Paraphrase It! provides students with practice saying the same thing in a variety of different ways by paraphrasing. Paraphrasing allows students to be creative with language to express a particular meaning, while practicing different grammatical structures, word forms, and vocabulary. This game works best in groups of 3-4 students

 In Question Quiz, students practice creating questions that contain very specific information about one item from a Picture This card, so that there is only one correct answer to the question. This game works best in groups of 2-4 students.

The folk song We Dig Worms is one of the ways that singer Zach Ladin has found to remind listeners young and old of the importance of all creatures in nature. Ladin, who has an academic background in urban ecology, uses his music to educate children about nature, as well as promote an appreciation for all the things that Earth and nature gives us – even worms and bugs!

In this song, Ladin invites listeners to appreciate all of the things on the Earth that support nature’s ecosystem, such as worms, insects, birds, plants, the sun, and clean air and water. We Dig Worms is part of an environmental education project called Nature Jams that Ladin started in order to inspire people through upbeat music promoting good health, natural living, and friendship.

Jazz musician Kermit Ruffins performs along with a talented group of children in Breakfast Lunch and Dinner. In the song, listeners can hear two points of view about eating right: a group of children who claim that they only need sweets and other unhealthy foods, and the adult perspective of the need for balanced meals. Back-and-forth between Ruffins and the children in the song is accompanied by some typical jazz instruments: the trumpet, drums, and piano.

Ruffins, a jazz trumpeter, comes from New Orleans (Louisiana), home of the New Orleans style of jazz. These southern roots are reflected in Ruffins’s lyrics, as he encourages the children to eat “good soul food,” or traditional African American cuisine that is often associated with the southern states. Ruffins even sometimes cooks BBQ (barbeque) at his concerts!