Motion Recommended Reading

The following is a list of recommended books (and one video or CD) that provide a wide range of reading and research resources for this unit. Collect as many as you can for your classroom science library, or provide the list to your school or local librarian.

Forces and Motion

Eyewitness: Force and Motion

By Peter Lafferty. (2000, Dorling Kindersley)
Focuses on contemporary and historical developments in the study of forces that set the world in motion, including what they are and how they can be harnessed by machines. Includes black and white and color photos, charts, graphics, and three-dimensional models.

Forces and Movement (Straightforward Science)

By Peter Riley. (1998, Grolier)
Discusses many of the concepts introduced in the Motion Unit and presents experiments to show how they work. A good reference book to keep in the Science Center throughout the unit.

Isaac Newton and Gravity (Science Discoveries)

By Steve Parker. (1995, Chelsea House) 
A brief, but substantive, scientific biography. Explains the three laws of motion, and includes a glossary. Written for higher grades, but appropriate as a reference.

The Magic School Bus Plays Ball: A Book About Forces

By Joanna Cole; illustrated by Bruce Degen. (1998, Scholastic Trade)
On a field trip inside a physics book, Ms. Frizzle’s class plays baseball in a world without friction and learns all about friction and forces.

Start and Stop (The Way Things Move)

By Lola M. Schaefer. (1999, Pebble Books)
One of a series of books written for young children about the physics of motion, this title touches on the subject of friction as it relates to changes in motion.

What Makes Things Move? (First Science Book Series)

By Althea; illustrated by Robina Green. (1991, Troll Associates)
Discusses how both living and non-living things move or are moved.

Why Doesn’t the Earth Fall Up? And Other Not Such Dumb Questions About Motion

By Vicki Cobb; illustrated by Ted Enick. (1989, Lodestar Books) 
Answers nine questions about motion, explaining Newton’s laws of motion, gravity, centrifugal force, and other principles of movement.

Gravity

Floating in Space (Let’s-Read-And-Find-Out Science Series)

By Franklyn M. Branley; illustrated by True Kelley. (1998, HarperCollins Juvenile Books) 
Narrates a space shuttle mission, from blast-off to touchdown, but focuses mainly on life in orbit. Describes how a negligible gravitational pull affects astronauts.

The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System

By Joanna Cole; illustrated by Bruce Degen. (1993, Scholastic Books) 
Ms. Frizzle takes her class on a trip to the planetarium, but the magic school bus has a better idea and blasts off into space to visit each planet in the solar system. Includes information about how much a child would weigh on each planet.

No More Jumping on the Bed

By Tedd Arnold. (1987, Puffin Pied Piper — Division of Penguin Books)
But Walter can’t resist, so he ignores his father’s bedtime warning. He bounces so high his hair brushes the ceiling. But when he comes down, well, let’s just say the laws of gravity and weight are somewhat altered. This is a fun fiction read aloud that you can use for speculation and discussion.

The Science of Gravity

By John Stringer. (2000, Raintree/Steck Vaughn)
Introduces the force of gravity and discusses its effects and reasons for its variations in strength.

Science Rock (Video or CD)

By Schoolhouse Rock! (1995, ABC Video) 
A collection of three-minute segments with catchy, instructional songs about science from Schoolhouse Rock! Includes “A Victim of Gravity.”
Animation

_Animation: How to Draw Your Own Flipbooks, and Other Fun Ways to Make Cartoons Move_

By Patrick Jenkins. (1991, Addison Wesley)
Originally published as Flipbook Animation, by Kids Can Press.
Includes instructions for creating drawings that give the illusion of various kinds of movement and special effects. Also describes several early motion picture devices.

Cartoons and Animation

By Ivan Bulloch, Shona Hynes, and Jeffrey Lewis; illustrated by Peter Bull. (1998, Children’s Press)
Provides information about different kinds of cartoons and how to create them, including a simple look at the process of animation and a section on flipbooks.

_Making “Movies” Without a Camera: Inexpensive Fun with Flipbooks and Other Animation Gadgets_

By Lafe Locke. (1992, Betterway Books)
Demonstrates how to create animation without a camera and provides instructions for making flipbooks and other animation devices.
Paper Airplanes

The Paper Airplane Book

By Seymour Simon; illustrated by Byron Barton. (1976, Puffin)
Highlights principles of flight and airplane design through entertaining experiments with paper airplanes. Includes directions for several paper airplane models. Too text-dense and difficult for most first graders to read or understand independently, but a great resource if you want to help students experiment with motion using paper airplanes.

Super Simple Paper Airplanes

By Nick Robinson. (1988, Tab Books)
Features directions for 40 types of paper airplanes, from simple to very sophisticated, based on origami folding techniques. Most first graders will need help following the directions and diagrams.

The World’s Greatest Paper Airplane and Toy Book

By Keith Laux. (1988, Tab Books)
Features directions for numerous different paper airplane models, as well as other paper creations. Aimed at a slightly younger audience than most other paper airplane books.

(Teacher Note: The paper airplane books mentioned here are just a sampling of the numerous books of this type available in c libraries and bookstores. For classroom experimentation, any book of this kind will work. )