Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts

Real SAT II: Subject Tests Review

Real SAT II: Subject Tests
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This book does what it says: it gives you one complete REAL SAT II test on every single subject EXCEPT Biology and Korean. Since many people take the Bio E/M test these days, this book is marred by the fact that it doesn't have a complete Bio E/M test (only half and not "REAL") and they seem to be easier than the actual test I took.
But otherwise, on all the other subjects, this book gives you a test that was actually used before. Plus, it gives you the scales for the particular tests, answers and difficulty of the question (no explanations though).
If you are buying this book for the language SAT II's with listening, you can get the tapes for free by sending the attached postcard to College Board. You should get it because the price you paid for the book includes the tapes and if you don't have the tapes you can't do the listening tests. Request beforehand since they take a few weeks to ship.
These book gives you the confirmation of whether you know the stuff or not after you finish your study program. From then on you can work on your weak spots or sit back and relax as you've done well on the practice (don't get too cocky though =) as the SAT 2 tests change slowly but gradually over time, and so the practice might be considerably different from the one you actually take).
Take this from someone who's got 800 on two SAT 2 tests, and 790, 770, 740, 730, and 700 on 5 others.
Oh and one more thing: before each test, there's a brief description with an outline of the topics tested and several sample questions of each question type for the specific subject. For the writing test, there is a sample topic and 6 essays with the 6 different scores on that topic (this topic is NOT the one on the REAL test--so you get 2 topics in the book for practice!)

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Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary Review

Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary
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Word Smart gives one of the best selections of need-to-know words I have ever seen. It lists over 800 every-day-useful words, while avoiding the temptation of adding some long, snooty-sounding words for the sake of intellectual arrogance. These are words that most college students should know. If you can master these in high school, you will be on the way to a rock solid vocabulary.
The format of the book is straight forward. After a very helpful chapter on tips for learning new vocabulary, the set of words is introduced in alphabetical order. Every ten words or so ends in a quick quiz. This allows you to test what you have learned; you can also start with the quiz to see what words you can skip over. The concluding chapters contain a lengthy final exam, the SAT and GRE hit parade (words you should have mastered well before taking these standardized tests), word roots, common usage errors, abbreviations, and some lists for the arts, science, finance, and foreign words.
This is a great book for anyone who would like to beef up on their vocabulary, or for those who would just like a good review to make sure they are not using some words wrongly.

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The words people use say a lot about them. Some words say that they are smart, persuasive, and informed. Others say that they don't know what they're talking about. Knowing which words to use and how to use them are keys to getting the most from one's mind and to communicating effectively.To find out which words readers absolutely need to know, The Princeton Review researched the vocabularies of educated adults.The Princeton Review analyzed newspapers from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal, magazines from Time to Scientific American, and books from current bestsellers to classics.Editors threw out words that most people know and focused on the words that people misunderstand or misuse.TPR also combed through the SAT and other standardized tests to determine which words are tested most frequently.In this updated third edition, editors give readers the most important words they need to know to score higher.Includes special lists covering:• Common usage errors• Most frequently tested words on standardized tests• Foreign phrases, abbreviations, and terms readers need to know to understand finance, science, computers, and the arts

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The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre Review

The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre
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THE CREATIVE SPIRIT takes a very refreshing, multicultural view to American Theater, while still giving good, basic information about theater history and the process of theater production. This text was written to accompany introductory theater courses, (perhaps in community colleges or in a theater for non-majors context), not to try to be a definitive guide to all theater. Hence, the subtitle "An Introduction to Theatre."
Reading plays is a huge part of learning about theater, and this text includes many plays for analysis and discussion. The plays included are each unique and important, reflecting the diverse experience of the people of the United States (and probably the students who are reading them), while still teaching the same concepts as if they were reading the plays that most intro textbooks offer. Each play is preceded by contextual information including an author biography, the artistic and cultural influences that contributed to the inspiration of the writing, information about a production of the play, etc.
There are individual chapters about the role of each theater practicioner (director, designer, actor, etc.) which include interviews with professionals who discuss their craft.
New to recent editions is the addition of an entire chapter about musical theater. An important part of American theater, recent and historical musical productions are discussed.
The text is richly illustrated, with many color plates, black and white photos and drawings. Photos of Broadway, regional and college productions are included, as well as historically important people and places.
In addition, the final chapter of the text (at least in the last edition, I have not seen the most recent edition) includes a number or project ideas for students to become the producers of a show, choosing directorial concepts, set and costume designs, etc. At the end of each of the other chapters are suggested discussion questions for that chapter's content as well.
Many of us practicing theater today could even benefit from reviewing some of the basic information in this book, or expanding our knowledge of what's out there by reading about and seeing photos from varied regional productions.
In my mind, THE CREATIVE SPIRIT: AN INTRODUCTION TO THEATRE is an excellent book for what it aims to be.

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This introductory text places the students at the center of theatrical creation and provides coverage of the broad range of contemporary theatre. The Creative Spirit includes complete scripts of five plays: August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Wakako Yamauchi's And the Soul Shall Dance, Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Milcha Sanchez Scott's Dog Lady, and Sam Shepard's Buried Child. The text emphasizes the collaborative and creative processes that go into productions, and includes interviews with theatre artists.

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Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument with Readings Review

Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument with Readings
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This book contains many interesting issues that affect our daily lives. Topics are very well put together and allows the reader to think about challenges that surround us.

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Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense Review

Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense
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I have used this book extensively in my college level literature and composition class. It has proven an invaluable resource for those seeking information on topics ranging from analysis of poetry to dramatic interpretation to stylistic movement within a piece of writing.The text offers specific examples within its lessons and includes many unabridged sources including poems, short stories, and plays. I highly recommend this book to any who seek to expand their knowledge of literary structure, sound, and sense. It will prove valuable as you struggle to expand as a writer, reader, and thinker.

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For over twenty-five years, this three-genre anthology has been a leading title for introductory literature courses. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the principal forms of fiction, poetry, and drama. Each section includes a simple discussion of the elements of the form and carefully selected stories, poems, or plays for illustration. Each section also includes an anthology of additional selections for further reading. In the Seventh Edition, the tradition of clear, precise writing and practical organization initiated by Laurence Perrine years ago is continued by Thomas R. Arp, Professor Perrine's colleague at Southern Methodist University and co-author of the Perrine trilogy for many years. He has used the same criteria of literary excellence and teaching usefulness that he and Professor Perrine utilized during the years of their collaboration to select new stories, poems, and plays for the anthology and has updated certain sections to reflect reader preferences and recent literary interests.Features: * Continues to present the best of classic literature, along with new contemporary writers.* Organized around the elements of literature within each genre, the section sare arranged progressively to give students information to understand and use. * Includes a "Writing About Literature" appendix to help guide students through the process of thinking and writing about literature.New to this edition: * Nine new short stories and one new novella (about 25% of the total selections), including works by Toni Cade Bambara, Margaret Atwood, Ann Beattie, Dagoberto Gilb, Zora Neale Hurston, and Katherine Ann Porter. * Numerous new poems (about 30% of the total selections), many by women and minority poets. * Completely rewritten chapter on Meter and Rhythm to include expanded coverage of non-metrical verse. * Several limericks by Laurence Perrine, a master of that verse form. * New one-act plays by six playwrights, including Vaclav Havel, Tom Stoppard, J.E. Franklin, Luis Valdez, and Christopher Durang, in addition to classics by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Sophocles, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and others.

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Thomas' Calculus Early Transcendentals (11th Edition) Review

Thomas' Calculus Early Transcendentals (11th Edition)
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What a MESS!!! This is THE WORST textbook I have EVER seen on Calculus (or any other topic)! It should never be used to introduce students to the subject, because I guarantee all it will produce is frustration and confusion! There is little to no explanation on topics, some sections jump right into examples without any background for understanding the basis for the solutions, small little tidbits of important concepts are hidden away in text in obscure places, other less important stuff seems to take prominence in the text and ramble on and on, even the approach to exercises seems to be backward - material in the section and worked examples show a method of solution, but the first few sections of exercises ask you to solve the problem backward, and later on you find problems that would have been helpful in the beginning to get you familiarized with the concepts. The Solution Manual to the text isn't much help either. The only way I can accept this book as being worthy of print is to possibly think that it was written for Math instructors - people who already understand the subject and want to read something different - because THIS BOOK STINKS from a student's perspective. It is really, really, REALLY BAD!!! I like math, but I will never take another class if the textbook is by this author.

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This is the most comprehensive revision of Thomas' Calculus in 25 years. The new edition of Thomas is a return to what Thomas has always been: the book with the best exercises. For the 11th edition, the authors have added exercises cut in the 10th edition, as well as exercises and examples from the classic 5th and 6th editions.The book's theme is that Calculus is about thinking; one cannot memorize it all. The exercises develop this theme as a pivot point between the lecture in class, and the understanding that comes with applying the ideas of Calculus.In addition, the table of contents has been refined, introducing transcendentals in the first seven chapters. Many of the examples have been trimmed of distractions and rewritten with a clear focus on the main ideas. The authors have also excised extraneous information in general and have made the technology much more transparent.The ambition of Thomas 11e is to teach the ideas of Calculus so that students will be able to apply them in new and novel ways, first in the exercises but ultimately in their careers.Every effort has been made to insure that all content in the new edition reinforces thinking and encourages deep understanding of the material.

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Word Smart II: 700 More Words to Help Build an Educated Vocabulary (Princeton Review Series) Review

Word Smart II: 700 More Words to Help Build an Educated Vocabulary (Princeton Review Series)
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I'm an exchange student here in the US. In addition to the English lessons I take,this book helps me very well to improve my vocabulary as well as it helps me to explain things better. The alphabetic order of the words in this book supports the fast finding. This book is a must for all students as well as for those who like to improve their English vocabulary to a more educated level.

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Revised EditionThis revised edition of Word Smart II features another 848 words you need to know for an educated, up-to-date vocabulary. Other features are a pronunciation guide, a list of common usage errors and the most frequently tested words.

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The Least You Should Know About English (Form A) (Least You Should Know about English: Writing Skills) Review

The Least You Should Know About English (Form A) (Least You Should Know about English: Writing Skills)
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As an English teacher, I often find it difficult attaining grammar books that are accessable to all students. The Least You Should Know About English provides comprehensive lessons that students can understand, and also gives a wealth of exercises. The book deals with all grammar errors-fragments, usage, parallel structure, shifts in time, apostrophe-as well as proofreading exercies. For times you struggle with the correct answer, an answer key is provided. I found this book ideal in my high school classroom, since so many students lack the grammar background needed to be successful in writing.

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For over twenty years, the simple, friendly approach ofTHE LEAST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ENGLISH has helped students with their spelling, punctuation, and sentence and paragraph structure.

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The Blair Reader Review

The Blair Reader
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As a core text for my freshman writing classes, I use the Blair Reader to integrate the diverse ethnic backgrounds of my students through writers with whom they can relate. The Blair Reader also provides an instructor's resource manual that guides the teacher through the use of collaborative group and multimedia activities to stimulate student writing. I would highly recommend this text to any writing or reading instructor who faces the challenge of the diversified classroom.

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For English Composition courses. This broad thematic reader offers over 100 teachable essays selected by professors.Each teachable essay is supported by an introduction about the author, and writing activities.Additionally, each theme has a focus section which helps students expand their ideas and write about critical issues.This edition offers new non-fiction, poetry, and fiction selections as well as many new visual images give students a richer, more interesting learning experience.

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Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication Review

Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication
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This is an excellent text for an undergraduate course on interpersonal communication. In addition to easy-to-understand content, the end-of-chapter exercises are helpful (as are the ones that can be found in the instructor's text). An all-around good book.

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Now in a new edition, Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to communication in interpersonal relationships. Based on an extensive body of scholarship, Interplay cites more than 1,200 sources--almost 25% of which are new to this edition--and provides a variety of thought-provoking photos, sidebars, and cartoons that illustrate key points in the text and connect them to everyday life and popular culture. Updated and revised throughout, the tenth edition is now more accessible and useful to students, with revisions based on detailed recommendations by leading scholars in the field. UPDATED FEATURES OF THE TENTH EDITION * Revised and expanded material examines the relationship between gender and language use, the pervasiveness and inevitability of casual "mindless" listening, conflict styles, co-cultures within American society, and relational maintenance. * Focus on Research sidebars--50% of which are new to this edition--summarize current research on interesting and important topics. New profiles provide information on such topics as cell phone etiquette, self-presentation strategies of first-generation college students, unwritten rules for expressing emotions on the job, methods used by college students to discourage drinking and driving, and the functions of telling secrets in close relationships. * Film Clips--50% of which are new to this edition--profile recent feature films that illustrate communication concepts. These clips include Crash (stereotyping), Garden State (emotional expression), 50 First Dates (relational stages), Bend It Like Beckham (relational dialectics), and Before Sunset (self-disclosure). * An inviting new design features provocative photos and clever cartoons that reinforce concepts from the text and encourage students to explore the book's content. * The Interplay website at www.oup.com/us/interplay offers a wealth of resources for both students and their professors--online self-testing and other study aids, links to a variety of communication-related websites, and "Now Playing" reviews of recent films.

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Israeli Hebrew for Speakers of English (Book 1) Review

Israeli Hebrew for Speakers of English (Book 1)
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I was amazed to find there was no review for this series of books. While they have been out for a few years, I would regard them as one of the best resources for independent learning of Israeli Hebrew, and even as an intro for learning Biblical Hebrew because of the excellent pedagogy employed. The audio tapes for Books 1 and 2 are available on the internet (thank you!) and are definitely worth the time to check out, instead of so many audio recordings out there that use 'non-native' speakers. It's quite obvious from a teacher's perspective that this product was very well thought out. Mansoor's books and tapes are also a good product to use.

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Contents of the Israeli Hebrew Series The Israeli Hebrew for Speakers of English series consists of threefull textbooks plus a workbook that introduces the Hebrewalphabet. The series, designed for use with both university, highschool and adult education students, leadsthe language learner throughthe fundamentals of Modern Hebrew morphology, syntax and lexicon, andprepares him for advanced studies in the language. The series isintended to be compatible with the Modern Hebrew Computer-AssistedInstruction program, a computer-based supplement to classroom languageinstruction, originally designed for use on the University of Illinoisand Control Data Corporation PLATO systems. The textbooks aredesigned, however, to be used independently of the computerprogram. The books are accompanied by audio tapes (available free atdubenbooks.freeyellow.com.)Our Educational Philosophy It has been the assumption of the authors that the spoken rather than the written language should be emphasized during the initial stages of language learning. In the first two books of the series, we attempt to provide the student with a firm foundation in Israeli Hebrew as it is spoken in informal contexts by educated native speakers. The decision to teach informal spoken Hebrew has led to occasional departures from normative Hebrew. For example, in informal contexts, educated native speakers of Hebrew generally pronounce 'you plural wrote' as katavtem, and not as ktavtem. Thus, we have taught the form katavtem actively and have only mentioned the pronunciation ktavtem in passing the existence of the more formal . We believe this to be justified because we wish to prepare our students to speak and understand the Hebrew spoken by native speakers in Israel today.Although a colloquial style is emphasized during the initial stages of Hebrew study, a progression toward more literaryusage can be seen in the latter chapters of BookTwo and throughout Book Three. The goal of the series as a whole is to enable the advanced student to deal competently with the full range of styles in use in Israel. This would include conversational, journalistic and literary Hebrew. We believe that an emphasis on informal spoken Hebrew during the first year of study facilitates theaccomplishment of this goal.Types of Exercise Materials Related to our emphasis on the spoken language is the decision to stress oral rather than written drill in the first two volumes of the series. The pedagogical philosophy of the series is pragmatic. Choral repetitions, chain drills and transformation drills, the staples of the traditional audio-lingual method, have been used extensively. The use of audio-lingual drills does not mean that we view language learning as no more than rote habit formation. Rather, we believe that in learning a language like Hebrew, which is characterized by a multitude of a forms for verbs and nouns, repetitive drills are one type of useful exercise. It is true that these drills are less interesting for students than exercises that employ communicative skills, but they can be made less dull by a few tricks: These drills should generally be done orally and with the students' books closed. Their purpose is to develop oral facility in the structure being taught. Teachers who are inexperienced in this m!ethod should be warned that drills of this type must be carried out very rapidly, or their mechanical nature is likely to lead to inattention on the part of the student. When used properly, however, these drills remain a very effective method of introducing and practicing a new grammatical structure. In addition, grammar drills must be used in conjunction with communicative activities that are designed by instructors to match the interests of their class.Throughout the books, reading passages and grammar points are used to present and explain difficult structures as well as new vocabulary. The books were designed by linguists specializing in grammar (syntax and morphology), and an attempt has been made to make the grammatical descriptions both simple and scientifically correct. The grammar points may serve as a guide to both teacher and student as to the main emphasis of unit. We also include a variety of exercises, such as matching drills and translation exercises, which are intended primarily for use as homework. We have tried to provide many more exercises than could be conveniently done in class. Our intent is to allow the classroom teacher maximum flexibility in choosing exercises that fill the needs of his or her class.We would also like to emphasize again that much classroom time should be spent on communicative activities which force students to use and understand the language, not simply to practice grammatical forms.

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The Norton Anthology of English Literature (Single-Volume 8th Edition) Review

The Norton Anthology of English Literature (Single-Volume 8th Edition)
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The 8th edition of the Norton Anthology of English Literature is edited by Greenblatt and contains "the major authors" only. This thorough overview of the genre ranges from 15 c. Anglo Saxon literature (including Seamus Heaney's translation of "Beowulf") to some contemporary British literature (including work by JM Coetzee and Salman Rushdie). The selections are good ones and do not seem to suffer from a single editorial point of view or tone (unlike the Penguin survey edition of modern literature that is, frankly, a complete downer). This Norton edition includes classics such as John Donne's "Meditation 17", Swift's "A Modest Proposal", Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", an excerpt from Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication on the Rights of Women", "Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" and so on (it might be a bit thin on the ladies but what is included is the good stuff). As an English teacher and probable reference freak, I am pleased with it.

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Read by millions of students over seven editions, The Norton Anthology of English Literatureremains the most trusted undergraduate survey of English literature available and one of the mostsuccessful college texts ever published.
Firmlygrounded by the hallmark strengths of all Norton Anthologies-thorough and helpful introductorymatter, judicious annotation, complete textswherever possible-The Norton Anthology ofEnglish Literature, The Major Authors has beenrevitalized in this Eighth Edition through thecollaboration between six new editors and sixseasoned ones. Under the direction of StephenGreenblatt, General Editor, the editors havereconsidered all aspects of the anthology tomake it an even better teaching tool.

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English Composition and Grammar : Complete Course Review

English Composition and Grammar : Complete Course
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I learned to refine my writing using this book back in high school, and I still return to it often. It is very thorough and contains indispensable exercises, which allow the reader to practice each lessson. The book starts out with parts of speech and diagramming sentences, continues on through style and punctuation issues, and finishes with discussions and examples of research papers, business letters, tests of english, and public speaking. This book is perfect for any diligent student of writing in English, no matter what level of competence.

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Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners: The SIOP Model, Second Edition Review

Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners: The SIOP Model, Second Edition
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In a field that is sometimes long on theory but woefully short on substance, the authors have done an impressive job of combining a useable observation tool (the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol, or SIOP) with some practical, real-life vignettes that illustrate each of the elements presented. The SIOP goes through every step of the sheltering process, from lesson preparation through delivery and evaluation, and does it in a user-friendly fashion.
Teachers of English language learners will find descriptions of effective--and ineffective--planning and instructional strategies. Principals and other educational supervisors will find a much-needed tool for observing and coaching teachers in how to shelter content for students who are still acquiring English. A must-read for anyone training for the principalship, and a should-read, could-use for any teacher of English language learning students.

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Like no other text on the market, Making Content Comprehensible presents an empirically validated model of sheltered instruction. This text provides the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model, which provides school administrators, staff developers, teachers, teacher candidates, university faculty, and field experience supervisors with a tool for observing and quantifying a teacher's implementation of quality sheltered instruction. Making Content Comprehensible presents a coherent, specific, field-tested model of sheltered instruction that specifies the features of a high-quality sheltered lesson that teaches content material to English learners. Each of the 30 items from the SIOP model are illustrated through vignettes. Three different lessons for each item are rated and discussed, allowing the book to be applied to a variety of content areas and grade levels.

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