Annotated Plant
Bibliography
Introduction
How Is The List Organized?
This Annotated Plant Bibliography is divided into six sections. Each section contains books appropriate for a specific age or grade level. Books which have information useful for more than one level are listed in all places where they are applicable, making each section self-contained. To locate books appropriate for your students, just click on the icon next to the level which best describes your student’s reading ability. The following is a description of each level:
Preprimary: Ages three to six or preschoolers to first grade. These students, for all practical purposes, are considered non-readers. I assume a parent or older sibling is reading to them.
Primary: Ages six to nine years old or roughly first to third grade. These students will be beginning readers.
Elementary: Ages nine to twelve years old or roughly third to sixth grade. Your student should be able to read most of the books independently.
Intermediate: Ages 12 to 14 years old or roughly junior high.
Secondary/High School: Ages 14 to 19 years or high school level
For Parents & Teachers: Lists books about teaching science or specifically botany. Some of the books are experiment or project guides.
With the exception of books listed under "For Parents & Teachers," these levels are somewhat arbitrary and flexible, therefore you are encouraged to look over the bibliography sections for the levels immediately above and below each level on which you have students working.
There is also a Multi-media section which includes videos, CD and Audio, and Computer Software and Games. It is not divided by age groups.
How Many Books Do I Need?
Some of the books listed here deal with a sub-topic of botany and some are more general in nature. In either case, for each grade level there are far more books than you can use within normal topic time constraints of a unit study. So how many do you need? You should try to have between three to five of the suggested books in your library for each student in your group. Therefore, if you have four students, you should locate between twelve and twenty books on the topic.
Do not be too quick to send the books back to the library when the topic is completed. Keep them for at least the length of the check-out period. This will give your students plenty of time to investigate the books. If your library allows you to recheck out books, do so for those books your students are really enjoying.
Why Do Some Books Have Two ISBNs?
Many publishers print both a retail (or trade) and a library edition of each of their titles. I have provided you both ISBNs if it was available, so you may find the book through your library or book store easier. Because most of the books listed were checked out from the library, if there is only one ISBN listed you should assume it is the library edition. All the books listed below were borrowed from the Sno-Isle Library System, located in Marysville, WA. You should be able to get any title through inter-library loan if your local library does not have it on its shelves. Those books high-lighted in blue, are available for purchase through Castlemoyle Books. If you wish to purchase them just click on the title to add it to your shopping cart.
A Word About Controversial Topics
In an ideal world a parent or teacher will personally review books before giving them to their students. Unfortunately, in the real world this is not always possible. Since I understand how important it is for you to be alerted to controversial topics or information in a book, I have personally reviewed every book on this list. If the book has content which some families may find objectionable (e.g. references to evolution), you are given the exact pages where such material is located. These books are included in the bibliography because the majority of the content is valuable to the unit and would not be objectionable to most parents. This being said, since I am neither perfect or can I guess every personal prejudice, please take a few minutes to look over the books before giving them to your students. If you find material which is offensive to you, please E-mail me at beverly@castlemoyle.com so I can be aware of it and determine if I should alert other parents and teachers. Most of these books are organized in such a way that you can simply ignore the pages with objectionable material if you choose. If you have older students (Intermediate and Secondary Levels) you may wish clearly explain the opposing side of these controversial issues.
Can I Share The Bibliography With My Friends?
By all means do share the URL (www.castlemoyle.com\plants\intro.htm) for this site with your friends, but please do not copy the bibliography. The Annotated Plant Bibliography will be available here for reference for approximately three months and then will be available in a different format as part of Project Discovery: The Plant Kingdom (see below).
What is Project Discovery: The Plant Kingdom?
Project Discovery: The Plant Kingdom is a family-based, non-consumable unit study guide. It covers the science curriculum needs of all of your students ages three through high school for approximately a nine week period. It is designed to minimizes your unit study lesson planning and preparation. Everyone in the family will be able to study botany, each working at his or her own level. Project Discovery: The Plant Kingdom provides suggested weekly lesson plans for each of five levels including: a list of learning objectives, bibliography, activities, projects, and field trip suggestions, worksheets and vocabulary puzzles, and optional quizes and tests.
Project Discovery: The Plant Kingdom is organized on the spiral curriculum approach and is designed to be used at each of five levels. Each level covers the material in greater depth and students work more and more independently. For high school aged student it is equivalent to ¼ credit of high school biology (including laboratory work) appropriate for college bound students. Your students need not have completed a lower level to successfully master the higher level material - each level is complete in itself and reviews key objectives from lower levels.
The Project Discovery: The Plant Kingdom guide, library books and project supplies are all you need to adequately cover the topic. The unit study guide also presents ideas and resources related to many other school subject areas, but may not constitute a complete curriculum, in art, music, physical education, history, practical life (home economics), language arts, math, and Bible study/religion..
Project Discovery: The Plant Kingdom is expected to be released in September 1998. It is the first of several science-related family unit studies planned. The other units will include, Project Discovery: The Biosphere, Project Discovery: The Microscopic World, Project Discovery: The Animal Kingdom, and Project Discovery: The Human Body.
| The Annotated Plant Bibliography is excerpted from Project Discovery: The Plant Kingdom to be published by Castlemoyle Books in 2001. |
Ó 1998 by Beverly L. Adams-Gordon
The Annotated Plant Bibliography is copyrighted. Copying, transmitting, or distributing any portion of this document, either for profit or educational use, in any form mechanical, electronic or by any other means is a direct violation of copyright law and will be prosecuted. Any copying or distribution of copyrighted material constitutes theft and is morally and legally punishable.
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