Summer Reading in Science – WTHS
Instructions: Please Read
- Students entering Grades 9-11 shall select & Read ONE book FROM THE LIST BELOW.
- Students shall complete the scientific book report (format highlighted below) OR a Poster Board Report OR a Google Slide presentation. (pick one format)
- Report OR Poster OR Google Slides are due the first academic Friday of school and will be 10% of the student’s first quarter grade.
- Late work will not be accepted & plagiarism will result in a zero and disciplinary action.
- *Book selections are provided below (Be sure to pick the content area you will be in NEXT year)
Incoming 9th Graders: Select Biology Book
Soon to be 10th graders: Select Chemistry Book
Soon to be 11th graders: Select Physics Book
Students scheduled for AP CHEMISTRY CLICK HERE FOR SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS
Students scheduled for AP PHYSICS CLICK HERE FOR SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS
Resource links to access books:
- Worcester Public Library – Click here to get a library card and access to digital/ebook collection.
- Boston Public Library – All MA residents can get a library card and access to digital collections.
- Use “myON”: An educational version of Kindle with free books.Find this in Clever.
- Amazon has a variety of free ebooks and kindle editions.
- Check here for The Ultimate Guide to Free Books
Science Book Report Format
Minimum of 6-7 paragraphs, be sure to include your name, book and author.
- Introduction Paragraph
- Plot Summary Paragraph
- State the type of book (Science Fiction, Factual, educational, philosophical).
- What place or country was the book set in?
- What time period was the book set in or when was it written?
- Other notable features of the book.
- What is the outcome of the book?
3-4. Write 1-2 paragraphs describing THREE major events, major points of discussion or theories that were presented in the book. Be sure to describe these three topics in your own words.
- Scientific Relevance Paragraph:
- State the scientific basis of the book.
- What scientific ideas/theories does the book cover?
- How is the science of this book relevant in our community/society/world?
- About the Author: Write about the author and his/her contribution to the scientific world.
- Personal Impressions and Conclusion Paragraph: Simply talk about what you liked or did not like about the book. Use this paragraph as your conclusion. It should summarize your overall impressions of the book and bring the report to a close.
Science Book Report Poster Board or Google Slide Presentation
Get a poster board and construct a Book Report Poster. Your poster must include the following elements. You may design the elements however you would like. OR you can create a Google slide presentation with the following information:
- Title, Author, and Story Building card of your book
- Picture(s) and paragraphs describing
- State the type of book (Science Fiction, Factual, educational, philosophical).
- What place or country was the book set in?
- What time period was the book set in or when was it written?
- Other notable features of the book.
- What is the outcome of the book?
- Picture(s) and paragraphs describing
- THREE major events,
- THREE major points of discussion or theories that were presented in the book.
Be sure to describe these three topics in your own words (add index cards)
- Scientific Relevance Picture(s) and Paragraph:
- State the scientific basis of the book.
- What scientific ideas/theories does the book cover?
- How is the science of this book relevant in our community/society/world?
- About the Author Picture and paragraph
- Write about the author and his/her contribution to the scientific world.
- Personal Impressions and Conclusion Paragraph
- Simply talk about what you liked or did not like about the book. Use this paragraph as your conclusion. It should summarize your overall impressions of the book and bring the report to a close.
Book report OR poster will be due to your science teacher during by the FIRST ACADEMIC FRIDAY of the school year.
*Book selections are provided below
*Plagiarism will result in a zero and disciplinary action.
*Late work will not be accepted
Students MUST choose from this list of books. This is a general list and does not reflect the views or educational content of WTHS or WPS.
BIOLOGY (Entering 9th graders) |
|
Title | Author |
The Lives of Cells, Notes of a Biology Watcher | Lewis Thomas |
The Blind Watchmaker | Richard Dawkins |
The Book of Beetles | Patrice Bouchard |
Hidden Figures | Margot Lee Shetterly |
Evolution: The Human Story | DK Publishing |
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Rebecca Skloot |
The Greatest Show on Earth | Richard Dawkins |
The Human Age | Diane Ackerman |
Stiff | Mary Roach |
The Double Helix: A personal Account of the discovery of the Double Helix | James Watson |
The Origin of Species | Charles Darwin |
The Selfish Gene | Richard Dawkins |
The Sixth Extinction: An unnatural History | Elizabeth Kolbert |
Undeniable | Bill Nye |
Your Inner Fish | Neil Shubin |
The Doctor’s Plague | Sherwin B. Nuland |
Ishmael | Daniel Quinn |
Silent Spring | Rachel Carson |
A Sand County Almanac | Aldo Leopold |
CHEMISTRY (entering 10th Graders) |
|
Title | Author |
Bad Science | Ben Goldacre |
Cosmos | Carl Sagan |
Elements: A Visual Exploration | Theodore Gray |
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Young Readers Ed. | Michael Pollan |
Gödel, Escher, Bach | Douglas R. Hofstadter |
The Hubble Cosmos | David H. Devorkin |
Science | Robert Dinwiddie |
A Short History of Nearly Everything | Bill Bryson |
Stuff Matters | Mark Miodownik |
Universe | Martin Rees |
A Universe from Nothing | Lawrence M. Krauss |
Sugar changed the world | Aronson |
The Poisoner’s Handbook | Deborah Blum |
Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History | Penny LeCouteur |
Calling All MindsL How to think & create like an inventor | Temple Grandin |
PHYSICS (Entering 11th Graders) |
|
Title | Author |
The Accidental Universe | Alan Lightman |
The Elegant Universe | Brian Greene |
The Fabric of the Cosmos | Brian Greene |
Lunar Football League: The inside story | Jason A. Holt |
The Hidden Reality | Brian Greene |
Bomb: The race to build (and steal) the world’s most dangerous weapon | Steve Sheinkin |
The Grand Design | Stephen Hawking |
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words | Randal Monroe |
Human Universe | Brian Cox & Andrew Cohen |
The Right Stuff | Tom Wolfe |
Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher | Richard P. Feynmen |
The Physics of Everyday Things: The Extraordinary Science Behind an Ordinary Day | James Kakalios |