Skeletons

Yes, throughout the book it progresses from what your bones are, and what each of your bones can do. This can help students learn all about the different bones in their body, what they're called, and how they can help the rest of the body. It continues to get more specific to each bone with every page.

• Author: Lily Wood
• Illustrator: None
• Year Published: 2001
• ISBN: 0439295866

Science Topics

• Life Science

Minimum Suggested Grade Level

• 1st Grade

Maximum Suggested Grade Level

• 4th Grade

Summary

"Your skeleton is amazing. It protects your soft insides and helps you run, walk, and swim. Without your skeleton, you'd be a shapeless blob! Learn all about the hundreds of bones that make up your skeleton in this book full of facts and photographs." This book goes over all the things your bones can do, what bones you have, what they're made of, and how we can take care of them.

Evaluation

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

Questions

Does the book foster development of processes?

Yes, throughout the book it progresses from what your bones are, and what each of your bones can do. This can help students learn all about the different bones in their body, what they're called, and how they can help the rest of the body. It continues to get more specific to each bone with every page.

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

No it does not. There are no explicit questions that children could answer, instead, the book gives the information on each page with an accompanying picture. Children who read this book could ask questions when looking at the pictures on each page, and most likely the text could answer it.

Does the book encourage children to think for themselves?

Yes, it does. Children are able to read the text and be able to connect it to their own life. "Hitting your 'funny bone' usually isn't funny at all. This area isn't even a separate bone. It is actually the end of the ulna...So, you may cry instead of laughing!" Children are able to connect with both the text and pictures and think about their own bodies and lives.

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

Yes! This book is all about the skeletons in our bodies, and the book stays on focus by giving all kinds of facts about the different bones in our bodies on each page. With every page, there's a new bone topic discusses, such as what a bone is made of, the skull, the vertebrae, phalanges, and more.

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

Yes and yes. This book is filled with facts about skeletons, both living and nonliving, and people of all ages. It also has a glossary and index to further understand the vocabulary words and where they might be in the book.

Does the book distinguish between fact and fiction?

This book is all facts about the skeleton, and all of the pictures are "real life" pictures as well. Because of this, this can help students further understand that this book is factual and an informational text. Each of the bone pictures and people in the book are real.

Are the illustrations clear and accurate?

There are no illustrations, because there's only real life pictures they show. These pictures include bones under x-ray lights, parts of a skeleton, and how different people use the bones in their bodies. These pictures are clearly understandable, and accurate because they are real pictures.

Is the book written at the level of your students?

I think overall yes. It does have some tricky vocabulary words that aren't seen very often (such as phalanges, cartilage, and metacarpals. What is helpful is that the author will sometimes write out words along with how they sound. For example, "Metacarpals (met-uh-car-pulz) are the long, thin bones of your palm."

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

A multicultural component is not seen in the text. However, in the real life pictures children are show of most ethnic backgrounds and cultures. With each picture, the students are doing different active things involved their bones. Overall, I noticed a variety in the types of children show, and there was no stereotyping in the pictures.

Is the book free from gender bias?

Yes, this book is free from gender bias. Throughout the pictures, there is a variety of boys and girls dressed different and doing different actions, such as riding a bike, doing gymnastics, kicking a soccer ball, and more. Both genders are present in the book.

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

Though I didn't see any close associations between this book and other disciplines rather than science, I think you are able to connect it with writing. Students could explore the book and use the vocabulary words they learned in the book to further write about skeletons and the bones in their body.

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

This book does present a positive attitude towards science, and it does this by giving many facts about the bones and showing voice throughout the book. It also gives an index and glossary at the end of the book, which further helps students have access to understanding. It also included pictures from x-rays of different bones, which shows a positive attitude towards technology.