Skip to Main Content

TCH 257 - Science Methods

Science Children's Books

Elementary science children's books are located in two main sections. To see more detailed information on either the fiction or non-fiction section, select a link below to be auto-scrolled to that section of this page. 

TMC Easy - Fiction Picture Books

The TMC Easy section is for fiction picture books generally fewer than 32 pages that may exhibit scientific topics or principles. These books are organized by author's last name. When looking for books for elementary science in this section they are not all located next to each other on the shelf, so it is easiest to search for them online. 

To search for TMC Easy Books:

  1. Begin with a search for materials in the TMC Easy section of Milner by clicking here. 
  2. Near the top left, select 'Search Criteria' to open the advanced search. 
  3. In the top line that begins with "Keyword contains..." enter your search term(s). Keep this simple with words or phrases like; magnet, gravity, season, etc.
  4. Select search to see results.

You will want to take note of the call numbers for each book you find and use that to locate each book on the shelf.  

Example Call Number

 

TMC Dewey

The TMC Dewey section is organized by subject using the Dewey Decimal System. For science non-fiction materials in the Teaching Materials Center, most will be in TMC 500-599 which is dedicated to natural sciences and mathematics.

Call Number Locations Subject
TMC 500-509 Natural sciences
TMC 520-529 Astronomy & allied sciences
TMC 530-539 Physics
TMC 540-549 Chemistry & allied sciences
TMC 550-559 Earth sciences
TMC 560-569 Paleontology & Paleozoology
TMC 570-579 Life sciences
TMC 580-589 Botanical sciences
TMC 590-599 Zoological sciences

Other areas of Dewey such as biographies (TMC 921) and applied sciences (TMC 600s) may be of interest. 

Fossil Hunter

Fossil Hunter

TMC 921 ANN

I Heard a Sound

I Heard a Sound

TMC 534 WAR

Packs

Packs

TMC 591.56 SAL

Honeybee

Honeybee

TMC 595.79 FLE

Earth Is Big

Earth Is Big

TMC 550 TOM

Inside In

Inside In

TMC 591 SCH

Forces

Forces

TMC 531 DIE

Monarch Butterflies

Monarch Butterflies

TMC 595.78 HOB

TMC Call Number Explanation

Science Nonfiction Series

There are two recommended elementary non-fiction science series that cover many different topics. These are:

Help Videos: NoveList Plus

You can search for books by topic, evaluate books, and find related reading in the database, NoveList Plus.

NoveList Plus is a database of literature that provides synopses and reviews of books, teaching ideas, and a Lexile Ranking (independent readability).

Watch the NoveList Plus Overview video to learn about how to find NoveList on the Milner website and an overview of the main features on NoveList. 

You can also open the NoveList Plus database directly using the link below. 

Watch the Basic Search for a Title Video to learn about how to search for a book by title on NoveList Plus.

Watch the Determining Readability of a Text/Lexile Levels Video to learn about where to find a book's lexile number on NoveList Plus and how to convert that to an approximate grade level. 

Watch the Advanced Searching Video in NoveList to get an overview of search limits (date, audience, grade, awards, etc.), how to narrow results, and find related lists and articles.

Beyond Milner

While Milner Library's Teaching Materials Center has wonderful options for science children's books, you may want to also consult three other places:

  1. Thomas Metcalf School Library: Books are browsable using the Milner Library catalog, but you have to set up an appointment with the Metcalf librarian to pick them up. 
  2. Normal Public Library: Get a library card as a student and search their catalog or in-person to find relevant resources. This card will also let you check-out materials at Bloomington Public Library. 
  3. Bloomington Public library: Get a library card as a student and search their catalog or in-person to find relevant resources. This card will also let you check-out materials at Normal Public Library.