Newton liked to read – Communicating science while reading

Author: Marta Condesso, University of Aveiro – Fábrica Ciência Viva Science Centre, Portugal

Co-authors: Sofia Teixeira, Pedro Pombo

“Newton liked to read!” is a science communication project to promote in school libraries, dedicated to students of all ages, aiming to approach: science centre and community, reading and science studying.

As a partnership between science centre: “Fábrica Centro Ciência Viva de Aveiro” and “Rede de Bibliotecas Escolares”, a national school libraries net, this initiative creates annual programmes that associate literature reading events and science communication moments, by mixing books in the library with scientific experimental activities, that some part of some text introduces.

Main goals are: communicate science in a captivating and innovating manner, mantaining scientific rigor; simultaneously motivate younger audience to reading and science studying ; contribute to a more skilled, critical and informed citizenship.

Each session starts in an agreeable ambience of peculiar “storytelling” mood and, with certain words from the text, advances to simple scientific concepts, experiments, constructions. This comes up naturally, proving itself to be a privileged way to communicate science and to enlarge school libraries horizons. A book, a video, an audio cd (with music, narrated texts) gives path to a scientific activity. Some subject in the story, an excerpt, a rhyme can promote a scientific exploration.

Methodology used in every Module (20 different modules, with different reading supports and exploring different scientific areas) concerns: kits conception (with: the book, all material needed to the scientific activity, scientific booklet with information to support the sessions) and workshops to prepare teachers to reply the sessions by themselves).

This paper will present implemented activities, results obtained, and some conclusions will be advanced, based on evaluation data.