Readers Response Blog: Quest For The Tree Kangaroo

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo 

PART ONE:  

Montgomery, S. (2006). The quest for the tree kangaroo: An expedition to the cloud forest of New Guinea. Photographs by N. Bishop. Houghton Mifflin Company. 

The genre of this book is Nonfiction/Informational Text, and is suggested for ages 9-14, grades 4th-8th.  

PART TWO: 

I was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed this book. I really liked how the author’s writing blends scientific facts with storytelling, making the information feel alive and exciting. She has an immense respect for animals and the environment, she brings readers into an adventure by describing the sights, sounds, and even the emotions of the scientists. The images provide a strong visual component that enables readers to fully appreciate the animals and landscape. This book really opened my eyes to the importance of conservation and how many species are endangered due to human activity. I really appreciated how the author went there and formed partnerships with the native population showing respect and even helping them by bringing them supplies.  

PART THREE:  

Although there isn't a standard literary plot, there is a strong feeling of adventure and discovery that keeps readers interested and hooked. The setting in this book is the beautiful cloud forest of Papua New Guinea. I did, however, wish there was more background on the cultural and social setting of the local communities. The style of this book is informative but interesting as the author uses engaging language that blends scientific explanation with storytelling. The book is written from a third-person observational point of view but closely follows the experiences of the main scientist and her team. While this book focused on researchers, it might have benefited from a wider range of perspectives, especially from the locals. 

PART FOUR:  

Lesson Objective: After reading The Quest for the Tree Kangaroo, students will explain the importance of conservation by participating in discussion and completing a graphic organizer and a written summary with at least three details from the text. 

Discussion Questions:  

1. What surprised you most about tree kangaroos or the cloud forest habitat? 

2. What are some difficulties the scientists faced while researching the tree kangaroo, and how did they overcome them? 

3. What qualities or skills do you think are important for scientists working in the field? 

Standard based lesson activity: Create a Field Research Poster 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1 – Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly. 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.2 – Write informative texts to examine a topic and convey ideas clearly. 

Students will work in pairs using information from the book, they will create a “field research” poster that includes the following: a profile of the tree kangaroo (habitat, diet, behavior), why the species is endangered, what scientists are doing to help, what we can do to help in our own communities. Students will then include illustrations, maps, and quotes from the book and present their poster to the class. To conclude this activity students will write a one-page reflection of what they learned about being a scientist. 

Resources: 

1. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ 

2. https://www.zoonewengland.org/protect/what-you-can-do/ 

3. https://school.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=5589#Resources