Favorite earth science books and resources?

[Narrow Gate Academy]

You gals gave me such great idea the others when I asked about the human body that I thought I'd ask about earth science for next year as well. Again this would be for a 5th, 3rd, and K tagging along. Thanks.

[mcconnellboys]

Here's a list of books I used for grammar stage, along with Science in a Nutshell Rock Origins, activity pages from McGraw Hill's Complete book of Science 1/2 and 3/4, etc. I did use the Visual Factfinders as spines, but any other earth or space science encyclopedia could be plugged in, instead, or the books could be used with no spine at all.

I also have my schedule worked out for logic stage, but it includes a lot more written work. I'm basing it around the MS Nucleus earth science website programming - so that's my "spine" for logic stage, if you will. It's too long to post, but if you'll email me, I'm happy to send it to you.

Planet Earth – 18 weeks

Sections:

Our Planet: 2 weeks (2 spreads each week, plus experiments and other reading)
The Land 4 weeks (3 spreads each of first three weeks and 2 the last w/exp., etc.)
Water 3 weeks (2 spreads first two weeks and 1 the last)
Weather and Climate 3 weeks (2 spreads each week)
Landscapes 3 weeks (2 spreads each week)
Past, Present, Future 3 weeks (2 spreads first two weeks and one the last)

Extra reading tied to various spreads:

The Earth in Space -

Earth and Space, Susan Mayes and Sophy Tahta
Earth Picturepedia pages 6-9
You’re Aboard Spaceship Earth

Gravity and the Earth –

Autumn Across America
Spring Across America
Winter Across America
all by Seymour Simon
Let’s Explore Seasons and Weather

The Structure of the Earth –

Magic School Bus: Inside the Earth
Picturepedia pages 10-11

Land, Water, and Air –

Magic School Bus: Waterworks

Earthquakes –

Kids’ Science – experiments from earth section
Danger! Earthquakes, S. Simon
Danger from Below: Earthquakes Past, Present and Future, Simon
Earthquakes, Simon
Picturepedia pages 16-17

Volcanoes –

Volcanoes, Simon
Volcanoes and Other Natural Disasters
Picturepedia pages 14-15

Plate Tectonics –

Usborne What’s The Earth Made Of?
Picturepedia pages 12-13

Mountains –

Mountains, S. Simon

Rocks –

The Rockhound’s Book, S. Simon
Let’s Go Rock Collecting
Picturepedia pages 18-19

Minerals and Gems –

Rocks and Minerals at Your Fingertips
Picturepedia pages 20-21

Frozen in Time –

Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs
New Questions and Answers About Dinosaurs, S. Simon
Picturepedia pages 22-23
Other dinosaur books listed on reading list, including easy readers
Archaeologists Dig for Clues

Shaping the Earth –

One Small Square: Cave
Picturepedia pages 24-25
Caves: Hidden Worlds (A First Discovery Book – Scholastic)

The Work of Ice –

Icebergs and Glaciers, S. Simon
Picturepedia pages 30-31

Oceans and Seas –

How to be an Ocean Scientist in Your own Home, S. Simon
Magic School Bus: Ocean Floor
Kids’ Science – experiments from water section

The Life of the Ocean –

Oceans, Simon
What Makes an Ocean Wave?
Usborne What’s Under the Sea?
Picturepedia pages 26-27

The Seashore –

One Small Square: Seashore
Picturepedia pages 28-29

Rivers –

The River: A First Discovery Book (Scholastic)
Picturepedia pages 32-33

Lakes and Swamps –

One Small Square: Swamp and Pond

The Atmosphere –

Kids’ Science – experiments from air section
Weather, Simon
Weather: A First Discovery Book (Scholastic)
Eyewitness Explorer: Weather
Picturepedia pages 36-37

Climate –

Picturepedia pages 38-39

Winds and Storms –

Magic School Bus: Inside a Hurricane
Magic School Bus: Electric Field Trip (?)
Lightning, Simon
Storms, Simon
Tornadoes
Why Does Lightning Strike? Questions About Weather
Picturepedia pages 42-45

The Types of Clouds –

Picturepedia pages 40-41

Rain and Snow –

This is the Rain

The Changing Scene –

A Handful of Soil, Simon (includes soil experiments, I think)
One Small Square: Backyard
Usborne What’s Under the Ground?

Polar Regions and the Tundra –

One Small Square: Arctic Tundra

Temperate Woodland –

One Small Square: Woods

Grasslands –

One Small Square: African Savannah

Deserts –

One Small Square: Cactus Desert
Deserts, Simon
Picturepedia pages 34-35

Tropical Rain Forests –

One Small Square: Tropical Rainforests

Natural Resources: Energy –

Magic School Bus: Water and Electricity books? If not used previously….

Conservation –

Picturepedia pages 46-47


Stars and Planets – 18 weeks

Sections:

Cosmic Time and The Solar System – 9 weeks
(3 spreads week 1 and 2 spreads other 8 weeks, with experiments)
Beyond the Solar System – 1 week, three spreads, with exps.
The Stars – 3 weeks, 2 spreads per week, w/ exps.
Observing the Skies – 2 weeks, 2 spreads per week w/ exps.
Space Exploration – 3 weeks, 2 spreads per week w/ exps.

Extra reading listed by spread:

A Timescale of the Universe –

How to be a Space Scientist in Your own Home, Simon
The Universe

Beginnings –

Kids’ Science – experiments from sky section
Destination: Space, Simon
Our Solar System, Simon
Space Picturepedia pages 26-27
The Earth and Sky: A First Discovery Book (Scholastic)

The Sun –

Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System
The Sun, Simon
I Didn’t Know That the Sun is a Star

The Planets –

The Long Look Into Space, Simon
The Planets in our Solar System
Looking at the Planets

Mercury –

Mercury, Simon

Venus –

Venus, Simon

The Moon –

The Moon, Simon
The Moon Book

The Earth and the Moon –

Earth, Our Planet in Space, Simon

Mars –

Mars, Simon

Jupiter –

Destination, Jupiter
Jupiter, Simon

Saturn –

Saturn, Simon

Uranus –

Uranus, Simon

Neptune –

Neptune, Simon

Minor Planets and Meteoroids –

Comets, Meteors and Asteroids, Simon

Comets –

The Long Journey From Space, Simon

The Milky Way –

Eyewitness Explorer: Night Sky
One Small Square: Night Sky
Mysterious Lights and Other Cases, Simon
Night Sky Sticker Book (DK)

Clusters and Superclusters –

Galaxies, Simon

The Life of a Star –

Stars, Simon
Star Walk, Simon (poetry)
Stargazers
Do Stars Have Points?

Extraordinary Stars –

Stars: A new way to see Them, H.A. Rey
The Starry Sky
Picturepedia pages 40-41
Discovering the Stars

The Moving Sky –

Space Picturepedia pages 6-9

The Constellations –

Find the Constellations, H.A. Rey
Look to the Night Sky: An Introduction to Star Watching, Simon

Optical Astronomy –

Picturepedia pages 38-39

A Rocket to the Moon –

Can You Hear a Shout in Space?
I Didn’t Know That you can Jump Higher on the Moon
Picturepedia pages 10-11, 14-15, 22-25
Moonwalk: The First Trip to the Moon

Artificial Earth Satellites –

Picturepedia pages 18-21

Space Probes –

Space Sticker Book (DK)

Life in Space –

Picturepedia pages 12-13

Space Shuttles and Space Stations –

Picturepedia pages 16-17

The Future in Space –

Picturepedia pages 42-47


Hope you find some things you can use,

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Thanks for the great list Regena! Anyone else have some favorites?

[ummtafari]

Here is a list of resources that I was given when I asked.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74266

[Makita]

We are just beginning a unit study on Earth Science ... I created a Squidoo Lens to organize all the resources I've found. There are links to printables and lesson plans.

Geology Rocks! (http://www.squidoo.com/GeologyRocks)

I'll be adding to it as we go forward. I hope you can find something there of use.

:D