Science is everywhere. It’s in everything we do, everything we see. And yes, everything we read.
Books offer a delightful opportunity to talk about science, both through their illustrations and their text. We just need to know a few things to look for and a few questions to ask.
Today we’ll find out how to think like a scientist, and how to teach our kids to do the same.
I invited two professors from St. Michael’s College to teach us all about cross-cutting scientific concepts within picture books.
Dr. Valerie Bang-Jensen is the Department Chair and Professor of Education at St. Michael’s College in Vermont. She’s an expert in children’s literature and literacy. Dr. Mark Lubkowitz is a molecular biologist and the Chair and Professor of Biology at St. Michael’s.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- What it means to “think like a scientist”
- How to find scientific concepts in every book you read
- How to use cross-cutting concepts to teach young scientists of all ages
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON TO START LISTENING:
TIME STAMPS:
“They can’t get all of science from a book, but they can launch these ideas into every part of their life. Books are a perfect place to do that, because books are a microcosm of life.”
Dr. Valerie Bang-Jensen
“The secret is: scientists aren’t smarter than everybody else. Scientists just have a way to classify and sort human thinking and behavior.”
Dr. Mark Lubkowitz
| 3:01 | What’s a cross-cutting concept? |
| 4:55 | Introducing Mark and Valerie |
| 6:59 | The secret about science |
| 7:48 | How it all began |
| 12:34 | The delight of patterns |
| 14:27 | Finding cross-cutting concepts in Owl Moon |
| 20:21 | Scale and time in story |
| 24:02 | Applying scientific concepts to books off your shelf |
| 27:19 | Structure and function |
| 29:30 | Learning through questions |
| 31:43 | Let the Kids Speak |
LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
- Dr Bang-Jensen and Dr Lubkowitz’s Website
- A 33-min video of Mark and Valerie explaining crosscutting concepts
- Books in Bloom
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YOU’LL ALSO ENJOY:
- Episode #62: Inspiring a Love of Nature Through Books with Greta Eskridge
- Episode #103: Excellent Nonfiction Picture Books by Gail Gibbons
- Episode #151: It’s a Story… So What?
More free resources and booklists
Get the best episodes and reources
from the Read-Aloud Revival
