Author and Songwriter, Norma Gentner, has always had an
adventurous spirit, which is not only reflected in her
Songs of
Science, but also in her own life. Having grown up on a small
island just minutes from Niagara Falls, she had opportunities to
explore its shores and wildlife, which inspired her passion for
science. While researching two of her titles,
Dig A Dinosaur and
Munch, Munch, Munch, Norma spent a week in the Badlands of Montana on a paleo-dig and later visited the El Rosario Monarch Sanctuary southwest of Mexico City. Each encounter with the natural world left her with questions---questions that needed answers.
Norma’s writing career began as a series of serendipitous events when she was looking for a nonfiction song about bears to use with her kindergarten students. Knowing that music has a “Pied-Piper” effect, she began searching for a science song---one that would help students learn the content in a snap! There were so many facts just “lumbering” around in her head, and what happened next has always remained a mystery. Norma explains it this way: “I can’t seem to find words to describe the magical place where melodies are born. They seem to suddenly appear and wrap themselves perfectly around the words or ideas. I got so excited when the
did you know part of my first songbook appeared that I found myself shouting the first few verses of
Bear Facts all the way home!” That was the beginning of a literary career that now includes a dozen science songbooks and tapes for children--- all published by the Wright Group.
As a teacher with 33 years of experience as an elementary, special education and enrichment teacher, Norma comes with the expertise and knowledge to guide both children and teachers in discovering answers to their questions. In recognition of this talent, Norma Gentner was honored as a finalist representing New York State in the
National Science Foundation’s Presidential Award for Science and Mathematics Teaching in 1995 and 1997. She has also led students in achieving both Regional and National awards in Toshiba/NSTA’s
Explorasvision national science competition.
Click on the Exploravision website below to view the 2nd place National Award-Winning website for "The Appy-Bot."
http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/531/
