ReadWriteThink: November 3, 2009: <i>Stellaluna</i> author Janell Cannon was born in 1957.

November 3, 2009

		Stellaluna, the story of a baby bat that learns to live with birds, is a must-read on any booklist when students begin a study of bats. It also makes for a great read-aloud in celebration of Janell Cannon’s birthday. image © 2009 www.clipart.com

Stellaluna author Janell Cannon was born in 1957.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

After reading Stellaluna, lead a discussion with your students about the themes in the story. Ask them to talk about the differences between Stellaluna and the birds, and how those differences influenced the way the animals interacted with each other. Use the story as an introduction to a unit on bats or as a lead-in to a creative writing activity. A nice follow-up to a read-aloud, for example, would be to have students write their own sequels to Stellaluna. This can be done using the Stapleless Book, either independently or with a partner. Watch this video on how to fold a Stapleless Book. Teachers with very young children may choose to do this as a Shared Writing Activity.

Lesson Plans

Investigating Animals: Using Nonfiction for Inquiry-based Research
Primary students are intensely interested in nonfiction texts, especially when they focus on favorite animals. In this lesson, kindergarten students work with their upper-grade buddies to investigate bats in nonfiction texts.

Fishing for Readers: Identifying and Writing Effective Opening “Hooks”
Stellaluna is one of the books suggested for use with this lesson for grades 3–5, in which students collect and categorize effective introductions in a variety of children’s books. They share and rate their favorite “hooks,” compiling a menu of strategies for their own writing.

Animal Study: From Fiction to Facts
This lesson for students in grades K–2 describes how to use fiction and nonfiction literature to help students identify factual information about a variety of animals. Add bats to the list of animals students can study.

Web Links

The Adventures of Echo the Bat
This NASA site provides students with a multimedia learning experience on bats. Students read a fiction story that contains a good deal of factual information about bats and also teaches about remote-sensing technology.

Stellaluna’s Friends
Students in grades K–3 researched bats in their communities and engaged in creative-writing activities. Their work can be used as a model for your students to follow.

Creature Feature: Vampire Bats
This National Geographic Kids resource includes facts about vampire bats, audio and video clips, and a map showing the range of vampire bats.

Bat Conservation International
This site offers articles about issues related to bat conservation, as well as plans for bat houses, a photo gallery, and more. The Kidz Cave section offers a trivia quiz, crossword puzzles, and other activities related to bats.

Texts

Cannon, Janell. 1993. Stellaluna. Harcourt Children’s Books.
Children and adults throughout the world adore this beautifully written and illustrated story about Stellaluna, a fruit bat.

Editors of Time for Kids. 2005. Bats! HarperTrophy.
This Time for Kids book offers fun facts about bats, as well as full-color photographs and diagrams and a variety of special features.

Davies, Nicola. 2001. Bat Loves the Night. Candlewick Press.
This nonfiction book describes the ways in which bats use their senses of hearing and smell to survive. Science facts and illustrations are included.

Mitchard, Jacquelyn. 2004. Baby Bat’s Lullaby. HarperCollins.
This fiction book explores the nighttime flight of bats, with a focus on the relationship between a mother and her child.