New from the Wordsmiths

This issue’s Wordsmiths is offered by Ann Moriarty, FOSS developer at the Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley.

Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn’t easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize….

A Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson. Broadway Books, New York, 2004. ISBN-10: 076790818X; ISBN-13: 978-0767908184. Grades 6–8.

So begins Bill Bryson’s delightful engagement with the history of the universe, of Earth, of life, and of science in his book, A Short History of Nearly Everything.

Bryson writes from the layman’s perspective. Because of this, A Short History is accessible, with some guidance, to middle-school students as well adults. Humorous anecdotes enliven what might otherwise be considered dull stuff. Consider the story Bryson includes regarding the transition from alchemy to chemistry:

Hennig Brand in 1675…became convinced that gold could somehow be distilled from human urine. He assembled 50 buckets of human urine, which he kept for months in his cellar. By various recondite processes, he converted the urine first into a noxious paste and then into a translucent waxy substance. None of it yielded gold, of course, but a strange and interesting thing did happen. After a time, the substance began to glow. Moreover, when exposed to air, it often spontaneously burst into flame.

Now what middle-schooler wouldn’t want to know more about the discovery of phosphorus?

A Short History offers insight into the inner workings of science itself. How many discoveries were purely accidental? How many now-accepted theories were brought up before their time, discarded by the scientific community, and then returned to at much later dates, often after the original proponent was dead? How much do we still not understand? And finally, how amazing is it that life actually evolved on Earth? Bryson’s sense of wonder is vividly communicated to his audience.

Now, how do we guide middle-schoolers to read this book? One way is to offer chapters or sections of the book that are relevant to the FOSS course that they are studying at the time. Even a cursory read opens that door into the suggestions listed in the following correlation chart. The chapter references in the chart are to Bryson’s book.

The final four chapters address the evolution of humans and our increasing responsibility towards life on Earth. Bryson concludes:

If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here — and by ‘we’ I mean every living thing. To attain any kind of life in this universe of ours appears to be quite an achievement.

This in itself is a profound lesson for all of us. There is greatness in this universe and particularly on Earth—how can we do our part to ensure life continues? Consider that question with your students!