Comprehensive School Health Education Review

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(More customer reviews)There are several lesson plans in the back of the book which will be very helpful to a future teacher. However, I was uncomfortable with some of the verbal content within the main structure of this book. It seems to me that the general atmosphere within the book is rather conservative in nature.
1. Some of the extremely conservative overtones within the text can be exemplified below:
a. "In a healthful family, parents or guardians teach their childrenthat sex and love belong together in a committed marriage. The children learn that sex belongs in marriage and to practice delayed gratification." (p. 145)
b. "Children learn that it is not appropriate to be sexually active intheir teenage years." (p. 144)
2. Another thing that bothers me is the efforts they have made to include females actually ends up creating negative stereotypes. I guess it's not PC to say "his" to inclusively mean everyone. So rather than say his/her, this books often just says "her". This usage of "her" makes me feel as though the "hims" are not included. What's worse, are when they do the following (these are listed under suicide prevention strategies):
a. "Try to determine what the source of the depression is. Help theperson make a list of her strengths and the positive aspects of her life. This person should decide on a plan of action that will relieve her depressed feelings." (p.137)
b. "Rewarding activities provide an opportunity to be productive. The person's self-esteem will be raised, and he will feel rewarded."(p. 137)
3. The beginning of this chapter, Family and Social Health lists the following goals: (p.142)
11. I will develop healthful family relationships
12. I will work to improve difficult family relationships
13. I will make healthful adjustments to family changes
14. I will develop healthy friendships
15. I will develop dating skills
16. I will practice abstinence from sex
17. I will recognize harmful relationships
18. I will develop skills to prepare for marriage
19. I will develop skills to prepare for parenthood
20. I will practice abstinence from sex to avoid the risks of teen
marriage and parenthood
Optional Health Goal: I will learn facts about birth control methods.
These are just a few examples of the overall tone of the book.

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A market leader, this book continues to be the most thorough text and resource for preparing elementary-, middle-, and secondary-school teachers to teach health. Students who use this text in a methods class keep it as a reference for student-teaching and throughout their teaching career. They rely on the practical strategies and methods that the book provides, as well as on its comprehensive Curriculum Guide: an organized, sequential K-12 plan for teaching students the information and skills they need to become health-literate, to maintain and improve their health, to prevent disease, and to reduce risky health-related behaviors.

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A Celebration of Literature and Response: Children, Books, and Teachers in K-8 Classrooms (2nd Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I chose this book for a children's literature class that I lead based mostly on cost. The other recommended texts in this area are very expensive and I wanted my students to be able to purchase quality trade books as well. I need to supplement the reading a great deal because of the cursory nature of the chapters regarding various genres. For the money, it's a fine text but be aware that it leaves out a great deal that that other books - such as Norton's Through the Eyes of a Child from the same publisher - cover in greater depth.

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Reinforced by teachers' experiences in actual classrooms, this book provides a wealth of ideas for projects, readings, and response-based activities that will engage all learners in the joy of reading and responding to literature. It blends an appreciation of children's books across all genres with an emphasis on meaningful instructional strategies for literacy programs. Coverage of multicultural/international literature helps illustrate the universality of themes in children's literature—providing a basis for establishing a library of literature that expresses the totality of children's experiences and speaks to children from all cultures and backgrounds. Coverage is based on Louise Rosenblatt's transactional theory of reader response, and organized around five main "celebrations"that the author uses as a framework for uniting the findings of reader-response theory with quality children's literature and exemplary reflective, literature-based practice. Includes expanded coverage on multicultural/international literature—including numerous examples of children's literature written and published in other countries. Includes extensive coverage of reader responses to literature—oral and written responses, as well as those made through the visual arts. For teachers of Children's Literature. Introduces future teaches to the full range of children's responses to literature—encourages the use of a variety of strategies to elicit authentic, heartfelt, meaningful responses from pupils. An appendix on children's literature awards. Highlights exemplary children's literature across all genres—focuses students' attention on established standards and offers guidance for choosing literature that meets such standards. CONTENTS

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Communication for the Classroom Teacher (8th Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the book of lists. It lists countless way s to enhance classroom communication. It is a relatively common sense book with creative names for common concepts. I liked the book, however, it was overpriced for the value.

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This book provides prospective and current teachers with the skills and knowledge to understand and improve their own and their students' communication behavior. By combining theory and practical advice, this book focuses on the reasons for using certain communication strategies and how to implement them. Communication for the Classroom Teacher covers a wide range of classroom communication issues, including interpersonal and small group communication; listening skills; verbal and nonverbal communication (from both the teacher's and student's perspective); instructional strategies such as lecturing, discussions, and storytelling; teacher influence; ethical considerations; and racism/sexism in the classroom.

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Reading Recovery: A Guidebook for Teachers in Training Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book to familiarize myself with the Reading Recovery program. It opened my eyes to several things I have been doing when helping my child read which actually hinder a child's ability to decode words by themselves. Too much focus on the mechanics of reading and the letters in a word can contribute to problems when the child moves beyond the most basic reading skills.
Marie's book offers many excellent suggestions for working with a child. Her suggestions help a child grow in their reading without getting in their way. The lists of activities and skills to be acquired are helpful. We have seen tremendous progress in our child's ability to read independently since implementing the reading recovery program.
I think every parent who has a child struggling with reading could learn something from this book. I also think it would make excellent reading for any educator interested in helping their students read better.

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Reading Recovery is a guidebook for training teachers to deliver an early intervention program designed to reduce literacy problems in an education system.

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Revisit, Reflect, Retell: Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a highly useful, practical, up-to-date compilation of the best research based reading strategies. It draws from many sources, and presents lessons on one page in a clear format. You will be able to use lessons right away. The black line masters are very clear and visually uncluttered. Our professional bookclub read it and people from several grade levels found it to be a wonderful resource. I have tried Alphaboxes, Read and Retell, and Reciprocal Teaching with success at grades 3 and 4. This is a book that you won't want to keep on a shelf. It will be right on your desk so that you can use it as you make plans.

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This highly practical collection of more than 130 strategies and 90 reproducibles is the perfect resource for any teacher attempting to evoke high-quality responses to literature.

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