Technology has given us new ways to connect and converse with others like never before. In fact, by the time you finish reading this sentence more than 193,000 text messages will have been sent! This innovative book explores the often subtle differences between various forms of communication such as active listening, written, oral, nonverbal, and digital communication. Readers will learn about potential communication roadblocks and strategies to overcome them. Motivating activities and challenges, facts and statistics that have impact, and biographical snapshots show how building effective communication skills is essential in all facets of life in today’s complex and connected world.
This innovative title explores the ways that critical thinking can be applied to problem solving in school, work, and social settings. Real-world examples and opportunities for hands-on practice support readers as they learn how to frame, analyze, and synthesize information. Readers are also encouraged to ask questions to clarify points of view, and apply other core skills essential to making complex choices and determining sound solutions.
Creativity and innovation are central to success in the 21st century. This dynamic title provides a comprehensive look at creative processes in a variety of settings. Readers are introduced to various brainstorming techniques and will learn different approaches to help refine and evaluate their ideas. Real-world examples, motivating challenges, and case studies broaden readers’ understanding of this key skill set.
Collaboration skills, or the ability to effectively work with people, are in high demand in today’s connected world. The ability to work with diverse individuals across diverse platforms in our online world is essential in the 21st century. This title explores the skills and practices needed to be a successful collaborator in any situation covering topics such as establishing responsibilities, engineering plans, and becoming socially aware. With a focus on college and career readiness, the title encourages readers to be group members who use active listening, respect, self-direction, and focus to understand diverse perspectives and come to achieve common goals. Students will build collaboration skills for the future through projects, real-world examples of international collaborative achievements, and practicing tips for being effective collaborators in their own increasingly social and digital worlds.
From limiting the working day to eight hours to forming unions and protecting children in the labor force, the rights of workers has long been, and still remains, a fascinating and important topic. This title weaves through the history of workers' rights using engaging primary sources, following multiple perspectives of differing groups including women, children, and immigrants. Readers will gain an understanding of the social and economic conditions under which change was demanded, and learn about the essential movements for better working conditions and the people who led the way. A critical look at the rights of different working groups today encourages readers to explore the steps that still need to be taken to achieve working equality across the globe.
An important addition to any multicultural collection, this title examines the internment of “enemy aliens” in the United States and Canada during the Second World War. With particular emphasis on “yellow peril” and the plight of Japanese-American and Canadian citizens, the book reveals the events, mindsets, and policies leading up to and following the forced removal of thousands of citizens from their homes into internment camps. Using primary sources including real accounts of survivors, the title encourages readers to examine differing perspectives on the events and think critically about the complex relationship between citizenship and diversity in North America. A final chapter considers the lasting effects of internment - and how harmful stereotypes in today’s global climate run the risk of repeating past mistakes.
Working in oceans presents unique challenges. Readers will learn how ocean engineers design equipment and processes to help scientists that study ocean systems, such as oceanographers, do research in deep waters, long distances away from land, and in harsh weather conditions. Ocean engineers come up with innovative solutions to these challenges by designing submersible vessels, structures built offshore, monitoring devices, and communication systems. Real-life examples and a design challenge help students understand key concepts related to the engineering process.
Robots are machines that follow a decision-making process when performing tasks. They are playing an increasing role in manufacturing, agriculture, medicine, mining, and aerospace, as well as in our everyday lives. Readers will learn how robotics engineers find new ways for robots to do work that would be dangerous, time-consuming, dull, or impossible for humans to perform. Real-life examples and a design challenge help students understand key concepts related to the engineering design process, and how robotics engineers play a vital role in expanding our knowledge of the universe.
Genetic engineers study genes and DNA to develop ways to recreate and modify them to advance technologies in fields such as medicine and agriculture. Using living organisms and systems to create new products and technologies is called biotechnology. Readers will learn how genetic engineers are working toward curing diseases in humans and making crops less susceptible to disease. Real-life examples and a design challenge help students understand key concepts related to the engineering process, and encourage discussion about the impact of biotechnology on our lives, including its benefits and risks.
As cities and populations grow, we need more and more energy to run and heat our homes and to power transportation. Readers will learn how energy engineers help make sure that our energy demands are met in a number of different ways. They discover new ways to convert natural resources into affordable and environmentally friendly forms of energy; they build and operate power stations for both renewable and non-renewable forms of energy; they manage electrical power networks; they also monitor how generating energy may harm the planet. Real-life examples and a design challenge help students understand key concepts related to the engineering process, and how energy engineers will play a vital role in our future.
Readers with a creative flair and an eye for attractive layout can let their creative sides show with this title about the artistic and inventive field of interior design. Readers will explore multiple styles of design, as well as learn about some influential designers and the artistic movements that shaped them. They'll also learn how to make a room design board, how to build a 3-D model of an interior space, and how to dress it to match their own unique style. These tools help them experiment with their own designs and adapt them to suit many kinds of spaces.
This interesting title unfolds the art and science of paper engineering. Readers interested in crafting and designing patterns and structures will be inspired to create "Maker" projects using paper - a medium readily accessible to any classroom or library. Kids will learn about popular trends and possibilities in paper engineering, and how great engineers in many different fields often visualize and create their most amazing projects in paper models first. Readers are encouraged to experiment with their own ideas and create products that are unique to their visions.
From high-powered cameras to smartphones, photography is a popular and accessible interest of many individuals today. This title helps young photographers explore the history of this important art, and the pioneers who innovated and created some of the world’s most notable cameras and photos. Readers will learn about lenses, filters, composition, and lighting. They will also be encouraged to create their own photography projects using different styles and mediums, and changing their photos into forms that suit their ideas and concepts.
The great outdoors is the perfect "Maker" space for exploring possibilities for creativity, problem solving, and innovation. From designing devices to study the natural world to figuring out ways to find food or water outside, this refreshing title inspires readers to come up with Maker projects of their own in their back yards or communities. "Makers and Shakers" sidebars introduce important innovators and their creations to inspire readers to be environmentally aware and involved in the natural world.
This plugged-in title helps readers navigate the sometimes-complex world of electronic innovation. Young readers can explore this exciting and popular field by learning the basics of electronic circuits and how electronic components work, which they can then apply to an idea of their own. They will be able to create their project using everyday materials and easy-to-understand computer elements. Important electronic innovators and their creations are profiled to provide inspiration for young “makers.”
This amazing title instructs young readers on how to shape wooden objects based on their own, unique ideas. Kids will explore this exciting and popular field by learning a few basic techniques of woodworking and what tools to use, which they can then experiment with in safe and accessible projects. "Makers and Shakers" sidebars introduce kids to furniture makers and builders and to different styles in woodworking.
The legendary island of Atlantis was said to have incredible buildings, waterways, and art - far advanced for its time. Then, in a day and night, it was destroyed by earthquakes and floods, disappearing forever into the earth. Was this fascinating place myth or reality? This intriguiging book follows the clues in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato to discover the truth.
True or false? In October 1871, a cow kicked a lantern over and sparked a fire that would destroy much of the city of Chicago. The cow tale is likely not the true story, but the damage and death toll of the Great Chicago Fire were very real. This engrossing book explores the causes of the fire, how it spread, and the aftermath of the blaze. It also explains how the mighty city was rebuilt to become one of the most architecturally diverse and original cities in the world.
As we reflect in 2016 on the 30th anniversary of the Shuttle Challenger tragedy, it is fitting that we remind ourselves why all of these brave and daring pioneers go into space. From the first unmanned spacecraft to the planned mission to Mars in 2030, this awesome book celebrates the milestone achievements of space travel, the agonizing - but no less important - failures, and the pioneers who made it happen - sometimes giving their lives to do it.
For nearly two decades, Dian Fossey immersed herself in the study of mountain gorillas in Africa. She became known as a highly respected primatologist - a scientist who studies apes and other primates - and a fiercely devoted champion of their safety and preservation. Fossey had made powerful enemies because of her opposition to the gorilla-related tourism industry and her knowledge of animal trafficking among members of the government. In 1985, she was found murdered in her cabin in Rwanda. The case remains unsolved to this day, but her intense love for this endangered species helped create a legacy that survives in the work of others to this day.
As a girl, Amelia Earhart aspired to a future that would take her beyond the family and medical problems of her younger years, as well as the restrictions imposed on her because she was female. Widely celebrated for her long-distance flights, she also set records for altitude and speed, and helped develop passenger airline service. As a writer and magazine editor, Earhart also further advanced the cause of flight and of women in aviation. Her disappearance during a daring around-the-world flight in 1937 has been a source of intrigue for over 80 years. Earhart’s life and career have provided inspiration to generations of young people, particularly those whose paths have been beset with obstacles and barriers.
When tanks roared onto the battlefield for the first time in World War I, these mechanical beasts changed how battles were fought and how wars were won. Tanks at War looks at the history of tanks, the always-changing technology of weaponry and armor, and how tactics for the use of tanks in battle have changed from a hundred years ago to modern conflicts today. Read about new technologies in the works for the future including robotic tanks and invisibility cloaking devices.
The snarls of beasts, the clash of steel, the cries of the victims, and the roar of the crowd - these are the gladiator games of ancient Rome. The heroes of these spectacles were the gladiators, who were idolized like today’s pop stars. This exciting book reveals the sometimes surprising facts about how these fierce combatants lived - and if they could not - how they tried to "die well."
Black Tuesday and the Great Depression explores the causes of the stock market crash in 1929 and the resulting Great Depression. For more than ten years the effects of October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday, were felt not only in North America, but worldwide. Source material, including posters, political cartoons, books, interviews, and articles show the devastation of the resulting mass unemployment, epidemic real estate foreclosures, and crushing poverty of those years.
This thoughtful book describes the course of events that followed the end of World War II, and the war's long-term legacy. Readers will learn about war crimes trials in Japan and Germany. The Nuremburg Trials detailed the horrifying mass murder of six million Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The Paris Peace Conference in 1947 redrew international boundaries and created the state of Israel in an attempt to ensure the survival of the Jewish people. It also split Germany into two parts, each occupied by different countries and setting the stage for a new kind of war - the "cold war." Discussion boxes describe reconstruction in Germany and Japan, what lessons leaders learned from the mistakes of WWI's Treaty of Versailles, and the founding of the United Nations.
