Dem Bones by Bob Barner
Dem Bones is an exploration of the human skeletal system, using the well-known folk song 'Dem Bones.' Each spread is devoted to a line of the song, with the featured bone highlighted in red and relevant information about that bone clearly explained. We agree with Publisher's Weekly, who called this book a "clever anatomy lesson." The song is most likely familiar to many students and teachers, but this book adds a fun, Day of the Dead twist with colorful collages depicting a funky skeleton band, each made from cut and torn paper.
"No bones about it, this will be a real boost for those looking to inject
a little humor and fun into basic facts about the human body." (Publisher's Weekly)
To
avoid disrupting the rhythm of the text/song, you will probably want to
read this book through twice. (It's short!) The first time, maybe just
read the words of the song and show the great collage art. Then, on the
second round, you can read the descriptions of the bones. Descriptions
talk
about the movement of the bone, so in the second read through you could
have the students
make the movement themselves.
Dem Bones Reading Level
Interest
Level: Kindergarten-4
Guided Reading Level: O
DRA Level: 34
Lexile Measure: AD930L
Read-Aloud vs. Individual Reading:
This book
will need to be a read-aloud rather than for individual reading for kids in Kindergarten to 2nd grade, and even many third graders, since children generally do
not read on the reading level (difficulty level) of this book until the middle of third grade. The majority of fourth graders should be
able to read this book independently.
See Inside Dem Bones
Below are sample spreads from inside this book. Each spread focuses on a part of the body, lists the verse from the song, and includes a short paragraph about the bone being featured---in this case the neck bone. See what we mean about the fantastic collage illustrations and the Day of the Dead look!
Lesson / Activity Ideas for Dem Bones
Skeleton
Dance (*young
children)
After
you read this book, you can add to the fun by playing this Dem Bones
YouTube video and have your class sing along. To access the free video,
click here
Labeled
Skeleton Art Project
Combine
a little art with a little science in this fun project that
has kids making a skeleton out of yarn and then labeling the parts of
the skeleton. This project is easily adjusted to fit the level of your
students, but regardless of the age, the results are fun and fabulous.
For the project, you need:
-white and red yarn
-black paper
-strips of yellow paper
-scissors
-glue that dries clear
Instructions:
-Use a pencil and VERY lightly draw in a skeleton on black paper.
It doesn't need detail---a stick figure will do. (You're just trying to
avoid a student getting half way through and realizing they haven't
left enough room.)
-Cut out strips of white yarn and glue them on as the bones. It can be
simple for younger students and more detailed for older students.
-Write the different bone parts on the small strips of yellow paper and
set them down around the exterior of the skeleton.
-Using the red yarn, connect the bones to the yellow label.
Once all the labels and yarn is
set in place and fits, they can be glued down.
***The
last spread of the book has a big skeleton laying on its side with all
the bones labeled. Use this page for students to refer to when labeling
their skeleton.
Younger students -- Use
the words in the song (head, neck, leg...)
For
older students -- Use technical terms (tibia, femur, radius)
