Jennifer Swanson - STEM Tuesday

GREAT REPTILES IN HISTORY Opening movie scene. Fade in. Cue the David Attenborough or Morgan Freeman narrator voice: GREAT REPTILES IN HISTORY…  For some reason, the title was the first thing that popped into my head when I sat down to draft this post. I have no reason why. But, what the heck? I felt obligated to the STEM creative muse to run with it. Great reptiles in history! Man alive, there sure are a lot of reptiles. How do you even start to make a list of the greatest ones when they’re all pretty dang awesome? You start by making a fully-loaded, everything-you-can-think-of list. Just as in writing the first draft of a manuscript, the thing you wish to make won’t be a real thing, a thing full of possibility, until you put it to paper first.  Nothing can be finished until it is started. So make your list. Write that first word. And follow it with another. And...

I learned quite a bit about reptiles this month by reading the following books from the book list. World’s Biggest Reptiles by Tom Jackson, illustrated by Vladimir Jevtic Many different reptiles are represented in this book, representing the biggest of the species. It includes lots of information and fun facts, represented in fun, accessible ways. Each reptile featured has a graphic novel style page and a page with a large photograph and general information. Each also includes an infographic showing the animal’s size relative to an adult human. (One nitpick on the infographic is it’s not clear what size the human is.) Sneed B Collard III’s Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards by Sneed B. Collard III This book focuses on (surprise!) lizards. It highlights a few specific species, but is written to give more general information about lizards. It has chapters with titles like “Eating Like a Lizard” and...

Have you ever found a snake in your garden? Watched a turtle cross the road? Met a dragon face-to-face? These books are all about the cold-blooded, scaly denizens of our planet, and how we can make our world a better place for them. Ultimate Reptileopedia: The Most Complete Reptile Reference Ever by Christina Wilsdon The first section introduces what reptiles are, adaptations, habitats, and conservation concerns. This is followed by sections with detailed information on a diversity of species: lizards and snakes; turtles and tortoises; and crocodilians. Each spread includes a photo, quick facts, and an encyclopedic entry about the featured reptile. Plus there’s a chat with a herpetologist at the end.     World’s Biggest Reptiles by Tom Jackson with illustrations by Vladimir Jevtic How can animals grow so big – and why would they? This book takes a look at huge reptiles in the ocean and on land. There’s a...

Hello Amazing teachers, homeschoolers, and parents. We at STEM Tuesday wish you all a wonderful 2021-2022 school year! We want to remind you that we have  FOUR YEARS full of STEM/STEAM resources in our “vault”. And it’s all SEARCHABLE! All you have to do is to go to the TOP of this page, and click on the STEM Tuesday button. That will take you to a page like the one below. Then just click on the SEARCH by TOPIC button and you’ll see all of the great topics we’ve covered for the last four years.                     You’ll find BOOK LISTS In the Classroom –> tips for how to use these books in the classroom Writing Tips and Resources –>  Literacy and STEM connections Interviews with real authors and giveaways of new books (giveaway only available in current month) We hope you...