By Level Books - Page 12

A Guide for Using The Great Kapok Tree in the Classroom

Lynn DiDominicis

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Contemporary
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Treasures of Nature 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

For centuries, man has abused nature and thoughtlessly destroyed forests without realizing the harm this causes. Only recently has the importance of trees become apparent, brought to light by those who value the life that trees provide. Lynne Cherry is one of these people; her gorgeously illustrated book teaches the importance of trees and the abundance that they give to nature and its creatures.

In this book, a man is hired to chop down a Kapok tree, one of the largest and most important in the entire forest. After just a few chops, the heat of the forest and the exertion of his efforts tire him out and he lies down to sleep. One by one, the different creatures of the forest creep over to him and whisper in his ear the importance of the tree, asking him to spare it and leave it to those who need it. By the time he wakes, his decision and his view of the forest are altered forever. This book is beautifully put together, both with illustrations and a story that's simply but powerfully written.

I've loved trees all my life and this lovely story teaches children the importance of taking care of nature and animals. I really can't believe one person's snooty comment that nature preservation is "not the job of children". First of all, children will not be children forever; they are the future and it is our responsibility to teach them how to take care of the environment if we want them to be responsible adults. Second of all, children CAN make a difference! If you go to Lynne Cherry's website, you'll see that a kid's organization convinced Mcdonald's to recycle their paper products.

I also disagree with the silly statement that the book puts animals above people. What it does is remind us that if we don't take care of nature, there will be no tomorrow for future generations. Besides, one of the "creatures" of the forest who whispered to the man while he was sleeping was a Native American who needed the tree, so the message of the book would be to put others ahead of yourself. I personally think it's refreshing to write a book that gives animals a voice since they're so often overlooked. This book is highly recommended!

Editorial Review:

This resource is directly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a variety of cross-curricular lessons to do before, during, and after reading the book. This reproducible book includes sample plans, author information, vocabulary building ideas, and cross-curriculum activities.

Painless Writing (Barron's Painless Series)

Jeffrey Strausser

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> College & University -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Titles in Barron's Painless Series are textbook supplements designed especially for classroom use by middle-school and high school students. The approach of each title is an appeal to students who think that the subject is boring, or too difficult, or both. The authors, all experienced educators, take a light approach, showing kids what is most interesting about each subject, and how seemingly difficult problems can be transformed into fun quizzes, brain-ticklers, and challenging puzzles with rational solutions. Here is practical advice that transforms essay writing into a satisfying experience for middle school and senior high school students. The author offers tips on enlivening writing with vivid images, smoothing out sentences, silencing the dull passive voice, and adding rhythm to writing. He also shows how to create a template that students can use when writing research papers for all subjects. In addition, students will find web site reference s cited throughout the text, which they can access. Brain ticklers (short quizzes) appear throughout the book with an answer key at the back.

Join in and Play (Learning to Get Along)

Cheri J Meiners

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General AAS
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A great series of books, pick any one! 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

I would highly recommend any of the books in this series by Cheri Meiners. Join In and Play is a great book for parents whose children are shy or may avoid social interactions. It offers a variety of ways they can be included and have fun with their classmates and friends, even illustrating how to ask to join a game or play quietly beside another child. It also would be helpful in helping a more confident, popular child to reach out to quieter, less engaged peers.
These books caught my eye because the writing level is just right for pre-K and kindergarten children. Truthful without being preachy or overly wordy, the series shows children and family members from many different ethnic groups in the colorful illustrations, and each book addresses issues which are developmentally critical to this particular age group: sharing, taking turns, being afraid, listening, respecting others, helping out at home, etc. These books have given us a starting point to discuss problems at school or interacting with others, and have helped my son to have more empathy for his peers....I am hopeful that this quality will serve him well as he continues on to kindergarten and elementary school. It is exciting to hear him use ideas from this series to problem solve.

Editorial Review:

Simple text discusses how to develop the skills to make friends and to learn to play with others. Includes role-playing activities.

The Complete Book of Science, Grades 5-6 (Complete Book)

School Specialty Publishing

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: American Education Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $9.22

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Science, Nature & How It Works -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

OK, but not great 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this to homeschool my 4th grader. I have some of the other Complete Book of... books, and this is my least favorite. I am having to find library books and online material to suppliment everything. This might work for things like extra credit activities, but it isn't really working out for us as a main source of science material like I had hoped.

Editorial Review:

The Complete Book of Science for grades 5 to 6 teaches children important science skills!

Children complete a variety of exercises that help them develop a number of skills in this 352 page workbook. Including a complete answer key this workbook features a user-friendly format perfect for browsing, research, and review.

Over 4 million in print! The best-selling Complete Book series offers a full complement of instruction, activities, and information about a single topic or subject area. Containing over 30 titles and encompassing preschool to grade 8 this series helps children succeed in every subject area!

My Book Of Rhyming Words (Kumon Workbooks)

Amazon Price: $6.95 List Price: $6.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kumon - Model: 7610 Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $1.92

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Activity Books -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

These Workbooks are the Best! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I homeschooled my two older boys through highschool, and now I have two little ones again. I am so glad I discovered these workbooks--they are the best!! They are well worth the price, with 80 pages of good quality paper and excellent graphics. (Note the current 4 for 3 deal also!) My 4 year old son LOVES them. The material is presented incrementally, giving plenty of practice for confidence building, with logical progression and fun learning. My Book of Rhyming Words is for beginning readers. I can't say enough about how much I love these books.

Use 'Movable Alphabets' with this book for better results 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The book is very good.

My kid is in prek at a Montessory school, So my purpose of buying the book was to reinforce what is taught at school. The book is about rhyming words which are more of 3 or 4 alphabet characters (mat,cat,cap,nap,dad,sad etc). However the biggest drawback I found in the book is the number of pages.There is virtually no repetition possible if the kid needs to repeat it.

So to augment it, I purchased 'Movable Alphabets'for about $50.00 from a leading auction site (ebay or google to find movable alphabets,even if you dont buy , You will get a better idea). Alternatively, you can cut alphabets neatly printed on a paper( blue color for vowels and red for rest, 10/vowel and 5 regular alphabets,laminate it if possible and arrange it neatly in order of A-Z)

My kid loves to learn words and thank Kumon for it.Kumon Publishers,you are doing an awesome job ,but please do not do penny pinching...Charge few dollars more and make the book over 200 pages with several optional exercises.!

This is the reason why the book did not get 5 stars

Editorial Review:

This book is for children who can read and write the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Words that are familiar to children, such as hat, bat, rat and cat are grouped by the vowel and consonant combination of the last two letters. Through games and exercises that encourage children to trace letters and read aloud, children will learn how to read and write simple words.

Scholastic Success With Math Workbook Grade 2 (Grades 2)

Scholastic Books, Susan L. Lingo

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

enjoy the activities 5 out of 5 stars.
22 of 24 people found this review helpful.

This fun resource provides engaging practice and reinforcement for the essential math skills that kids need to command. My son enjoyed this book, especially those patterns and brain-teassing puzzles. They draw kids' curiosity and push them to apply the basic concepts learned from school.

I believe kids need more problem-solving practice to master math skills. In addition to this book, we use the free weekly math tests at Beestar (www.beestar.org). This nice web site provides similar practice in standard test format. With such exercises, my son not only feels good about math, but also gets top scores in school. I'm happy.

Editorial Review:

For classroom or at home, this super-fun resource provides engaging practice and reinforcement for all the essential math skills that kids need to succeed - in school and on the tests. Includes counting, shapes and patterns, addition, subtraction, problem-solving, and more! Packed with brain-teasing puzzles, games and practice pages that kids can do independently, this series closely follows the math standards and zeros in on the skills kids need most!

What High Schools Don't Tell You: 300+ Secrets to Make Your Kid Irresistible to Colleges by Senior Year

Elizabeth Wissner-Gross

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the author of What Colleges Don't Tell You, more than 300 secrets for raising the kid colleges will compete to accept

The headlines prove it: Competition for admission to America's top colleges is more cutthroat than ever. Gone are the days when parents could afford to let high school guidance counselors handle the admissions process alone-gone, also, are the days when a student could wait until senior year to prepare for it. As Elizabeth Wissner-Gross, a highly successful educational strategist, knows from working for over a decade with hundreds of middle- and high school students and their parents, if you want to raise a kid colleges will compete for, you must act, early and aggressively, as opportunity scout, coach, tutor, manager, and publicist-or be willing to watch that acceptance letter go to someone whose parents did.

What High Schools Don't Tell You reveals 300+ strategies to help parents stack the admissions deck in their kid's favor, gleaned from Wissner-Gross's expertise and from interviews with parents of outstandingly high achievers-strategies that most high school guidance counselors, principals, and teachers simply don't know to share. From identifying exactly which academic credentials will wow an admissions committee to which summer programs and extra-curriculars can turn an ordinary applicant into a must-have, What High Schools Don't Tell You demonstrates how hands-on parental involvement early in a child's high school career is essential to achieving college admissions success.

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays, Second Edition: What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the College of Your Choice

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

You've been told a million times how selective and random the college process is, how the personal essay is your one chance to speak directly to admissions officers and sway them in your favor.  You have to be entertaining, persuasive, and passionate, while effectively conveying your personality, character, and ideals.  And you only have five hundred words to accomplish this. 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays showcases the kinds of conventional and creative approaches that helped their authors get into the nation's most prestigious college.  From coping with family tragedy to seeing Vietnamese soup as a metaphor for one's identity, the variety of topics covered in these essays will help you think about how to write about yourself creatively and effectively. Each essay is followed by a brief discussion written by a Harvard Crimson staff writer who analyzes its main strengths and weaknesses.  Through this analysis and our Fifteen Steps to Success, you'll learn: -How to pick a topic-How to structure your essay-How to keep the reader entertained-How to avoid common pitfalls

The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers

Nancie Atwell

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Features:

• LEARNING MATERIALS
• Teacher Resources
• Reading Skills

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Pedagogy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Reading
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Change you view of teaching reading 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

How does a kid learn to read...by reading. Get your students into the Reading Zone. I was sucked into the guided reading, small groups, centers, rotations, strategies method of teaching too. However, my students just were not progressing or developing that "love of reading" that I wanted for them. Within a month of reading this book and changing my approach, almost all my students have jumped into the ZONE. This book will change how you teach. It's the next step in your evolution as a reading teacher. Happy reading!

A Must Read For All Teachers!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent book that shows how students can become great readers when they are given the chance to have independent reading time and be in control of their reading choices. This is a must read for all teachers!

Editorial Review:

Long an advocate of frequent, voluminous reading in schools, the author draws on evidence gathered in twenty years of classroom teaching to make the case for reading workshop more powerful than ever. The book establishes the top ten conditions for making engaged classroom reading possible for students at all levels and provides the practical support and structures necessary for achieving them. 144 pages.

240 Vocabulary Words 3rd Grade Kids Need to Know (240 Vocabulary Words Kids Need to Know)

L. Ward Beech

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> Contemporary Methods -> Language Experience Approach
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wish I had this in school 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This workbook gives thorough practice through the use of synomyms, antonyms, compound words, homophones, homographs, plurals, etc., to ensure that your child will learn the meanings of the words used in each section. Through a variety of exercises that vary within and between each section, any child will become familiar with not only the word's meaning, but also the meaning of each type of word (i.e., synomym, homophone, etc). This is an excellent tool for teaching vocabulary.

240 Vocabulary Words 3rd Grade Kids Need To Know 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I homeschool my languge impaired child. This book has fit right in with his needs. It groups words into categories that make sense. The exercises used to reinforce the words are fun. It's not as challenging as Wordly Wise, and like all vocabulary-developing workbooks I've found, it could be improved by incorporating more pictures/drawings. Nonetheless, it's a great resource.

Good Book 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I would recomend this book to help give your child the foundation of a strong vocabulary. Once they have a solid vocabulary reading and comprehension will grow.