the history of science

I was hesitant to start A Really Short History of Nearly Everything because it does look so much like a textbook, and the last thing I want to do in my spare time is read another textbook. But, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was easy to read, and I could read it in small chunks. Because there was no plot to the book, rather it was a collection of small “vignettes” and it did read like a slightly more entertaining textbook, I ended up reading it in five minute intervals throughout the week. I definitely appreciated this because I could read an entire “story” in the book while I was waiting on a bus or something like that.

My two areas of specialization in the program are science and social studies, so this book was a perfect mixture for me. It told “stories”/ the history of how scientists and researchers came to the conclusions they did. I also liked that in many of the stories, it discussed the implications of their findings on the rest of the world. The history side of me was fascinated by the background given and the science side of me loved reading how everything worked. The book itself was also entertaining to look at because of all of the illustrations. It was much less intimidating to pick this book up because I knew that it wasn’t just text, but I could get through it so quickly.

I also couldn’t help but put my “teacher hat” on while reading through this book. I’m genuinely excited to have added this book to my personal and someday classroom library. It is a great supplemental text and the ideas are explained in simple enough terms that students could use it as a quick review over the subject matter we are learning about. Like I said, it would also be less intimidating for them to have to read over a couple of pages in this book rather than reading a chapter out of a regular textbook when it comes down to reviewing.

All of that being said, I don’t think that I’m going to run home every day from school to open this book up, but I am really excited to own such a valuable resource that I can bring into my classroom someday. This book is a great example of why I was originally excited about this literacy across curriculum class. I wanted practical resources and example activities for my future classroom. While I absolutely LOVED The City of Ember, The People of Sparks (I recommended them to everyone I know) and I greatly appreciate Charles and Emma for what it made me re-think through, I don’t think that I would use these books in my classroom curriculum because I’m not sure of how I can use my time effectively enough to have book discussions in a science classroom while also trying to cover all the material/ standards I can. This book however, will absolutely stay with me in the classroom!

Neither a Hero Nor a Villain.

Evolution is a tricky subject that many people are still trying to figure out for themselves. As a graduate student, I am still not sure where I stand on the spectrum of evolutionary thought. I would consider myself a Christian, and I have grown up with the label of “Jesus freak” through all of high school and undergrad. I still wear that title proudly. That being said, I have never even given a second thought to evolution, and Darwin in general until this year. To be honest, the only reason that I have thought more about these topics this year is that I know as a future science teacher, I know that I will have to have some sort of opinion, and I need to understand how to be unbiased in my presentation of the Theory of Evolution. I know that I want my students to be able to form their own opinions, and I want to display many different sides to the evolution debate. I want my students to know that it does not have to be a battle of science vs. religion. So, Darwin has never been a person that I thought much about. I have had a picture in my head of what he was like: a cranky old man who had bad experiences with religion and was nothing more than bitter towards the church. In the novel Charles and Emma my preconceived notion was proven wrong.

As the book portrayed Charles Darwin as a devoted husband, loving father, and avid scholar, I could not help but have respect for him. In a time of raising children to be a job of the nanny and housekeeper, I love that Charles and Emma raised their children on their own and it was evident throughout the book how much they dearly loved their children. How much of this was true to his personality, and how much was added to this biography for the sake of literature? One very small part of the book that really struck me was that Charles Darwin answered every letter he got about The Origin of Species. The book states that he “took each letter seriously” including the letters he received from critics (195). My respect for Darwin has definitely increased after reading all of this. He was much kinder than I had ever pictured him being.

While I am glad that I did read this book because it opened my mind to the idea of Charles Darwin in general, I did not like the book at all. I thought it was uninteresting and extremely slow. I can appreciate what the author has done with it, and I see the purpose of the book, but I can honestly say that I would not have wanted to read this as a middle school student in the least. I think that I will remember this book to tell students about in the future so that if they are questioning similar things that I struggled with (thinking that Darwin was a horribly bitter man…) then I would advise them to read this in order to gain a fresher opinion of him, but I would never ask students to read this book for a class. Had I not had to think about this topic just last semester, I would have been frustrated to read this book. I think that the topic of evolution is a touchy one and a difficult one to comprehend. So, I think that students should not have to read this unless they are seeking the information on their own.

I appreciate this book for many reasons. One of these reasons is that in the book, there are multiple excerpts from Darwin’s journals and notes. From a scientific mindset, it is interesting to see how Charles Darwin took notes and observed things even from his own children. Even if people do not agree with Darwin’s thoughts, it is undeniable that he has contributed so much to science and was good at what he did. I also like that Emma played such a strong role in the book. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it would have been for her to love someone who had opposing views to hers about religion, and I have a very high respect for her. In the past, Charles Darwin has been represented either as a hero (to the scientific community) or as a villain (to the religious world) and I liked how this book made him a person. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a mad who had thoughts, made observations, fell in love, and had connections within the scientific community.

As a reader, there were many points in the book that I struggled through. As a historian, I appreciated the references to everyday life, living with the reality of illness, and even historical events and people such as Jane Austen, the craze of séances, and Lyell. And as a future science teacher, I very much appreciate the book Charles and Emma.

Reference:

Heiligman, Deborah. (2009). Charles and Emma The Darwins’ Leap of Faith. New York:

Square Fish.

The City of Ember and The People of Sparks by: Jeanne DuPrau

I’m really surprised that I hadn’t ever read these novels before. I love reading books about dystopian futures, and I thought that I had read as many of the young adult literature I could find on them. My sister and I have been on the lookout for a new series once we finished The Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner. So, I was surprised to know that this series had been out for a while. (Ironically enough, my younger sister had already read them and forgot to tell me about them).

Overall, I really enjoyed the books. They were really entertaining and I think that lots of middle school students could relate to the characters in many ways. From Lina’s desire for adventure, or Doon’s search for importance in society, middle school students seem to crave these feelings as well. I really liked how they shared the “protagonist” role within the storyline because it serves to not alienate a gender. Both male and female students can find someone to relate to. I think it was also crucial that at different points during the book, both characters had feelings of being useless and felt as if they were not listened to: either as Lina told the guards about what the mayor was really up to, or Doon trying to convince the people of Sparks that he did not ruin all of the tomatoes. As a future teacher, I really want to make a point to let my students know that they are heard and their opinions are important. I never want my students to feel powerless, or that they don’t have potential.

This book could also be a quality tool for encouraging students to build friendships. Not only do Doon and Lina build a friendship, but because of this relationship, they save their entire town twice during these two novels. It is definitely a story of how important those relationships are. There is a strong need of cooperation and a sense that everyone has a purpose. Another interesting theme that I picked out of it was that everyone has a talent. Throughout both books, it seemed that every character either found something that they enjoyed doing/ were talented at, or it stated it very clearly. For example, Doon discussed how much he loved bugs and looking at the microscopic world. Mrs. Murdo discovered that she wanted to help with Doctor Hester because she enjoyed learning from her throughout People of Sparks. Lina loved to run and explore new places; she loved her family (Poppy and Mrs. Murdo); and she enjoyed drawing and being creative. Even the librarian, Edward Pocket, had a place in the city of Sparks.

I think that I would like for my students to read these novels in my classroom someday, but I don’t really know how I could best do that in a science classroom. One idea could be to have them read these books while we begin studying electricity and they could construct a similar project that Doon puts together at the end of People of Sparks. But, I’d definitely recommend these books to people to read. I really enjoyed them!

I'm a digital native.

I had actually seen the first video that we watched in class before. Surprisingly, I was more upset by the information that was portrayed this time than I was the first time. As a high school graduate in 2007, I felt like I connected quite a bit with some of the people who were interviewed during the video, in particular, Cam Skinner. I am the oldest of four kids, with parents who have always been incredibly supportive and involved in my life. As a high school student, I was able to navigate my way around the internet safely, but my parents had no idea that I had a separate email address than the one they knew about, nor did they know that I was on AIM for every second that I was on the computer (my dad tends to resist technology at every chance he can get... I didn't have texting until I was a freshman in college, and he's still refusing to buy and iPhone). My dad had told me multiple times that "the internet could be very dangerous" so that was why we weren't allowed to have screen names. I took it personally and thought he didn't trust me. So, naturally, I hid that entire part of my life. If I didn't have AIM, then I would have missed out on so much socialization, and information from people in my class. Socialization and information that impacted my high school career. It was definitely frustrating at the time, and I do understand that my parents were trying to look out for me. But, I stand by my thought process at the time. I was, and am fully capable of knowing what is safe on the internet, and what is not. Of course, safety should still be taught to students, but because kids are growing up with it now, I do agree with the video that it has become second nature. There is no need to freak out and interfere with everyone's life like Cam's mom did in the video. I am a digital native, and I think its important that we trust other digital natives (our students) with the internet as well.