The heat produced by the Sun travels to Earth in waves known as electromagnetic waves. Because these waves come in different lengths, we call this the electromagnetic spectrum. They range from ultraviolet to visible to infrared waves. In the book, A Bad Case of the Spots, Freddie learns that, with too much Sun, the ultraviolet waves can be damaging.
Parts/layers of skin
Electromagnetic spectrum
Melanin/freckles
Importance of sunscreen
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal )
In the book, A Big Gust of Wind, Herman Tweed and Mrs. Wigglebum’s students learn that wind is a lot more important than one might think! Many plants need wind to carry pollen to other plants so reproduction can take place. Wind transports water vapor and spreads fog, clouds, and precipitation to different regions. It also serves as a source of energy.
Importance of wind to living things
Wind pollination
Wind and energy
Classification of wind strengths
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
In the book, A Case of Attraction, Freddie and Herman Tweed learn about magnetism, a force of attraction or repulsion between objects, especially those made of iron and certain other metals. Magnets are found in many of the things we use daily, like telephones, electric motors, and medical equipment.
Force of magnetism
North and South Poles/importance of a compass
Metals: magnetic and nonmagnetic
Technologies that use magnets
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
Objects with mass are attracted to each other. And that’s gravity! For example, Earth pulls on us and keeps us on the ground. The Sun’s gravitational pull keeps our planet orbiting the Sun. The Moon’s gravity pulls on the Earth and makes the tides rise and fall every day. In the book, A Case of Gravity, Liza learns a “painful” lesson about gravity.
Gravity and its importance
Galileo Galielei and Sir Isaac Newton
Black hole
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
What is the reason for the four seasons...spring, summer, fall, and winter? We have seasons because our Earth is tilted on its axis and always points in the same direction. During the year, different parts of the Earth get the Sun’s direct rays. In the book, A Change of Season, you will see what the transition from summer to fall looks like through Herman Tweed’s eyes!
Seasons
Day and night
Changing color of leaves
Hibernation
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to offspring through genes. In the book, A Family Visit, Mrs.Wigglebum’s class discovers how we have similar attributes to our parents but are also unique in our own special way.
Heredity
Differences in mammals and reptiles
DNA
Adaptation
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
In the book, A Spring Thunderstorm, the students in Mrs. Wigglebum’s class learn about storms and the dangers associated with these weather occurrences. Two of the most important ingredients for thunderstorm formation are unstable air and moisture.
Thunderstorm
Thunder and lightening
Storm safety
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
In the book, Bert’s Crazy Growth Concoction, Bert learns that the keys to healthy growth and development come from good health habits, and making appropriate food/nutritional choices. He also is reminded that you can’t always believe everything you read or see on the Internet!
Five food groups necessary for a healthy diet
Negative consequences of unhealthy lifestyles
Importance of relying on good information
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
In the story, Freddie Plays A Joke, the children learn about the four components of blood and how the circulatory system works. Freddie also pays the price when his joke backfires!
Components of blood
Circulatory system
Importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Forces hold things together, push them apart, and make things move or stop. Gravity is a force that pulls together all matter. Friction is also a force that is created when two surfaces move across each other. In the book, Freddie’s Dance Lesson, Freddie learns about motion, force, gravity, and friction in a most unexpected way.
Forces of push and pull
Force, motion, and gravity
Role of friction with force
Sir Isaac Newton and Laws of Motion
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Formed in rocks over millions of years, most caves are composed of limestone, dolomite, gypsum, and marble. Some limestone caves are decorated with cave formations called speleothems. Two commonly known speleothems are stalactites, which hang on the ceiling, and stalagmites, which grow up from the floor. In the book, In Search of Hidden Treasure, the children in Mrs. Wigglebum’s class learn about the natural treasures found in a cave habitat.
Cave habitat/conservation
Speleothems: stalagmites and stalactites
Echolocation
Pirates
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Because water is a critical resource for all living things, water conservation is needed to ensure clean drinking water for future generations. In the book, It’s Only Water, Mrs. Wigglebum’s students and Herman learn the importance of water conservation.
Water conservation
Freshwater and salt water
Water cycle
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Different colors can be created by mixing, adding, or subtracting colors. White light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow. Visible light waves are the only electromagnetic waves we can see. Each color has a different wavelength. In the book, Liza’s Colorful Tale, Bert and Freddie learn important lessons about color and light, and not to challenge Liza’s science knowledge!
Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors
Sir Isaac Newton
Adding, mixing, and subtracting colors
Electromagnetic spectrum
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Carbon dioxide plays an important part in vital plant and animal processes, such as photosynthesis and respiration. Mixing vinegar and baking soda causes a chemical reaction that breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. In mythology, a potion has magical properties. For example, a love potion would make a person fall in love. In the book, Mrs. Wigglebum’s Love Potion, all of these concepts are tied together as Liza is certain Freddie is in love.
Carbon dioxide
Chemical vs. physical reaction
Uses of carbon dioxide
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Many times viruses (most frequently rhinoviruses) get into the body causing the common cold. The body reacts to the presence of the virus by increasing mucus production. In the book, Snot, Sniffles, and Sneezes, Mrs. Wigglebum teaches Freddie, Liza, and the others an important lesson about the human body.
Germs and viruses
Human body/muscus
Importance of good hygiene
Senses: taste and smell
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Sometimes a liquid can be sitting in one place (water puddle) and its molecules will become a gas. This process is called evaporation. Evaporation is part of the water cycle, along with condensation, precipitation, and collection. In the book, The Case of the Missing Water, Freddie learns a valuable lesson about evaporation and not jumping to conclusions!
Evaporation
Water cycle
Sun and clouds
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
The Moon is the closest heavenly body to Earth. We can see it in the sky for three weeks out of four, and people have for thousands of years used its light to guide them in the dark. In the book, The Case of the Vanishing Moon, the children and Herman Tweed learn about the Moon’s phases and help Freddie solve the mystery of why the Moon gets smaller and smaller
Moon phases
Equinox
Harvest and Blue Moon
Moon facts
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Matter is all around us and is anything that has mass and takes up space. Each state has different properties. The state that matter is in depends on how much energy atoms have. In the book, The Disappearing Snowman, Herman Tweed learns about these three states through water—in the form of liquid (water), solid (snow), and gas (water vapor).
States of matter
Water: Solid, liquid, or gas
Snow and winter
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
We use our sense of sight to interpret much of the world around us. What we see is called “light.” However, what we see is really only a small part of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The eyes work like a camera, taking and sending pictures to the brain to figure out what the eyes are seeing. Despite the importance of our eyes, we expose them to danger. The Sun supports all life on our planet, but it also poses dangers — primarily in the form of ultraviolet radiation. In the book, The “Eyes” Have It, Freddie and Bert learn that sunglasses are more than just a fashion statement!.
The eye
Harmful affects of the Sun
Electromagnetic spectrum
Eyesight
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Pretty much every child goes through a “dinosaur phase.” While these ancient animals are long gone, human behaviors can impact other endangered species. By changing our actions, we may slow down or prevent other animals and plants from becoming extinct.
Dinosaur
Extinction
Endangered species
Fossils
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
Density is how much mass a material has for a given volume. Objects that are more dense have tightly packed molecules. Floating occurs because objects push aside a certain amount of liquid. If an object pushes away more liquid than its weight, it will float; otherwise it will sink. In the book, The Mystery of the Floating Can, Freddie plays a science trick on his friends Bert, Liza, and Herman.
Density
Buoyancy
Archimedes’ Principle
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide and Student Journal)
Scientists are people who study various things and try to figure out how they function. There are many types of science careers. Forensic scientists, archeologists, astronauts, doctors, and meteorologists are all examples of people who have careers in science. Scientists use the scientific method: observation, communication, prediction, inference, measurement, and classification. In the book, The Mystery Scientist, Liza, Bert, and Freddie learn that science doesn’t just take place in a laboratory.
Scientist
Careers in science
Scientific method
Meteorology
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
Garbage that is not properly disposed of causes health problems for humans and animals by spreading germs, bacteria, and destroying habitats. There are gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that stop some of the heat from escaping into space. These are called greenhouse gases. Some human activities such as cutting down and burning trees result in the greenhouse gases increasing in the environment and can be harmful. In the book, The Plant Warrior, Freddie and Bert learn that a little trash can result in a BIG problem!
Ecology
Ecosystem
Greenhouse effect
Man’s impact on the environment
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
Friction is what happens when two things rub against each other. In some cases we want to prevent friction so it is easier to move. Machines and engines use grease and oil to reduce friction in order to last longer. Another way to reduce friction is to have the object come into contact with less surface area. In the book, The Sled Race, Freddie and Bert learn that friction can have a big impact on the results of their race with Liza!
Friction
Resistance
Importance of friction
Sledding
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
The mystery and beauty of the Solar System has fascinated humans throughout time. The Solar System consists of the Sun, eight planets and their natural satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets. Until 2006, Pluto was classified as a planet, but is now considered a dwarf planet. Jupiter is the largest planet. In the book, The Substitute from Jupiter, Freddie, Liza, Bert, along with the rest of the class, solve the mystery of a “far out” teacher!
Solar System
Inner and outer planets
Order of planets from the Sun
Io/Jupiter’s moons
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He uses forensic science as one of his methods for investigating crimes. In real life, some scientists work every day analyzing and solving crimes. Forensic science uses a broad range of sciences to answer questions related to legal matters. In the book, Who Stole Herman Tweed?, Freddie and Bert learn not to jump to conclusions without thoroughly analyzing all the evidence.
Forensic science
Evidence
Sherlock Holmes
(Using Fuddlebrook book series, Teacher Guide, and Student Journal)
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