Welcome to STEM FRIDAY, February 24, 2012! Leave your links and information in the comments section and I’ll update them throughout the day. Thanks for participating!

Precious McKenzie

Senior Editor

Rourke Publishing

Jeff posted on his STEM Friday blog about A Kangaroo’s Life. Check it out.

Shirley Duke features Filling the Earth with Trash today by Jeanne Sturm at SimplyScience.

Anastasia Suen shares Snowmobile: Bombardier’s Dream Machine by Jules Older at her blog Booktalking.

As you can probably tell from my recent posts, my neck of the woods has warmed up considerably. Flowers are blooming, animals are out and active. It is a fascinating time of year. I’ve been busy observing a robin family build a nest in the pine tree next to my deck (an exhausting task, that nest building!). I’ve also had a duck and a drake take up residence in my front yard (an odd choice for a hangout since my dogs would love nothing better than duck for breakfast).  With beautiful warm weather, it’s time to get outside and check out the amazing, natural world. So, we’ll stick with the nature theme again for this week’s STEM Friday.

Julie Lundgren’s book, Animal Habitats, is part of Rourke Educational Media’s My Science Library series for grades 1-2.  Animal Habitats begins by defining the concept of habitat in clear, succint text. Close-up photos of a bear in the forest and an octopus in the sea visually support the definition of habitat.  Then the author covers topics such as food, water, and shelter for living things, all supported with a wide variety of full color examples. The photos in this book are truly stunning, giving kids an up close and personal experience. My personal favorite is the prairie dog spread. One word: adorable!

Animal Habitats also has an environmental focus. Human impact on habitats, such as oil spills and deforestation, are discussed in a straightforward, objective manner. This is particularly helpful in generating classroom discussions on the topic. An added bonus for curriculum minded teachers, all the content correlates to NSTA’s Science Standards of Life Science.

If you are planning a field trip to a nature education center, share the book Animal Habitats with your students first. The content will enrich their field experience and teach them how to better observe the wonderful natural world around them.

Happy exploring,

Precious McKenzie

Senior Editor

For ordering information, visit http://rourkepublishing.com/books/1807.

For free Teacher Notes, visit the Teacher’s Corner at http://rourkeclassroom.com/teachers_corner.

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• Write about STEM each Friday on your blog.
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

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Copyright © 2012 Precious McKenzie. All Rights Reserved.

Looking for another great spring book to tie into your science curriculum? Look no further than Julie Lundgren’s Plant Adaptations. The book begins with defining plants as living things and then moves on to how plants use the Sun’s energy to make their own food. Plant Adaptations show kids how plants have special features that help them survive in their habitats. This book covers more than just the basics about plants, the author digs deeper and teaches kids about specific plants such as bromeliads and cacti. Full color photos enhance the journey into the plant world.

A perfect follow-up activity to Plant Adaptations would be to take a nature walk around the school or the neighborhood. Students could start a nature log and record or photograph the many different plants they see. When they get back to the classroom, have them try to identify the plants they found (field guides and the internet can help with this). Then talk about how these plants have adapted to the environment where you found them.

For Teacher Notes that are correlated to Common Core Standards and National Science Standards, visit http://classroom.rourkepublishing.com/.

For ordering information, visit http://rourkepublishing.com/books/1810.

Happy exploring,

Precious McKenzie

Senior Editor

Moving People, Moving Stuff is one of this year’s new books in REM’s Little World Social Studies Series.  Written by experienced early childhood teacher Ellen Mitten, Moving People, Moving Stuff teaches students about the many different aspects of transportation.  The book begins with explaining the concepts of travel and transportation. Then the book progresses to the many different forms of transportation, from trains and subways to airplanes, cargo ships, and trucks. Unlike other books on transportation, Moving People, Moving Stuff teaches students that computer networks connect all of the different kinds of transportation systems in order to keep people and goods moving smoothly.

If you are planning a unit on transportation and technology, check out Moving People, Moving Stuff.  Free Teacher Notes, that correlate this book with Common Core Language Arts and Social Studies Standards, are available at http://rourkeclassroom.com/teachers_corner.

For ordering information, visit http://rourkepublishing.com/books/1890.

Happy reading,

Precious McKenzie

Senior Editor

Have you started teaching your students about spring and all of the wonderful springtime activities?  If you are a PreK-2 teacher you’ll want to check out Tracy Maurer’s A to Z of Spring.

Each letter has clear photos that correlate to the spring concept featured on the page. You’ll meet so many Common Core Standards with this book, too! Students will learn the letters of the alphabet and phonetics for language arts. And, for science standards, they will recognize the patterns of the seasons. This is a delightful book to engage early readers with one t0 one word correspondence and develop early science concepts.

For ordering information, visit http://rourkepublishing.com/series/5?subject=science_earth_nature.

Happy Spring,

Precious McKenzie

Senior Editor

Radical Reptiles is the opening chapter in Tom Greve’s fascinating book Eye to Eye with Animals: Reptiles.  Greve’s lively and informative text takes readers on a fact-filled journey into reptilian realms.  Reptiles discusses habitat, diet, reproduction, and the misconceptions surrounding reptiles. His chapter on Cagey Crocs impresses readers with thorough coverage of the  many different kinds of crocodilians. Action packed photos, namely the dashing green basilisk lizard on page 14 and the tongue throwing chameleon on page 13, showcase just how unique and amazing reptiles are. The book closes with a focus on threats to reptiles and what we can do to help conservation efforts.

The Eye to Eye with Animals series is geared to grades  2-5, with the guided reading levels ranging from M-P. The books are correlated to CCSS Language Arts and NSTA standards. If you are working on a unit about animals, check out the Eye to Eye with Animals series. Your students will be captivated!

For free Teacher Notes, visit http://rourkeclassroom.com/teachers_corner.

For ordering information, visit http://rourkepublishing.com/books/1832.

Happy reading!

Precious McKenzie

Senior Editor