
to share with the class.
• Imagine and write about a fictional encounter with
a python and a pig.
• Build and decorate a nest like the satin bowerbird.
• Design a new cover for the book, featuring a
different animal chosen from those in the book.
• Choose two or more of the animals in the book
and describe how they are like, or unlike, each
other. What do they have in common? How are
they different?
• Compose and design a menu for a restaurant that
would serve many of the animals in the book.
English Language Arts Standards (2-3)
this guide aligns with:
Reading: RI.2.1, RI.2.2, RI.2.3, RI.2.4, RI.2.5, RI.2.6, RI.2.7,
RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.4, RI.3.7, RF.2.3, RF.2.4, RF.3.3, RF.3.4
Writing: W.2.2, W.2.3, W.2.5, W.2.8, W.3.2, W.3.3, W.3.4,
W.3.7, W.3.8
Speaking and Listening: SL.2.1, SL.2.2, SL.2.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.2,
SL.3.3, SL.3.4, SL.3.6
Language: L.2.1, L.2.2, L.2.3, L.2.4, L.3.1, L.3.2, L.3.3, L.3.4
[Link] the
Common Core State Standards website to read about the
individual standards.
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