Over centuries and across cultures people have defied gravity in a quest to build the tallest, grandest structures imaginable.
Skyscrapers: Investigate Feats of Engineering with 25 Projects invites children ages 9 and up to explore the innovation and physical science behind these towering structures. Trivia and fun facts illustrate engineering ingenuity and achievements from the ancient pyramids to the Empire State Building. Readers will develop an understanding of how our modern, sophisticated building techniques and materials evolved over time.
Activities and projects encourage children to explore the engineering design process. They will engage in hands-on explorations of wind, test Newton's laws of motion, and experiment with the strength of different shapes. In the process they will learn about gravity, inertia, oscillation, and static electricity. Using various materials and engaging in trial and error, readers will construct their own towers and skyscrapers. Skyscrapers meets common core state standards in language arts for reading informational text and literary nonfiction and is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity.
Skyscrapers
Investigate Feats of Engineering with 25 Projects
2 of 2 copies available
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
January 7, 2014 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781619301900
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781619301900
- File size: 4989 KB
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 940
- Text Difficulty: 4-6
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Reviews
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November 1, 2013
Gr 3-6-This introduction to the science behind skyscrapers covers engineering feats from the Babylonian ziggurats to Dubai's Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest building. Large font and an open layout make this title accessible to reluctant readers. Kids will appreciate the boxed "Words to Know" sections embedded on most pages that highlight new vocabulary. "Did You Know?" sidebars also appear throughout and showcase interesting facts and anecdotes. Simple black-and-white illustrations enhance the narrative and break up the text. The scientific concepts are explained with easy-to-understand and kid-friendly examples. The 25 activities can be easily replicated at home, school, or in a library STEAM program, and require items that can be found at a grocery or hardware store. Projects include creating a step pyramid out of sugar cubes and engineering a skyscraper out of spaghetti noodles and mini marshmallows. Latham adheres to the scientific process and encourages young scientists to make predictions and assess their results along the way. This would be a useful title to supplement lessons on architecture, mathematics, or physics for classroom teachers or homeschoolers, and it's an appealing initiation to the subject.-Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA
Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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