Classroom ideas about: "Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a chemical boyhood".

RE: Classroom ideas about: "Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a chemical boyhood"

2017-05-01T17:25:16Z

Hi Robert,

With regard to your question, I began to read this book since I knew it in the Scientix competition. Also it encourage me to look for others books, which could be interesting as educational resources, especially I have searched Spanish publications, such as the book I commented in "RE:Forum", "Ciencia para Nicolás".
Another practical book to work in the classroom is: "Breakthroughs in Science" by Isaac Asimov, it contains abstracs about the biography of the most important scientist in history. In my classroom, a group of students have used this source to make a video report, recording some interviews with famous scientists; it is an enjoyable and fascinating report,which can be found on their youtebe channel of scientific outreach: Queirugersjm.

I leave here the link of the specific video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gcY8cQ3huE

RE: Classroom ideas about: "Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a chemical boyhood"

2017-04-30T17:38:48Z

Thank you Noelia, those are very interesting thoughts about the construction of scientific knowledge in relation to Uncle Tungsten!
Did you read the book before you heard about the Scientix competition, or did the competition encourage you to read it?

Classroom ideas about: "Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a chemical boyhood".

2017-04-28T11:34:56Z

"Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a chemical boyhood".

Since the first moment when the book reached to me, I verified it is an interesting and naturally way to travel around the science´s history, which describes through the life of a child, named Oliver Sacks, the discovery of the world via the scientific knowledge, and its importance to understand the environment that surrounds us and to favour the development and evolution of society.This book, besides supposing a very interesting and entertaining reading, offers many educational resources to use in the STEM´s subjects. In short, I am using some abstracts from the book to support my lessons. For example, the narrative focussed on Marie Curie´s is a great article for working the role of women in science; as well as a chronological view of the different scientists mentioned, allows us to know how scientific knowledge is constructed, from observation, formulation of hypotheses, experimentation and collection of results, to the conclusions, which allows to write laws and theories, that are continually amplifying as the studies and researchs evolve (scientific method).
Moreover, the Sacks´ experiments are very striking, creative and interesting to motivate and take place with the students.To sum up, after working on this book, I certainly recomend it to my colleges teachers, looking for in its pages the great variety of educational resources, which it includes.