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Science Books in the classroom library
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From: Robin Smith <smithr>
Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 17:17:56 -0500
Science books play an enormous role in my classroom library. Teaching the children to read a science book is a skill all its own. Teachers should take the time to show children how to read the text, the additional materials found in boxes or speech bubbles, and assure the children that they do not have to read every word in order to enjoy the book. Some of my newer readers just read the captions under pictures and diagrams. Others stop and spend a long long time with each page. I love the books that have one narrative that is quite straightforward and accessible to emerging readers and another, more detailed narrative contained in boxes or in another font. Since I teach young children (grade 2), many of the really good books seem challenging for them, but they are so highly motivated to read about volcanoes or climbing Mount Everest or the behavior of trapdoor spiders or Snowflake Bentley...that they will work hard to get to the information they love. Much has been said about endnotes in previous discussions. With science books for young children, endnotes are quite valuable. Whether the child readers reads them or not, I always do. Often that's what I read aloud to the whole class to help them get into the book. They like knowing that the author really did go to Australia or details into the the photographs or artwork. For children who want to know MORE about the subject, these endnotes often point them in the direction of websites, books or magazines that might tell them more.
Some titles that are perennial favorites with my children are: any book with collage illustrations by Steve Jenkins, especially Climbing Mount Everest, Actual Size, I See a Kookaburra and What Do You Do with a Tail like this Washing the Willow Tree Loon by Jacqueline Briggs Martin Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin Magic Schoolbus books by Joanna Cole
*Snakes! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle (and just about any book about snakes, sharks, tarantulas or killer whales) Wolf Island by Celia Godkin Butterfly Count and Animals Asleep by Sneed Collard Welcome to the Green House (and River of Grass and Sea of Sand) by Jane Yolen and Laura Regan The Emperor Lays an Egg by Guiberson (and the rest of the series from Candlewick about animals) A Pinky is a Baby Mouse by Ryan
*any book about natural disasters, diseases or poisonous animals (second graders love tornados, volcanoes, earthquakes, shipwrecks, fires, floods...)
Thanks. Robin Smith Grade 2 Teacher The Ensworth School Nashville, TN
Received on Fri 08 Jul 2005 05:17:56 PM CDT
Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 17:17:56 -0500
Science books play an enormous role in my classroom library. Teaching the children to read a science book is a skill all its own. Teachers should take the time to show children how to read the text, the additional materials found in boxes or speech bubbles, and assure the children that they do not have to read every word in order to enjoy the book. Some of my newer readers just read the captions under pictures and diagrams. Others stop and spend a long long time with each page. I love the books that have one narrative that is quite straightforward and accessible to emerging readers and another, more detailed narrative contained in boxes or in another font. Since I teach young children (grade 2), many of the really good books seem challenging for them, but they are so highly motivated to read about volcanoes or climbing Mount Everest or the behavior of trapdoor spiders or Snowflake Bentley...that they will work hard to get to the information they love. Much has been said about endnotes in previous discussions. With science books for young children, endnotes are quite valuable. Whether the child readers reads them or not, I always do. Often that's what I read aloud to the whole class to help them get into the book. They like knowing that the author really did go to Australia or details into the the photographs or artwork. For children who want to know MORE about the subject, these endnotes often point them in the direction of websites, books or magazines that might tell them more.
Some titles that are perennial favorites with my children are: any book with collage illustrations by Steve Jenkins, especially Climbing Mount Everest, Actual Size, I See a Kookaburra and What Do You Do with a Tail like this Washing the Willow Tree Loon by Jacqueline Briggs Martin Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin Magic Schoolbus books by Joanna Cole
*Snakes! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle (and just about any book about snakes, sharks, tarantulas or killer whales) Wolf Island by Celia Godkin Butterfly Count and Animals Asleep by Sneed Collard Welcome to the Green House (and River of Grass and Sea of Sand) by Jane Yolen and Laura Regan The Emperor Lays an Egg by Guiberson (and the rest of the series from Candlewick about animals) A Pinky is a Baby Mouse by Ryan
*any book about natural disasters, diseases or poisonous animals (second graders love tornados, volcanoes, earthquakes, shipwrecks, fires, floods...)
Thanks. Robin Smith Grade 2 Teacher The Ensworth School Nashville, TN
Received on Fri 08 Jul 2005 05:17:56 PM CDT
