I’ve spent the weekend curled up with my books preparing for the week ahead. The new fall weather that has settled upon our area has made this book-reading coziness feel just right. I’ve managed to get through a fair number of pages and I’m amazed at how many great resources there are out there. I thought I’d share a few of them here.
The Restless Northwest by Hill Williams is a great read. It describes the formation of the Pacific Northwest in a completely readable and enjoyable style. He uses lots of metaphor and images to make the movement of lava, uplift of mountains, and crawl of glaciers exciting to read about. The book is described as “a geological story,” a description which fits it perfectly. It takes someone with a real feeling understanding of the land to write in this way, and Hill Williams really has that understanding of the Pacific Northwest.
Often the best, most imaginative books are those that were written long ago, and Earth’s Adventures by Carroll Lane Fenton is definitely one of those. If you can find a copy of this book grab it. This is another book with the word “story” in the title — in this case it is “the story of geology for young people” — and it certainly is a story. Completely accessible, it doesn’t get too scientific or dry. A child could read it alone and completely enjoy it.
I’ve mentioned this book before, but All About Rocks and Minerals by Anne Terry White is another fantastic story resource for the rocks and minerals block. This one gives brief biographical pictures of some of the important figures in the geological world. It’s great for giving your students images of real people and their lives, as they relate to rocks. So far in this block I have found this book invaluable because it has given us content to form our writing around. Really great. But, it’s another oldie but goodie (I couldn’t even find a picture). If you find it, grab it.
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