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Even More Everyday Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching


By: Richard Konicek-Moran

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2011 Finalist for Distinguished Achievement Award
Details

Type of Product:NSTA Press Book (also see downloadable PDF version of this book)
Publication Title:Everyday Science Mysteries Series
Publication Date:3/1/2010
Pages:186
Stock Number:PB220X3
ISBN:978-1-935155-13-3
Grade Level:Elementary School, Middle School
Read Inside:Read a sample chapter: Here’s The Crusher
Author Blog:Read Dick Konicek's blog

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Our reviewers—top-flight teachers and other outstanding science educators—have determined that this resource is among the best available supplements for science teaching.
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Description

What are the odds of a meteor hitting your house? What are “warm” clothes anyway? Do you get “more” sunlight from Daylight Saving Time? Everyone loves a good mystery and these unfold in the 15 stories presented in Even More Everyday Science Mysteries, the third volume in author Richard Konicek-Moran’s award-winning series. Again, the author uses stories without endings to teach a science principle, allowing the students to investigate how each story can be resolved. All the stories relate to the world around us and encourage students to “take ownership” of their learning. In “Here’s the Crusher,” family members ponder what could have crushed a plastic soda bottle sitting on a table. By exploring each family member’s idea, common misconceptions are uncovered and discussed. In “Florida Cars?” Amber seeks out the causes of rust on cars from Florida. She experiments with nails to try to discover what ingredients produce rust. Your students will tackle Amber’s problem and reach their own conclusions. Science topics explored include evaporation, erosion, thermal energy, atmospheric pressure, buoyancy, and density. “These stories are bound to reveal the wonderful ideas all students have, give them the confidence to explore their own thinking, and provide opportunities for them to ‘do’ science rather than have science ‘done’ to them.” —Page Keeley, NSTA President 2008–09


Ideas For Use

Additional Info

Science Discipline: (mouse over for full classification)
Water cycle
Moon
Seasons
Sun
Rocks
Erosion
Weathering
Atmosphere
Stars
Days
Phases of the moon
Clouds
Pressure
Adaptations
Asexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction
Environmental change
Nutrition
Energy transfer
Thermodynamics
Conduction
Temperature
Physical properties
Gases
Liquids
Solids
Analyzing data
Asking questions
Collecting data
Communicating
Hypothesizing
Interpreting data
Observing
Predicting
Scientific habits of mind
Behavior
Plants
Life cycles
Biodiversity
Intended User Role:Curriculum Supervisor, Elementary-Level Educator, Middle-Level Educator, Teacher
Educational Issues:Assessment of students, Classroom management, Curriculum, Inquiry learning, Instructional materials, Interdisciplinary, Professional development, Teacher content knowledge, Teacher preparation, Teaching strategies

Contents

Acknowledgements Preface Introduction: Case Studies on How to Use the Stories in the Classroom Chapter 1: Theory Behind the Book Chapter 2: Using the Book and the Stories Chapter 3: Using the Book in Different Ways Chapter 4: The Link Between Science, Inquiry, and Language Literacy The Stories and Background Materials for Teachers Matrix for Earth Systems Science and Technology Chapter 5: Where Did the Puddles Go? Chapter 6: What are the Chances? Chapter 7: Here’s the Crusher Chapter 8: Daylight Saving Time Chapter 9: A Day on Bare Mountain Matrix for Biological Sciences Chapter 10: The Trouble With Bubbles Chapter 11: Plunk, Plunk Chapter 12: In a Heartbeat Chapter 13: Hitch Hikers Chapter 14: Halloween Science Matrix for Physical Sciences Chapter 15: Warm Clothes? Chapter 16: The Slippery Glass Chapter 17: St Bernard Puppy Chapter 18: Florida Cars? Chapter 19: Dancing Popcorn Index


This Title Also Available as Part of a Set:
Set: Everyday Science Mysteries 4-Book Set
Buy all four volumes of Everyday Science Mysteries together and save!
Member Price: $74.76 Nonmember Price: $93.95

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National Standards Correlation

This resource has 83 correlations with the National Standards.  
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This resource has 83 correlations with the National Standards.  
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  • Physical Science
    • Properties of objects and materials
      • Objects have many observable properties, including the ability to react with other substances. (K-4)
      • Objects have many observable properties, including size, weight, shape, color, and temperature. (K-4)
      • The observable properties of objects can be measured using tools, such as rulers, balances, and thermometers. (K-4)
      • Materials can exist in different states--solid, liquid, and gas. (K-4)
      • Some common materials, such as water, can be changed from one state to another by heating or cooling. (K-4)
    • Properties and changes of properties in matter
      • A substance has characteristic properties, such as density, a boiling point, and solubility. (5-8)
      • A mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substances using one or more of the characteristic properties. (5-8)
      • Substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to form new substances (compounds) with different characteristic properties. (5-8)
    • Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism
      • Heat can move from one object to another by conduction. (K-4)
      • Heat can be produced in many ways, such as burning, rubbing, or mixing one substance with another. (K-4)
    • Transfer of Energy
      • Energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and the nature of a chemical. (5-8)
      • Energy is transferred in many ways. (5-8)
      • Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until both reach the same temperature. (5-8)
  • Life Science
    • The characteristics of organisms
      • Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light. (K-4)
      • Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. (K-4)
      • Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking. (K-4)
      • The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms. (K-4)
    • Life cycles of organisms
      • Plants and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying. The details of this life cycle are different for different organisms. (K-4)
      • Plants and animals closely resemble their parents. (K-4)
    • Organisms and environments
      • All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.
      • All organisms cause changes in the environment where they live. Some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial.
      • Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.
    • Structure and function in living systems
      • Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure and function (5-8)
      • Important levels of organization for structure and function include cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, whole organisms, and ecosystems (5-8)
      • All organisms are composed of cells--the fundamental unit of life (5-8)
      • Most organisms are single cells; other organisms, including humans, are multicellular. (5-8)
      • Specialized cells perform specialized functions in multicellular organisms. (5-8)
      • Groups of specialized cells cooperate to form a tissue, such as a muscle. (5-8)
      • Different tissues are in turn grouped together to form larger functional units, called organs. (5-8)
      • Each type of cell, tissue, and organ has a distinct structure and set of functions that serve the organism as a whole. (5-8)
      • The human organism has systems for digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, control, and coordination, and for protection from disease. These systems interact with one another. (5-8)
    • Reproduction and heredity
      • Reproduction is a characteristic of all living systems; because no individual organism lives forever, reproduction is essential to the continuation of every species. (5-8)
    • Regulation and behavior
      • All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment. (5-8)
      • An organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment. (5-8)
      • How a species moves, obtains food, reproduces, and responds to danger are based in the species' evolutionary history (5-8)
    • Populations and ecosystems
      • The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, and soil composition.
      • Given adequate biotic and abiotic resources and no disease or predators, populations (including humans) increase at rapid rates. (5-8)
    • Diversity and adaptations of organisms
      • Millions of species of animals, plants, and microorganisms are alive today. (5-8)
      • Although different species might look dissimilar, the unity among organisms becomes apparent from an analysis of internal structures, the similarity of their chemical processes, and the evidence of common ancestry. (5-8)
      • Species acquire many of their unique characteristics through biological adaptation, which involves the selection of naturally occurring variations in populations. (5-8)
      • Biological adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance survival and reproductive success in a particular environment (5-8)
  • Earth Science
    • Properties of earth materials
      • Earth materials are solid rocks and soils, water, and the gases of the atmosphere.
    • Objects in the sky
      • The sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds, and airplanes all have properties, locations, and movements that can be observed and described.
    • Changes in earth and sky
      • Objects in the sky have patterns of movement.
      • The sun appears to move across the sky in the same way every day, but its path changes slowly over the seasons.
    • Structure of the earth system
      • Major geological events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from the motions of lithospheric plates. (5-8)
      • Land forms are the result of a combination of constructive and destructive forces. (5-8)
      • Constructive forces include crustal deformation, volcanic eruption, and deposition of sediment. (5-8)
      • Destructive forces include weathering and erosion. (5-8)
      • Water, which covers the majority of the earth's surface, circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what is known as the "water cycle." (5-8)
      • Water evaporates from the earth's surface, rises and cools as it moves to higher elevations, condenses as rain or snow, and falls to the surface where it collects in lakes, oceans, soil, and in rocks underground. (5-8)
      • The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases that include water vapor. (5-8)
      • The atmosphere has different properties at different elevations. (5-8)
      • Clouds, formed by the condensation of water vapor, affect weather and climate. (5-8)
      • Living organisms have played many roles in the earth system, including producing some types of rocks, and contributing to the weathering of rocks. (5-8)
    • Earth in the solar system
      • Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. (5-8)
      • The motions of most objects in the solar system explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses.
      • The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth's surface, such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle. (5-8)
  • Science as Inquiry
    • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
      • Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment. (K-4)
      • Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. (K-4)
      • Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.
      • Communicate investigations and explanations.
      • Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.
      • Design and conduct a scientific investigation.
      • Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
      • Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
      • Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.
    • Understandings about scientific inquiry
      • Scientists develop explanations using observations (evidence) and what they already know about the world (scientific knowledge). Good explanations are based on evidence from investigations. (K-4)
  • Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
    • Personal health
      • Individuals have some responsibility for their own health. Students should engage in personal care--dental hygiene, cleanliness, and exercise--that will maintain and improve health.
      • Understandings include how communicable diseases, such as colds, are transmitted and some of the body's defense mechanisms that prevent or overcome illness.
      • Nutrition is essential to health.
      • Recommendations for good nutrition include eating a variety of foods, eating less sugar, and eating less fat.
      • Different substances can damage the body and how it functions. Such substances include tobacco, alcohol, over-the-counter medicines, and illicit drugs.
      • Food provides energy and nutrients for growth and development (5-8)
      • Nutrition requirements vary with body weight, age, sex, activity, and body functioning. (5-8)
    • Changes in environments
      • Changes in environments can be natural or influenced by humans. Some changes are good, some are bad, and some are neither good nor bad.
  • Process Standards for Professional Development
    • Design
      • Introduce teachers to scientific literature, media, and technological resources that expand their science knowledge and their ability to access further knowledge. (NSES)
  • Content Standards
    • Quality Teaching
      • Deepens educators’ content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately. (NSDC)
  • Teaching Standards
    • Teachers of science guide and facilitate learning. In doing this, teachers
      • Encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity, openness to new ideas and data, and skepticism that characterize science.
      • Orchestrate discourse among students about scientific ideas.
      • Challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their own learning.
    • Teachers provide students with the time, space, and resources needed to learn science.
      • Create a setting for student work that is flexible and supportive of science inquiry.
      • Make the available science tools, materials, media, and technological resources accessible to students.


Published Reviews

“Useful for homeschoolers. … Fun sounding projects! … Science Mysteries uses short stories to get the student thinking about what could be happening to cause the mysterious situation and then includes related activities and references to find the real answers.”
Homeschooling Resources


“The key is … each story abruptly ends before revealing the answer to the mystery. This is an effective teaching technique because it engages students and challenges them to try to figure out the answer on their own. … Especially useful was the author’s retelling of how two teachers had used one of the stories from his first book in the Everyday Science Mysteries series in different ways. The current volume is an outstanding teaching tool that should be on every elementary and middle school teacher’s bookshelf.”
SB&F, August 2010


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