How Do You Know It’s Summer?

Yes. In each section of the book, there are prompts to encourage students to explore summer on their own and analyze what they have found. These could also be great ideas for teachers to help students develop their observation skills by looking as a class for signs of summer outside the school.

Author: Ruth Owen
Illustrator: Emma Randall
Year Published: 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61772-399-5

Summary

This book is a beautiful exploration of the different signs of summer we see all around us. It includes sections discussing temperature, the length of days during summer, migration, changes in plants, and common critters we might see during the summer months.

Evaluation

Appropriateness: High
Authority: Medium
Accuracy: High
Liteary Artistry: High
Appearance: High

Questions

Does the book foster development of processes?

Does the book provide an opportunity for children to ask and answer their own questions?

Yes, there is a glossary at the back of the book with vocabulary words children might come across while reading. There are also additional facts about Summer on each page that may answer students' additional questions.

Does the book encourage children to think for themselves?

While there is no explicit encouragement, the book does have resources at the end for further exploration, and the photographs included in the story allow students to wonder about the why and how of the signs of summer depicted.

Is the science topic addressed in ways that are appropriate to the lesson?

This book could be used to have a general lesson on Summer as well as look at how living things are affected by Summer. Overall, it does address the topic of signs of summer.

Is the content based on sound scientific principles? Is it accurate?

Yes, the content is based on scientific principles. The book discusses what happens to plants and animals during the summer, as well as the difference in temperature and the number of daylight hours, however, it seems to skim over each item to provide a broad overview. While the concepts it includes are accurate, they might need additional clarification from a teacher to prevent reinforcing misconceptions students have about the reason why we experience summer.

Does the book distinguish between fact and fiction?

It does not need to distinguish between fact and fiction because it is a nonfiction book.

Are the illustrations clear and accurate?

Yes, the illustrations are made up of real photographs of people, plants, and animals during summer time.

Is the book written at the level of your students?

Yes, this book would serve as a great read aloud for younger grades as well as be a great way for older kids to explore summer on their own during independent reading time.

Is there a multicultural component? Is it free from stereotyping?

The photographs of people are multicultural because they show white and black people of both genders and multiple age groups. This book is free from stereotyping because there are no characters.

Is the book free from gender bias?

Yes, there are no characters and both genders are depicted in the photographs.

Does the book show the close association between science and other disciplines?

This book primarily focuses on science with little relation to other disciplines, however, the activities in the book encourage students to use some math (counting), art (drawing what summer looks like), and writing skills (writing down observations).

Does the book present a positive attitude toward science and technology?

Yes. In each section, there is a prompt for the reader to further explore summer on their own through scientific investigation. At the end of the book, there are additional resources (books and a website) for students to explore if they want to learn more about summer.

Science Topics

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