Learn how to create a blended curriculum using popular middle-grade literature and science standards.

1. Language Arts Reading
as a Springboard to
Science Education
Christopher Tozier
&
Reed Bowman

2. Christopher Tozier
2011 Florida Individual Artist Fellowship
Published in The Florida Entomologist
and over forty poetry journals
Olivia Brophie and the Pearl of Tagelus
published in March 2012, winner of
the 2012 Florida Publishers Assoc Silver Medal

4. Olivia Brophie and the Pearl of Tagelus
Olivia is a 10 year old girl from Wisconsin
who moves to the Florida scrub.
Joined by her little brother Gnat
and eco-nerdy friend Doug
She discovers an ancient city in the
Floridan Aquifer and the Pearl, a device
that controls the laws of the universe

5. Reed Bowman, Ph.D
Research Program Director
Avian Ecology
Archbold Biological Station

8. Literature should excite and engage: books are written
to tell a story, not to teach a lesson
• Children are automatically interested in this approach.
• This is not ‚settling‛ for a fun book because students may not want
to read textbooks.
• Lessons are extracted from the story by analysis and teaching.
• Story provides context for the science lessons; plot and characters
enter the science classroom.
• Science lessons illuminate our understanding of the story.
• Use that excitement and engagement to create depth in another
classroom.
However…this approach requires the
right book

9. So, what is the right book?
• Books written for the mass market, not for the classroom.
• Entertainment is the primary goal.
• Age appropriate for the grade. ATOS book level.
• Literary aspects strong enough for LA curriculum.
• Science is featured prominently in the plot.
• Dark Life by Kat Falls could be used to teach Oceanography.

10. The Archbold / Olivia Brophie Curriculum:
• Includes both Science and Language
Arts Common Core and Sunshine State
Standards.
• Includes field study.
• Biology, geology, botany, and general
science concepts.
• Vocabulary, character development,
literary devices, quizzes and writing
assignments.

11. Chapter 17 Remembering Junonia
Olivia’s nemesis, Miss Rinkle who has been masquerading as the
summer school teacher, confronts her in an attempt to acquire the
Pearl.
Miss Rinkle describes ancient Florida and how the city of Junonia
came to be.

12. ‚Long ago, Olivia, Florida was not the place that
you see today. The oceans were much higher and Florida
itself was nothing much beyond a long beach of sandy
dunes extending south from Georgia. The land you are
standing on right now, the scrub, Lyonia itself, was one of
those dunes. Oh, the air was so clear and clean back then!
The oceans were filled with the most amazing jellyfish the
size of cars. At night, they would glow out there in the sea
like enormous pulsing moons,‛ Miss Rinkle said, staring
off into the distance. ‚There were horrible monsters out
there too. Sharks the size of houses. Crocodiles bigger
than your school bus. Giant, bloodthirsty dire wolves
ravaged the dunes hunting for anything they could catch.
So the Junonians built their city deep underneath the
dunes where they would be safe.

13. Vocabulary (LA.7.1.6)

14. Literary Analysis (LA.7.2.1)
LA.7.2.1.2 Rising Conflict: Olivia’s character finally accepts her responsibility
when faced with escalating conflict.
LA.7.2.1.2 How does Miss Rinkle try to gain Olivia’s empathy? How does she use
persuasion? What does she really want?
LA.7.2.1.4 Development of Theme: How are discovery and ‚new sight‛
expanded? Miss Rinkle’s eyes change color. New perspective.
LA.7.2.1.7 Use of Allusions: Edison and Tesla
LA.7.2.1.8 Themes reflecting values in a Historical Context: Environmentalism,
pollution of sinkholes

15. Persuasive Writing Applications (LA.7.6.3)
Pretend you are Miss Rinkle and you want to convince Olivia to
give you the Pearl. Write a persuasive argument using at least
three of the following persuasive techniques: detailed evidence,
hyperbole, emotional appeal, word choice, repetition, appeal to
authority, or celebrity endorsement.

16. Extending the literary to the scientific
Junonians moved underground to escape ‚horrible
monsters‛
SC.4.N.2.1: science focuses on the natural world: Thus what could be
‚natural‛ equivalent be of the Junonians?
Why do Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus
polyphemus) build and live in burrows?
• To escape predators
• To control temperature
But could other organisms get these benefits
by using gopher tortoise burrows?
BIG IDEA #17: THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF ORGANISMS

17. Extending the literary to the scientific
SC.7.L.17.2
Compare and contrast the relationships among organisms such as
mutualism, predation, parasitism, competition, and commensalism
Gopher Frogs use the burrows of tortoises
and also gain protection from predators and
heat
• Do tortoises gain anything? What type of
relationship is this?
Many dozens of species share gopher tortoise burrows and illustrate all of
the ecological relationships among interacting species

18. Extending the literary to the scientific
SC.7.L.17.2
Compare and contrast the relationships among organisms such as
mutualism, predation, parasitism, competition, and commensalism
Like the Crogan Horses that lived in Junonia and the fungi and mosses
farmed by the Junonians, the organisms that share gopher tortoise burrows
have unique relationships to their benefactors and among themselves
Dung beetles may eat or bury gopher tortoises
scat around the burrow and this, in turn, may
reduce the load of intestinal parasites carried by
the tortoise
MUTUALISM

19. Extending the literary to the scientific
SC.7.L.17.2
Compare and contrast the relationships among organisms such as
mutualism, predation, parasitism, competition, and commensalism
Like the Crogan Horses that lived in Junonia and the fungi and mosses
farmed by the Junonians, the organisms that share gopher tortoise burrows
have unique relationships to their benefactors and among themselves
Rattlesnakes may use burrows to escape heat but
may occasionally prey on other burrow occupants
PREDATION

20. Discovering Florida Scrub Curriculum
Using the scrub to address concept in biology
• Developed at Archbold Biological
Station for grades 3-5
• Written by staff educators with help
from staff scientists
• Adaptations of the plants and
animals to life in the sand
• Nancy Deyrup and Charlotte
Wilson

21. Discovering Florida Scrub Curriculum
Using Olivia Brophie and scrub to address
concepts in biology
Life in the sand
• Olivia observes perfect holes in the sand, but doesn’t know
what they are
Wolf Spider

22. Discovering Florida Scrub Curriculum
Using Olivia Brophie and scrub to address
concepts in biology
Life in the sand
• Olivia observes perfect holes in the sand, but doesn’t know
what they are
• What are they? How can we find out? SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
• Why would animals live under the sand?
• Adaptations for living in the sand.
• Why did the Junonians build their city underground?
• How do predators impact the behaviors of prey?

23. Additional Opportunities in Olivia Brophie
Olivia follows a bear and learns about their secret highways
• Allow them to move long distances in fragmented habitats
• Connects them to patches with resources
• Critical to their persistence
Providing habitat corridors in
our increasingly fragmented
Florida landscape is a key
concept in conservation and
ecology

24. The Floridan Aquifer
• Springs
• Limestone / Caves
• Fossils
• Scrubs as recharge lands
• Rising and sinking sea levels

25. Remember…
the science enters into the literary curriculum too
• Learning about gopher tortoises helps explain character
motivations.
• By developing the Language Arts plan in parallel with the Science
plan, levels of understanding can be ‘timed.’
• Students get excited about the fun story.
• Students learn a lesson in science class.
• The science lesson is then applied to the next chapter.
Language Arts Science

26. The Archbold / Olivia Brophie Curriculum: Next Steps
• Currently in development with teachers from around the state.
• Still looking for teachers / partners to participate.
• Need expertise in CCS, Science, and Language Arts curriculum.
crtozier@gmail.com or
education@archbold-station.org