Science

By 1514, the reclusive cleric Nicolaus Copernicus had written and hand-copied an initial outline of his heliocentric theory-in which he defied common sense and received wisdom to place the sun, not the earth, at the center of our universe, and set the earth spinning among the other planets. Over the next two decades, Copernicus expanded his theory through hundreds of observations, while compiling in secret a book-length manuscript that tantalized mathematicians and scientists throughout Europe. For fear of ridicule, he refused to publish.

In 1539, a young German mathematician, Georg Joachim Rheticus, drawn by rumors of a revolution to rival the religious upheaval of Martin Luther's Reformation, traveled to Poland to seek out Copernicus. Two years later, the Protestant youth took leave of his aging Catholic mentor and arranged to have Copernicus's manuscript published, in 1543, as De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres)-the book that forever changed humankind's place in the universe.

In her elegant, compelling style, Dava Sobel chronicles, as nobody has, the conflicting personalities and extraordinary discoveries that shaped the Copernican Revolution. At the heart of the book is her play And the Sun Stood Still, imagining Rheticus's struggle to convince Copernicus to let his manuscript see the light of day. As she achieved with her bestsellers Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, Sobel expands the bounds of narration, giving us an unforgettable portrait of scientific achievement, and of the ever-present tensions between science and faith.

Adding It Up explores how students in pre-K through 8th grade learn mathematics and recommends how teaching, curricula, and teacher education should change to improve mathematics learning during these critical years.

The committee identifies five interdependent components of mathematical proficiency and describes how students develop this proficiency. With examples and illustrations, the book presents a portrait of mathematics learning:

The committee discusses what is known from research about teaching for mathematics proficiency, focusing on the interactions between teachers and students around educational materials and how teachers develop proficiency in teaching mathematics.

Jax Bishop wonders how he'll ever finish his report on space that he left to the last minute. Now it's school break and the big soccer game is coming up. But when he turns on his laptop, Zaria from the planet Zix appears on his screen. She's made contact with Jax so she can interview an Earthling for her special Zorketh training. They decide to collaborate, and Zaria starts - by turning Jax's room into a black hole! Things get weirder when Ollie, Jax's big shaggy dog, starts to communicate with Zaria. And when Jax's best friend, Jefferson, bursts into Jax's room, things really get complicated. Can Jax keep everything under control - or is his own personal alien at risk of being discovered?

Note to Teachers, Parents, Grandparents, and Caregivers: An Alien Helped Me with My Homework! is for readers ages 8-12. It has black and white comic-style sketches at the beginning of each chapter and 35 high resolution images from NASA and other organizations. All of the science information has been fact checked by a senior astrophysicist. Each chapter ends with a simple simulation that the reader can try. Important words/concepts (e.g., the categories of black holes) are italicized in the text and defined in a glossary at the end of the book. Ideas to think about and interesting additional facts are provided in star-shaped inserts in the margins.