Ask Slashdot: Science Books For Middle School Enrichment?

IMHO by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 04:52 · Score: 0

Any of Asimov's robot books (most asimov really) make for excellent sci-fi intro books.

Re:IMHO by ShanghaiBill · 2013-04-23 05:06 · Score: 5, Interesting

Any of Asimov's robot books (most asimov really) make for excellent sci-fi intro books.
These books, and other sci-fi books, would be fine for extra credit in a literature class, but they are inappropriate for extra credit in a science class. Science is about facts, not fiction. But Asimov is appropriate. When I was a teenager I read dozens of his non-fiction books. I remember sitting in the back of my 10th grade biology class reading Asimov's The Wellsprings of Life. That was the moment that biology "clicked" and I understood the genetic code, how "codons" worked, and it all made sense. I looked up at the teacher droning on, and wondered why they didn't just have everyone read this book.
Re:IMHO by Overzeetop · 2013-04-23 05:19 · Score: 1

On the contrary, reading older science fiction and writing a report through a lens of 50 years in the future can be quite useful. What scientific elements of the fiction are true or nearly true today, what parts do we still think are clearly "impossible" (i.e. still science fiction), and which parts do you think might still go either way (and, of course, why)?

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Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Re:IMHO by Lightsider01 · 2013-04-23 05:19 · Score: 1

And that's exactly why sci-fi books *are* appropriate. They might be light on, or even distort the facts. But at this age, interest and drive and passion for a subject is at least as important as the facts. They'll never get to the higher, nitty-gritty of science if they don't reach for it. Science fiction can give that interest, if, of course, chosen wisely and well.
Re:IMHO by meerling · 2013-04-23 05:21 · Score: 1

Science Fiction can be very good at inspiring kids interest about science. It's lousy at teaching real science in most cases, because the ones that stick to 'hard science' tend to be boring, especially to an 11-14 year old.
There are a lot of books that would be a good fit, but it's going to be a while before I dredge up the names. It's been so long since I read them.

As a side note, having class discussions about the science involved in the fiction they just read is a good thing, and helps them relate it to real science, even if it does go into the speculative at times.
Re:IMHO by ackthpt · 2013-04-23 05:22 · Score: 1

Any of Asimov's robot books (most asimov really) make for excellent sci-fi intro books.
These books, and other sci-fi books, would be fine for extra credit in a literature class, but they are inappropriate for extra credit in a science class. Science is about facts, not fiction. But Asimov is appropriate. When I was a teenager I read dozens of his non-fiction books. I remember sitting in the back of my 10th grade biology class reading Asimov's The Wellsprings of Life. That was the moment that biology "clicked" and I understood the genetic code, how "codons" worked, and it all made sense. I looked up at the teacher droning on, and wondered why they didn't just have everyone read this book.
Too true. There's almost nothing but Sci-Fi being recommended. I highly recommend posters engage in some reading of their own before recommending stuff.
Some good, thoughtful reading, which may not be easy to find in US book shops are the Science of Discworld Series, which bridge Terry Pratchett's fictional world magic with Round World science. It's good stuff.

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A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Re:IMHO by ShanghaiBill · 2013-04-23 05:40 · Score: 3, Insightful

On the contrary, reading older science fiction and writing a report through a lens of 50 years in the future can be quite useful.
Sure it is useful, and a really good choice for a literature class. But if a kid gets an "A" in chemistry, it should be because he understands chemistry, and not because he read Ender's Game. I read Ender's Game when I was a teenager. It is a good book. But I am unable to recall even a single iota of actual science in the book.
It is important to inspire kids. But they should get good grades for actually learning, and not for the process of "being inspired".
Re:IMHO by ColdWetDog · 2013-04-23 05:40 · Score: 1

Appropriate, but for school? I certainly read SF at home, probably didn't reach much of anything else until college, but in school? Not so sure of that. Teach real science in school, Heinlein is for night time with the covers over your head and a flashlight (or whatever is the current equivalent, I wouldn't even want to hazard a guess).

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Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Re:IMHO by Lightsider01 · 2013-04-23 05:50 · Score: 1

In my opinion, certainly appropriate for school. School isn't just for facts, figures, reading, writing and arithmetic. At its best, it's for inspiring. For igniting that light in the mind that asks "Why?" That is especially important in today's day and age, where it seems like everything is caught up in where your next paycheck is coming from, or if the next financial, political, geologic, hydrodynamic, or celestial disaster is just around the corner. After all... when's the last time many of us went out and even flew a kite with our children, letting them wonder and ask the questions about what keeps the kite up in the sky? I know it's been a very long time for me.
Re: IMHO by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:55 · Score: 0

'Science is about facts'
So there is no place for competing theories, or hypothesis and extrapolation in Science? The world simply is. This is what you're saying?
Re:IMHO by gl4ss · 2013-04-23 06:14 · Score: 1

And that's exactly why sci-fi books *are* appropriate. They might be light on, or even distort the facts. But at this age, interest and drive and passion for a subject is at least as important as the facts. They'll never get to the higher, nitty-gritty of science if they don't reach for it. Science fiction can give that interest, if, of course, chosen wisely and well.
but hitchhikers guide is just going to the other way. for a literature class it's fine, but it's not a ladder to nitty-gritty of science - it's a window to stupidities of modern life! star wars bounty hunter stories can too be very entertaining but they act more like a ditch than a ladder when getting real application of any science, hyperspace and all.
However, I do think that reading Verne, Asimov, Lem and other good oldies is good for perspective and for some of the books because they do portray the optimist scientific approach to problems. That's a real quality right there that Adams stories lack, which largely portray just a mad world where you just take a ride on chance.

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world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Re:IMHO by Lightsider01 · 2013-04-23 06:24 · Score: 1

Ah. Perhaps I should have been more clear, then. It's obvious that much of science fiction, like most of anything, is sad trash. However, wisely chosen, a good science fiction story can do all of these things. After all, this is why the original poster is asking for suggestions, is he not? To expand their own horizons to what might be out there that is interesting and engaging, and at the same time relevant, hopefully at least moderately accurate and thought-provoking.
Re:IMHO by Stargoat · 2013-04-23 06:31 · Score: 1

I somewhat agree with this post. Psychohistory is an excellent way to explain algorithms, credit reports, economics, sociology, and other modern statistical sciences. We have gotten quite good at this and it's nice to be able to take a step back and realize what we are actually doing.

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Hoist Number One and Number Six.
Re:IMHO by AK+Marc · 2013-04-23 06:39 · Score: 1

You don't learn physics reading Niven (unless you do the calculations that show the materials used are currently impossible, and nearly provably impossible, without restructure of the basics of chemistry), but you learn the majesty of science. The "old" sci fi wasn't descriptive or impossible, it was proscriptive. Verne described SCUBA, so someone invented it. Star Trek described the flip-phone, so someone invented it (and patented the idea/design, even with 20+ years of prior art). Traditional sci-fi isn't science. It's using "plausible" science to further a plot line. Much like MASH was about the futility/stupidity of the Vietnam War, it was set in Korea because you had to cheat to get something on air back then. The original Star Trek is nearly "pure" sci fi because it was current social commentary, hidden in science to get past the censors. That was the idea behind so much sci fi. It started about the time of the industrial revolution, and often explored the inhumanity of progress. But then, there are also the people who believe sci-fi to be about the science, not a story that uses/requires science.

The second group seems more numerous, but they are also inconsistent. Avatar had some cool tech sprinkled through it, but was just a re-hash of the "natives vs invaders" with "Romeo & Juliet" subplot (both stories individually thousands of years old, and together at least hundreds of years old). The tech was there to dress it up. Just like the tech in so many sci-fi stories that I'm sure people will tell me are more pure than Star Trek.

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Learn to love Alaska
Re:IMHO by slinches · 2013-04-23 07:04 · Score: 1

Another along these lines is Asimov's The History of Physics. It may be difficult to get 11-14 year old kids to read a book with such a mundane (to them) title, but it does a great job of filling in the blanks of how new ideas in science grow from prior concepts and doesn't require the reader to have math proficiency above basic arithmetic.

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Knowledge Brings Fear
Re:IMHO by magictiger · 2013-04-23 08:02 · Score: 1

For people like us, yes, scifi is at-home reading, but a lot of children aren't as inspired as we apparently were. They don't read on their own unless there's an incentive. If a teacher gets a kid to read a book, especially the first part in a series, it may inspire that kid to keep reading the series on their own. Maybe after they've finished that series, they can pick up another one and be hooked for life. If they never have an incentive to pick up that first book, though, you will never know what the kid would have done. Let them get a few bonus points for reading entertaining scifi. If it's enough to get a kid reading, it's worth it.
Re:IMHO by Jager+Dave · 2013-04-23 08:17 · Score: 1

On the contrary, reading older science fiction and writing a report through a lens of 50 years in the future can be quite useful.

I am unable to recall even a single iota of actual science in the book.
What about when Ender (read "a pilot") controls a Starship (read "a drone") from billions of (read "thousands of") miles away, to smite the enemy (read "the enemy")... Real-world science/technology as used in Ender's game (albeit on a much smaller scale).
Re:IMHO by RadioElectric · 2013-04-23 20:21 · Score: 1

Yes! I loved the Science of Discworld books as a kid, possibly because I was already a big fan of the Discworld books.
Re:IMHO by OldHawk777 · 2013-04-24 04:53 · Score: 1

Foundation Trilogy

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Unaccountable leaders are masters, and unrepresented people are slaves. How do US and EU fare?
Re:IMHO by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-24 10:56 · Score: 0

On the contrary, reading older science fiction and writing a report through a lens of 50 years in the future can be quite useful.
Sure it is useful, and a really good choice for a literature class. But if a kid gets an "A" in chemistry, it should be because he understands chemistry, and not because he read Ender's Game. I read Ender's Game when I was a teenager. It is a good book. But I am unable to recall even a single iota of actual science in the book.
It is important to inspire kids. But they should get good grades for actually learning, and not for the process of "being inspired".
Hey, Mr. High Horse, what's your beef with science fiction when the submitter includes same in his short list? I find your comments neither "Interesting", nor "Insightful". A lot of real scientific exploration was inspired by imagination, either from the self or third-party via works of science fiction. Lest we not forget that there is a lot of real science in good science fiction. The works of Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan and Michael Crighton jump immediately to mind as examples. If you've ever worked alongside a current kid you would know how desperately they need to be inspired to do anything but post to Facebook and twitter every five minutes. So jump down off the intellectual high horse and get on the ground and help do real things to inspire kids rather than grouse about where science fiction is relevant in a K-12 curriculum. Science fiction should inspire the young to learn more about science and where it can go, not just "feel inspired". What a horrible cynic you are.
Re:IMHO by malbosher · 2013-04-24 11:36 · Score: 1

funny, while reading the original post I thought immediately of Asimov.

Extra credit assignments by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 04:54 · Score: 0

Substituting irrelevant or busy work for mastery of a subject: the American way.

Re:Extra credit assignments by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:09 · Score: 0

Yes, Science Fiction is not Science.
The problem with my inferior school system is that all the extra credit stuff was just more useless garbage. Not so strangely it was also junk the teacher wouldn't have to spend valuable drinking time grading.
Re:Extra credit assignments by mmcxii · 2013-04-23 05:25 · Score: 1

The problem with my inferior school system is that all the extra credit stuff was just more useless garbage.

Not true. This past weekend I was at a star party for my local club and there were about 20 total students up there doing extra credit work. My guess is that they were about 14-15 years of age. I got to help about a dozen of them myself, I did some basic stuff like the moon and Jupiter for them to see and they seemed pretty interested. Most of them asked questions about my telescope; what kind was it, some basic facts and figures about how it worked.

It was good to see some kids who weren't just running around the observing field like idiots even if it was for extra credit.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by simon_clarkstone · 2013-04-23 04:55 · Score: 5, Interesting

As a younger geek, I loved reading Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! It would be a good intro to his other more-scientific works too.

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C:\>spell -b slashdot_submission.txt Bad command or file name.

Re:Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 07:13 · Score: 0

I haven't read that, but Feynman's _Six Easy Pieces_ is excellent for physics.
Martin Gardner's books on mathematics are very approachable and illuminating, as well.

Some Suggestions by eldavojohn · 2013-04-23 04:56 · Score: 1

First it's not quite clear by the title if you're looking for purely fiction so I will recommend George Gamow's "1, 2, 3... Infinity" for a pure science book that reads nicely (though be warned that some of the concepts like DNA are a little outdated). As for fiction, there's some great Bradbury like "Martian Chronicles" and I think Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov have some titles that might be accessible, Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron might be short enough but a bit too heavy ... actually I felt like I've answered this question before and I have you should just read that thread.

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My work here is dung.

Re:Some Suggestions by heybiff · 2013-04-23 07:32 · Score: 1

Yes you are right. I should have used a different search-fu technique. I'll definitely scan through that article for titles as well. Heybiff

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Even the Sun goes down.
Re:Some Suggestions by magisterx · 2013-04-23 10:42 · Score: 1

Asimov's stuff is fantastic. If you want something a bit more math based, consider Flatland by Abbot. That also contains a fair bit of social commentary.

What about fun experiments that are easy... by realsilly · 2013-04-23 04:56 · Score: 1

Here is a site to a scientist,Robert Krampf, that I saw in person once. It was the best science show I ever saw, and definitely the most entertaining.
Maybe reach out to him through his site and see if he can recommend some good science books.

http://thehappyscientist.com/

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Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.

One, Two, Three... Infinity by Hatta · 2013-04-23 04:57 · Score: 3, Informative

This is probably the most readable treatment of some of the weirder parts of math you'll find. Very appropriate for middle schoolers, that's when I read it first, and that's a great age to show them that math isn't all arithmatic, and how it relates to science. Topics like Cantor's diagonal proof and general relativity are all accessible to middle schoolers with this book.

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Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!

Re:One, Two, Three... Infinity by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · 2013-04-23 06:12 · Score: 1

Really good call, although some of Gamow's stuff is a little outdated. Not really sure why everybody else here is concentrating on fiction; I'd add The Tao of Physics, The Lives of a Cell, and The Blind Watchmaker. If you want fiction, The Diamond Age or Lord of Light.
Re:One, Two, Three... Infinity by immaterial · 2013-04-23 08:21 · Score: 2

I have the sneaking suspicion that a book containing an orgy just might be "objectionable" at the middle-school level.
Re:One, Two, Three... Infinity by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · 2013-04-23 09:31 · Score: 1

I don't recall any of them having an orgy.
Re:One, Two, Three... Infinity by qwak23 · 2013-04-23 16:36 · Score: 1

Diamond Age definitely has an orgy.

The Number Devil by j-beda · 2013-04-23 04:58 · Score: 2

The reading level is closer to elementary school, but some of the math is fascinating to high school and above. It certainly could be used for an interesting math extra project. A great gift for kids:

The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure [Paperback]
Hans Magnus Enzensberger (Author), Rotraut Susanne Berner (Illustrator), Michael Henry Heim (Translator)

ISBN: 0805062998

various Amazon links:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805062998/jbenterprises/
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805062998/johannsbookst-20/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805062998/johansbooksparto/

Hugo Award winners by jackb_guppy · 2013-04-23 04:59 · Score: 1

Hugo Award winners are always a good start. "Rite of Passage " is to me a good teen book. I gave it to my daughters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel

Anathem by stanlyb · 2013-04-23 05:00 · Score: 2

Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
Anyone, able to read this book, and understand it, deserves his/her master degree right on the spot.

Re:Anathem by Wookact · 2013-04-23 05:55 · Score: 1

Did you miss the "middle school" portion of the summary?
Re:Anathem by MaskedSlacker · 2013-04-23 08:13 · Score: 1

You apparently have a very low standard for master's degrees. Anyone who passed a sophomore level philosophy class would have no problem with that book.
Re:Anathem by mtpaley · 2013-04-23 09:19 · Score: 1

One of the best things about Anathem is that it also works as a book about many concepts that are routinely used in physics and mathematics. The concept of working in coordinate systems that do not correspond to physical location is ubiquitous in many areas of physics. A large chunk of my physics degree seemed to be in done in abstract coordinate systems. But I have to say that I can't see many 11 year olds getting the point of this book or even getting to the end.
Re:Anathem by MaskedSlacker · 2013-04-23 09:23 · Score: 1

I'm not dinging the book. I found it quite interesting, just not all that complicated or difficult to understand. There was nothing in it that wouldn't be covered in 200-level courses in the relevant subjects.

A Wrinkle In Time by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:00 · Score: 1

Great book that I read as a young teen.
http://www.amazon.com/Wrinkle-Madeleine-LEngles-Quintet-ebook/dp/B004OA64H0/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

Re:A Wrinkle In Time by heybiff · 2013-04-23 07:35 · Score: 1

The cover of this book scared the sh@t out of me when I was a kid. My sisters had a copy with the old cover, and I was terrified to even look at it. By the time I was an adult, I worked up the courage to finally read it. Don't remember much, other than it was a good read. Thanks for the reminder.

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Even the Sun goes down.

Red/Green/Blue Mars by Muad'Dave · 2013-04-23 05:01 · Score: 1

The Mars Trilogy is interesting, and it might be an interesting exercise to have them outline what parts (both technical and social) are currently possible, which might be possible in 10 years, and which are pure fiction.

Also, the "Connections" series by James Burke (also available in video form) are an interesting way of showing how technology evolves from need. You might have your students look at a few of them and then identify a current need and predict a few possible technological advances that may come of it.

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Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.

Re:Red/Green/Blue Mars by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:06 · Score: 0

The Mars Trilogy may not be entirely appropriate for 11-14 year olds to read. Quite a lot of sex and recreational drug use going on in there.
Re:Red/Green/Blue Mars by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:21 · Score: 0

More specifically for those that haven't read them:
Red should be fine for 11-14 year olds, if possibly too heavy on the politics to be enjoyed.
Green won't go down well in parts of the US for being far too liberal/hippy/subversive and excessive recreational drug use.
Blue isn't suitable for minors (for book report purposes anyway) due to the descriptions of orgies.
To be fair, they get less enjoyable as you go through them too, Red is by far the best.
Re:Red/Green/Blue Mars by Muad'Dave · 2013-04-23 05:28 · Score: 1

PS - The video Trinity and Beyond is a chilling yet enthralling science documentary of the [mostly US but some USSR] nuclear bomb programs. You might ask your students to guess how many bombs were set off in testing, and where. Give them this Google Earth KML and show them all of the places and yields.

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Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.

Bible. by m1ndcrash · 2013-04-23 05:02 · Score: 0, Troll

is a great sci-fi book.

Re:Bible. by yurtinus · 2013-04-23 06:44 · Score: 1

It blurs the line between sci-fi and fantasy. I found it to be mind numbingly boring myself, though. I may pick it back up and finish it some day... don't tell me how it ends!

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+1 Disagree
Re:Bible. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 10:12 · Score: 0

Name me 3 sci-fi books that don't blur the lines between sci-fi and fantasy.

Couple of recommendations... by TWX · 2013-04-23 05:02 · Score: 1

I read Keeper of the Isis Light one afternoon while waiting in the library for the computer to finish doing something. It wasn't bad, discussed the nature of a colony planet through the eyes of an orphan raised by the household computer system after her parents' deaths and how she was different than the colonists that followed the beacon that her family was ostensibly there to maintain. It's not terribly complex, but passable after a fashion. It lacks the sexuality of many science fiction writers like Piers Anthony.

I also enjoyed The Bromeliad by Terry Pratchett. It's a three-part story about what turn out to be aliens that generations-ago crash-landed on Earth on what effectively was an away mission, and how they come to reclaim their ship and their original birthright.

Unfortunately I can think of a lot more fantasy than I can science fiction for the YA reader. Most scifi seems to head into mature themes that a teacher probably can't recommend to a twelve year old on account of parental objection.

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Do not look into laser with remaining eye.

Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything by mongoose(!no) · 2013-04-23 05:03 · Score: 3, Interesting

It's really fascinating, and puts some historical context to the ideas they've been learning about. It's also written at a level to be accessible, but not dumbed down.

Microbe Hunters, also Karl Kruszelnicki by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:04 · Score: 2, Interesting

Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif is a classic: http://www.amazon.com/Microbe-Hunters-Paul-Kruif/dp/0156027771. It tells the story of the beginnings of microbiology by telling the stories of the researchers (the "Microbe Hunters") who made the most important discoveries. The text is very accessible, with the scientists' stories dramatized in an exciting way. I think it should be OK for a middle school reader.

Apart from that, when I was that age I enjoyed books by Australian science writer Karl Kruszelnicki.

Your Ticket to the Universe by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:05 · Score: 0

This has proven to be a favorite with my 13yo niece and some of her friends. It might help that she knows the author - a local mom- but it's a fun and entertaining space book and has some great analogies in it: Your Ticket to the Universe: A Guide to Exploring the Cosmos (Smithsonian Books) http://yourtickettotheuniverse.com/

Chaos by beschra · 2013-04-23 05:05 · Score: 1

Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick.

Non-maths guy, so his explanations and examples are approachable. Good jumping off point if it piques someone's interest.

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It is unwise to ascribe motive

The Boy Who Reversed Himself by Jace+Harker · 2013-04-23 05:05 · Score: 2

When I was around that age, I really enjoyed "The Boy Who Reversed Himself" by William Sleator. Pretty entertaining, and a nice introduction to the concept of higher-dimensional spaces.

Obligatory Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Reversed-Himself/dp/0140389652

Re:The Boy Who Reversed Himself by aquishixx · 2013-04-24 02:45 · Score: 1

I just finished reading that book to my girlfriend last night. It's my favorite book from Sleator and I enjoyed reading it when I was a teenager very much.

I think that "Strange Attractors" is a better pick, though, in order to be sciencey.

It does a very good job of exploring Chaos Theory in a way that is far more respectable than any treatment I've ever seen in a television show or Hollywood movie. It's well written, exciting, and mind-bending, to say the least.

The Martian by Lightsider01 · 2013-04-23 05:06 · Score: 1

I highly recommend The Martian, by Andy Weir. As an initial warning, there is some... "gritty" language in there, but I think that's keeping with the realism of someone who has been accidentally abandoned on Mars. A gripping read, science that is absolutely spot-on, and some genuinely funny moments as well. All available for the low, low price of less than a buck. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009IEXKXI

It's a Brave New World by a_big_favor · 2013-04-23 05:06 · Score: 2

Brave New World and War of the Worlds. Of course most of these books with science in them are going to be offensive and at some point banned by religious zealots.

Jules Verne by m1ndcrash · 2013-04-23 05:07 · Score: 1

What happened to the classics?

Re:Jules Verne by TooTechy · 2013-04-23 05:30 · Score: 1

Abso - flaming - lutely.
Mod this UP.. .
"Journey to the Center of the Earth". Lot's of movies to be watched after and referred to in other movies.
Re:Jules Verne by mdfst13 · 2013-04-23 06:07 · Score: 1

Not only Jules Verne. What about H.G. Wells? I'd also include Arthur Conan Doyle. Most of the science fiction in Sherlock Holmes has turned into science fact, but in some ways that actually makes it more relevant for your purposes.
More recent classics would include the Heinlein juveniles (almost everything he wrote before Strange in a Strange Land plus some of what he wrote afterwards) and (as others mentioned) the Asimov books. The robot series is more for programmers than scientists, but there's quite a bit of interesting science floating around Asimov.
Not classics, but the Tom Swift and Danny Dunn books are oriented towards juveniles and promote science.
Re:Jules Verne by Roger+W+Moore · 2013-04-23 06:08 · Score: 1

Mod this UP.. ."Journey to the Center of the Earth".
Yes - because we really want school kids to learn in their science class that the centre of the earth is populated by dinosaurs.
Re:Jules Verne by m1ndcrash · 2013-04-23 09:47 · Score: 1

With all honesty kids should read fucking science books in science classes and not entertaining literature. That's one. A prevailing number of US schools teach creationism as a real science subject. That's two. So with all due respect, sir, your opinion sucks and you should gtfo with it.
Re:Jules Verne by m1ndcrash · 2013-04-23 09:47 · Score: 1

I agree! Children do not read these days. It's the "omg fb" driven world right now.

Re:Kuffar Submit! by Lightsider01 · 2013-04-23 05:07 · Score: 1

Nice try, Anon. None of us are going to load up a link from an obvious troll.

A List by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:07 · Score: 0

Carry on Mr. Bowditch
Longitude
To Know a Fly
Life of the Bee
Flatland
Planiverse
King Solomon's Ring - Note the author's politics may make him objectionable.
Through the Looking Glass
The Violinist's Thumb
The Panda's Thumb

My kids' reading list by rwa2 · 2013-04-23 05:09 · Score: 3, Informative

OK, so they're picture books. But the content is there, and is probably at a slightly higher level than middle school, but made clear and accessible.

David Macaulay "The Way Things Work" and such
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=David%20Macaulay

Larry Gonick "Cartoon Guide to ..."
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Larry+Gonick&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ALarry+Gonick

Stephen Hawking has less pictures, but is surprisingly accessible
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen+Hawking&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AStephen+Hawking

The Phantom Tollbooth by Lightsider01 · 2013-04-23 05:09 · Score: 1

Not exactly science, but in keeping with the idea, "Learning is an adventure". And everybody loves the Humbug. ^_^

And especially for the american kids by stanlyb · 2013-04-23 05:13 · Score: 1

Alices-World-No-Time-Heroes - Sam Lundwall
This book is CLASIC
http://www.amazon.com/Alices-World-No-Time-Heroes/dp/B001RE6JYY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366737120&sr=1-1&keywords=sam+lundwall+alice

Science fiction leads to diillusionment - for me by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:13 · Score: 0

I love science fiction. I read it all the time.

But, in reality science is a lot of drudgery - that's never mentioned in fiction.

Encourage kids to follow their interests. And don't hide the fact that It's hard. A lot of science is just drudgery - plain and simple Collecting, measuring, getting data ....

I think showing the outcomes to the drudgery may work. You got this data - now what.

I really don't think you can create scientists - they're born with this innate desire to find an answer to what they're looking for.

I hate data. I hate number crunching. BUT if I'm looking for something - then it becomes a completely different task - it's about solving a problem - it's a puzzle.

Any of the "Paul French" Asimov books by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:13 · Score: 0

The Lucky Star series are great books for kids that want to get some Science Fiction reading. Asimov wrote these for younger readers. My nephew really enjoyed them when he read them.

-mike-

"Longitude" by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:16 · Score: 0

Short book - about the tension between technologists (mechanical solutions) and scientists (astronomical solutions). The science is understandable and it is a great story.

Re:This is a joke, right? by Lightsider01 · 2013-04-23 05:16 · Score: 1

Now hold on. One of the tasks of teachers is to foster *interest* in science, as well as teaching science itself. Science fiction, along that line, is a very good mechanism for fostering that interest. Much science has been inspired, directly or indirectly, by science fiction, and many, many scientists have been ushered along that path by science fiction as well. Don't discount the power of story and narrative. The kids can learn the technicalities of science later. But they'll never get there if they don't have the passion for it.

look for something from the 60s by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:17 · Score: 1

For example Neutron Star by Larry Niven

"Nothing, but nothing, can get through a General Products hull. No kind of electromagnetic energy except visible light. No kind of matter, from the smallest subatomic particle to the fastest meteor. That's what the company's advertisements claim, and the guarantee backs them up. I've never doubted it, and I've never heard of a General Products hull being damaged by a weapon or by anything else."

But something does... and company hires an earth man to figure out what it is.

I remember reading this when I was about 10

Re:Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everyth by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:18 · Score: 0

This is a great book, well worth the read and lots of good science related information in it.

A Brief History of Time by ackthpt · 2013-04-23 05:19 · Score: 1

It's the least they should read.

--

A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar

Trurl and Klapaucious by Smivs · 2013-04-23 05:19 · Score: 1

Stanislav Lem's the Cyberiad. Clever, funny and compelling.

--
Smivs on the intertubes!

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:20 · Score: 0

I read this one in college as part of a class on Douglas Adams, but I do not think that it is beyond the level of Middle school. It is a good ecology book, that talks about animal extinction and related topics. And it is filled with the Adams wit, so it is a fun read.

MIT Guide to Lockpicking by dbc · 2013-04-23 05:20 · Score: 2

Free download. Very practical. I suspect it will engage a fair number of middle-schoolers.

Re:MIT Guide to Lockpicking by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 11:58 · Score: 0

The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments would be a start.. at least it was for me.
On the fiction front I liked Robert Heinlein's Red Planet.
Re:MIT Guide to Lockpicking by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 12:54 · Score: 0

This suggestion is both (1) probably the best suggestion in terms of engagement and inspiration and (2) the most likely to get a middle school teacher fired. I love it.

A Brief History of Time by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:22 · Score: 0

If you're going to give a reading assignment, why not make it worthwhile and fruitful?

Sci-fi is not Science, and you should not be blurring the line between them in your class. Our students are having a hard time with science education (especially compared to the rest of the developed world) partly because our teachers keep confusing children about what is science and what is fiction.

A Brief History of Time is readable to a middle school child, so long as our wonderful education system hasn't already failed them in learning their own goddamn language.

Martian Chronicles by cabazorro · 2013-04-23 05:22 · Score: 1

Ray Bradbury Martian Chronicles is an excellent book. I recommend it wholehearthedly.

--
- these are not the droids you are looking for -

Open research by jbeaupre · 2013-04-23 05:22 · Score: 3, Interesting

My wife teaches advanced middle school science (7th and 8th). She rarely assigns or recommends reading material. She gives them subjects and turns them loose. This week it is to create egg-drop protection devices and create periodic table/fictional character trading cards. Here are some areas that she's seen the kids go crazy doing their own research:

1) Pick a genetic disease. Explain the symptoms, the mechanisms, and how is it genetically inherited. Unspoken is "Try to outdo your classmates."

2) Your town has a billion dollars and wants to build a nuclear power station. You've been asked to recommend what kind. Give a recommendation with evidence to support safety, reliability, fuel cycle handling, economics, probability of success, etc.

3) GMO's, stem cell research, nuclear power, global warming (etc, etc). Pick one of these controversial topics, research it, talk to your family, and come up with an opinion (for or against). Now write a letter to a government official explaining, with scientific rational, why they should make the policy decisions you believe are correct. My wife refuses to discuss her opinions on any of these topics to avoid biasing their opinions.

The last two were particularly powerful. Kids were amazed they were allowed to have an opinion. And she began doing these before teaching advanced science. She rigged classroom assignments to get all the special ed kids because she thinks they are more fun. She often had double the number allowed by state law, but her kids were outscoring other classes. Stats got noticed and advanced science classes were born.

Yes, I'm proud of my wife. And never prouder than the day she had to go to the emergency room for blowing up the lab! Epic!

--
The world is made by those who show up for the job.

Re:Open research by ColdWetDog · 2013-04-23 06:06 · Score: 1

Pick a genetic disease. Explain the symptoms, the mechanisms, and how is it genetically inherited. Unspoken is "Try to outdo your classmates."
What could possibly go wrong?

And never prouder than the day she had to go to the emergency room for blowing up the lab! Epic!
Answered my question, you did. Did they have to get the CDC involved?
Congrats.

--
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Re:Open research by jbeaupre · 2013-04-23 06:33 · Score: 1

No CDC this time. But I did advise her to swing by the house to wash the acid off in private before going to the hospital. Otherwise they would have given her a scrubbing the CDC would be proud of.
Luckily she was testing an experiment after class and BEFORE showing it to the kids. It shredded the curtains and blew broken glass down the hallway. And that, kids, is why we wear protective eyewear!

--
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
Re:Open research by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 07:11 · Score: 0

Your town has a billion dollars and wants to build a nuclear power station. You've been asked to recommend what kind. Give a recommendation with evidence to support safety, reliability, fuel cycle handling, economics, probability of success, etc.
Does the project include making contingency plans in case something like tritium leaking into the groundwater happens, or is it just a Libertarian nuclear power love fest assignment?
Re:Open research by jbeaupre · 2013-04-23 09:09 · Score: 1

The point isn't to promote nuclear power, it's to get them to learn about nuclear power, nuclear isotopes, nuclear proliferation, nuclear waste, fuel cycles, economics, research, etc. Without ever telling them to. They end up learning about the dozen different types of conventional reactors as well as breeder reactors, thorium reactors, fusion reactors and the merits and problems of each.
They aren't making plans, they are selecting a nuclear power system. Which means they will learn about nuclear waste and safety problems associated with each type of power. They can form their own opinions based on whatever they discover and read.
Or do you prefer to just sit and have someone spoon feed you facts and tell you what to think?

--
The world is made by those who show up for the job.

What about... by JasoninKS · 2013-04-23 05:22 · Score: 1

What about having the kids actually write a short sci-fi type story? A requirement being that at some point in their short story they must utilize some piece of actual science taught in class during the year? It would be a change of pace from another book report. You could possibly even work with their English teachers to have some credit given in those classes as well.

THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Just_Another · 2013-04-23 05:26 · Score: 1

Robert A. Heinlein's "THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS" might be worth considering

Re:THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Remus+Shepherd · 2013-04-23 06:06 · Score: 1

I also wanted to recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Heinlein. It has excellent science content, from how rocks thrown off the moon can become deadly missiles when they fall to Earth, to moon base design, radar techniques, and AI. The only problem is that I can't remember how much sexual content there is in the book. I know there's some discussion of bigamy, but I forget what is and is not shown.

--
Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.
Re:THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by FilatovEV · 2013-04-23 07:09 · Score: 1

Definitely worthy book.
Re:THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by FilatovEV · 2013-04-23 07:11 · Score: 1

As I considered it now, I thought the book was rather rigorous in the sense of morals. There were no explicit sex scenes and no explicit dirty contents. Despite discussions of bigamy.
Re:THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by MouseTheLuckyDog · 2013-04-23 08:22 · Score: 1

Not bigamy group marriages, including the main character.
Also while there are no descriptive scenes, there are a few scenes where people sleep together.
Plus people may find some of the "politics" objectionable, like the idea that if a person is rude enough it is OK to eliminate them.

Larry Niven's early works by gestalt_n_pepper · 2013-04-23 05:27 · Score: 1

World of Ptaavs, Protector, The Magic Goes Away, The Flight of the Horse (funny). They're a good read, suitable for even young teens, refer to numerous significant concepts, and oddly, the best conversations will come from picking out the flaws (e.g. Why are fossils NOT dragons that ran out of manna? How does fossil evidence disprove the main tenet of "Protector?, How do we know PSI doesn't work? What about time travel?). Hours of discussion.

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Please do not read this sig. Thank you.

best book ever by slashmydots · 2013-04-23 05:28 · Score: 1

my absolute favorite at that age was A Tale of Time City. I read about 300 books in 2 years back then and that's my absolute favorite. It's about a city that travels on type of the time cycle which is horse-shoe shape and they're approaching the gap and don't really know what to do. So they kidnap a girl from 1940's england or something like that because they think she's the legendary time witch who hides somewhere in the timeline or something like that. Turns out she's not but she can help find her. Then there's imprints showing up as ghosts all over the city from strong emotions in the past and rare ones guarded closely that are so strong and important, they're actually from the future. It's quite Dr Who, lol. Definitely the best freaking story ever and very entertaining to kids.

Dune by bunbuntheminilop · 2013-04-23 05:28 · Score: 2

The first book of the series. The depth of the ecology perspective surprised me when I read it the first time. There aren't many books that have a focus on planetary ecology.

Voyage of the Beagle by the+eric+conspiracy · 2013-04-23 05:29 · Score: 2

I read this when I was about 14. Suitable I think for a strong student at that age.

It's Darwin's journal of the second voyage of the HMS Beagle. It would be very difficult for a student of that age to not be positively influenced by it.

Also:

Birth of a New Physics by I Bernard Cohen. This one is perhaps a bit less challenging.

Technical Answer by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:29 · Score: 0

"Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics"

Emmy Noether bio by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:29 · Score: 0

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Emmy-Noether-Mother-Modern-Algebra/dp/1568814305/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366738107&sr=8-2&keywords=emmy+noether

Aimed as the age range and one that'll highlight the historic lack of women in science/math(s).

THE LIST, or, what I wish I'd read by 17 by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:31 · Score: 0

Ishmael (Daniel Quinn)
1984 (George Orwell)
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman (Richard Feynman)
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Richard Feynman)
Dancing Naked in the Mind Field (Kary Mullis, inventor of PCR)

Worldview expanding, all of them.

"The periodic table" by Primo Levi by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:33 · Score: 0

"The periodic table" by Primo Levi just about has to be on that list.

Also, GEB by Hofstadter which I note has a free online course offered by MIT aimed at highschool level students designed around it, possibly something to leaverage there?

"Cryptonomicon" by Stevenson has possibilities.

Michael Crichton? by Nidi62 · 2013-04-23 05:33 · Score: 1

By late elementary school I was reading Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Sphere. Admittedly a lot of the science went over my head and took me a few rereads (and aging) to understand it, but a lot of the basic science in understandable and accurate (as is the message, particularly of Jurassic Park). These books helped nurture a real interest in science for me, to the point where my college choices were basically decided by the choice of internship I did in high school (biomedical engineering vs history: chose history because it was my real love, but my bank account really wishes I had chosen the former). So while I no longer pursue it, I am still very interested in science-related subjects. You get a nice little bit of evolution, genetics, biology, and math/physics as well (and it's cool to read Jurassic Park and see all the discussion about 80's era technology and computers). And kids always love dinosaurs.

--
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil

Why books? by TsuruchiBrian · 2013-04-23 05:33 · Score: 0

Why not have the kids *do* something scientific rather than just reading fiction that is only superficially related to science?

Science projects are always really fun and a good way to get kids to learn about science.

I think even doing a "book report" on a youtube video describing scientific principles or recent scientific breakthroughs would be more productive than a report on a fiction book. I know youtube immediately seems less educational than a book, but this isn't English class. I watch youtube all the time on subjects like quantum physics, relativity, dark matter, etc. There are shows like nova and cosmos which are great for sparking people's interest.

Science text books (even the new ones) are about 10 years out of date, because it is important for science textbooks to have only very well tested science in them. However I think kids learning about current scientific trends and breakthroughs provides a very good insight into the scientific process.

Rendezvous with Rama by awilden · 2013-04-23 05:37 · Score: 1

Rendezvous with Rama is a mostly good book, and is certainly very strong with its science (though are debates he didn't get the Coriolis effects quite right). Unfortunately, there is a very brief page or so in the book that talks about having sex in zero-G that may make some people decide it's inappropriate for that age.
Having said that, it's got a lot less sex in it than the PG-13 films that the 13 year olds are seeing...

A deepness in the sky by citylivin · 2013-04-23 05:37 · Score: 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky

Lots of science type material in there, across many disciplines. And its just a great great story.

--
As a potential lottery winner, I totally support tax cuts for the wealthy

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by CQDX · 2013-04-23 05:38 · Score: 2

Some aspects of the novel related to science understandable for a teen: * How a submarine controls buoyancy * How the steam engines works * How electric propulsion works * How batteries work * Underwater breathing apparatus * How to make fresh water from sea water * Marine biology * Ethics of using advanced technology to harm

Re:20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by WillAdams · 2013-04-23 05:46 · Score: 1

If you're going to read this in an English translation, rather than the original French, be sure to spring for the nifty new translation published by the Naval Institute Press:
http://www.usni.org/store/books/fiction/20000-leagues-under-sea
restores almost a quarter of the book which was cut, and fixes all the numerical errors which distract from the science.

--
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.

A couple of titles by djl4570 · 2013-04-23 05:38 · Score: 1

These might be a bit much for middle school kids. I'm not sure what they're capable of these days. Both are available on Amazon.
The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question? by Leon Lederman
Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife

Re:Kuffar Submit! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:41 · Score: 0

What is he "trolling", exactly? Looks like spam more than a troll.

Carl Sagan's Contact by The+Barking+Dog · 2013-04-23 05:41 · Score: 1

If you're allowing the sort of sci-fi you mentioned, then Contact would be an excellent place for middle schoolers to start.

Also, Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. It's a bit outdated considering it was written before we even visited the moon, but that's a point you ask them to write up in their report.

Pluto by fuo · 2013-04-23 05:42 · Score: 1

How I Killed Pluto And Why it Had It Coming The story of pluto's deplanetification from the guy who did it... It's non-fiction, but still a very entertaining read. Includes history of planet discoveries and similar demotions that have happened in the past. http://www.amazon.com/How-Killed-Pluto-Why-Coming/dp/0385531109

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 05:43 · Score: 0

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a great book for middle school kids. Okay its not heavy on the science but it does show a quite cynical view of technology and will teach them many things that are never covered in educational books. It teaches things the kids will come across in real life such as a solution(42) looking for a problem or how annoying trying to give a personality to a tool is (eddie the computer or in reality Clippy from M$). Further more there are many references to it in scientific circles and literature. But most importantly its fun!

Martin Gardner by smillie · 2013-04-23 05:43 · Score: 1

Any of the Martin Gardner books would be good but I don't know if they are still in print.

--

Dyslexics Untie!

Re:Martin Gardner by FilatovEV · 2013-04-23 07:14 · Score: 1

I had a couple of Martin Gardner's books in my childhood, and I read them a lot. Childhood is a great time to read Gardner, because all children are hobbyists in their hearts.

Hal Gordon's _Divers Down_ by WillAdams · 2013-04-23 05:44 · Score: 1

has great engineering (including 2 definitions for the need to use to torque wrench --- one for a mechanic, the other for an engineer).

Also good discussion of work ethics.

--
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.

Science related fiction by FilmedInNoir · 2013-04-23 05:45 · Score: 1

Science fiction isn't about the science, it's about exploring the human condition using a back drop that is alien to our everyday experiences.

However, I think you should look into "hard science fiction", Wiki has a nice list of books: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_science_fiction

--
Sig. Sig. Sputnik

Fred Hoyle - The Black Cloud by RDW · 2013-04-23 05:55 · Score: 1

Fred Hoyle's 'The Black Cloud' is one of a select group of novels that manage to combine convincing science and a classic SF situation (intelligence is discovered in a dust cloud that envelopes the earth). I read it at about that age, and learnt a few things about how science is done, like the importance of testing theories by prediction. Dawkins is a fan, and wrote the Afterword to the current edition:

"But the real virtue of The Black Cloud is this - without ever preaching at us, Hoyle manages, as the story races along, to teach us some fascinating science along the way: not just scientific facts, but important scientific principles. We get to see how scientists work and how they think. We are even uplifted and inspired."

It dates from the late 50s, and was a period piece even when I read it (punch-tape computer programs, etc.) but should retain enough geek appeal to make it interesting today.

Recent review here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/oct/23/black-cloud-fred-hoyle-review

Literature NOT Science by Roger+W+Moore · 2013-04-23 05:56 · Score: 2

Reading science fiction might be a great exercise in English literature but it is not, in any sense of the subject, science. Frankly I despair for the kids' education if reading science fiction is their science teacher's idea of enhancing their science education. If you want to give them extra credit why not have them design an experiment to measure the acceleration due to gravity? or if they have done Hooke's law calculate the maximum height they can safely drop an egg attached to a spring from without the egg breaking. For biology you could do things like have them collect leaves and identify 10 species of plant X (where X could be trees, grass, etc.).

If you want to stick with books then at least insist on factually science books e.g. "Too Hot to Handle: The Story of Cold Fusion" by Frank Close for a real life story of science gone wrong. There a huge variety of books in similar veins ranging from the stories behind great scientific discoveries to books explaining modern scientific concepts to lay people. So please, please don't have them read fictional stories for science - I love science fiction myself but calling it science is the same as calling The Lord of the Rings history.

What about your local library? by oxnyx · 2013-04-23 05:57 · Score: 1

One the best ideas I would do is to visit the local public library and the school library and talk to the librarian. (Aka not the person checking the books but with a desk and likely a catalog of books handy) That way you know the books are accessible and don't have to worry about the kids not having the money. They might not only know what books they have in but more importantly YOU would be about to ensure they know that this is something that might come up again next year so they BUY books targeted to meet such needs. Running a library isn't a one way thing. If nothing else you can then spend some happy time looking at all the books and see if anything looks good. In the mean time: - For the highly Regulus: The Cross and the Abacus ->More math than science but very interesting. -The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History since 1900 ->Not a long book but one chapter might make a good report

--
Life is like untied shoe laces; it always tripping you up and getting in your way.

Summer books by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 06:00 · Score: 0

Mr Tompkins in Wonderland by physicist George Gamow, or the updated The New World of Mr Tompkins by George Gamow and Russell Stannard. I must have read the original at least a dozen times as a teenager.

Relativity by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 06:04 · Score: 0

Another good one: "Relativity: The General and Special Theory", by A. Einstein.

It's still the most straightforward explanation of the whole thing that I've read, and it's approachable for anyone who can handle some basic algebra and Newtonian mechanics, i.e. eighth or ninth grade unless the standards have gone down since I graduated high school.

Re:Relativity by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 06:26 · Score: 0

Standards have gone down since you graduated high school.
At our schools, students don't see algebra until 10th grade, basic trig in 11th grade, and pre-calculus in 12th grade. They've lowered the bar as far as it can be lowered and still graduate students that are marginally qualified to start calculus in college.
The major top 100 university near me recently pushed a semester of pre-calculus in the beginning of their STEM program that they require for students from certain districts, because the quality of education has withered so much.

Re:This is a joke, right? by gl4ss · 2013-04-23 06:04 · Score: 1

yeah, so why go with grand scheme fantasy and humor fantasy scifi books then? why not go with something that's a bit more realistic and closer in scale?
because the guy had only read those? why not go with the real classics that display this, go Jules Verne. with Verne you have nice adventure stories with inventions that we have now since then made reality - from cars to electric helicopters - it gives perspective to how some inventions appear when the time is right and to how some ideas just aren't feasible(like shooting someone to the moon with a cannon - that would actually make for a good assignment, going through some story that Verne made and reasoning why the invention wouldn't be possible directly the way he portrayed it - because of science, bitches).

I literally laughed out loud when I read his short list, for speculation on what science might achieve scifi that's more recent than Verne there's plenty to choose from too, Stanislaw Lem, Asimov, Gibson etc. I mean, if those are the books he came up with then he's certainly in need of some help and could spend a nice summer reading himself. anyhow, if he wants to stick to science oriented scifi he should stick to books that are enabled by some speculation on science, as there's plenty of books that just use the scifi moniker in order to use fantasy devices to further the plot. there's a reason why in bookstores the shelf is usually titled scifi+fantasy - most "science fiction" books not having any scientific rules on the plot/world, it's just fantasy with dragons having different names..

SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT TECHNICALITIES! it's about the books having nothing to do with science! speculative fiction can be much more fruitful than DnD in space and much more inspiring.

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world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.

Robert L. Forward by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 06:07 · Score: 0

Dragon's Egg - decent neutron star physics and a decent story.

"To Know A Fly" by Jon.Burgin · 2013-04-23 06:09 · Score: 1

It is not science fiction, rather actual science, but very short, easily digestible, and interesting read. Yes it is about house flies. I found it interesting. I find it a little disturbing that you think you have to result to absurd science fiction to make science interesting. Hitchhiker's guide is a great fun book, but it isn't science.

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 06:09 · Score: 0

This is the book that first led me in the direction of a career in computer science. Although it has its flaws, it's a really interesting and playful introduction to some of the bigger concepts in computer science.

Come to think of it, I read it in high school, but I think it might appeal to the particularly precocious nerdy middle-schoolers.

Divers Down! and Harold Leland Goodwin by phrackwulf · 2013-04-23 06:14 · Score: 1

The problem is a lot of books written for this specific purpose are out of print or lost to the ravages of time. Divers Down! for example, is an excellent book that deals with ocean engineering and mechanical engineering with a story that an 11 or 14 year old is actually going to be able to relate to. Another possibility is "Falling Free" by Lois Mcmaster Bujold which does a good job in orbital welding engineering while also telling an exciting story. Partly, the question is, how sophisticated is the given 11 to 14 year old? Honor students will have been exposed to different types of influences when compared to other students who may be reading at a different level (not to be un PC).

--
What would Richard Feynman do, if he were here right now? He'd do some math and he'd follow through!

Red Thunder, by John Varley by Remus+Shepherd · 2013-04-23 06:14 · Score: 1

'Red Thunder' is a relatively recent series of sci-fi novels by John Varley, written with a young adult audience in mind. Varley avoids the adult content of his usual works -- there's even a character in the book who forbids the children from swearing -- so I'm sure it could pass muster for middle school.

The plot of the books is rich in science content and wonder. An autistic inventor and his brother discover a new power source, and a gang of young kids decide to build a rocket using that power so that they can be the first on Mars. There's a lot of opportunity in this book for teaching kids about air pressure, spaceflight, and the logistics of building a (small) space program.

Here's a link to a bunch of reviews of Red Thunder. I have not yet red the sequels so I can't vouch for whether they'd be okay for middle school students, but I believe Varley intended the entire series to be teenager-friendly. (You might want to warn them that the rest of Varley's books can be very adult, however.)

--
Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.

Brian Greene by gander666 · 2013-04-23 06:14 · Score: 1

The Elegant Universe
The Fabric of the Cosmos

Anybody who can use The Simpsons to illustrate special relativity is a win in my book. Both should be tractable by a motivated middle school student.

I would avoid SciFi. Not a lot of true science in there.

--
Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress ... but I repeat myself. - Mark T

There are no electrons by Culture20 · 2013-04-23 06:15 · Score: 1

http://books.google.com/books/about/There_Are_No_Electrons.html?id=8e01Q3QSrS4C

Re:There are no electrons by Hatta · 2013-04-23 06:26 · Score: 1

Only ZUUUULLLL.

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Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!

It's nonfiction but... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 06:17 · Score: 0

I would recommend "Dealers of Lightning" by Michael Hiltzik. It's a bit advanced, but it gives the amazing story of how the modern computing era came to be. Other than this, I would probably recommend "Starship Troopers" by Robert Heinlein (which bears no resemblance at all to the movie by the same name), it's as much political as science based but an excellent fiction read.

Arthur C Clarke, Hofstadter (maybe) by gosand · 2013-04-23 06:24 · Score: 1

It's been a LONNNNG time since I was this age, so maybe these books are a bit beyond middle schoolers.

Greetings Carbon Based Bipeds by Arthur C. Clarke

The Minds I, or Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofsdater (these might be tough to comprehend though)

And not books, but what about issues of Scientific American? I got that magazine for a few years, and it was always very thought provoking.

--

My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

Heinlein by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 06:27 · Score: 0

I loved Heinlein's Have Spacesuit Will Travel. A lot of his young adult novels would fit the bill but I liked that one in particular.

Re:Heinlein by MouseTheLuckyDog · 2013-04-23 08:26 · Score: 1

This was my first thought, a non adult book with a lot of actual science in it.
My only objection is his wonder at tons of 0's at the end of distances.
Space Cadet is another good one.
Then there are collections of Novellas and stories by Heinlein.

On Computer Security... by SecuritySimian · 2013-04-23 06:30 · Score: 1

The Cuckoo's Egg, Cliff Stoll

While it's a bit dated on the technology front, it's an incredible (and true) story of tracking and prosecuting an international espionage ring as told by a Berkeley post-grad astronomer who really had no business working in the Lawrence Berkely computer lab. It's fun, often humorous, and includes cautionary wisdom about using a microwave to dry ones' sneakers.

Michael McCollum's Antares Series by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 06:32 · Score: 0

This is probably the best depiction of realistic space battle I have ever seen.

Re:This is a joke, right? by Lightsider01 · 2013-04-23 06:32 · Score: 1

Ah. But your initial comment did not flesh these ideas out. Are you saying, as suggested in the initial comment, that *all* science fiction books are irrelevant to this teacher's needs, or are you saying, as in your second comment, that you would recommend science fiction books that are either classics or have at least a modicum of hard science in it? And incidentally, I would take exception to the mocking tone you have at this teacher's initial list. This person has come to Slashdot asking for help. It's obvious that they feel their knowledge in this arena is somewhat deficient. Pointing that out and laughing at them for asking for help in a field in which you might excel suggests arrogance at the level of hubris.

The good stuff is all old by Animats · 2013-04-23 06:35 · Score: 1

There's still some "hard SF" being written. But the era of hard science juveniles has been over for a long time. Heinlein wrote most of his juveniles for "Boys Life", the Boy Scouts magazine. Really.

Looking through the SF section today, it's "vampire", "vampire", "werewolf", "demon", "comic book spinoff", "Star [Trek|Wars] spinoff", and an occasional space opera. Over in the teen section, there's two cases of Teen Paranormal Romance, one of New Teen Paranormal Romance, and, more recently, Hunger Games clones.

There's a little good stuff. Stross's "Accelerando" is a good standalone book. Ringo's Troy Rising series is close to hard SF, but it's a long series, and some schools may object to his rather right-wing politics. (Ringo is of the "Peace through Superior Firepower" school.)

Re:The good stuff is all old by Hizonner · 2013-04-23 06:49 · Score: 1

I agree with the parent on the Heinlein juveniles. There's actual science in there, particularly bits of Newtonian physics. Somebody mentioned "Have Space Suit, Will Travel", which would be a good choice.
I'd have no problem with my kid reading "Accelerando", but I'm not sure a middle school teacher could get away with assigning it. There's the whole BDSM rape scene and all.
I'd say Greg Egan, but he'd definitely be for advanced middle schoolers only. The problem with him is that he tends to either throw you into a world so weird that an inexperienced science fiction reader may be completely lost, or assume that you already know "real science" at a university level and build from there. Maybe Vernor Vinge?
Don't forget popular nonfiction. Some of it can be entertaining.
"Ender's Game" has zero science, and "Hitchhiker's Guide" has negative science.

Godel, Escher and Bach - Hofstader by Peter+Simpson · 2013-04-23 06:39 · Score: 1

Maybe a little old for middle school, but an interesting read for the brighter kids interested in math, art and music.

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot by mutube · 2013-04-23 06:49 · Score: 1

It's is a biographical history of the 1950s woman who's cancerous cells (HeLa) are now used throughout the world as a research tool. It's an interesting look into the development of scientific research ethics (there was no consent given at the time), civil rights, biological patents and commercialisation but in an incredibly readable way. I would think the upper-end of your age group would quite enjoy it.

--
Python coder | PyQt Applications | Writer

Ooh! Got one! by Hizonner · 2013-04-23 07:02 · Score: 1

Kind of a dark horse, but how about Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality?

The actual science is clearly delineated from the magic. The mindset it's trying to inculcate is a really useful one to be able to enter.

Just don't make 'em think it resembles Harry Potter, because I don't think it does.

No sex, but it's not likely to be endearing to people who don't believe in questioning authority. And it is unabashedly propaganda for a certain way of thinking.

The Kon-Tiki Expedition by saccade.com · 2013-04-23 07:12 · Score: 2

I read to our kids every night, and after a while I got tired of wizards waving a wand to solve the problems. Wanting something non-fiction, I recalled The Kon-Tiki Expedition and it was perfect. The best part about Thor Heyerdahl's amazing adventure story is that it's true. As in it really happened. Trips to the jungle, strange sea creatures, a real scientific mystery, a shipwreck on an exotic tropical island, it's all in there. The book is still in print (a true classic) and if poke around a bit, you can find a beautiful illustrated edition that's great for younger kids. It's one of the best science adventure books you'll ever find.

Contact (by Carl Sagan) and Spin (by R.C. Wilson) by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 07:15 · Score: 0

Both these books have strong science in them (maybe at too high a level for 11-14 yo). True SciFi, as opposed to Asimov books.

Hal Clements by SteveAstro · 2013-04-23 07:18 · Score: 1

Hal Clements wrote "Mission of Gravity" and "Iceworld" where physics and chemistry is extrapolated into wonderful new types of world - the Ellipsoidal "Mesklin" in Mission of Gravity for example.

Also, Robert D Forward's "Dragon's Egg" about life on a Neutron star's surface is an exploration of nuclear chemistry.

Michael Crichton by Nemesisghost · 2013-04-23 07:32 · Score: 1

I would recommend Michael Crichton. Yes, books like Jurassic Park only use sudo-science, but he does his homework to add some actual science behind it. I remember reading The Andromeda Strain and was rather impressed with the level of "science" involved in the story. The same goes for Cube. Both use scientific investigation as a means to drive the story, at least early on.

The only thing about Michael Crichton's books is that a large number of them have been made into movies. But, the differences are easy to spot and would be really easy to trip up any cheaters.

Re:Michael Crichton by Chris+Mattern · 2013-04-23 11:46 · Score: 1

Yes, books like Jurassic Park only use sudo-science
Is that science you can only do if you're root?
Re:Michael Crichton by Nemesisghost · 2013-04-24 06:15 · Score: 1

Yes, books like Jurassic Park only use sudo-science
Is that science you can only do if you're root?
Yes! Ok, so my spelling isn't so great.

My Beautiful Genome. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 07:44 · Score: 0

Lone Frank

Robert L Forward by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 07:44 · Score: 0

Dragon's Egg and others by Robert L Forward - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Forward. He's a scientist and engineer who writes some interesting "hard science" novels.

Mention the by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 07:48 · Score: 0

Golden Eternal Braid.

I think it would significantly augment chances that one of your students become an excellent mathematician or programmer.

Although I admit it's pretty heavy.

Ringworld by frisket · 2013-04-23 07:54 · Score: 1

No question about it, the science in Larry Niven's Ringworld series boggles most people's minds and opens up all kinds of interesting questions.

Re:Ringworld by Hizonner · 2013-04-23 07:57 · Score: 1

Orgasm guns. Just a warning.
I think it may be hard to find much that nobody can get teed off about. It must be pretty annoying to be a teacher sometimes.

several: by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 08:09 · Score: 0

Flatland (Abbott)

Cosmos (Sagan)

The adventures of Mr Tompkins (Gamow)

Chaos (Lorentz)

If you want sci-fi that could inspire them towards science, try Permutation City (Egan) or any Asimov, Verne or Wells. Also, a book that greatly inspired me: DiFate's Catalog of Science Fiction Hardware (DiFate). Primarily a book of his art, but also summarising the illustrated concepts appearance in sci-fi.

I like reading Benjamin Crowell's work by bugs2squash · 2013-04-23 08:14 · Score: 1

He writes some easy to read, get to the basics books on physics and they're available to buy via lulu or free for download here.

--
Nullius in verba

Re:Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everyth by The+Great+Pretender · 2013-04-23 08:17 · Score: 1

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams. Great book written with his humor, but a serious subject. It's a spinoff from the BBC radio show he did. A good way of inspiring associated conversation. http://www.amazon.com/Last-Chance-See-Douglas-Adams/dp/0345371984/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366747519&sr=1-1&keywords=last+chance+to+see+douglas+adams

Prometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World. Slightly harder read but absolutely fascinating stories from teenage up http://www.amazon.com/Prometheans-Lab-Chemistry-Making-Modern/dp/0071350071

Betrayers of the Truth: Fraud and Deceit in the Halls of Science. Not difficult to read, but a great piece of work on how people like Ptolemy, Mendelev, Newton 'cheated' science. http://www.amazon.com/Betrayers-Truth-Fraud-Deceit-Science/dp/0712602437/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366747953&sr=1-1&keywords=betrayers+of+the+truth+fraud+and+deceit+in+the+halls+of+science

--
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

cosmos, by Carl Sagan by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 08:23 · Score: 0

Cosmos

Venus Equilateral by MouseTheLuckyDog · 2013-04-23 08:28 · Score: 1

Don't remember who wrote it but that might be interesting but very dated.

Re:Venus Equilateral by Kittenman · 2013-04-23 09:25 · Score: 1

Don't remember who wrote it but that might be interesting but very dated.
George O Smith. He also wrote 'Hellflower', which is as good. Ah, the 50s ... SF's golden age...

--
"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill

Minatour in a Mushrooom Mase by MouseTheLuckyDog · 2013-04-23 08:31 · Score: 1

I don't know if it has ever been published but if yopu can get your hands on old analogs.
Oh yes, and "Rails Across the Galaxy." It has some slightly questionable scenes though, but nothing major.

Better Yet by b4upoo · 2013-04-23 08:34 · Score: 1

I come from a generation and area in which extra credit was something that only a kid who had skipped school or suffered a suspension would ever be involved in. Sadly it was also a path that could corrupt teachers as the rich could make arrangements to get extra credit for their kids in such a way that straight A report cards were assured no matter what.
A better notion might be to refer kids to online courses at places like the Kahn Academy where mini courses can earn some sort of badge or token. For example you might see a course for first exposure to scientific notation that is designed to last a couple of hours. Or an introduction to exponents, or the basics of beginning physics or organic chemistry. My suspicion is that science in many fields will become more and more a purely mathematical experience as we are getting very close to the deepest visual resolutions that we can hope to reach barring some really radical breakthroughs. In short observation is decline whereas calculation is on the rise which is partially due to the use of computers.

The New Cool by Hankenstein · 2013-04-23 09:02 · Score: 1

I just finished this book and loved it. It is a book about a high school team and the FIRST robotics competition.
Easy, fun read and loads of science+general teanage kids stuff.
By Neil Bascomb. The New Cool

An Instance of the Fingerpost by mtpaley · 2013-04-23 09:13 · Score: 1

I have to recommend 'An Instance of the Fingerpost' by Iain Pears. It is set just after the English civil war so there is some history there and the book is divided into several sections each corresponding to the point of view of one of the characters. The first section is dominated by early scientific experiments with deductions that are often incorrect but that make sense given what is known at the time. Other sections include mathematics and cryptography. IMHO one of the best books I have read and it should be readable by that age range.

Re:An Instance of the Fingerpost by mtpaley · 2013-04-23 09:28 · Score: 1

Just to back up my claims that this is a great book and that it fits your requirements: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052601855.html

some recommendations... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 09:17 · Score: 0

Flatland
I Robot
Lawrence and Oppenheimer
The Double Helix
How the Hippies Saved Physics

'The Red Limit' - Timothy Ferris by Kittenman · 2013-04-23 09:28 · Score: 1

I read it some 20 years ago but it's readable, presentable, hard science, well-written. I don't know if it's still in print (be amazed if not) .. yes is is http://www.amazon.com/The-Red-Limit-Search-Universe/dp/068801836X or how much is still valid. 20 years is a long time in cosmology.

--
"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill

Re:IMHO 'Asimov's New Guide to Science ' by mtpaley · 2013-04-23 09:37 · Score: 1

'Asimov's New Guide to Science' is the best popular science book I know of. Much better than his scifi. Anyone who reads this weighty tome will come out with a decent background understanding of physics, chemistry and biology and as a added plus it is a easy read for any age. A read of this is worth a year of schooling because it draws you in and is written by a polymath who is also a masterful author. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/977262.Asimov_s_New_Guide_To_Science

The Windup Girl, biopunk novel, Paolo Bacigalupi by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 09:50 · Score: 0

I thought this was a really good story. One of its great benefits is that it's not fifty years old! It would never have been written fifty years ago, which is why middle school kids might like it. Check out the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl

Analyze a Mythbusters episode by Cogline · 2013-04-23 09:52 · Score: 0

Have them select an episode of Mythbusters and then analyze their scientific method. Have them state the hypothesis then compare their approach to that taken on the show. Have the student analyze the results, talk about variables and risk management. Then have them discuss some next steps for the experiment, and discuss practical applications of the findings. Mythbusters is awesome laying out a question and applying the scientific method, but due to time, they don't always pursue a question far as possible. I think they provide a good stepping stone to scientific research, and encourage critical thinking.

Flatlands anyone? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 09:53 · Score: 0

Flatland by abbot is perhaps not new, but still easy to get a hold of, and raises good questions about the way we see our world. Not to mention the social commentary.. I

Re:This is a joke, right? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 10:06 · Score: 0

Don't tell me what I did and did not say, fucktard. I say whatever I want and don't think you're better than me for it. Go suck another dick. Fucking faggot bitch.

The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson by CrossCurrant · 2013-04-23 10:13 · Score: 1

This is a great story, albeit 20 years old now, about machine-assisted learning in the adventures of a young girl. The science probably isn't all that accurate, but it just might catch, and fire up, the imagination of some middle school students. Check the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Age

The Windup Girl (biopunk) - Paolo Bacigalupi by CrossCurrant · 2013-04-23 10:23 · Score: 1

Relatively current, this was published in 2009. The science is more speculative than accurate, but the story takes place in a genetically modified earth; just close enough to our world that we can recognize it, but with a whole different set of values. Fascinating stuff. Different. This couldn't have been written fifty years ago. Won some awards: Nebula Award 2009 & Hugo Award 2010 for best novel; Locus Award 2010 for best first novel. Check out the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl

Re:The Windup Girl (biopunk) - Paolo Bacigalupi by shthd · 2013-04-24 04:42 · Score: 1

Loved that book.. Very well written

--
brrrrrrrrrppp 'Ey Homer...Why don't girls like me?

Cory Doctorow by Chelloveck · 2013-04-23 11:15 · Score: 1

First, I'm entirely unclear about how Hitchhiker's Guide could be considered "science related". It's a great story, and it has all the trappings of science fiction, but it's almost (but not quite) exactly unlike science.

Second, though, I highly highly recommend Cory Doctorow's young adult novels, especially Little Brother. Good writing, good story, and the (computer) science is generally accurate. Plus it was actually written in the past decade so it doesn't seem like ancient history or retro "what we used to think the future would be like".

--
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.

Re:Cory Doctorow by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 13:19 · Score: 0

Bollocks. There's plenty of science in there....
Time: Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.
Gravity: The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't.
Space: Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space...
Infinity: There's an infinite number of monkeys outside who want to talk to us about this script for Hamlet they've worked out.
Re:Cory Doctorow by qwak23 · 2013-04-23 16:59 · Score: 1

There is plenty of science in "Hitchiker's Guide", it's just mostly wrapped in humor.
Flying - throwing oneself at the ground and missing - might be a good place for discussion on free fall, principle of relativity, etc
Somebody else's problem field - see psychology.
The infinite improbability drive - could be a good starting point for a discussion on probability
The earth (as a computer) and the bistro drive, good places for discussion as to what makes a computer, and maybe even a lead in to topics such as chaos
an animal that wants to be eaten and can express that idea - selective breeding, GMO's

Gerald Durrell by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 12:49 · Score: 0

'My Family and Other Animals'. If anyone's hooked by that, there's a whole series more by the same author that, together, forms a decent introduction to zoology.

You could also check out 'Does anything eat wasps? And 101 other questions', from New Scientist.

Any time by Swampash · 2013-04-23 13:06 · Score: 1

I read an article that holds up Ender's Game as either a) a good book, or b) something that kids should be encouraged to read, I know that the article was written by someone who doesn't know much about books.

One two three... by niftymitch · 2013-04-23 13:08 · Score: 1

"One Two Three Infinity"

--
Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't. Mark Twain.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamb by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 13:53 · Score: 0

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0803735111/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1366768180&sr=8-3&pi=SL75

Or

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope (Paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0061730335/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1366768180&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

Jurassic Park by keith_nt4 · 2013-04-23 14:18 · Score: 1

It occurred to me one to my science classes in high school had us read Jurassic Park. Seems like old Michael Crichton knew how to include interesting details in that book and it's no a bad book to boot.

--
"UNIX is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity." -Dennis Ritchie

Always Asimov.. Why? by SinisterRainbow · 2013-04-23 15:04 · Score: 1

If kids are not doing well and need extra credit especially, getting them interested in science in the first place may be the best bet. I always think if you can show the fun side of things, it will make you want to know the details (take Linear Algebra, if you only care about matrices on paper it's boring, but if you're talking about video games and rotating aliens it's much more fun). If they are interested in Asimov (Foundation and Robot series are always great starters), they may look to him later for his non-fiction - which he truly breaks down science topics better than anyone I've ever met (an extremely hard feat to accomplish). That being said, if there's room left, it may not hurt to have them read even a single chapter in one of his science non-fiction books, see all they learn in a single chapter to get them into it (and maybe buy the book for later). It's pain free reading and written so children can comprehend easily. He's the type of writer who doesn't need to show his intelligence by using every piece of tech jargon in his topics of study, he's the kind of writer who takes it a step further by knowing the topics in and out, then dispensing in a way only an expert writer and teacher could (he was a prof. before a writer.) As an aside: The whole reason I pursued an engineering/software career in the first place was a physics teacher in h.s. who the whole first year we just played with things and watched movies. I barely remember studying any text at all - but somehow retained so much I got college credit - without really trying. (I wasn't the only one by far.). I liken this to Asimov books. Thumbs up to teachers, you guys really do inspire us for the rest of our lives.

--
-Ultimate Stickman Game Developer Infinite World Puzzler

affordability and availability by guinea+pig+C · 2013-04-23 15:10 · Score: 1

When I was much younger the sci fi that really got me hooked on science was the stuff that was easily accessible, and cheap enough to afford with my allowance. That meant that I had lots of second hand paperbacks from Harry Harrison's 'The Stainless Steel Rat' series. I was also a big fan of the comic 2000 AD, which just happened to be at a very suitable price point for me. My point is that stuff you recommend must be cheap and easily available. These days, there is a lot of good science fiction available under a creative commons license, so how about sharing a few PDFs of Cory Doctorow or Bruce Sterling. Just out of interest, do your students read digital books or dead tree versions? One trend that I would like to see further improve, is science and technology books becoming available with supplemental material for teachers and students to use in classroom settings. At the moment, I am putting together this kind of material to go with the latest edition of my new book on 3D printing, and would be interested to learn about other science and tech authors that have done, or are doing the same thing.

Well written non-fiction by dbIII · 2013-04-23 15:45 · Score: 1

Simon Winchester has written some interesting stuff about the San Francisco earthquake, Krakatoa and a few other topics in an easy to read style but with care taken not to screw up the science (especially in his own field of geology from before he was a journalist). I'm sure kids would love to read about a Pygmy Elephant going beserk on the third floor of a Jakarta hotel during an earthquake a few days before Krakatoa erupted. There's a pile of other authors that write well about other topics.

Hay Slash Fuckers by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 16:18 · Score: 0

Are you ready for your nightly butt fuck.

Heinlein! by valles · 2013-04-23 16:58 · Score: 1

I've attempted to read all of the Hugo award winners and Time's list of 100 best American literature. Many sci-fi stories have an erotic love interest, so you might want to skim the books before you hand it over to the kids. I was introduced to sci-fi in elementary school with Interstellar Pig and read a handful of the author's books. Heinlein is great future tech, so I recommend "Friday." I noticed nobody mentioned Philip K. Dick, so "Do robots dream of electric sheep" is a great story about robotics, which is not even mildly similar to the "Bladerunner" movie. Farenheit 451 is like an action movie version of Orwell's 1984. "Flatland" was a fun book written by a mathematician. Also, "The Planiverse" is a fun book about Artificial Intelligence.

David Brin's The Practice Effect by EvilHamster · 2013-04-23 17:52 · Score: 1

It is never too early to get into the concept of different dimensions!

Possible? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-24 00:26 · Score: 0

Alice in Quantum Land
http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Quantumland-Allegory-Quantum-Physics/dp/0387914951

http://books.google.com/books/about/Alice_in_Quantumland.html?id=o3rXIRFTa64C

It has been a while since I read it, but I remember it being written in an accessible manner.

Science fiction is not about science by booch · 2013-04-24 03:52 · Score: 1

Science fiction is not about science.

A very good example of this is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I love this series -- it's one of my all-time favorites. But it's not about science, and doesn't even involve much real science. It's a parody on modern society. Most science fiction is more about modern times than anything.

If you want them to do book reports, then have them read real non-fiction science books. There are plenty out there, quite a few suggested in these comments.

But if you really want to inspire kids, I could not recommend anything more awesome than the Open Research thread above by jbeaupre.

--
Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.

Arthur C. Clarke is a great place to look by shthd · 2013-04-24 04:42 · Score: 1

Arthur C. Clarke wrote engrossing novels which will definitely get your students thinking about physics and math. Look for: Rendezvous with Rama and The Fountains of Paradise.

--
brrrrrrrrrppp 'Ey Homer...Why don't girls like me?

Flatland has sequels! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-24 06:25 · Score: 0

There is a cool video of the original (www.flatlandthemovie.com), Sphereland (ISBN 0-06-463574-0), The annotated FLATLAND by Ian Stewart (ISBN: 0-7382-0541-9) and Flatterland also by Ian Stewart (ISBN: 0-7382-0442-0) and The Planiverse by A.K. Dewdeney.

I do not know of anything on a torus or complex surface.

Malcolm Gladwell by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-24 10:48 · Score: 0

Pretty much any book by Malcolm Gladwell would be a great read, though it might be considered a little mean spirited to make them read Outlier for extra credit....

Anything with hijinx by belg4mit · 2013-04-29 02:39 · Score: 1

Some of my favorites as a kid: The Mad Scientists' Club, The Great Brain,
Homer Price, Henry Reed, Bruno & Boots.

--
Were that I say, pancakes?

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