Every now and then we come across a story that just has to be shared. Today I want to share a video about an enterprising 9-year-old who knows how to make good creative use of his time.
Have you heard this story? Watch this wonderful video.
What a wonderful story to share with your students and colleagues!
Caine at work building his cardboard video arcade.
We here at mathcoachinteractive got really inspired by recent media coverage of how students attitudes can positively affect their learning outcomes. We did a little research to find books that could be the basis for fun STEM units about the brain.
Here are some “finds.”
For Kindergarten-Grade 3
Young Genius: Brains by Kate Lennard
Even very young children are curious about how their bodies work, including their brains. Reviewers with children ages 4-7 give this book high marks. Here is a typical comment: “The writer and illustrator [are] incredible at putting things the way a young child could understand.”
How Does Your Brain Work? by Don L. Curry
Teachers in K–2 find this book a good resource. Here is a typical comment: “I used this book as part of the Brain Awareness Week activities for my 2nd grade class. I loved the way the information is presented in a clear and logical fashion.”
Grades 3 and up
Its All In Your Brain by Silvia Funston and Jay Ingram
Although the reading level is higher than Grade 3, there is a lot in this book that can easily be made accessible to the younger student.
Written in conversational tone with a younger reader in mind, we learn a lot about the science of the brain. Hands On experiments with each chapter make this a great STEM resource.
NOTE: The idea that working your brain makes you smarter is addressed only in “Last Thoughts” on page 59. But kids are likely to find this book so interesting, that they won’t even worry about whether they are smart enough to read it.
Grades 5 and up
In my experience, middle schoolers actually enjoy picture books, so any of the books cited above would be a good choice. For a deeper dive into the history and science of brain science, these also look like a good bet.
The Great Brain Book by H.P. Newquist
Although the reading level looks pretty high (with fairly dense text), the illustrations will appeal to children regardless of their reading level with the kinds of gory details that kids just love.
I’d recommend this as a read aloud for Grades 5 and up.
The Human Brain Book by Rita Carter et al.
This Dorling Kindersley book has all the intriguing visuals that we come to expect from this imprint. Dense text is sectioned into manageable boxed sections that invite diving in to find intriguing factoids.
