Teaching Books

These mini's are easy to copy,put together and give to the kids for that extra short reading assignment called "Practise makes perfect!"

This book is very good. It has an advantage of 3 ways to teach each sight word, writing it,using it in 4 short sentences and then the cute word find which is simple for kids trying to learn those first sight words.

This is a great book to use for help students learn their sight words. The mini books focus on one sight word at a time. These books definitely help struggling readers and ELL students.

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.

This text is invaluable. As a Title 1 teacher, I use it frequently to target those specific deficit skills. No longer must I depend upon memory or a workbook to provide key words for targeted practice. As a classroom teacher, this text provides fabulous lists of words based upon skill-specific information. It aides the targeting of deficit areas, and is intuitive in its use. This text is a must have. I would spend much more time "inventing"(read here- trying to remember words that have the ____ sound) instead of simply listing words for target areas for intensive intervention. It is also a terrific gift for beginning teachers! Worth every penny.

The Reading TEacher's Book of Lists is good for any Elementary Teacher to have and use on a daily basis. There are lists of just about anything you need to teach reading. I found myself using this constantly in the classroom, right in front of the kids. Our spelling list was based on the use of silent letters. The kids wanted to know what other words there were, so we looked it up and came up with a large list to talk about.

I found that the students were having a hard time with certain word spellings during writing and looked up in the book the spelling demons. Together we made a list on chart paper to post in the room. Their spelling improved immeadiately because they just looked up at the wall and saw the words.

The book is truly made for teachers! It is well laid out and easy to locate certain lists for your given need.

This is the best reference book! Every year I buy one for my student teacher because I think it is so great. I use it to create challenge spelling lists using the same spelling pattern we are studying that week for my high achievers plus there are lots of great ideas in here.

This is the second copy of the Book of Lists that I have purchased. My old one was so worn and falling apart after years of use that I wanted a new updated copy. I love this resource and use it almost daily in the classroom. I highly recommend it.

We use this book with our students in school regularly. I bought a copy for my home. All four of my children (ages 10 - 17) refer to it time and again. It is a must for a home library. I keep it right next to the dictionary and thesaurus.

Brother Yun is an intriguing religious voice in this new millennium. His roots are deep in 20th-century evangelical missionary work in China and for most of his life he had preached a gospel aimed at traditional 20th-century evangelical goals of winning souls in all lands.

For more than a decade, though, he has lived in exile in Europe (his home base is in Germany now) and his message to Westerners really is an intriguing call to grassroots spiritual action. That part of his message is perfectly in tune with emerging voices like Phyllis Tickle, Brian McLaren, Tony Campolo, Rob Bell and others. In that particular theme he preaches, it's as though his own ministry is leaping forward from a fairly traditional message to become a new prophetic voice in this era of turbulent change in Western Christianity.

It's fascinating to encounter a fully mature Asian Christian returning to evangelize -- and in some cases to criticize -- some of the movements that, a century ago, helped to seed his own church in China.

His earlier book "The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun" was a best seller with dramatic tales of life under persecution in China. "Living Water" is a fresh inspirational look at the road ahead.

To bad that someone from as rich a spiritual culture as China would succumb to the westernized version of the christian mythology.
Hope he discovers the truth before he spends his life in vain.

A lot of the time when I read inspirational books I am unsure if the author is truly sincere, or if they are just writing what sells. With this book I had no doubts! Brother Yun is a true follower of Jesus. Because of his faith he has faced persecution, and yet he has stayed strong. Who better to tell us how to grow?

Shares pieces of brother Yun's life and the trials he has faced serving as a pastor in China.

I love how he believes in becoming a "new wineskin", turning from traditional religious rituals, and truly following Jesus.

Though brother Yun and I come from very different places and very different circumstances, we have a lot in common. Some of this book felt as if I had written it, I shared so many of brother Yun's views.

One of my two current favorite books.

This book can change your life, if you will only let it.

I have absolutely loved this book. I know this is a completely overused statement, but I really felt like this book was written just for me, to me. I could feel the Lord speaking through the author, and snapping me out of my complacency. I can't wait to go back and read the first book. This book put a mirror to my face and showed me how much I take for granted my faith and my Savior.

Read his books, if you live in America we don't know what it means to follow Jesus as the Chinese Christians do. We may think we have died to ourself for Him but we need to see others who have suffered for Christ and we can forget our own struggles. The Heavenly Man changed my life and his new book, Living Water is awesome. I am following God and on fire for Him and live for Him completely and would give my life for Jesus and this still put new insight in what God does when we trust Him completely. We don't know what suffering and giving our lives to Jesus is in America. These books will make you stop and think next time you think you are hurting or suffer in life. He shows in, The Heavenly Man, the miracles God does when you put your whole self out there for Him. And the, Living Water, will help you have a closer walk with God.

I teach youth and this was a very concise way of compiling different study methods. This easy-to-understand guide offers 12 different Bible study methods to help you explore biblical truths, apply them to your life, and grow as a disciple. Personal Bible Study Methods will help you develop a customized, personal approach to exploring and studying the riches of God's Word. It was easy to understand and broken down comprehensively. Another great book by a great author with a gift of teaching.

I needed a guide to help me better study the Bible; I'm afraid this is not what I got, but I am dealing with it. In this Guide, there are more fill in the blanks than instructions, but as usual, unlike the Purpose Driven Church, I will try and make this work to my advantage.

Rick Warren has me a little 'symied' with his latest writings; the Church book and the study methods..Is the gentleman tired of "sharing" his awesome messages, (to us) that he has become a little distracted and lax on some subjects?

And trust me I'm a fan of his; but at this point a puzzeled one.

I just started reading this and I'm sure it will take me a long time to finish. There is so much information and I want to glean as much as possible before moving on to the next chapter.

While others enjoy Kay Arthur's inductive method study books (I own Discover the Bible for Yourself & How to Study Your Bible), I have found this book to probably be one of the most practical in my library. As another person mentioned, this is an update of an older book. Possibly the one someone mentioned that they received through Billy Graham's organization or this may really be an update of "12 Dynamic Bible Study Methods" by Warren and Shell. It does continue from where RA Torrey "How to Study the Bible" has left off and adds other methods that would be helpful to any student of the Bible. This book gives the tools necessary to help you to dig in the Word and will reinvigorate your Bible Study. All the Bible to interpret the Bible, take it literally wherever at all possible and preach the Word.

Rick Warren does a great job of reviewing basic methods one will need to study the bible. In my humble opinion this is a great resource for the money. Here is how it's set up.

He previews how materials you will need, and how different study resources are used. He also tells you which ones are considered some of the strongest.

He gives you a preview of the 12 bible study methods and then goes into each more in depth. The 12 bible study methods are: The Devotional Method, Chapter Summary Method, Character Quality Method, The Thematic Method, The Biographical Method, The topical Method, the Word Study Method, Book Background Method, Book Survey Method, Chapter Analysis Method, Book Synthesis Method, and the Verse By Verse Analysis Method.

He also has 7 appendices in the back. These appendices are to aid you in what you just learned. He also has a list of other bible study books in the back for further learning.

In Conclusion, I feel this is a good book to learn various methods for personal bible study. The book is inexpensive (I got it for less than ten dollars), detailed, it teaches you what you will need and why, and gives you the keys to applying these various methods. I give it four stars because it is not as detailed as it could have been. However, if your looking to dig deeper he shows you which books to go to. This is a 4 and a half star purchase in my humble opinion.

Hi, My name is@Hiromi and I just moved to the US this July@from Japan. Now I study English with this book. This book is good for me because:
1.@It is very easy to understand.
2. It is a very good level for me.
3.@The pages are colorful and fun to read.
As you can see, I highly recommend this book to you.

The service is faster I received the book in 3 days before the promise date..Very good service...

This is a very useful book for beginners. The topics are contemporary, the pictures are engaging, and it's not overwhelming for new students who don't want to be scared away. I have book number 4.

Excellent book for beginning English students. The material is presented logically, leads to great discussion topics and is useful for real life encounters.

I was from China and started my life in the USA as a graduate student in Engineering. Although I took the TOEFL before I came to USA, my English is not good enough to express myself clearly and accurately. I decided to improve my English about 4 months ago and started to borrow some ESL books from local libraries.

About 2 weeks ago, I found four "Side by Side" books (Book 1 to Book 4) from a local library and borrowed them. Now I am working on the Book 3 and I have enjoyed every book. I believe that "Side by Side" Book 1 to Book 4 will make very good textbooks for ESL (or ESOL) programs.

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 book is essential for any english or elemtary school teacher. I teach social studies and found many ideas within it informative and relevant. The book is written in an approachable way, filled with mini-lessons and examples of her own students writting. An easy read and needed guide for great practice within the classroom. I highly recomend this.

You can let students have choices about what to write and still have formal guidelines, unlike what the other reviewer/teacher wrote. Nancie Atwell's book is based on years of her own first-hand experiences in the classroom, and, as someone who assigns and reads well over 1000 formal essays per school year to over 200 students, I'll listen to Atwell's advice before some burned out teacher's rantings about the need to drill, drill, drill.

Atwell's research and dedication to the true teaching of literacy in classrooms of all levels has changed my philosophy of teaching forever. Those who judge her approach without attempting to understand it, are only missing out on an innovative and fresh approach to how English should be taught.

In my own classroom of tenth graders, I have gone from yawns and glazed eyes to students who leave my classroom at the end of the school year saying "I could write for pages and pages about how you've helped me become a better writer." I still address grammar, literature, "5 paragraph" essay writing, and the dreaded (and overrated)state tests. Instead of being students who force themselves to read and write for a grade, they are readers and writers who are proud of the accomplishments they produce in literacy.

I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about changing the way literacy is taught in our schools, and creating not only engaged students, but people who love to read and write.

I bought two copies of this book from Amazon, for myself and my class aide, on the strength of the other teachers' recommendations here. The book is as good as the most enthusiastic reviewers say it is, but it is seriously flawed, and to some degree self-contradictory, because it talks too much. As good as are the author's approaches, she doesn't really need 484 pages, plus numerous appendices, to get the message across. In fact, she buries the message in verbosity.

Note that other reviewers found the book easy to read. But if you are already convinced that you want to refresh your approach to teaching reading and writing, you may grow impatient with the overabundance of anecdotes, homilies and elaboration.

Teachers know there is no itemized recipe for teaching, but a book on teaching writing could at least demonstrate the virtue of being concise. Mrs. Atwell should read her own quotes and not "cloud the issues with jargon in place of simple, direct prose...." (p. 16). (This is one of numerous quotes of Donald Graves, who returns the favor by endorsing her book in an exemplary brief foreword).

As one who likes quoting great writings in every chapter, the author could have used and applied the Hellenistic Demos: "I will be moderate in all I attempt and do Nothing to Excess."

Summary: it's just too much of a good thing. I'm going to spring for the workbook (Lessons that Change Writers) and generate even more royalties for the author, in the hopes it is more to the point.

A book that helped inspire me to become a teacher. Some other reviewers may not find it totally "practical" for them to adopt, but anyone with common sense would know that you take what works best for you from as many legitimate resources as possible and adapt.

Sorry, but I found this textbook poorly and painfully written. My professor uses it because apparently it contains material that will be on the NCE. If it is such an important textbook, the material should be presented better and more clearly. It is just painful to read.

This is the worst textbook I have ever had to read. The information is poorly presented. The language and writing style cloud meaning instead of making the theories clear and useful. It is difficult to believe that counseling students were Zunker's intended audience. I am only reading this book because I have to for a class, but I haven't learned anything from this book at all so far. Do not buy this book unless you have to.

This book is well written and has excellent coveraqe of all the essentials. It is very current and provides many practical ideas for counselors. The author is culturally sensitive and knowledgable about the most recent research. Highly recommended for graduate school courses in career counseling.

This is the most comprehensive and well-written of all the career counseling textbooks. It has excellent coverage of theories, counseling models, how to do an intake, standardized assessment, and technology. Five whole chapters are devoted to doing career counseling with special populations, including multicultural groups, women, people with disabilities, and GLB clients. There are also guides for developing career-related programs in elementary and secondary schools and colleges and universities. Ten very useful appendices address multicultural issues, professional associations, counseling web sites, etc. The book is easy to read,and each chapter includes supplementary learning exercises. The holistic approach and the multicultural sensitivity of the book are especially appreciated. My students have found the book to be very thorough and useful to help them prepare to do career counseling. No other career counseling book approaches the quality of this book.

This is not useful. Many of the theories presented are outdated and the attempt at multiculturalism is offensive at best and only serves to present non-white cultures as "other". This book is poorly written, and in fact oddly written. If you don't have to buy this for class, don't buy it.

This book is an excellent resource for those teaching mathematics to students in the primary grades. The authors provide rationale for concepts taught, games to be played, and templates of materials needed. There is also a website to get additional resources from. My students have enjoyed the games and I have enjoyed using it.

I really like this book as a source for conceptual Math activities. I recommend purchasing only 1 either K-2, 3-5, depending on which you think you would use more. They overlap alot.

I am so glad I bought this book. I have been teaching for over 10 years, but I always felt something was missing from my math lessons. This book fills in the gaps.

It explains how kids learn math and the connections that need to be made from one concept to the next. It also has assessments to help determine each student's level of understanding and how they are solving problems.

I can't wait to start trying these activities in the fall. A must-have book for all K-3 teachers!

This book provides a great foundation for math skills grades K-3. I consult this resource for nearly every math lesson I teach. This book supplements what other textbooks take for granted or leave out. I highly recommend this book!

Easy to read and understand. Complete math center ideas and teaching strategies. Great easy ideas for differentiation.