New AIMS Science Curriculum

In addition to the K-3 curriculum already in the CMC, we have added the curriculum for Grade 4 (teacher and student editions). This curriculum series is aligned with the Ohio Content Standards for Science.

Life Science








Earth Systems and Processes








Physical Science

New Activity Book

Five-Minute Activities for Young Learners - Penny McKay and Jenni Guse
A selection of short activities organized around six themes: Animals, Journeys, Fantasy and adventure, The world around us, Healthy bodies, and About me.

New Science Activity Books

The following are all from AIMS Education Foundation:

Counting on Coins - Linda Fawcett
Provides concrete experiences through games and activities as children come to understand the importance of money and the role it plays in everyday life. For grades 1-2.




The Budding Botanist: Investigations with Plants - Evalyn Hoover
Students investigate how the structure and function flowers, leaves, roots, and stems help plants live, grow, and reproduce. They will examine cone-bearing plants (gymnosperms) and flowering plants (angiosperms), observe photosynthesis and transpiration, sort and dissect seeds, explore germination, and model the structure of plant cells. For grades 3-6.


Field Detectives: Investigating Playground Habitats - Suzy Gazlay
Encourages students to look closely at the diverse habitats in and around their school playground. They can search for evidence of life and clues to understanding the relationships among the plants and animals living there. For grades 3-6.



It's About Time - Linda Fawcett
A series of investigations designed to build a conceptual understanding of time and its measurement. Experiences included have students sequencing events, measuring duration of time (long time/short time), and reading clocks. For grades K-2.

New YA Books

Elissa's Quest - Erica Verrillo
Thirteen-year-old Elissa knows nothing of her origins until her father comes and takes her to the Citadel of the evil Khan, in exchange for soldiers to protect the kingdom that will one day be hers, but upon discovering her power, she chooses to follow her own destiny.

M Is for Magic - Neil Gaiman
Eleven stories that involve strange and fantastical events.

The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor
When she is cast out of Wonderland by her evil aunt Redd, young Alyss Heart finds herself living in Victorian Oxford as Alice Liddell and struggles to keep memories of her kingdom intact until she can return and claim her rightful throne.

Leonardo's Shadow - Christopher Grey
Fifteen-year-old Giacomo--servant to Leonardo da Vinci--helps his procrastinating master finish painting "The Last Supper" while also trying to find clues to his parentage and pursue his own career as an artist in late fifteenth-century Milan.

The Wednesday Wars - Gary D. Schmidt
During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.

Corby Flood - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
While traveling with her family aboard the S.S. Euphonia, eight-year-old Corby Flood accidentally attracts the murderous attentions of five men, clad in bowler hats, called the Brotherhood of the Clowns as she investigates the mysterious singing coming from the ship's hold.

Hugo Pepper - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
A boy, orphaned and raised in the Frozen North by reindeer herders, boards his birth parents' sled and sets its special compass to "Home," where he uncovers a plot that threatens his mermaid godmothers and other friends of his family.

Voyage of Slaves - Brian Jacques
Continuing their adventures through space and time, Ben and his faithful dog, Ned, find themselves in the Mediterranean region in 1703, befriended by a troupe of traveling entertainers and relentlessly pursued by ruthless Barbary slave traders.

The Off Season - Catherine Gilbert Murdock
High school junior D.J. staggers under the weight of caring for her badly injured brother, her responsibilities on the dairy farm, a changing relationship with her friend Brian, and her own athletic aspirations.

New Award Book

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano - Margarita Engle
Juan Francisco Manzano was born in 1797 into the household of wealthy slaveowners in Cuba. He spent his early years at the side of his owner's wife, entertaining her friends. His poetry was his outlet, reflecting the beauty and cruelty of his world. Written in verse. Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature

Christian Education Resources

My First Message: A Devotional Bible for Kids - Eugene H. Peterson

New Picture Books

I Like Myself - Karen Beaumont
In rhyming text, a little girl expresses confidence and joy in her uniqueness, no matter her outward appearance.

At Ellis Island: A History in Many Voices - Louise Peacock
The experiences of people coming to the United States from many different lands are conveyed in the words of a contemporary young girl visiting Ellis Island and of a girl who immigrated in about 1910, as well as by quotes from early twentieth century immigrants and Ellis Island officials.

365 Penguins - Jean-Luc Fromental
When a box containing a penguin arrives anonymously on New Year's Day, a family of four is puzzled, but as they continue to receive one penguin each day their problems--and food budget, and storage issues--are multiplied.

Book in Spanish

El cerebro - Dana Meachen Rau
A closer look at how the brain, spinal cord and nerves work together to protect the body.

New Children's and Young Adult Books

Jenny Goes to Sea - Esther Averill
The little black cat named Jenny, along with her brothers and their owner Captain Tinker, sails around the world on a ship called the Sea Queen.

A Mango-Shaped Space - Wendy Mass
Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the death of her beloved cat, Mango.

My First Message: A Devotional Bible for Kids - Eugene H. Peterson

Mercy Watson Fights Crime - Kate DiCamillo
Mercy the pig's love of buttered toast leads to the capture of a small thief who would rather be a cowboy.

A Swift Pure Cry - Siobhan Dowd
Coolbar, Ireland, is a village of secrets and Shell, caretaker to her younger brother and sister after the death of their mother and with the absence of their father, is not about to reveal hers until suspicion falls on the wrong person.

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos - R.L. LaFevers
Twelve-year-old Theo uses arcane knowledge and her own special talent when she encounters two secret societies, one sworn to protect the world from ancient Egyptian magic and one planning to harness it to bring chaos to the world, both of which want a valuable artifact stolen from the London museum for which her parents work.

The Ice Dragon - George R.R. Martin
Leaving in its wake desolate cold and frozen land, the legendary ice dragon has never been tamed until it meets Adara, a winter child who looks to the creature to help save her world from destruction.

The Game - Diana Wynne Jones
Sent to a boisterous family gathering in Ireland by her overly strict grandmother, orphaned Hayley feels out of place until her unruly cousins include her in a special game involving travel through the mythosphere, the place where all the world's stories can be found, and where some secrets of her past are revealed.

Changes for Felicity: A Winter Story - Valerie Tripp
The outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1775 brings drastic changes to Felicity's life in Williamsburg, affecting both her family and her friendship with Elizabeth.

Changes for Addy: A Winter Story - Connie Rose Porter
With the end of the Civil War in 1865, Addy desperately hopes that her family will be reunited in freedom in Philadelphia, but the future may hold both happiness and heartache.

Happy Birthday, Addy! A Springtime Story - Connie Rose Porter
In the spring of 1865, Addy find inspiration from a new friend and chooses a birthday for herself as she and her parents try to shape a new life of freedom in Philadelphia despite the racial prejudice they encounter throughout the city.

Remembering Mrs. Rossi - Amy Hest
Although she loves her father, their home in New York City, and third-grade teacher Miss Meadows, Annie misses her mother who died recently. Eight-year-old Annie lives in a sunny apartment in Manhattan with her father, Professor Rossi. Life would be pretty good if only Annie didn't so achingly miss her mother. When Mrs. Rossi died suddenly, she left not only Annie but also a class full of students - who pour out their hearts in a scrapbook Annie will treasure forever. With tenderness and humor, Amy Hest reveals the struggles of a father and daughter as they forge a new life together.

Way Down Deep - Ruth White
In the West Virginia town of Way Down Deep in the 1950s, a foundling called Ruby June is happily living with Miss Arbutus at the local boarding house when suddenly, after the arrival of a family of outsiders, the mystery of Ruby's past begins to unravel.

A Friendship for Today - Patricia C. McKissack
In 1954, when desegregation comes to Kirkland, Missouri, ten-year-old Rosemary faces many changes and challenges at school and at home as her parents separate.

Escape from the Carnivale: A Neverland Book - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Little Scallop, a princess of the Mollusk tribe, longs to have a real adventure. So late one night, she and her mermaid friends sneak off to dive for pearls. They run into a fierce storm and a strange ship sailed by men who would love to capture a mermaid.

Rowan Hood Returns: The Final Chapter - Nancy Springer
When she finds out who murdered her mother, Celandine, Rowan Hood returns to her former home to seek revenge.

The God of Mischief - Paul Bajoria
The twins, Mog and Nick have to unearth the secrets of their past to escape the dangers they face in their present life.

The Wolf - Steven Herrick
Sixteen-year-old Lucy, living in the shadow of her violent father, experiences a night of tenderness, danger, and revelation as she and Jake, her fifteen-year-old neighbor, search for a legendary wolf in the Australian outback.

Scarlett - Cathy Cassidy
After being expelled from yet another school in London, twelve-year-old Scarlett is sent by her exasperated mother to live with her father, stepmother, and stepsister in Ireland, where, with the help of a mysterious boy, she eventually overcomes her anger and resentment and feels part of a family again.

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - Michael Scott
While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life - Wendy Mass
Just before his thirteenth birthday, Jeremy Fink receives a keyless locked box--set aside by his father before his death five years earlier--that purportedly contains the meaning of life.

Montmorency and the Assassins - Eleanor Updale
After twenty years as a gentleman, Montmorency is glad to be free of Scarper, his wretched alter-ego, but when a young friend is caught in the middle of a murderous political plot, Montmorency may have no choice but to call upon Scarper for help.

Twisted - Laurie Halse Anderson
After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his ever-angry father, seventeen-year-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but when life starts to go bad again, he must choose between transforming himself or giving in to his destructive thoughts.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-With" in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence.

Steven Caney's Ultimate Building Book - Steven Carney
Examines the history and construction of various types of structures, including bridges, skyscrapers, and domes; and provides instructions for related projects.

The Dangerous Book for Boys - Gonn Iggulden
For every boy from eight to eighty, covers essential boyhood skills such as building tree houses, learning how to fish, finding true north, and even answering the age-old question of what the big deal with girls is. In this digital age there is still a place for knots, skimming stones and stories of incredible courage. This book recaptures Sunday afternoons, stimulates curiosity, and makes for great father-son activities. The brothers Conn and Hal have put together a collection of all things that make being young, or young at heart, fun--building go-carts and electromagnets, identifying insects and spiders, and flying the world's best paper airplanes.

Ohio - Erin McHugh
Young readers are invited on a tour of the state considered to be America's "heartland," the state where more presidents were born than any other. Die-cut in the distinctive shape of Ohio, this book features lots of fun facts about Cleveland and Cincinnati, Lake Erie, and the hills and valleys of Appalachia. There's plenty of history, culture, folklore, plants, animals, sports, fairs, and more to be found within the covers of State Shapes Ohio-and plenty of fun, too.

New Children's Book

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid - Megan McDonald
The shortest kid in the second grade, James Moody, also known as Stink, learns all about the shortest president of the United States, James Madison, when they celebrate Presidents' Day at school.

New Picture Books

The Birthday Box: Happy Birthday to Me! - Leslie Patricelli
An imaginative young child has a wonderful time playing with a box he receives for his birthday. What's better than getting a brand-new toy as a birthday gift? Playing with the box it came in!

The Greatest Game Ever Played: A Football Story - Phil Bildner
When their beloved baseball team, the New York Giants, moves to California, Sam and Pop switch their loyalties to the other New York Giants and attend their championship game with the Baltimore Colts. Includes historical note.

Nini Here and There - Anita Lobel
Fearing at first that her family is going on vacation without her, Nini the cat ends up traveling with her owners to their new home.

The Growing Story - Ruth Krauss
A little boy worries throughout the summer that he's not getting bigger, but at the end of the season he tries on his winter clothes and realizes that he has grown.

Black? White! Day? Night! A Book of Opposites - Laura Vaccaro Seeger
A series of colorful die-cut pages that introduces a number of things that are opposites including black and white, big and little, and day and night.

Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair - Patricia Polacco
Aunt Chip saves the town of Triple Creek, where everyone has forgotten how to read because of the invasion of television.

The Butterfly - Patricia Polacco
During the Nazi occupation of France, Monique's mother hides a Jewish family in her basement and tries to help them escape to freedom. Based on a true story, this picture book tells of a little girl growing up in France during World War II who becomes aware that her family is hiding a Jewish family in the cellar. Since the Tall Boots--the Nazis--have marched into Monique's small French village, terrorizing it, nothing surprises her. Until the night Monique encounters "the little ghost" sitting at the end of her bed. When she turns out to be--not a ghost at all--but a young girl named Sevrine, who has been hiding from the Nazis in Monique's own basement, how could Monique not be surprised! Playing upstairs after dark, the two become friends until, in a terrifying moment, they are discovered, sending both of their families into a nighttime flight.In the tradition of Pink and Say, Patricia Polacco once again dips into her own family's history to reveal her Aunt Monique's true story of friendship from the French Resistance.

Mr. Lincoln's Way - Patricia Polacco
When Mr. Lincoln, "the coolest principal in the whole world," discovers that Eugene, the school bully, knows a lot about birds, he uses this interest to help Eugene overcome his intolerance.

Oh, Look! - Patricia Polacco
Three goats escape from their pen and visit a fair, but they run back home after they seem to encounter an ogre.

When Lightning Comes in a Jar - Patricia Polacco
A young girl describes the family reunion at her grandmother's house, from the food and baseball and photos to the flickering fireflies on the lawn.

Something about Hensley's - Patricia Polacco
Hensley's, a neighborhood general store, always seems to have what Molly, Kate, and their mother need.

New Pop-Up Book

Dr. Seuss Pops Up! A Celebration of Seven Seuss Classics - Dr. Seuss
Cat in the hat -- Green eggs and ham -- Sneetches -- I can read with my eyes shut -- Cat in the hat comes back -- Fox in socks -- One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish

New Board Books

Baby! Talk! - Penny Gentieu
Photographs and simple text present a group of babies finding their feet, playing patty-cake, eating, hugging, and more.

Baby Dance - Ann Taylor
For babies who are responding to music and movement, here's a playful poem that has father and child dancing lovingly across the pages.

Old MacDonald - Rosemary Wells
The inhabitants of Old MacDonald's farm are described, verse by verse.

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider - Rosemary Wells
A duck watches as the itsy-bitsy spider goes up and down the water spout.

I See - Helen Oxenbury
Shows all of the things that baby can see.

I Touch - Helen Oxenbury
Introduces toddlers to the words ball, beard, worm, cat, water, and blanket.

I Hear - Helen Oxenbury
Shows all of the things that baby can hear.

I Can - Helen Oxenbury
Shows all of the things that baby can do.

Booky - Mary Engelbreit
Different animals are shown in this colorfully illustrated board book.

Animal Noises - Stephen Cartwright
Introduces young children to animal sounds.

Baby Faces - Margaret Miller
Presents color photographs of various facial expressions.

Tickle, Tickle - Helen Oxenbury
Babies play in the mud and have to get cleaned up.

Say Goodnight - Helen Oxenbury
Babies play and then go to bed.

Clap Hands - Helen Oxenbury
Babies at play.

All Fall Down - Helen Oxenbury
Babies singing and playing.

Baby Colors
Baby's new world is full of bright, beautiful colors, and the curved tabs on this fun first colors book are made especially for little fingers.

Count with Me
One, two, three, four, five--this book makes numbers come alive ...

The Bear Went Over the Mountain - Helen Oxenbury
A bear goes over the mountain and all he could see was the other side.

Daddy Kisses - Anne Gutman
Animal and human fathers kiss in different ways, but they all show love.

Peek-a-Who? - Nina Laden
The reader can look through die-cut pages for a visual clue to complete a game of peek-a-boo.

New Picture Books

Lucky Jake - Sharon Hart Addy
While panning for gold with his Pa, Jake adopts a pig that he names Dog.

Fox - Kate Banks
A baby fox anticipates the time when he can go out alone, but first his parents must teach him the ways of the wilderness.

A Perfect Day - Remy Charlip
A parent and child spend a perfect day together, from sunrise to nightfall.

First Grade, Here I Come - Nancy Carlson
Henry tells his mother that he did not like his first day of first grade, but as he describes what he did and learned, he begins to realize that he might enjoy it after all.


That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown - Cressida Cowell
Emily defends her stuffed rabbit from the naughty queen who is determined to acquire it any way she can.

Orange Pear Apple Bear - Emily Gravett
Explores concepts of color, shape, and food using only five simple words, as a bear juggles and plays.

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy - Jane O'Connor
Nancy wants to adopt a special puppy so that she is no longer the only fancy member of her family, but after a day of puppysitting a papillon, she realizes that being fancy is not always the most important thing.

17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore - Jenny Offill
A young girl lists the seventeen things she is not allowed to do anymore, including not being able to make ice after freezing a fly in one of the cubes.

Shelly - Margie Palatini
Shelly's older sisters wait impatiently for him to be ready for all sorts of activities, like they are, but he is determined to do things on his own schedule.

The Purple Balloon - Chris Raschka
Easy-to-read text reveals that dying is hard work, for the old and especially the young, and how good it is that so many people help when a person dies, from medical staff to clergy and friends to family members.

Little Moon Dog - Helen Ward
Little Moon Dog plays with the mischievous fairies who come to tour the moon, but he later realizes that the Man in the Moon is his true friend.

Scaredy Squirrel - Melanie Watt
Meet Scaredy Squirrel, a squirrel who never leaves his nut tree because he's afraid of the unknown "out there." But then, something unexpected happens that may just change his outlook.

How to Bake an American Pie - Karma Wilson
Rhyming text and illustrations present a recipe for how to bake a pie from all the things that make America great.

The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven - Jonah Winter
Ludwig van Beethoven and his five legless pianos keep having to move from one apartment to another when his neighbors complain about the noise.

The Little Red Fish - Taeeun Yoo
A little boy named JeJe explores a magical library with his friend, a little red fish.

New Children's Books

Dimity Dumpty: The Story of Humpty's Little Sister - Bob Graham
Humpty Dumpty's little sister is too shy to be part of her family's circus act, but she finds courage when her brother needs her help.

The Story of Giraffe - Guido Pigni
After learning that he cannot board Noah's ark until he finds a girl giraffe to go with him, Giraffe asks other creatures for help but, while they teach him valuable lessons, none can help with the main problem.

New Professional Resources

Lessons for Extending Place Value - Maryann Wickett

Acting Out: Reader's Theatre Across the Curriculum - Chris Gustafson

New Christian Education Resource

Crafts from Your Favorite Bible Stories - Kathy Ross
Presents instructions for making twenty-nine craft projects related to Bible stories and characters including a Jonah in the whale puppet, a cardboard tube manger, and a hair-growing Samson.