Looking at how things are alike and different helps us think critically. It allows us to analyze information about animal behavior and ecology, so we can understand and form our own ideas about how animals live and interact with their environment.
Spark your thinking!
1. Set up your language arts mini spark page #85: Compare and Contrast
2. Read this article about seals and sea lions. Write down 5 details about each animal.
3. This article outlines how the animals are different, but there are ideas in the article that suggest how they are the same as well. On your recording sheet use what you learned to make 4 sentences about seals and sea lions using these sentence starters.
1. __________ and __________ are alike because __________.
2. __________ and __________ are different because __________.
3. The most interesting difference between __________ and __________ is __________.
4. While __________ and __________ are alike because __________, they have different __________.
5. Read this article about crocodiles and alligators. Make a colorful fact sheet with 3 facts for alligators and 3 facts for crocodiles.
6. Create a Venn Diagram on your recording page. Record at least 5 items in each section. The far left section will have information that is only true for alligators, the far right section is only true for crocodiles, and the middle section is information that they share.
7. Share your language arts mini spark page with your teacher/EY coordinator.
Storytelling has been an important part of human cultures for a very long time. For thousands of years, storytelling was the main way to pass on cultural knowledge and beliefs from one generation to the next. Stories teach and entertain, which has helped keep traditional ways of life going. Cultural ideals, medical practices, folk wisdom, historical accounts, and religious beliefs have all been shared through stories told by many people over the centuries. Storytelling is still important today, even though the ways stories has evolved. 
“Hidden Figures” is a biographical book about four African American women who worked as mathematicians at NASA during the Space Race and played pivotal roles in the Apollo program. Their contributions were essential in advancing America’s space exploration efforts, particularly during the historic Apollo missions to the Moon
Fit words into a grid in this popular game, often seen in puzzle magazines as fill-ins. The grid looks like a crossword, but there are no normal clues. Instead you must find the right place in the grid for each word from a given list.
Peter H. Reynolds is a champion of creativity and a best-selling author and illustrator. His books, including The Dot, Ish, The Word Collector, and Happy Dreamer, are published in over 25 languages. They inspire children and adults with messages about creativity, bravery, empathy, and self-expression.
