Eye to Eye How Animals See the World

Written and Illustrated by Caldecott Honnor Winner, Steve Jenkins
Copyright ©2014 by Steve Jenkins
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Jenkins, S. (n.d.). Eye to eye: How animals see the world. 

Awards:
SLJ Best Books 2014, Nonfiction; Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014, Picture Books; 2015 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book; ALA Notable Books for Children 2015, All Ages

Reading Level: Grades K-3
Accelerated Reader: 5.7, points 0.5
Lexie Reading Level: NC1040L
Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading Level: N

Summary: Explore the world of eyes in this beautifully illustrated book about how animals see the world.

Five words or phrases to describe this book: 
beautiful illustrations, non-fiction, diverse, eyes, informational.

Genre: Non-fiction

Suggested Delivery: in a younger grade classroom I would have third grade students read this independently for interest, or as a project support. 

Classroom Activities:

Because this book is all about eyes a good way to incorporate technology in a contemporary way would be to use the smart board and extend the knowledge of eyes. Recently this picture of a dress has been going around the internet. Some people see that the colors of the dress are blue and black while others see white and gold. I think it would be fun to pull up the picture on a smart board and ask the students what colors they see. Chances are there will be some students who see one color and other students who see the other color. After I would talk about the eyes and why our eyes play tricks on us.

For further information you can show this short video explaining the reason people see different colors. Not only with this enhance the ;earning, but it can be used as an enrichment for students who are ahead in terms of reading level, but it is not too advanced for the lower reading level students. 

Another activity could be showing students how animals see the world. This short video shows how animals see the world compared to how humans see the world. The book describes how animals see the world, but some learners need visual representations to fully understand the topic. This would support the learners who do not grasp the written words as well and need extra support. 

Key Vocabulary:

Arthropods: A group of animals with jointed limbs and (usually) a hard, segmented covering, but no backbone. This group includes insects, spiders, scorpions, crabs, and shrimp.

Bioluminescent: Describes living organisms that can produce their own light.

Cornea: A protective transparent covering on the front of the eye. The cornea is curved and helps focus light. 

Iris: The colored part of the eye. The iris is a thin layer near the front of the eyeball that controls the size of the pupil.

Lens: A hard, clear structure in the eyes of humans and many animals. The lens moves or changes shape to focus light on the retina.

Membrane: A thin, flexible layer of tissue.

Nocturnal: Active at night.

Orb: An eye or eyeball.

Pupil: The opening through which light enters the eye. In many animals, the size of this opening changes to adjust to different light levels.

Receptor Cells: In many advanced eyes, there are two kinds of light receptor cells: rods and cones. Rod cells are sensitive to low levels of light but do not differentiate colors. Cone cells are responsible for color vision--each type of cone cell is sensitive to a different color of light. The number of different cone cells in animal eyes varies.

Retina: The light-sensitive inner lining of the eyeball. The retina is where receptor cells--rods and cones-- are found. It converts light into nerve impulses that are interpreted by the brain.

Before During and After Activities:

Before reading the students should look at the glossary for vocabulary and definitions. 

During reading the students should take notes or use sticky notes to mark where in the book they have questions and where their favorite part or fact in the book is. 

After reading I would have the students pick an animal from the book and do further research on that animal and write about what they found. This could have many facets such as a book report, a diorama, or a poem revolving around the animal. 

As support for taking notes on this and any nonfiction book is a graphic organizer. Students who do not have a lot of experience taking notes could benefit from the support of a graphic organizer. This one below offers a place to write questions and describe the student's favorite part. It is important for students to know how to take good notes so I believe they should learn these skills at an early age.