Marie Curie: The First Great Woman Scientist

World History Biographies

by Philip Steele

Marie Curie was the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes for science, and her work still influences our understanding of physics, medicine, and chemistry. Born Marja Skodowska in Poland in 1867, she studied in Paris, France, where she changed her name to Marie. In 1895, she married Pierre Curie, and the couple's pioneering work on the invisible radiation given off by uranium lead to the discovery of radioactivity. Marie Curie later discovered the elements radium and polonium. She died in 1934, following extensive exposure to radioactivity. This lively and engaging biography brings the reader into Marie Curie's world through personal diaries, school reports, family photos, and revealing quotations. National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources. Visit†www.natgeoed.org/commoncore†for more information.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Science

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Philip Steele was born in Dorking, Surrey, England. He attended University College, Durham, where he studied modern languages. In the 1970s he worked as an editor for various publishers, including Hodder and Hamlyn. In 1980 he moved to the Isle of Anglesey, in North Wales, where he now lives. He has written on a wide range of topics, especially in the fields of history, junior biography, peoples, and cultures.

Reviews

[Jenny Conger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: Marie Curie
Author: Philip Steele
Reading Level: 6.5
Book Level: Grade 5-8
Book Summary: The book gives a detailed account of Marie's life, including her early years with her family and her later work as a woman in science.
Bookshelf Genre: Biography

Bookshelf Mentor Writing Trait: Presentation
This book on first glance is a traditional biography, giving details about Marie Curie's life and work. But on further examination, the presentation of the book is outstanding and gives readers a deeper understanding of the facts. The author uses photos, maps, sketches, drawings, and small tidbits of information throughout. Along the bottom of each page is a timeline, so readers can take a quick peek as to where Marie was at in her life based on what information is presented on the page. In their own writing, students can examine their final work and determine if the layout and presentation is easy for and pleasing to the reader. Finding images and photos to enhance content only improves the reader's comprehension of the material

[Erin Musser · Rating 5 out of 5]

BL: 6.4

Summary: The life story of Marie Curie

Presentation- This biography gives a stunningly intricate look into Marie Curie's life and the influences that lead her to her historical research on radioactivity. There are so many historical pictures as well as other artifacts in the text that really bring it to life. I would use this as a mentor text to highlight the importance of having pictures that come to life to support a historical biography- pictures and other snapshots of an individuals life help bring the past to life!

[Fanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó conocer mas de cerca la extraordinaria vida de este personaje. Las mujeres del mundo tenemos una deuda con Marie Curie. Es una lectura rápida y muy interesante

[Britt Suits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kuigi tegemist on üsna õhukese raamatuga ja mõeldud vist pigem lastele, siis jättis väga asjaliku mulje. Räägiti lapsepõlvest, noorukieast ja teadlasetööst. Imetlusväärne naine.

[María Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado

[Candice Thurman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, but there were so many pictures and tidbits randomly thrown on each page that it was hard for my ADHD to focus. Still worth the time to read.

[Pille Piho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kirjutan raamatust:
https://pilleraamatujakassiga.blogspo...

[Kaley Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the biography of Marie Curie, a scientist that grew up in Poland. This book does a great job of showing everything Marie had to go through to end up studying physics at a college, including a name change. The book is full of pictures and gives such a great glimpse into her life. This book has so many elements of non-fiction that would made this book be a great one for the classroom. I was interested in reading then book, and the vocabulary wasn't overly heavy. Definitely a book I want to hold on to.

Purposes in the Classroom:
Read aloud: This would be a good book to read during a science unit. While the book is focuses heavily on science, it shows a 200 year old journey a woman went on to be able to study physics and become one of the best women scientists. The book has a few science terms define in boxes, and gives facts about how science was used in other places around the world. This book would go great with getting students excited about science or preparing them for an experiment they might do. While the vocabulary is not extremely difficult, this book would probably be for students in 4th-6th grade. A teacher could read aloud to younger students, but they might have a few more questions.

Particular non-fiction conventions: This book includes a table on contents, glossary, bibliography, and an index. The book also had many photographs and had captions next to most features. Somewhere in each chapter, there would be a page highlighting certain ways of life that would be happening when Marie would have lived there. There was small pop-ups that showed different facts and commented on something that related to Marie's life. On the bottom on the pages that talked about Marie's life, there was a timeline to show explicitly what the main points were.

[Bix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography of Marie Curie, the only woman to receive two Nobel Prizes for science, introduces young readers to the pioneer whose work with her husband Pierre led to the discovery of radioactivity. The first woman to study physics at the Sorbonne, she graduated first in her class, and this biography may inspire other young female scientists to follow in her footsteps. With photographs and autobiographical notes, this intriguing and entertaining book brings to life one of history's greatest scientific minds. Featuring a glossary, bibliography and index. Ages 8-12."

SPL Summary: "This lively and engaging biography brings the reader into the world of the two-time Nobel Prize winner through her personal diaries, school reports, family photos, and revealing quotations."

Note: I was unable to find any published reviews of this book.

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this biography. With National Geographic’s name on the cover I assumed it would be a quality biography. The book was visually pleasing with its historic pictures and paintings, but its content was lacking. First, the book was written by Philip Steel, but no credentials were listed. Who is this person? Where did they get their research? There was bibliography, but no author's note. Second, the content had no depth. It was merely a grocery list checking off her accomplishments and family deaths. I walked away with only a vague sense of who this remarkable woman was. I would not recommend this be the only book a student reads about Marie Curie.

[Andrea M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short biography with lots of photos! I like the visual format which allows me to learn about a famous person quickly. This is definitely a book about the triumph of the common man. Marie was from the working class not the aristocracy and she received TWO Nobel prizes. Her "Petites Curie" or little x-ray trucks saved countless lives in WWI by allowing doctors to diagnose and treat injured soldiers at the front.

[Rachel Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about this biography was the various photographs, timelines, tidbits, and background information that told the reader what was going on in the world surrounding Marie Curie. Also had a good layout that made it easier and funner to read.

[delbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true inspiration.

Never stops dreaming. With hard work, any dreams can take you to reality.

The book is very well written!

[Kadri · Rating 5 out of 5]

For as long as I can remember, I have always admired Marie Curie and thought of her as a great role model so naturally I loved this book.