The Fourteenth Goldfish and Science

We just finished reading our read-aloud book, The Fourteenth Goldfish.  It's an interesting adventure that involves family, friendship and science.  Here's a description from the Randam House website:

Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far? Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth? With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.

We enjoyed The Fourteenth Goldfish, and reading it sparked some interesting discussions about science.  Students wanted to learn more about the use of the atomic bomb and they wanted to use microscopes to look at things up close.  Lucky for us, Mrs. Newman's daughter is on her Fall Break and wanted to do some science and engineering projects with the class.  She set up the microscopes at the back of the room and showed the students how to use them.  Students saw prepared slides, including an ant, a cross-section of a pine seed, and a couple of other things.  Several students want to bring in items from home to look at under the microscope, so we will keep the microscopes out for a while longer.