At the WildLink Teacher Expedition in June 2002, Beth Pratt, Vice President of the Yosemite Association and a published author gave a talk about writing across the curriculum. Many of the teachers requested her reading list and a synopsis about her take on creative science writing. Here it is! For more information on Beth's latest works, visit her website at www.bethpratt.com.

Creative Science Writing

Once upon a time…. Those words inspire us with a sense of wonder and make us anticipate the telling of a story. The phrase, “once upon a time, whatever form it takes, (think of those great opening lines to stories, e.g., “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”) acts as an invitation to our imagination. In my opinion, all writing, whether technical, scientific or creative should utilize that invitation.

I’ve always disagreed with the distinction between creative and technical writing. Why is one style supposed to be boring and sparse, while the other aspires to be engaging and dynamic? In my writing career, science has always been an integral part of my work in both my fiction and non-fiction, yet I don’t abandon my creative style to write about science. In trying to capture a student’s interest about science, it’s much easier to engage them by using stories-stories not necessarily with a science focus, but which use scientific concepts in the telling.

The works here are just a sampling of books that use creative writing while integrating scientific issues in the context of a story. In reading these tales that capture the imagination, students can learn almost by accident scientific concepts. Not all of the books below are “literary classics,” but even a thrilling bestseller can entice students to learn more.

A word about science fiction. Many teachers resist assigning science fiction stories because they are usually not scientifically accurate. I love science fiction stories and most students will as well! Even those that are not accurate can provide a good starting point for classroom discussion by comparing the author’s vision to the reality.

-- Beth Pratt

Suggested Reading for Students:

Angle of Repose, Wallace Stegner
Fiction : California Natural History
A very compelling story set amidst the landscape and history of California and the West. Beautiful descriptions of natural history, along with interesting passages on the science of mining.

The Call of The Wild, Jack London
Fiction : Natural History and Evolution
This is a perfect book for teaching about Darwinian theory, and a fun read as well. I would also recommend his short story To Build a Fire for the same reasons.

Collected Poems of Robinson Jeffers, Robinson Jeffers
Poetry: Natural History
Science for the poetically inclined. Mr. Jeffers touches upon natural history and wildlife biology in his work.

Contact, Carl Sagan
Fiction : Space Exploration
Could be used with the movie version to teach about the potential of space exploration.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Philip Dick
Fiction : Robotics
Another book with an accompanying movie, this novel was the basis for the classic Blade Runner. It’s a good read and will prompt discussion on the reality of the robots and artificial intelligence portrayed in the book. Many of his short stories can also be used for the same purpose.

East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Fiction : California Natural History
One of my favorite novels. Students will read on because of the story and will have learned much about the natural history of the Salinas Valley in the process.

Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman
Fiction : Physics
Beautifully written, evocative stories written to demonstrate Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

Flatland, Edwin Abbott
Fiction: Mathematics, geometry
Looking for a creative way to teach math? This classic tells the story of beings that are geometric shapes in two and three dimensions.

The Flamingo’s Smile, Stephen J. Gould
Non-fiction: Natural History
The late Stephen J. Gould mixes baseball and dinosaurs in this collection of essays about evolution.

The Geography of Home, Various Poets
Poetry: California Natural History
A great collection of California poetry with many nature-oriented selections.

The Hot Zone, Richard Preston
Non-fiction: Biology
A thrilling read about the outbreak in a Washington, D.C. lab of the deadly Ebola virus. Descriptions of the physical symptoms of the virus can be graphic.

Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, John Krakauer
Non-fiction: Natural History, human endurance
Two bestselling books about human courage (and fragility). These books touch upon many topics such as climate, mountaineering, search and rescue, botany, etc.

The Invention of Clouds, Richard Hamblyn
Non-fiction: Meteorology, history of scientific discovery
Wonderfully written story of Luke Howard, the amateur meteorologist who named the clouds.

Isaac’s Storm, Erik Larson
Non-fiction: Meteorology, history of scientific discovery
A gripping account of the Galveston hurricane in 1900 that killed over 10,000 people; includes much information about the formation of hurricanes and the development of modern meteorology.

It’s Raining Frogs and Fishes, Jerry Dennis
Non-fiction: Meteorology, natural history
Oddities of the weather make for great true stories!

Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton
Fiction : Natural history, mathematics
Almost everyone has seen the movie. But if you haven’t read the book, you will be surprised with the liberal sprinkling of passages about evolution, chaos theory, archaeology, and genetic engineering throughout the book.

Longitude, Dava Sobel
Non-fiction: History of scientific discovery
Once upon a time a clockmaker solved a scientific problem that Galileo and Newton could not master.

The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury
Fiction: Space Exploration
One of my favorite science fiction collections.

The Mosquito Coast, Paul Theroux
Fiction: General Science
Aside from being good read, I liked the “inventor” character of the father. I think his scientific inventions would be a good topic of discussion.

Mountains and Rivers without End, Gary Snyder
Poetry: Natural History
A collection of poems with a strong connection to the natural world from Pulitzer Prize winning author Gary Snyder.

Natural State: Literary Anthology of California Nature Writing, Steven Gilbard, editor
Fiction and Non-fiction: California Natural History
A great anthology of California focused nature writing that can be used in a variety of disciplines.

The New Wolves, Rick Bass
Non-fiction: Wildlife Biology
Through the story of the reintroduction of Mexican Wolves into Arizona, Rick Bass incorporates ecology, wildlife biology, and species preservation into this tale.

The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger
Non-fiction: Meteorology, physics, engineering
I could not put this book down. The story of a doomed fishing crews grabs you from the start, and the author’s tangents into meteorology, boat building, search and rescue operations, ocean ecology and the fishing industry are fascinating.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard
Non-fiction: Natural History
A beautifully written collection of essays on the natural world.

Watership Down, Richard Adams
Fiction : Wildlife Biology
A wonderful novel about……wild rabbits. Don’t be put off by the subject -by the first few chapters of the novel you’re hooked.

Teaching Aids:
- Science for All Americans Project 2061
- Benchmarks for Science Literacy Project 2061
Published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
These are great guides for scientific topics and age appropriateness of teaching those topics.