the network for middle school math and science teachers

Using Literacy Strategies in the Middle School Math and Science Classroom

As they have every year since 1973, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council released their list of Outstanding Science Trade Books this month. Reviewers from the two organizations aim to select “high quality, engaging, and scientifically accurate books” from publishers of books for children and young people. According to NSTA, this year’s list “covers everything from frogs to cars and takes students from the frigid Antarctic all the way to sunny Kenya.” The 2009 list is available online at http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/ostb2009.aspx?lid=exp. Of the 39 books on the K-12 list this year, 23 are recommended for readers in the intermediate grades (6-8).

The February 2009 issue of Adolescent Literacy in Perspective from the Ohio Resource Center is focused on integrating literacy strategies in math and science classrooms.

What math or science books have you used with your middle school students? What strategies have you used?

Comment

You need to be a member of Middle School Portal to add comments!

Join Middle School Portal

Comment by Kim Lightle on April 15, 2009 at 1:27pm: Tom - I love Rocket Boys. I couldn't put it down. The author ended up becoming a rocket scientist for NASA. How appropriate! Kim

Comment by Tom Jenkins on April 15, 2009 at 9:07am: Rocket Boys is an outstanding book to use in science class. October Sky is a good movie, but Rocket Boys is much more factual (still very entertaining). The numerous concepts over physics and space lead to some pretty interesting conversations/projects. I would suggest combining it into a cross curricular Science/Language Arts project if possible.

Comment by Karolee Smiley on April 2, 2009 at 10:26pm: Interesting list.
I am forwarding it to my school's librarian. She is always looking for book recommendations and I am curious about which books we may already have in our selection.

I have used "book clubs" in my science class. I usually select a book related to the topic or theme for our school year or academic team. Many of the books I have used are fiction which helps to build interest and provide context to help students gain an understanding about a topic or environment.

Many of my students are lacking in skills, resources and experiences which can make it difficult to access some of the concepts in our curricula. The more ways they can learn about a concept the more they can pull out of it. Besides improving their literacy skills, it can help them learn science.

Comment by Terese (Terry) Herrera on March 26, 2009 at 1:40pm: Interesting science books! But you may be a math teacher looking for literature that can introduce students to a topic, set the stage for a problem, or give them another perspective on mathematics. If you are, you might like a look at the Mathematics Bookshelf http://ohiorc.org/for/math/bookshelf/default.aspx at the Ohio Resource Center. My favorites: Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Stone, a geometry adventure; Anno's Magic Seeds, a counting problem that's compelling for even middle school students; All of the Above, the story of students building the world's largest tetrahedron; and Mathematicians are People, Too: Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians.

Much to enjoy, much to learn!