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Tag: STEM Friday (Page 32 of 39)

Cybils: Best STEM Children’s Books of 2013

February 14, 2014 / / 1 Comment

Amidst the hubbub for Valentine’s Day comes the announcements of the winners of the Cybils awards. Since we are also hosting STEM Friday today, let’s look at the STEM titles that were nominated in the Elementary/Middle-Grade Nonfiction category, as well as reveal the winner.

cybils-2013-logo

Quite a few strong STEM books were nominated for Cybils awards last year and four made it to the finalist round. The three runner-ups were:

boy-who-loved-math

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdös by Deborah Heiligman and illustrated by LeUyen Pham is a rare treat.

This picture book biography explores the life of Paul Erdös, who thought about math all day, even when he was a young boy. In fact, he was so busy thinking about numbers that he never really learned to tie his shoes or other basic life skills (his mother and nanny did all those things for him). It isn’t until he was 21 and attended a meeting of mathematicians for the first time that he buttered his own bread!

The illustrations in this book are ingenious. LeUyen Pham includes three pages of illustrator notes in the back to explain all the math she has incorporated into them. I’m sure we will be hearing more about her work in the future.

Important messages the book contains:

  • Math can be exciting and interesting
  • It is okay to be different from everyone else

Paul Erdös is an amazing, unique human being and Heiligman’s passion for her topic is palpable, yielding a biography as special, lovable and one-of-a-kind as its subject. Share it today!

Age Range: 3 – 8 years
Hardcover: 44 pages
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (June 25, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1596433078
ISBN-13: 978-1596433076

volcano-rising-bigger

Volcano Rising by Elizabeth Rusch and illustrated by Susan Swan

Children are definitely interested volcanoes, but too often children’s books focus on the sensational, explosive aspects. Volcano Rising is different, because it explains not only what volcanoes are, but also how they can be a positive force by creating new land and adding nutrients to the soil. The text has two layers, with one layer of simple text meant to be read aloud and the other for those who want to delve more deeply into what volcanoes are all about.

See related post about volcanoes with activities (includes a previous review of this book)

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge (August 1, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1580894089
ISBN-13: 978-1580894081

how-big-were-dinosaurs

How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge

Judge compares dinosaurs to common objects in a fun romp. Children will probably be surprised how small and how big some of the dinosaurs were. In the back is a fold out section that explains more about each dinosaur. If you are going to read this book aloud, you might want to take a gander at that section first, because it contains pronunciation guides to some of the tongue-twister names.

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (August 27, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1596437197
ISBN-13: 978-1596437197

And, now, drumroll please…

This year’s winner is a STEM book!

 

look-up

Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate

Cate utilizes a conversational style and humorous cartoon illustrations that are sure to attract children to give birdwatching a try. Although targeting middle grade, it will appeal to a broad range of ages.

Look Up! was also chosen as a 2014 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book.

Activity suggestion:  It would be a perfect book to accompany the Great Backyard Bird Count, which is being held this weekend.

great-backyard bird count 2014

Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Hardcover: 64 pages
Publisher: Candlewick; First Edition edition (March 12, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0763645613
ISBN-13: 978-0763645618

 

Disclosures:  I am an affiliate for Amazon, and if you click through the linked titles or ads and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Proceeds will be used to maintain this self-hosted blog.

 

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

Plastic, Ahoy: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

January 17, 2014 / / 5 Comments

Want a first hand look at young scientists exploring a recently discovered phenomenon? Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by Patricia Newman, with photographs by Annie Crawley introduces the middle grade level reader to three graduate students who spend nearly three weeks aboard a research vessel in the Pacific Ocean taking samples from what is called the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”

Plastic, Ahoy!- Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

In August of 2009, Miriam Goldstein, Chelsea Rochman, and Darcy Taniguchi departed on a ship as part of the Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition or SEAPLEX (see the blog). The book chronicles their observations and experiences.

You can get a feel for the book in this trailer:

 

 

Surprisingly, the students found that much of the plastic in the Garbage Patch is small broken pieces, basically “the size of confetti.” The small size is going to make removing the plastic from the water very difficult because any net that is the right size to capture the bits of plastic will also capture all sorts of marine life. The bottom line is that these are not all full-sized water bottles floating around.

The team members also discovered that 9% of 147 the fish they sampled during the trip had plastic bits in their stomachs. Given that there is some evidence plastic bits tend to accumulate toxins from the water, this could have long term negative consequences to food chains. Obviously more studies need to be done.

Not all the news was necessarily negative, however. One study found that sea-going relatives of water striders called “sea striders” are actually doing better in the Garbage Patch because more debris means more places they can lay their eggs (Plastic Trash Altering Ocean Habitats, Scripps Study Shows).

Plastic, Ahoy! can be a jumping off point for many potential science experiments and explorations of your own. Here are just a few ideas:

1. The lifespans of plastic objects

How long will your trash bag live? is an idea for a science fair project that compares the longevity of plastic, paper, and biodegradable plastic bags buried in the ground. This is a long duration experiment (months).

In this article, a Teen Decomposes Plastic Bag in Three Months

2. Preventing plastic from reaching the ocean

Science Buddies has a science fair project idea for looking at the design of storm drains with the idea of keeping trash from getting into the water

3. Floating ocean trash experiments from previous post at Growing with Science

4. The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program has educational materials such as:

Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by Patricia Newman, with photographs by Annie Crawley is an exciting introduction to science, told through the stories of actual young scientists. You will want to share it with children interested in marine biology, chemistry and conservation. It would make perfect reading for Earth Day (April 22, 2014) or World Ocean Day (June 8, 2014) or a unit on the environment, particularly the marine environment.

Recommended Ages:  8-12
Publisher: Millbrook Pr Trade (January 1, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1467712833
ISBN-13: 978-1467712835

Disclosures: This book was provided for review via Blue Slip Media. Also, I am an affiliate for Amazon, and if you click through the linked titles or ads and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Proceeds will be used to maintain this self-hosted blog.

 

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

Exploring the Protists with Squish: Super Amoeba

December 13, 2013 / / 2 Comments

Growing with Science is hosting STEM Friday this week, and we decided to feature something a little different. Squish #1: Super Amoeba by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm is the first is a series of fictional graphic novels that might just inspire some reluctant readers to learn more about science.

squish

Squish is an amoeba with some usual middle school problems. Usual, except the school bully doesn’t just push students around, but actually engulfs and eats them! Can Squish save his friends? Can he keep himself out of trouble? For a full review of the book, see our sister blog, Wrapped in Foil.

Let’s investigate the science behind Squish.

One of the strengths of the series is that the books introduce scientific vocabulary words and concepts. It focuses on the microorganisms found in freshwater ponds.

I. Kingdom Protista

Protists are organisms made up of one cell with a nucleus. Each cell is capable of carrying out the basic processes of life on its own.

There are more than 50,000 species of protists and they are incredibly diverse. It is likely that as more is known about the genetics of the various groups, some may be classified differently or even put into different kingdoms.

A. Amoebozoans

1. Amoeba – The main character, Squish, his friend Pod, and the bully Lynwood from the book are all amoebas.

Amoeba_(PSF)

(Illustration released to public domain by Pearson Scott Foresman)

Amoebas move about by means of the movement of their inner fluids or cytoplasm (endoplasm and ectoplasm). The projections of cytoplasm are called pseudopods. The amoeba eat their prey (bacteria, algae, or other protists) by surrounding it and taking it in. The enclosed food forms a vacuole withing the cell. Another type of vacuole, the contractile vacuole, helps regulate internal fluid levels.

2. Slime Molds – The character Peggy has a pet slime mold, Fluffy.

physarium-polycephalum-slime-mold(Slime mold from Wikimedia)

Once thought to be related to fungi, slime molds are actually composed of individual amoeboid cells clustered together to form a colony. They can come together and separate again. Most of them are found on rotting plant material, particularly logs.

Recently a scientist found out that a slime mold could be trained to “run” a maze. (Note: The “related video” link in the video player takes you to random Wired videos. If you want to see more about the slime molds, see this link.)

 

B. Ciliates or Ciliophora

1. Paramecium - One of Squish’s friends, Peggy, is a paramecium.

Paramecium_sp

(This illustration of a Paramecium was released to public domain by Miklos)

The illustration is the best I could find, but requires a bit of translation (terms counterclockwise from the top right):

  • Pelicula = pellicle
  • Macronucleo = macronucleus
  • Vacuolo Alimentar ou Digestivo = food vacuole
  • Poro Anal = anal pore
  • Esofago = gullet
  • Bacterias = bacteria
  • Micronucleo = micronucleus
  • Cilios = cilia
  • Vacuolo Contratil = contractile vacuole

The beating of the cilia propels the Paramecium through the water. The ciliates take in food, like bacteria, through the gullet. Once engulfed, it becomes a food vacuole where digestion occurs.

C. Euglenophyta – these are not mentioned in the first book, but are common protists.

Euglena_(PSF)

(Illustration released to public domain by Pearson Scott Foresman)

Members of the Euglena group have long flagella, which are different from cilia of the ciliates in structure, length and number. Most can make their own food because they contain chloroplasts like plants.

II. Kingdom Animalia

The book also contains some animals commonly found in aquatic environments.

A. Rotifera – Squish’s science teacher is Mr. Rotifer.

rotifer

The top of the rotifer has a ring of cilia that move water and food towards the animal’s mouth.

This video shows rotifers moving around and feeding.

Okay, I admit I love rotifers.

B. Planaria – Principal Planaria keeps two eyes on everything at Squish’s school, even though those eyes look like they are crossed.

Planaria are technically flatworms, and what they call “eyes” are actually light sensitive spots or ocelli.

This short educational video has narration to explain more about planaria.

Related Science Activities

1. Grow bread mold

In the book, the authors suggest growing mold on bread by wetting it and putting it in a jar. Leaving it in a warm, dark place for a week ought to do the trick. (Edit: I should note that bread molds are fungi, not protists.)

2. Hay Infusion

If you have access to a microscope, you are more likely to see protists if you try a hay infusion. Basically what you do is place some dried hay (or other dried plant material) into a container of pond water and allow it to incubate. For specific instructions, see Microbiology Laboratories or CR Scientific.

3. Purchase protozoan cultures.

If you have access to a microscope, it is also possible to purchase protozoan cultures and slide sets from reputable science supply companies to study.

Squish #1: Super Amoeba is a fun graphic novel with many different elements. Each young reader is likely to take something different away from reading it. If just a few take away an interest in finding out more about science, then it deserves a place in the STEM library.

Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Grade Level: 3 – 7
Series: Squish (Book 1)
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (May 10, 2011)

Protozoans, Algae & Other Protists (Kingdom Classifications)
 (Kingdom Classifications) by Steve Parker would be a great nonfiction book for children who want to find out more about the microorganisms introduced in Squish.

protists-book

Age Range: 9 and up
Grade Level: 4 and up
Series: Kingdom Classifications
Publisher: Compass Point Books (July 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0756542243
ISBN-13: 978-0756542245

 

 

Disclosures: Also, I am an affiliate for Amazon, and if you click through the linked titles or ads and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Proceeds will be used to maintain this self-hosted blog.

 

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

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