SDW 2017 - YOUR FAVOURITE SCIENCE BOOK

23 April is recognised as the World Book and Copyright Day by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). On 4 April 2017, Scientix published eight great science books selected by its Scientix Ambassadors to give you the opportunity to read some or all of them before the World Book Day. Save the date and join us on this occasion to celebrate great literature in the field of science!

Click on one of the buttons to see the two selected books per subject.

For the STEM Discovery Week 24 to 30 April 2017, teachers are invited to participate in a discussion in an open forum here about the selected books and share ideas on how they can be used in science lessons. Scientix will award the best ideas shared with this community.

The goal of the competition is twofold:

  • To raise general awareness about science and scientific literacy through a community based approach and peer-reviewed exchange of information.
  • To show how scientific literature can improve classroom discussions and activities.

You are welcome to use the forum here to introduce yourself and to get to know other colleagues interested in science literature. Scientix will use the discussion forum to inform you as soon as new discussion threads are added on 23 April. You will receive a notification by e-mail if you introduce yourself in the discussion thread.

Read the terms and conditions

NOTE THAT YOU MUST BE REGISTERED AND SIGNED IN WITH YOUR OPEN ID IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION FORUM

DISCUSS WITH FELLOW TEACHERS

Scenario

Rumjana Angelova, modified 7 Years ago.

Scenario

Community member Posts: 2 Join Date: 2/15/14 Recent Posts
       How to be a teacher, who inspired yours students?!! How to create an emotional situation to teach Mathematics? How to show …? How to expline...? How to organise the lessons, the activities?
      Most of the educational approaches are inspired from examples and books.
“The  Number Devil” – this are at liest 12 great ideas!
       This scenario presents an example of teachers  view. First, this teachers view is a key factor in improving classroom motivation to learn mathematics. Second, this is a vehicle for increasing  knowledge from research into classrooms.
How I organise the lesson?
        In the role of the Devil of the numbers comes in  a student, who is in a larger class than the others.


“Rabbits and numbers”
 
The Number Devil tells: "A young couple of rabbits after one month becomes  an elderly couple and after another month they have a generation and become two…. 1; 1; 2; 3; 5….
 
"Jumping"  Numbers

High on the walls, around the room - there is a line with Fibonacci Numbers on it. The Student, who plays the rolle of the Devil of the numbers shows two consecutive numbers. When they hold hands and jump together the rest of the Students have to find which Number they make. 
1;1;2;3;5;8;13;21;34;55;89;144;233;377;610;……..
And then the Devil shows a number of  Fibonacci and after then two Students jump.  610=+

“Other properties of Fibonacci  numbers”
The Devil shows with magic stick two consecutive numbers – first the larger then the lesser, and he says: “Divide them! How much is it? ”
O-oooooooooo Golden Ratio!


Math factor
The competition regulation is a follows:
- Every participant, within 3 minutes has to present one chapter of  the book in attractive and popular way.  
 
This activities show how the stories of the book (12 chapters) are based on an in‐depth analysis of science and mathematics education, as well as how those modules structure the motivation development of the students. Finally, we provide an overview of the evaluation of the book - the students expline yours favorite numbers .
 
  All students will follow the seven phases below for their participation:
  • Read the book and decide on a project type.
  • Develop an initial plan.
  • Have the plan approved by the teacher.
  • Create the first draft of the plan.
  • Have the first draft approved by the teacher.
  • Create the final draft.
  • The final presentation will then be evaluated.
Each project will be rated on its own merits based on the requirements detailed above. The grade will ultimately be determined  according to the following chart.
FactorWeak ---- Strong
Creativity
0   1   2   3   4   5
Difficulty Rating
0   1   2   3   4   5
Math Content
0   1   2   3   4   5
Presentation
0   1   2   3   4   5
    Creativity is a measure of originality. The difficulty rating is based on the type of project that is chosen. Math content is a value determined by the amount of subject matter that is within the project. Presentation is determined by the report that is given in front of the class.
 
Objectives:
- to rise the students awareness of their own style in the classroom and to enhance their natural abilities in giving positive feedback and understanding Mathematics;
-to increase students’ confidence in their skills;
- to promote the use mediation and learning through theatre;
-to enable students to find at least 3 methods and techniques for their own context to inquiry the world of the numbers;
- to develop the students competences of ensuring harmonious group building and transforming the class as a group into a team by usage of non-formal group dynamics;
-to direct students to reading;
- to share best practices and transfer practical knowledge on classroom management and mathematics teaching.
 
 
 
 
 
 

These are the eight science books selected for the World Book Day and STEM Discovery Week 2017! In order to compete in our competition, start by:

  1. Read one or more of the selected titles
  2. Design an idea for a classroom activity based on your book
  3. Share your idea with peers in the discussion forum above during the STEM Discovery Week 24 to 30 April

Science books

 

This world famous book in the field of physics explores the origin of our universe, including the Big Bang and black holes, and the relevance of concepts such as space and time and other forces that govern our existence.

Author: Stephen Hawking

Originally published: 1988

Uncle Tungsten was a producer of tungsten-filament lightbulbs who ignited Oliver Sacks’ interest in chemistry, especially chemical reactions and the periodic table. This book is a fascinating story about scientific discoveries and inspiration during childhood.

Author: Oliver Sacks

Originally published: 2001

A brief history of time

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a chemical boyhood

Technology books

A young boy, who is the outcome of genetic experiments, possesses great tactical skills playing computer games. This may be just what mankind has been waiting for in order to fight back against invasive alien species.

Author: Orson Scott Card

Originally published: 1985

This futuristic science-fiction describes the technical evolution of robots that are originally developed in order to serve humans. However, they eventually become so advanced that humans become obsolete.

Author: Isaac Asimov

Originally published: 1950

Ender's Game

I, Robot

Engineering books

Engineers can see a structure where there is none in place, possessing the ability to turn problems into solutions and solutions. This book collects narratives and case studies to show how engineering is used to innovate, standardise and optimise.

Author: Guru Madhavan

Originally published: 2015

This book is a collection of 25 entertaining experiments and activities in engineering in everyday situations, including step-by-step instructions, expected results of each activity and simple scientific background for each experiment.

Author: Janice VanCleave

Originally published: 2007

Applied minds: How engineers think

Engineering for every kid: Easy activities that make learning science fun

Mathematics books

Robert really dislikes studying maths, but this changes when he meets the Number Devil, who appears in Robert’s dreams to teach him maths and inspire him. With the help of the Number Devil, Robert gets to know fractions, geometry and other mathematic concepts.

Author: Hans Magnus Enzensberger

Originally published: 1997

Mr. Ruche receives a delivery to his house in Paris including a great number of maths books from Brazil. His parrot likes to talk about maths and together they give lessons to children. However, he soon discovers the real reason behind the delivery.

Author: Denis Guedj

Originally published: 1998

The number devil: a mathematical adventure

The Parrot's Theorem

STEM Discovery Week IN NUMBERS

SDW17 Infograph

This infograph demonstrates the main achievements accomplished and outreach during STEM Discovery Week 2017.

 

COMPETITIONS

‘MAKE YOUR OWN POSTER’

‘Make your own Poster’ with your favourite subjects and resources from the Scientix Resources Respository. Read more.

‘ORGANISE A STEM EVENT’

Organise or participate in an event dedicated to any STEM subject and opportunities from 24 to 30 April 2017. Read more.

‘YOUR FAVOURITE SCIENCE BOOK’

Share ideas for classroom activities in relation to selected science books and discuss them in an open forum. Read more.