Posts Tagged science

STEM Tuesday– Math – Book List

By on March 7, 2023   /   Math, STEM Tuesday  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Math really is everywhere we look: from the geometry of nature to the physics of a jump shot. This month’s book list showcases the incredible world of mathematics.

 

It’s A Numbers Game! Basketball (part of “It’s a Numbers Game!” series)

by James Buckley Jr for National Geographic

Children may not realize it at first, but numbers play an important role in basketball. Math and numbers dominate this sport, from the dimensions of the court to the number of seconds NBA players have to score a basket. This is a fun book filled with math facts pertaining to basketball, colorful graphics, and sports trivia. It also includes a Foreword by the legendary Kobe Bryant.

 

 

 

A Quick History of Math

by Clive Gifford, illustrated by Michael Young

This book chronicles the history of math, beginning with the Lebombo bone (the very first mathematical object in the world) all the way to the present day. Readers will learn how to count like an Egyptian using hieroglyphs and how to do matha-magic with magic squares. It’s fun and engaging, and also packed with jokes, graphics, and activities.

 

 

 

What’s the Point of Math? What's the Point of Math? by DK

by DK

What’s the Point of Math? not only highlights how math is all around us, but also,that math is fun. Through a slew of fun facts, magic tricks, and mathematical brainteasers, readers will be entertained while they learn. The book also touches on the history of math as well as bios of famous mathematicians.

 

 

 

Much Ado About Baseball

Much Ado about Baseball

by Rajani Larocca

 

Although this is fiction, Much Ado about Baseball is a stellar book. To be clear, it doesn’t specifically teach readers about mathematical concepts, but the narrative connects to math in many ways. For example, twelve-year-old protagonist Trish is able to solve tough math problems and loves baseball. When she moves and joins a new baseball team, they must solve a difficult puzzle or there will be tragic consequences.

 

The Wacky and Wonderful World Through Numbers 

by Steve Martin, Clive Gifford, and Marianna Taylor

 

This book will likely entice readers with its wacky and fascinating facts that show how math is all around us. For example, honeybees must visit 2 million flowers to make about a pound of honey. It is a wealth of fun and interesting information presented in a well-organized, engaging way with over 60 different topics to choose from.

 

 

 

The School of Numbers

by Emily Hawkins & Daniel Frost

Young readers (and aspiring space cadets) will embark on an intergalactic mathematical journey as they make their way through this interactive book. Its 40 lessons are narrated by six “professors” from the fictional Astro Academy, covering topics like negative numbers, fractions, angles, statistics, and more. Along the way, the professors provide clear explanations of math concepts, handy tips and timesavers, and plenty of activities for practice.

 

Sir Cumference Math Adventures 

by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan

This delightful, punny series features the brave knight Sir Cumference, his wife, Lady Di of Ameter, and their son, Radius. The noble family uses math to solve all sorts of problems that threaten King Arthur’s kingdom, from fire-breathing dragons to ogre kidnappers to enemy armies. Along the way, they unlock the mysteries of geometry, decimals, and data visualization.

 

 

The Kitchen Pantry Scientist Math for Kids [Book]

The Kitchen Pantry Scientist Math for Kids 

by Rebecca Rapaport and Allanna Chung, photos by Glenn Scott, illustrations by Kelly Anne Dalton

Equal parts history and “how-to,” this engaging book encourages kids to follow in the footsteps of incredible mathematical pioneers. It presents 20+ short biographies of influential mathematicians, from Federico Ardila to Florence Nightingale to Maryan Mizakhani. Each profile is accompanied by a hands-on activity related to the mathematician’s work. With magic tricks, games, and crafts galore, Rappaport and Chung bring abstract math topics to life.

 

 

 

 

Dollars & Sense: A Kids’ Guide to Using – Not Losing– Money

by Elaine Scott & David Clark

This primer explores history of money and banking, particularly within the US. After tracing the development of various currency and banking systems, it discusses the impacts of The Great Depression and The Great Recession and ends with some helpful hints about saving and budgeting. Overall, this is a great introduction and discussion starter for kids who are starting to think critically about their own values and habits about money.

 

 

The Big Fat Middle School Math Workbook

by Workman Publishing and the Editors of Brain Quest

This handy homework helper is packed full of lessons, definitions, study hacks, and hundreds of practice problems. Its layout is clear and straightforward, so students can jump to any topic and dive right in. The answer key at the back of the book not only provides the right answers but also explains how to solve each problem.

 

 

 

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This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:

Author Lydia Lukidis

Lydia Lukidis is the author of 50+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) and THE BROKEN BEES’ NEST (Kane Press, 2019) which was nominated for a Cybils Award. A science enthusiast from a young age, she now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program. For more information, please visit www.lydialukidis.com.

 

 

author Callie DeanCallie Dean is a researcher, writer, and musician living in Shreveport, LA. She writes stories that spark curiosity and encourage kids to explore their world. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CallieBDean.

 

 

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STEM Tuesday– Genetics– Writing Tips & Resources

By on February 21, 2023   /   Genetics, STEM Tuesday  

CAT TAG

It’s February. The month of love. The perfect month to declare my love of genetics to the STEM Tuesday world in the passionate execution of my Week 3 Writing Craft & Resources post. I love genetics!

It is more than mere fate or blind luck that the STEM Tuesday schedule and my posting schedule aligned for February 2023. The STEM nonfiction universe knows.

Genetics + Me = #ForLife.

But what does all that have to do with a Writing Craft & Resources post? Bear with me, please, through my soliloquy on genetics.

Genetics had me at my first Punnett square. Just like Mendel and his pea plants or Barbara McClintock and her corn chromosomes, genetics had me hooked from the get-go. The idea that life has a blueprint and we have the ability to study and define it captured the teenage me as much as sports had. As a son of a civil engineer who designed and built bridges and highways, plus, as someone just getting into computer programming on my Texas Instruments TI-99, I was hooked on the coded blueprint of life for life.

Then deoxyribonucleic acid came along. The fundamental code of life. Adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). Four chemical bases attach to a sugar-phosphate backbone to form a nucleotide. Four bases that pair with one another (A-T and C-G) in a particular order to form a double-helix strand of DNA and the chromosome. Just about everything we see in the living world is built from the order of those four bases. A, T, C, and G, coded in the chromosome blueprint. 

The genetic information coded in our DNA is transcribed into a specific protein in the central dogma of genetics, DNA→RNA→Protein. The triplet code is the key to the central dogma during the transcription of the DNA code. The cell’s machinery reads the code three nucleotide bases at a time and makes RNA copies of them which, in turn, code for one of 20 amino acids used to construct a protein. 

Humans have about 38 trillion cells in the body and each of those cells contains the code for ~20,000 genes within its chromosomes. The total length of the DNA in one cell is six feet. That’s a lot of DNA needing to be intricately folded to fit inside the cell’s nucleus! Each cell transcribes the proper genes at the proper time to make the proper proteins it needs to function. The cell must keep the genetic code organized while maintaining its integrity and repairing any damage to the code. Add to that, the need to faithfully replicates itself for future progeny cells so mistakes in the code, called mutations, don’t get passed to the next generation of cells. 

This molecular dance of life. with its high level of fidelity. never ceases to blow my mind.

I’ve made a career chasing DNA. I’ve cloned it and I’ve sequenced it. I’ve digested, purified, manipulated, mutated, labeled, edited, and analyzed it. Everything I’ve done in three decades of science revolves around A, T, C, and G. And even after all this time, there is still so much that I don’t know about genetics and DNA and the molecular dance of life, which brings me back to writing. 

Everybody knows writing is work. It’s hard work but, similar to genetics, it is also work that has me hooked. Also like genetics, there’s is still so much I need to learn about writing, even after decades of writing. Just as there are the tools of genetics, writers have tools. Letters, words, structure, and grammar are the nucleotide bases (A/T/C/G), genes, chromosomes, and triplet code of genetics. 

Word→Sentence→Paragraph is the writer’s central dogma. Finding the right words to describe our ideas and transcribing them in legible form is what we attempt to do as writers. 

When I teach what we do in our lab or speak to students about genetics and genetic mutations, I use a little paper demonstration called CAT TAG. It’s based on transcription using the triplet code defined above. I use it to describe how important it is to preserve the correct sequence and fidelity of the triplet code when we are cloning or mutating a gene for further analysis.

Here’s the imaginary DNA code sequence I use for the CAT TAG gene demonstration:

ATG CAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG

If we start transcribing at the “ATG” start codon signal, we get frolicking felines playing an adorable game of CAT TAG protein.

CAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG

What happens when we inadvertently insert a base in the gene?

ATG tCAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG

We get nonsense and no more frolicking feline protein. Where did my adorable cats go!!!

tCA TTA GCA TTA GCA TTA GCA TTA G

The same thing happens when we delete a base in the gene. Nonsense and no cats!

ATG AT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG

ATT AGC ATT AGC ATT AGC ATT AG

Even more frightful, what if a whole CAT codon gets deleted?

ATG TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG

Argghh!!!!! Ouch!!! Now I’m tagging the cat and the cat does not appreciate it! Ouch!

TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG CAT TAG

Writing is like the CAT TAG gene game. Finding the right order and sequence of words to express ideas is the ultimate goal. The skill and magic of revision lie not only in the order and sequence but in finding the best words to express the idea. No more or no less. Make sure additions or subtractions fit properly.

The goal is to find the adorable cats playing tag version of your writing without creating confusion, nonsense, or attacking felines. 

Mike Hays has worked hard from a young age to be a well-rounded individual. A well-rounded, equal-opportunity sports enthusiast, that is. If they keep a score, he’ll either watch it, play it, or coach it. A molecular microbiologist by day, middle-grade author, sports coach, and general good citizen by night, he blogs about sports/training-related topics at  www.coachhays.com and writer stuff at  www.mikehaysbooks.com. Two of his science essays, The Science of Jurassic Park and Zombie Microbiology 101, are included in the Putting the Science in Fiction collection from Writer’s Digest Books. He can be found roaming around the Twitter-sphere under the guise of @coachhays64 and on Instagram at @mikehays64.

The O.O.L.F Files

This month’s version of the O.O.L.F.(Out of Left Field) Files explores revision tips, genetics history with two of the faces on the Mount Rushmore of genetics, a lesson in genetic expression, and CRISPR gene editing at home. 

Kirsten W. Larson’s Revision Tip: Unwriting Your Draft blog post

Barbara McClintock

Gregor Mendel

The fabulous Punnett square

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Plant & Soil Science Learning Module

CRISPR at Home

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STEM Tuesday– Genetics– In the Classroom

By on February 14, 2023   /   Genetics, STEM Tuesday  

This month’s theme ties in with a few of my interests/hobbies. An amateur genealogist, I was recently reading about the use of genetics in genealogy. As a nature lover and Environmental Science merit badge counselor, I’m constantly hearing about the effects of biodiversity (or lack thereof) on the environment. These interests impacted the books I chose to read this month.

Book Cover for Saving The Tasmanian Devil

Saving the Tasmanian Devil: How Science Is Helping the World’s Largest Marsupial Carnivore Survive by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Tasmanian devils are threatened by a disease that defies genetics. This book follows the author as she learns about the disease and how scientists are working to save the species.

 

CRISPR: A Powerful Way to Change DNA by Yolanda Ridge, illustrated by Alex Boersma
The book delves into CRISPR technology and how it can be used to modify DNA. It’s packed with interesting scenarios and questions about ethics.

 

BIODiversityBiodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Environmental Science Activities for Kids by Laura Perdew, illustrated by Tom Casteel
Biodiversity is the variety of living things in an environment. This book explores biodiversity with a host of hands-on activities.

 

Bonus – This topic also ties in with a book I read for October’s STEM Tuesday theme.
Champion, The Comeback Tale of the American Chestnut Tree by Sally M Walker
To read about this book, check out this post: https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/stem-tuesday-extinction-in-the-classroom

Some of this month’s books have activities built into them. There’s a lot to explore there. Here are a few more ideas to extend or add to those.

Research and Speculate or Debate

There are lots of questions asked in CRISPR. For instance, in Chapter 4, while discussing the options available for modifying mosquito genes to get rid of malaria, there are the following questions:

“[S]hould humans really get to decide whether an entire species will live or die? Who decides which pests are pesty enough to get rid of, and who makes sure the technology is limited to bugs?”

Mosquitoes are carriers for some serious diseases, but what if editing their genes wiped them out? What would that do to the food web? Do a little research to see if you can find out what role mosquitoes play in the ecosystem.

How are other animals impacted by the diseases mosquitoes carry? What would happen if we wiped out those diseases? How would biodiversity be impacted?

Once you’ve done a little research, speculate or debate. Speculate on what you think might happen in the different scenarios where genetically modified mosquitoes are unleashed on the world. Debate whether or not you think we have the right to do so.

If you don’t want to explore this topic, pick one of the other topics raised in one of this month’s books. (Each chapter in CRISPR has at least one topic worthy of a deep-dive.)

Go Sci-Fi

“What If?” is a common question to ask when plotting fiction stories. Many “What if?” questions come to mind when reading up on the topic of genetics. Chapter 10 of CRISPR includes a few futuristic scenes that could be used as a Sci-Fi writing prompt. Pick a genetics-based What If? and write a science fiction story based on it.

Here’s a blog post that gives some good advice: https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-write-a-science-fiction-story-3f04782d243c

Explore Family Genetics

One fun way to explore genetics is to look into inherited traits. There are many published activities out there. Here are a few to start with.
This page – https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/basics/activities – has several genetics activities. Perhaps start with “An Inventory of My Traits.”

If you want, explore traits among family members. “A Tree of Genetic Traits” from the previous website does this. Another similar activity is: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/seeing-pedigree-science-making-a-family-tree-of-traits.

Even if a child is adopted, they may share inherited traits with their adoptive parents. If not, maybe they can predict which traits they are likely to pass on to any children they might have.

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Janet smiling while holding a butterflyJanet Slingerland is the author of over 20 books for young readers. Her latest project involves increasing the biodiversity in her yard by planting a wide variety of native plants. To find out more about Janet and her books, check out http://janetsbooks.com.

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