Product Reviews March 2005

This month's products are:

Stenhouse Publishers
Chronicle Books
Pflaum Publishing Group
Learning Resources
Owens Farm
UpstartBooks

Starting With Comprehension

This newest book from Stenhouse is subtitled Reading Strategies for the Youngest Readers. And the authors, Andie Cunningham (a kindergarten teacher) and Ruth Shagoury (a college professor) have teamed up to provide a how-to book for teaching comprehension skills to pre-readers.

The kindergarten teacher part of the author team works in a 25 student K. For many of her charges, English is a second or third language. One wouldn't think comprehension skills could grow too much in that situation, but they do.

This is not your mother's approach to teaching comprehension, however. Due to recent research, teachers approach reading instruction differently, and have translated the research findings into strategies for comprehension instruction. This strategy instruction has "students explore comprehension using a wide range of strategies: these include asking questions while reading, making inferences, synthesizing ideas, visualizing information and making connections between texts, the world and their lives. The point of strategy instruction is to help students see reading as a thinking process."

To see how Andie applies these tenets to pre-readers is awesome. She covers everything from "Becoming a Community of Readers: A New Language for Learning" to "Using Movement, Mind Pictures, and Metaphor to Comprehend."

More than a reading program, this book presents a blueprint for an enriched kindergarten experience for all children. Paperbound, 125 pages, $17.50 plus s/h.
Stenhouse Publishers
www.stenhouse.com

The Ellis Island Collection
It's January 1, 1892, and Annie Moore, a 15-year-old girl from County Cork, Ireland steps on U.S. soil. She's the first immigrant to enter the U.S. through Ellis Island. Millions follow in her footsteps.

It's difficult for us in the 21st century to imagine the immigration experience from years ago. The Ellis Island Collection remedies that. The collection consists of fascinating artifacts – 23 of them – from the early immigrant experience. These are meticulously reproduced replicas of genuine artifacts.

Included are: a ship's passenger list, a boarding card, an Ellis Island dining room menu, a literacy test, a landing card, a Declaration of Intention form, photographic portraits and heart-wrenching letters. It's all just amazing.

Whether we're thinking of Annie Moore or our own ancestors, this look at replicas of primary sources is sure to entrance kids and bring real-world meaning to the many aspects of social studies, (geography, culture and customs, economics) and literature. The material was produced under license from the Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. by Chronicle Books. $24.95 plus s/h.
Chronicle Books
www.chroniclebooks.com

A Terrific Poster
We saw a wonderful poster while at a conference in 2004 and thought you'd like to know about it. The poster is entitled "The Golden Rule" and those words are in the center of the poster. Around the poster's edges are listed all the various religions with a statement under each. The statement is that particular religion's version of the Golden Rule...and every religion has one.

Pflaum is the publisher of this poster and of lots of other values and faith-oriented material. The cost of "The Golden Rule" is $8.95 plus s/h. If you don't know this company, it's worth more than a look.
Pflaum Publishing Group
www.Pflaum.com

Math Fun
Learning Resources new Flip Over Math™ Activity Books can add great fun to math practice in your classroom.

These are 48-page free-standing spiral-bound books that provide a progression of hands-on activities. There are four books plus a tub of manipulatives. Algebraic Thinking (grades 1 - 4), Addition & Subtraction (grades 1 - 4), Multiplication & Division (grades 2 - 5) and Story Problems (grades 2 - 5) cover a broad range of math activity for the lower grades.

The books are 7 1/4 x 10 1/4. They are structured with the activities on one side, and the answers on the other, so the student can just turn around (flip over)the book to self-check their work. The 522 manipulatives put concrete learning right at the child's fingertips.

Each of the books are sold separately at $18.95; add s/h if purchased directly from Learning Resources. The plastic storage box of manipulatives are $39.95. We really like the durability of these books and the manipulatives. The books are incredibly sturdy. Check out Learning Resources website for more information.

This one gets four stars from us.
Learning Resources
www.learningresources.com

Sheep-In-A-Box
That's really the name of this product. In the box there is (no, not a real sheep), but an entire raw fleece (right off the sheep!); five integrated lesson plans including 1) hands-on activities complete with supplies, 2) overhead transparencies and slides, 3) fiber crafts (dyeing, felting, weaving and more, 4) tests; a pocket guide to washing wool; "Wonderful Wool" flip chart, craft-ready wool roving, a children's book A Lamb's Tale; samples of remarkably different types of wool, video on processing wool; and information on alignment with national standards.

For most of your kids, this box is the closest they'll ever get to a real sheep. The creator of this product was a science teacher who initially found that learning about sheep offered learning opportunities across the curriculum. Homeschool families found the kit ideal and the idea grew from there.

Urban kids will be astounded with the feel of wool with lanolin, which is included in the box.

This Sheep & Wool Education Kit for the classroom retails at $139.95 plus s/h. See if your PTA will help you get one for your school. It's really worth the effort.
Owens Farm
www.owensfarm.com

Stretchy Library Lessons
UpstartBooks is the publisher of Stretchy Library Lessons: Seasons & Celebrations by Pat Miller, a 114 page handbook for those times when you want to celebrate in the library with your students. Filled with games, puzzles, contests, drama and even some songs, the books have 10 lessons, one for each month from August through May, that can be extended in many ways. Each lesson includes a quotation to introduce the theme, a grade range, statement of purpose, a format (which helps the teacher appeal to various learning styles), and a list of materials and resources.

Each lesson has one 20-minute activity and up to six additional activities that the teacher can tailor to fit his or her needs.

The celebrations are curriculum related and span from birthdays to celebrating autumn, winter, celebrating 'firsts' Hobby Month, Library Lovers' Month and on and on. Terrific resources in the form of website recommendations and kids books are included.

Teachers as well as librarians will love this one. For grades K – 5, paperbound, 8 1/2 x 11. 415.95 plus s/h.
UpstartBooks
800-448-4887