Kids love science experiments! Scientist of the Day describes a program where each student has an opportunity to choose, practice, and present an experiment to his classmates. The book provides clear instructions for the teacher or parent and reproducible record-keeping forms. There are 46 different experiments written so that young scientists will know exactly what to do and when to pause to ask questions. This encourages his or her classmates to make predictions, hypothesize, and discuss what they observe. They all then record their observations by drawing on special forms. At the bottom of each experiment there is a brief explanation of the science behind it that is clear and correct. Students thoroughly enjoy watching and discussing these demonstrations, and some may be inspired to continue their studies to become "not just for a day" scientists!
About the Author: Linda taught primary classes at South Park Family School in Victoria, BC, Canada for 25 years. South Park has been a parent-involved public school since 1974. During that time Linda wrote four successful professional books which were published by Scholastic in Canada and in the United States. These books are now out of print. She has given many workshops in Victoria and elsewhere in British Columbia to groups of teachers, to student teachers at the University of Victoria, and to parent groups. She has published several professional articles. In 2003, Linda received the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence. After her retirement in 2005, Linda and Debbie Marchand, a friend and colleague, wrote a book about the history of the school, which was built in 1894, South Park School: Memories Through the Decades. It includes memoirs and photos dating to the beginning of the school and ties events at the school with local, national, and world events. After publishing the history book, Linda began revising and updating her most successful Scholastic books and wrote additional professional books. Currently available are: -Gathering Information About Our Students, an updated version of the Scholastic book, Evaluation, A Team Effort -Student-Led Parent Conferences, an updated version of the Scholastic book by the same name -Scientist of the Day, a "ready-to-go" description of a program in which students perform experiments for their classmates -Learning to Solve Math Word Problems in the Primary Grades -Art in My Primary Classroom and Writing Together in My Primary Classroom, two articles -Favourite Math Lessons (with Debbie Marchand) -Teaching Geometry in the Primary Classroom (with Debbie Marchand) -Teaching About Canadian Money in the Primary Classroom (with Debbie Marchand) These books are available on her website, www.primaryteachersbooks.com