Synergy: Scopes Monkey Trial

The SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL challenged the Butler Act prohibiting the teaching of human evolution in schools. Science teacher John Scopes (1900-1970) agreed to become the defendant in the test case pitting science against religion. He was found guilty and the act remained in place until 1967.

Read the recently published nonfiction book for middle grades, then learn more at the websites:

THE MONKEY TRIAL: JOHN SCOPES AND THE BATTLE OVER TEACHING EVOLUTION by Anita Sanchez is a well-researched, nonfiction book for middle grades examining what became known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. Weaving primary sources with engaging narrative, Sanchez focuses on the teacher who stood up for the rights of students to learn. The book stresses that the conflict between science and religion continues today. ARC courtesy of Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

JOHN SCOPES is a short article from PBS about the teacher and trial.

To read the article, go to https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/monkeytrial-john-scopes/.

THE SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL from In Search of History weaves photos and historical footage into a video about the trial.

To watch the video, go to https://youtu.be/bdD9vi4koUw.

The SCOPE “MONKEY” TRIAL from the State bar of Georgia shares an animated video about the famous trial.

To watch the video, go to https://youtu.be/YdqnwRwbb4Q.

Timely Take-Aways for Life-Long Learning

Several new works of nonfiction explore the long history of planet Earth including the relatively recent impact of humans and other animals. Each provides a unique perspective and context for investigation.

A Brief History of Earth

Andrew H. Knoll, Apr 2021, Custom House, an imprint of Harper Collins

Themes: Natural history, Science, Earth science

A BRIEF HISTORY OF EARTH takes readers on a 4.6 billion-year journey through the science of our planet with chapters exploring the chemical, physical, biological, oxygen, animal, green, catastrophic, and human Earth. Of particular note are the excellent illustrations, conversational writing style, and balance of anecdotes with facts.

Take-aways: Educators will find the connections to climate change useful within the larger context of earth history. This book would be a good choice for an AP content-area reading assignment.

A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth

Henry Gee, Nov 2021, St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan

Themes: Natural history, Life science, Evolution

A (VERY) SHORT HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH provides a quick overview of how life evolved on Earth in a dozen short chapters. The first seven chapters explore early life, to dinosaurs leaving five chapters for mammals, primates and human evolution.

Take-aways: This primer on evolution would be of particular interest to science students and teachers seeking an engaging work of nonfiction for leisure reading.

A Natural History of the Future: What the Laws of Biology Tell Us About the Destiny of the Human Species

Rob Dunn, Nov 2021, Basic Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group

Themes: Natural history, Nature, Ecology

A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FUTURE explains how Earth has become a human ecosystem. Focusing on ecology and evolution, the author skillfully explains the history of humans and their impact, climate change, and the need for action.

Take-aways: Educators will find the timely topics useful in curriculum updates.

A History of the World in 100 Animals

Simon Barnes, May 2022, Pegasus Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster

Themes: World history, Animals

A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 100 ANIMALS explores dozens of animals that have had a close relationship with humans across the millennia. From the honeybee to the giant squid, Barnes examines the connection between humans and the other creatures that inhabit the Earth. Each animal is presented through a short, conversational essay.

Take-aways: This interdisciplinary work blends history, culture, art, and life science. Of particular note are the outstanding full-color illustrations, short quotes from literature, and engaging anecdotes that bring the animals to life. Students of all ages enjoy learning about animals. Educators will find fascinating examples to engage students across the curriculum. Use an animal essay as a springboard to inquiry or writing.

Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb

Synergy: Eons

Eons are chunks of time used to mark key events in the history of Earth including the history of life on our planet. Eons are the largest division of time and are subdivided into eras, periods, epochs, and ages.

Read the recently published informational picture book, then learn more at the YouTube Channel:

OUT OF THE BLUE written by Elizabeth Shreeve and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon describes how animals evolved from prehistoric seas. Each two page spread explores an eon, period, or era. The simple, accurate text along with the colorful illustrations and diagrams provide an effective introduction to the evolution of living things. The author skillfully weaves questions and answers into the narrative to bring together key concepts.

Eons is a YouTube Channel from PBS Digital Studios exploring the history of life on Earth. The episode, THE SEARCH FOR THE EARLIEST LIFE shares information about the earliest life on earth. Other videos explore topics related to the evolution of plants and animals through the eons.

To visit the channel, go to https://www.youtube.com/c/eons.
To watch the video, go to https://youtu.be/uCVnRIP3pIk.

ARC courtesy of Candlewick Press.

Synergy: Moths and Natural Selection

The Peppered Moth is an example of evolutionary biology. The frequency of dark-colored moths increased as a result of the air pollution from coal plants during the Industrial Revolution.

Read the recently published a science picture book, then learn more at the website:

MOTH by Isabel Thomas and Daniel Egneius explores the science of natural selection and evolution using the peppered moth as an example.      

The Story of the Peppered Moth from SciShow Kids is a short video that explores the peppered moth and natural selection.

SciShow Kids  AZZ

https://youtu.be/jD8w3SOlYOk

ARC courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

Digital Collection: Darwin Online

DARWIN ONLINE

Contents: This website contains the largest collection of resources related to Darwin in the world. The collection includes Darwin’s complete publications, private papers, manuscripts, and other materials.

Classroom Connections: From reading the origin texts to exploring his many diagrams, maps, and photographs, students will enjoy diving into the world of Charles Darwin. Use the materials along with the nonfiction narrative Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman to bring his works alive. Or, ask students to compare the graphic adaptation of On the Origin of Species by Michael Keller to the original text.

Featured Digital Objects:
Publications - http://darwin-online.org.uk/contents.html
Manuscripts - http://darwin-online.org.uk/manuscripts.html
Illustrations - http://darwin-online.org.uk/graphics/illustrations.html

To visit the collection, http://darwin-online.org.uk/.

Book Review: Grandmother Fish

GRANDMOTHER FISH: A CHILD’S FIRST BOOK OF EVOLUTION by Jonathan Tweet explores the concept of evolution using easy to understand examples.

The picture book introduces each branch on the tree of life with familiar examples and engages readers through active questioning. The consistent format, colorful illustrations, and predictable approach contribute to the book’s appeal.

The end notes include an evolutionary tree of life, science notes for parents, and ideas for explaining natural selection to children.

Librarians will find this well-written book to be a useful addition to the primary grade science curriculum. Involve students in exploring a branch of the evolutionary tree of life and create a mural in the library.

To learn more about the book and author, go to http://www.grandmotherfish.com/.

Published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan on September 6, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Living Fossils

LIVING FOSSILS: CLUES TO THE PAST by Caroline Arnold is a fascinating informational picture book for children.

From dragonflies to horseshoe crabs, living fossils are plants or animals that resemble their ancient relatives. The author weaves together a nonfiction narrative that introduces readers to six examples comparing the world now and then. Inset boxes provide details about adaptations and how these species survived.

The book concludes with a timeline, descriptions, a glossary, and resources.

Librarians will find that fans of fossils, dinosaurs, and science will be drawn to this fascinating work of nonfiction. Andrew Plant’s high-quality illustrations add to the appeal.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.carolinearnoldbooks.com/.

Published by Charlesbridge on February 2, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World

EYE TO EYE: HOW ANIMALS SEE THE WORLD by Steve Jenkins applies astounding collage techniques to produce an informational picture book that will fly off the shelves.

Fans of Steve Jenkins of WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS? will enjoy his focus on eye sight in animals. While younger readers will be drawn to the appealing images, older children will enjoy the informational aspects of this book. The accurate, detailed focus on the special features of each animal will be useful to both students working on reports and teachers seeking interesting examples for class. Additional details about each animal are found at the end of the book.

Of particular interest is the way Jenkins traces the evolution of the eye. Look for the chart showing the evolutionary process.

Although the collage illustrations are amazing, design an activity that asks children to compare the collage images with photographs of each creature. The book along with close-up eye photographs would be fun for a library display.

Go to the author’s website to learn more about the books. Be sure to check out the section on making books. Go to http://www.stevejenkinsbooks.com/