The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson is an excellent book, that all of my students will benefit from. As a first-year teacher I do not have a lot of resources and I would love if my first set of books are The Invention of Air. The book illustrates the life of Joseph Priestly, an unknown scientist to all of my students. However, what I will focus on is the story of Joseph Priestly as he "invented" Oxygen, how society turned against him, and how he persevered through many more challenges. Although it is important for my students to learn even the most successful individuals struggles it is also important for them to develop the mental processes necessary for success in life.
The key to success in life, is literacy. If a student can not read, comprehend, and write, they will not be successful. It is my goal to encourage students to read, not just material that interests them naturally, but to expand their comfort zone to material they are not naturally drawn to. In addition to encouraging reading, I want to use literacy (that is not a textbook), to promote scientific learning, increase reading comprehension, and have fun while we are doing it.
About my class
The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson is an excellent book, that all of my students will benefit from. As a first-year teacher I do not have a lot of resources and I would love if my first set of books are The Invention of Air. The book illustrates the life of Joseph Priestly, an unknown scientist to all of my students. However, what I will focus on is the story of Joseph Priestly as he "invented" Oxygen, how society turned against him, and how he persevered through many more challenges. Although it is important for my students to learn even the most successful individuals struggles it is also important for them to develop the mental processes necessary for success in life.
The key to success in life, is literacy. If a student can not read, comprehend, and write, they will not be successful. It is my goal to encourage students to read, not just material that interests them naturally, but to expand their comfort zone to material they are not naturally drawn to. In addition to encouraging reading, I want to use literacy (that is not a textbook), to promote scientific learning, increase reading comprehension, and have fun while we are doing it.
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