ANCHOR TEXTThe Wild Robot, by Peter Brown
(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016. 288 pages) When a cargo ship is sunk by a violent hurricane, its load of robots is washed up on the shore of an island inhabited by a diverse array of wild animals. The one robot not torn apart by the shipwreck—ROZZUM unit 7134, whom we come to know as Roz—must figure out how to survive in an environment for which she was not programmed. By observing the animals' uniquely adapted capabilities, learning their language, and working side by side with them to survive, Roz becomes an integral part of the island’s wild community. |
Format: Chapter book with black-and-white illustrations
Genre: Science fiction/fantasy ATOS Book Level: 5.1 Lexile Measure: 740L |
Reviews (including age/grade level)
School Library Journal: Grade 3–5 Publisher’s Weekly: Age 8–12 Kirkus: Age 7–11 Commonsense Media: Age 8 and up |
AUDIENCE
Third graders at a public K-5 school in Oakland, California. Most of the 22 students in the classroom read at grade level, with some reading above grade level. There are no students reading significantly below grade level.
PURPOSE
Through exploring the theme of survival in the science fiction/ fantasy novel The Wild Robot, students can approach the essential question, “How do organisms adapt to survive in their environment (or in a new or changed environment)?”
The supplemental texts build on the concept of physical adaptation to illustrate additional approaches to the essential question:
This text set is designed to inspire and inform exploration through discussions, writing activities, and STEAM experiences in the classroom. The set supports California Department of Education's Science Framework for Grade 3, specifically:
The supplemental texts build on the concept of physical adaptation to illustrate additional approaches to the essential question:
- Organisms survive by adapting their behavior
- Organisms survive by cooperating with others
- Organisms survive by innovating and designing solutions
This text set is designed to inspire and inform exploration through discussions, writing activities, and STEAM experiences in the classroom. The set supports California Department of Education's Science Framework for Grade 3, specifically:
- Standard 3-LS2-1 Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.
- Standard 3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all
- Standard 3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
- Disciplinary core idea LS4C (adaptation) and disciplinary core idea LS2D (social interactions and group behavior)
- The cross-cutting concept of the interdependence of science, engineering, and technology
VIDEO
Strandbeest: The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen
Lena Herzog, 2016. Running time: 3 minutes, 45 seconds.
https://www.exploratorium.edu/strandbeest
Dutch physicist-turned-artist Theo Jansen has spent more than two decades building real-life wild robots: kinetic structures called strandbeests that are designed to move and survive in a natural environment.
This video features footage of the strandbeests in their seaside habitat and in a museum exhibition, where viewers (including many children) were able to explore and help propel the works. It is narrated by Jansen, who describes how he iterates on his designs, helping his “animals” evolve to increase their chances of survival. The video was posted by the Exploratorium in San Francisco (a recommended resource by the Association for Library Service to Children’s Great Websites for Kids) as part of its exhibition of strandbeests in 2016. The Exploratorium exhibition website also features an evolutionary timeline of the beests and a video of a lecture about the artist’s methods.
Strandbeest: The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen
Lena Herzog, 2016. Running time: 3 minutes, 45 seconds.
https://www.exploratorium.edu/strandbeest
Dutch physicist-turned-artist Theo Jansen has spent more than two decades building real-life wild robots: kinetic structures called strandbeests that are designed to move and survive in a natural environment.
This video features footage of the strandbeests in their seaside habitat and in a museum exhibition, where viewers (including many children) were able to explore and help propel the works. It is narrated by Jansen, who describes how he iterates on his designs, helping his “animals” evolve to increase their chances of survival. The video was posted by the Exploratorium in San Francisco (a recommended resource by the Association for Library Service to Children’s Great Websites for Kids) as part of its exhibition of strandbeests in 2016. The Exploratorium exhibition website also features an evolutionary timeline of the beests and a video of a lecture about the artist’s methods.
VIDEO
Adaptation
Natureworks, 2010. Rating: TV-G. Running time: 14 minutes, 45 seconds.
http://video.nhptv.org/video/1492015101/
Hosted by a junior naturalist who is also a teen girl of color, this video gives an overview of structural and behavioral adaptations, and features clips showing a diverse selection of animals including the opossum, beaver, and porcupine (all of which are also described in The Wild Robot). The National Science Teachers Association vetted and recommended this video for Grade 3, saying, “The easy-to-understand narration and engaging video clips make this resource accessible for a wide range of students."
Adaptation
Natureworks, 2010. Rating: TV-G. Running time: 14 minutes, 45 seconds.
http://video.nhptv.org/video/1492015101/
Hosted by a junior naturalist who is also a teen girl of color, this video gives an overview of structural and behavioral adaptations, and features clips showing a diverse selection of animals including the opossum, beaver, and porcupine (all of which are also described in The Wild Robot). The National Science Teachers Association vetted and recommended this video for Grade 3, saying, “The easy-to-understand narration and engaging video clips make this resource accessible for a wide range of students."
NONFICTION BOOK
Biomimicry: Inventions Inspired by Nature
Dora Lee (author) and Margot Thompson (illustrator), 2011. Kids Can Press. 40 pages
With colorful hand-drawn pastel illustrations and straightforward but detailed text, this nonfiction book dips into the emerging scientific school of biomimicry, exploring how real-life human inventions such as Velcro and military camouflage have been inspired by animal adaptations. This text was chosen for its connection to the way in which Roz learns to survive life on the island first by observing the environment and imitating the animals’ adaptations and behaviors. It was positively reviewed by School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and by readers on Amazon.com.
Biomimicry: Inventions Inspired by Nature
Dora Lee (author) and Margot Thompson (illustrator), 2011. Kids Can Press. 40 pages
With colorful hand-drawn pastel illustrations and straightforward but detailed text, this nonfiction book dips into the emerging scientific school of biomimicry, exploring how real-life human inventions such as Velcro and military camouflage have been inspired by animal adaptations. This text was chosen for its connection to the way in which Roz learns to survive life on the island first by observing the environment and imitating the animals’ adaptations and behaviors. It was positively reviewed by School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and by readers on Amazon.com.
NONFICTION BOOK
How to Clean a Hippopotamus
Robin Page and Steve Jenkins, 2013. HMH Books for Young Readers. 32 pages.
Featuring colorful collage illustrations and playful fact-based text, this book about symbiotic relationships offers a scientific take on the theme of cooperation in The Wild Robot. Breaking down the different types of symbiotic relationships, the book is careful not to anthropomorphize or characterize symbiosis as a state of “friendship”—offering opportunities to contrast this informational text with the fictional anchor text. The back matter includes a list of books for further reading and descriptions of each animal’s size, habitat, and diet.
The authors’ previous work and this volume in particular have been positively reviewed by multiple sources, including School Library Journal.
How to Clean a Hippopotamus
Robin Page and Steve Jenkins, 2013. HMH Books for Young Readers. 32 pages.
Featuring colorful collage illustrations and playful fact-based text, this book about symbiotic relationships offers a scientific take on the theme of cooperation in The Wild Robot. Breaking down the different types of symbiotic relationships, the book is careful not to anthropomorphize or characterize symbiosis as a state of “friendship”—offering opportunities to contrast this informational text with the fictional anchor text. The back matter includes a list of books for further reading and descriptions of each animal’s size, habitat, and diet.
The authors’ previous work and this volume in particular have been positively reviewed by multiple sources, including School Library Journal.
POETRY BOOK
Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures
Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess, and Deanna Nikaido (authors) and Joel Sartore (photographer), 2017. National Geographic Children’s Books. 48 pages.
This book pairs more than 40 portraits of threatened and endangered animals by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore with haiku poems by Newbery Medal winner Kwame Alexander. Photographer Joel Sartore founded National Geographic’s Photo Ark Project, which seeks to document all of the world’s known animal species, especially those under threat of extinction. This collection of his work published for children can be connected to The Wild Robot’s conception of how animals are impacted by and adapt to environmental change. It also connects to Roz’s observations of the animals on the island as illustrated in chapter 19 of The Wild Robot, which is written in a poetic style.
This resource was positively reviewed by Kirkus, Booklist, and School Library Journal, which called it “a must-have for poetry collections.”
Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures
Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess, and Deanna Nikaido (authors) and Joel Sartore (photographer), 2017. National Geographic Children’s Books. 48 pages.
This book pairs more than 40 portraits of threatened and endangered animals by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore with haiku poems by Newbery Medal winner Kwame Alexander. Photographer Joel Sartore founded National Geographic’s Photo Ark Project, which seeks to document all of the world’s known animal species, especially those under threat of extinction. This collection of his work published for children can be connected to The Wild Robot’s conception of how animals are impacted by and adapt to environmental change. It also connects to Roz’s observations of the animals on the island as illustrated in chapter 19 of The Wild Robot, which is written in a poetic style.
This resource was positively reviewed by Kirkus, Booklist, and School Library Journal, which called it “a must-have for poetry collections.”
INTERACTIVE GAME
Aviva’s Powersuit Maker
Kratt Brothers Company Ltd. / 9 Story Media Group Inc., 2015.
http://pbskids.org/wildkratts/games/power-suit-maker/
This text-rich online game, by the makers of the popular PBS animated children’s program Wild Kratts, lets kids use a drag-and-drop interface to engineer a suit for a character from the show by combining attributes from different animals. In the game’s experimental mode, as each feature is added to the suit, text and audio explain the adaptation and how it helps an animal survive in its environment. One the suit is completed, players can choose from a selection of habitats in which to test the suit’s capabilities, and text and audio commentary explain how the suit’s wearer would fare. In challenge mode, audio and text narration explain what capabilities are needed (strong legs for speed, for example), and players choose animal features suited to the need.
This resource was chosen for its interactive presentation of rich text on animal adaptations. The Wild Kratts website is recommended by the National Science Teachers Association for its support of Grade 3 science standards.
Aviva’s Powersuit Maker
Kratt Brothers Company Ltd. / 9 Story Media Group Inc., 2015.
http://pbskids.org/wildkratts/games/power-suit-maker/
This text-rich online game, by the makers of the popular PBS animated children’s program Wild Kratts, lets kids use a drag-and-drop interface to engineer a suit for a character from the show by combining attributes from different animals. In the game’s experimental mode, as each feature is added to the suit, text and audio explain the adaptation and how it helps an animal survive in its environment. One the suit is completed, players can choose from a selection of habitats in which to test the suit’s capabilities, and text and audio commentary explain how the suit’s wearer would fare. In challenge mode, audio and text narration explain what capabilities are needed (strong legs for speed, for example), and players choose animal features suited to the need.
This resource was chosen for its interactive presentation of rich text on animal adaptations. The Wild Kratts website is recommended by the National Science Teachers Association for its support of Grade 3 science standards.