Product Reviews January 2004

This month's products are:

Guerra Publishing, Inc.
Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
MeadWestvaco Corporation
J. Weston Walch Publisher

Spanish Resource Materials...
There always seems to be a dearth of just the right kind of foreign language materials for a specific child in our classes. Maybe you know about Guerra Publishing, Inc? We didn't.

This company has an extensive line of charts and books for every level of Spanish. The Alphabet Chart Sets not only have an illustration and the Spanish word for each letter, but also a catchy rhyme to teach the featured letter. These charts are 11" x 17" and in full color. The alphabet is separated into three sets: the first set covers the vowels and the letters B-F (10 charts). The second set covers the letters G-P (10 charts) and the third set covers the letters Q-Z (10 charts). Each set is $13.95 plus s/h.

We'd also like to tell you about one of the large selection of student handbooks, La Puntuacionen en el Espanol. For grades 2-12, this reproducible book provides basic punctuation rules and the most obvious differences from the English language. Examples and practice exercises follow each rule. Answer keys are also included. There is a pocket chart and examples of enlarged punctuation marks.

There are other books available on basic grammar, nouns and articles, present indicative verbs, the written accent and so on. The books are $9.95 plus s/h. We think you'd find this company's products a real boon.
Guerra Publishing, Inc.
www.guerrapublishing.com

From Evan-Moor...
Comes Look, Listen, and Speak, a theme-based series structured to build vocabulary and language patterns for English learners (grades one–three) and others who could use some language enrichment.

Each book in the series comes with a CD-ROM, e-posters and picture cards. There are games and chants included as well as games using the picture cards. Step-by-step instructions for the teacher make it easy to use these packages at the most convenient time of the day.

The titles cover items and situations at school, home, the park, the community and in the family. The beauty – and the strength – of this product is its simplicity. The art is very representational and detailed, and the interactive aspect of the CD makes learning fun. Items in the e-posters are identified orally when the cursor reaches the item. When the student clicks on the item, he/she hears a complete sentence, including the topic word. A labeled, close-up view of the item appears in a box on the right of the screen. Students can repeat this word exploration as many times as they wish. There are also follow-up activities available should the student want to practice his or her new vocabulary.

The reproducibles can be used in many ways, all of them interactive. For instance, the reproducible Storybook can be used at home or in school.

Electronic games provide board games, moving through mazes and assembling simple pieces. There are also games with picture cards.

All in all, if you have a child needing help in language acquisition, this is the series for you. Sixty-four pages, 16 pages of picture cards and a CD-ROM, just $29.95 each at your local school supply dealer, or order directly from Evan-Moor (include s/h).
Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
www.evan-moor.com

Do you know about...
The exciting product called Intelli-Gear™? It's from Mead and it's super. Middle school teachers will love this one. Intelli-Gear is a binder and learning software (CD) system all in one. The program incorporates an Internet browser in its interfaces and is available in both PC and Mac versions.

The software includes an interactive learning styles quiz to help kids ascertain how they take in information, how they remember information and what area (using Gardner's rubric) is their strongest.

The next topic on the CD shows kids how to study and work more productively on assignments (in all discipline areas) they are provided with an organization plan: daily schedules, (homework log sheets, weekly and monthly calendars), assignment helpers (templates of maps and problem-solving tools), study management aids (learn to take notes that best suit the individual's learning style, guides for report writing, study sheets, flash cards) and lists (kids can track their progress by subject, etc. There are six helpful list formats.).

The final study help on the CD provides the opportunity for the student to customize his or her projects. There are 40 curriculum-appropriate images, an assortment of templates to create stickers and custom art from borders, backgrounds, shapes and colors. Twenty-five sheets of ink-jet paper are also enclosed.

We can't think of any students who won't benefit from this package. The sturdy three-ring bright blue-fabric binder has a zipper closure. There are see-through file envelopes with subject tabs attached inside the front cover. There's also space for pens and such. Although this is a student purchase, it will make your classroom life tremendously easier. Designed for grades six to eight, the cost for all this help is $14.99 (suggested retail price). Available from your local school supply stores, office supply stores or other retail outlets stocking school supplies.
MeadWestvaco Corporation
www.MeadWeb.com

Content-Area Strategies...
In three areas – Vocabulary, Writing and Reading – are among the best time-savers you'll find. These series are available from J. Weston Walch and they're super. The four books in the Vocabulary series has 21 reproducible two-page lessons in each of the four books: Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics and Science. Also included in the book we saw, Content-Area Strategies (Language Arts) from the Vocabulary series are Practice Readings and blank graphic organizers: a 4-P chart, KWL chart, SQ3R chart, a semantic web, an outline and double-entry notes.

In the Language Arts book of the Vocabulary series there's a section on building vocabulary, one on prereading, one on reading strategies, one on postreading and one on reading in Language Arts.

The design of each lesson makes it a slam-dunk for kids. The focus is strong and simple: here's a skill you need and it's easy to learn. The examples are clear and presented with enough white space around them so they look easy to understand. Each book in the Vocabulary series is $12.95 (plus s/h if you order directly from Walch).

Both the Writing and Reading series have 80 pages of reproducible lessons and each of the books in those series is $18.95. All of these items are also available at school supply dealers.

We not only believe in professional development, but in learner development. This series helps kids achieve learning skills that will serve them well for a lifetime.
J. Weston Walch Publisher
www.walch.com

January, 2004, Vol.34, No.4