The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder

This book does foster the development of processes. It goes into detail about the processes used to catch, examine, and study snow crystals and how they are formed. Additionally, at the end of the book, instructions are given for catching your own snow crystals which inspires a scientific investigation.

Author: Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson
Illustrator: Mark Cassino and Nora Aoyagi
Year Published: 2009
ISBN: 0811868664

Summary

This book examines how snow crystals are formed, they physical characteristics, and many more interesting details about how snow crystals. This book includes real photographs and diagrams of snow crystals as well as instructions for snowflake catching.

Evaluation

Appropriateness: High
Authority: High
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?

This book is packed with interesting information about snow crystals and provides information to spark questions for children. I think that many of their questions will be answered in this book but I also feel that it encourages them to do further research and study after reading.

Does the book encourage children to think for themselves?

This book does encourage students to think for themselves. I think that it fosters a lot of curiosity about this topic as well as others and leads students to form questions and their own ideas as well.

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

The topic addressed in this book could go very well with a lesson on this topic especially if students had the opportunity to conduct the experiment explained at the end of the book.

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

This book was coauthored with an expert on this topic an contains extremely detailed, accurate scientific information. It is presented in a way that encourages children to make connections with their own lives while also being accurate and relevant.

Does the book distinguish between fact and fiction?

The book describes many facts about snow and snow crystals while debunking some common misconceptions about the topic.

Are the illustrations clear and accurate?

The book includes beautiful, accurate illustrations and diagrams as well as photographs of individual snow crystals.

Is the book written at the level of your students?

This book, while it contains very detailed information about scientific processes, is still written at a level appropriate for students in that it uses appropriate language and images to aid in its explanations.

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

This book focuses mainly of the factual information about this topic. There is no stereotyping included in this book.

Is the book free from gender bias?

This book does not include any sort of gender bias. Its main focus is on conveying information about the topic and sparking interest in children to learn more about it.

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

Throughout the book, the author demonstrates how mathematics is incorporated with the study of snowflakes. It can also be easily associated with language arts.

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

This book presents a very positive attitude toward the study of science and technology. It takes a topic of interest to many children and answers and presents a variety of engaging questions that absolutely encourage the study of science.

Science Topics

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Maximum Suggested Grade Level