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Ask Slashdot: Science Books For Middle School Enrichment?
new submitter heybiff writes "It is the time of year where students are scrambling for extra credit assignments to boost grades. As a middle school science teacher, I want to accommodate them, while still keeping science involved; and book reports are a popular activity in my school. Unfortunately, I have only been able to come up with a short list of science related books that a 11-14 year old would or could read in their free time: Ender's Game, Hitchhiker's Guide. What books would you recommend as a good read for an extra credit book report, that would still involve a strong science twist or inspire a student's interest in science? The book must be in print, science related, fiction or non-fiction, and not be overtly objectionable or outright banned. I look forward to the submissions." "Outright banned" actually seems a rich vein on which to draw; note that not even Ender's Game is safe.
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.
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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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/
Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
Anyone, able to read this book, and understand it, deserves his/her master degree right on the spot.
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 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.
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
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.
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.
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
Free download. Very practical. I suspect it will engage a fair number of middle-schoolers.
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.
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.
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.
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
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".
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.
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.