Survival at 40 Below

Author: Debbie S. Miller
Illustrator: Jon Van Zyle
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Walker & Company

Miller, D. S., & Zyle, J. (2010). Survival at 40 below. New York: Walker & Company.

Reading Level: 4-6

Genre: Nonfiction.

Description: Different animals, survival, informational, arctic life, preparation.

Delivery Suggestion: Small group or read aloud.

Summary: This informational text describes some of the astonishing adaptations of arctic animals for winter survival. The setting of the story is the Gates of the Arctic National Park. Above the Arctic Circle, many animals must prepare for extreme cold and long winters with the average temperature marking below 32 degrees F, from about October until May. Readers are informed about the different animals located in this area, and their specific adaptations that allow them to survive such freezing bitter conditions.

Electronic Resources:

Encounters North This resource provides viewers with very beneficial information about the different animals discussed in the book. It also gives students the opportunity to hear real recorded sounds from the animals themselves. Students can become more familiar with the different animals and experience some of the specific elements discussed in the descriptions in the text about the animals.

National Park Service This National Park Service resource provides students with load of facts, information, photos, and interactive games about the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Students can become more familiar with the environment and the different species that live there.

Vocabulary: Caribou, regal, tundra, cache, morsels, carrion, spruce, lemming, saplings, larvae, esophagus, lichens, metabolism.

Teaching Suggestions:

-Use this book as a supplement to a science lesson pertaining to habitat, temperature, and specie adaptation.

-Use the detailed illustrations in the book to aid the descriptions of the different animals and their unique features, which hold specific responsibilities toward their survival.

-Use this book to supplement a geography lesson about Alaska and the arctic makeup.

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading: Show students the one-hour DVD source that is provided in the back of the book: Gates of the Arctic: Alaska’s Brooks Range, by North Slope Productions (2008). This video source is available through www.alaskageographic.org. Students can experience a modified tour through the National park and Preserve and become familiar with the setting of the story.

During Reading: This text uses several challenging tier II and tier III vocabulary words (such as some mentioned above). Instruct students to stop and write down any word or term that poses to be difficult to them, causing them to be unsure of the meaning. Students should first refer to the glossary located in the back of the book to find the definition. If the definition is not provided, have students use a dictionary source to define the word. Once students locate a proper definition, have them add the term and the meaning to a word wall created specifically for this area of study. Avoiding to identify the meaning of such challenging words can potentially affect student comprehension greatly.

After Reading: Provide students with large index cards and divide them into appropriate group sizes. Assign several animals from the story to each group. Have each student become responsible for a certain animal and create a visual image of the animal on one side of the note card and list important facts on the other side. These facts should pertain to the adaptation requirements for survival. Encourage students to refer back to the text. Once note cards are complete, students can share their works with the different members of their group and swap cards with the other groups to read and examine.

Writing Activity:

Have students create a narrative incorporating the new learned species from the text into their story. The plot of the narrative should correspond with the adaptation and preparation requirements that the different animals hold, in order to survive. Have student’s type narratives when done composing and put together a large book that obtains all the students stories, and make available at the school library for their peers to view.