Exploring Science through Young Adult Literature

Paula Greathouse, Ph.D., is an associate professor of secondary English Education at Tennessee Tech where she teaches English methods and literacy courses. She was a secondary English and Reading teacher for sixteen years. Melanie Hundley, Ph. D., is Professor in the Practice of English Education at Vanderbilt University where she teaches digital and multimodal composition, young adult literature, and literacy courses. She was a secondary English teacher for many years.Stephanie Wendt, Ed.D., is an associate professor of Teacher Education at Tennessee Tech where she teaches science methods to preservice teachers. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Science Teachers Association and is an active member of the National Science Teaching Association.

In an age where social media conspiracy theories and alternate facts threaten the understanding of the most basic scientific knowledge, Greathouse, Hundley, and Wendt’s collection provides both English language arts and science teachers with concrete pedagogy to counteract the rising wave of disinformation in society. With an impressive array of chapters that pair popular young adult titles with topics such as extreme weather, botany, plagues, and evolution, Exploring Science through Young Adult Literature is an indispensable resource for teachers interested in going beyond textbooks and engaging students with exciting instruction that shows why science matters.

• INTRODUCTIONPaula Greathouse, Melanie Hundley and Stephanie WendtCHAPTER 1: Thirsty for Science: Exploring Water Systems, Water Conservation, and Drought through DryMichael DiCicco and Chris CookCHAPTER 2: Climate Change is A Hot Mess: The Human Impact on Earth SystemsShelly Shaffer and Kathryn BaldwinCHAPTER 3: Countering ‘Plant Apathy’: Using Kenneth Bloom as a Motivating Tool for Teaching Plant Science to Students Katharine Covino and Erin RehrigCHAPTER 4: Making Botany Magical: Teaching about Plants with This Poison HeartJulie Baker, Shawn Krosnick and Kelly MooreCHAPTER 5: Exploring Nature and the Nature of Scientific Inquiry: Reading The Evolution of Calpurnia TateAmy Palmeri, Emily Pendergrass and Heather JohnsonCHAPTER 6: Past and Future Plagues as Windows into the Present: Reading A Death-Struck Year to Teach About Diseases and ImmunityDavid Nurenberg and Ben LawhornCHAPTER 7: Reading Ringside, 1925: Text Support for Teaching EvolutionFrances Hamilton and Dana SkelleyCHAPTER 8: Studying Genetics and Ethics through Young Adult Literature: How The Gardener Can Harvest Student Engagement in BiologyJanine J. Darragh, Ashley S. Boyd and Kristina L. PodelnykCHAPTER 9: Hungry for More: Exploring, Experimenting, and Engineering with The Hunger GamesLeslie Suters and Kristen Pennycuff TrentABOUT THE EDITORS ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS