Teaching Books

This text book was requested by my professor. I have begun reading it and it is very interesting. It has a wealth of information concerning assessing students effectively. Anyone in education should find this book very insightful.

This is a great book that truly opens one's eyes to the world of assessment. Stiggins does a great job of breaking different types of assessment down into his chapters. I would definitely recommend this book to any educator!

Considering this book is about assessment, I should probably give it a grade, right? This order got an A! It was in great condition and arrived on time! Now I am giving out better grades!

This is an excellent text for defining what we mean by assessment and for examining how different types of assessments fit different purposes. It is very uiseful for teacher professional development.

This text could be helpful to novice and highly experienced teachers. The assessments types are outlined and discussed in good detail and actual examples are illustrated. The first few chapters define and discuss the nature of assessment and how this will relate to the teacher and their students. Both the teacher and student will benefit from assessment that is well planned in advance. The next few chapters discuss how to plan and develop your assessment plan. The school of thought here seems to be in the variations in difficulty and type of assessment. If teachers are able to change up their assessment routines students will have more ways to demonstrate their knowledge, reasoning skills, performance skills, formative and summative products, and dispositions in the subject material. Four different types of assessment are featured: Selected response, essay, performance, and personal communication. All of these assessment methods can be used as both formal and informal assessments depending on the purpose of assessing a specific skill or set of skills being taught. Overall, I think this is an excellent assessment text for teachers who want to assess their students FOR learning rather than OF learning as discussed in the text.

NOTE: Review submitted by me for Ms. Haines.

I made it with room to spare. Thanks so much for this book. We're using it in out district.

S.Haines
Chaffin Jr. High

Just finished reading "So, You Want to Become a National Board Certified Teacher?" and it may be one of the best investments I've made in my teaching profession so far.

After 30 years at IBM, I decided the best way to give back would be to teach. I just finished my first year as a second grade teacher and plan to apply for NBCT as soon as I'm eligible in June 2008. (Old broads can't afford to waste time :-) I'm planning to use this book over the next 24 months to help me prepare for the NBPTS process. Thanks!

I purchased this book along with another National Boards book. Both have been helpful tools.

This is a helpful book in the early stages. It is an easy read. It is motivational. Get this book if you are curious, not necessarily if you are already involved.

As others have pointed out, this little book is a helpful, motivating supplement to your NBPTS instruction and information guide. The help to me was that it verified what I was doing correctly, and stimulated some ideas regarding phrasing and wording that I might not have thought of.

Since what I write--not so much what I teach--is what will determine my score, I felt much more comfortable having this little handbook along the way. While I wish there might have been more on the taking the test, the rest of the book was well-worth the inexpensive price on Amazon. Highly recommended (for the job it purports to do).

I plan on purchasing the author's mentor book out of curiosity alone.

I must admit that I was reticent to purchase this item because most books designed to help students become better writers have unnecessary or unusable activities. _Voice Lessons_, however, is different: organized by technique (diction, imagery, detail, etc.), each lesson begins with a passage from prose or poetry, moves into analytical questions, and finishes with applied practice. From there, it's easier for students to incorporate these techniques in their writing.

I teach grades 10-12 (including AP Language), and _Voice Lessons_ has helped all students in these grade levels improve their writing. They seemed to enjoy the activities as well.

I just got this Voice Lessons book, and, as I hoped, it is jam packed with reproducibles! Each lesson could take one class period or less, and there is a lot of variety. I was glad it wasn't primarily a book about theory. This is a take it to the photocopier and you have a lesson for the day book.

I teach a pre-AP class, and one of the major skills the kids practice is learning to recognize an author's tone through diction, syntax, etc. This book is a collection of excellent warm-up exercises that develop close reading and writing skills. I would highly recommend it; my copy is, in fact, loaned out at the moment to one of my colleagues!

This title was recommended to me by our AP English teacher and she was right. A few simple lessons from each section and my high school students had a much better understanding of voice.

Voice is perhaps the hardest of the 6 traits to teach. With my sophomore core English students, I would do 1 voice lesson each week for their warm up and it was amazing how much more accessible that vague idea of "voice" came to both myself and my students over the school year. The whole English department at my school uses Voice Lessons...9th grade teachers do a certain number, 10th grade, etc. By the time a student graduates, they will have done all the voice lessons. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any English teacher or teacher who teaches writing (and which teachers don't?!).

Having read several of Castanedas books and been strongly influenced by them as a youth, it was with great sadness that I subsequently found them to be almost completely imaginary. If you care to research Castaneda you will find that most of his experiences of flying through the air, encountering supernatural Mexican wisemen, receiving transcendental illumination etc etc happened while he was sitting in the library at UCLA. Many of the dates in the books are contradictory, much of the alleged herbal knowledge is potentially dangerous and essentially the bottom line is that you would be well advised to take all these books with a very large grain of salt. However that being said, they are fairly well written, quite entertaining and do contain some measure of truth after all. So go figure...

An excellent book about the first steps of Carlos Castaneda to become a man of knowledge. A book that has it all. Funny, enlightening and mysteries.

Don Juan possesses the wisdom of the ancients . Getting away from your babbling inanities and shutting down the internal dialog, you might just ask the question?" What is the Matrix"?

These books are just classics! Takes you on a journey of your own I first starting reading the series when I was 16...now 34 but I often get the urge to pick them back up I get something new out of it every time. Inspires me to see things in a new light.

I first read this book a few months ago before reading the rest of the series, and it was a mind-blowing read.

"Teachings of Don Juan" is the first of many books by anthropologist Carlos Castaneda to which he revealed his teacher-student relationship and experiences with Yaqui Sorcerer by the name of Don Juan. The dialogues and experiences lay within this book are rather insightful read.

This book is merely a starting point where readers begin to understand the warrior's way and how one would understand one's perceptions of the world and how they can be deceiving. The plants or substances discussed in this book is not the means nor the ends, but merely just a tool, rarely used, in order to shock the author to see what lies beyond and around himself. Merely a step towards being a "man of knowledge."

Remarkably, as I read through the series, I cannot help but wonder who Don Juan really was and where the sources came from. I recently found the answers to these questions in William Patterson's The Life & Teachings of Carlos Castaneda, which is a new profound perspective of the life of Castaneda and his work.

Mr. Bell has written a book that any aspiring writer MUST have.

Reading and following his simple steps will save a writer a lot of time and money in getting their work fine-tuned and ready for public consumption.

I like his work and have found it to be priceless in helping me to re-write and revise my work to the point that I can say; "I LIKE IT!"

Mike Phelps,
Author of
DAVID JANSSEN - MY FUGITIVE
THE EXECUTION OF JUSTICE
DELAYED JUSTICE

This book is full of help for revision. It's easy to read and understand. The revision checklist is an essential tool for self-editing.

Although this is a book largely about revision and self editing of an existing manuscript, I can heartily recomend this book by Bell for those who have just commenced writing their first novel. The tips and directions from Bell will improve your first draft. I have already got lots of ideas - it has completely changed the way I am approaching my writing. Thanks James Scott Bell for a very easy to read guide.

So much for magic. So much for mystery. James Bell gives away the farm--and all the secrets of great writing--in Revision & Self-Editing. This book contains the fundamentals of great fiction and addresses all the stylistic errors that go along with attempting great fiction. You could buy a shelf full of books on each of his chapter headings alone (i.e. Dialogue, Point of View, Style, Character, Plot, and the all-important Show vs. Tell), or you can acquire them between these two covers. I personally appreciate Bell's Ultimate Revision Checklist--rich with questions and prompts to help push a manuscript from good to can't-put-it-down. Revision & Self-Editing has joined Strunk and White's Elements of Style and Donald Maas' Writing the Breakout Novel on my short-list of well-worn must-have writing books.

How-to books for writing come in as many variations as there are writers. Some are hype, promising you'll make $100,000 in your first year of freelancing or a $50,000 advance on your first novel. They promise much more than they deliver. There are also the texts which do provide some useful information, but they're about as dry as the Nevada desert in August.

But every once in awhile a writing instruction book comes down the pike which not only delivers techniques you can immediately apply to your own fiction writing, but is actually entertaining to read too. James Scott Bell's Revision & Self-Editing is that kind of book.

Writers worth their salt are always looking to improve their craft. We want each plot to be stronger, each character deeper, each book or story to be better than the last. We're desperate to write a novel that'll keep our readers up `til dawn. But what do we do when we churn out a draft that is, shall we say, junk? What if we know something's not right, but we have no clue how to fix it?

Jim Bell to the rescue. In his previous book Plot & Structure he taught us how to create compelling plots. Now in Revision and Self-Editing he shows us "techniques for transforming our first drafts into a finished novel". When asked who the book was for, Jim told me, "Any beginner who wants to learn the essentials of the craft. And experienced writers, who can pick up some extra tips that work and a systematic approach to revision that will make their books better."

Part I: Self-Editing, gives us an overview of various fiction techniques and exercises. Here Bell touches on the building blocks of novel writing like point of view; show vs. tell and beginnings, middles and ends. It's here in this section readers of Plot & Structure might notice some re-cap. But even seasoned novelists need to be reminded of things like Bell's LOCK system (the four essentials of strong narrative) and what makes great dialogue.

Part II is where we heat up and get down to the nitty gritty of resuscitating our manuscripts. And let's face it--almost every first draft we write is going to need help. As Bell says, "Submitting a novel without rewriting is like playing ice hockey naked. You're just not equipped to put your best, um, face on things. And sooner rather than later a well-placed puck is going to hit you where it hurts most. That puck is the editor's or agent's built-in prejudice against weak material."

Broken down into easy read and digest sections, Bell shows us how to overcome obstacles like procrastination and what to do before you revise. He gives common fixes for everything from setting & description to dialogue and theme. For example, if your opening isn't working he suggests revving up our opening line or weeding out too much backstory, exposition and cast. Your middle sagging? Try strengthening your exposition, adding a subplot, raising the stakes, trimming, or adding research.

If you've ever attended one of Jim's writing classes, you know he doesn't just preach at you, he shows you examples of what works in the real world. Revision & Self-Editing is chock full of examples from successful, published novels and even movies. There are tidbits of advice from other published novelists like Athol Dickson and Terri Blackstock. Exercises after each chapter help you retain and apply what you've learned (Jim provides answers at the back of the book.)

Speaking of writing conferences, that's what reading this book felt like--attending a break-out session presented by a skilled wordsmith who knows of what he speaks. Like a caring English Professor, Jim hovers over your shoulder pointing out the problems and dishing out the fixes. He pulls no punches, and you can tell he wants those who read this book to succeed. With lots of sweat, burning desire, and these techniques in your back pocket, you truly can.

When Plot & Structure released I said, "If you can only buy one writing book, buy this one." Well, it's time to make space on your shelves for one more. Revision & Self-Editing deserves it.

--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk.com

Bought this for my fifth grader to increase her vocabulary. It's excellent and she is making great strides. It has inspired her to use the dictionary more frequently to find definitions as well. This was a great buy!

If you are looking for a great word study book that not only gives you great reproducibles moreover it gives you great ideas on how to extend your word study lessons. I use this book with my 8th grade ELA classes and they actually have been applying the words to their writing.

If your child needs to review vocabulary or if you are a homeschooler I recommend this series. We've used them and have been very pleased with the word groups and the lesson content. It has helped to improve my son's vocabulary and spelling as well as helped with reading comprehension b/c of his expanded vocabulary.

A great little book with a great insight into the mind of a brilliant man.
the book itself is compact, excellent page quality and comes with its own bookmark.

Just what I wanted. easy read but deep responses are needed. Great for daily meditations.

"Time is like a river of passing events and strong is its current. No sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept away and another takes its place and this too will be swept away." I read that many years ago and wanted to read and know more about the man who wrote it. Everyone should read his meditations. He never wrote them for publishing purposes. He only wrote them for himself...his thoughts. They are very profound and wise and timeless. I recommend this book highly.

The wisdom and down to earth common sense of Marcus Aurelius as recorded in these books is worth returning to again and again. Of all the translations of the Meditations I've encountered, I found this particular translation offered by Watkins to be the one I find easiest to relate to and put into "shoe leather" as I walk thru my daily life.

Of all the things I have bought on Amazon and wrote a review for, this book is probably the one thing I don't need to comment on. If you are of the mind to order it in the first place then you probably know it is a timeless collection of one of the best classical philosophers there is. If for some reason you haven't a clue what to expect, then I say don't hesitate to buy it. It's a handsome and quite sturdy little book that makes an easy traveling companion. It even has a built-in book mark ribbon. I like reading it before I think-through vague or complex problems. It puts you in a calm, reflective mood and brings clarity to your thought.

I was very happy with the purchase I made with Amazon. The book was in excellent condition and the time that it took to get the book was a little long but not unbearable.

Had to send book back because I didn't have to take this class. The seller admitted to recieving the book back and did not refund my money! Will never buy from this seller and will tell friends and family to beware. Have tried to contact seller with no response!

The books condition was bad, much worse then described. I also payed for express shipping and it took awhile to get to me.

This textbook is easy to read and follow. The explanations of mathematics, how to teach young children to use strategies, and examples of worksheets make this a great resource for future Elementary school teachers.