What’s the BIG Idea? Amazing Science Questions for the Curious Kid, Skyhorse Publishing, 2010, By Vicki Cobb (2012 recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science)
This book presents the basic scientific principles behind physics, chemistry and biology in an inquiry-driven format, recommended for grades 3-6. It can be the basic text material for many different units. Embedded in the expository material are simple hands-on activities that reinforce the concepts. It should be taught along with other books and hands-on activities that are specific examples and applications of the principles and methods of science as they apply to different topics as outlined below.
It meets all eight of the National Education Curriculum Standards:
· Unifying concepts and processes in science.
· Science as inquiry.
· Physical science.
· Life science.
· Earth and space science.
· Science and technology.
· Science in personal and social perspective.
· History and nature of science.
Each chapter (there are four BIG Ideas in the book; one for each chapter) can be used as the basic reading material for units in the following subjects:
Chapter I: Motion
Use for units on the solar system (there is already a teacher’s guide for this unit), simple machines, balance and motion
Chapter 2: Energy
Use for units on electricity, magnetism, energy conservation, light, sound
Chapter 3: Matter
Use for units on rocks and minerals, water, weather,
Chapter 4: Life
Use for units on plants, animals, nutrition, life cycles, genetics, reproduction
For the CCSS in literacy this book is exemplary for the following types of writing and thinking skills:
Main idea—each chapter is a main idea –motion, energy, matter and life. Vicki Cobb explains that a BIG (or main) idea is one for which there are no quick or easy answers. Understanding how science analyzes ideas (like motion) that at first glance appear to be hardly worth thinking about is the subtext for this book.
Craft and Structure: This book is designed for students to think about a question for a period of time before reading how the question is answered. The structure of the book is designed to be read closely and carefully because each term in the book (i.e. force, energy, molecule, DNA) has very specific meaning in science.
Comment from teachers:
“As teachers, we learned how to turn this very abstract unit into something where the students can utilize the inquiry process. We restructured our current lessons on the Solar System to supplement the new material in the book, What’s the Big Idea? This allowed us to provide the students with the conceptual understanding of material covered on our unit assessment.” Carla Christiana, Alicia Palmeri, 3rd grade teachers who worked with Vicki Cobb
This book presents the basic scientific principles behind physics, chemistry and biology in an inquiry-driven format, recommended for grades 3-6. It can be the basic text material for many different units. Embedded in the expository material are simple hands-on activities that reinforce the concepts. It should be taught along with other books and hands-on activities that are specific examples and applications of the principles and methods of science as they apply to different topics as outlined below.
It meets all eight of the National Education Curriculum Standards:
· Unifying concepts and processes in science.
· Science as inquiry.
· Physical science.
· Life science.
· Earth and space science.
· Science and technology.
· Science in personal and social perspective.
· History and nature of science.
Each chapter (there are four BIG Ideas in the book; one for each chapter) can be used as the basic reading material for units in the following subjects:
Chapter I: Motion
Use for units on the solar system (there is already a teacher’s guide for this unit), simple machines, balance and motion
Chapter 2: Energy
Use for units on electricity, magnetism, energy conservation, light, sound
Chapter 3: Matter
Use for units on rocks and minerals, water, weather,
Chapter 4: Life
Use for units on plants, animals, nutrition, life cycles, genetics, reproduction
For the CCSS in literacy this book is exemplary for the following types of writing and thinking skills:
Main idea—each chapter is a main idea –motion, energy, matter and life. Vicki Cobb explains that a BIG (or main) idea is one for which there are no quick or easy answers. Understanding how science analyzes ideas (like motion) that at first glance appear to be hardly worth thinking about is the subtext for this book.
Craft and Structure: This book is designed for students to think about a question for a period of time before reading how the question is answered. The structure of the book is designed to be read closely and carefully because each term in the book (i.e. force, energy, molecule, DNA) has very specific meaning in science.
Comment from teachers:
“As teachers, we learned how to turn this very abstract unit into something where the students can utilize the inquiry process. We restructured our current lessons on the Solar System to supplement the new material in the book, What’s the Big Idea? This allowed us to provide the students with the conceptual understanding of material covered on our unit assessment.” Carla Christiana, Alicia Palmeri, 3rd grade teachers who worked with Vicki Cobb
