Posts Tagged book clubs

STEAMing Up Your 2021 Bookshelf!

By on January 7, 2021   /   Articles, Book Lists  

 

Looking for some great new STEM/STEAM (Science, Technoloy, Engineering, Art and Math) and titles to add to your classroom or library this year?

Look no further than STEAMTeamBooks!

 

What is STEAMTeamBooks? A group of 40+ children’s authors who are passionate about all things science and technology and have new books releasing in 2021– both nonfiction and fiction!

Why create STEAMTeamBooks? It’s sometimes tough to get the word out about new books and even more difficult for teachers and librarians to discover them. That is why a lot of authors are teaming up to create debut groups, like this one. There are groups that highlight picture books and middle grade, but until now there hasn’t been a new release group dedicated solely to STEM and STEAM books.

Why are STEAM books so important? STEAM-related books bring the spirit of inquiry, discovery, and creative problem-solving to your learners while engaging them in rich literacy experiences. ​

What are some of the STEAM/STEM books you can look forward to seeing this year? 

Here is a preview. These are the books from STEAMTeam2020 authors that are releasing in 2021:

 

   

 

 

To see more, visit the website www.STEAMTeamBooks.com 

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at #STEAMTeamBooks

Help us get the word out about STEAM/STEM books!

(And don’t forget to check out the Mixed Up Files very own STEMTuesday blog which will give you tips on how to use STEM/STEAM books in your classroom!) 

Back to Top

STEM Tuesday — Coding– Book List

By on December 1, 2020   /   Coding, STEM Tuesday  

Let’s get coding! Why? Because coding skills develop students’ logical thinkng and problem solving skills, teach structural thinking and how things work, and is fun and rewarding. We’ve assembled a varied list of books on coding designed to capture a middle-grade reader’s imagination.

Code This Game! Make Your Game Using Python, Then Break Your Game To Create a New One! by Meg Ray and Keith Zulawnik

This is a great book for instruction on how teens can create their own video game.

Code This! Puzzles, Games, Challenges and Computer Coding Concepts for the Problem Solver In You by Jennifer Szymanski

Join the Coder Crew’s mission and learn coding with puzzles, games, and fun characters.

Can You Crack the Code? A Fascinating History of Ciphers and Cryptography by Ella Schwartz; illustrated by Lily Williams

Delve into the history of codes in this fun book that introduces readers to wartime secrets and hidden messages.

Coding Creations by Janet Slingerland

Young readers will use SCRATCH, a computer language, to create their own music, stories, games, and animations.

Video Game Coding by Janet Slingerland

Slingerland takes readers on the path of discovery with this title about coding video games.

So, You Want to Be A Coder? The Ultimate Guide to a Career in Programming, Video Game Creation, Robotics, and More!  by Jane Bedell

Readers who have begun having fun with coding will enjoy reading about STEM careers in coding, from cyber security to artificial intelligence to gaming.

Coding Games in Scratch: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide to Building Your Own Computer Games by Jon Woodcock

Learn to master SCRATCH in this step-by-step guide for young coders.

Code Your Own Games: 20 Games to Create with Scratch by Max Wainewright

More coding adventures await young readers in this additional Wainewright title.

Scratch Programming Playground: Learn to Program by Making Cool Games by Al Sweigart

Here’s another title that uses SCRATCH to engage young coders.

Code Like A Girl: Rad Tech Projects and Practical Tips by Miriam Peskowitz

Step-by-step projects will guide young readers through the creative process, self-expressions, and telling their own stories. Projects include smartphone gloves and a motion sensor to tell when someone enters your room.

Spies, Code Breakers and Secret Agents: A World War II Book for Kids by Carole P. Roman

Take a look at another facet of coding with this historical STEM book that takes readers on a tour of the undercover operations that helped the Allies win WWII.

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change The World by Reshma Saujani

Be inspired by the creator of the Girls Who Code organization to get hands-on with this book. Create apps, games, and robots to make the world a better place.

Secret Coders 6-book series by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes

Although this series is fiction, former computer programming teacher Yang delivers an exciting mystery full of logic puzzles and basic coding instructions. Pair with any of the other coding books above.

Nancy Castaldo has written books about our planet for over 20 years including, THE STORY OF SEEDS, which earned the Green Earth Book Award, Junior Library Guild Selection, and other honors. Nancy’s research has taken her all over the world from the Galapagos to Russia.  She strives to inform, inspire, and empower her readers. Nancy also served as Regional Advisor Emeritus of the Eastern NY SCBWI region. Her 2020 international title about farm and food is THE FARM THAT FEEDS US: A Year In The Life Of An Organic Farm. Visit her at www.nancycastaldo.com. 

Patricia Newman writes middle-grade nonfiction that empowers young readers to act on behalf of the environment and their communities. The Sibert Honor author of Sea Otter Heroes, Newman has also received an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book Award for Eavesdropping on Elephants, a Green Earth Book Award for Plastic, Ahoy!, and a Eureka! Gold Medal from the California Reading Association for Zoo Scientists to the Rescue. Her books have received starred reviews, been honored as Junior Library Guild Selections, and included on Bank Street College’s Best Books lists. During author visits, she demonstrates how young readers can use writing to be the voice of change. Visit her at www.patriciamnewman.com. Stay tuned for her upcoming Planet Ocean – spring 2021.

Back to Top

STEM Tuesday – Diseases and Pandemics — Writing Tips & Resources

By on November 17, 2020   /   Diseases and Pandemics, STEM Tuesday  

Reading Science History Through Photographs

From YouTube videos to memes, from graphs to diagrams, a lot of the information we take in every day comes from pictures. The process of reading images is called visual literacy. Academics define visual literacy as “set of abilities that enables an individual to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media.” (Lundy and Stephens, 2014). Reading images is a critical skill not just for life, but also for researching and writing captivating nonfiction.

Every book I’ve written has required analyzing and interpreting photos or videos. That’s where I glean juicy details, especially about characters and settings. Writing a scene is certainly easier if I can picture it in my mind.

Today, I want to focus on reading just one type of primary source — the photograph. Many of the books on this month’s book list are illustrated using archival photographs. For example, Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s TERRIBLE TYPHOID MARY: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America has an entire photo album in the back matter.

Likewise, THE 1918 FLU PANDEMIC: Core Events of a Worldwide Outbreak by John Mickols, Jr. features many historic images from the 1918 flu pandemic, including those sourced from the Library of Congress (LOC) or the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). 

And here’s the good news: many of those LOC and NARA images can be found online. If you go to LOC.gov and search for 1918 and influenza, you’ll find dozens of historic images you can review with your students. Or click here to access my search.  At the NARA, find 1918 influenza images here.

Activity – Reading Historic Photographs

This activity will help your students learn to read historic photographs, glean useful details, and interpret them.

First, select a historic photo, perhaps from one of the collections mentioned above.

Next, review the Library of Congress’s Teachers Guide for analyzing historic photographs. You’ll find that here.  The LOC encourages students to work through a three-step process. Those steps are:

  • Observing – noting details from the photo
  • Reflecting – generating and testing hypotheses about the image
  • Questioning – asking questions that lead to more observations and reflections.

Download the blank student Primary Source Analysis Tool here.

Students could work on this activity individually, in small groups, or as a whole class.

Once you’ve analyzed your photo, consider how you could use the information you discovered in a piece of nonfiction writing.

O.O.L.F

Back to Top