Sam marshall tarantula scientist biography lessons


Plot Summary
Tarantulas are misunderstood, billed as the scariest, deadliest spider known to man.

Famous scientist biography Sam Marshall is one out of four or five scientists world-wide who study tarantulas , so this book is an important tool for learning more about tarantulas and the study of them. Newer Post Older Post Home. I would like to read this around Halloween in October since there are spiders everywhere you go. I thought the text was easy to get through, and liked the fact that it had so many reference aids.

In reality, their bites have never killed a man, and they would rather hide than harm a human. In this book, Sy Montgomery follows Sam Marshall, an arachnologist who studies wherever the tarantulas call him. The book explains the parts of tarantulas, how they got their name, spiders who are confused as tarantulas, and more. Sy Montgomery follows Marshall as he stalks tarantulas in South America, then studies them in his lab in Hiram, Ohio.

Critical Analysis
     Accuracy.
The book is clearly well-researched, since Sy Montgomery conducted much of her research right alongside Sam Marshall.

Scientist biography worksheet I thought the text was easy to get through, and liked the fact that it had so many reference aids. It's not typical font for what kids would see as a "science" textbook. Houghton Mifflin, The tarantula scientist.

The book ends with a lot of information about handling (or not&#;) tarantulas, spider statistics, and a breakdown of terms used throughout the book. There is also a section about how the book was researched, giving details about the author and photographer and how they compiled the book. There is also a bibliography, as well as websites to further research tarantulas.

     Organization.
Montgomery has the perfect approach to this book: he writes to the reader as if they already know everything, yet explains things in ways that build them up to actuallyknow everything.

Difficult words are spelled out phonetically in parenthesis, and a lot of terms and methods are explained, but not in a way that makes readers feel dumb. Chapters are creatively titled, but not listed in a table of contents.

     Design.
It is hard to speak to the book&#;s attractiveness, since I personally am creeped out by tarantulas despite learning that they are not harmful to humans.

Trying to be diplomatic, I must say that Nic Bishop&#;s photographs are amazing.

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  • Book Reviews: MODULE 11: The Tarantula Scientist
  • Settings
  • There are extreme close-ups, showing the true beauty of tarantulas. The photographs aren&#;t limited to tarantulas, also showing wasp nests and Marshall at work in his lab. There are photos on every page, even if it&#;s a text-heavy page with just a few tarantulas &#;crawling&#; up the margins.

         Style.
    This book was a little more cut-and-dried than the others I read for the informational genre, but that didn&#;t make it hard to read.

    It gave a lot of great information about tarantulas, as well as gorgeous (I have to admit!) photographs.

    Sam marshall tarantula scientist biography lessons Scholastic, Topics include how to find tarantulas in the wild, how they protect themselves, characteristics that make it a tarantula, and making homes in burrows. A treat, even for arachnophobes. Tarantulas live for 4 years.

    The author didn&#;t seem especially passionate about the subject, but I think in this case, it worked to have some distance from the author and the subject. I think an author who loved tarantulas too much might have made the subject harder to handle, but the book was written as a perfect mix of knowledge and passion.

    Personal Response
    I have to admit that I&#;m not a big fan of spiders, especially tarantulas, but this book completely drew me in.

    The photographs, I could have done without. I shuddered every time I looked at them!

  • Author Laura Jackson: The Tarantula Scientist
  • The Tarantula Scientist
  • But the knowledge I accrued from reading this book was amazing! Tarantulas are something I never would have looked into on my own - I think they&#;re too creepy, but honestly, most of the knowledge I had about them was false! I loved learning that they didn&#;t harm humans, and that they had teeth as well as fangs, and more.

    I think that reading children&#;s nonfiction will actually be the way I approach learning new things that I don&#;t reallywant to learn about!

    Reviews & Awards
    From School Library Journal: &#;Informative, yes, but even more important, this is a vivid look at an enthusiastic scientist energetically and happily at work, both in the field and in the lab, questioning, examining, testing, and making connections.

    A treat, even for arachnophobes.&#;
         From Booklist: &#;Enthusiasm for the subject and respect for both Marshall and his eight-legged subjects come through on every page of the clear, informative, and even occasionally humorous text. Bishop's full-color photos, which concentrate on detail, not scale, are amazing--Marshall coaxing an elusive tarantula into the open or bringing readers literally face-to-face with a hairy spider.

    Filipino scientist biography Markle, Sandra. Spiders and Their Webs. Also, since the pictures are all taken in the natural habitat, students would get to see exactly how the spider lives. Its thin but sometimes crooked letters almost look like spiders' legs, which sets the feel of the book.

    [&#;] Readers will come away armed with facts about spiders in general and tarantulas in particular, but even more important, they'll have a clear understanding of how the answers derived from research become the roots of new, intriguing questions.&#;

    Connections & Activities
    The Tarantula Scientistis part of a series called &#;Scientists in the Field,&#; which can be further researched at Other books in this series include:
         Hidden Worlds: Looking Through a Scientist&#;s Microscopeby Stephen Kramer and Dennis Kunkel.

    ISBN
         The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunityby Elizabeth Rusch. ISBN
         Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Livesby Elizabeth Rusch and Tom Uhlman. ISBN

    Read it for yourself!
    Murphy, Jim.

    The Giant and How He Humbugged America. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN