The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor

I have always been a fan of the Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole; they are really great informational books that engage kids and encourage scientific investigations in ones own surroundings. In this particular book, Ms. Frizzle takes her class on a field trip to the ocean where the class learns about hot water vents, coral reefs, plant and animal life on the ocean floor, and the different levels of the ocean. I found this book so engaging and interesting because of how the book was organized and the variety of extra-textural features present throughout it. I think this book is so engaging (and others in the series, too) because it is set up with field trips that are unrealistic; yet, children become immersed in the book because show more they wish they could go on these field trips, but since they cannot they can read this book. I thought it was really neat how all the words present on each page were informative regarding the illustrations and content of the page. There was the main text, dialogue bubbles, posters, and on the sides of each page were students’ reports—all of which reflected the main topic of that specific page. The illustrations were superb; they had excessive detail and truly enhanced the story—especially with how they encompassed the children’s various reactions with what was happening. All of the extra-textural features were clear and to the point and I felt that they aided in understanding the ocean floor because they all provided interesting, specific details pertinent to the topic. The big idea of this book was how significant the ocean is and it is important to understand how it works so one can realize the importance of recycling and respecting our environment. show less

I liked this book a lot, but I feel like most people would typically rather watch the Magic School Bus episode on the same subject. However, I think the fact that it was based off of a television show which many people are familiar with gives people a means to easier identify with it. Additionally, anyone who has seen the TV show, whether it was about this subject or not, would already be familiar with the characters, who were still well developed in this story. One of the reasons I liked this book was because of the character Ms. Frizzle; She is eccentric but very entertaining, and at one point in the story the children proclaimed "sometimes having a weird teacher isn't so bad!" I'm planning on becoming a teacher someday, and I'm proud show more to say that I'm not entirely "normal," so I was able to identify with Ms. Frizzle and I appreciated the fact that the students valued her unusual tendencies. Another reason I really liked this book was because of the illustrations. The story was told through a narrative text, but it was strongly supported by comments the students made in text boxes in the illustrations. Furthermore, a lot of the information about the Ocean Floor was presented in the form of "student written" reports on the sides of the pages. None of this information was essential to the development of the story, but it is all factual, and contains a great deal of information. The central message of this book is about protecting and valuing our oceans, and the various animal and plant life that is contained within.

Reading level 2-6 show less

The illustrations of the old-school Magic School Bus books were always a treat to look at, and was, in my opinion, what made the books so engaging. Don't get me wrong, the subject matter was presented well in an age-appropriate way, but the details in the illustrations and the way they were done really helped as a visual, especially in this book as the kids learn about the ocean.

I love this book series because it explains nonfiction topics in a narrative style that engages younger audiences. My class was able to learn about marine life and the ocean in a stimulating and fun way. I love the layout of the book because it is very similar to the Let's Investigate with Nate series in which conversation bubbles and notebook entries are used as new ways to present text. I would recommend this series to any elementary teacher because it covers a range of scientific topics, and it would be a great way to introduce the material to a class to spark their interest.

I really love the Magic School Bus Books, and this one is just another one that can be added to the collection of some of my favorite books. This book really catches the readers attention but the way it is made. There are fun facts, side notes and even like a comic strip of a conversation the students are having as the story is being read. Its a very creative writing style and layout for a book and it really makes it enjoyable to readers. There is also a lot of labels and pictures within the book that helps the reader fully understand what is being discussed, in this case its the ocean, and the many creatures that live in it as well as facts about the ocean. The main message of this book is that there are many things that can be learned show more by simply having fun. In the story Ms. Frizzle could just lecture away and have the students take notes but she doesn't do that. She instead takes the students on a field trip where they are actually exploring and learning hands on. show less

I liked this book for several reasons. First I liked the illustrations because they were full of different colors and many different sea animals. The ocean floor is shown with bright blue colors, sand, and many fish. Where as on page 27, the deep ocean floor is shown with only one color, black. The illustrator made sure to add the fish that would be seen on the deep ocean floor such as an angler fish. Also, I enjoy the writing because there are very descriptive details about the ocean floor, for example on page 19, there is an explanation what a continental shelf is. As well as other notes on the sides of the pages what other key vocabulary is. The big idea of this story is to have an understanding what the ocean floor is, what is in show more it, and the importance of keeping the animals and water protected and safe. show less

The main theme of the book "The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor" by Joanna Cole is friendship, exploring, hands-on learning, and understanding about animals in the ocean. Children being able to learn about animals in the ocean is not only entertaining for them, but also teaches them how to keep the ocean clean so that the animals can stay safe in their home. In the book Ma. Frizzle is always taking her class on field trips and being silly with her class, which is easy for the children to make friendships in her class. Having friendships is important because it helps the children learn, or ask questions to other students in their class in case they aren’t sure what’s going on. In The Magic School bus books Ms. Frizzle is always show more teaching them but it’s always in a fun way, so it makes the children more interested in learning. When I was a child and whatever we may have been learning about that was able to be hands-on learning and being to able to explore different stations was my favorite thing to do in the classroom, rather it was to make something, or even just to go around the room and see the stations that corresponding with the book we were reading. Overall, the theme that the children get reading this book should keep them entertained and wanting to keep the ocean clean so it keeps the animals safe! show less