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Books to inspire me about teaching science?


mo2
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I'm not looking for a curriculum, just books about teaching science. Thanks to Alte Vesta Academy's many awesome science posts, I have Nurturing Inquiry on my list. Anyone else have a recommendation for books to get me inspired and motivated to teach science?

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I like The Private Eye, too. And Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell has been a lot of fun to enrich our outside times.

 

Curious Minds: How a Child Becomes a Scientist was fascinating--a collection of essays by working scientists on what sparked them to go into science fields.

 

They aren't so much about teaching science specifically, but there are so many fascinating and well-written popular science books that also help me, at least, keep the excitement and interest up in myself, which naturally passes on to the kids. Authors like Mary Roach, Mark Kurlansky, Simon Winchester have some great reads.

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Aw, thanks! As it happens, I just made a list of my books about teaching all subjects. I need a run through of the ones I've already read and to read some new ones that I haven't gotten to yet. I was going to try to do a subject per month over the course of a year to prepare me for entering the logic stage. Anyway, here is my list. Some of them are for younger kids but most can be applied to all ages. Remember, the library is your friend. :tongue_smilie:

 

Science Notebooks

Teaching Science with Interactive Notebooks

Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method

Keeping a Nature Journal

The Everyday Science Sourcebook

Doing What Scientists Do

Scaffolding Science Inquiry Through Lesson Design

Talking Their Way Into Science

What Will Happen If…

Organzing Wonder

Science Is Golden

Worms, Shadows, and Whirlpools

Mixing It Up

Inquire Within

Picture Science

Exemplary Science in the Grades PreK-4

Science Stories

Outdoor Inquiries

Beyond the Science Kit

Writing in Science

 

 

If you haven't read it already, this thread!

 

:iagree:Great thread!

 

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Aw, thanks! As it happens, I just made a list of my books about teaching all subjects. I need a run through of the ones I've already read and to read some new ones that I haven't gotten to yet. I was going to try to do a subject per month over the course of a year to prepare me for entering the logic stage. Anyway, here is my list. Some of them are for younger kids but most can be applied to all ages. Remember, the library is your friend. :tongue_smilie:

 

Thanks for the great list! I would love to see the list of books you have for all of the other subjects. I love your idea of reading about one subject a month!

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I've been reading Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding Volume 2 in order to edit it for easier teaching. It's a curriculum but most of it is explaining the concepts and how to teach, to you the teacher. It has me super excited for when we start it up in the fall.

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I love Science Matters. Very inspiring!

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

My brain must be totally fried to have not thought of that first :confused:

 

Science Matters was THE book that transformed the way I taught science. Also the Robinson curriculum idea of waiting to do textbook science until after the student has learned a considerable amount of math.

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Just what I was going to suggest! It boils all of science down to the key principles that every educated person should know. Kinda helps you focus on what you need to actually teach . . .

 

A must have book for anyone contemplating LCC. It is even recommended in LCC 1st edition. Way back when, I'm the one who told the author about the book :D He used it as a student text for grade 8 though :confused:

 

I used it for ME, and PARTS of it for a lower high school student, supplemented with living books. I personally wouldn't use it directly with an 8th grader as their main text.

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A must have book for anyone contemplating LCC. It is even recommended in LCC 1st edition. Way back when, I'm the one who told the author about the book :D He used it as a student text for grade 8 though :confused:

 

I used it for ME, and PARTS of it for a lower high school student, supplemented with living books. I personally wouldn't use it directly with an 8th grader as their main text.

 

I adore the book for myself. I've read small sections of it out loud to dd to enrich a BFSU lesson, or to answer a question that has come up in conversation if my own answer was, um, less than cogent ;). My thought was to go through the book together in the second half of 8th grade, after finishing all 3 volumes of BFSU - kind of a wrap-up, "ok, here is the real take-home from all we've studied over the past 4 years: here is the stuff you really need to remember." We'll see.

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Okay, so lots of votes for Science Matters, which, conveniently enough, I have on my shelf but have not read. I'll pull it out.

 

Aw, thanks! As it happens, I just made a list of my books about teaching all subjects. I need a run through of the ones I've already read and to read some new ones that I haven't gotten to yet. I was going to try to do a subject per month over the course of a year to prepare me for entering the logic stage. Anyway, here is my list. Some of them are for younger kids but most can be applied to all ages. Remember, the library is your friend. :tongue_smilie:

 

Science Notebooks

Teaching Science with Interactive Notebooks

Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method

Keeping a Nature Journal

The Everyday Science Sourcebook

Doing What Scientists Do

Scaffolding Science Inquiry Through Lesson Design

Talking Their Way Into Science

What Will Happen If…

Organzing Wonder

Science Is Golden

Worms, Shadows, and Whirlpools

Mixing It Up

Inquire Within

Picture Science

Exemplary Science in the Grades PreK-4

Science Stories

Outdoor Inquiries

Beyond the Science Kit

Writing in Science

 

 

 

 

:iagree:Great thread!

 

 

 

Wow, what a list! You must have a better library system than I do. :glare: I also would like to see your lists for other subjects...just out of curiosity. ;)

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Mo2, just read the 1st few chapters of Science Matters for NOW. I don't agree with the author about WHAT is most important, but he taught me that the most important things are the very things that are ignored in "rigorous" science.

 

After covering some of the basics, HE thinks being able to understand the newspaper well enough to vote knowledgeably is worth spending 1/2 the book on. I don't disagree with him for adults, but I think fleshing out the topics in the 1st half of the book is more important for grade 10 and under.

 

For a student that actually managed to finish BFSU and is well on his way through the other subjects, I guess voting science is what is next. That just isn't happening HERE :D Good luck rroberts!

Edited by Hunter
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Thanks for the great list! I would love to see the list of books you have for all of the other subjects. I love your idea of reading about one subject a month!

 

Wow, what a list! You must have a better library system than I do. :glare: I also would like to see your lists for other subjects...just out of curiosity. ;)

 

:blushing: I own all those books (plus a few more I didn't think were good enough to make the list). I just think any sensible person should actually just use the library. :lol: In fairness to myself, science is my pet subject and I've been acquiring those books for years.

 

Here is the rest of my list...so far at least. Some books are on the list because I need a refresher. Some are here because they are supplements I need to be more purposeful with and add to our fun loop. Some are on here even though I'm actively using them because I want to correlate them to other things. Some are on the list because I want to do a scan and note take before selling or donating them.

 

Art

The Story of Art

Drawing with Children

Art in Story

DK: An Introduction to Art Techniques

First Steps Series: Sketching and Drawing

First Steps Series: Painting Watercolors

How to Teach Art to Children

The Art of Teaching Art to Children

Engaging Learners Through Artmaking

How to Talk to Children About Art

Raising Musical Kids

Integrating Music into the Elementary Classroom

 

CM

Education in the Heart of the Home

Charlotte Mason Companion

When Children Love to Learn

For the Children's Sake

Charlotte Mason Education/More CME

Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series

Educating the Whole-Hearted Child

 

General

100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum

The Complete Home Learning Source Book

Homeschooling at the Speed of Life

How to Design a Low-Cost Curriculum

The Well-Trained Mind

The Latin-Centered Curriculum

Marva Collins' Way

The Organized Homeschooler

Climbing Parnassus

The Core

You Can Teach Your Child at Home

The Unschooling Handbook

Homeschool Your Child for Free

Discover Your Child's Learning Style

The Core Knowledge Sequence

Creative Homeschooling

 

History

Connecting Children with Children

Ways That Work

Doing History

All Through the Ages

Philosophy for Kids

 

Home Life

The Rhythm of Home

The Creative Family

The Family Virtues Guide

365 Manners Every Child Should Know

Everday Graces

All Year Round

Mrs. Sharp's Traditions

The Teacher's Calendar

 

Language

Families Writing

Non-Fiction Matters

But How Do You Teach Writing

Writing with Ease

The Writer's Jungle

Trait-Based Writing

Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?

Awakening the Heart

MCTLA materials

Voyages in English materials

Nitty Gritty Grammar & More NGG

Writer's Desk Reference

Student Writing Handbook

Grammar Land

Lively Language Lessons w/Ruth Heller books

Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry

Poetry Goes to School

Reading Strands: Understanding Fiction

Spelling Power

Sentence Composing for Elementary School

Story Grammar for Elementary School

Living Memory

Latin for Children A materials

DownWrite Funny

Hot Fudge Monday

Teaching the Classics

Deconstructing Penguins

Written and Illustrated By…

Spider/Ask/Click Magazine teacher's guides

How to Get the Most Out of Teaching with Newspapers

Making Books that Fly, Fold...

First Language Lessons

Make Your Own Newspaper

Kids Write

 

Learning

Upside-Down Brilliance

Unicorns Are Real

How to Get Your Kid Off the Refrigerator and On to Learning

Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners

Teaching Your Child to Love Learning: A Guide to Doing Projects at Home

Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos

Study Is Hard Work

Reading Is Seeing

Comprehension & Collaboration

Nine Thousand Straws

I See What You Mean

The Art of Inquiry: Questioning Strategies for K-6 Classrooms

Active Questioning: Questioning Still Makes the Difference

 

Math

Math for Humans

Math Power

Elementary Mathematics for Teachers

Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics

About Teaching Mathematics

Miquon materials

The Cryptoclub

Top Secret

Kitchen Table Math 1, 2, 3

Games for Math

So You Think You're Smart

Math Puzzles Book

Mathematical Activities: A Resource Book for Teachers (Cambridge Education)

Math for Smarty Pants

The I Hate Mathematics Book

Curve Stitching

Drawing Stars and Building Polyhedra

Compass Drawings: Construction Designs Using a Compass and Ruler

Anno's Math 1, 2, 3

Mr. Base Ten Invents Mathematics

Chess for Children

Base Ten

Primary Grade Challenge Math

Family Math

How Math Works

Life of Fred materials

Math Art

RightStart Math Games

RightStart Activities for ALAbacus

Math Games & Activities from Around the World (x2)

The Secret Life of Math

Real World Math for Hands-On Fun

 

Nature

Nature's Art Box

Illustrating Nature

Drawing from Nature

No Child Left Indoors

The Nature Connection

Nature's Playground

 

PE

Teaching Swimming and Water Safety

Teach Your Child to Swim

Homeschool Physical Education Game Book

YogaKids

Yoga Calm

 

Reading

The Read-Aloud Handbook

How to Get Your Child to Love Learning

Readicide

Honey for a Child's Heart

Books to Build On

The Kids' Book Club Book

How to Read a Book

Books That Build Character

Classics in the Classroom

 

ETA: And I am so embarrassed. Science Matters has been on my wish list forever because I've seen it recommended so frequently. Tonight I thought I would just get it from Audible because I could use another audio book and I've got credits stacked up. When I hit the add to cart button, it told me I'd already purchased it! Well, don't I feel silly! Off to put it on my iPod...

Edited by Alte Veste Academy
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Alte Vesta Academy, thank you for sharing your list! I would like to eventually purchase one or two *really good books* on each subject, ones that I can read and re-read. Your list will probably keep me busy on Amazon for a few hours. :D

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Alte Vesta Academy, thank you for sharing your list! I would like to eventually purchase one or two *really good books* on each subject, ones that I can read and re-read. Your list will probably keep me busy on Amazon for a few hours. :D

 

 

:iagree: Thank you so much for sharing this list. Off to print:)

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a few gems: The man who mistook his wife for a hat, by Oliver Sacks; Lives of a Cell, by Lewis Thomas; Thinking Physics, by Lewis Carroll Epstein; The universe and Dr. Einstein, by Lincoln Barnett; Mathematics, the new golden age, by Keith Devlin.

Edited by mathwonk
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Maggie Hogan just posted this on her FB today:

 

http://thehomeschoolscientist.com/developing-a-love-of-science-in-our-children/

 

I love Maggie and always find her advice inspiring. :) And I came across this neat little resource for Nature Study:

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Nature-Connection-Workbook-Classrooms/dp/1603425314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339540292&sr=8-1

 

I forget how old your kiddos are, but this is for a wide variety of ages. :)

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Wow. Thanks for posting "Ruth's Thread"! I think you (and she) have just saved me a ton of money on new science curriculum for my elementary and middle school ages children. Seriously. I had been pondering doing the WTM method of Science with them and this just solidified my decision. :) I just wish I had done this sooner with my older dc.

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