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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT ENERGY- Loreen Leedy

As an elementary teacher, I often find myself in umm, unusual, situations. Take yesterday, for instance. One of the fifth graders at our school is very interested in science. When he finishes his work, he often heads for the computer or science table. Over the weekend, his teacher found a kit of experiments about solar power. G decided he would try to work through the 150 experiments in the book. When he he needed an adult to take him outside, I was pressed into service. And so I found myself squatting on the ground, in a dress, holding onto a solar panel, while he connected wires from the solar panel to a fan. And trying to answer questions about how solar power converts to electrical power. (If that was, in fact, what it was doing???)

I wish I would have had THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT ENERGY. It's chock full of great information, and would have been really helpful in talking with my friend, the solar scientist. Each two page spread in this book focuses on a different type of energy-- muscle power, fossil fuels, hydroelectric power, solar power, wind power, water power, and even plant power. Cartoon-like illustrations, complete with talking appliances, explain how that particular type of power is generated, and also detail positive and negatives. The final few pages are devoted to spelling out how children can do their part in saving energy and keeping the world green. Three pages of detailed authors' notes give additional information about the topic.

A really nice resource for a science classroom!

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