Content Based Curriculum for High-Ability Learners 2nd Edition Review

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Content Based Curriculum for High-Ability Learners 2nd Edition ReviewContent-Based Curriculum for High Ability Learners by Joyce VanTassel-Baska and Catherine A. Little. Prufrock Press: Waco, TX 1-800-240-0333
Written by recognized gifted curriculum leader VanTassel-Baska and her associates at the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary, this service publication of the National Association for Gifted Children illustrates award-winning curriculum units in language arts, social studies and science. It begins with a presentation of the Integrated Curriculum Model, which consists of an advanced content dimension, a process/product dimension, and an issues/themes dimension. Subsequent chapters cover acceleration, incorporating higher order process skills into content, concept development, and developing creative student products. The second section contains chapters on curricula for high ability learners in language arts, science, mathematics and social studies. Each chapter shows how the integrated curriculum model relates to curricular standards advanced by national organizations such as the National Science Education Standards developed by the National Research Council. The emphasis is on adaptation of existing curricula, with examples drawn from the William and Mary curriculum units. The book?s final chapters feature criteria to select appropriate content, resources and instructional strategies. A chapter on assessment deals with test reliability, validity, and authentic assessment concerns. A final chapter assists educators with aligning curricula with state standards. Because the book is very readable, it is particularly useful for educators relatively new to the field while also appropriate for experienced educators. While it does not recommend resources for curriculum decisions, the book provides solid guidelines for educators attempting to differentiate curricula for gifted learners within a diverse body of learners or within a special homogeneous classroom of gifted students.Content Based Curriculum for High-Ability Learners 2nd Edition OverviewThe newly updated Content-Based Curriculum for High-Ability Learners provides a solid introduction to curriculum development in gifted and talented education. Written by experts in the field of gifted education, this text uses cutting-edge design techniques and aligns the core content with national and state standards. In addition to a revision of the original chapters, the second edition contains new chapters on topics such as teaching research skills to gifted students, second language learning, leadership, arts curriculum, and technology.The text is divided into three sections. The first section identifies the basic principles of curriculum development: accelerated learning within the core content areas, use of higher order process skills, development of creative student products, and concept development and learning. The second section incorporates these techniques into a chapter on each core content area: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The third section focuses on the roles of teachers, program coordinators, and administrators during curriculum design: selecting resources and materials, making appropriate instructional choices, and assessing student learning.

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The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time Review

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The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time ReviewFor readers who care about where we're all going in this mad-media world of Internet highways and smart technology, this book is a necessary pit stop for refueling and refreshment.
Only 151 pages long, this totally chapterless work can be read in a sitting of three hours (as if it were one single, long paragraph), and it will not disappoint. The book is subtitled: Why Books Matter In a Distracted Time. One of the main and positive features of this work for me was the fact that the author, already a well-known critic for the "Los Angeles Times," confesses to a feeling lately (say, over the last two years) of being unable to concentrate and wonders, if it's not Alzheimer's or incipient old age, just what is happening to his brain. I completely identified with that situation and concern even though I, unlike the author, do not own a Blackberry or a Kindle. I am, just as the author describes himself-- as well as of nearly everyone today -- averse to tuning out the "buzz" that's on the Internet and in the media and am on the computer at work as well as at home.
David Ulin doesn't like to categorize books by way of fiction or non-fiction, personal or objective. He simply aims for and enjoys what is simply called "good writing." In this manner, the tale he unfolds here is both factual, literary, historical as well as personal, some vignettes touchingly involving his son, Noah. Suffice it to say Mr. Ulin has some trenchant observations to make not only about "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald but about Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" as well -- not to overlook the many writers he pulls up from the stream of words he so deftly pursues such that any reader will feel tempted to follow-up on those authors and works that are completely new to her or him.
Having covered a lot of ground that feels like "everything" that can be said about technology versus the book -- but actually isn't -- the author asserts that what reading good writing does for the reader -- unlike any other kind of technology -- is disconnect the reader from the harried noisy world of present storms and present crises and trivia and immerse her or him in a world transcending present time with others from previous ages, a world that facilitates empathy, blurring the boundaries between yourself and another, while allowing one's thoughts to gather some gravitas in the silence that follows from long bouts of concentration on the written word. He insists we need silence more than ever now. It's a kind of Wordsworthian plaint -- the world is too much with us. But he reminds us there's a solution: read good writing in the silence whenever you can.
One of the roads not undertaken in this multi-streamed river of a book full of consideration about the pros and cons of the traditional book versus electronic technology was audio book technology or the Read-to-Me feature available in many e-books -- and the cultural impact of a renewed orality about the printed word. Mr. Ulin evokes ideas about a "conversation that began in Mesopotamia ten thousand years ago," but seems to have forgotten Homer's oral impact in the process, concentrating on print and writing instead. While he tries to pluck the harp optimistically for the positive contributions of electronic media, Mr. Ulin, understandably in my opinion, argues finally to keep the art of reading books alive. I still want to know would his argument finally remain with books if he had considered the electronic orality of texts -- or paid any attention to them.
All in all, this was definitely a good read and a good piece of writing. It contains, as I've said, mentionings of writers and books I'm going to enjoy exploring further. I was so glad to find Mr. Ulin mention the writer Vardis Fisher, even if it was through a quotation by Frank Connor. As Mr. Ulin knows, good books have good writing and artfully put the reader in a "flow state" or trance from which she or he makes a self, and Vardis Fisher was just one of those writers for me. Mr. Ullin has, among others, Alexander Trocchi. Who? Read "The Lost Art of Reading" or read Trocchi's "Cain's Book." The point is -- read, in silence, good writing.The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time Overview

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Strictly English: The Correct Way to Write . . . And Why It Matters Review

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Strictly English: The Correct Way to Write . . . And Why It Matters ReviewSimon Heffer has written a book that everyone who speaks and writes English ought to read, if not to improve his facility with the language, to enjoy the wit and charm of the book. This is an instruction book that does not read like one. He first tells us what the rules are, and then explains the purpose of those rules as well as the right and wrong ways of applying them. For example, he wrote: "Punctuation is not merely for the ease of reading, but also for the ease of comprehension and the avoidance of ambiguity. If used correctly, it shows the reader how clauses in a sentence relate to each other; how sentences are delineated; and how an argument or exposition is broken up into paragraphs." (p.31) and that grammar "is a question of logic, and if regarded as such it will, all but the most resolutely illogical minds, become second nature in anyone's use of English. Grammar is designed to keep our language comprehensible and free from ambiguity." (p.45)
He has a chapter on the use of the wrong word (in which he points out the result of dishonesty in the use of the wrong word) and another on the wrong tone. The highlight of the book may be his chapter on "The Essence of Good Style", but I enjoyed the two chapters that that was wittily placed between - "Three Sinners" (state officials, academics, and lawyers and their verbose and obscure style of writing) and "Three Saints (George Orwell, Barbara Pym, and Enoch Powell). Every one of the 309 pages in this book is a joy to read.Strictly English: The Correct Way to Write . . . And Why It Matters OverviewSimon Heffer's incisive and amusingly despairing emails to colleagues at the Telegraph about grammatical mistakes and stylistic slips have attracted a growing band of ardent fans over recent years. Now, he makes an impassioned case for correct English and offers practical advice on how to avoid the solecisms and mangled sentences that increasingly pepper everyday speech and writing. If you have ever been guilty of writing "different than," if you have ever tortured the language by saying "Thank you for asking my friend and I," if you have ever confused "imply" and "infer," then this book will prove essential reading. It will also reassuringly show you that accuracy and clarity need not be the preserve of an elite-they are within the grasp of anyone who is prepared to take the time to master a few simple rules.

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A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution Review

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A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution ReviewA slim book, but not an easy read. Lots of repetition of ideas and content, as if the book had been written as separate essays and then stitched together without the aid of a good editor. He goes off on tangents within chapters which often had me re-reading pages to see if I had missed a transition.
Pitched as a book about how people have reacted to and adopted new communication technologies, it is really more a light historical overview of the topic. Disappointing. If you like technology and history you've already read most of this book elsewhere. Lots of rehashing of Petroski's book on the pencil and on Thoreau. Chapters on handwriting and Wordstar don't really add much. The last few chapters begin to get at what I thought the book was about -- how people react to and adopt new writing/communication technologies. The illustrations are also not the best, although some are at least interesting. The early Photoshop ad showing Marilyn Monroe holding Abraham Lincoln's arm is something I had not seen before.
If you haven't any background in the history of technology and want a very brief overview, this might be of interest. For me there are better sources and better edited books written in a more engaging style.I expected a lot more than I got.A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution OverviewComputers, now the writer's tool of choice, are still blamed by skeptics for a variety of ills, from speeding writing up to the point of recklessness, to complicating or trivializing the writing process, to destroying the English language itself. A Better Pencil puts our complex, still-evolving hate-love relationship with computers and the internet into perspective, describing how the digital revolution influences our reading and writing practices, and how the latest technologies differ from what came before. The book explores our use of computers as writing tools in light of the history of communication technology, a history of how we love, fear, and actually use our writing technologies--not just computers, but also typewriters, pencils, and clay tablets. Dennis Baron shows that virtually all writing implements--and even writing itself--were greeted at first with anxiety and outrage: the printing press disrupted the "almost spiritual connection" between the writer and the page; the typewriter was "impersonal and noisy" and would "destroy the art of handwriting."Both pencils and computers were created for tasks that had nothing to do with writing. Pencils, crafted by woodworkers for marking up their boards, were quickly repurposed by writers and artists. The computer crunched numbers, not words, until writers saw it as the next writing machine. Baron also explores the new genres that the computer has launched: email, the instant message, the web page, the blog, social-networking pages like MySpace and Facebook, and communally-generated texts like Wikipedia and the Urban Dictionary, not to mention YouTube.Here then is a fascinating history of our tangled dealings with a wide range of writing instruments, from ancient papyrus to the modern laptop. With dozens of illustrations and many colorful anecdotes, the book will enthrall anyone interested in language, literacy, or writing.

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Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners Pre-K-2 (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) Review

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Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners Pre-K-2 (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) ReviewI only bought this book for a class I'm taking in college. It's good, has good information and easy to read for class :)Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners Pre-K-2 (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) OverviewSummarizing current research and weaving it into practical instructional strategies that teachers can immediately use with young English language learners (ELLs), this book addresses a major priority for today's primary-grade classrooms. All aspects of effective instruction for ELLs are explored: oral language development and instruction, materials, word study, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and home-school connections. Assessment is discussed throughout, and is also covered in a separate chapter. The volume is packed with realistic examples, lesson planning ideas, book lists, online resources, and reproducibles. Discussion and reflection questions enhance its utility as a professional development tool or course text.


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Teaching Literacy through the Arts (Tools for Teaching Literacy) Review

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Teaching Literacy through the Arts (Tools for Teaching Literacy) ReviewThis book is set up as a text book, with anticipatory guides, questions and activities for the reader to do. I was expecting a book with too many ideas, but instead this book is for those that aren't familiar with the arts or how to incorporate them into the classroom. There are better books out there, and this is more of a stroking of the authors' worth than anything else. I was very disappointed with this book.
If you have no clues about what art is or how to use it in your lessons, than this book is for you, but if you have any background using art at all, ignore this book.Teaching Literacy through the Arts (Tools for Teaching Literacy) OverviewAccessible and hands-on yet grounded in research, this book addresses the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of integrating literacy instruction and the arts in grades K-8. Even teachers without any arts background will gain the skills they need to bring music, drama, visual arts, and dance into their classrooms. Provided are a wealth of specific resources and activities that other teachers have successfully used to build students' oral language, concepts of print, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing, while also promoting creativity and self-expression. Special features include reproducible worksheets and checklists for developing, evaluating, and implementing arts-related lesson plans.

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Teaching Literacy in Second Grade (Tools for Teaching Literacy Series) Review

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Teaching Literacy in Second Grade (Tools for Teaching Literacy Series) ReviewIt is helpful for teacher more than useful for parents who want to do some extra curriculum work with their kids at homeTeaching Literacy in Second Grade (Tools for Teaching Literacy Series) OverviewSecond-grade classrooms are exciting places to visit. Children are consolidating their growing reading and writing expertise, exploring new genres, and becoming more effective communicators. This book takes the reader into several exemplary second-grade classrooms to demonstrate what teachers can do to optimize literacy learning for their students. Highlights include how to set appropriate short- and long-term goals for individual students, ways to plan instruction to meet those goals, and innovative ideas for partnering with parents.

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Integrating Instruction: Literacy and Science (Tools for Teaching Literacy Series) Review

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Integrating Instruction: Literacy and Science (Tools for Teaching Literacy Series) ReviewAlso available in a hardcover edition (159385157X, $45.00), Integrating Instruction: Literacy And Science is the collaborative effort of Judy McKee (Science consultant, Wilmette Public Schools, Wilmette, Illinois) and Donna Ogle (Professor of Reading and Language, National-Louis University). A part of the Guilford "Tools for Teaching Literacy" series, Integrating Instructions covers such topics as integrating science and language in science units, writing to learn in science, effective uses of technology, the connection that can bridge science-fiction to a passion for learning, and much more. Written especially to promote motivated learning in science and literacy alike, and offering tools to help assess student learning in agreement with national and state standards, Integrating Instruction is a valuable resource particularly in the twenty-first century when communication skills and practical scientific and technological awareness are more important than ever.
Integrating Instruction: Literacy and Science (Tools for Teaching Literacy Series) OverviewWell organized and comprehensive, this book provides a full framework for integrating science and literacy. It shows how tapping into children's interest in science can help them develop key literacy skills and strategies as they explore the world around them. Examples of integrated science units include hands-on instructions and reproducible materials for learning activities that can be adapted to different grade levels. The authors provide a wealth of practical ideas for:*Organizing the classroom for active, constructive, motivated learning*Targeting specific language arts competencies while studying science topics: animals, astronomy, electricity, and more *Crafting assignments that promote inquiry during science experiences and text investigations*Selecting and using informational texts, from encyclopedias and Internet articles to trade books and magazines*Assessing student learning in compliance with national and state standards

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