An Interview With Dinah Zike - Common Sense Press

Great Science Adventures is a complete program for teacher and students in one book. Each study includes the content for the students for each of the 24 lessons, all the lab and review activities to reinforce the content, and all the pictures needed to complete the activities. In addition, the teacher will find an easy to follow format complete with concepts, vocabulary words, clear directions, questions to ask, writing assignments, and assessments. Enrichment exercises integrate the subject matter with other disciplines, including appropriate literature to read and web sites to visit. All writing assignments are coded by ability level making the program useable for students in grades K - 8th. We recommend that higher-level students have access to reference materials for their assignments.

What are the Lots of Science Library Books?

The Lots of Science Library Book for each lesson presents the content of that lesson to the students. The 24 "mini" books explain the information in an easy to understand format with labeled illustrations. Students love and treasure these works because they create and personalize them. The books also visually represent what the student learned in the study. The books include points of interest that keep the students' interest in the study, such as the Fascinating Facts pages.

Teachers may read the Lots of Science Library Books to the students or make a copy of the books for each student to read alone. The 24 Lots of Science Library Books are located in an appendix of the Great Science Adventures series and may be photocopied for use by students.

What is a 3D Graphic Organizer and how can it be used to teach students?

In any science lesson, the review and reinforcement of concepts is crucial for students to learn. Our 3D Graphic Organizers present material to students in a visual format making it understandable and easy to remember. By dividing the concepts, complicated material can be presented to students using paper folds, pictures, pockets, drawings, and flip pages. In the Great Science Adventures series, we include all the directions, pictures and diagrams needed to make the 3D Graphic Organizers. Not only with students review the concepts as they create the Organizers, but the finished product is so appealing your students will want to share them with others as well as reread them.

How can K-8 lessons be in one book?

The lessons in Great Science Adventures include basic content appropriate for grades K-8 at different mastery levels. For example, when learning photosynthesis, a first grader may master the concept that plants make their own food by using water, sunshine, and air. This student is exposed to more information but not expected to retain it. In the same lesson, a sixth grade student will learn all the steps of photosynthesis, be able to communicate the process in writing, and apply that information to different situations with plants. In the activity sections, icons are used to designate the levels in specific writing assignments.

This icon indicates the Beginning Level, which is the non-reading or early reading student. This level mainly applies to kindergarten and first grade students.

This icon is used for the Primary Level. This includes the reading student who is still working to be a fluent reader. This level is primarily designed for second and third graders. This icon denotes the Intermediate Level, or fluent reader.

This level of activities will usually apply to fourth through eighth grade students.

Who can benefit from these books?

The books are uniquely designed to be used in traditional and home classrooms. Since the teacher can photocopy all the student materials, the books can be used with many students, year after year.

About Dinah Zike

At the age of 15, Dinah Zike designed her first educational manipulative. She spent many years teaching and consulting and then began to use her skills to help companies and agencies develop educationally oriented products. Dinah's creativity led her to invent hundreds of educational manipulatives that are used today by educators and publishing companies. She is author of over 150 award-winning educational books and materials used by teachers and parents, including curricula, supplemental science activity books, experiment books, poetry books, and a new award-winning series of books package with educational toys. She also writes for major educational publishers such as John Wiley & Sons. Dinah is an explosion of energy and her joy for learning excites everyone she touches.

Dinah speaks to tens of thousands of teachers each year. Because of her knowledge of paleontology, she even consulted with Steven Spielberg on the film Jurassic Park. Dinah's creativity, humor and enthusiasm motivate teachers to learn the Zike system. You can be a Ziker too.