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)

A reminder 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)

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.

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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.

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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:

1. 1. 1. Catch of the Day Overview: Sciences, Humanities, Values/Behaviors
      2. Sciences content in Catch of the Day
      3. Humanities content in Catch of the Day
      4.  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
	Math Non-Digital Math
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.	Health Physical Well-Being People Concern for Others Keeping in Touch
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.  Loch Ness	Biology `Plants Physics Mechanics Earth Geology  Technology Water Pumps Life Skills Outdoors Abilities Emotions Courage People Parental Responsibility Helpfulness Respect Planet Respect for Earth, Living Environment Appreciation for Nature’s Beauty
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. Laws of Motion	Physics Mechanics: Motion, Force Language Play on Words Life Skills Overcoming Fear Body Balance/Stability Learning/Knowledge/Skills Exploration, Observation, Discovery Practice People Concern for Others
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?	Biology Animals Physics Optics Life Skills Outdoors Abilities People Helpfulness Gratitude Planet Respect for Earth, Living Environment
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.	Biology Animals Language Classical Literature Arts Drawing Mind Reasoning Planet Respect for Earth, Living Environment
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. Record insect migration distance	Biology Insects Physics Mechanics Gravity Language Play on Words Emotions Competitiveness Learning/Knowledge/Skills Sharing Knowledge Eliciting Knowledge
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. Small & large mouth bass	Biology Plants Animals Math Counting Arithmetic Technology Platform Scales Language Play on Words Life Skills Household Learning/Knowledge/Skills Sharing Knowledge People Respect Gratitude
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!	Physics Mechanics: Force Life Skills Food, Eating People Respect Planet Insights into Animal Behavior
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.	Biology Plants Life Skills Gardening, Growing Things Learning/Knowledge/Skills Eliciting Knowledge People Respect Planet Insights into Animal Behavior Insights into Plant Behavior
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?	Biology Plants Animals Chemistry Organic/Biochemistry Physics Mechanics: Motion, Force Language Word Meanings Health Food, Nutrition Arts Writing Life Skills Budgeting, Managing Money Resilience, Adaptability Planet Insights into Animal Behavior Insights into Plant Behavior

 

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 Biology Plants Insects Animals Chemistry Function Physics Mechanics Earth, Space Science Geology Environment HYBRID Math Arithmetic APPLIED Technology Physics: Mechanics (Platform Scale, Water Pump, Self-Inflating Devices) Engineering	BASIC Society Social Relationships Government (Local) Language Word Derivations Traditional Sayings Classic Literature History Locations Health Aging HYBRID Arts Writing Play on Words Drawing Artistry Everywhere Dance APPLIED Life Skills Outdoors Abilities Ability to Estimate Food Resilience, Adaptability Work, Careers Farmm Property Caretaker	BASIC Emotions Courage Competitiveness Mind Reasoning Body Balance/Stability HYBRID Learning/Knowledge/Skills Exploration, Observation, Discovery Sharing Knowledge Eliciting Knowledge APPLIED People Concern for Others Keeping in Touch Parental Responsibility Helpfulness Respect Gratitude Planet Respect for Earth, All Things Living on It Appreciation for Nature’s Beauty Insights into Animal Behavior Insights into Plant Behavior

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
	Harvest season: generally September to December in Illinois
Leaves	Compare different seedling leaves to learn which plant they will become
Edible crops	Soy, tomatoes…flowers? Yes! Edible flowers with valuable nutrients
Insects	Dragonflies have figured it out: ride wind currents to go where they couldn’t go on their own power
	Bees are part of plant life cycle: they pollinate as they buzz around flowers
Animals	Is it a cat or a fish? Catfish head shape and their whiskers suggest their name
	Differences between largemouth and smallmouth bass (besides the obvious)
CHEMISTRY	Substances, their structure, behavior, interactions
Function	Plant ingredients have diferent, specific health value
PHYSICS	Properties and nature of matter and energy
Mechanics	Motion and Force
	Child’s play: remembering all three Newton’s Laws of Motion
	How far will a ball fly? Force and weight come into play
	Water trampoline inflates by “breathing” in the air around it.
	Use a teeter totter for a fun way to weigh (estimated)
	Check your estimate of an object’s weight with an accurate scale
EARTH, SPACE SCIENCE	Related to planet Earth and beyond
Geology	A farm’s natural pond made by an underground spring
Environment	Physical, chemical and biological conditions that  impact people, animals, plants and microbes
Conservation	Using non-disposable utensils to avoid unnecessary waste
MATH	Numbers, quantities and analysis
Arithmetic	Why learn when apps are everywhere? When your battery reads enters the red zone, for one
	Your choice: complicated or easy ways to get to the same number
	Changing ounces to pounds, other helpful conversions
TECHNOLOGY	Tools (products) and techniques using basic science
Physics: Mechanics	Even Lady Justice uses a (double) platform scale
	Pumping water from underground is a lot more fun than turning a faucet handle
	Self-inflating devices “inhale” surrounding air instead of from your own lungs

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 friends
	Grandpa thanks his friend for the use of his land, tells of small discovery during their stay
Government	Mallory’s discovery of the buried sack at the Dunes is now his
LANGUAGE	Means of communication
Word derivations	Plants with lutein (Latin) are usually yellow
Classic Literature	“Little” Dr. Dolittle (Mallory) communicates with fish
Traditional Sayings	“Watch the grass grow” Not the twins’ idea of fun
HISTORY	Information about the past
Locations	Grandpa is a bit mysterious about the family’s October visit to Duluth, Minnesota
HEALTH	Level of well-being
Aging	Grandpa decides to get his cataracts removed and his vision back to normal
ARTS	Creative skills and their expression
Writing	The twins write a “Motion Poem” about some laws of physics
Play on Words	Mom calls Melody’s dive a “fluid movement”
	The sports equipment in the shed will shed light on physics
	It’s bad taste to refuse a gift of food
Drawing	Mallory quickly draws the fish he caught before it becomes dinner
Artistry Everywhere	Mom arranges a beautiful salad, complete with edible flowers
Dance	Square dancing and much more await the family in October
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
	Is your bass a largemouth or small mouth? Look to its fins
	Wearing life vests
	Avoiding “wet dog” struggle to lift out of water
	If you can’t see a lake’s bottom, it’s probably deep enough for diving (but make sure of that)
	Dad’s dive impresses his children
	Plants reveal their identity to the twins through their leaves
Ability to Estimate	Two sacks of different weight, a board and something to balance it on, and you’ve got yourself a primitive scale
	Don’t forget to subtract the weight of your basket (tare)
Food	Too many green tomatoes? Make soup!
	Know where to look to find the “string” in some string beans
	The tough sheath of many string beans resist cooking
	Nasturtium flowers in a vase and on your plate
Resilience, Adaptability	Knowing more than one way to solve an arithmetic problem
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

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
Competitiveness	Mallory’s feeling of superiority over his “sissy sister” is short-lived
MIND	Rational, theoretical, analytical thinking
Reasoning	Splash! “Maybe some fish are acrobats,” Dad thinks
BODY	Health, bodily strengh and movement
Balance/Stability	The diving board is a little scary to Mallory
LEARNING/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS	Pursuit and acquisition of understanding, wisdom, capabilities
Exploration, Observation, Discovery	A water trampoline demonstrates Newton’s three laws of physics
Practice	A fun way to learn to dive: a diving board and a water trampoline
Sharing Knowledge	Mr. Anderson, the caretaker, shares his knowledge of dragonflies
	Mr. Anderson demonstrates how an old-fashioned scale is handy for weighing garden goodies
	The twins learn there’s more than one way to figure out how ounces and pounds add up
Eliciting Knowledge	Mr. Anderson uses tennis balls, shuttlecocks and baseballs to demonstrate laws of physics
	Tomatoes growing on a bean vine? Mom asks the twins questions to help understand what’s happening
PEOPLE	Regard for, and relationships with, humankind
Concern for Others	Melody tells Grandpa she knows he didn’t sprain his ankle on purpose
	“Dont do a belly flop; just dive feet first,” Grandpa encourages Mallory’s first board dive
Keeping in Touch	Friends from last adventure email a photo and note saying hello
Parental Responsibility	Mom warns the twins not to go into the water when they run ahead to find the pond
	“No vest, no boat, no water trampoline,” Mom says
Helpfulness	Everyone pitches in with lunch preparation
	The landowner provided two large grills and a note about bags of charcoal, other grilling needs in the storage area
Respect	Someone went through a lot of trouble to make us feel at home, Mom thinks, about the cabin furnishings
	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
	The twins want to play a trick on Grandpa; Mom quickly puts an end to the idea, although Dad doesn’t disapprove
Gratitude	Mom calls caretaker, thanking him for offer to call if they need anything
	Mom graciously accepts caretake’s offer of tomatoes, even though they have plenty of their own
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
	Why is the catfish so reluctant to swim away after Dad releases it from fishing net ?
	Melody releases all her little fish: “They didn’t look happy all cfowded together“
Appreciation for Nature’s Beauty	Clusters of wildflowers brighten up the cleared area of the farm property
Insights into Animal Behavior	Most people believe catfish don’t jump, nor do they try to communicate with humans
	Bees investigate Melody’s ears, but return to the flowers when they don’t find pollen
	The landowner thinks the nighttime splashing might have been the large bass instead of the catfish
Insights into Plant Behavior	Mom explains how over-ripe green beans can be saved for next year’s crop
	Smiling and frowning tomatoes? Sure! Check the undersides of your garden tomatoes

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.