McGraw-Hill Science (Grade 5)

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully illustrated and photographed
Review: The cover of this book is not shown on Amazon, but it contains a red background with a photo of a strikingly handsome green-eyed Siberian tiger. It's nearly one-and-a-half inches thick and inside contains photography worthy of the name National Geographic Society, which contributed to the book.

This is a general science textbook for fifth-graders. It's probably used in many classrooms, though my experience with it is home educating my 10-year-old.

It's very nicely organized, with vocabulary words at the beginning of each chapter. Also included within each chapter are "explore activities" which can easily be done at home or in a classroom. Questions are sprinkled liberally throughout the text to invite discussion on what was read both for refreshing the topic and thinking further about it.

One of the most valuable parts of the book is at the end of a chapter or unit, entitled "Why It Matters." So often kids ask why it's important to learn certain concepts in various subjects, and this ties in the reading with exactly why it is important to understand.

The photographs and illustrations are simply among the best I've seen in any textbook! This is very important for those who may not be particularly interested in science. To make a confession, I'm not. But the information is presented in such an attractive way that it really does make the reader want to investigate more! In each chapter, as well, are technology links where a student can learn more about a subject with a specific internet link.

There is a teacher's manual to go with this book, but at nearly half the cost, we opted not to purchase it. Thus, there are no answers included in this book. But even science-impaired adults like me can easily find the answers simply by reading the text.

Unit A is entitled "Structures of Plants and Animals" with individual chapters on Plants and Their Parts, Plant Diversity, and Animal Diversity.

Unit B is called "Interactions of Living Things" with individual chapters on Ecosystems and Populations and Ecosystems.

Unit C is named "Earth and Its Resources" with chapters on Rocks and Minerals and Air, Water, and Energy.

Unit D is entitled "Weather and Climate" with chapters on Weather and Weather Patterns and Climate.

Unit E is named "Properties of Matter and Energy" with chapters on Properties and Structure of Matter and Forms of Matter and Energy.

Unit F is called "Motion and Energy" with chapters on Newton's Laws of Motion, Sound Energy, and Light Energy."

The back pages also include a Science handbook with such topics as using a microscope, measuring volume, mass, and many other units, using calculators, making graphs, and several more. Also included is a Health handbook with specifics on the skeletal system, respiratory system, digestive system, the senses, and many other systems.

This is an all-around great science book for anyone learning at the fifth-grade level.