Teaching Books

I have used this book for one semester in Advanced composition and conversation, though I have been using some of its exercises and suggestions for years before I decided it was going to be a required book. I find the articles very well chosen, most of them elicit a lot of discussion and the cultural topics are both varied and interesting, with enough detail to make the students ask questions and remember things. The discussion activities are also very creative. I also like its emphasis on vocabulary that causes problems to English speakers. However, if you are looking for a grammar book this is definitely not it. It does have a companion workbook that includes a grammar review and exercises.

Some books serve to improve grammar, others to improve reading comprehension, and yet others to teach spanish culture. This book, however tries to tackle so many different topics that it is not able to do any one of them very well. each chapter is divided into parts. many of the vocabulary words are things that a student at that level already ought to know. there is little taught about grammar in this book, however the workbook touches on some subjects, but only the easy ones. i would not recommend this book for a spanish class.

Pleased to find a used book here which is not used on the class, and I have to order another book again. Sad!

After calling the sell, I got some discount back.

It is an experience! I recommend every one shopping here, be careful of what you want to buy here, go through all the details of description, especially on those used products.

:-(

it is good to you. i like it because it is brand new never used it.

This book offers a good basis for learning skills necessary for successful reading, especially academic reading. The end of chapter readings offer a good cross selection of topics.

It is great. It is really helping me in my classes. I am glad I got it.

We use this text for the supplemental/academic skills courses we offer at my community college, for those people whose reading skills are rusty for a number of reasons, including having been out of school for a number of years (sometimes as long as four or five decades), not having paid attention in class in high school, or other low-level literacy related reasons.

This book is well organised for a semester-long course that will bring out many of the critical skills necessary for doing college level work. Regardless of the discipline one goes into in college, one will have to do reading - this is as true in the nursing school, the electronics/drafting programmes, the business skills areas as well as those going on to full-fledge four-year and onward college degrees.

The book begins by exploring issues in active learning and vocabulary, some of the key concepts necessary for comprehending easily what one is reading. From there, particular kinds of reading skills are emphasised - looking for the main idea, recognising patterns of organisation and flow, seeing different points of view in the text, and beginning practice with critical thinking and engagement skills.

Within each section, there are readings and essays designed to strengthen the points being emphasised. These come from a wide variety of sources and cover a lot of different topics, so that they are not all about any particular thing, but rather each student will most likely find something of interest along the way. Each section ends with a vocabulary booster piece, and the final chapter is a very useful guide of test-taking techniques and study tips.

I find the articles very interesting, and the questions developed for the various articles enhance my understanding (this despite the fact that I have, by comparison to the target audience for this text, a very advanced degree of reading capability). This is a popular book among the students who come into our tutoring centre; they have questions and need help with the various concepts, but most like the variety of selections. One particular favourite is the essay entitled 'Monkey Love', by James V. McConnell, that gives a brief history of the Harlow experiments with young monkeys and surrogate mother figures. Essays on terrorism, women in history, low-carb pizza, media influences, Malcolm X (and his story about learning to read), and other pieces relevant to our current culture make reading less of a chore and more of a pleasure, which is key to getting students to progress through the material. The pages are colourful and interesting to look at from a graphic/visual standpoint, which also aids in the learning process.

The title 'Bridging the Gap' is very appropriate, given the task is to bridge the gap between high school (however long ago that was for many students) and college-level reading they will shortly encounter after taking this class.

This is our second purchase of the Story of the World series. All three of my school age kids (6,8,10 yrs.) just love to listen to these tapes. It is giving all of us (mom included) a much more comprehensive picture of all the parts of history we have learned with other books. We highly recommend this product for your family as a history program or just for listening to in the car for fun. The acitvity book is also full of great ideas for making this as involved or as simple as you would like it to be.

My children (ages 6 and 14) studied through volumes 1 and 2 last year for our homeschool social studies curriculum. Volume 3 is everything we hoped for to extend our knowledge! The activity guides have proven to be a vital resource to cut some preparation time for lessons. In Volume 3 each chapter covers a slightly broader time frame, making it even more important to follow up the lesson with additional activities. We recommend Story of the World to all our homeschool friends.

I really love the Books. I have them all and they are so brilliantly written and engaging for my son. Makes planning activities for Social Studies so easy for me.
Thanks!

Coupled with the Story of the World text, the Activity Book has been the cornerstone of our somewhat reluctant venture into homeschooling. (We had a sudden overseas move and had to jump into homeschooling with little preparation.) Studying history has proven essentially effortless because the book and activities are so interesting that my 8-year-old begs to do her work. As non-religious academic types ourselves, we were wary of religious biases in the texts we chose for our kids; we've been very happy with the author's balanced treatment.

For the teaching parent, the lists of supplementary materials are invaluable -- exceptionally well-organized and researched, and the editors have been sure to include reading materials for different levels, which we have appreciated since it means we can easily include the 4-year-old in our stories. Every chapter includes review questions to test comprehension orally, then several worksheets which may include maps, coloring pages, and other activities. Many include recipes from the place and time being studied -- always a hit with the kids. All have worked well so far. The map work is a great follow-up as well, walking the student step-by-step through visual representations of different topics covered in the text (coloring the Triangular Trade route used by slave traders, for example). Although there's no way any student could complete all the suggested activities in a school year, I love the freedom of picking and choosing the activities that best suit and interest my daughter.

As suggested by the Activity Book, we're assembling all this work into a history notebook, a 3-ring binder full of my daughter's work. This serves the dual purpose of reminding her how much she's learned and giving us tangible proof of the homeschooling process. In short, this book has transformed us into homeschoolers and history buffs. Very useful.

The book has been updated with the most current and emerging technologies and their use in the classroom. The emphasis continues to be in the integration of technology in the instructional process and the utilization of the ASSURE model to guarantee success. The classroom examples in the included DVD will appeal to the needs of the visual learners. Of particular interest for the veteran teacher or media specialist are the integration ideas and the teaching strategies for each media presented. The inclusion of sample rubrics and checklists will provide plenty of ideas for assessment. A must buy for National Board candidates.

Many technology books are outdated by the time they are published. I am pleased to say that this book methodically moves through effective instruction and then how to use technology to aid it. I will be using this book as a reference for some time to come.

I wasn't impressed with this book for two separate reasons. Firstly, the production standard struck me as almost 1960s' in style - black and white photos (nice 'grainy' look), big bulky monitors and a general aged format. It is peculiar I agree, but the book looks like it was written at least 30 if not 40 years ago. The second set of quibbles I have with the text is that it presume the reader is almost completely ignorant of any kind of presentation technology. This assumption may have been acceptable several decades ago but the universality of TV seriously undermines its value. Television is constantly exposting the public to new technologies. For instance, in the text there is a piece with graphic devoted to how to load a slide projector. How relevant is that to today's classroom? Moreover, any decent bit of kit comes with instructions. I accept that the authors wish to do a thorough hand holding with the reader, but the book assume too little exposure to technology which renders it advice mediocre in places. Possibly it should be retitled Instructional Media Technology for Complete Dummies. The bits on the web are small (literally bits) which is not a good sign. Overall, the book was lightweight - possibly I am being unfair as I am not looking for the technology it covers, but for review of current and future developments. In any event I regret buying the book as it doesn't fit my needs and I didn't like its presentation style. It is a tired book, more like jaded, that does not mesh well with the style culture of modern multimedia technology.

As a co-author, I can report that Instructional Media upholds the tradition established by this textbook in 1982. It is aimed primarily at those who are at the entry level in terms of using media for education or training. It helps instructors decide what media to use for different teaching/learning situations, and gives practical tips on HOW to achieve the best effect when using technology. The book began with a focus on audiovisual media; the sixth edition retains the most relevant audiovisual content, but shifts focus toward computer-based delivery. What remains constant is the conviction that effectiveness of mediated instruction depends very much on what the instructor does...how the technology is integrated into the overall learning program.

Pay no attention to one gentleman's "Apple Pie" comment about the step-by-step instructions included in this book. After all, not everyone is as technologically adept as he may be. If you have already mastered such technology, then this material is possibly too basic for you. But for the rest of us, one of the major benefits of this book is indeed the fact that the instructions have been so clearly presented!

If you are an educator, as I am, and you are looking to learn more about real-world technology as it applies to your classroom or learning center, then I HIGHLY recommend this book (8th Ed.).

my daughter HATES to write. we've been using this program for a week, and already the sentences chosen to copy are so intriguing for her she actually requested we check out the book it's taken from. this is the child that doesn't have patience for chapter books. she's already read through 24 pages of it within the first two days of starting it. but i digress...

this copy work and narrative work is exactly what my daughter needs. mrs. bauer is precisely right when she teaches the parent that writing from thoughts is a two step process and the children need to be taught how to do those steps separately (copy work & narration - parent writes the narration). my child continuously gave me zippy little narratives because she didn't want to copy down big long sentences after she was done thinking it through. with the time to grow her writing ability even five words at a time while simultaneously strengthening her summary and narration skills, she is now on the path for inevitable success.

the best part is these writing exercises take no more than 5-10 minutes per day, four days per week. ahhh, gone are the cries in protest when i announce it's time to do writing! thank you susan bauer yet again!

CAVEAT:
Take this preliminary review with a particular grain of salt, for I am an English teacher who unabashedly embraces "The Well-Trained Mind" philosophy behind the Wise-Bauer/Buffington writing team. While this review is a bit premature, I am hopeful that my children will reap benefits similar to those acquired through their related Peace Hill Press grammar and history series.

THEORY:
SWB explains that her motivation for this book was her experience as an ivy league college professor of literature and history. Simply put, her well-educated students could not write well. She argues against the theory that one should "Give the children high-interest assignments and have them write, write, write, and revise, revise, revise." This is not how I was taught to write, but it WAS how I was taught to teach, and I, too, endured the blank and panicked students' stares produced by that philosophy.

SWB compares writing to a foreign language. The conventions must be absorbed before the non-native speaker is fluent. Says Wise-Bauer, "Imagine that you have had a year or so of conversational French...After the first year, your teacher asks you to explain the problem of evil in French...(it would be impossible) to express complicated ideas in a medium that is unfamiliar... The conventions...need to become second nature -- invisible -- so that you can concentrate on the ideas rather than the medium." Speech is natural and necessary. Writing is not. Many can, and do, get by without learning to write well.

PRACTICALS:
In Writing With Ease, the elementary years are less about creative output, and more about intake and foundations. The small book is packed with week-by-week exercises (36 for each year) aimed at building one layer at a time. She covers roughly four years in a succinct 216 pages: Years One and Two: Narration, Copywork and Dictation; Years Three and Four: Putting the Steps Together.

The copywork comes primarily from beloved childhood classics such as "Little House" and "Charlotte's Web". No dull prose allowed.

SWB then thoroughly describes the writing process taught through the middle and high school years, giving this homeschooling mom courage. Says Bauer, "The goal is to turn the young writer into a thoughtful student who can make use of written language, rather than struggle with it." She adds, "Good writing requires training. It demands one-on-one attention." To that, I respond with a heart felt "Amen, sister!"

I've given it four stars after I've previewed the contents, but I hope to add the fifth after the year is over.



MY TWO CENTS:
I am ridiculously grateful to have my hands held when it comes to teaching writing! I used to teach grammar and composition on the high school and 8th grade level. I left dismayed and discouraged by the students' response to writing in general (never mind the heinous grammatical butchery -- the slaughter wrought through "texting" still haunts me to this day). They hated and feared writing. I never expected prose worthy of Faulkner, but the ability write simply, clearly, and meaningfully was beyond most -- even the "honor roll" students were woefully inept and overwhelmed by the simplest assignments. I had 145 students x 100 assignments (there were always many who would never in a years' time complete a writing assignment) divided by the few hours I had after the 100 daily "administrative" tasks (I actually had to spend the first ten minutes of each day doing a "clothing check" sending a few students to ISS for violations -- Argh!). There was little time to address the fundamentals so obviously lacking, and even less time for meaningingful (and mostly ignored) editorial, instructive feedback. It will take a better woman than I to turn that tide.

This book is what i had hoped to find. My son has a vivid imagination and talks incessantly. But, when it came time for him to write he would write the simplist of sentances, ie. "I like blue." I was unsure of where to start. With this book I have four years of direction and an understanding of what he should be accomplishing. I have been using this book for 2 weeks now. I can already see a difference. I would never have thought it would help so quickly. I am glad that this book was released just in time for me. I look forward to years of using this book.

This book came in excellent condition and is going to be very helpful with the course I am taking. I like the way it breaks down all the aspects of good grammar and punctuation, especially the examples. This book will make my writing papers even easier for me. I really didn't need to know too much about this particular product as this book was already on the list for what I will need in my second course.

While this is a great piece if you want to step inside a virtue theorist's mind, as an actual philosophical text it is rather poor.
While it is obviously religiously biased, it is Lewis' own circular paradoxes that lead to a flawed system of logic that can not support itself.

I was struck with amazement as I read this most beneficial and interesting book! There are so many books to choose from these days for inquiry or answers to the brokenness in our modern day populace, but this one proved to be top-notch in this writer's opinion. The writer's skill conveys keen insights into the mind to understand mankind's condition, including interpersonal relationships from the intellect. Dead hypothesis that would try to excoriate the common sense displayed here in this wonderful little treatise would no doubt fall by the wayside. Can we see the signs of the times from the author's wisdom? Where is the world headed anyway? Read this little book for some answers. I've got a much better perspective on life now due to the dulcet manner of the author; the way he draws on the treasures intrinsic in all of us to begin with. Doubtless you will not find anything insipid within the two covers. A very powerful book indeed! Lewis displays a virtuoso's flair for observing absolutes unequivocally. I will keep one of the copies of two I purchased for my book shelf and the other one for a gift. The Den of IniquityC.S. Lewis: The Signature Classics Audio Collection: The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Mere Christianity

This is a marvelous book for showing the rank and file American college freshman just how he or she may have been unwittingly propagandized in the lower grades. The reigning studenty "philosophy" these days is indistinguishable from classical sophistry's arguments that "everything is relative" and -since everyone has a right to his opinion - that all opinions are necessarily of equal value. I suspect this "philosophy" began its march toward triumph in the first grade when a color blind student, Johnny, misidentified a color, the other students, being naturally cruel, laughed, and the "caring" teacher correctly instructed them not to, but for a cockeyed reason, that "Johnny has a right to his opinion!"

Taking off from such a spot, sophistic relativism invariably before long comes to be embraced by the young with complete uncritical dogmatism, the opposite idea that some judgments are more apposite than others being wholly ignored by "caring" teachers, if not dismissed as patently invidious "judgmentalism." Like Socrates before him, C.S. Lewis here does battle with such lapses in critical thinking, assuming, as did his Greek predecessor, the objective existence of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful, and offering instances of the recurrent Natural Law drawn from many cultures. Defending the position that values are indeed objective, Lewis aims is to call much needed attention to this bracing alternative to the regnant view that all values are necessarily subjective, and therefore, in fact, trivial. Through his usual combination of shrewd wit, clear thinking and epigrammatic style, Lewis succeeds admirably.

This book is a series of three talks where Lewis illustrates the breakdown of education , from a system which embraces natural law, truth, and virtue, to one which embraces much of nothing and feeds back nothing. It is perhaps a bit dated now as teaching methods have moved on (though not necessarily in positive directions), but yet it still has much to say as we contemplate the inadequacy of our present systems and what we need to reclaim to restore them.

In this brief book, C.S. Lewis discusses the failing of relativism and affirms the existence of objective moral values. This system of objective values, which Lewis calls the Tao, must be granted if there are to be any values whatsoever. In a long appendix at the end of the book, Lewis shows that all (or almost all) cultures, both past and present, have affirmed some basic moral principles that are part of the Tao. Against the relativist claim that all socieities have their own moral codes, Lewis demonstrates that all humans are guided by an underlying system of objective values which they may or may not recognize.

In the third and final chapter, Lewis foresees a day when men have complete control over the destinies of the next generation. Should men achieve an take advantage of such power, it would not mean that man had finally dominated nature. Rather, it would mean the abolition of man. Unguided by the Tao, man's decisions about what future generations should be like would by guided only by natural impulses. Thus, by destroying the Tao and attempting to dominate nature, man can only succeed in destroying himself.

Like always, Lewis writes with great clarity and intelligence. "The Abolition of Man" is an enjoyable read and certainly worth checking out.

Joel Spring is nothing if not productive - if you look over the books listed under the author's name, you'll see a plethora of works. Amongst those are the continual revamps of this work and others like it, and they always seem to add something new to the fray. Whether its a new piece of the puzzle that deals with race or commentary on the semantic differences used to avoid saying the word "black" because we don't want to culturally offend, Spring' work says something about a topic that is more than just a topic. It is history and it is a map of progression and the reversal, showcasing both the motions that have pressed a people forward and how much that motion has been used to keep other people from moving ahead.

In the 5th edition of this book, Spring deals with an overview of Anglo-American claims of superiority, Native American struggles, African-American struggles, the things Asian Americans have endured, Hispanic/Latino history, and the Civil Rights Movement and the new Culture Wars. In those chapters Spring brings up interesting points, like the use of "positive stereotypes" for Japanese-Americans and the history on those, and on several other "footnotes" in history that aren't really footnotes at all. Although the book is somewhat small, checking in under 150 pages, it lists a codex of laws and horrors that make one wonder if the artifice of "colorblindness" will ever truly fall away.
One can hope, can't they?

If you find yourself attracted to the struggles of the now and wonder about the roots from which these struggles spawned, this is a god book to read. It has a lot more substance than the smoke and mirrors presented during "Hispanic Heritage Month" and other months like it, really giving you a feel of what Hispanic culture has endured. It goes beyond the superficial things that are presented so often these days, too, and makes the work relevant.
Personally, I hope to understand and can always use something to show me the faults of both the past and newborn "now."

This book claims to give a history of dominated cultures, but it is not written like a history book at all. The dates in this book go back and forth and you can't tell what is happening when. The different chapters are divided by races and there is no overlapping. For example: you can't tell when African Americans are experiencing segregation in schools in comparison to Native Americans. Also chapters end without any conclusion or resolution and Spring offers a paragraph "conclusion" to attempt to tie each chapter to the preceding chapters. This is a terrible book- save your time and you money and don't read it!

This book gives us a lot of examples of how the minorities in this country have had their cultures altered to fit the American version. There are examples of most of the major minority groups and how the education system has played a major part in the pattern of deculturalization.This book is a must have for any student who wants to know the real history, the stuff they leave out of the text books, for any parent or teacher who wants to give their children the truth instead of white washed history, and any person who is interested in the truth.

This book gives a very different look at the history of Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics in the United States than you may have heard before. The content is easy to read, supplemented by statistics to help aid understanding. I would recommend this book to anyone who may be going to work in the education system.

Spring's thesis is that white Anglo-Saxon Protestants have systematically denied educational access to ethnic minorities in order to establish and perpetuate their own system of privilege. This powerful, concise book covers historical injustices against many groups. The book falls short only when the author attempts to extend his analysis to the present day. In his understandable indignation at historical wrongs, Spring fails to acknowledge the extent to which most Americans' beliefs thankfully have changed.