Metal

Children's Literature - Marion Rubin

As in all the titles in the "Everyday Materials" series, Metal is a well written, interesting book. It deals with what metal is and how it is found in ore. Explanations about how metal is made, shaped, and commonly used are followed by concepts of alloys, rusty metals, magnets, and special machines. Large, colorful photographs illustrate the concepts. There are two or three sentences on each page, and vocabulary words are written in bold print and found in a glossary at the end of the book. Suggestions for discussions and student participation are made, such as counting metal objects in the classroom, looking for paper clips and staples, and seeing which types of metals get rusty when left in water. The importance of recycling is also presented. In addition, there is a table of contents, quiz, an index, and resources for further information. There is also a page that discusses how this topic can be related to other disciplines such as geography, music, and history, as well as science and English. Students may be less familiar with the vocabulary and materials presented in this book than others in the series such as Glass and Wool. As in all the titles in this series, there is a plethora of suggestions for teachers to use to incorporate the information in this book with classroom activities. Reviewer: Marion Rubin