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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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Response to Intervention: Principles and Strategies for Effective Practice (The Guilford Practical Intervention in Schools Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Where I work, we are close to the point in which we will be implementing the Response to Intervention model for determining learning disabled and emotionally disturbed student eligibility. This necessitated my pouring over this book a few times in the last few weeks. I have to recommend it strongly as it would be difficult to imagine a more thorough work concerning this very new subject. Its historical discussion of special education and learning disabilities was excellent as was the authors' review of recent laws and legislation. The authors' description of the ineptitude of the discrepancy model is compelling even for those of us who never endured zoo staffings which were often its inevitable result. For those of us in the field, there are endless forms and figures on these pages which can be used as inspiration behind the forms accompanying our district's transition; although, RTI adoption clearly isn't just a matter of forms. The most exciting aspect is that it will give us an opportunity to develop a new aspect to one's game. Now, we'll utilize scientifically based interventions and be able to initiate them while recording the results. The authors even offer a template for a novel psychological report based upon Response to Intervention. Their creativity and thoroughness was a pleasant surprise.
However, I couldn't give the text five stars as the authors offer only unmitigated support for their subject. This is not good scholarship, nor is it good science. They make no attempt to explain the limitations which may be inherent to the enterprise. They also do not mention what many a practitioner (I hope) has realized since they first heard of it; which is that, contrary to expectations, it will balloon the size of special education because it will now be impossible to limit the number of children who will be eligible for learning disabled services. The slow learners who were once, and wrongfully, turned away will now be identified alongside the deficit students accommodated in the past. Without any mechanism with which to say no, school psychologists--that is those of us did what we were supposed to do for decades--will have to watch as the floodgates open and numbers swell to the point where special education becomes more normal than special. Perhaps I'm wrong, but my allowing for error is something with which the authors should partake.

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Meeting a key need, this is the first comprehensive guide to implementing a schoolwide response to intervention (RTI) program. The book is geared to helping practitioners understand and respond to No Child Left Behind and to the new special education eligibility guidelines outlined in IDEIA 2004. Presented are the theoretical and empirical foundations of the approach and a clear, 10-step model for conducting RTI procedures with students experiencing learning difficulties. Special features include reproducible planning and implementation worksheets and more than two dozen overhead transparency masters for use in RTI training sessions, with lay-flat binding to facilitate photocopying. For optimal utility, RTI training materials are also available online as PowerPoint slides and PDFs (www.guilford.com/rti).

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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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Teaching English in Middle and Secondary Schools (5th Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)Teach high school English. No pictures or other fluff. Gives an example of an instructional unit, and guides the newby through putting one together. Based in research and actual teaching, and includes information to consider when teaching to ALL ability and cultural groups. Lots of information in a small package, and worth the read if you did not have to get this as your textbook.

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Ideal for pre-service and new teachers, this book shows what it's really like to step before a classroom of grade six to 12 students and make English language arts approachable and real. Presenting a constructivist approach that asks, "How can my students best learn?" and emphasizing reflective practice as the means to make the concepts clear, Teaching English in Middle and Secondary Schools, 5/e is filled with actual sample lessons plus classroom ideas and instructional strategies that give readers opportunities to explore what they are learning and see how theory and research relate to practice.

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Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great book but I think its better for teachers of third grade and higher. This is like third, fourth, fifth grade version. "Reading With Meaning" is better for K, first, and second grade teachers. Its great as a part of a series.

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Since its publication in 2000, Strategies That Work has become an indispensable resource for teachers who want to explicitly teach thinking strategies so that students become engaged, thoughtful, independent readers.In this revised and expanded edition, Stephanie and Anne have added twenty completely new comprehension lessons, extending the scope of the book and exploring the central role that activating background knowledge plays in understanding. Another major addition is the inclusion of a section on content literacy which describes how to apply comprehension strategies flexibly across the curriculum. The new edition is organized around four sections:
Part I highlights what comprehension is and how to teach it, including the principles that guide practice, a review of recent research, and a new section on assessment. A new chapter, Tools for Active Literacy: The Nuts and Bolts of Comprehension Instruction, describes ways to engage students in purposeful talk through interactive read alouds,guided discussion and written response.Part II contains lessons and practices for teaching comprehension. A new first chapter emphasizes the importance of teaching students to monitor their understanding before focusing on specific strategies. Five lessons on monitoring provide a sound basis for launching comprehension instruction. At the end of each strategy chapter, the authors outline learning goals and ways to assess students' thinking, sharing examples of student work, and offering suggestions for differentiating instruction.Part III, Comprehension Across the Curriculum, is new. Comprehension strategies are essential for content-area reading, where information can be challenging, and presented in unfamiliar formats. This section includes chapters on social studies and science reading, topic study research, textbook reading and the genre of test reading.Part IV shows that kids need books they can sink their teeth into and the updated appendix section recommends a rich diet of fiction and nonfiction, short text, kid's magazines, websites and journals that will assist teachers as they plan and design comprehension instruction
Through its focus on instruction that is responsive to kids' interests and learning needs, the first edition of Strategies That Work helped transform comprehension instruction for teachers across the country. For them, this new edition will be a welcome extension of that work. Those coming to it for the first time will find a current and essential resource. When readers use these strategies, they enjoy a more complete, thoughtful reading experience. Engagement is the goal. When kids are engaged in their reading they enhance their understanding, acquire knowledge, and learn from and remember what they read. And best yet, they will want to read more!

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Nonfiction Matters: Reading, Writing, and Research in Grades 3-8 Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a "must have" for all elementary, middle, and high school language arts teachers. It is an easy-to-read, practical guide for teaching expository writing. I continually use this as a resource in planning my writing instruction. Students are highly motivated by Harvey's approach. Be sure to add this to your professional library!

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When we open the gates to nonfiction inquiry, we open our thinking and expect the unexpected, making reading discoveries, research discoveries, and writing discoveries on our way. Nonfiction Matters offers teachers the tools to help students explore nonfiction and dig deep to reach more complete understanding of the real world and report these insights in a compelling manner.

Stephanie Harvey shows how students can read expository text, engage in research, and write authentic nonfiction that is captivating, visual, and full of voice. The inquiry projects she describes require in-depth learning: topic selection, question development, research exploration, reading for content, organization, synthesis, writing to convey meaning, and presenting findings—all skills that develop independent thinkers who know how to make decisions, solve problems, and apply their knowledge insightfully.

Full of practical suggestions to help you bring nonfiction into your curriculum, Nonfiction Matters:presents strategies for understanding expository text and conducting meaningful research;offers ideas for organizing and writing accurate, effective nonfiction from idea to finished presentation;advances the importance of teacher modeling and guided practice in instructional delivery;provides a list of inquiry tools and resources—both print and electronic;suggests ways to facilitate project-based learning and assess the projects as they develop;includes bibliographies of nonfiction children's books by subject and genre and lists of recommended magazines.
Why is nonfiction almost a guaranteed success? The key to teaching with nonfiction is passion, for children are passionate inquirers, and nonfiction fuels their curiosity and their demand for knowledge and understanding of the world.

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Verbal Advantage: 10 Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is an interesting stroll through English vocabulary. It starts you out with words that most adults know, and slowly leads you to the vocabulary of the intellectual elite. Along the way are stops for pronunciation tips, common English pitfalls, advice for increasing your vocabulary, and numerous other tips to help you sound like an educated speaker. This book is a very fun and exciting approach to an otherwise boring subject.
I often heard many of the words in this book used on TV or radio, and didn't really know what they meant. Now I know what they mean, not what I think they might mean because of the way they are being used. This book is simply amazing.

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First time in book form! A successful program for teaching 3,500 vocabulary words that successful people need to know, based on America's #1 bestselling audio vocabulary series."People judge you by the words you use." Millions of Americans know this phrase from radio and print advertising for the Verbal Advantage audio series, which has sold over 100,000 copies. Now this bestselling information is available for the first time in book form, in an easy-to-follow, graduated vocabulary building program that teaches an outstanding vocabulary in just ten steps. Unlike other vocabulary books, Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms. Lively, accessible writing from an expert author and radio personality.

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Nonfiction Mentor Texts: Teaching Informational Writing Through Children's Literature, K-8 Review

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(More customer reviews)I believe no teacher should be without this helpful resource! Using the idea of "Mentor Texts" to write informational pieces was a foreign concept to me before reading this book. After reading and teaching a few of the lessons found in the book, I will definitely incorporate mentor text writing into my daily curriculum. The authors provide the reader with a great background of why it is important to base our nonfiction writing off of a excellent model, and why should the teacher create the model when there are so many great children's books already written?! This resource lists great children's picture books to teach persuasive writing, introductions an conclusions, writing to build content, writing in the real world, and many, many more topics. The authors take you through their lessons and explain the effectiveness of each step they take in the writing process. What I love most about this book is how you can turn boring writing into authentic engaging writing with just a few key pointers and a great quality children's picture book. And no... children's books are not just for primary students!

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In their first book, Mentor Texts, Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli demonstrated how teachers can use children's literature to guide and inspire student writers of narrative fiction and poetry. Now, they have turned their focus to nonfiction, identifying a wide range of mentor texts and showing how these models illustrate the key features of good writing. Lynne and Rose guide teachers through a variety of projects, samples, and classroom anecdotes that demonstrate how teachers can help students become more effective writers of good nonfiction.The Your Turn lessons at the end of each chapter use the gradual release of responsibility model to guide and empower student writers. Teachers will find especially helpful the information on how to select appropriate mentor texts from among the sometimes overwhelming offerings of children's literature. Each Your Turn lesson encourages reflection and motivates students to think about what they've learned, the purpose of learning and practicing a skill or strategy, and how they might use this technique in the future. Additionally, An Author's Voice provides encouragement and advice from published authors of children's nonfiction. One of the most valuable features of Nonfiction Mentor Texts is the treasure chest of books organized according to chapter. This list includes every title mentioned in the book, as well as a host of other titles that teachers can use to help students learn about quality nonfiction writing—building content, organizing text, developing voice, enhancing style, using punctuation effectively—and from which students can draw topic ideas. Lynne and Rose have either read or used all of the featured books in their classrooms and have selected titles that meet the needs of students at varying levels. Teachers will be able to find the just-right book for each student.

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Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is one of the best resources for teaching writing that I have ever purchased. It's very "user friendly" with the "Your Turn" lessons and it's packed with great strategies and plenty of quality picture book titles to use for classroom "read like a writer" lessons on author's craft. As a literacy facilitator for my school, I have recommended that my principal purchase more copies for our third grade teachers to use this year for process writing minilessons and strategies that link reading to writing. Congratulations to the authors for an outstanding resource! Katie Wood Ray would approve, I'm sure!

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How do children's book authors create the wonder that we feel when reading our favorite books? What can students and teachers learn from these authors and books if we let them serve as writing mentors? In Mentor Texts, Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli show teachers how to help students become confident, accomplished writers, using literature as their foundation.

The book is organized around the characteristics of good writing focus, content, organization, style, and conventions and includes:
mentor texts that can be used to scaffold student work;
student writing examples to demonstrate how students take risks as writers;
teacher writing examples to show the power of teacher as writer;
a comprehensive annotated list of children's literature that includes specific suggestions for teaching points;
Your Turn lessons at the end of each chapter that show how to put the ideas into practice.

Rose and Lynne write in a friendly and conversational style, employing numerous anecdotes to help teachers visualize the process, and offer strategies that can be immediately implemented in the classroom. Each Your Turn lesson is built around the gradual release of responsibility model, offering suggestions for demonstrations and shared or guided writing. Reflection is emphasized as a necessary component to understanding why mentor authors chose certain strategies, literary devices, sentence structures, and words.

This practical resource demonstrates the power of learning to read like writers. It shows teachers and students how to discover the ways that authors make writing come alive, and how to use that knowledge to inspire and improve their own writing.

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