What it looks like to use living books for science (Middle School) - Inspiring your students to love science through living books, Part 3 {Episode 40}

We have looked at what living books are, how to choose one, and what it looks like to use living books for science with our younger students. In this episode, we are going to wrap up the "Inspiring your students to love science through living books" session with a chat about what it looks like to use living books for science during the middle school years.

Hi, I’m Paige Hudson and you are listening to the Tips for Homeschool Science Show where we are breaking down the lofty concepts of science into building blocks you can use in your homeschool!

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Highlights

Basically, when you use living books for science with middle school students, you will:

• Read and enjoy
• Expect written work
• Add-in relevant non-fiction books
• Do Experiments 

Goals for elementary science education are relatively simple.

• To begin to train the student’s brain to think analytically about the facts of science.
• To familiarize the student with the basics of the scientific method through inquiry-based methods.
• To continue to feed the student with information about the world around them.

When you are teaching science to middle school students, you want to include the following:

• Experiments – Experiment are more student-led than the demonstrations you used during the elementary years.
• Information – The students need a way to gather the facts they need to know. Again, living books with a science bent definitely fit the bill here!
• Writing – Basically, you want a way to record what the students are learning. This can take the form of summaries or outlines during these years.
• The Science Project – Middle school students should begin doing a yearly science fair project.
• Extras – If you want to give quizzes or tests, the middle school years are a good time to begin. You can also have the students do a bit of Internet research and related activities to round things out if they are seeking more.

A Sample Week for Middle School Students

• Day 1 – Living Books and Writing
• Day 2 – Living Books and Writing
• Day 3 – Experiment and Writing
• Day 4 and 5 - Add in some Optional Extras 

Takeaway Tidbits

Middle school students are full of unorganized information from the elementary years. (Pin this Tidbit)

When you read living books with the older crowd your main focus is to feed them with important facts in a memorable way. (Pin this Tidbit)

Additional Resources 

See the full conference session - Inspiring your students to love science through living books.

Check out the following articles for more tips on living books and middle school students:

• How to use living books with middle school students
• Writing in Homeschool Science: Middle School and Beyond
• Nature study with middle schoolers
• A list of living books for high school