I once heard someone say that if a book is only good as a child, it is not worth reading. If a book is truly good, then it can be read throughout childhood and again through adolescence and adulthood. Recently in sixth grade science, we have read several children's books that incorporate objectives that we are currently studying in class. Although these books were written with children in mind, re-reading them from the science perspective as middle school students gives students a whole new perspective on reading and science material. The last book we read was by Dr. Seuss titled "Bartholomew and the Oobleck". We were discussing the states of matter and how to determine which state is which by observing their properties. We read the story and had students write a hypothesis about what they believe the substance "oobleck" is. After they had developed a hypothesis, we then conducted an experiment where each student created oobleck and observed its properties to either prove or disprove their hypothesis. I believe using children's books as a tool to gather students prior knowledge and gain new understandings, is a perfect way to engage students in the classroom.Want to make your own Oobleck? You can find a recipe here!
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