The Story About Ping
The Story About Ping
The tale of a little duck alone on the Yangtze River, The Story About Ping is a sweet and funny book with wonderfully rich and colorful illustrations. On a day like any other, Ping sets off from the boat he calls home with his comically large family in search of "pleasant things to eat." On this particular day, he is accidentally left behind when the boat leaves. Undaunted, the little duck heads out onto the Yangtze in search of his family, only to find new friends and adventures--and a bit of peril--around every bend.
The exceptional illustrations bring the lush Yangtze to life, from Ping's family to the trained fishing birds he finds himself among to the faithfully rendered boats and fishermen. Certainly intended to be read aloud, The Story About Ping deserves a place on every young reader's (or listener's) shelf. (amazon.com review)
Author page
Illustrator Page
Other books by Kurt Wiese
Go-Alongs:
Online Units and Resources for The Story About Ping
Example of a Five in a Row unit (uses The Story of Ping)
Using The Story of Ping, Jane Lambert illustrates how to use a Five in a Row unit. (Y)
Life on the Rivers of Asia
National Geographic unit using The Story of Ping (y)
Photos of the Yangtze River
A collection of varied photos of life on the Yangtze River (Y, M, O, T)
A Month of Mapping Literature
"Take your students on a world tour with literature! Students read and discuss a new story or book each day. Students plot the locations of the story or book on a world map or globe." (Y, M, O, T)
Literature resources for younger children
A large number of FIAR resource for specific books as well as general resources that can be used with any literature. Includes Elements of a Story Bookmark, World Traveler Passport, Classic Story Timeline, President Chart & President Disks and more. Scroll down for the links to the downloads. Requires Adobe Acrobat reader. (Y,M)
Lapbook Examples
(Y)
Activities
From TeacherViews.com (y)
Ping games and resources
Hurry Ping game, sequence cards, float/sink chart, China resource and more. (y)
Lapbook Example
(y)
Duck Lesson Plan
(y)
Supplemental Book List
from the FIAR Message Board Archive (T)
Fun things to do with Kids in China
Book list for kids written about China. (y m)
Go-alongs about China
All About The Great Wall Of China - All About The Great Wall Of China (Y)
China Webquest - You are the newest travel agent at the Comet Travel Agency. The Comet Travel Agency is trying to expand it's over seas business. You were hired because you have good computer skills as well as being a good travel agent. You will use your skills on the computer and as an agent to help the company expand their business. (Y)
Chinese Festivals & Dragon Lore - (Y, M)
Chinese for Kids - Chinese for Kids offers teachers an easy and enjoyable range of learning materials for the study of the Chinese language. It is an integrated teaching approach and is suitable for Elementary to Junior High School students. Students can send a Chinese New Year greeting. (Y,M)
Chinese New Year Links - (Y, M, O, T)
Chinese New Year Unit - Unit Study on Chinese New Year (Y)
Chinese New Year Unit - (Y)
Crafts and Activities for Chinese New Year - (Y)
Daily Life in Ancient China - Daily Life in Ancient China (Y)
Debbie's Chinese Juggling Sticks - Learning to play Juggling Sticks gives the player a sense of control that comes from mastering something that is challenging and fun. Other benefits include: developing concentration, eye-hand coordination and the stress relief that comes from rhythmic and focused movement. They are also a good toy for solitary or noncompetitive interactive play. (Y,M)
DLTK's Custom Dominos - Pick a theme for your dominos and then choose color or black and white before printing. Kids will enjoy them (Y)
Fun things to do with Kids in China - Book list for kids written about China. (y m)
Kids Konnect.com - China - A safe Internet gateway for kids of all ages! (Y, M, O, T)
Let's Learn about China! - Welcome! Kids, have fun exploring the culture of China through our puzzles, coloring pages, games and crafts. This area keeps growing every month, so check back often! (Y)
Mission Geography: Continents - National Geographic unit about continents (Y)
Mr. Donn's: China Past and Present - Lessons & learning modules
(Y)
Mulan (China) - Links to create a China based curriculum unit. (Y,M)
PBS Kids Sagwa - Includes links to games, stories, coloring pages, drawing, characters and a Caregivers Area with great topic references. An easy introduction to Chinese culture. (Y)
Scholastic global trek - China - From Global Trek. Scholastic's Global Trek is a way for students to travel to countries around the world without ever having to leave their classroom. When students arrive in the country of their choice they are supplied with a suggested travel itinerary. This itinerary offers them links to background information and a chance to read about the country's people. (Y, M, O, T)
Virtual China - (Y, M, O, T)
WannaLearn.com - Chinese - (Y, M, O, T)
Go-alongs about Ducks
Duck Lesson Plan - (y)
Ducklings Lesson Plans - From TeacherVision.com - Lesson plans, printables and more (Y)
Go-alongs about Floating
Follow the Fleet - Follow the Fleet was set up to encourage and develop children's interest in the maritime world. It is designed to be used as a teaching aid and is targeted at 7 to 10 year olds learning geography, history, science and environmental studies. A unique aspect of Follow The Fleet is that it has a satellite tracking system where the children can see where the ships are and follow their movements. The children also receive e-mail bulletins from the sea captains on the vessels. From the Irish Maritime Development Office (Y, M, O, T)
Interactive Titanic - Click on one of the silhouettes and follow the path of an actual passenger who traveled on the Titanic. You won't know who you are or if you survive until the fateful night. (Y, M, O, T)
It Floats - We don't usually stop to wonder why a big cruise ship can float as well as a feather; this activity helps to explain. (Y, M, O, T)
Naval Historical Center - Comprehensive government site with extensive information on naval history (Y, M, O, T)
Pontoons - From Infoplease.com, an explanation of how pontoons are used to raise sunken ships and support bridges (Y, M, O, T)
Go-alongs about Light
Build your own Flashlight - Energy Education - Helping kids learn about energy (Y,M)
ChesLights Kids - From the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society's. Kids page contains, puzzles, crafts, and information about lighthouses. (Y, M)
FlashlightNext Sci - From PBS Kids.com (Y)
Fresnel Lens - The Fresnel lens is the 1822 invention of French physicist Augustine Fresnel who invented a lens that would make his name commonplace along the seacoasts of Europe and North America. (Y. M)
How a Fresnel Lens Works - Video from PBS (Y, M)
Legendary Lighthouses - from PBS, learn how lighthouses work (Y, M)
Light and Shadow Units - A to Z Teacher Stuff (Y)
Light and shadows - Review children's existing understanding of light and dark by helping them to draw a concept map linking their ideas about light, using terms eg light, dark, night, day, light source, seeing, shiny, Sun, Earth, lighting up, sunshine. Discuss children's ideas with them. Grade 3 (Y)
Lighthouse page - Assorted links to websites about lighthouses including lesson plans and many facts (Y, M, O)
Lighthouses, A Photographic Journey - Lighthouses are listed alphabetically, or by body of water, or in order of a travel journey taken by the photographers. (Y, M, O)
Pictures From Light - Explores bending light; due to the risks of A) starting a fire and B) damaging their eyes, students should be supervised for these activities. (Y,M)
See the Light - Through ThinkQuest a web site devoted to teaching people about light (Y, M, O, T)
Shine On - Why you can't see stars during the day; a Magic School Bus worksheet. (Y)
The Fresnel Lens - Because of its amazing efficiency, a Fresnel lens could easily throw its light 20 or more miles to the horizon. Learn more about this amazing lighthouse feature. (Y, M)
The Real-Life Adventures of Wobbles The Lighthouse Kitty - Wobbles lighthouse information for kids! (Y, M)
Tour of Park Geology - Shoreline Geology - The National Park Service has 97 coastal park units including National Seashores, Lakeshores, Recreational Areas, Memorials and Monuments. These coastal parks contain more than 7,300 miles of shoreline, and a wide diversity of geological, biological, and cultural resources. (Y, M, O, T)