Neversink Curriculum Guide

7/31/2019 Neversink Curriculum Guide

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About Neversink:Along the Arctic Circle lies a small island called Neversink, whose jag-ged clis and ice-gouged rocks are home to a colony o odd-looking sea

birds called auks. Chie among them is our hero, Lockley J. Pun. With

their oceanront views and plentiul supply o sh, the auks have little to

rue their eathers, save or Lockleys two best riends, Egbert, a know-

it-all walrus and Ruby a sharp-tongued hummingbird. But all o this is

about to change. Rozbell, the newly crowned king o the Owl Parliament,

is dealing with a amine on the mainland o Tytonia just across the bay

rom Neversink. He has long had his scheming eyes on the small colony to

the northwest. Now Neversinks independence hangs in the balance. An

insurgence o owls will inevitably destroy lie as the auks know itunlessLockley can do something about it. Barry Wolvertons debut is an epic tale

o some very un-epic birds, a ast-paced and unny story o survival, riend-

ship, and sh.

Neversinkby Barry Wolverton

Hardcover (ISBN: 978-0-06-202791-7)

Neversink Curriculum GuideWalden Pond Press was ortunate to work with The National Audubon Societys Project Pun to put

together this curriculum guide to use with your students as you read the bookNeversink. The activities in

this guide are recommended or Grades 3 through 6.

About the Author:Barry Wolverton makes his debut with Neversink, the product o a longtime

interest in arctic wildowl and Scandinavian olklore. He has also written or

National Geographic, Scholastic.com, and Discovery Networks. Barry lives

in Memphis. You can nd him online at www.barrywolverton.com.

Acknowledgements:Walden Pond Press is grateul to The National Audubon Societys Project Pun or permission to make use

o its extraordinary educational resources. Project Pun scientists work on the Maine coast to bring Atlan-

tic Puns and other seabirds back to islands where they once lived but had disappeared, due to hunting,

in the late 1800s. The scientists, many o them young and dedicated college students, live directly on the

islands where the birds nest, and help protect them rom disturbances, while studying and banding them.

Since 1973, Project Pun has restored three pun colonies, with about 1200 pairs o birds currently nest-

ing, as well as 8000 pairs o migratory Terns, including some on the endangered species list.

For more inormation about Project Pun, please see: http://www.projectpun.org

Walden Pond Press and the skipping stone logo are trademarks o Walden Media, LLC.www.walden.com/books

www.harpercollinschildrens.com


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Objective:To eel how a layer o at helps insulatethe body rom the chilling eects o cold water.

Time: About hal a class period or so

Materials:

A can or two of Crisco shortening

A dozen or more quart-sized zipping plastic bags

Duct Tape

Several basins of icy, cold water

Method: Measure one cup o shortening and place

it in a quart-sized zipping plastic bag. Turn a second

bag inside out and put it inside the bag with the shortening, being sure to reverse the zipper tracks. Zip

the bags together. For added protection, seal the bags around the zipper with duct tape. Push the short-

ening around, rom the outside, to distribute it evenly in the mitt.

For each mitt with shortening make an empty mitt, without shortening. These mitts will be used to com-

pare with the insulated models.

Give each student a chance to place one hand in an empty mitt and one in an insulated mitt (with the

shortening). Then ask the student to place both hands in a basin or sink o icy, cold water. What happens?(Since this process doesnt take very long, you can get by with making only a ew sets o mitts and taking

turns with them.)

Activity 1: Why Puns Dont Freeze 2011 by Project Pun

The weather on Neversink is pretty dreadulrugged, wintry, windy and bleak or most o the year. How

does a little pun like Lockley keep warm in spite o deep Arctic chill? All it takes is a some blubbera

layer o at beneath the skin. Try this experiment to see what we mean.

Discussion: While it is well known that marine mammals such

as whales, seals, and polar bears have thick layers o at to help

keep them warm, northern seabirds such as puns also rely on

internal layers o at to help them survive rigid arctic waters.

This at, combined with their external water-repelling and air-

trapping coat o eathers, allows seabirds to live in a seemingly

harsh environment. (Older students could research other adap-

tations to the cold, or birds as well as other lie orms.)

Photo courtesy o Stephen Kress

and www.projectpun.org

PhotocourtesyoStephenKress

andwww.projectpufn.org




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Activity 2: A Ten-Minute Flapping Pun 2011 by Project Pun

Puns are among natures most unusual creatures. A pun is small and stubby, about the size o a

gallon container, with black and white eathers, bright orange legs and large black, yellow and orange-

striped bills. Puns fy awkwardly. They have to beat their small wings very ast to keep their bodies

in the air, getting tossed around all the time by rough winds. Yet they are amazing, as wellgreat at

catching sh, great at making a living in their inhospitable homes. As you make this Pun Puppet, takea close lookto see how this very interesting bird is put together.

Objective: Turn an envelope into a simple but un

nger puppet.

Time:Ten minutes or so.

Materials:

Letter sized envelopes (not business) with pointed,

rather than square aps;

One envelope for each student Transparent Tape

Scissors

Crayons or Markers

Aluminum Foil, feathers, sequins, glue (all optional)

Directions:

1. Careully unstuck the glued faps on an envelope and spread it out in ront o you, inside acing up.

2. Fold the bottom fap o the envelope back in place and secure it with two pieces o tape along the

sides.

3. Fold the envelope in hal rom the right to the let, so that the side faps meet. You can lick the glue on

the top fap to seal the two halves o it together.

4. Now turn the envelope 90 so that the side faps point down. These will be wings.

5. Look at a photograph o a pun and see the beautiul colors o its beak and ace. Draw the puffin'shead

and wings on your puffin. On one side of the face, draw fish in the pufns beak. If you have feathers, you

can glue them on the puffin's wings, and aluminum foil or sequins can be added to the sh.

6. Careully cut a sliver o both halves o the puppet so that you can slide your middle and index ngersinto the slots that are ormed. Move your ngers to make the puppet fap its wings.

7. The pun fies away to seaand then it returns to its chick with a beak ull o sh!

Photo courtesy o Bill Schlotz and www.projectpun.org




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To Find Out More About Puns

GIVING BACK TO THE EARTH: A Teachers Guide

or Project Pufn and Other Seabird Studies

by Pete Salmansohn and Stephen W. Kress.

Gardiner, Maine: Tilbury House, 1997.

PROJECT PUFFIN: How We Brought Pufns

Back to Egg Rockby Stephen W. Kress as

told to Pete Salmansohn. Gardiner, Maine:

Tilbury House, 1997.

Photo courtesy o Bill Schlotz and www.projectpun.org



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Neversink Curriculum Guide