Category Archives: fun

My Top 5 Science Picture Books for 2020

Posted on December 17, 2020 | 1 comment

I’m a former elementary teacher- therefore I love picture books. But to be honest I feel like I’ve always loved picture books. I loved them myself as a kid and have so many great memories of reading them to my own two kids. A couple of decades ago in my teacher education program I can remember we had an assignment to read 50 picture books…it didn’t feel like an assignment to me. That was probably my favorite literacy assignment- and then we got to do a read aloud to our class- just the best!

So now as a teacher educator and consultant I love to integrate picture books into my teaching. I read picture books to my college students and my inservice teachers to teach them about engineering design, the science and engineering practices and the crosscutting concepts. We discuss how to use picture books in authentic and engaging science lessons.

As someone who is always on the hunt for a good STEM picture book- here are my personal Top 5 favorite science and STEM-related picture books from 2020 in no particular order. NOTE: Some of these may not have a 2020 publication date- they are books that I became aware of in 2020.

Top 5 Science Picture Books of 2020

A Computer Called Katherine by Suzanne Slade

We’ve seen a few children’s books about the incomparable mathematician Katherine Johnson depicted in the movie Hidden Figures. I think this is my favorite of all of them due to the focus on Mrs. Johnson’s motivation and drive.

Look Up with Me, Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Life Among the Stars by Jennifer Berne

I am always a fan of sharing (with students and teachers) the early lives of people who entered STEM fields. I think it’s important to see the rich experiences that lead young people to pursue STEM careers. This excellent book shares how Neil’s early curiosity about planets and stars led to his love of science.

Nine Months by Miranda Paul

I have a very strong memory of my mom (a nurse) buying me a book about baby development when I was around 7 years old. I was fixated with that book and all of the pictures of the stages of human development. That’s probably where my interest in science- and specifically biology- was solidified. Nine Months reminds me a lot of that book I had in the mid-1970s. Check it out and try to get someone hooked on the life sciences 🙂

What Miss Mitchell Saw by Hayley Barrett

The true story of Maria Mitchell and her discovery of a comet which led to her becoming the first American female astronomer.

Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Dougherty

The true story of Emily Roebling who helped guide the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge when her husband (the lead engineer on the project) fell ill.

Lots of great picture books were left off of this list. What science-related picture books have you fallen in love with recently that deserve a mention here?

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Advertisement

1 Comment

Posted in elementary, fun, Picture Books, teaching

Book: Thing Explainer- Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Monroe

Posted on September 30, 2019 | Leave a comment

screen-shot-2017-01-11-at-8-02-51-pmFile this one under “fun” but I’m sure most science educators can find several uses for this book with students. I have owned Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Monroe (Creator of xkcd) for a couple of years. I keep it in my office and every so often I find myself opening it up and spending several minutes examining the brilliant labeled diagrams (they are amazing detailed systems models) that show how common and important living and designed systems work.

Mr. Monroe committed to using only the “ten hundred” most common words. This constraint creates a beautiful simplicity that gets to the essence of these systems. As science teachers we can learn a lesson from this. Too often we value vocabulary words as evidence of student understanding. Perhaps we should push more for simplified explanations that use everyday language.

I think that any human being will find this book to be interesting and any scientist, engineer, or STEM educator will also find it to be inspiring and valuable. There is something about the clearly illustrated systems models that mesh perfectly with the vision of the Next Generation Science Standards. This book also makes a wonderful gift.

AUDIENCE: all

LINK: Thing Explainer

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Leave a comment

Posted in fun, K-12 General Science, systems

A Capella Science: Evo-Devo Video

Posted on November 2, 2017 | Leave a comment

I haven’t posted a fun science video in awhile- so here you go! Enjoy and check out the other videos from A Capella Science.

Leave a comment

Posted in biology, fun, Video

Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

Posted on January 12, 2017 | 1 comment

screen-shot-2017-01-11-at-8-02-51-pmOVERVIEW: I have owned Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Monroe (Creator of xkcd) for about a year. I keep it in my office and a few times a month I find myself opening it up and spending several minutes examining the brilliant labeled diagrams (they are amazing systems models) that show how common and important living and designed systems work. Mr. Monroe committed to using only the “ten hundred” most common words. This constraint creates a beautiful simplicity that gets to the essence of these systems. As science teachers we can learn a lesson from this. Too often we value vocabulary words as evidence of student understanding. Perhaps we should push more for simplified explanations that use everyday language.

PURPOSE: I think that any human being will find this book to be interesting and any scientist, engineer, or STEM educator will also find it to be inspiring and valuable. There is something about the clearly illustrated systems models that seem to mesh perfectly with the Next Generation Science Standards. This book also makes a wonderful gift.

AUDIENCE: all

LINK: https://xkcd.com/thing-explainer/

1 Comment

Posted in fun, NGSS

Science for All is 5 Years Old

Posted on July 17, 2014 | Leave a comment

A belated happy birthday to the Science for All blog. I wrote my first post on July 10, 2009. Since then there have been over 800 posts on a variety of K-12 science education resources. I apologize that there have been fewer posts the last 2 years than in the past. I hope to renew my engagement in sharing resources in year 6 of the blog. With the ongoing implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards I think there will be a lot to share in the 2014-15 school year. I hope you keep following and reading and finding things that are of interest and use.

Cheers,

Kirk @science_4_all

Leave a comment

Posted in fun

Science & Engineering of the Olympic Winter Games

Posted on February 10, 2014 | Leave a comment

NBC Learn, NBC Sports, the National Science Foundation, and the National Science Teachers Association have partnered to provide resources for teaching science and engineering ideas related to the Winter Olympic Games.

Links to Resources: (NSTA will continue to post resources on the NSTA Blog during the games)

Leave a comment

Posted in design/engineering, fun, K-12 General Science, STEM, Video

Wringing Out a Washcloth on the ISS

Posted on April 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

Here is a simple structure for scaffolding a science video clip with students.

Predict: What will happen when you wring out a soaking wet washcloth in the microgravity of the International Space Station?

Observe the video below. (Click HERE if you cannot see the clip.) Where does the water from the washcloth go?

Explain why this happened. Make a claim and support it with evidence and reasoning.

Leave a comment

Posted in Earth/Space science, fun, Video

1000 Word Challenge

Posted on March 29, 2013 | Leave a comment

Imagine scientists attempting to describe their work to the public… using only the 1000 most common words in the English language. Well, that is exactly what is happening. A program inspired by Up Goer Five a strip by online comic xkcd (if you do not follow- you need to check it out) is promoting graduate students in science fields to attempt this challenge. Read a blog post HERE to learn more about the challenge and read the outcomes. Below is the winning entry by Yasmeen Hussain- note the scientific conference language versus the 1000 word challenge language:

Yasmeen at a scientific conference: I study the link between sperm chemotaxis and fertilization success. Eggs in animals such as sea urchins release chemicals that act as sperm attractants. Sperm use chemotaxis – that is, orientation towards the source of a chemical gradient – to find the eggs. However, it is unknown whether sperm chemotaxis directly contributes to reproductive success.

Yasmeen’s 1000 entry: I study tiny things that are man and woman parts of an animal. The woman part talks and the man part listens. The tiny things have a conversation so that they can find each other and make babies. Some man things are better at listening than others. I want to know if the man things that are better at listening are also better at making babies.

I think this work has implications for us in science education- How can we take vocabulary-rich and conceptually dense ideas and help students to explain them in everyday language?

 

Leave a comment

Posted in fun, K-12 General Science, Science teacher Professional Development

Mental Floss- 50 Misconceptions Video

Posted on March 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2013-03-20 at 3.04.20 PMJohn Green has a new YouTube channel called Mental Floss. The first episode was on 50 common misconceptions. While most of these are not conceptual science misconceptions they are still pretty interesting and fun to watch. See embedded clip below- Enjoy!

Leave a comment

Posted in fun, Video

Seeking Advice and Encouragement for Preservice Elementary Teachers of Science

Posted on January 2, 2013 | 16 comments

Next week I will start teaching K-8 Science Methods courses to three different groups of preservice teachers. In my state, this is typically the ONE science education related course that elementary educators receive. It always feels like a huge responsibility… that in just a matter of hours over the couse of 10 weeks I am charged with conveying all of the necessary habits of mind, pedagogy, knowledge and beliefs necessary to be a successful teacher of elementary science.

So on that note, I’m asking all of you to help me out. What would you like to share with this group of emerging elementary teachers regarding science education? Perhaps a bit of advice, a quote, a tip, or a word of encouragement. What do you wish someone would have shared with you? Please leave some thoughts in the comments and I will pass it on. Thanks.

16 Comments

Posted in elementary, fun