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Fundamental Level Science Books The three science books we reviewed are materials that have been needed at the ABE Fundamental level for a long time. These workbooks give beginning adult readers an opportunity to become more familiar with the world around them. The student books range in length from 47 to 53 pages, and a 28-page instructor's guide for the series is available. The format of these books is similar, beginning with a table of contents page followed by an introduction called How to Learn Science. Here suggestions are given that provide a variety of ways to discover the answers to the questions asked throughout the workbooks. These suggestions encourage group interaction and the use of other resources. The next page in each book begins with What's in This Book? where the area of science that will be explored is defined and a list of the activities that students will do is provided. Then the work begins! I chose to work with the astronomy book after one of my students asked me if it was true that the earth turned and if so how. By making and using the model suggested in the text, students could see how the earth moves to give us day and night on earth. We also enjoyed the work on time zones and telephones. It was wonderful having Canadian content questions. A student from Victoria made the following comment: "Liked learning about planets and stars; liked the pictures and the discussion it generated." It was suggested by an instructor who used this unit that a teacher needs a solid knowledge of the material. Fortunately, the instructor's guide does suggest a good list of resources.The ecology unit seemed more "user friendly" for both students and instructors. One teacher commented that the book was "wholeheartedly enjoyed" by her students. She went on to say that they used the videos and took the suggested field trip. "The worksheets that went with the videos," she wrote, "were very effective and allowed students to practice listening and observation skills, which they found very useful." I particularly liked the fact the ecology book provided a wide range of activities such as webbing, using clone procedures, graphing, diagram labeling and classifying. I also liked the extensive information provided, the effective introduction of new vocabulary, and the clear reporting format. The biology book is relevant and would be interesting to students. It uses activities that are fun and engaging. Unfortunately, to make full use of the book instructors need access to microscopes, something we don't always have. These three books provide Fundamental level students an introduction to basic scientific concepts, vocabulary and information in three critical areas. Two new books in this series, Physics: On the Go and Water: A Strange Chemical, have just been released. |
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