Education Teaching Books

this book explains the material in an understandable way. it has lots of examples and the homework section covers everything.
i highly recommend it.

I teach a university course based on this textbook and I really like it. It is full of mathematics that students can apply readily to everyday situations, without being heavily computational. The problem sets are relevant to the chapter text. Also, the problem sets are divided into three categories ("walking", "jogging", and "running") based on the level of thought that must go into them. The four chapters on statistics and probability are not quite what I'd like them to be, because in my opinion they cover too much statistical ground in hardly any depth. They would be better if they just did some basic statistics and didn't try to get students at this level into normal curves and standard deviations and all that. My students are particularly fond of the graph theory unit (chapters 5-8). In fact, their only complaint of the book so far is the high price.

This book brings the Bible into the parents' lives in a fresh way. It is one thing to say that parents must use the Bible for parenting. It is another thing to show how that is actually done. Instructing a Child's Heart provides practical, real life instruction on how to do just that. Tedd and Margy Tripp understand that the call of Deuteronomy 6 is to instruct children in the context of everyday life. Such instruction is formative by nature. This formative instruction avoids the quicksand of attempting to change behavior without addressing the heart. Simply changing behavior, without addressing heart change, leads to more behavioral problems, which in turn leads to frustration for both parents and children. Instructing a Child's Heart leads you out of this parenting quicksand to solid ground.

The book is organized in 3 sections:
The Call to Formative Instruction
Introduction to Formative Instruction
Application of Formative Instruction

You will find practical examples and illustrations of how the Bible leads you to address the heart in parenting. As the Tripps say "Discipline is not an opportunity to show our children who is boss or to hand out punishments that will change their behavior... discipline is primarily an opportunity to remind our children of their need to repent and believe in Christ ...." (167). This book provides wise, compassionate direction to help parents bring the riches of Christ to their children. You can trust the biblical content of this book to help you live for the glory of God as you lead your family.

Instructing a Child's Heart has been a long time coming. It was thirteen years ago that its predecessor, Shepherding a Child's Heart, was published. It was thirteen years ago that Tedd Tripp published his last book. It was no lost on me that many of the book's lessons and anecdotes now focus on the author's grandchildren. Thirteen years is a long time by any measure!

Instructing a Child's Heart is a book that focuses on "formative instruction," a term that begs further definition. Tripp describes it most simply as "teaching that `forms' our children." It is teaching that "enables them to root life in God's revelation in the Bible. It provides a culture for our children, a culture that is distinctly Christian. It shows our children the glory and dignity of mankind as God's image bearers. It provides a way of interpreting life through the redemptive story of God, who reconciles people to himself." Formative instruction is instruction that comes before problems arise and in that way is different from corrective discipline which follows problems. We form our children by interpreting life for them and responding to its challenges in biblical ways. We form them through the daily discipline of family worship and through spending time deliberately together, but also through reacting properly to the situations life brings unexpectedly. The goal of this formative instruction is, in accordance with Deuteronomy 6, "so that we and our children and our grandchildren may fair the Lord and walk in his ways, enjoying a long life." We help our children construct a worldview that allows them to properly see God for who he is and to properly see them as His creation.

The book falls into three sections. In the first Tripp introduces the reader to formative instruction, looking at the concept through a wide lens. In the second section he zeros in on the more specific topics that form the true substance of formative instruction. And in the third section he focuses on applying formative instruction in very practical ways.

It is the second section that is the heart of the book. Here, over the course of eight chapters, Tripp describes several essential building blocks of a biblical worldview. He dedicates attention to the heart, the principle of sowing and reaping, God's plan for authority, the glory of God, wisdom and foolishness, how we are complete in Christ, and the importance of the church. Each of these receives a chapter, or close to a chapter, in which he describes the principle and how it is foundational to building a biblical worldview. Having done that, he turns his attention to four of these, giving practical pointers on how to get from behavior to the heart, how to apply the sowing and reaping principle of Scripture to corrective discipline, communication with children and the centrality of the gospel.

The strength of this book, like Shepherding a Child's Heart before it, and the message I need to hear again and again, is Tripp's insistence, his constant exhortation, that parents must look beyond behavior and look primarily to the heart. It is far too simple to create little legalists, children who adhere to the letter of law, all the while defying the spirit of the law and the One who gives us laws in the first place. It is more difficult but far more profitable to look to the heart for it is the heart that is the wellspring of all behavior. The heart is the heart of all effective instruction. But where the focus of Shepherding was turning the emphasis from outward obedience to matters of the heart, the focus of Instructing is on building into a child's heart a worldview that is biblical enough and sufficiently robust to stand up to their questioning and to the culture's skepticism. The task of parenting, after all, involves showing our children "the vital connection between the powerful story of redemption in the Scriptures and their daily experience. The instruction we give them will only make sense in the context of the story of the Scriptures that tells them who they are and about the God who made them and offers them redemption."

Like most books on parenting, this one is filled with moments that are at the same time obvious and profound. You will encounter statements that are so obvious you wonder if they really needed to be said, only to realize that you could have used that bit of wisdom only moments ago. While muttering, "Well, duh!" you'll also feel twinges of shame and regret. This is a book that is immediately applicable both to parents and to their children. It is a book that turns to the Bible to provide God's wisdom on how we can be effective parents. "Your greatest need," says Tripp, "is to understand deep truths from the Bible. Solid parenting skills are built on solid truth."

This is not a book that tells you how to control or manipulate your children so that they will spend their lives living in an irrational fear of a domineering parent or a hostile deity. Instead, it is a book that teaches parents to gently but consistently build into children a worldview that begins with the heart and that focuses on God and on His glory. "We should impress truth of the hearts of our children, not to control or manage them, but to point them to the greatest joy and happiness that they can experience--delighting in God and the goodness of his ways."

We've waited a long time for the follow-up to Shepherding a Child's Heart. I believe most parents will feel the wait has been well worth it.

This is probably the best book I have read on classroom management--EVER! Not only is it well-written, it is timeless, useable, accessible and friendly. The author readily includes her own classroom successes and failures, which helps me to identify with her journey. She also give practical, ready to implement steps and routines. Is classroom managment difficult? YES! Is is do-able--YES YES YES if you follow the guidelines given here by Ms. Charney. Combine this with a Responsive Classroom workshop, or at least books from the RC library, and you are on your way to loving your job again!

I am very happy with the price as well as the fast shipping. My University campus book store wanted twice the amount of money for this book; worst of all, it was used. Amazon had it for half the money; best of all, it was brand new. :) I am a happy camper...

For my professional goal I joined a study group in which we all purchased this book. The manner of speaking and presenting rules and consequences teach children that they can choose how to act. It reinforces responsibility, kindness and cooperative learning. I am now teaching sixth grade three years later. The strategies produce active learning and a desire to make the right decision. Combine this book with "The First Six Weeks" and you will be all set for the school year!

A terrific book that should be in every teachers' and parents' library. Clear directions, plenty of space for notes. Good bibliography.

This book is fantastic. It offers plenty of wonderful tips and situations for constructing a healthy behavior management plan within your classroom. A definite must have.

Nonfiction is such an important part of literacy, and sometimes easily overlooked. This book has practical lessons and excellent mentor text to illustrate the mini-lessons being taught. Even if you can't find the particular book they suggest, you can easily find examples from your own list of favorites. I especially liked how the book was divided so that you can efficiently find lessons appropriate for your grade level.

I bent many pages in my copy because the lessons are easy to use and effective! Another plus, these lessons are "boy friendly".

I'm a relatively new teacher, and have switched grade levels every year. Teaching writing has been one of the biggest challenges for me. I believe in a writing workshop model, and use a lot of 6 Traits ideas. I knew that both relied on the idea of the writing "mini-lesson" but I really didn't know what those should look like or what kinds of topics they should cover. This book has been a godsend. I disagree with those who say that this book is too rigid. Yes, each lesson identifies particular literature resources which can be used. If you have that book, that's awesome. If not, just adapt the lesson for use with a different book that illustrates the same concept. The point is, these are concise 15 minute mini-lessons that really help your students recognize writing craft, and give them accessible ideas which they can use to improve their own writing.

And, incidentally, if you're building up your classroom library, your school library, or your bookroom, the literature selections that ARE mentioned in this book are uniformly fabulous. I carry a copy of the list of books used in these lessons each time I go to a used book store.

This book is a wonderful tool for writing teachers. Portalupi and Fletcher are very thoughtful in the way that the book is organized so that teachers can share with students lessons dealing with the craft of nonfiction. Since so many writing books deal primarily with narrative writing, this is one of the first I've seen to deal specifically with nonfiction and its craft. This book will change nonfiction writing in all K-8 classrooms. It seems to be a great book for teachers who are comfortable with Writing Workshop as well as those who are new to writing process.

I found this book to be a wonderful resource for mini-lessons relevant to nonfiction writing. As a third grade teacher, I am constantly on the lookout for books such as this one which offer many ideas and are grade level appropriate. This book is broken into sections for grade levels and is easy to use. The mini-lessons are fully outlined and simple to follow. I found the explaination ("teacher talk") of how to implement each lesson the most useful. I recommend this book to all teachers looking for simple and useful lessons to encourage the best nonfiction writing from their students!

The book I recieved was in perfect condition, packed well, and better than I expected.

I had to buy this book for one of my university's special education credential classes, but the book's a definite keeper. I find that I learned more about what I need to know to do my job from this one textbook than from all my other textbooks combined. At least that's what it seems like most days!

This was a text book for my now completed first education class, "The Diverse Classroom". We did not have to read the entire book, just Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 12, so I base my review on those chapers. This book is rich in detail on the challenges faced in contemporary classrooms. It is well written, and has very complete and thorough references. In addition to raising awareness of key issues, it provides many practical suggestions for application.

The other text book for the class was "Introduction to the Foundations of American Education" by James A. Johnson, et al. That book was not as good by comparison; it was much too preachy.

A fabulous book for teachers. Also highly recommended are two lovely pieces of children's literature with beautiful messages and invaluable 10-page teaching guidesLife's Little Lessons: An Inch-By-Inch Tale of Successand The Big Squeal: A Wild, True, and Twisted Tail with built in lessons, activities and comprehension questions.

Reading the Art of Teaching, it becomes clear that Calkins is not only a wonderful reading teacher but a thoughtful and skilled writer about reading. However, looking over the reviews here a reader will notice a divergence of opinion with many lavishly praising this book while others express extreme disappointment. In the end neither of them are really wrong.

Calkin's goal of the is simple to get students to "compose lives in which reading and writing matter", but obviously difficult to achieve. She is of the opinion, and offers research to support this opinion, that a Reading Workshop is the best way of achieving this goal. She explains the ingredients for success in virtually all aspects of a Reading Workshop through her 500 plus pages. Her emphasis is on what to do rather than what not to do and she offers examples, normally quite entertaining, to demonstrate the theory she is talking about.

So in this sense the book is a large success. Calkin clearly understands the Reader's Workshop and is going to be able to help any teacher craft a framework for such a workshop.

However, this speaks to the great short coming of the book. While Calkin presents the philosophy the hard work of implementing it falls largely on the shoulder of the reader. When she works with teachers in person this is no doubt for the best, as she is able to give feedback on how various teachers implement the program. However, no such dialogue can be had with a book and so the reader can easily finish the book understanding just how important the Reader's Workshop is, without the skills needed to actually implement one.

This book is an important piece of writing for the Reading Workshop teacher, however it serves as a poor introduction to the method. Upper elementary and middle school teachers would be better advised to start with Nancy Atwell's In the Middle: New Understanding About Writing, Reading, and Learning (Workshop Series), and her recent addendum to that work The Reading Zone: HOW TO HELP KIDS BECOME SKILLED, PASSIONATE, HABITUAL, CRITICAL READERS which while suffering from some of the same problems as Calkin has far more specific methods to use.

This book is helpful for anyone working with children's literacy. Ideas are very clearly expressed and explained.

I read the first page of this book sitting on the floor of a book store. The next thing I knew it was 30 minutes later, and I didn't want to put the book down. I knew it needed to go home with me.

Calkins takes Reading instruction, breaks it down into manageable parts that she used in her own classroom and shares with you realistic, artful and purposeful ideas for teaching reading. She speaks very openly and honestly with you as a teacher who believes in teaching reading not as a science, but rather as an art. It is an amazing book that will transform the way you think about reading instruction even in simple ways. You will love reading it and want to apply her teaching strategies immediately.

This book is very helpful to any elementary teacher that is looking for ways to improve your reading curriculum. Lucy Calkins gives plenty of ideas and new approaches to try in your classroom. I also appreciate how she writes the actual scenario she used in the classroom with real kids. It is so much easier to comprehend through real life experiences. Another book that is similar, very informative and full of GREAT ideas is Reading Essentials by Regie Routman. This is a must read as an educator.

The details from the publisher appropriately say "general review" because it is SO general. The details of US government that you really need for this test are absent from the review (come on, it's an AP test, they're looking for college-level understanding) and the review questions at the end of each chapter and the practice tests are completely based on almost word for word the book material and were so much weirder/harder than the actual test. I don't think this book helped me at all for the test, and unfortunately I had to buy it for class anyway or I never would've wasted my money.

I think if you want a 3 on the test- review only with this book. If you want a 4/5 use your textbook extensively (like I did) or get a much better book.

My son and I love this book. The stories and photos are highly relevant, and some make my son laugh. He loves to see how the children do the "wrong" thing and then the "right" way, and finds the wrong way highly amusing. HIGHLY recommended!

I work as a Mobile Therapist/Behavior Specialist and this book is great for teaching social skills not only for children on the Autism spectrum, but any children needing assistance in learning or improving social skills. Parents can also join in!!! The pictures are real and the words are easy to understand. The pictures give a visual, reading the book gives the auditory and the pictures show great social cues and non verbal gestures, along with what the person may be thinking. I highly recommend this book.

I found this book to be exactly what we needed to help our ASD son understand social behaviours. In particular, when angry or upset, I would show him the picture of the boy in the book who counts to 10, takes 3 deep breaths and 'gets over' the incidence quickly, instead of sulking for hours about it!!! It has GREAT examples of everyday interactions with peers as well as teachers/ adults for him to best understand. ALthough he is verbal, I find a picture sequence really helps it sink in. THe only downside of this book is that some pictures are not as sharp quality.

Fantastic book! Although geared to children with autism, the contents are applicable to teaching social skills to all children. The photos and scripts are clear and to the point, and cover a broad range of situations.

This book is designed to discuss with the autistic student effective interpersonal relationships in the classroom environment, with peers, teachers, etc. Nevertheless, I find it works very well with all students, and anyone who must work with human beings on a regular basis in our increasingly alienating society. This work in fact can serve as a portal to ethical and moral theology!

Often in the classroom we encounter a majority of students whose only prior interpersonal relationship has been the electronic babysitters of television broadcasts and violent video games. The negative interpersonal effects of such modern technology has been adequately explored by a wide variety of writers from VP Al Gore's The Assault on Reason to Sister Mary Timothy Prokes's At The Interface: Theology And Virtual Reality. Therefore these student's prior knowledge of effective strategies for interpersonal and human relationships may be more limited than in a pre-cathode ray tube generations.

The amount of violent death, for instance, which our students experience vicariously through their personal technology far out measures what an average child of fifty years ago might have witnessed, while at the same time a modern child has far less opportunity to interact freely with peers and establish positive, fulfilling and rewarding bonds of friendship than in the past. We have raised a generation within individual technological boxes more chilling than anything BF Skinner could have devised, and then we send them forth into the classroom and into the world, and hope they lead happy and successful lives. Let us then give them the tools, through this book, by which they may make positive choices in life.

Therefore, this book explicitly and cleverly leads us to discuss effective strategies for interpersonal relations, and why we should even bother. I now work with immigrant children who for socio-economic and cultural reasons might not have much prior experience of the standard classroom environment, and yet who seem to come with a greater aptitude for adjustment to this new environment than many of the children native to our nation. In any case, this book allows us all to discuss what works and what might not be as effective within our classroom. This book works not only for the autisitc child.

Jed Baker has devised a situational scope and sequence which motivates and involves every child. The photo sequences are very good. My gripes are that they are too small for display to a large group, and they are already labelled correct and incorrect rather than allowing the group to come through discussion and that logical process which leads to learning with retention the correct or more effective strategy.

I would love to see this excellent and useful tool republished in the form of large display cards with the photos and prompts alone, in order to guide a group discussion with a large group of smaller cooperative units. This I would find most useful in the classroom. I understand this book was written and designed for essentially one-on-one work with the autistic student, and that I am unfairly asking a very good and versatile Swiss knife to do the work of a screwdriver and hammer, but that is only because I have managed to use it effectively and could expand on this so easily in the proper format. Then we can all learn how and why to just get along, and work together for the joy and benefit of all in a cooperative and effective society which leads to peace with justice. Am I asking too much here?

From an educational philosophy standpoint, I completely agree with Bauer that grammar-age students (grades 1 - 4) need a chance to learn and practice the mechanics of writing before adding in the variable of creating original content with complete sentences, correct grammar, and proper punctuation. To this end, her beginning levels use copywork and dictation to expose the student to complete sentences with correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If your child enjoys original writing, by all means allow it (at a separate time), but it is NOT required. In this way, the creation of original things to say (in complete sentences) is separated from the actual mechanics of writing. Removal of this variable simplifies the learning process and eases the burden on the young writer.

From a personal standpoint, I began homeschooling with a 2nd grader, and we completed all 200 lessons in one year (the book is intended to be used for both 1st and 2nd grade). The level 3 book was not yet available, so we then switched over to Rod & Staff grammar & writing as the author recommended in another of her books "The Well-Trained Mind." Rod and Staff is thorough and perfectly adequate, but I much prefer Bauer's style of teaching writing and grammar. Peace Hill Press indicates that Bauer intends to eventually prepare levels from grades 1 - 12. I heartily recommend her program to everyone.

I bought this to use with my almost 6 year old as part of our homeschool curriculum and I love it. The lessons are short, we usually only take about 5-10 minutes per lesson. They are set up for easy use by the instructor and my son likes to do the lessons. I would recommend this to anyone, especially if you are at all intimidated about teaching your child about the English language.

Most of us really like this book. We use this book in our homeschool family. It is simple, straight forward and not labor intensive for parent or child. This is a great grammer program. After looking at some of the not so flattering comments about this book, I decided to inspect it for myself. YES, they do change some of the wording in the poems. If this presents a problem for you, look up the originals online and make your choice at that time. YES, it is repetative, however, my child has been tested by our local public school and has been designated as "gifted" -- the repetition can be altered to fit your childs individual needs. YES, it is scripted, which allows for ease of use. If you do not need this type of curriculum, you can use it as a spine. FINALLY, I have compared this book to (3) three other curriculums -- Abeka, Bob Jones and Sonlight -- all are thorough in there presentations and FLL stacks up quite nicely when you do an apples to apples comparison of what your child will learn over the course of a school year! Our family has homeschooled for a total of 18 years and I have graduated 2 children who have successfuly gone onto college and our state university. I can confidently say, that your first and second grader will be well served with this book alone, or as a supplement to another grammer program of your choosing and finally, you can choose it as a summer brush-up program. BLESSINGS!

I just recieved this book in the mail the other day and after thumbing through it a little while, I've decided I really like it. Now, I did find a poem or two where the wording is not the original, hence the 4 star rating. I didn't find this issue problematic, I just looked up the original poem online, printed it out and stuck it in my book. Doing this allowed me the oppotunity to find out some extra information on the actual poet, which was helpful, and I plan on sharing that information with my child.
I love how the author (Jesse Wise) states that we tend to underestimate what our young children are capable learning. This book is all about exposing the child to grammar, mastery is not expected at this level. I'm excited to get started with this book. It's simply done, and seems very easy going, not a stressful grammar program at all. Which makes it really fun for both parent and child.

When selecting a language arts curriculum for our child I ordered a copy of "First Language Lessons." After examining the curriculum I returned my copy for a refund. Jessie Wise has taken Emma Serl's books "Primary Language Lessons and Intermediate Language Lesson" given them a few twists to create her own book of language lessons. The book consists of mindless twaddle. Wise does not use true "narration" which is having a child repeat back to you in their own words what they have learned. The lessons are monotonuous and have been "dumbed down" from Serl's original text. The poems and stories have been altered to make them "politically correct." Serl's text is a breath of fresh air, engaging the child in language arts with classical literature and poetry. I was quite disappointed in this curriculum as I had expected a higher standard from Jessie Wise. The two language arts curriculums I recommend to parents are "Learning Language Arts Through Literature" published by Commom Sense Press and Emma Serl's "Primary Language Lessons and Intermediate Language Lessons." Both of these curriculums will serve a student well, giving them a firm foundation in language arts.