How Do Frogs Swallow With Their Eyes?

Author: Berger, Melvin and Gilda

Title: How Do Frogs Swallow With Their Their Eyes?

Genre: Informational

Publishing Information: Scholastic Reference, 48 pp.



Summary: This colorful book is filled with all kinds of information about amphibians. Just about anything that you would ever want to know about amphibians can be found in this book. The book gives information such as what amphibians eat, where they live, what sizes they are, and how they camouflage themselves from their enemies, the life cycle of a frog. If you are interested in these creatures this book is for you.

Personal rating: **** Great

Rationale: Well written, great illustrations, great questions and answer format


Reading level: 3.9 Interest level: 2nd – 5th

Thematic Areas: Nature, Environment, Natural Habitats, Amphibians

Content Areas: Animal Science, Math, Language Arts, Movement, Research, Art

Potential Problems or Difficulties: length, sophisticated vocabulary

Possible use in classroom:

*Students could make a chart comparing and contrasting different characteristics of amphibians mentioned in the book. (length, weight, colors, habitats) Students could cut lengths of yarn to represent the varying lengths of amphibians in the book. Then they could compute the length of one amphibian compared to the other. For example how much longer is the Japanese giant salamander compared to the African Goliath frog?

*The teacher could do a unit study on amphibians and use this book as a resource.

*The teacher could list several different amphibians on separate slips of paper and have students pull out of a “hat” to select which amphibian to conduct research on. Students could even create an art project to go along with the information they find on their subject. Students would pick a method of presenting their information to the class.

*Students could play a game where they move like a certain amphibian (i.e. frog, caecilian, salamander)

*Students could make a poster that showed the life cycle of a frog from egg to adult stage. They could have tadpoles in the classroom so they could watch them grow over time.