Education Teaching Books

I tried this summer communicating with Amazon without success; maybe someone will read this. I purchased a copy of "The University in Ruins" last March. The copy is defective! Pages 152-153, 160-161, 168-169, and 176-177 are missing and are replaced by earlier pages (120-121, 128-129, 136-137, and 144-145; "doubled").
What can be done about this?
Thank you.
Dr. John Nichols

I had a basic understanding of grading rubrics before I began, but it wouldn't have mattered, as the authors provide such a clear explanation that I think even someone with no prior knowledge would grasp the concept almost immediately. The book is loaded with examples and a step-by-step walk-through of how to build effective rubrics. Perhaps most importantly, the authors explain why just about everybody can benefit from rubrics and how course design ultimately could be improved by making effective use of feedback from well-constructed rubrics. I highly recommend this to any instructor of college students, especially if they have shied away from using essay type exams because they have been afraid they could not reliably grade them.

I am a junior-faculty member and have tried my hand at creating rubrics in an effort to be fair and consistent in grading. However, I struggled with breaking down each area so I felt my rubrics were weak. Thus, I was looking for a "how-to" book and this book did not disappoint! It was well worth every penny! The book was written by two college faculty members who are seasoned in developing rubrics for college courses (individually, departmentally, and university-wide). I read the book in a day and then began working through the 4-stage process. It took the better part of a full day to create my first rubric, working through the steps methodically and thoughtfully, but I trust the authors that when it comes to grading, I will more than save the time, and most importantly, students will have a clear picture of where their grade comes from. Also, I am confident that the time required in producing rubrics for other assignments will decrease as I gain more experience.
In addition to the 4-stage process, the authors discuss a continuum of 5 models to rubric construction ranging from the instructor creating the rubric with no input from students to a rubric that is created completely by the students (of course, as the faculty member, one always has the opportunity to make adjustments). The point being that there is more than one way to construct a rubric depending on instructor's style and developmental level of the class. The book has a chapter on constructing rubrics with others, such as TA's, colleagues and tutorial staff. Even though my university does not use TA's and I am new faculty member, I liked the idea behind involving colleagues, and especially, tutorial support, like a writing center. Another chapter was designated to show how rubrics could be used in different disciplines. For example, rubrics for laboratory work in the sciences or a portfolio review in art were demonstrated along with rubric examples for assessing classroom participation and assignments that may be submitted in stages, such as a research paper.
I have only two slight criticisms: 1) the book only spends a page and half talking about assigning a grade after completing the rubric. The book used primarily one example throughout the book (although showing how to modify the rubric for a First-Year course versus a graduate course) which was really useful, but then, when it came time for discussing assigning a grade, they used a totally different type of rubric and assignment. I wish they would have shown assigning a grade to the example they had been using. It seems that would have completed the process. And, 2) the publishers have a website on the book where you can download rubric templates. This was good. The complaint is that the authors also have a website which promises discussion boards, more templates, etc. However, it is essentially a shell that was set up when the book was published in 2005 and nothing much has transpired since then. For these two reasons, I give it a 4-star versus a 5-star rating, but the bottom-line is, get this book to learn how to create assessment tools that will help your students and YOU!

At our college I purchased one copy, then 6 more, then 4 more, then 25 more... handed out to various faculty members along with workshops on rubrics. The book is very accessible to get faculty over the hump to actually writing and using rubrics for themselves/their classes.

I would recommend this guide for rubric development. It clear and provides many good examples to get started.

This text is difficult to read. It may be great for speech pathologists, but not great for teachers.

I found this to be an excellent resource helping me to understand principles for teaching reading to my students.

I am a primary teacher and I found this book enjoyable and easy to read, yet packed with interesting and relevant information. Highly recommended as a beginning text on the phonetics, phonology, morphology and orthography of the English language.

...well, at least it's not near as bad as we have been lead to believe the last few decades, no thanks to the "Whole Language," or in my opinion, the "Half Language," and it's proponents (i.e. Hillary?). It's sad that this book, which in all honesty, just simply lays out the basics of English language structure is so fascinating and "new" to most teachers in public education, especially of K-3. It is now becoming all but required reading for most grad programs and school districts smart and motivated enough to implement Reading First grants. However, Moats has only scratched the surface of education with her work; Keep going!

I bought this book a few years ago after attending the International Dyslexia Association Conference and seeing Louisa Moats speak. She gave the audience of Denver teachers the "language survey" to see what we all knew about language. I stumbled on quite a few of the questions and thought "why would this be important?" but knew in my heart that the reason I was asking was because I didn't know the answer.

This book is a wealth of information and I too think it should be required text in reading courses and it is in California. But, I have realized that although I am exceedingly passionate about the knowledge it can give to all teachers K-12, it can be a difficult read. I realized this when I gave it to some colleagues I and they told me it was dense at times, hard to read and hard to digest without someone to talk about it with who understood the concepts, even though they whole heartedly wanted to gain the knowledge.

Regardless of where you are at as a learner, this book has something to offer you if you want to learn more about the language essentials behind reading instruction that all of us should know, but may not have been taught. This book even deserves to be used in a book study professional development group, college class or for the reader who wants to learn more about language and it's impacts on reading.

I ordered this book for a course and have yet to receive it... nearly 6 weeks... do not use this provider at all

I would have to say that most text books are written as though the teacher from Ferris Bueller's Day Off is reading them, boring and mundane, but this book is written as though someone is talking to you. He goes off with some relevant side tangents to help you better understand the concepts. I appreciated this book for the topics covered and the manner in which they were addressed.

There are 19 different social skills lessons with blackline masters. The skills are taught in a variety of formats including direct teaching, discussion, hands-on activities, role-play, puppet play, games, poems and stories, visual aids, and songs. I love to use literature when I can, and this book referenced many picture books for each social skill! It's a fabulous find-I only wish I'd had it sooner!

I thought this was a good tool for use with ALL kids grades K-1, and the activities seemed fun. I was disappointed that it wasn't more clear that it was for such young classes. This isn't going to solve major problems, but it would certainly work to prevent some!

This is a good resource. I had to modify many of the activies due to the nature of my urban setting. It sparked ideas for other activities that were more suited to my setting.

This book offers direct lessons with worksheets, group activities, games, and book suggestions all to match each skill being taught in the lesson. It is a great component to any social skills class/group. I am using it for 2nd graders, so the preschool focus may be true for general education students, but for students with social needs, this is appropriate for older kids. Enjoy.

This book has worked well with a small group of 8 CC children. If you need to do pre and post tests for acountability, there is a GREAT face scale that can easily be colored for pre-writers. Activities are well laid out and most are kept to a page, so you don't have to flip back and forth. I am very glad to found this book, I can tell already that it is going to get a lot of use. The pre post test alone is worth the cost of the book!

An excellent book: easy to read and understand, great ideas and arts philosophy.
The book is loaded with many very usable lessons, well defined learning objectives. Strong emphasis on the inclusion of curriculum and the arts as a double benefit for learning.
I would certainly recommend this book for all elementary teachers.

This book is just what I needed. As a writing teacher for 3rd-6th grade, this book gives me some awesome and fun ideas for writing lessons. I think my students will really enjoy doing some of these assignments!

I have my own tutoring service I have used this book to help my students who do not like writing. The prompts located in the book are great ways for children to use their imagination and be creative in many different ways and capacities. I would suggest this book for any teacher or parent who is trying to finds ways to help that struggling student to enjoy writing.

This is a book on the teaching of writing to middle and junior high students. The writer-teacher may know her stuff, but does not know how to instruct students or her reader-teachers. This is basically--as most books of this type are--a "what to do" book and not a specific "how to" book. My negative comments are intertwined.

1. "[A chosen] motivating topic: 'That's So annoying!' The focus: To create focus with a clear topic sentence."

Students do NOT want to see the above nomenclature written on their assignment paper or the board. And, besides, in fiction, many paragraphs DON'T have topic sentences.

2. "Assignment: Write about something that annoys you; use details that convey FULLY [emphasis mine] why this is so bothersome."

The phrase "Write about" is SO overwhelming to weak writers as well as most students. They do not know how to "convey fully" or weave "details" into their writing. Thus, this admonition just adds to their frustration and dislike of composing.

3. "Warm Up: Think of something universally delightful to your students such as ice cream or amusement parks. With students, brainstorm the things that are wonderful about ice cream or amusement parks; write their responses on the board in a word web so they can see the specific details."

"Universal" does not apply to individual students--more options should be presented or the student be allowed to come up with an annoying topic. A "word web" is still confusing to many teachers--as well as students--and its effectiveness is debatable; I never used it. It is basically a hodge-podge (brain storming) way of listing words, and connecting with lines to those words/ideas that seem to go together. There's a better way to accomplish this. Also, "specific" details are not revealed via a word web. In addition, too many teachers do not understand HOW to "brainstorm." So, they should be given some help here.

4. "After reviewing paragraph structure, have the class compose a great topic sentence: Move them away from the overly general or bland (such as 'Ice cream is great!') to something more specific and interesting (such as 'Creamy, smooth, and sweet ice cream in its many varieties is the perfect solution to life's little troubles.')"

Just HOW is a teacher to "review paragraph structure"? This is a cog in the wheel of instruction right off. HOW does a teacher move students into exciting, catchy topic sentences? Actually, I like the "bland" in this bland topic sentence. No help for the teacher or student here. And is a 4th-8th grader going to come up with a sentence like that?

5. "Discuss how the topic sentence gives the writer somewhere to go."

Textbooks, workbooks and too many guides much overuse the word "discuss." What ARE some discussion points? What about the idea of adding a topic sentence AFTER the paragraph is written--if it needs one at all?

And thus the book continues for many more lessons. Boooring.

A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up

I was disappointed to discover this book is more like 50 activities, not 50 lessons. I realized only after I ordered this book that it is a slim 64 pages. Each "lesson" is like an idea for a student writing assignment, although many of them are not particularly inspired. I tried to use this book with middle school students, but many of them complained that the assignments were cliche and forced them to write on prompts they had heard before (like write an autobiography, describe someone's personality in a paragraph, write about something that annoys you, write about the weather today, etc.). I felt that half of these prompts were things that as a teacher, I could easily come up with on my own. The other half are fine and good, but brief. For my purposes, this book could be condensed to a two-page list of creative writing / essay topics.

At 9.99 for 64 pages, you are better off spending 19.99 on a 300 page book that will last beyond a few weeks, and do more than list off writing prompts.

This book could be useful if you are teaching 4th-5th grade students, and like to have the structure of a book to guide you through getting the class excited about a single writing prompt. If you're a more creative type (and not a by-the-line, I read a cookbook for every detail type), you're better off giving yourself an hour to brainstorm a bunch of writing prompts, typing them up, and using your own ideas.

This is good for students who need focus, but not for students who need basic skills.

This book is okay and only okay. It's not very practical; it does not really teach you how to teach a foreign language. The book errs regarding its definitions of language acquisition versus language learning. It is apparent to me as a reader and as a teacher that the author has not spent enough time in an actual classroom with actual language learners. The book is also lacking a 'why'. Why learn a new language? Why does this matter to students today? As any parent or teacher will tell you, why is the first, last and most asked question. "Ways With Words," by Shirley Brice Heath, has a lot more helpful information when it comes to language learning than this text.

No book can cover every aspect of language instruction, but by all means Hadley's work would be right up there with Ellis, Richards and Rodgers among others. This is a solid book, jam packed with historical facts and insights, and I feel has caught the full heart of the profession representing the current state of the profession. I could not disagree with the first reviewer more. I am reading this book through and I love this book. This is not a technique-y book at all but a serious treatise and contribution to educators who want to have a broader scope on theory and instruction. In my mind, the author answers the who, what, where, when, how, and why not just of one method but does it with several of the major methods. And this she does in Chapter three! This is a 512 page text and to my mind, the reading is coherent, smart, and digestable. This text is certainly one of the better foundational texts for comprehensive grasp of the field. This book is be a springboard to assist the reader to think through the past and present assumptionan about teaching language; it is an excellent choice! If I were to only have one text to me to read in this area, this would be a top contender. Thank you Alice Omaggio Haddley for the hard work and care you put into this wonderful book.

This text is chock full of relevant information for langauge educators and language educators to be. I especially enjoy the online workbook which is an amazing commplement to an informative text such as this. I appreciate the author's inclusion of numerous schools of thought for those who might be new to this information. Great tertiary level text

I remember using it in a course I took a few years ago, and I was thrilled to find so many different aspects of language teaching covered in one volume. When I was thinking of buying the present edition, I asked a friend, someone with a Master's degree in TESL/TEFL, her recommendation, and she said: "Well, Doug Brown recommended it to me." So I bought Teaching Language in Context, and am very glad I did.

This book is aimed at explaining proficiency oriented language teaching, and has very valuable material on proficiency and its importance. This is something many teachers seem to overlook as too obvious to be of concern, but Hadley shows it to be a central issue in teaching. The criticism made by one reviewer that it's tilted too much toward communicative teaching is mistaken. There's a difference between communicative teaching and proficiency oriented teaching, although they are obviously related. This book, like any other, is not sufficient by itself, but needs to be read an compared to others in order to get a range of viewpoints. It is not of instantaneous practical use to classroom teachers, but rather deals with the ideas behind teaching methods. It is a very valuable addition to a teacher's bookshelf and I have no regrets about buying it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Alfie Kohn's book. It was a refreshing look at creating a democratic classroom where students are engaged, empowered, and respected. It will definitely influence how I behave in the classroom in the fall. It has led me to explore his other views and books on education and on parenting which I am currently reading.

The good: There are a lot of very good points in this book. I have seen first hand what rewards and punishments do. Nothing to stop "bad" behavior. The same kids are in detention at my school every week. Also they ask, "What do I get for doing my homework". Kohn addresses these problems by insetad building relationships with students and allowing them a chance to make real decisions. If you were reading this book there are great answers. Building a community would prevent a majority of the "behavior" troubles in the school I teach at. Kohn is not all knowing so not everyone should take everything he says as the absolute truth, nor should they dismiss everything he says.
The bad: He spent half the book pointing out why others are wrong, this could have been discussed in a chapter. He did not actually show concrete proof this worked, but I challenge anyone to find concrete proof anywhere. Even elaborate studies are never completly conclusive. He only taught for a little while. I guess this means that he is incompetant. Or, it means that he was completely self motivated and didn't spend the tens of thousands of dollars to get another degree and have some one say he was, indeed, competent. Maybe he is well read and spends a lot of time observing. I guess read the book and see if he makes sense or if you think he is a quack.
Either way this is one of the most important classroom "management" books out there, so as an educator you should read it.

I agree with other reviews here. The book spends alot of paper criticizing traditional education methods. Also, the book is wordy. Glance over the first five to six chapters and only read the second half of the book.

This book is well written, but he dogs many of the reinforcements teachers used calling them "punishments". He doesn't explain intrinsic and extrinsic rewards can be helpful, not just punishments.

This is a good resource for all educators...

This is such a useful tool for teachers. It is simple to use, visually stimulating, and fun!! Really great book!

This book for K-6 has a huge amount of graphics for everything from book reports, math, science, social studies and writing to great activities for all of these as well as great art projects. I am a writing teacher so I was particularly interested in the writing activities and graphics organizers. They are awesome! For example, there is one writing activity I found to be really interesting. It is an autobiography recipe. Students write about their personality in the form of a recipe. Very cute idea. I think the ideas can and will be exciting for my writing students. I also teach social studies. There are some great ideas for that subject as well. Everything in the book is great.

I bought this book, along with the Organized Teacher. Both of these books are filled with awesome printables, resources, websites, ideas, and projects for every content area from reading and writing to art and gym. I really enjoy both of these books!

This book is filled with creative ideas. It provides tweaks to assignments and projects one would already use in the classroom.

This book arrived quickly and in excellent condition as promised. Would definitely buy from this seller again!

Excellent, practical, "how-to" to enhance any teacher's writing program. Katie Wood Ray continues where she left off in "Wondrous Words" and expands on the technique of giving students concrete examples of writing styles to emulate and improve their writing skills. We will be using the text for a faculty book group in the fall.

Why isn't this book more widely read? Wood-Ray offers excellent direction to teachers - at all grade levels - who are seeking to improve the instruction of writing. Her central ideas are:
1. Texts should be used to mentor students to write real things in the ways real writers write.
2. Writing needs to be `studied' and not `taught.'
3. Teachers need to be writers and gatherers of mentor texts, but curriculum can not be determined before the students begin to study.
For teachers who want their students to write well, this is a text that lays out options for letting this happen. You'll want to spend a summer reading it and thinking, so that when you return, you'll be ready for superior kind pedagogy. It is rare for a book to speak so compellingly to all teachers, Kindergarten to College, but I believe that Study Driven is the wonderful exception.

This book is one of the most inspiring professional books I have found for teaching writing. Katie Wood Ray continues to grow her theme of teaching writing in a holistic, authentic manner. She helps the teacher find ways to use mentor texts and authors and inquiry of such to give children examples of how to write. In doing so she guides us to make our classroom a true workshop of writers inspiring and helping each other. Her reference lists of potential resources for a variety of writing is wonderful. She also helps us frame our teaching of dry titled writing styles into more realistically named writing. Pursuasive writing becomes commentary and advice writing. Narative text becomes memoir. In doing so writing topics come alive for students and purposeful in real world context. This book has become my primary resource to guide my writing curriculum this year. The book is useful for all grades. Fantastic book!