Macy and I ventured out to the library Friday. We wanted to sign up for the Summer Reading Program (which we learned begins Saturday). Instead, we ended up just finding a lot of new books to read this week.
Macy picked each of the books we borrowed today at the library and this evening she picked one up that looked particularly good to me. I had totally judged this book by its cover. It looked cute. It looked interesting. It looked engaging. We were headed to bed rather late this evening because we had Lolli and Pop visit as well as our cousins over playing, but instead of saying, "No, not tonight..." I said, "Absolutely, let's read!" We snuggled up in her bed and started reading, Charlotte the Scientist is Squished.
Amazon describes it this way...
Charlotte is a serious scientist. She solves important problems by following the scientific method. She has all the right equipment: protective glasses, a lab coat, a clipboard, and a magnifying glass. What she doesn’t have is space. She has so many brothers and sisters (she is a rabbit, after all) that she is too squished to work on her experiments! Can she use science to solve her problem? This funny, satisfying story is a playful introduction to the scientific method and perfect for sparking an interest in STEM subjects.
I could not agree more with this brief description. The story is funny and describes the scientific method perfectly. It gives a short explanation of each part of the scientific method but even more importantly relates it to an entertaining problem that Charlotte, the main character, has in the story. She was squished in her house full of bunnies. She wanted space. The problem and connection she made to the scientific method will help the scientific method stick in the minds of kids.
The applications in a classroom are endless. Here are a few ideas that popped into my head immediately. They would be easy to adapt and use at home with your little ones too. Grab a journal this summer and just use the blank pages to think and learn new things together.
1. Describe the character and how she feels at the beginning of the book as compared to how she feels at the end of the story. Draw a picture or write a sentence or two describing the difference you see.
2. Using the scientific method think of a problem you may have and write out the steps you could take to solve that problem.
3. Research bunnies and learn about where they live, what they eat, and how they take care of their babies. Share the information in your own unique way and make sure to include where you found your information.
4. Write a letter to Charlotte describing your own "space" situation in your home. Are you squished or lonely? Write about what you do to find space of your own when you need to get away from everyone or share things you do with the people you do have in your home to keep yourself from feeling so lonely.
5. Draw a picture of Charlotte. Write three characteristics to describe Charlotte surrounding your picture. How does she act? How does she feel? What is important to her?
If you want to purchase this book you can find it here. Happy "Teachable Text Tuesday!"
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment