Posts Tagged Middle Grade

STEM Tuesday — Pollinators — In the Classroom

By on July 14, 2020   /   Pollinators, STEM Tuesday  

 

Happy Summer! What a great time to get outdoors and immerse yourself in nature. But if you can’t do that right now, you can always use books to investigate the world. For teachers and parents who are looking at ways to engage their kids in science and STEM possibly virtually this fall, these books are the best way to get your kids some hands-on pollinator experience!

Many schools raise butterflies as part of their science curriculum. And why not? It’s fun and also a great way to see science in action. But you could raise butterflies in your house, too. This book tells you just how to do it.

Or you can also find information on the internet here at Save Our Monarchs.org

Why would you do this? First of all, it’s COOL! But also because it is a great way to learn about life cycles of organisms. The best part is at the end, you will have some amazing new butterflies to release into the world.

 

 

 

 

If you want to introduce your students/kids to all kinds of pollinators, check out this awesome book :

It has activities to explore beetles, butterflies, spiders, and other arthropods. WOW!  The book starts out by introducing the reader to the different bugs that are out there and then goes through ways to observe them safely. You can even create a bug net, and set up a a bug trap. like the one outlined below:

 

Image from the book Bug Lab for Kids by John Guyton (Quarry Books)

 

 

Be sure that when you capture the bugs, you observe them for a short time. Maybe keep a journal of what the bug does while you have it. How does it move? What does it eat? Does it interact with other bugs (assuming you’ve caught a few at a time).  Consider drawing the bug in your journal, too.

Consider coming up with your own experiment. For example, if you introduce a bit of material that isn’t in their environment, like a piece of paper or a strip of cloth, watch how they react to it. Do you think they will ignore it completely or perhaps they will appear to inspect it. Make a hypothesis and then observe the bug. Gather data by making notes and drawing pictures. Then come up with a conclusion. Was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not?

 

 

Finally, if you want to have your students or kids do an entire virtual experience with bees, have them read the Turn This Book into a Beehive!  book

It gives kids a peek inside the real life of a beehive, by explaining the individual bees and their jobs within the colony. How they all interact, and even explains how bees move about and make the buzzing sound. This book is TONS of fun. You could have kids do a few of these projects and then write up their observations. Or even, if you are doing a virtual science class, have them present the buzzers they made to the class.

 

 

 

 

image from Turn the Book Into a Beehive by Lynn Brunelle (Workman Publishing)

 

 

Perhaps assign every kid a certain bee in the colony and have them write a few sentences or a short paragraph about what they did that day. You know, a day in the life of a forager bee or a court bee… well you get the idea!

 

 

 

 

Whatever you do, have FUN with it! Kids will enjoy the hands-on aspect of these books and they will also be learning a ton of great facts along the way. Happy Sciencing!

*******************************

Jennifer Swanson is the founder of STEMTuesday and the award-winning author of over 40 book for kids, mostly about STEM. A huge science geek, Jennifer encourages kids (of all ages) to engage their curiosity and DISCOVER the Science all around them! You can learn more about her and book her for speaking engagements and school visits at www.JenniferSwansonBooks.com

Back to Top

Virtual Day Trips for Summertime Middle Grade Reading

By on July 3, 2020   /   For Librarians  

Anybody else flummoxed by summer travel options? Staying home unexpectedly, or trip plans greatly changed? To leave home, or stay put?

No matter your actual travel outcomes, keep the adventurous spirit alive in your middle grader’s heart and mind with some virtual trips connected to “destinations” in these excellent MG reads. These ideas might inspire you as a Middle Grade parent, librarian, or teacher to seek out more “travel” locations in your readers’ favorites books. Better yet, challenge your kids, students, and MG library patrons to dream up virtual itineraries connected to books they’ve enjoyed and want to share.

Here are some examples of virtual tours or destinations tied to settings and plot in a few great MG reads:

In Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again, main character Kim Hà lives in 1975 South Vietnam, just before the Fall of Saigon. Hà visits President Thiệu’s Palace with her mother and hears the President’s speech to the widows and children of men missing in action, like Hà’s father. The look of the Palace might surprise you—take a short trip and see the building, now Independence Palace, that still stands today. Scroll down for a Google map and take a “walk” around the exterior of the Palace.

Hà and her family then become refugees, fleeing their country shortly after that Palace visit. Before resettling in America, the family and many other refugees find safety on Guam. Travel to Guam in 1975 with the pictures and articles in this publication to get an idea of the sights Ha might have seen during that evacuation effort.

In Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, Elijah is the first child born into freedom in the community of Buxton. Buxton was a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada where many freed and escaped slaves settled during American slavery. The child of escaped slaves, Elijah sees the value of freedom when newly escaped slaves arrive in Buxton, and he learns it more deeply when he takes a dangerous trip across the border into America to help a neighbor. Readers can explore Buxton through this scrapbook about its inhabitants, its founder, and its Liberty Bell here at the Buxton Museum, and learn the history of this important place.

For travel of a more interplanetary nature, try Mars! In Kevin Emerson’s Last Day on Mars, Liam and Phoebe intend to catch the last ship off the planet as the human race evacuates to establish a settlement on a distant new world. Take a look around Mars, the planet upon which Liam and Phoebe grew up, and “walk” its surface from your home.

Reading Jennifer Holm’s Full of Beans? Head south on a photo journey to old Key West. It’s the 1930’s during the Great Depression, and New Deal representatives have arrived to bring tourism to the area in its new role as “Recovery Key.” Beans—cousin of Turtle, title character in Holm’s Turtle in Paradise—tries to sort out an honest role in his community amidst a host of adult untruths. Key West in the early 1930s will populate readers’ imaginations with images of streets, buildings, and cars as Beans might have seen them.

In One Speck of Truth, author Caela Carter writes a story of trust and family relationships. Main character Alma’s father is gone, and her stepfather is no longer a part of the picture. To confuse matters, Alma’s mom doesn’t always tell the truth, and her latest decision involving Alma is pretty baffling: the two are flying to Lisbon, where her father grew up. Alma wonders if the city and its sites might hold the answer she’s looking for. Here’s a peek at some interesting modern-day sites in Lisbon.

And here’s one more! Head to the Big Apple and take a peek at some of the (modernized) sights that Claudia and Jamie Kincaid might have seen during their great adventure at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in MUF’s namesake,  E.L. Konigsburg’s classic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Scroll down a bit for the Great Hall!

These examples of virtual day trips offer variety, visual interest, and a look into key historical backgrounds; hopefully they inspire you to explore settings in your favorite middle grade works as well. Safe travels this summer, everyone!

 

 

Back to Top

Women In STEM (Math & Science) – Author Interview with Laurie Wallmark, and Giveaway

By on April 6, 2020   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, COVID-19, For Librarians, For Teachers, Giveaways, Homeschool Resource, Nonfiction, STEM, Teacher Tips  

 Today we’re interviewing Laurie Wallmark, author of Numbers in Motion, and several other titles.

 

                               

This book features the STEM topics of mathematical equations and science, and how Sophie Kowalevski became the first woman in the world to receive a doctorate in mathematics that required original research and inspired a generation of mathematicians.

Sophie was also the first to hold a university chair in mathematics, and the first to be the editor of a major scientific journal.

 

  1. Tell us about Numbers in Motion and what inspired you to write the story of Sophie Kowalevski.

As long as I can remember, I’ve loved math. Why? Because it’s fun! Although several of the people I’ve written about before have been talented mathematicians, they were recognized in different fields. I thought it was time to share a woman mathematician’s story with kids.

 

2. How did you do your research for this book? How did you organize all the information you learned about Sophie?

I researched her life through books and professional journal articles. A book that was especially helpful was written by Sophie herself, A Russian Childhood.

I use the program OneNote to organize all my research. I have a separate tab for each book, each of which includes a section for notes and for quotations. It’s very important to be able to go back to your notes and find the source for what you’ve written. In addition, I have tabs for my bibliography, a timeline of Sophie’s life, and, while I was researching and writing the book, an ever-expanding list of possible scenes to write.

 

 

3. How do you envision teachers and librarians using this book in classrooms?

The true value of picture books is that they can be used on so many levels. To start with, there is of course the text and illustrations of the story. Especially in a book like mine that takes place in another time period, there are many possibilities for discussing how the world has changed.

In addition, most nonfiction picture books, including mine, include some basic back matter such as a timeline and a bibliography. Numbers in Motion also has three more pieces of back matter. My author’s note tells how, in addition to being a mathematician, Sophie was also a writer. Next, for students (like me!) who might want to know more about Sophie’s math, I explain in more detail the problem she solved–the rotation of solid bodies. Finally, I include how Sophie Kowalevski’s name was transliterated from the Cyrillic alphabet. This presents a great opportunity to discuss how people’s (possibly even some of their classmates’) names might be spelled different ways when written in our Roman alphabet.

 

4. Can you suggest three questions related to women in mathematics for student discussions?

  1. Why do you think we haven’t heard of as many woman mathematicians as men?
  2. Do you think woman and girls have the same natural ability in math as men and boys?
  3. Do you think there are any women working in mathematics today who have made important discoveries

 

 

5. What do you want readers to take away from Numbers in Motion?

Sophie loved math and overcame many obstacles to pursue her studies. I think the big take away from Numbers in Motion is it’s worth pursuing your dreams, even if other people say you can’t or shouldn’t.

To read more about Laurie and her work, click here.

 

Want to own your very own copy of Numbers In Motion? Enter our giveaway by leaving a comment below! 

 

You may earn extra entries by blogging/tweeting/facebooking the interview and letting us know. The winner will be announced here on April 13, 2020 and will be contacted via email and asked to provide a mailing address (US only) to receive the book.

 

 

 

Back to Top