Customer Reviews

Science Through Childrens Literature: An Integrated Approach

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thought this book looked really interesting, teaching science through literature was an innovative way to introduce science topics. So I bought this book thinking that I could use it to teach my kindergartner various science topics. There are 33 chapters divided into 4 parts (Part 1- Using Children's Literature as a Springboard to Science; Part 2- Life Science; Part 3- Earth and Space Science; and Part 4- Physical Science). Each chapter is laid out by first recommending a book to read (i.e. "The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle for the chapter on spiders). Next there is a 1-2 page summary of the book, then 1-2 lines of science and content related topics & words. Finally, there is a list of activities suggested for a variety of ages.

What I would have liked is for the author to include a summary of the actual topic (i.e. 4-5 bullet points on spiders). In my opinion, this is a big piece missing, and hence the reason why I gave this book only 3 stars. If you don't know a fair amount about the topics, you will need to do further research if you want to use this book to teach. If you're looking for a supplement to match books with science topics and activities, this is it.

The idea is interesting, but if you can't get basic facts straight, what are you actually teaching them? Need I point further than the misspelled "mantel" [sic] on the cover? Ok, how about listing Mars as the 2nd planet from the Sun (p. 135)? I found these two errors in my first 3 minutes looking at this book. They wash over the more difficult concepts to the point where you aren't really learning anything at all, and what you learn is up to widely varying interpretations. Fortunately, Amazon users can use the "Search Inside" feature to see for themselves.

Again, the idea is interesting, but they need to work on the delivery, and make sure the fundamentals are correct. Right now, avoid until at least the 3rd or 4th edition.

I love this book. Examples of chapters are Airplanes, Measurement, Energy and Motion, Force and Movement, Volcanoes, Trees, Reptiles... and more. Each subject has a storybook suggested to read and then there are tons of hands on activities offered to go along with the storybook. This book is along the same lines as Five in a Row. Terrific for lower elementary children.