Stem in the Final Four

by Meg Marquardt

This title introduces fans to the STEM concepts in the Final Four, exploring how science, technology, engineering, and math are all at play in this exciting event. The title features informative sidebars and infographics, exciting photos, a glossary, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. SportsZone is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Genres: Nonfiction

ebook

Published December 15, 2019

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about how science drives the Final Four Basketball tournament, from statistics to camera angles to physics to innovations in deodorant technology. I really enjoyed the psychology of superstitions as well as the discussion of how to layer the boards for the court to minimize weak spots. My family enjoys their March Madness brackets so the section on the math involved there was also appreciated. It's all written in simple and clear language appropriate for elementary schools (or sports clueless me) and will help me next time I have to watch a game.

There are a lot of good photographs, and I like that the book covers both men's and women's teams. End matter includes a glossary, index, and other books from the publisher that are related.

The publisher shared an ecopy with me for a review.

[Graham Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice introduction of STEM in the Final Four. Marquardt does an excellent job blending specific details and major themes to illustrate the different sciences. A good book for kids.

[Anne Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I am a mother of two daughters involved in the STEM field, one a Math teacher and the other involved in Science/medicine, and married to college basketball fan who follows the NCAA tournament carefully each year, I was really delighted with this book. I think any hook to interest students in the STEM fields is worth the effort. The target audience would be 3rd to 5th graders as the chapters were short using a large font. Concepts were introduced in simple terms with the aid of charts or photographs to help with explanations. I read the book quickly but I did pause long enough to read a few excerpts out loud to my husband. All school libraries that have students in this age range should consider purchasing the whole STEM in the Greatest Sports Events series.

What I liked about the book:

STEM fields take on a new, glossier feel when paired with a favorite sporting event, well known to even children.
The book did not bog down on long or tedious explanations.
It used lots of basketball photos and charts to keep even the most reading-resistant sports fan interested.
There are full resource information available in the back with a short glossary, index, and books to read for further study, making this a good tool for book reports.

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