Table Of ContentPage i
Exploring Science in the Library
Resources and Activities for Young People
Edited by
Maria Sosa
and
Tracy Gath
Page ii
Cover by Tessing Design
Text design by Dianne M. Rooney
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Materials, ANSI Z39.481992.
Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data
Exploring science in the library : resources and activities for young people / edited by Maria
Sosa and Tracy Gath.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0838907687
1. Elementary school libraries—United States. 2. Libraries—United States—Special
collections—Science. 3. Science—Study and teaching (Elementary)—United States.
I. Sosa, Maria. II. Gath, Tracy.
Z675.S3E97 1999
027.8'222—dc21 9941496
Copyright © 2000 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except those which may be granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision
Act of 1976.
Printed in the United States of America.
04 03 02 01 00 5 4 3 2 1
Page iii
Contents
Foreword v
Shirley Malcom
Introduction vii
1 1
Science, Mathematics, and Technology (SMT) Education Reform
Jerry Bell
2 16
Selecting Science Books for Children
Maria Sosa
3 25
Meeting the Content Standards with K8 Science Tradebooks
Terrence E. Young And Colleen Salley
4 67
Selecting Excellent Science Media
Tracy Gath
5 107
Using the Internet to Develop Science Literacy
Maria Sosa
6 131
InquiryBased Learning in the Library
Maria Sosa
7 161
FundRaising for Science Activities in the Library
Maria Sosa
8 181
Partnerships to Promote Science Activities in the Library
Maria Sosa
9 189
Science Project Ideas for Libraries and School Media Centers
Mary Chobot, Barbara Holton, And Maria Sosa
Page iv
Appendix 225
About the AAAS Science Library Institute
Contributors 229
Index 231
Page v
Foreword
Those of us who were trained in science tend to see science everywhere. We are usually surprised that others don't see the world of science as we do and
disappointed that science is not fully integrated into our general culture. For example, a flick of a switch produces light in our living rooms, but the physics that creates
electricity remains elusive to far too many people. So it is with the Internetmost users take its presence for granted, not understanding the complex blend of science,
mathematics, and technology that has fostered its widespread availability.
Movies and television often reflect our popular culture, but the contributions of scientists and engineers rarely appear as themes. Sciencerelated books are not major
components of English classes, although expository materials comprise the majority of reading required in most work settings.
Librarians can help make science more prominent in our culture by including science among the materials made available to children and by exposing children to
scientific themes and ideas through a variety of media, including, and especially, good science tradebooks.
My own experience has led me to believe that early exposure to science will produce an appreciation that carries over into adulthood. I am probably involved in
science today because of Sputnik. The launch of this satellite by the then Soviet Union sparked a massive reform of American science and mathematics education.
Curricula were updated and made more rigorous. Teachers received extensive professional development opportunities. More science and nature books for children
were published. The goal was to produce more scientists and engineers, and the clarion call was heard across the United Stateseven in my segregated, resourcepoor
elementary school in Birmingham, Alabama. But of all these resources, none was more important to me than books and libraries.
In the late 1950s, Birmingham had only two commercial television stations and the talking heads of early educational television; neither provided real science coverage.
Radio broadcasts were limited to music and occasional dramas. Thus, books became my source of adventure and information; they opened up the world beyond
Birmingham.
Page vi
Through books, I was able to meet exotic animals without going to the local zoo, which limited the days Blacks were allowed to visit. And if the nature of the planets
or stars wasn't part of my classroom experience, books made it part of my world.
From my earliest memory, books were always very important to me. At first, I bought them, saving every penny I could get my hands on, instead of getting them from
the library. In the Birmingham of my childhood, libraries were segregated, too, and not always accessible to Blacks. I was around ten years old before I found a
library that welcomed me, but it was a car ride away. Fortunately, the librarian there gave me special permission to take out ten to twelve books at a time, and I made
good use of the privilege. Books about ideas and science topics helped me build my vocabulary and reasoning skills. They linked me to the ways in which knowledge
and research can be used to solve problems and gain perspective.
The more limited options for schooling that I faced as a child placed a great deal of responsibility on me as an individual. I appreciate how that responsibility forced me
to become an independent learner at such a young age. I also believe that a more focused and coordinated set of experiences might have enabled me to come to
deeper understandings of the power of scientific ideas and thinking at an earlier age.
No singular event like Sputnik has since captured our imaginations and spurred us toward a collective will to improve education in science, mathematics, and
technology. In recent years, a lack of resources has forced many communities, especially in urban centers and rural areas, to reduce access to libraries or limit
collections. Although I was fortunate to have a home environment that supported my voracious appetite for learning, many children do not have homes where learning
is supported and where books are a regular part of their environment. But rather than focus on what is not available, we can turn our attention to the resources that we
do have to open up opportunities for young children. An upturn in the economy has prompted some communities to increase school and library budgets. We have
wonderful books, videos, software, and other resources. We have librarians who have chosen this job because of their love of books and their desire to share this
love with others. We have libraries with opportunities to expand their roles, opening new vistas for children even where their circumstances may be limited. To see to
the stars and beyond—that is the journey we must enable.
SHIRLEY M. MALCOM
HEAD, DIRECTORATE FOR EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES PROGRAMS
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
Page vii
Introduction
In the past decade, important national efforts to improve science literacy and science education have been launched. These include the American Association for the
Advancement of Science's Project 2061 as well as the National Science Education Standards of the National Academy of Science. Through Goals 2000 and
similar reports, the public has become aware of the importance of keeping our national science standards high in order to maintain our status as a worldclass
economic power. Scientific and medical breakthroughs, such as the Mission to Mars and the Human Genome Project, have captured the public's attention. All this has
increased the demand for science materials in libraries. Although schools and local governments have decreased funding for libraries during the past two decades, an
expanding economy is now encouraging many communities to increase school and library budgets. In this shifting climate, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) has focused on helping librarians leverage resources to accommodate a growing demand for science materials. Central to this focus
are two AAAS projects: the AAAS Science Library Institute and Science Books and Films (SB&F). We have drawn on the resources of these two projects to
create this book.
Exploring Science in the Library: Resources and Activities for Young People is intended to help public and school librarians develop and enhance their skills in
science, mathematics, and technology. Much of the material in this book is drawn from an earlier volume, Great Explorations: Discovering Science in the Library,
which was developed as a training manual for the AAAS Science Library Institute. The Institute sought to make libraries a focal point of school science, mathematics,
and technology (SMT) reform by combining theoretical training in education reform issues with practical training using handson science and mathematics activities.
For more informaiton about the Institute, see the Appendix of this volume.
Page viii
Exploring Science in the Library: Resources and Activities for Young People updates the content of Great Explorations and provides new information that
examines the role of the librarian in achieving highquality, standardsbased science education for our nation's youth. The book also suggests new directions for the
future. An overview of the individual chapters follows.
In chapter 1, "Science, Mathematics, and Technology (SMT) Education Reform," Jerry Bell, director of science, mathematics, and technology education programs at
AAAS, reviews five major concepts central to science education reform:
constructivism, in which science learning builds on meaning that children construct from all their experiences; this concept is similar to inquirybased learning, which
is discussed in chapter 6;
science for all, which stresses the goal of science literacy for all students;
less is more, which deemphasizes the use of technical jargon and content coverage and emphasizes deeper concept understanding;
assessment (also called authentic assessment), which allows children to demonstrate their best work and chronicles their progress; and
systemic reform, which states that curricula developers, policy makers, and teachers must all be involved in reforming science education.
In chapter 2, "Selecting Science Books for Children," SB&F editorinchief Maria Sosa discusses the issues involved in selecting effective science tradebooks that
support educational reform and address the needs of all students. She also explores the relationship between reading and science and provides concrete suggestions to
help librarians select the very best books for their collections. The chapter includes a bibliography of the best children's science books reviewed in SB&F during 1998.
In chapter 3, "Meeting the Standards with K8 Science Tradebooks," SB&F contributors Terrence E. Young Jr. and Coleen Salley discuss how librarians can
encourage the use of children's literature to integrate science reading across the curriculum. They provide an annotated bibliography of seventyfive science tradebooks
that correlate with the K8 science content standards.
Page ix
In chapter 4, "Selecting Excellent Science Media," SB&F Online editor Tracy Gath explains the process by which SB&F reviewers evaluate video and software
materials. She provides insight into ways that librarians can select highquality, effective resources that support standardsbased science learning. The chapter includes
a list of exemplary resources selected from those reviewed in SB&F.
In chapter 5, "Using the Internet to Develop Science Literacy," Maria Sosa suggests ways in which librarians can effectively utilize Internet content that supports the
developing national standards for science, technology, and mathematics content and inquiry. She lists over 100 web sites that children and young people can use to
support their science exploration, as well as websites that will help librarians enhance their own science and technology literacy skills.
In chapter 6, "InquiryBased Learning in the Library," Sosa discusses ways in which librarians can augment science instruction for students by providing informal
science activities in the library. These handson activities are not intended to replace science instruction in the classroom, but rather to provide additional opportunities
for children to explore and experience science. Sosa reviews the basic principles of inquirybased learning, provides a few sample activities, and lists additional books
and Internet sites that support inquirybased learning. Note that the two essential ingredients of constructivism (discussed in chapter 1)—a student's personal
experiences and science activities that help explain those experiences—are also the basis of inquirybased learning.
Although science programs in the library can be quite inexpensive, even the smallest expense can be a barrier for many libraries. Thus, Maria Sosa, in chapter 7,
"FundRaising for Science Activities in the Library," offers information about grant writing and about planning, justifying, and conducting a librarybased science
project. Included are addresses and guidelines for private and corporate foundations and government funders as well as strategies for writing effective grant proposals.
Maria Sosa provides information about and guidelines for forming partnerships in chapter 8, "Partnerships to Promote Science Activities in the Library." We believe
that it is critical for librarians to form partnerships and become key players in larger education reform movements. This not only serves the selfinterest of librarians and
media specialists, it also informs and enriches the education reform community with the unique experiences and perspectives of library professionals.
