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I was thinking of requiring my 7th and 8th grade future students to read something(s) over the summer... Most of our high school teachers do and I thought why not middle school... Has anyone experienced this?

Hi Bianca,
Yes, our district has summer reading lists for ALL grade levels. Here is the link to Kildeer Countryside School District 96's Summer Reading List. Perhaps you can get some ideas from it.
Carolyn

Funny thing, I just had this conversation with several fellow teachers after our HASTI (Hoosier Association of Science TEachers, Inc) Board meeting today. Together they suggested several great reads for students. THey might be more geared to the high school level. I have not had a chance to check many of these out since we JUST had the conversation this afternoon. Lucas Whitaker is geared to junior high and is a quick read. "Life As We Knew It" is written from a 16 yr old girls point of view. It is interesting hard to put down, however totally fiction. The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker Empty The Voyage of the Essex Supersize Me Rocket Boys October Sky Life As We Knew It Would love to see what others are considering at both the 7-8 level and for 10th grade- Earth Space. Fiction and Non-fiction.

The book 'The Radioactive Boy Scout' by Ken Silverstein incorporates science, technology, reading, AND history. I have always felt that students get most interested in radioactivity, but it is something which we avoid (indirectly) during regular instruction. Every student I have introduced to this text has LOVED it, and it has led to fantastic discussions.

And of course, my personal favorite, 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.' A great book about the power of curiosity, and just really fun!

These are great suggestions! Now for a few questions: How do your schools handle required summer reading? Do you make arrangements with the local libraries, or do you order and require the students to purchase the book at a discount? Are they required to purchase the book before they leave for the summer, during registration, or when? What do you do with students that move into the district right before school starts? How do you check to make sure everyone is reading? :-) Finally, are there discussion starters, activities or question worksheets to go along with any of the books that have been suggested? Or are just more general projects assigned? Has anyone allowed students to pick from a list of books - meaning that not everyone reads the same book? (okay..I will hold off on more questions for a bit...) Thanks for all and any input!!

Looking into The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and thinking and end of the year activity!

Just to piggy-back off of what Suzanne started...how do you envision using the reading in the classroom in the fall? Will students be assessed to make sure they have read?

These books were are finalists for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize How the Weather Works, by Christiane Dorion, illustrated by Beverley Young (Templar Publishing) Out of this world: All the cool bits about space, by Clive Gifford (Buster Books) Plagues, pox and pestilence, by Richard Platt, illustrated by John Kelly (Kingfisher) Science Experiments, by Robert Winston and Ian Graham (Dorling Kindersley) See Inside Inventions: An Usborne Flap Book,by Alex Frith, illustrated by Colin King (Usborne) The Magic of Reality, by Richard Dawkins, illustrated by Dave McKean (Bantam Press)

Patty and Susanne, I'm going to piggy-back on what Arlene mentioned. I think that it is important to incorporate summer reading requirements into everyday classroom activities once the kids return to school. One of the best resources I have found to search for reading related activities is [url=http://www.theeducationcenter.com/tec/afc/BookbagSubscribe/go.do]The Mailbox Bookbag[/url]. This site is a searchable database with ideas and thematic units centered around books. [url=http://shop.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchEndecaCmd?Featured%20Shops=Scholastic%2bProfessional&langId=-1&Ntk=TS_SI&ftorp=true&catalogId=10002&NEW_QUERY_PARAM=true&CurrFilter=Featured+Shops&APP_ID=TS&Ne=764&searchDropDownFilter=All%20Products&homeURL=custom&Ntt=teaching+with&viewParam=CategoryDisplay&storeId=10001&searchTerm=teaching+with&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&y=0&N=4294967043&jspStoreDir=TeacherStore&x=0&Ntk=Product_Shop_Rank&Ntt=22959&ftorp=true]Scholastic[/url] has some fantastic professional books for hands-on activities to support reading. The resources include series such as [i]Teaching Reading with *Insert Author* Books[/i] and [i]Teaching Literary Elements with Favorite Chapter Books[/i]. The books are full of great ideas for engaging lessons and hands-on activities that support and deepen comprehension. This summer, I'm going to develop activities that support the [url=http://www.scholastic.com/kids/39clues/]The 39 Clues Book Series[/url]. This book series is appropriate for 3-7 grades. What I really like about these books is that as students read the series, they go on an adventure around the world (geography), while learning about great figures from the past (history), and while solving puzzles (critical thinking). Included with the books are cards that have clues and puzzles that the students solve as they read the books. Scholastic also has a website that students visit to find information and solve clues. I really like the cross-curricular ties in this book series and the "disguised" research. The kids love the adventure and solving the puzzles in the books so much that they tend to forget that they are learning.

The New York Times has recently reviewed a number of books connected to space and earth science Chasing Venus, The race to Measure the Heavens http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/books/review/chasing-venus-by-andrea-wulf.html?_r=1 http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Venus-Race-Measure-Heavens/dp/0307700178/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338673278&sr=8-1 Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms, The story of the animals and plants that time left behind http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/books/review/horseshoe-crabs-and-velvet-worms-by-richard-fortey.html

All of these ideas are awesome! Gives me ideas for the future, as in holidays, etc. One thing I have a question about is what if a student can't afford the book(s)? I have some GT students and would like to make it an assignment. Thanks for any ideas.

Bonnie, Great question! ...and to follow up with another question, how do teachers handle the student(s) that move into the district over the summer, or right before school starts? I am interested in beginning a reading summer component, but would really appreciate some insight into how teachers handle these situations and any others that may come up, which would make the completion of summer reading difficult or impossible for the student to complete.

This is a really good topic. I wish I had accessed this site earlier so I could have made my teachers aware of the recommendations. Thanks for initiating this discussion.

The book ideas shared so far are amazing! Susanne had an important question - does anyone work in a building/district right now that does assign accountable summer reading and if so - how is it handled? My district assigns reading but the projects are done in school meaning that kids can completely blow off the summer part and just knock the book out the first week of school. Any ideas? Templates for letters home? Connection activities etc?

Good questions. Also, who will be responsible for assessing students work when they return? Would the reading assignment apply to all students are just the upper achievers?

Here is what we have done with our required summer reading for this summer. First, a rotation has been set up so that each grade level has a different themed reading. Ex. Science department- all incoming 10th graders. Theology-all incoming 11th graders etc... Next year science will not have a reading requirement. Second: once schedule was set up, it was up to those teachers who would be getting those students in the fall to decide on what book to read. My school is fairly small (approx 500-550 students 7-12) I will share the incoming 10th graders with one other teacher. Together we chose a fun read 'Life As We Knew It'. Written from a 15 yr old girls point of view. Third: We could each decide on what type of assignments to give being we don't share the same kids in class (honors vs reg). I went with suggested questions found online to go with the book. Fellow teacher just went with generic questions ( fav. Character, why?- those type questions) Fourth: All summer reading assignments are included with report cards when mailed out at end of school. In past, assignments were posted on our web pages, since going to Edline- can't do that anymore as incoming students aren't technically ours yet, they can't access our pages. Teacher assigning reading is responsible for doing something with work that first day or two of class in the fall. Grade for summer reading cannot be more than 10% of first quarter grade. Each teacher is required to do some type of follow up activity/assignment that first week related to reading. I am going with a journal type assignment based on a situation like that of the book. Again idea came from online suggestions. I did not re-invent the wheel. The school's goal is to get kids to read for fun. Not kill them with busy work over the summer. As such, I narrowed my 24 questions down to 3 sets of 7 where students must pick 3 from each group to answer. The last 3 on my list require more thought and a longer answer after completing the book. From those three the must pick one to answer. Questions are due the first day back OR anytime before that date they may email their assignment to teacher. Hope that helps some of you. At least gives an idea of how one school handles it. We really like that each department, including art, PE, and other related arts classes are in the rotation to have to pick a book for summer reading. Gives the Language Arts folks a huge break and lets them 'Share the Wealth'!

High school students in my area were required to take short written assessments on their summer reading and somehow that always bounced off of my radar. I never wanted to begin a new year with an evaluation on summer reading but always preferred fun and engaging first day activities that maybe were based on discrepant events or that drew students into cognitive thinking and substantive comments. So, the way that I dealt with summer science reading was to give the students one of the short first days of school where there were assemblies etc and allow they or organize into groups and elect to do a newspaper or to have a panel discussion on the first Friday of the school year. There was always a variety of publishing technology available and students enjoyed presenting and arguing about their ideas on the books. It is possible and probably probable that some students slipped by and did not read the books but perhaps they picked up the book at a later time during the year when they had something to read or maybe they even looked at a chapter or two during a study party at a student's home. As to availability of books: over the years, the local libraries would set aside the summer reading books and students could check one out for a week. The schools also had many paperbacks that had been gathered over the years that students could check out for the summer. Give that we are now in the age of the iPad, Nook, and electronic readers, it would be interesting to go into the free classic books that may be downloaded and see what is available. Various lives of scientists, great moments in science, and wonderful books on the natural world are represented, for sure :} ~patty

Reading science trade books is the perfect way for students to build literacy skills while learning science content. The books that appear in these lists were selected as outstanding children’s science trade books. They were chosen by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and assembled in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council (CBC). NSTA and CBC have joined forces on this bibliographic project since 1973, when the list was known as Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children and was primarily targeted at grades K through 8. Beginning in 2002, the list has been expanded to include high school as well. http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/

Our ACS friends have published this list in the most recent edition of the Journal of Chemical Education.

Attachments

SummerReading2012.pdf (3.60 Mb)

Pyrotechnics anyone? http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Pyrotechnics-Basic-Principles-Theory/dp/0824774434 The author is a former chemistry teacher so I am expecting sound chemistry and a few ideas for teaching

The longlist for this year’s Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books – the world’s most prestigious award for popular science writing – was announced at the Cheltenham Science Festival on 16th June by one of the judges, author Jasper Fforde. Here is the list to add to your summer reading http://blogs.royalsociety.org/inside-science/2012/06/18/royal-society-winton-prize-for-science-books-longlist-announced/

Full Body Burden Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats Just published by Random House A non fiction narrative that chronicles a young women growing up near Rocky Flats one of the most contaminated areas of the United States http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307955630&ref=acmartenewsletterspsychology

Nice piece on finding engaging books for students http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/2012/06/building_up_your_book_muscle.html

I thought that some of you might enjoy this piece from the NYTimes on choosing summer reading for students http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/opinion/sunday/how-to-choose-summer-reading-for-students.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

This from an NSTA email ummer Reading List In my early childhood, my dad (the physics teacher) had to get a summer job delivering floral arrangements to keep us afloat, so I know that summer is not necessarily down time for teachers. I hope, though, that you’ll find some time for these books. Some of them you can use in the classroom with students, and some are just for your own edification. Many of them have connections to several areas of STEM education, not just to the nominal categories I have assigned. Most of them I have read myself. I haven’t provided links to the books because nothing would make me happier than for you to walk into your local library and check out one or two. Groundbreaking Research (and Ripping Good Yarns into the Bargain) Although Trevor Corson’s sympathies are clearly on the side of the lobstermen with whom he worked, his book The Secret Life of Lobsters: How Fishermen and Scientists are Unraveling the Mysteries of Our Favorite Crustacean is an engaging story about what is behind the declining lobster population. The book balances equally between the lobstermen, the scientists who study the lobsters, and the lobsters themselves; the habits of which were not well understood until the last 20 years or so. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot was assigned for one of my husband’s grad school nursing classes. I had heard about this award-winning book, so I read it myself. It’s about human cell culturing and the research on viruses that was made possible by the ability to keep these particular cancer cells alive in a laboratory setting. The cells taken from Lacks’ tumor, known as HeLa cells, were remarkably vigorous and to this day are one of only a few lines of human cells that have been successfully cultured. I was telling my mom about the book, and she said “Oh, HeLa cells! We used those to grow viruses for vaccines in the virology lab!” (I suppose it’s no wonder I turned out like I did.) Geology Books I’m a geologist by training, and I still read about anything related to the subject. Here are a few of my favorites. The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth’s Antiquity by Jack Repcheck explains how catastrophism had its comeuppance thanks to Hutton. Along with Copernicus and Darwin, Hutton helped separate science from religion, but he is the least well known of the three. Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester has an interesting side story about the role the telegraph played in making this eruption, and the devastating tsunami that accompanied it, the first global news event. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel is about a clock maker, not a scientist. But much is owed to John Harrison, the man who succeeded where Newton and Galileo had not. Before Harrison’s invention of an accurate timepiece, ships could not keep a straight course on the ocean. I concede that not everyone will be as enamored with the Earth and its origins as I am, so I have brought together some other books you might enjoy. General Science Books I am reading The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature by Timothy Ferris now, and I really like it. If you’re at all interested in the history of democracy or the history of science and what they have in common, you should read this book. You can watch the author talking about the book here. I’m also reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, which explains selected science topics in easy-to-digest language. Bryson writes engagingly about the people behind the science, such as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Physics Books I bought The Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku on a whim, after hearing the author talk about it on a news show one day. I was telling my 14-year-old son about the book and how much I was enjoying it and then I said “it’s by this guy I’d never heard of before…” and my son said, “Oh, you mean the guy on TV.” I was all, “Wait. What? You know about this guy?” It was quite sobering to realize my son knew something about science that I didn’t. If you’re into robots or nanotechnology, you’ll like this book. If you like biographies, I recommend Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman (Adventures of a Curious Character), by Richard Feynman himself. Besides being a brilliant nuclear physicist, the guy really liked to have fun. He’s on the list of people I’d want with me if I ever got shipwrecked on a deserted island. Engineering Books Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is the story of the role the radio, or wireless telegraph (the invention of which is credited to Guglielmo Marconi in this book, although Nikola Tesla eventually prevailed) played in catching a charismatic murderer, Hawley Crippen. Crippen made the unlucky choice to flee London for New York on one of the few steamships then equipped with a radio receiver/transmit

I love everyone's suggestions for student reading. I am going to look into several books for the this coming school year. We will be taking a literacy approach to science this year; using trade books, creating our own newspaper, increasing the writing portion of our experiments and scientific argumentation. Thanks for the great ideas!

This list was posted on the listserve by Robin Wooten

Attachments

Books_Recommended_by_science_teachers.docx (0.19 Mb)