This is a fantastic book by 2 very dedicated professional
educators. It is very worthwhile both for its 'fun' interactive
activities with your children, and as an extremely valuable
educational tool for 'stealth teaching'! (Your child thinks
they are just playing, while they are secretly being educated!)
We have also found it very useful in helping your child with
any learning 'issues', (reading, math, etc.) using enjoyable,
interactive activities.
We VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book Buy New: $10.36
I ordered this book to be delivered as soon as it was available
- it was worth the wait. It's great for busy classroom teachers
who don't have time to sit and make games but still need them
for effective classroom management for centers or independent
practice. I highly recommend this book to classroom teachers
or reading specialists. Buy New: $8.76
40 Easy-to-Make, Fun-to-Use Centers With Instant Reproducibles
& Activities That Help Kids Practice Important Math SkillsIndependently!
Meets the NCTM standards!
Enrich your center time and promote independent learning with
these easy-to-store math "kits"! Buy New: $10.36
These stories are clever and easy to read. There are four
books in the series. A Funny Dolch Word Book 1, 2, 3, and
Albert the Apple Eating Appaloosa. Almost all of the words
in the book are Dolch sight words. It is a great teaching
tool. Our school will be using all four books for summer school
instruction to help kids catch up. I don't have anything much
to say that isn't already on this page about the books except
to add my recommendation. Oh, the publisher's website is also
very helpful. Buy New: $5.95
Taking Off, Age 5+: Handas Surprise, the Old Woman and the
Red Pumpkin, Chicken Licken, Have You Seen the Crocodile,
One Tow Flea, Dinosaurs Day Out Buy New: $13.99
It is a clever idea of presenting study skills in a way that
kids enjoy. It isn't called study skills it is just about
how to remember what they are trying to learn. My children
love to hear the story again and again. They also have done
better in school by learning about how to learn. It is a pleasant
way to approach a serious subject: how to do better in school.
I'm so glad the writer offers this help to children in K-3.
The lesson plans in the book are original and right on target.
Buy New: $8.99
Now first- and second-graders can really sharpen their skills.
Announcing Brain Quest Math and Brain Quest Reading, a natural
extension of Brain Quest into single-subject tutorials. Using
the same curriculum-based, question-and-answer format that
has made Brain Quest America's #1 educational bestseller with
over 16 million copies in print, Math and Reading concentrate
on the two subjects that are of paramount importance for parents,
teachers, and especially the kids. Buy New: $10.95
When the Brain Quest series moves from preschool age to the
first-grade set, it transforms from a playful question game
into a sort of elementary school version of Trivial Pursuit.
(In the spirit of this new grown-up air, there is no longer
a cheerful animal guide appearing throughout the decks.) Now,
each card features one question from each of five category
sections: Reading, Math, Vocabulary, Social Studies &
Science, and Grab Bag. The rules are gentle: Playing in teams,
with partners, or solo, you can stick to your favorite subject
category or play the whole card. Keeping score (they offer
three different versions) is optional.
Though the framework of the game feels very grown-up, the
questions are not out of a first grader's league. A math question
asks, "What coin is the same as 25 cents?" A sample
science question reads, "Name the force that keeps you
from floating in the air." There is much good humor in
these questions, and the name references are nicely up to
date, though not completely contemporary (Beanie Baby references
can be found here, but Pokémon's not mentioned). (Ages
6 to 7). --Jean Lenihan Buy New: $8.76
Reading Together Yellow: First Steps, Age 3+: Mother Goose,
I Spy Abc, Old Macdonald Had a Farm, Train Ride, Glumpalump,
Give Me My Yams! and Parents' Handbook (A New Reader's First
Library) Buy New: $19.99
Grade 1-3?Pete is a young pirate who attends school on a
pirate ship where the rules are geared toward the unkindly:
"Finders keepers, losers weepers." Captain Bones
encourages fighting to solve disputes, and Pete is happy to
wrestle with classmate Grimy after a name-calling match. On
Treasure Hunt Day, Pete and Grimy find themselves forced to
cooperate in order to escape certain death and decide to share
the treasure "Even Steven" down to the last gold
coin. Children will enjoy this beginning reader with all of
the bickering and rule reversals. The cartoon illustrations
are well done, with interesting backgrounds and each character's
feelings clear from his facial expressions. The combination
of full-page and smaller pictures on white pages works well. Buy New: $3.99
My son and I enjoyed working through this work book. It may
be for 4 - 6 year old children, but my 7 year old found it
fun and challenging. It is a great book to keep practicing
phonic skills during the summer. The puzzles helped my son
see the words in many different ways. Buy New: $4.95
The Combo Kit is packed with enough language arts instructional
material for two full years. Featuring age-appropriate lessons
for the younger child, the kindergarten portion of this kit
covers the first 15 steps of the 36-step Level 1 program.
Two kindergarten student workbooks are included featuring
larger print and fewer words per page. Topics covered include
letter recognition, letter sounds, manuscript writing, and
beginning reading. Boxed: 18" x 12" x 6".
Sing, Spell, Read & Write is a learning-to-read curriculum
that uses a 36-step program of carefully sequenced systematic,
explicit phonics instruction to build fluent independent readers.
For more than two decades, veteran educator Sue Dickson developed
and field-tested this program in her own classroom. Where
other reading programs were failing the students who were
struggling the most, Mrs. Dickson saw first-hand the amazing
results her students achieved when she combined music with
multimodal teaching strategies. Using look, listen, point,
sing-along, and echo routines along with gross motor and fine
motor activities, the program activitely engages the senses
and effectively reaches all types of learners. Virtually every
child is assured of success. Today, the program has a proven,
nationwide track record and the soundness of such an approach
is strongly supported by current research on brain function,
language acquisition, and reading. Buy New: $259.50
I homeschool four daughters. We began using Phonics Pathways
when my eldest was five. She is a very intelligent child,
and caught on quickly to the simple format in which the reading
and spelling skills are presented. In half a year she has
begun reading books at a much harder level than what we are
studying in Phonics Pathways, and is already reading at a
second grade level in the tutorial. We also use the book to
teach spelling, since it includes spelling rules. My second
daughter does not have her sister's knack for the written
word. I hesitantly began using Phonics Pathways with her just
shy of age four to teach her letter sounds and simple blending.
She has also been successful with this no frills, straight-forward
approach to phonics tutoring. I have even begun using it with
my two-year-old to reenforce letter identification. The layout
of the book allows each girl to go at her own speed, without
frustration. There are adequate reviews, although you may
wish to check out some of the author's support material for
further reenforcement. Have a ready supply of easy readers
on hand, because in a limited time your child will be able
to read simple books, such as the Bob books and basic Dr.
Seuss. Some children need extra stimuli (songs, etc.) to help
them learn. For those that don't (and even some that do, like
my second daughter) we have found that the Phonics Pathways
approach offers a simple, slow and steady method that can
serve as an entire phonics/spelling program, without muddling
the process with too many extras. All learning types can benefit
from this book. It is also an excellent boost for remedial
readers, and I, as an avid reader and freelance writer, have
appreciated the spelling refresher! One note: the author recommends
learning to read and write each word from dictation before
moving on. We found this to hinder the speed at which my first
child could move along in her reading, since children naturally
develop faster in some areas than others, so, although we
use the book for spelling and phonics, we move her ahead in
each area at different speeds. This has caused no difficulties
whatsoever! Buy New: $32.95
