Additional Catch of the Day Resources
Are you a homeschooler or a parent who helps in your child’s (childrens’) educational progress? Congratulations! And welcome to Catch of the Day Knowledge Gateways.
Here you will discover the wealth of practical knowledge contained within the pages of Catch of the Day. This free resource will help you to locate and reinforce those lessons woven throughout Catch of the Day which you’d like to help your young Catch of the Day reader grasp more fully. (For a brief introduction to Catch of the Day, please visit the Catch of the Day home page)
An example of BioFables’ 5-tier knowledge category structure:
-
-
- 1. Core Disciplines: Sciences, Humanities, Values/Behaviors
- 2. Knowledge Gateways (Color-coded examples: Earth/Space Science, History, Ethics/Morals)
- 3. Discovery Paths (Example: Geology, a Discovery Path of Earth/Space Science)
- 4. Discovery Path Branches (Example: Geysers, a Discovery Path Branch of Geology)
- 5. Knowledge Nuggets: Titles of specific mini- or pop-up lessons (Example: Geyser ingredients)
- 4. Discovery Path Branches (Example: Geysers, a Discovery Path Branch of Geology)
- 3. Discovery Paths (Example: Geology, a Discovery Path of Earth/Space Science)
-
You and your young readers likely will be most interested in Tier 5, Knowledge Nuggets. The 5-tier structure will be helpful in tracing lessons back through the earlier tiers to their learning origins.
NOTE: Please be aware that tiers 2-5 are unique to each book; category names typically use words that children would understand (e.g. plants), rather than formal terminology (e.g. botany). In addition, the following lists and tables do not represent a complete list of Sciences, Humanities and Values/Behaviors categories, but rather those that specifically appear in Catch of the Day.
Site Tips offers more insights into how you can use the tables, lists and other resources of this website to help you to help your children uncover the secrets of about 100 lessons scattered throughout each BioFables book.
The four sets of tables and lists on this page have been designed to help your children derive the greatest benefit from reading Catch of the Day:
-
-
- Catch of the Day Overview: Sciences, Humanities, Values/Behaviors
- Sciences content in Catch of the Day
- Humanities content in Catch of the Day
- Values/Behaviors content in Catch of the Day
-
Catch of the Day Overview
TABLE 1, Catch of the Day Overview, is arranged chapter-by-chapter. It’s a good place to get a mental picture of the entire book, especially the chapter descriptions and links to additional resources (child-friendly links are in orange). This table incorporates the three Core Disciplines, their Knowledge Gateways and Discovery Paths (Tiers 1-3).
The rows in the left column of the table, highlighted in light green, show the Chapter number and the chapter’s pages; following the highlighted row is a quick chapter overview and occasional resource links to relevant sites for further investigation (links to child-friendly sites are in orange).
The right column rows, highlighted in light green, show the chapter’s title. The chapter’s color-coded Knowledge Gateways, with their associated Discovery Paths, appear beneath each chapter title.
TABLE 1. Catch of the Day Overview: Sciences, Humanities and Values/Behaviors
| CHAPTER: Page Numbers | CHAPTER TITLES |
| Brief Chapter Description; Resource Links |
Knowledge Gateways (in color); Discovery Paths |
| Helpful Hints | |
|
|
| Chapter 1 |
Door County Memories |
| Friendly greetings from new friends made at Door County’s Washington Island; learning why Grandpa wants to have an operation to correct his failing eyesight. |
|
| Chapter 2 |
Exploring “Loch Land” |
| An air-filled platform you can sit in (and use as a water trampoline), and an air-filled vest you wear. Both float in the water. |
|
| Chapter 3 | A Water Raft = Newton’s Laws of Motion? |
| A surprised Mallory and Melody catch some air and make a big splash when 70-pound Rufus does a doggie dive from the towing boat to the water trampoline. |
|
| Chapter 4 | A Fish Story |
| Splashing in the night. Could it be the pond’s version of the Loch Ness Monster? Or is it just an ordinary fish having some fun in the moonlight? |
|
| Chapter 5 |
A Fishier Story |
| Can a fish actually want to be caught? Mallory thinks so. Especially when a big catfish seems to lead you to the middle of the pond, where another fish waits for his baited pole. |
|
| Chapter 6 | A Fun Way to Weigh |
| Flying fish takes on a whole new meaning when a heavy sack gets dropped on the opposite end of a plank. |
|
| Chapter 7 | An Old-Fashioned Way to Weigh |
|
Both the easy way and the harder way to convert ounces to pounds come up with the same answer. It helps to know more than one way to solve a math problem. |
|
| Chapter 8 | A Fishy Surprise |
|
Mom prepares Mallory’s catch for grilling and finds an interesting object in the fish’s belly. No wonder it wanted to be caught! |
|
| Chapter 9 | How Gardens Do Grow |
|
Garden beans that grew too much and got too tough to eat? Don’t waste them! Save their seeds and plant them for a brand new (and free) crop next year. |
|
| Chapter 10 | Some Answers; Next Adventure |
|
The Maloneys learn who hid the money sack that Mallory found buried in the sand and the Indiana Dunes. Whose property is it now? |
|
The Core Disciplines in Catch of the Day LIST 1 are presented with their Knowledge Gateways and Discovery Paths (Tiers 1-3) in side-by-side columns. We’ve grouped each of the Knowledge Gateways and their Discovery Paths into Basic (foundational knowledge), Hybrid (relevant both to Basic and Applied Discovery Paths), and Applied (using basic or hybrid principles for practical, real-world purposes).
LIST 1. Catch of the Day Overview Sciences, Humanities and Values/Behaviors
| SCIENCES | HUMANITIES | VALUES/BEHAVIORS |
|
BASIC
HYBRID
APPLIED
|
BASIC
HYBRID
APPLIED
|
BASIC
HYBRID
APPLIED
|
The next three sets of lists and tables compile the Sciences, Humanities and Values/Behaviors content for the entire Catch of the Day book. Bulleted lists of Knowledge Gateways, with their associated Discovery Paths, offer a quick glance at category tiers 1-3 appearing in Catch of the Day. Their associated tables incorporate all 5 category tiers, including brief definitions of the Knowledge Gateways and instances of the specific Knowledge Nuggets (lessons) within each Core Discipline.
Catch of the Day SCIENCES Core Discipline
Catch of the Day LIST 2 is an at-a-glance bulleted list, offering a quick look at the Science Knowledge Gateways in bold, followed by their Discovery Paths that appear in Catch of the Day.
Catch of the Day LIST 2. Sciences Knowledge Gateways and Discovery Paths
-
-
- Biology: Plants; Insects; Animals
- Chemistry: Function
- Physics: Mechanics
- Earth, Space Science: Geology; Environment
- Math: Arithmetic
- Technology: Physics: Mechanics
-
Catch of the Day TABLE 2 includes the major Sciences Knowledge Gateways (light green background) occurring in all the chapters of Catch of the Day.
The left column shows each Knowledge Gateway and one or more associated Discovery Paths. Discovery Path Branches, where they occur, appear indented below the major Discovery Path. These branches (and sometimes sub-branches) are divisions of the major Discovery Path; they represent increasingly-specific fields.
The right column offers brief definitions of each Sciences Knowledge Gateway. Following each Knowledge Gateway are Knowledge Nuggets (mini- or pop-up lessons). These lessons correspond to the Discovery Path and any Discovery Path Branches that appear directly across in the the left column.
Catch of the Day TABLE 2. SCIENCES Content
| BRANCHES/SUB-BRANCHES |
DEFINITIONS, SUBJECTS AND TOPICS |
| Discovery Paths. Discovery Path Branches |
Knowledge Nuggets: Mini- and Pop-up Lessons |
| BIOLOGY | Life and living things |
| Plants | |
| Life cycle | Pollination -> seed -> plant -> flower -> fruit -> seed {Ch. 9, pp. 51-53} |
| Harvest season: generally September to December in Illinois {Ch. 2, p. 6} | |
| Leaves | Compare different seedling leaves to learn which plant they will become {Ch. 9, pp. 50-51} |
| Edible flowers | Soy, tomatoes…flowers? Yes! Edible flowers with valuable nutrients {Ch. 10, pp. 57-59} |
| Insects | Dragonflies have figured it out: ride wind currents to go where they couldn’t go on their own power {Ch. 6, pp. 33-34} |
| Bees are part of plant life cycle: they pollinate as they buzz around flowers {Ch. 9, pp. 54-55} | |
| Animals | Is it a cat or a fish? Catfish head shape and their whiskers suggest their name {Ch. 4, p. 23} |
| Differences between largemouth and smallmouth bass (besides the obvious) {Ch. 7, p. 37} | |
| CHEMISTRY | Substances, their structure, behavior, interactions |
| Function | Plant ingredients have diferent, specific health value {Ch. 9, p. 58} |
| PHYSICS | Properties and nature of matter and energy |
| Mechanics |
Motion and Force |
| Child’s play: remembering all three Newton’s Laws of Motion {Ch. 3, pp. 12-13, 15-17; Ch. 6, pp. 35-36} | |
| How far will a ball fly? Force and weight come into play {Ch. 6, pp. 34-36} | |
| Water trampoline inflates by “breathing” in the air around it {Ch. 2, pp. 8-9} | |
| Use a teeter totter for a fun way to weigh (estimated) {Ch. 6, pp. 31-33} | |
| Check your estimate of an object’s weight with an accurate scale {Ch. 7, pp. 37-38} | |
| EARTH, SPACE SCIENCE | Related to planet Earth and beyond |
| Geology | A farm’s natural pond made by an underground spring {Ch. 2, pp. 3-4, 6} |
| Environment | Physical, chemical and biological conditions that impact people, animals, plants and microbes |
| Conservation | Using non-disposable utensils to avoid unnecessary waste {Ch. 2, pp. 5, 8; Ch. 4, p. 18} |
| MATH | Numbers, quantities and analysis |
| Arithmetic | Why learn when apps are everywhere? When your battery reads enters the red zone, for one {Helpful Hints} |
| Your choice: complicated or easy ways to get to the same number {Ch. 7, pp. 38-42} | |
| Changing ounces to pounds, other helpful conversions {Ch. 7, pp. 38-42} | |
| TECHNOLOGY | Tools (products) and techniques using basic science |
| Physics: Mechanics | Even Lady Justice uses a (double) platform scale {Ch. 7, p. 38} |
| Pumping water from underground is a lot more fun than turning a faucet handle {Ch. 2, p. 7} | |
| Self-inflating devices “inhale” surrounding air instead of from your own lungs {Ch. 2, pp. 8-9} |
Catch of the Day HUMANITIES Core Discipline
LIST 3 is an at-a-glance bulleted list. It offers a quick look at the Humanities Knowledge Gateways in bold, followed by their Discovery Paths that appear in Catch of the Day.
Catch of the Day LIST 3. Humanities Knowledge Gateways and Discovery Paths
-
-
- Society: Social Relationships; Government
- Language: Word Derivations; Classic Literature; Traditional Sayings
- History: Locations
- Health: Aging
- Arts: Writing; Play on Words; Drawing; Artistry Everywhere; Dance
- Life Skills: Outdoors; Estimating Weight; Food; Resilience, Adaptability
- Work/Careers; Role Models: Farm Property Caretaker
-
Catch of the Day TABLE 3 includes the major Humanities Knowledge Gateways (light green background) occurring in all the chapters of Catch of the Day.
The left column shows each Knowledge Gateway and one or more associated Discovery Paths. Discovery Path Branches, where they occur, appear indented below the major Discovery Path. These branches (and sometimes sub-branches) are divisions of the major Discovery Path; they represent increasingly-specific fields.
The right column offers brief definitions of each Humanities Knowledge Gateway. Following each Knowledge Gateway are Knowledge Nuggets (mini- or pop-up lessons). These lessons correspond to the Discovery Path and any Discovery Path Branches that appear directly across in the the left column.
Catch of the Day TABLE 3. HUMANITIES Content
| KNOWLEDGE GATEWAYS | KNOWLEDGE GATEWAYS: BRIEF DEFINITIONS |
| Discovery Paths, Discovery Path Branches |
Knowledge Nuggets; Pop-up Lessons |
| SOCIETY |
Community, Culture and People |
| Social Relationships | Keeping in touch with new (and old) friends {Helpful Hints; Ch. 1, p. 1} |
| Grandpa thanks his friend for the use of his land, tells of small discovery during their stay {Ch. 10, pp. 54-55} | |
| Government | Mallory’s discovery of the buried sack at the Dunes (Book 3, Sand Sack) is now his {Ch. 10, pp. 54-56} |
| LANGUAGE | Means of communication |
| Word derivations | Plants with lutein (Latin) are usually yellow {Ch. 10, pp. 58-59} |
| Classic Literature | “Little” Dr. Dolittle (Mallory) communicates with fish {Ch. 5, p. 27} |
| Traditional Sayings | “Watch the grass grow” Not the twins’ idea of fun {Ch. 4, p. 22} |
| HISTORY | Information about the past |
| Locations | Grandpa is a bit mysterious about the family’s October visit to Duluth, Minnesota {Ch. 10, p. 60} |
| HEALTH | Level of well-being |
| Aging | Grandpa decides to get his cataracts removed and his vision back to normal {Ch. 1, pp. 1-2; Ch. 9, p. 51} |
| ARTS | Creative skills and their expression |
| Writing | The twins write a “Motion Poem” about some laws of physics {Ch. 10, p.68} |
| Play on Words | Mom calls Melody’s dive a “fluid movement” {Ch. 3, p. 14} |
| The sports equipment in the shed will shed light on physics {Ch 6., p. 34} | |
| It’s bad taste to refuse a gift of food {Ch. 7, p. 43} | |
| Drawing | Mallory quickly draws the fish he caught before it becomes dinner {Ch. 5, p. 29} |
| Artistry Everywhere | Mom arranges a beautiful salad, complete with edible flowers {Ch. 10, pp. 64-65} |
| Dance | Square dancing and much more await the family in October {Ch. 10, p. 60} |
| LIFE SKILLS | Practical abilities for attending to everyday needs |
| Outdoors Abilities | Knowing the best times to fish, reeling in a fish, removing a fish hook from your catch, preparing your catch and cooking it {Ch. 2, p. 4; Ch. 5, p. 28; Ch. 4, p. 24; Ch. 7, p. 37} |
| Is your bass a largemouth or small mouth? Look to its fins {Ch. 7, p. 37} | |
| Wearing life vests {Ch. 2, p. 9; Ch. 3, pp. 11, 15} | |
| Avoiding “wet dog” struggle to lift out of water {Ch. 3, p. 11} | |
| If you can’t see a lake’s bottom, it’s probably deep enough for diving (but make sure of that) {Ch. 3, p. 13} | |
| Dad’s dive impresses his children {Ch. 3, pp. 14-15} | |
| Plants reveal their identity to the twins through their leaves {Ch. 9, pp. 50-51} | |
| Ability to Estimate | Two sacks of different weight, a board and something to balance it on, and you’ve got yourself a primitive scale {Ch. 6, pp. 31-32} |
| Don’t forget to subtract the weight of your basket (tare) Ch. 7, p. 39} | |
| Food | Too many green tomatoes? Make soup! {Ch. 7, p. 38} |
| Know where to look to find the “string” in some string beans {Ch. 9, p. 51-53} | |
| The tough sheath of many string beans resist cooking {Ch. 9, p. 53} | |
| Nasturtium flowers in a vase and on your plate {Ch. 9, pp. 57-58} | |
| Resilience, Adaptability | Knowing more than one way to solve an arithmetic problem {Ch. 7, p. 42} |
| WORK/CAREERS; ROLE MODELS |
Productive activity to earn an income or give back to society |
| Farm Property Caretaker | Mr. Anderson made sure the buildings and grounds were ready for the family’s visit, visits them during their stay {Ch. 4, p. 21; Ch. 6, pp. 33-43} |
Catch of the Day VALUES/BEHAVIORS Core Discipline
Catch of the Day LIST 4 is an at-a-glance bulleted list. It offers a quick look at the Self Knowledge Gateways in bold, followed by their Discovery Paths that appear in Catch of the Day.
-
-
- Emotions: Courage; Competitiveness
- Mind: Reasoning
- Body: Balance/Stability
- Learning/Knowledge/Skills: Exploration, Observation, Discovery; Practice; Sharing Knowledge; Eliciting Knowledge
- People: Concern for Others; Keeping in Touch; Keeping in Touch; Parental Responsibility; Helpfulness; Respect; Gratitude
- Planet: Respect for Earth, Living Environment; Appreciation for Nature’s Beauty; Insights into Animal Behavior; Insights into Plant Behavior
-
Catch of the Day TABLE 4 includes the major Values/Behaviors Knowledge Gateways (light green background) occurring in all the chapters of Catch of the Day.
The left column shows each Knowledge Gateway and one or more associated Discovery Paths. Discovery Path Branches, where they occur, appear indented below the major Discovery Path. These branches (and sometimes sub-branches) are divisions of the major Discovery Path; they represent increasingly-specific fields.
The right column offers brief definitions of each Self Knowledge Gateway. Following each Knowledge Gateway are Knowledge Nuggets (mini- or pop-up lessons). These lessons correspond to the Discovery Path and any Discovery Path Branches that appear directly across in the the left column.
Catch of the Day TABLE 4. VALUES/BEHAVIORS Content
| KNOWLEDGE GATEWAYS | KNOWLEDGE GATEWAYS: BRIEF DEFINITIONS |
| Discovery Paths. Discovery Path Branches |
Knowledge Nuggets: Mini and Pop-up Lessons |
| EMOTIONS | Feelings, sentiment, intuition |
| Courage | “I did it!” Mallory’s knees were shaking, but his first-ever dive energized him {Ch. 3, p. 14} |
| Competitiveness | Mallory’s feeling of superiority over his “sissy sister” is short-lived {Ch. 6, p. 35} |
| MIND | Rational, theoretical, analytical thinking |
| Reasoning | Splash! “Maybe some fish are acrobats,” Dad thinks {Ch. 5, p. 28} |
| BODY |
Health, bodily strengh and movement |
| Balance/Stability | The diving board is a little scary to Mallory {Ch. 3, p. 14} |
| LEARNING/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS |
Pursuit and acquisition of understanding, wisdom, capabilities |
| Exploration, Observation, Discovery | A water trampoline demonstrates Newton’s three laws of physics {Ch. 3, pp. 12-13, 17} |
| Practice | A fun way to learn to dive: a diving board and a water trampoline {Ch. 3, pp. 14-16} |
| Sharing Knowledge | Mr. Anderson, the caretaker, shares his knowledge of dragonflies {Ch. 6, pp. 33-34} |
| Mr. Anderson demonstrates how an old-fashioned scale is handy for weighing garden goodies {Ch. 7, pp. 38-39} | |
| The twins learn there’s more than one way to figure out how ounces and pounds add up {Ch. 7, pp. 39-42} | |
| Eliciting Knowledge | Mr. Anderson uses tennis balls, shuttlecocks and baseballs to demonstrate laws of physics {Ch. 4, pp. 34-36} |
| Tomatoes growing on a bean vine? Mom asks the twins questions to help understand what’s happening {Ch. 9, pp. 49-50} | |
| PEOPLE | Regard for, and relationships with, humankind |
| Concern for Others | Melody tells Grandpa she knows he didn’t sprain his ankle on purpose {Ch. 1, p. 1} |
| “Dont do a belly flop; just dive feet first,” Grandpa encourages Mallory’s first board dive {Ch. 3, p. 14} | |
| Keeping in Touch | Friends from last adventure email a photo and note saying hello {Ch. 1, p. 1} |
| Parental Responsibility | Mom warns the twins not to go into the water when they run ahead to find the pond {Ch. 2, p. 3} |
| “No vest, no boat, no water trampoline,” Mom says {Ch. 2, p. 9} | |
| Helpfulness | Everyone pitches in with lunch preparation {Ch. 2, pp. 7-8} |
| The landowner provided two large grills and a note about bags of charcoal, other grilling needs in the storage area {Ch. 4, p. 18} | |
| Respect | Someone went through a lot of trouble to make us feel at home, Mom thinks, about the cabin furnishings {Ch. 2, p. 5} |
| The family makes sure everything is in order before they leave, while Mom carefully cleans up the shiny object found in the innards of the big fish they caught and grilled {Ch. 8, p. 46} | |
| The twins want to play a trick on Grandpa; Mom quickly puts an end to the idea, although Dad doesn’t disapprove {Ch. 9, p. 51} | |
| Gratitude | Mom calls caretaker, thanking him for offer to call if they need anything {Ch. 4, p. 21} |
| Mom graciously accepts caretake’s offer of tomatoes, even though they have plenty of their own {Ch. 7, p. 43} | |
| PLANET | Earth’s natural environment: living organisms, water, surface, subsurface, atmosphere |
| Respect for Earth, Living Environment | Landowner asks the family to return any small fish caught while fishing {Ch. 2, p. 4} |
| Why is the catfish so reluctant to swim away after Dad releases it from fishing net? {Ch. 4, p. 24} | |
| Melody releases all her little fish: “They didn’t look happy all crowded together” {Ch. 5, p. 29} | |
| Appreciation for Nature’s Beauty | Clusters of wildflowers brighten up the cleared area of the farm property {Ch. 2, p. 6} |
| Insights into Animal Behavior | Most people believe catfish don’t jump, nor do they try to communicate with humans {Ch. 4, p. 22; Ch. 8, p. 46} |
| Bees investigate Melody’s ears, but return to the flowers when they don’t find pollen {Ch. 9, p. 48-49} | |
| The landowner thinks the nighttime splashing might have been the large bass instead of the catfish {Ch. 10, pp. 54-55} | |
| Insights into Plant Behavior | Mom explains how over-ripe green beans can be saved for next year’s crop {Ch. 9, p. 53} |
| Smiling and frowning tomatoes? Sure! Check the undersides of your garden tomatoes {Ch. 10, pp. 56-57} |
For an overview of Catch of the Day, please visit the Catch of the Day home page. If you are ready to buy Catch of the Day, please click on the icon. It will take you to Barnes and Nobles’ Catch of the Day page.
