Find more than 1400 activity ideas organized according to 24 age-appropriate themes that build social studies, science, math, or language arts skills. Themes include families, clothing, dental health, space exploration, rocks, birds, dinosaurs, numbers and numerals, measuring, and storytelling. Each thematic unit includes clearly written teacher directions, including purpose, procedures, background information, ways to simplify or extend the unit, related literature lists for children, and suggested reference books for the teacher. Grades preK-1. Index of activities. Illustrated. Good Year Books. 537 pages.
“A first-rate fantasy for middle-grade readers,” declares Booklist in a starred review, comparing Gabriel Finley to Harry Potter, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, and The Mysterious Benedict Society. A tangle of ingenious riddles, a malevolent necklace called a torc, and flocks of menacing birds: these are just some of the obstacles that stand between Gabriel and his father, Adam Finley, who has vanished from their Brooklyn brownstone. When Gabriel rescues an orphaned baby raven named Paladin, he discovers a family secret: Finleys can bond with ravens in extraordinary ways. Along with Paladin and three valiant friends, Gabriel sets out to bring his father home. They soon discover that Adam is being held captive by the evil demon Corax—half man, half raven, and Adam’s very own disgraced brother—in a foreboding netherworld of birds called Aviopolis. With help from his army of ghoulish minions, the valravens, Corax is plotting to take over the land above, and now only Gabriel stands in his way. “A vivid, compelling fantasy that sends you off to a world you will not soon forget.” —Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth “A great read for fantasy lovers who have worn out their copies of Harry Potter.” —School Library Journal, Starred “Brimful of antic energy and inventive flair, like the best middle-grade fantasies; readers, like baby birds, will devour it and clamor for future installments.” —Kirkus Reviews
Reading Comprehension: Assisting Children with Learning Difficulties examines the complex nature of reading comprehension. It introduces a model for classifying reading comprehension based on an expanded Simple View of Reading. Issues related to assessment, diagnosis, and remediation of reading comprehension difficulties are discussed and translated into clear recommendations to inform reading intervention design and practice. It gives an informed understanding as to why reading comprehension is difficult for some children with learning disabilities such as ADHD, autism, language difficulties and dyslexia. From leading literacy research, the book develops a deeper understanding of thinking processes that facilitate comprehension at the word, discourse, and metacognitive levels. Children will benefit from the introduction of evidence-based methods for teaching reading comprehension using structured multiple-strategy frameworks.
