Product Description

This manual of ideas zeroes in on current picture book titles. It features reproducible worksheets, writing activities, related reading-based activities, and technology for grades three through five. The ideas have been tested in the authors' libraries and are linked to national curricular standards. Designed for school librarians, the book is also a valuable resource for the classroom teacher and the reading specialist. Librarians will find the ideas and plans valuable as they collaborate with teachers to teach content area standards.

This manual of ideas zeroes in on current picture book titles. It features reproducible worksheets, writing activities, related reading based activities, and technology for grades three through five. The ideas have been tested in the authors' libraries and are linked to national curricular standards. Though school librarians are targeted as the main audience for this book, it also is a valuable resource for the classroom teacher and reading specialist. Librarians will find the ideas and plans valuable as they collaborate with teachers to teach content area standards. The most similar resource to this book of lesson plans is the authors' first book, Linking Picture Books to Standards. This new book has the same format, but focuses on upper- level picture books and activities. It provides the librarian, classroom teacher, or reading specialist with worksheets that are ready to copy and patterns that are easy to follow. There are few resources of a similar genre on the market today—this book should help bridge the gap and provide much needed materials. Grades 3-5.

Customer Reviews (2)

Unfamiliar Titles
Having taught grades 1-5, I expected to find familiar books to use when teaching and reviewing literary devices with my fifth graders.I was unfamiliar with most of the books listed, so I haven't found this resource as useful as I expected.

An introduction to the often difficult process of teaching small children the intricate details of the English language
Using Picture Books To Teach Language Arts Standards In Grades 3-5 deftly co-authored and illustrated by element school librarian and media specialist Brenda S. Copeland and Patricia A. Messner is an informed and informative introduction to the often difficult process of teaching small children the intricate details of the English language. Designed specially for school librarians, but also providing teachers and homeschooling parents with a comprehensive and "user-friendly" mapping of the particulars in language arts instruction, Using Picture Books To Teach Language Arts Standards is an exceptional value as a resource for the curriculum enrichment. Enhanced with an appendices, a bibliography, web resources, and an index, Using Picture Books To Teach Language Arts Standards is confidently recommended to the attention of teachers, librarians, and reading specialists of grades 3-5 for its exclusively expansive conceptual grasp of the teaching standards for the language arts.
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Product Description
A straightforward guide to teaching reading which looks at the skills that contribute to reading and suggests how they can best be taught in a balanced way. The book acts as a map enabling teachers to chart how the different contributory elements in the reading process should come together. It shows how they can be developed through instruction to offer a programme of teaching that will orchestrate the development of children's reading knowedge. It is a practical book providing practical ideas for the classroom to show how to put theory into practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Shape. Good resource book.
This book came to me in excellent shape, and in good timing to help study for the Reading Praxis II.It contained great teaching strategies and will be one of my most valuable resources.

Great Teacher resource
This is a great user friendly book that gives step by step instruction on how to teach reading.It has good ideas that take into account different learning styles.Dr. Fry is a great source for reading materials. ... Read more

Product Description
Full of practical suggestions based on solid theory, this book emphasizes using newspapers to teach second-language learners basic language skills as well as math, science, and social studies content.Activities help students develop language and academic skills in a relevant context. ... Read more

Product Description
Read and recall more written information in less time, with Teach Yourself Speed Reading. Includes a variety of easy reading and memory techniques that can be used immediately. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The best book for fast readind and everything else a student may need
I have read few books about fast reading . But this book is the best. It also talk about memorization and othere area a student may need help with.

Excellent
I borrowed the book from the library and went through it in a couple sittings.It is a very good book and helped me quite a bit.There's quite a bit the author has to teach, yet it's simple and very easy to understand and implement.Give it a shot

Comprehensive book on speed reading
I found this book to be the most insightful and comprehensive book on the topic of speed reading that I have ever read.The author advocates a 5 step process for reading that will have you reading more quickly and effectively in no time.She addresses points in a clear and concise manner that other authors on the topic glaze over, and there are several exercises throughout the book to help you solidify your new skills.

Most authors on the topic jump right into the mechanics of speed reading and focus on increasing the number of words per minute you can absorb, Tina Konstant addresses the true goal of speed reading:processing and retaining information more quickly.She gives clear advice on how you can improve your memory, concentration and vocabulary.These necessary skills are just as important to speed reading as the techniques on which other authors focus.

The one area where I think this book could use some more "meat" is in the study skills section.For a good read on how to use the skills you learn from this book in your education, refer to the Evelyn Woods 7 Day Speed Reading book.However, in terms of general "how to" on speed reading and retention, I could not recommend a better book than Konstant's.I highly recommend it.

Comprehensive book on speed reading
I read this book and found it to be very insightful.While there IS only a small portion of the book focused on the specific topic of technique, the author does a good job of pointing out that there is more to speed reading than eye-hand movements.Memory, concentration, and vocabulary drive not only how quickly you can read, but also whether you will remember the content.

I have read several books on this topic, and this book is the best by far at defining not only the HOW of speed reading, but all of the related disciplines required to make your reading time more effective.I highly recommend this book.

Misleading and Ineffective
I purchased this book because the book I wanted was out of print (Speed Reading by Robert Zorn) and because this book was written recently.I figured I would give this unrated book a shot.

Well after reading the book for a day I realized it was not what I was looking for.This book instead of focusing on the subject of speed-reading decided to spend time on irrelevant topics.

To show my point here is the table of contents:

(1) Introduction (2) The Five-Step Reading System (3) Speed Reading (4) Developing your Vocabulary (5) Concentration (6) Memory(7) A Book is a Book is a Book (Reasons for reading books) (8) Your eyes and effective reading (9) Distractions and Solutions (10) Real World Reading (11) Working and studying for a living (12) Useful information

Notice how there is only one or maybe two chapters that focus on speed reading. There has to be at most only 30 pages of Speed Reading information... but that is a generous estimate. Also the methods Konstant teaches are ineffective and vague. She promotes the use of a pacer in the reading process, which is a bad ineffective method to gain speed in reading.

If you are interested in learning to speed-read then I suggest you pick up Robert Zorn's Speed Reading.Since the book is out of print you might need to do some searching in order to find it. ... Read more

Product Description
60 High-Interest Reproducible Activities—Perfect For Learning Centers—That Build Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Writing Skills
Learn how to structure collaborative, literacy-focused activities for "the rest of the class" while you provide direct instruction to small groups. Includes 60+ innovative reproducible activities that build skills and foster independence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good for Teachers Experienced with Using Centers
I purchased this book because I thought it would give me some fresh ideas on how to set up and manage centers while I worked with small groups.Well, the author only spends about 4 pages on center set-up and management, and it's a pretty broad overview with fuzzy details.I would not recommend this book for a teacher who has never done centers before, because it is not very helpful in the "how-to" department. On the other hand, it is packed full of great ideas for activities related to literacy that can be used in your centers.Most of them are of the worksheet variety, and many are made for specific book titles, but all of the ideas can be adapted for your own curriculum.The menu idea itself is great and very flexible, and I like the author's use of long-term projects to solve the "I'm done, what can I do now?" problem. This is a great book for teachers who already use centers and need some new activity ideas.

Helpful book
This was a helpful book for the ever present problem of keeping the rest of the class busy (but not with "busy work") while you work with a small group. Even if you are not reading some of the titles listed by theauthor, the framework for creating your own activities is very helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
Covering reading and writing, this book provides specific interventions for tiers 1, 2, and 3 within a multi-tier RTI framework so diverse learners can experience successful literacy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Specific strategies for interventions for Tiers 1,2 and 3 provide evidence-based practices & real-world examples
A top pick is Sheila Alber-Morgan's USING RTI TO TEACH LITERACY TO DIVERSE LEARNERS, K-8: STRATEGIES FOR THE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM, a survey of practical intervention strategies for diverse learners and teachers who use RTI to reach them. Specific strategies for interventions for Tiers 1,2 and 3 provide evidence-based practices, real-world examples, and methods for teaching spelling, keyboarding, writing and more.
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Product Description
Reading is not an end in itself. As Lorraine Wilson reminds us: We read to do something else ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

reading to live
do not like the author and/or many of her opinions. however, there are many good teaching tips/ideas

Recommended reading for any parent or classroom instructor
Reading To Live: How To Teach Reading For Today's World by Lorraine Wilson (an education consultant who conducts professional development programs for teachers throughout Australia) presents an articulate and persuasive argument for preserving integrated, holistic reading programs within the classroom, while refuting the presumed efficacy of a uniform, lock-step, one-size-fits-all policy of reading instruction. Reading To Live showcases easy to apply teaching strategies for reading skills that are based upon the life experiences and language abilities that children bring to school. Expanding upon the Luke & Freebody Four Resources Model (code breaker, text participant, text user, and text analyst), many techniques for developing these practices through a holistically integrated learning approach are cogently and succinctly detailed. Reading To Live is very strongly recommended reading for any parent or classroom instructor charged with the responsibility of teaching a child to read. ... Read more

Product Description
Veteran teacher Janiel Wagstaff shows how to harness the power of children's names to teach key reading and writing skills. ABC Name Walls jumpstart lessons on letter-sound correspondence, identifying beginning, middle, and ending sounds, and blending and segmenting sounds. The more advanced Chunking Name Wall helps students spell and decode using patterns in classmates' names. Wagstaff offers tips for creating the walls, introducing the names, and systematically teaching the skills children need to become successful readers and writers—all in a fun and motivating way.For use with Grades K–2. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Resource
I used this book with my kindergarten teachers at an in-service early in the school year.It is an excellent resource with plenty of ideas to involve children using their names for learning.I will continue to share the ideas and recommend this book to pre-K and Kindergarten teachers. ... Read more

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This book describes one teacher's journey with resistant, often over-age, under-achieving seventh and eighth graders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Teach us teachers, Mrs. K!
This book was very helpful to me as I developed a Writing Lab curriculum for 7th and 8th graders.The author gives a lot of insight about how to motivate and create rapport with reluctant writers.She serves as an example on how to make this type of student feel successful in an environment where he often faces nothing but failure.The advice on how to guide students to take ownership of their work and develop writing pieces of their own design was also helpful.Perhaps what I liked best was the honesty with which the book was written.The author never claims to "know it all", and shares many stories of her disappointments and failures.

A motivational fresh perspective . . .
Picking this book up while on maternity leave from teaching 7th grade English was a mentally refreshing and exciting experience.Through writing about her classroom approach, Mary Krogness revitalized my passion forteaching and gave me a new perspective on motivating all of my students --especially the reluctant ones.

I highly recommend this book for anymiddle level English/communication teacher. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Life Saver!
If you are studying for the Praxis Reading Specialist test, this will help you pass it.It includes all of the items that you need to know for the test. ... Read more

Product Description
Preparing to Teach Writing: Research, Theory, and Practice, Third Edition is a comprehensive survey of theories, research, and methods associated with teaching composition successfully. The primary goal is to provide practicing and prospective teachers with the knowledge they need to be effective teachers of writing and to prepare them for the many challenges they will face in the classroom.

Overall, the third edition of Preparing to Teach Writing is clearer and more comprehensive than the previous editions. It combines the best of the old with new information and features. The discussions and references to foundational studies that helped define the field of rhetoric and composition are preserved in this edition. Also preserved is most of the pedagogical apparatus that characterized the first two editions; research and theory are examined with the aim of informing teaching.

New in the Third Edition:
*a more thorough discussion of the history of rhetoric, from its earliest days in ancient Greece to the first American composition courses offered at Harvard University in 1874; *a major revision of the examination of major approaches to teaching writing--current-traditional rhetoric, new rhetoric, romantic rhetoric, writing across the curriculum, social-theoretic rhetoric, postmodern rhetoric, and post-postmodern rhetoric--considering their strengths and weaknesses;
*an extension of the discussion of strengths and weaknesses of major approaches to its logical conclusion--Williams advocates an epistemic approach to writing instruction that demonstrably leads to improved writing instruction when implemented effectively;
*a more detailed account of the phonics--whole language debate that continues to puzzle many teachers and parents;
*a new focus on why grammar instruction alone does not lead to better writing, the difference between grammar and usage, and how to teach grammar and usage effectively;
*an expanded section on Chicano English that now includes a discussion of Spanglish;
*more information on outcome objectives; the Council of Writing Program Administrators' statement of learning outcomes for first-year composition courses has been included to help high school teachers better understand how to prepare high school students for college writing, and to help those in graduate programs prepare for teaching assistantships in first-year composition courses; and
*a more comprehensive analysis of assessment that considers such important factors as the validity, reliability, predictability, cost, fairness, and politics of assessment and the effects on teaching of state-mandated testing, and also provides an expanded section on portfolios.
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Customer Reviews (3)

Good Resource
Preparing to Teach Writing is not an easy book to look at (very text heavy) but it nonetheless covers much theoretical and practical ground. It divides each chapter into subheadings, has excellent depth of reference. It is an excellent resource. I'll be using it with Peer Writing Tutors to give them a good grounding in theory and practice.

Very Interesting!
This is a very well-written book for teachers.The author seems to know something about every subject that might be related to composition--the bibliography alone should be required reading for all prospective teachers;it's nearly 30 pages.I recommend this book very highly.

A "must read" for teachers
This is the most comprehensive book I've ever seen on composition and teaching.I mean, it has everything--psychology and writing, linguistics and writing, reading and writing.Also, the book goes way beyond theoryand research to explain in clear language how an ordinary teacher like mecan actually apply theory and research in the classroom.This is a reallyfine book, and I recommend it to everyone. ... Read more

Product Description

Now in an updated second edition How to Teach Writing Across the Curriculum: Ages 8-14 provides a range of practical suggestions for teaching non-fiction writing skills and linking them to children’s learning across the curriculum. Emphasising creative approaches to teaching children’s writing in diverse and innovative ways, it provides:

• Information on the organisation and language features of the six main non-fiction text types (recount, report, instruction, explanation, persuasion and discussion)
• Suggestions for the use of cross-curricular learning as a basis for writing
• Planning frameworks for children to promote thinking skills
• Advice on developing children’s writing to help with organisational issues – paragraphing and layout, and the key language features
• Examples of non-fiction writing
• Suggestions for talk for learning and talk for writing (including links to 'Speaking Frames'; also published by Routledge)
• Information on the transition from primary to secondary school

With new hints and tips for teachers and suggestions for reflective practice as well as a wealth of photocopiable materials, How to Teach Writing Across the Curriculum: Ages 8-14 will equip teachers with all the skills needed to create enthusiastic non-fiction writers in their classroom.

Product Description

Presenting best practices in an easy-to-use format, literacy expert Bonnie Burns provides practical, research-based strategies for all aspects of literacy education.

Customer Reviews (4)

I wish I had this book 20 years ago!
This book should be compulsory reading for every person considering a career in the teaching profession.I have taught for twenty plus years, and only recently discovered this book.After borrowing it from the library I had to have my own copy.A treasure trove of practical teaching suggestions.Not just a book of theory underpinnings. I thought my purchase through Amazon was of a second hand book.The book I received was in mint condition!I am very very happy with my purchase!

good
Delivery was speedy. Book was in good condition but had some highlighting and writing inside.

BORING!!!!
I purchased this book for a class and I cannot find any merit in it.There is nothing to use for the classroom.I am tired of theory.I want to learn practical strategies that will help me be a better teacher.This is more waste of paper.The poor trees!

Excellent strategies for all teachers
This book contains excellent strategies for ALL teachers -- not just primary level and/or reading teachers. All teachers should be accountable for helping our students read and learn to respond to the written word.Sadly, this task generally falls on the shoulders of the English and Reading teachers only.

This book contains strategies which are easily applied into any curriculum and adaptable to any grade level from Kindergarten through 12th grade. If I had teachers who taught me HOW to read a textbook, rather than assigning readings and expecting their students to know how to read correctly and take notes on the readings, I would have had a much easier time in my first years of college.Upper level teachers take for granted that their students know how to read, and know how to read well. This book is an eye-opener on the various levels of reading and responding to text through writing in order to make sense of the written word.Not just for struggling readers, but for ALL readers. ... Read more

Product Description
In this unique linguistics course-in-a-book, David and Yvonne Freeman explain essential linguistic concepts in a thorough, but manageable manner and show the connections between linguistic theory and classroom practice ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent Service
Thank you so much for fast service and a product that was exactly as described!

Good if you are a staunch whole language believer
I picked up this book from a university bookstore because I was interested in background knowledge in linguistics to help guide reading instruction.This book is a typical "we are right (whole language) and you are wrong (phonics)" debate.The authors refer to themselves as "sociopsycholinguists" which I took to be the new term for whole language teachers. I don't want to waste my time reading about the whole language vs. phonics debate anymore, I just wanted the research and background provided by linguistic study. This book just seemed to be a rehashing of whole language theories; and why they are correct and the phonics approach is wrong with little classroom strategies (which is what I wanted from the book).I wanted different ways I could use to help struggling readers no matter what the theory, I don't feel this was a good book for that.

Very useful
I found this book very useful. Well put together and the questions/assignments at the end are also appreciated. Extremely valuable as a coursebook or for self-study. No fluff.

Excellent service
The seller gave excellent service and communicated with me quickly. Book as described. Would definately work with again.

Great linguistic book for teachers
Freeman & Freeman have hit a great niche with their book. I don't want or need, a complex linguistics book in the style of Chomsky. Freeman & Freeman take language research and package the relevant "real-world" findings so they will be of use for teachers. Although my interest is for English as a Second (ESL) teachers, I believe every teacher is concerned with literacy, and Freeman & Freeman's book covers what teachers need to know concerning phonics v. whole word instruction, spelling, and grammar. Freeman & Freeman seem to belong to the Stephen Krashen school of language and reading. This is a plus for me, but for Krashen-haters, it probably wouldn't be, and they should look elsewhere. This is "baby" linguistics book--you won't get a section on Chomsky's generative grammar here. I think it would be a good companion volume along with VanPatten's "From Input to Output"--which is a slim volume solely concerned with second language acquisition and has the same conversational tone--and--this is important--their teaching advice and philosophy meshes. ... Read more