Thread: Reading Age
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Old 05-October-2007, 10:17 PM
laurele laurele is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kiless View Post
My class of Year 10s (aged 14-15 years of age) last year contained a few students who enjoyed reading the book, with one student using it as the basis of her report - on Moon Hoaxes.

This year I've have one 13 year old use some of it as the basis of her report on astrology.

My suggestions for younger readers include - these were suggested by our librarian and involved some looking on the shelves:
The Planets - note that Pluto is still included.
When is a Planet Not a Planet?: The Story of Pluto - very timely!
National Geographic Planets, Stars, and Galaxies: A Visual Encyclopedia of Our Universe
Janice VanCleave's the Solar System: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn into Science Fair Projects (Paperback)
Exploring the Solar System: A History with 22 Activities

(oh - Solar System for the shower... )
I have a problem with the books stating "Pluto is not a planet" as a fact rather than as one point of view in an ongoing controversy. It is a disservice to teach only this view when it is still heavily contested among professional astronomers. It would be great to have a kids' book that presented both sides and then asked them to draw their own conclusions and keep following the latest updates. I'm also disappointed that I can't find any books for my four-year-old nephew that include Eris in the list of planets. Every time we look at books on the solar system (he can't read yet, so it's mostly just pictures), I have to explain that Eris was just found and hasn't made it into the books yet.
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