STEM Friday – Page 4 – Booktalking #kidlit

Our Solar System

Our Solar System
by Seymour Simon (Author)

Booktalk: Visit the eight planets and their moons, as well as asteroids and comets in this new, updated edition!

Snippet: Our Solar System was born among the billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. About 4.6 billion years ago, a huge cloud of dust and hydrogen gas floating at the edges of the galaxy began to pull together to form a disk.

See inside the book!

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Firefighter’s Tools

Firefighter’s Tools
by Anders Hanson (Author)

Booktalk: Find out more about the tools used by firefighters. Young readers will see how a fire engine, fire hose, rescue tools and turnout gear works.

Snippet:
Turnout gear protects firefighters from heat.

Turnout gear is protective clothing. It is able to withstand 500-degree heat for five minutes or more.

Turnout gear includes a helmet, coat, gloves, pants, suspenders, and boots.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

From Steel to Bicycle

From Steel to Bicycle
by Robin Nelson (Author)

Booktalk: How does steel become a shiny new bicycle? Follow each step in the process—from shaping the steel to testing the finished bike!

Snippet:
First, steel is heated.

Most bike frames are made out of steel. Steel is a metal. A furnace heats the steel in a factory. The steel gets soft.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Do you blog about science or math? Share your posts on the STEM Friday group blog.

Sun, Moon, and Stars

Sun, Moon, and Stars
by Thea Feldman (Author)

Booktalk: Introduce young readers to the sky above with this Level 2 beginning reader.

Snippet:
A giant star
The Sun is giant star in space.

Gas inside a star is so hot,
it makes the star glow!

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Do you blog about science or math? Share your posts on the STEM Friday group blog.

My Wonderful World of Animals: A Doodle Art Book

My Wonderful World of Animals: A Doodle Art Book
by Victor Escandell (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: This unique doodle book combines coloring, connect-the-dots, and drawing activities with science and math to keep young children entertained for hours. (Be sure to check out the “Animalpedia” facts in the back of the book!)

Snippet:
It’s night time and Bernie the mole is hungry. Which tunnel should he follow to get to his dinner as fast as possible? (maze page)

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Do you blog about science or math? Share your posts on the STEM Friday group blog.

Burj Khalifa: The Tallest Tower in the World

Burj Khalifa: The Tallest Tower in the World
by Stuart A. Kallen (Author)

Booktalk: Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, with 163 floors rising half a mile into the sky. World records in construction and design were shattered when this engineering marvel rose out of the desert to reach the clouds above Dubai.

Snippet: The three tower cranes used to build the superstructure of the Burj Khalifa worked 24 hours a day. The cranes were positioned at the top of the tower as it rose from the desert floor.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum

How was the invention of bubble gum engineered? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy (ATOS 4.8 / AD740L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “How was the invention of bubble gum engineered?” They will review the steps engineers take when they explore a solution to a problem. They will then determine the steps Walter Diemer took to create bubblegum after listening to the text of the book and apply and explain his ideas and actions to the way an engineer works to solve a problem. They will present their information and discuss their finding in a large group.

The Library Activity begins on page 154. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 155.

Extension Activities(sample)

1. Have the students make a number line with markings to eighths on a sentence strip or sheet of paper. Hold a bubble gum blowing contest. Put their bubble on the number line and measure it from the part of the bubble that actually touches the paper (to get the most accurate measure). Compare and announce the winner.

2. Determine the mean, median, and average for the class.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a engineer.. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

Cranes

How do simple machines help cranes work? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Cranes by Amanda Doering Tourville (GRL P / ATOS 4.0)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “How do simple machines help cranes work?” Working in small groups, students will research the basic simple machines: inclined plane, wedge, screw, lever, pulley, wheel and axle. They will organize their research into four categories and present and post it in the room so other students can find out about the other simple machines used in cranes. They will use their graphic organizer to write and explain about the value of cranes, the kinds, and what makes them work.

The Library Activity begins on page 146. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 148.

Extension Activities(sample)

1. Read another book about cranes and together compare and contrast the ideas presented in the two books.

2. Look up the bird called a crane. Find out about the different varieties of cranes and report to the group. Explain why the machine is called a crane.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a engineer.. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

Forces and Motion at Work

What makes forces and motions on Earth? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Forces and Motion at Work by Shirley Duke (GRL W / ATOS 5.2)

Forces and motion at work

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “What makes forces and motions on Earth?” by researching information from a variety of sources relating to the vocabulary of forces and motion. They will summarize their information and then reduce their facts into a short statement of less than one hundred and forty characters in a style suitable for Twitter. From an assigned list of words, each group of students will use print and online information to define their word, read about it to identify and comprehend the scientific principle, and collect facts relating to that principle. The groups will narrow the information by wording it in a phrase or sentence that fits Twitter’s parameters. They will share their information in the library in a way that is accessible for the available technology there or in a class PowerPoint presentation designed to look like a tweet on Twitter.

The Library Activity begins on page 76. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 78.

Extension Activities (sample)

1. Make a class Wiki and put their information on it.

2. Do a podcast about the vocabulary by writing the script in their groups and recording the information. Compare this method of communicating to other means of communicating.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a technology specialist.. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

High-Tech Olympics

What are Olympic distances really like? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: High-Tech Olympics by Nick Hunter (ATOS 6.4 / 970L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “What are Olympic distances really like?” Students will be grouped into five teams and given an identifying number or name. They will use an Olympic record database to locate distances, lengths, or heights of sports in the track and field events and record them. Then they will measure the equivalent distance in the library, classroom, or hallways and mark the distance with a sticky note to show the measurement. They will compare their results and discuss them.

The Library Activity begins on page 84. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 86.

Extension Activities (sample)

1. Have the students use their metric conversions and change them to standard units. Add another set of columns to the graphic organizer if you choose. Or have them use a metric calculator online (http://www.conversion-metric.org/).

2. Pre-write the distances or heights on the graphic organizer for the students to measure in the library and halls.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a technology specialist. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog