Recently, award-winning STEM author Jennifer
Swanson let me know about an innovative idea that she’s working on—Text Trios.
She’s pairing a book with a narrative writing style and a book with an
expository writing style with episodes of her popular podcast Solve It for Kids .
I was so excited about how these trios could
appeal to a broad range of students with different learning styles that I asked
Jen to share what she’s up to here. Thanks, Jen, for everything you’re doing to
get kids fired up about reading and learning.
Young children are naturally curious. They’re
excited to soak up ideas and information about the world and how it works and
their place in it. Some students remain passionate about the quest for scientific
knowledge as they grow older, while others need our support to keep their
enthusiasm alive. In either case, books have an important role to play.
Sometimes the best way to keep kids engaged in
science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is by helping them see
themselves as scientists and engineers. Picture book biographies can do this by
showing students that people who look like them, think like them, and share their
interests have chosen STEM careers and are making important contributions to
the world. And because most biographies have a narrative writing style , these books appeal
strongly to readers who are naturally drawn to stories and storytelling.
Other students prefer fact-filled books with
clear, straightforward expository writing . The ideas and
information in these books may answer questions they have right now. Or they
might encourage readers to narrow their focus and dig deeper. And as these
students continue to read and explore and discover, they may develop new ways
of seeing the world.
One great way to satisfy both kinds of readers—those
who prefer narratives as well as those who connect more strongly to expository
writing—is book pairs . And to further enrich
your students’ journeys of discovery, consider using Text Trios that include a
book pair plus a podcast episode on the same topic.
Many podcasts are structured as interviews that
include personal information about the interviewee as well as their
professional background and a discussion of their important work. This
combination makes the podcast a perfect bridge between a biography and a
fact-filled book about a particular topic.
As the creator and host of the podcast Solve It for Kids , I’ve seen the power of podcasts
firsthand. Here are some of their benefits.
—Podcasts can highlight up-to-the-minute
discoveries—something books just can’t do.
—Students realize that scientists are real
people who talk and think just like them and that science is happening right
now all around them.
—Listening to a scientist or engineer talk
about their job and how they solve problems gives students tangible examples of
the growth mindset in action.
—Sharing information through a range of media
is emphasized by most state-mandated ELA standards.
—Podcasts give students an opportunity to practice
their listening skills.
For all these reasons, Text Trios that include
podcast episodes as a listening experience make a lot of sense. This multi-faceted
approach allows all types of learners to feel supported.
Here are some examples.
Text Trio #1: Whales For a fascinating look
at whales, their role in the ocean environment, and the tiny critters that live
on and inside them, students can explore the books The Spirit of Springer: The
Real-Life Rescue of an Orphaned Orca by Amanda Abler and Levi Hastings and Whale
Fall: Exploring an Ocean-floor Ecosystem by Melissa Stewart and Rob
Dunlavey along with the Solve It for Kids episode “ Do Whales have Germs ? ” with Dr. Amy Apprill of
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Text Trio #2: Finding
& Studying Fossils For a deep dive into
fossils and how they help us learn about ancient life on Earth, students can
read about the ground-breaking work of Mary Anning in Dinosaur Lady: The
Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist by Linda Skeers
and Marta Álvarez Miguéns, listen to the Solve It for Kids episode “ How Do We Know
Dinosaurs Could Fly? ” with paleontologist
Dr. Jingmai O'Connor of The Field Museum in Chicago, and then look for fossils
themselves with the assistance of Rock, Fossil, and Shell Hunting: The
Definitive Interactive Nature Guide by Jennifer Swanson and John D. Dawson.
Text Trio #3: Codes and Coding
To
help students make a connection between wartime secret codes, DNA—the
biological code that makes our lives possible, and computer coding, encourage
them to read Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman
Changed the Course of Two World by Laurie Wallmark and Brooke Smart and
The
Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA by Rajani LaRocca and Steven
Salerno. Then they can listen to the Solve It for Kids episode “ How Do
You Talk to a Robot ?” with Dr. Carlotta Barry, an electrical and
computer engineer.
Text Trio #4: Black
Holes Students who want to
know more about black holes and the scientists who study them can read A
Black Hole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano and Michael
Carroll and Black Hole Chasers: The Amazing True Story of an Astronomical
Breakthrough by Anna Crowley Redding. Then for a fascinating look at
current research, they can listen to the Solve It for Kids episode “ How Do Scientists
Listen to Black Holes? ” with Dr. Eric Thrane, astrophysicist and
cosmologist.
You can create Text
Trios too. Scan through past Solve It for Kids episodes to find
podcasts that can enrich your existing curriculum or that you think students
will enjoy listening to on their own.
Let’s get kids excited
about STEM and encourage them to begin their own journeys of discovery. Text
Trios are a great way to inspire the next generation of inventors, explorers, engineers,
and scientists.
Jennifer Swanson is the award-winning author of more than 50 books for children. Her awards include three Florida Book Awards,
a Parent’s Choice GOLD award, a Kirkus Best Book of 2021, AAAS/Subaru Prize
semifinalist, and multiple titles on the NSTA Best STEM list. Jennifer is the
founder of the STEMTuesday blog, STEAMTeamBooks , and the Solve
It! for Kids podcast. She has presented at NSTA
conferences, the Atlanta Science Festival, the World Science Festival, and the
Library of Congress' National Book Festival.
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