The Pebble in My Pocket: A History of Our Earth

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Meredith Hooper uses the storybook form in Who Built the Pyramid? to make the latest research accessible for a young audience. Meredith Hooper is an historian by training and the author of many books, ranging in subject from Antarctica to aviation, from the history of water to the history of inventions. Interview a local resident who lives near a volcano. Imagine that they are returning from a recent eruption (Diary Entry) Children story map their own journey of a pebble. Children must use an actual volcano and the pebble must take a journey that is realistic.

Yeah they enjoyed it and their diaries and setting descriptions are fab so that's something... Thank you, Meredith Hooper. This book is rich! The depth of the vocabulary is actually beautiful and I totally commend Hooper for using this so carefully and clearly. It is a hidden non-fiction book but the storytelling in it is so enticing and engaging. I have learned so much about the history of the Earth just from one book. Hooper, I'm so excited to explore this with my new Y4s (2018-2019). The book introduces the geological history of the Earth by following the story of a pebble, from its origins in a volcano 480 million years ago, to its place in a busy modern landscape. This is a brilliant book that follows the life of a pebble from its beginnings in a fiery volcano 480 million years ago to its place in our landscape today.

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This resource by the British Science Association looks at Earth Science. With strong emphasis on STEM - the children are encouraged to become farmers. They are asked to think about soil - its composition. Breaking down soil into its four main parts - air, water, organic matter and minerals - the children look closely, analysing the soil in terms of its porosity, particle sizes, texture, colour and acidity. The children could then utilise this learning when considering how they might improve the soil in their school gardens. I love that it doesn't over-simplify its language just because it's a children's book. It uses a lot of descriptive language and there will be a lot of opportunities to discuss new words. It's a wordy book - several times more words than an average picture book, but the story and pictures are engaging and held my son's interest really well. It includes reference to the new National Curriculum and has grammar starters, differentiated success criteria and writing opportunities.

As a whole, this wasn't a very exciting book to read. As soon as I opened it, I was like that's too many words, I don't want to read all those so I can imagine students having the same thought.