Call number
J 590.72 BUR
Collection
Publication
Square Fish (2012), Edition: First, 80 pages
Description
Shows young readers how a citizen scientist learns about butterflies, birds, frogs, and ladybugs. Anyone can get involved in gathering data for ongoing, actual scientific studies such as the Audubon Bird Count and FrogWatch USA. Just get out into a field, urban park, or your own backyard. You can put your nose to a monarch pupa or listen for raucous frog calls. You can tally woodpeckers or sweep the grass for ladybugs. This book, full of engaging photos and useful tips, will show you how.
User reviews
LibraryThing member smoore75
Citizen Scientists is a great book to get kids involved in becoming "scientists." The book is divided into the four seasons. For each season, kids are encouraged to track, count, or tag a specific animal. In the Fall, Monarch butterflies are captured and tagged; in the Winter, birds are counted; in
Show More
the Spring, listening to frog calls to determine the type of frogs; and in the Summer, different types ladybugs are collected and counted. Because the book is written in second person, I feel kids would feel more connected and responsible. The author provides many tips for these young scientists from how to tell the difference between male and female Monarch butterflies to how tell the difference between frogs sounds. I really enjoyed this book and loved how it was broken up. There is a very helpful Table of Contents. Inserted information between each season tells of a watch group for each animal and how to get in touch and obtain materials. The book ends with many more resources and a very helpful index. Highly recommend. I'm thinking of doing the ladybug project with my kids this summer. The book is illustrated with brightly colored photographs of all the animals discussed and many photos of kids being scientists. Show Less
LibraryThing member mdonley
A really great science how-to/hands-on book. The book is divided into the four seasons. Students can track an animal each season. For example in the winter birds are counted and in springtime frog calls are studied. In the summer ladybugs are documented and in the fall butterflies are tagged. A lot
Show More
of information is presented and there are many great photographs of the animals and how to perform the activities. The book focuses on an introduction to science, especially nature, and will keep the students interested. This book could be used in multiple age groups. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
A wonderful book for encouraging children to discover and explore nature and science in their own backyards.
LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
This book is a great resource for anyone wanting to get kids excited about practicing science. Loree Griffin Burns presents four nature projects - one for each season - in which kids and families can contribute to ongoing scientific research. Capturing and tagging monarch butterflies, counting
In each section, Burns gives some background about the animals being studied, the particular projects citizen scientists can contribute to, and additional resources to get you started. This is an awesome book for families with budding naturalists and for teachers looking for hands-on science ideas!
Show More
birds seen in the wild, studying frogs, and hunting for species of ladybugs. All four projects are real science research that kids and families can contribute information to. In each section, Burns gives some background about the animals being studied, the particular projects citizen scientists can contribute to, and additional resources to get you started. This is an awesome book for families with budding naturalists and for teachers looking for hands-on science ideas!
Show Less
LibraryThing member CourtneyZeggert
I like that the pages are beautiful photos, it allows you to fully experience the highlighed portion of nature. I think it is a brilliant idea to have quizzes mixed into the lessons youre reading. I think that It is Fun, interactive, and straight forward.
LibraryThing member hsbrouss
Citizen Scientists by Loree Burns is a great picture trade book on how we are able to be scientists on our own through on our own exploration of nature. This book is beautiful and has amazing photographs.
What I really enjoyed about this book is how it can be used in almost any classroom. It gives
The book is educational. Throughout the great photographs, there are mini quizzes to assess for understanding. The photographs also depict all kinds of students, races, with parents, without, working together, etc. This is important to evaluate when reading with your students. Are all types of students included in the audience? This can be shown through the photographs.
The author has a very conversational tone that makes the book very user friendly. It as if you can read her text and go along outside. This is going to be very appealing for students of many ages. She further demonstrates this by writing some text in second person. Kids will know it's for them and they will enjoy the suggestions. A text that's easy to read and has great information will be taken well.
As a math teacher, I really liked the data collection aspect of this book. Especially the winter activity of counting the migration and collecting data. That's such a good idea for all students. This book could be used in my classroom. We could do some data tracking outside of some wildlife and then convert the data into charts, or find some central tendency numbers. This type of book would be huge for common core curriculum. It would also engage my students to collect data and not even realize that we're doing math. That's the trick!
So many books are interesting and get you wanting to do things, but what this book provides is a practical application. Everyone can do this! This makes this book a great read and something that all teachers should have on their bookshelf.
What I really enjoyed about this book is how it can be used in almost any classroom. It gives
Show More
activities for every season and since it provides this, almost any teacher or parent in any setting can use this book and then move outside of the classroom to do the activities suggested. I could see this book being used in an outdoor classroom. The examples are: summer, ladybugs, fall-butterflying, winter-birding, and spring-frogging. The book is educational. Throughout the great photographs, there are mini quizzes to assess for understanding. The photographs also depict all kinds of students, races, with parents, without, working together, etc. This is important to evaluate when reading with your students. Are all types of students included in the audience? This can be shown through the photographs.
The author has a very conversational tone that makes the book very user friendly. It as if you can read her text and go along outside. This is going to be very appealing for students of many ages. She further demonstrates this by writing some text in second person. Kids will know it's for them and they will enjoy the suggestions. A text that's easy to read and has great information will be taken well.
As a math teacher, I really liked the data collection aspect of this book. Especially the winter activity of counting the migration and collecting data. That's such a good idea for all students. This book could be used in my classroom. We could do some data tracking outside of some wildlife and then convert the data into charts, or find some central tendency numbers. This type of book would be huge for common core curriculum. It would also engage my students to collect data and not even realize that we're doing math. That's the trick!
So many books are interesting and get you wanting to do things, but what this book provides is a practical application. Everyone can do this! This makes this book a great read and something that all teachers should have on their bookshelf.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nataliaanishchenko
A beautiful book full of great nature adventures for curious kids who love to explore the world around them. From season to season there so many things for kids to do and to observe and learn about: Winter is for birding, Spring is for frogging, Summer is for ladybugging, and Fall is for
Show More
butterflying. Show Less
LibraryThing member Angelina-Justice
It has taken me forever to get around to doing this review. But it is not because the book was hard to read. It is exactly because it is so well done that I'm just now doing a review.
Our Summer Reading theme next year is Feed Your Brain. It is going to center around the broad theme of science. As
I've even made a budget list of the supplies I will need.
This book is so perfect. It caters to families, teachers, librarian, naturalists, budding scientists and anyone who wonders about the natural world.
I love the way the Burns gives us both a first person story scenario and 1st person experience in each section. The When You Go segment and the Quick Quiz help make this a kid friendly book.
The When You Go segment always features a brief advice section and comprehensive list of supplies that will be needed. One of my favorites was the Bird Count list. It indicated that a notebook and pencil were needed. Then it shared under that heading that ink doesn't flow well in cold temperatures. Science and pragmatism in one.
The Quick Quiz provides a challenge for the individual reader or a game for two or more. An added bonus is that it teaches readers to refer to additional information found elsewhere in the book.
Burns also inserts prompts elsewhere in the book. For example, on page 31 she is wrapping up the informational/first person experience section about the Christmas Bird Count and inserts a statement about a variety of other bird watching groups. Then indicates that you can find more information on these programs in the back of the book. She is training the reader to utilize all the resources her book has and preparing them to do the same with future books that may not tell the reader, directly, to access the information contained at the end of a book.
This book is a great resource and would make a great gift to any outdoor explorer or scientist. For a family trying to get your kids unglued from the TV or video game, this book might be the answer and it is extremely family friendly.
Our Summer Reading theme next year is Feed Your Brain. It is going to center around the broad theme of science. As
Show More
soon as I received this book and realized how great it was, I started taking notes and adapting the sections into library programs. I have already designed an entire program series pulled from the pages of this book.I've even made a budget list of the supplies I will need.
This book is so perfect. It caters to families, teachers, librarian, naturalists, budding scientists and anyone who wonders about the natural world.
I love the way the Burns gives us both a first person story scenario and 1st person experience in each section. The When You Go segment and the Quick Quiz help make this a kid friendly book.
The When You Go segment always features a brief advice section and comprehensive list of supplies that will be needed. One of my favorites was the Bird Count list. It indicated that a notebook and pencil were needed. Then it shared under that heading that ink doesn't flow well in cold temperatures. Science and pragmatism in one.
The Quick Quiz provides a challenge for the individual reader or a game for two or more. An added bonus is that it teaches readers to refer to additional information found elsewhere in the book.
Burns also inserts prompts elsewhere in the book. For example, on page 31 she is wrapping up the informational/first person experience section about the Christmas Bird Count and inserts a statement about a variety of other bird watching groups. Then indicates that you can find more information on these programs in the back of the book. She is training the reader to utilize all the resources her book has and preparing them to do the same with future books that may not tell the reader, directly, to access the information contained at the end of a book.
This book is a great resource and would make a great gift to any outdoor explorer or scientist. For a family trying to get your kids unglued from the TV or video game, this book might be the answer and it is extremely family friendly.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LizinHillsdale
read for information book assignment
LibraryThing member lbblackwell
This is an interactive science book with plenty of ideas and resources that engages you as the reader, addressing you directly, and makes you feel as though you are on the journey catching butterflies, bird-watching, frogging, and ladybugging. The pictures are fantastic, and each section is
Show More
color-coded creating an easy way to go back to a particular section. A great choice for a science classroom/unit!! Show Less
LibraryThing member WindyB
In fall the reader will learn how to catch a Monarch butterfly to observe (if you like) and about their long trips from as far north as Canada to Mexico, Florida, and some parts of California for winter. In winter it is all about watching and counting birds a tradition started in the 1900’s by
Show More
Frank Chapman who was looking for a way to save the birds from the annual Christmastime match hunt. A match hunt was basically two teams of hunters competing to see who could kill the most birds. In spring the frogs are the star with their unique voices and how our treatment of the environment is affecting their lives. Summer calls all ladybug lovers to come join in the hunt for the three (so called) lost ladybugs. The book ends with a note from the author encouraging the citizen scientists to keep exploring and lists of many websites and other books to explore. Show Less
LibraryThing member gregresch
Shows the scientific process in a format that is friendly to kids and gives them fun experiments to try at home.
Awards
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2015)
Orbis Pictus Award (Honor — 2013)
AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books (Finalist — 2013)
South Carolina Book Awards (Nominee — Children's Book Award — 2014)
SB&F's Best Books (Children's Books — 2013)
Green Earth Book Award (Winner — Children's Nonfiction — 2013)
CCBC Choices (2013)
The Best Children's Books of the Year (Nine to Twelve — 2013)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Kids (Nonfiction — 2012)
ISBN
0805095179 / 9780805095173