The Pablo Pelican activity set focuses on a real pelican with a charming personality who lives in the Galapagos Islands.
The anchor book, Pablo’s Bad Day, relates an unfortunate adventure that taught Pablo a lesson about life. The supporting book, Pelican Facts, gives students more background on brown pelicans.
Vocabulary level is first grade; perhaps a bit higher in the supporting book. Both books are appropriate for students up to fifth grade, while older students and even adults can enjoy and learn from the stories.
Anchor Book: Pablo ‘s Bad Day
Pablo Pelican has a bad day of fishing. He decides to give it up and get his fish at a fish market on a nearby island. But he discovers that shopping for fish is not as easy as it might seem!
His REAL bad day comes when he has to fight off the other shoppers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Swooping frigate birds, competing pelicans, and sneaky gulls all try to grab his free fish sample.
After this experience, Pablo wisely decides to go back to fishing the way he always has. He realizes that he should not be discouraged by one bad day.
The photos in Pablo’s Bad Day are from my Galapagos trip. I was fortunate to get a movie of the hilarious scene in which Pablo tries to defend his fish. Sounds of the rain and market also help bring this true story to life.
Supporting Book: Pelican Facts
Students who form a bond with Pablo as he struggles to get fish will be ready to learn more. The supporting book Pelican Facts uses Pablo as a launching point to talk about all brown pelicans. Pelicans are fascinating to watch, and they are one of the most widespread shore birds.
The book begins by describing the physical characteristics of brown pelicans that make them spectacular fishermen. It goes on to talk about where pelicans live, and how they were almost wiped out by DDT at one time.
Pelican Facts ends on a positive note by telling how the brown pelican population has completely recovered once the use of DDT was limited. I’ve used many wonderful photos from other photographers via Flicker® to tell this story, and I’m grateful for their generosity in licensing these images so they can be included.
Downloads In Many Formats
The two books Pablo’s Bad Day and Pelican Facts can be downloaded in IntelliTools Classroom Suite®, Clicker ® HyperStudio 5®, PowerPoint®, My Own Bookshelf®, and printable PDF formats. You also can read both books online by clicking a link at the foot of this page, or download desktop versions to read in any standard web browser.
There are comprehension tests for both books. Tests are part of the zip file download for IntelliTools Classroom Suite, Clicker 5, and HyperStudio 5. For My Own Bookshelf, the tests are in Test Me Score Me® format, and you will need that separate application to run them.
There are also MicroSoft Word® format comprehension tests to use with the PowerPoint, PDF, and online versions.
The Clicker version of the Pablo Pelican activity set downloads as an integrated study unit. For details on integrated study units, click here.
The Classroom Suite version has custom IntelliKeys® overlays attached, and there are Dynavox® package versions of the overlays to run the activities from Dynavox AAC devices.
See the Special Needs Access section on the System Reqs page for information on controlling the Classroom Suite version activities from PRC devices. The HyperStudio Is Back! page has information about downloading players to run these activities.
Downloads In Many Formats
The online versions of Pablo’s Bad Day and Pelican Facts are now updated to HTML5, so the sounds and movies will play on modern devices, including iPad®. If you find that the online books load slowly, try downloading the desktop version of the two online books and their connecting menu, and run them locally using your browser.
You don’t need an internet connection to see the movies in the desktop versions, and sounds will play on modern devices. When Pelican Facts was converted to HTML5, it got four new movies added! Also, both books now have audible text that reads out from a button. See the Annie’s Books Online page for details and more help with online books.
Puzzles And Printable Pelican
I’ve made three puzzles using photos from Pablo’s Bad Day. These can be downloaded in PDF, and also are part of the Classroom Suite download. There is also a printable pelican to download and fold!
To make your own little pelican, use two jpg images from the download to print out a two-sided, full color pelican kit complete with fish! Cut out the fish, fold the pelican, and then print an ocean for the fish to hide in when Pablo flies over it.
Bonus: Pelican Photo Collection
The thirty or so images include all the photos from Pablo’s Bad Day plus the ones from Pelican Facts that were mine. See the Credits page in the back of Pelican Factsfor the source of the remaining images if you need to download them from Flicker. You can preview these images in the Annie’s Resource Attic Gallery. Click here to go to the Gallery, which will open in a separate tab. Then return to this page to download the Photo Collection.
Extra Bonus: Pelican Scrapbook
Pablo, and the brown pelicans in Pelican Facts, are not the only kinds of pelican. There are American White pelicans and Peruvian pelicans on this side of the world, and Great White, Australian, and Dalmation pelicans on the other side, just to name a few. I’ve gathered videos of these into a scrapbook on ARKive.org called More Pelicans. Look for the link just below the links for the online books and desktop books.
Application needed: Acrobat Reader, any browser, Classroom Suite, Clicker 5, HyperStudio 5, MicroSoft Word, My Own Bookshelf, PowerPoint, Test Me Score Me.
Subject area: Science, Reading.
Level: Grades 1-5.
Online Links-Activities
Annie’s Books Online
Pablo’s Bad Day and Pelican Facts books link: pelican Pablo’s Bad Day and Pelican Facts books to read online. Books are now in HTML5, so sounds and movies will play on most modern devices. Text reads out from a button. For details on using Annie’s Books Online, click here.
Desktop version of Pablo Pelican online link: pelicanDesktop.zip Pablo’s Bad Day and Pelican Facts books to read from the desktop using a web browser. No internet connection needed to play all sounds and movies! For details on using Annie’s Desktop Books, click here.
Online Scrapbook
More Pelicans scrapbook on Arkiv.org. Videos include several of brown pelicans, American white pelicans, the enormous Great White, Dalmation pelicans, and Australian pelicans. These videos are not mine, but you can download them for classroom use.
Downloads-Activities
Printable Activities
Pablo’sBadDay.pdf (6.2 MB) Pablo’s Bad Day book to print. No movies. Acrobat Reader.
PelicanFacts.pdf (4.5 MB) Pelican Facts book to print. No movies. Acrobat Reader.
PrintablePelicanPuzzles.zip (13.3 MB) Three puzzles from Pablo’s Bad Day to print. Acrobat Reader.
MicroSoft Word
PabloTestsWord.zip (2.2 MB) Comprehension tests for Pablo’s Bad Day and Pelican Facts to print. MicroSoft Word.
PrintablePelican.zip (3.6 MB) Printable off-computer activity. Kit makes a posable pelican, cut-out fish, and an ocean. Any color printer, preferably capable of 2-sided printing.
Clicker 5
PabloPelicanClickerMac.zip (40.6 MB) Pablo Pelican integrated study unit including two books and two tests in Clicker 5 MAC. Has QuickTime movies.
PabloPelicanClickWin.zip (34.9 MB) Pablo Pelican integrated study unit including two books and two tests in Clicker 5 WIN. Has AVI (Indeo compression) movies.
Classroom Suite
PabloPelicanSuite.zip (89.6 MB) Pablo Pelican activity set including two books, two tests, and two 6-piece puzzles to run in Classroom Suite v.3 or later. Custom IntelliKeys overlays attached.
PabloDynavox.zip 745 KB) Pablo Pelican activity set overlays saved as a Dynavox package files.
HyperStudio 5
PabloPelicanHS.zip (93.4 MB) Pablo Pelican books and tests in HyperStudio 5
SoftTouch
PabloPelicanMBS.zip (49.5 MB) folders with Pablo’s Bad Day book and movies and Pelican Facts book to import into My Own Bookshelf.
PabloPelicanTMSM.zip (28.6 MB) Comprehension tests on Pablo Pelican books with 4 text answers. Requires Test Me Score Me.
PowerPoint
PabloPelicanPPT.zip (21.6 MB) Pablo Pelican books saved as a .ppt files. Movies for Pablo’s Bad Day in the same folder. PowerPoint 2003 or later.
Downloads-Resources
PelicanPhotoCollection.zip (13 MB) All the JPEG images from Pablo’s Bad Day and some from Pelican Facts. To preview the collection, click here.
