The National Science Teachers Association unveils its inaugural list of “Best STEM Books K-12.” This list—selected by volunteer educators and assembled in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council—provides recommendations to teachers, librarians, parents, and caregivers about the best trade books with STEM content for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Reading science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) trade books is the perfect way for students to build literacy skills while learning STEM content. Building upon a strong legacy of recommending science trade books, the Best STEM Books K-12 project is a joint venture of several organizations, including the American Society for Engineering Education, the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, the National Science Teachers Association, the Society of Elementary Presidential Awardees, and the Children’s Book Council. In addition to the website, the list will appear in the March 2017 issues of NSTA’s elementary, middle level, and high school journals for teachers.

Ada Bryon Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark.
Illustrator: April Chu. Photo Credit: April Chu.

STEM is more than a concept diagram with connections among four (or more) subject areas. It’s a unique way of knowing and exploring the world. The STEM approach involves the essence of the practices of science and engineering. Tools like mathematics, technology and communication skills are interwoven in STEM explorations. That seamlessness is what challenges educators around the world. And nowhere is that more obvious than when teachers look to find literature to integrate into a STEM curriculum.

You can go here to find the PDF of the Best STEM Books K-12 of 2017.
Click here to read more about the program and the National Science Teachers’ Association.

Visit our content sites for Teachers to find out how to use our Citizen Science projects like Moon Mappers in the classroom, and stay tuned in the new year as we develop more programs and curricula for science teachers and STEM programs to use NASA data in the classroom.