Hello There! Let me first say, yes it IS Thursday. (with this year you never know, right?)
The STEM Tuesday Team has staged a Thursday takeover of the Mixed Up Files blog so that we can add one more day to the week to celebrate STEM/STEAM books!!
Today we are offering a FUN activity with STEM/STEAM books to do in your classroom:
SIBERT SHOWDOWN, Middle Grade STEM-Style
Every year the American Library Association honors the best informational books of the year at their annual conference at the end of January. The award for that is the Robert F. Sibert Award. Typically, one book receives that award and several honor books are chosen as well.
What is the Robert F. Sibert Award? “The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC administers the award.”– quoted directly from the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) website
What is an informational book? “Information books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documentable, factual material for children. There are no limitations as to the character of the book, although traditional literature (e.g., folktales) is not eligible. Poetry is not eligible except as a format or vehicle to convey information.” – quoted directly from the ALSC website
THE ACTIVITY
Get your class to decide! Which book do they think should win the Sibert Award? Which one(s) should be awarded a Sibert Honor?
Award-winning author Melissa Stewart started her Sibert Smackdown four years ago. What a BRILLIANT idea! Many teachers and librarians have been using it every year since. Here is a post about Melissa’s Sibert Smackdown
With a very enthusiastic nod to Melissa, we here at STEM Tuesday invite you to put a slightly different slant on her version. We encourage you to use middle grade STEM/STEAM books in your Sibert Showdown. This would be great to do for older classes, perhaps 4th graders and up. We realize that reading an entire middle grade book might seem daunting but don’t worry, we offer a few suggestions.
HOW TO DO IT:
Pick a book (see the book list below)
Decide how your class will read the books. Here are a few ideas:
- Book Talk in Teams –Divide them up into teams of 2-3 students. Have each student read the introduction, table of contents and one to two chapters. They can present the book to the rest of the class in a 5-10 minute Book Talk.
- Book Tasting– Every student reads just the first chapter of the book and then you discuss in class.
- Individual Book Talk– each student picks a different book and skims it, reading the first chapter, a middle one, and maybe the last one.
- Book Talk by Class– Split your class up into different groups. Each group reads the back cover blurb and one chapter. (don’t forget the back matter). Then have a discussion and compare.
- Read the whole book Book Talk– Of course, this is the best, let students pick from the list below which book they’d like to read. Have them read it all the way through (most of them aren’t too long). Then they give a presentation about why it should be chosen (or not chosen) for the award.
- Persuasive Writing Paragraph– Do any of the above, but instead of a presentation, have the students write a persuasive paragraph explaining why this book should or shouldn’t be included in consideration for the Sibert Award.
GUIDELINES FOR THE ACTIVITY:
So that they are all working from the same guidelines, have the students ask themselves these questions as they go through the book:
- Is the book interesting or FUN to read?
- Does this book have a lot of information in it– enough to give a reader a very good idea of the topic?
- Is the book easy to understand? (does the author do a good job of explaining things?)
- Is the information presented in an organized way? (does it make sense as you are reading it?)
- Is there a glossary or index in the book to help you understand the terms and find the topics?
- Is there an author’s note or a way to learn more about the topic?
Their presentations, discussions, or writing should include their answers to these questions.
Sound fun? It IS!
*** And just a note, you could do this activity ANY time of the year, not just during the Sibert Award consideration time. There is always a time to have fun with STEM/STEAM Books! 😊***
BOOK LIST TO GET YOU STARTED
Our STEM Tuesday Team came up with a list of some 2020 STEM/STEAM books we think are awesome and will get you started. But feel free to add to our list! Post your favorites in the comments below OR you can always invite your students to come up with their own classroom list.
Condor Comeback (Scientists in the Field Series) by Sy Montgomery (Author), Tianne Strombeck (Photographer), HMH Kids
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat, Candlewick Press
Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM by Tonya Bolden, Abrams BFYR
Earth Day and the Environmental Movement: Standing Up for Earth by Christy Peterson, 21st Century Books
Beastly Bionics: Rad Robots, Brilliant Biomimicry, and Incredible Inventions Inspired by Nature by Jennifer Swanson, National Geographic Kids
Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottaviani illustrated by Maris Wicks, First Second Books
Tracking Pythons: The Quest to Catch an Invasive Predator and Save an Ecosystem by Kate Messner, Millbrook Press
Who Gives a Poop?: Surprising Science from One End to the Other by Heather Montgomery, Bloomsbury Kids
Big Ideas That Changed The World: Machines That Think by Don Brown, Amulet Books
Machines in Motion: The Amazing History of Transportation by Tom Jackson, Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Where Have All The Bees Gone? Pollinators in Crisis By Rebecca Hirsch, 21-First Century Books
This is our list. What is YOURS? Add to this list below. And if you use this activity in your classroom, we’d love to hear about it. Thanks for celebrating STEM/STEAM books with us!
Happy Holidays from the entire STEM Tuesday TEAM!
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