Fostoria
Born: 1946
Ohio connection: Birth
Sandra Markle was born in 1946 in Fostoria, Ohio, the daughter of Robert and Dorothy (Sauler) Haldeman. She received a B.A. degree from Bowling Green University in 1968. That same year, she married William Markle, with whom she had two children, Scott and Holly. Sandra Markle went on to do graduate study at Ohio University, 1970-71, and at the University of North Carolina, 1973-74. She taught in elementary and middle schools in Ohio, North Carolina, and Georgia, 1968-80, before beginning a full-time freelance writing career in 1980. She has developed several online learning programs, including On-line Expedition: New Zealand and On-line Expedition: Antarctica. She has been a science consultant for educational television and for publishers, as well as a presenter and scriptwriter for television series, including Science Shop and Ms. Whiz. She is a presenter at science assembly programs and teacher workshops. She is also a prolific author, predominantly in the realm of science books for children, often coupling science with fiction to make her books interesting for young readers. In addition to more than fifty individual book titles, she has produced a number of series: “Season of Science”, “Outside and Inside”, “Pioneering”, “Growing Up Wild”, and “Animal Predators.” Sandra Markle resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Awards:
Outstanding Book selection, National Science Teachers Association, for Exploring Winter; “Pick of the List,” American Booksellers Association, 1991, for Outside and Inside You, and 1995, for Outside and Inside Snakes; Young Adults choice book, International Reading Association, 1994, for The Fledglings; Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, National Science Teachers Association/Children’s Book Council, 1995, for Outside and Inside Spiders, Outside and Inside Birds, and Science to the Rescue; Notable Books selection, American Library Association, 1995, for Outside and Inside Birds; selected participant, Authors and Artists Program in Antarctica, National Science Foundation, 1996.