AVERILL PARK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT - ITARI

AVERILL PARK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICTPROFESSIONAL BOOK CLUBCOLLECTION2008-2009Participation in a district professional development book club inservicewill provide a structural opportunity for independent reading, personalreflection and collegial discussion on topics related to teaching andlearning. Key ideas and best practices from the resources studied by thegroup will be documented in meeting notes and may be shared throughteam meetings, faculty meetings and focus group discussions.PLEASE NOTE: Amazon no longer offers descriptions of books orinformation regarding authors. For new titles added, I have included adirect link to Amazon in order for you to read reviews about books youmay be interested in reading. MM 10/2/08The books/DVDs in this collection are located at the District Office. Theymay be checked out by contacting Margie Morris at ext. 7068 or via email atmorrism@averillpark.k12.ny.us Please provide the following information:NameBuildingPhone10/2/08

Author: Armstrong, ThomasTitle: Awakening Genius in the ClassroomPublication Date: 1998# of copies: 6Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):"Every student is a genius," declares author Thomas Armstrong, and an educator's mostimportant job is to discover and nurture the "genius qualities" that all students were bornwith but that may no longer be obvious. Urging readers to look beyond traditionalunderstandings of what constitutes genius, Armstrong describes 12 such qualities: curiosity,playfulness, imagination, creativity, wonder, wisdom, inventiveness, vitality, sensitivity,flexibility, humor, and joy. He cites research in various fields that supports this broaderunderstanding of genius and explains how influences in the home, the popular media, andthe school itself "shut down" the genius in students.Combining thoughtful insights and practical information, Armstrong offers guidingprinciples to help educators awaken genius in the classroom--beginning with awakening thegenius in themselves. Readers will find dozens of suggested activities and helpful resourcesto provide "genius experiences" and create a "genial climate" in the classroom. In addition,suggestions for further study at the end of each section provide starting points for personaland professional reflection and growth.As it celebrates the potential brainpower waiting to be unlocked in classrooms everywhere,Awakening Genius in the Classroom inspires educators to look at their students from adifferent perspective and to reinvigorate their teaching with a new sense of excitement andpossibility. The result, Armstrong concludes, could extend far beyond the classroom andtransform not only our schools, but the entire world.About the Author:Thomas Armstrong, an educator and psychologist from Sonoma County, California, hasmore than 26 years of teaching experience, from the primary through the doctoral level.

Author: Beane, Ph.D., Allan LTitle: Bully Free Classroom: Over 100 Tips and Strategies for Teachers K-8Publication Date: 1999# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Table of contents, index and several pages can be viewed via Amazon.com. I was notable to copy anything for this page.MargieAbout the Author:Allan L. Beane, Ph.D., a former classroom teacher, is an internationally recognized expert,speaker, and author on bullying, as well as a nationally renowned consultant and educator.He has over 30 years experience in education that includes teaching special education,teaching regular education (speech and debate), teaching higher education, serving asDirector of a School Safety Center, and Vice President of a University. He has also served asan expert witness in criminal cases involving bullying and has been an expert guest for FoxNews in Chicago.Dr. Beane’s son was bullied in seventh grade and high school. Bullying contributed to hisson’s dying at the age of 23. His son’s life inspired him to write the first book, The Bully FreeClassroom, and to develop the Bully Free Program. This book won the 2001 Teacher’sChoice Award given by Learning Magazine and is available in other languages. Schools anddistricts all over the United States have adopted his materials.Dr. Beane and material from his book were featured in national publications such as Timefor Kids (a Time Magazine publication sent to 3 million teachers and children); Newsweekfor Teens; USA Today; the Washington Post; the Boston Sunday Globe; and several othernational magazines and journals (i.e., Middle Ground, The National PTA Magazine, andNEA Today). He has also made numerous television appearances.A dynamic and highly sought-after speaker, he has presented keynote addresses,presentations, and workshops to school districts, organizations, colleges, students, parents,medical personnel, and law enforcement officers throughout the United States. His down-toearthspeaking style, inspirational stories, and practical strategies appeal to audienceseverywhere.

Author: Bock, M.D., Kenneth & Cameron StauthTitle: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics – Autism, ADHD, Asthma, &Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A DisordersPublication Date: 2007# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Autism is an epidemic: It has spiked 1,500 percent in the last twenty years. ADHD, asthma andallergies have also skyrocketed over the same time period. One of these conditions now strikes one inevery three children in America. But there is hope. Leading medical innovator Kenneth Bock, M.D.,has helped change the lives of more than a thousand children, and in this important book, with acomprehensive program that targets all four of the 4-A disorders, he offers help to childreneverywhere. This is the book that finally puts hope within reach.Doctors have generally overlooked the connections among the 4-A disorders, despite theirconcurrent rise and the presence of many medical clues. For years the medical establishment hasconsidered autism medically untreatable and utterly incurable, and has limited ADHD treatmentmainly to symptom suppression. Dr. Bock and his colleagues, however, have discovered a solution –one that goes to the root of the problem. They have found that deadly modern toxins, nutritionaldeficiencies, metabolic imbalances, genetic vulnerabilities and assaults on the immune andgastrointestinal systems trigger most of the symptoms of the 4-A disorders, resulting in frequentmisdiagnosis and untold misery.Dr. Bock’s remarkable Healing Program, drawing on medical research and based on years of clinicalsuccess, offers a safe, sensible solution that is individualized to each child to help remedy these rootcauses. The biomedical approach to autism, ADHD, and the other 4-A epidemics, as innovated byDr. Bock and some of America’s finest integrative physicians, is one of the most promising andexciting medical movements of our time.In this eminently readable account, written by Dr. Bock in collaboration with critically acclaimedauthor Cameron Stauth, you will meet children and parents whose dramatic stories will inspire you tochange the life of your own child. This program may be the help that you have been praying for.About the Author:Kenneth Bock, M.D., is the co-founder and co-director of the Rhinebeck Health Center andThe Center for Progressive Medicine, and a clinical instructor in family medicine at theAlbany Medical College. He lives in Woodstock, New York, with his wife and two children.Cameron Stauth is the author of twenty-two books, including several national andinternational bestsellers. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and two young children.

Author: Boushey, Gail & Joan MoserTitle: Daily Five: Fostering Literacy in the Elementary GradesPublication Date: 2006# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Five-Fostering-Independence-Elementary/dp/1571104291/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222960174&sr=1-1

Author: Bradgon, Allen & David Gannon, PhD.Title: Brains That Work a Little Bit DifferentlyPublication Date: 2000# of copies: 5Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):This book for teachers and parents draws from very recent brain research to explain thecauses and consequences of common diversities including: Attention Deficit/HyperactivityDisorder, Dyslexia, Alcoholism, Autism, SAD (The Winter Blues), Left-handedness,Photographic Memory, Perfect Pitch, and even D ja Vu and Synesthesia. All of these havespecific brain-to-body connections. This book provides diagnostic tests for the symptoms. Itexplains genetic and environmental factors that cause the conditions, along withconsequences and correlations with other health matters that statistically accompany eachcondition. Each section includes checklists and testing exercises used for professionaldiagnosis of these cognitive abnormalities. The bibliography offers sources for furtherinformation and an index makes it a convenient handbook for people without technicaltraining.About the Author:Allen D. Bragdon is the Director of The Brainwaves Center on Cape Cod. He is the authorof six books on improving mental skills with targeted exercises and self-evaluating tests. Heinvented the concept for Games magazine and was its Founding Editor.David Gamon, Ph.D., is an author and researcher who holds advanced degrees in thecognitive sciences from the Univ. of California, Berkeley.

Author: Caine, Geoffrey, Renate Nummela Caine, & Sam CrowellTitle: MindShifts: A Brain-Based Process for Restructuring Schools &Renewing EducationPublication Date: 1994# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):About the Author:Geoffrey Caine is is a learning and education consultant and is an adjunct member of facultyat the University of Redlands Whitehead Center for Lifelong Learning where he teachesphilosophy and management. He has been an attorney and lecturer in law at the Universityof NSW in Australia, Education Services Manager of a National Software Company andNational Director of the Mind/Brain Network of the American Society for Training andDevelopment.

Author: Campbell, Linda, & Bruce CampbellTitle: Multiple Intelligences and Student Achievement: Success Stories fromSix SchoolsPublication Date: 1999# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Finally, a book about multiple intelligences (MI) theory that answers the questions that alleducational innovations must ultimately address: "What are the results on studentachievement?" "How were those results achieved?" This book describes six schools thathave used MI theory for five or more years. Through case studies of two elementary, twomiddle-level, and two high schools, Linda and Bruce Campbell illustrate why markedlydifferent schools large and small, rich and poor, inner-city and suburban looked to MI whenthey wanted to boost student learning.In schools with long-term MI programs, achievement gains are impressive; in fact, thedisparity between white and minority students is reduced or eliminated. Students at all threelevels outperform their district, county, and national peers in basic skills. Such gains arepossible even though teachers do not teach to standardized and state assessment tests.Instead, they believe that all students have strengths, and, as a result, students come tobelieve in themselves as well. Moreover, teachers have discovered that instruction throughmultiple intelligences is so positive and engaging that students--all students can't help butlearn.This book provides educators who are new to MI theory with solid achievement data andcurricular formats to support, inform, and inspire their work. Those who have alreadyworked with MI theory will find encouragement to continue and suggestions for refiningtheir efforts.About the Author:Linda Campbell, Ph.D. is a professor of education at Antioch University Seattle. She hasdesigned and administered teacher education programs for urban and tribal communities.The recipient of a Gates Foundation grant in 2002, Linda creates college access programs forunderserved students. She authored Multiple Intelligences and Student Achievementpublished by ASCD in 1999, Mindful Learning published by Corwin Press in 2002, and isthe recipient of numerous service awards.

Author: Carroll, Susan Rovezzi & David CarrollTitle: EdMarketing: How Smart Schools Get and Keep Community SupportPublication Date: 2000# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):EdMarketing is a resource written to help schools focus in on their customers in the sameway businesses and non-profits have for years. Marketing principles are a strategic way tocapture and then retain community support in an era when less than 20% of the populationhas children in the public school system.About the Author:Susan Rovezzi Carroll and David Carroll are the president and vice-president of Words &Numbers Research, Inc, which provides marketing research and strategic information topublic school systems, private foundations, school-business partnerships, universities, andother organizations.

Author: Ciaccio, JosephTitle: Totally Positive Teaching: A Five-Stage Approach to EnergizingStudents & TeachersPublication Date: 2004# of copies: 6Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Discipline problems, limited resources, crowded classrooms. Teachers face many issues each day that can weardown their love of education. How can they stay focused and energized day in and day out?In Totally Positive Teaching, Joseph Ciaccio shares an approach that transformed him from a burnedoutveteran teacher struggling joylessly through each day to a professional who has fun with hisstudents, guiding them to success while enjoying the teaching process.The conviction that people can adopt a new attitude is at the heart of Ciaccio’s Totally PositiveApproach. When teachers enter the classroom with an upbeat attitude supported by constructiveteaching techniques, they can build trusting partnerships with students. Ciaccio describes fivetechniques for creating a daily positive learning experience that nurtures student achievement:* Devising activities to meet the mutual needs of student and teacher* Changing personal counterproductive feelings* Responding to behavior problems with self-discipline* Helping underachievers become self-motivated* Developing instructional strategies to keep students engagedCiaccio provides plenty of examples to illustrate how these techniques actually work in theclassroom. He also includes dozens of strategies and tips for introducing the Totally PositiveApproach and making it take hold in your own work.When teachers use the Totally Positive Approach, students gain confidence, take control of theirlives, and feel that they belong. Just as important, teachers enjoy enormous professional and personalgrowth, seeing with new clarity how their own attitudes and actions help shape the next generation.Totally Positive Teaching is an inspirational guide to approaching each school day with new energy,insight, and satisfaction.About the Author:Joseph Ciaccio taught history for 31 years in a middle school on Long Island, New York. He realized that manystudents and teachers did not fit into the traditional school system. Bit by bit, Mr. Ciaccio developed his ownsystem, the Totally Positive Approach. His determination to nurture and support academically needy childrenled to the development of the techniques described in this book.Among his many other achievements, Mr. Ciaccio was a candidate for the New York State Senate in 1966 andfor the U.S. House of Representatives in 1968. He has been listed in Community Leaders of America.Mr. Ciaccio is uniquely qualified to write about helping underachieving students because he understands what itis like to struggle in school, both as a student and as a teacher. An educator who has triumphed over theseobstacles, he believes, is more likely to know what must be done for these students and how to do it.

Author: Clark, RonTitle: Excellent 11: Qualities Teachers and Parents Use to Motivate, Inspire,and Educate ChildrenPublication Date: 2004# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Part memoir, part inspirational tract and part handbook for beginning teachers, Clark'streatise on how to get children excited about learning lays out some underlying principles ofteaching, covering 11 fundamentals: enthusiasm, adventure, creativity, reflection, balance,compassion, confidence, humor, common sense, appreciation and resilience. (This analysisfollows Clark's bestselling The Essential 55.) Clark, who was named Disney Teacher of theYear in 2001, shares some of his own blunders and many of his successes while learning toteach, many of which may help new teachers trying to figure out the basics. In a ramblingstyle, Clark relays anecdote after anecdote, as he weaves back and forth from his life as ateacher to his childhood and more advice for teachers, including such details as how to writenotes home to parents about field trips. There isn't much depth here, and the book doesn'tanalyze the nitty-gritty of Clark's own teaching methods or of educational ideas. Indeed, it'smore a motivational speech than an educational text, and it isn't hard to imagine Clarkspeaking these words aloud. However, the book does include some valuable nuggets on howto build children's confidence, help them remember information and teach them to becompassionate, advice that all teachers—but especially inexperienced ones—will findvaluable and thought provoking.About the Author:Ron Clark has been a teacher since 1995. Originally from North Carolina, he has taught insome of the most difficult schools in the country, most recently in Harlem, New York. Sincewinning the 2001 Disney Teacher of the Year Award, Clark has spoken to teachers, PTAs,and school boards across the country. He lives in Atlanta.

Author: Codell, Esme RajiTitle: Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher’s First YearPublication Date: 1999# of copies: 2Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Esmé Raji Codell has come to teach - and she's not going to let incompetent administrators,abusive parents, gang members, weary teachers, dim-witted principals, angry children, or herown insecurities get in the way. Esmé is fresh mouthed yet compassionate; she can be bothpigheaded and generous, cynical and charming. In this diary, a record of her frustrations, herachievements, and her struggles to maintain her individuality in the face of bureaucracy, shereveals what it takes to be a genuine teacher.Esmé wears costumes in the classroom, dances with the kids during rallies in the auditorium,puts on rousing performances with at-risk kids in the library. Her fifth-graders don't use thereading textbook: "What for? Grown-ups don't read textbooks, unless they're forced." Mathis called Puzzling; "I figured kids at this age come to me with preconceived notions of whatthey are good at. This way a kid who thinks she's no good in math might turn out to be goodat Puzzling." Disciplinary action includes having the "bad boy" of the class be the teacher fora day while Esmé misbehaves just as he would. She is twenty-four-year-old woman with theenthusiasm of an elementary school student and the determination of a dedicated teacher.Must reading for every teacher, Educating Esmé is not just for educators. This is a storyabout frustrations in any workplace, about refusing to conform, about taking a stand againstmediocrity. By the sheer force of her personality, Esmé gives us an exhilarating field tripthrough a Chicago public school.About the Author:Esmé Raji Codell is a teacher and children's literature specialist at an elementary school inChicago. Her public radio feature based on this diary was awarded First Prize for NationalEducation Reporting from the Education Writers Association. She is also the recipient ofthe Dr. Peggy Williams Award for outstanding new teacher in the field of reading andlanguage arts, given by the Chicago chapter of the International Reading Association. Esmélives in Chicago with her husband and son.

Author: Cooper, HarrisTitle: The Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators,Teachers, & ParentsPublication Date: 2001# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):This book is about homework and the role it plays in the lives of students, teachers andfamilies. The author discusses the history of homework, the positive and negative aspects ofhomework in the course of a student's education, and the various kinds of homework bestused to motivate and positively influence the student. The reader learns what amount ofhomework is best for each age group. The book provides readers with the terms, definitions,and research evidence needed to hold conversations about homework in a constructivemanner. Furthermore, readers will gain the necessary insight into homework to set effectivehomework policies, rules and guidelines.This is a user-friendly, yet research-based book that looks at all sides of the debate overhomework while giving the reader specific tools to help them achieve what is best for theirschools, classrooms and children.About the Author:Harris M. Cooper is professor and director of the Program in Education at Duke University.He earned his doctorate degree in social psychology from the University of Connecticut. Hisresearch interests include research synthesis, applications of social psychology to educationalpolicy issues, homework, school calendars, and after school programs.

Author: Denton, Paula, EdDTitle: The Power of Our Words: Teacher Language That Helps ChildrenLearnPublication Date: 2007# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Language may be a teacher's most powerful tool. Every day the words, phrases, tone, andpace you use have the power to help students develop self-control, build their sense ofbelonging, and gain skills and knowledge. This book, by an author with more than twentyyears of experience teaching children and educators, will help you recognize the influenceyour words have on the children you teach. It will show you how to use language moreskillfully, building a classroom where students feel safe, respected, appreciated, and excitedabout learning. Full of practical tips, real life anecdotes, and concrete examples, this warmand thought-provoking guide includes specific suggestions about language to adopt andlanguage to avoid. Topics include: using language to help children envision success; openendedquestions that stretch children's thinking; listening and using silence skillfully; the 3 Rsof teacher language: reinforcing, reminding, and redirecting; saying what you mean andmeaning what you say; giving brief, concrete instructions; offering meaningful, specificencouragement. The sensible approach this book advocates is backed by research andproven through decades of successful practice in elementary classrooms nationwide. It offersideas beginners can try immediately and a wealth of guidance and support for those fartheralong in the process of changing their language.About the Author:Paula Denton began teaching children in 1982 and working as a Responsive Classroomconsulting teacher in 1990. She is currently manager of program development at NortheastFoundation for Children. Paula has taught pre-service teachers at Antioch New EnglandGraduate School and the University of Massachusetts. She is the author of "LearningThrough Academic Choice" and co-author of "The First Six Weeks of School."

Author: DuFour, Richard & Robert EakerTitle: Creating the New American School: A Principal’s Guide to SchoolImprovementPublication Date: 1992# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Creating the New American School: A Principal's Guide to School Improvement, byRichard DuFour and Robert Eaker, synthesizes research on the nation's exemplary learningorganizations to outline powerful, practical means of managing change and improvement inschools.About the Author:During Richard DuFour's tenure as superintendent at Adlai E.Stevenson High SchoolDistrict in Illinois, the school has been named as one of America's best six times and hasreceived commendations from the U.S. Department of Education and the College Board.Dr. DuFour is the only administrator in Illinois to receive the state's highest award as both aprincipal and superintendent. He also has been named as one of the nation's "Top 100"school administrators by Executive Educator magazine, and been designated as an"Instructional Leader" by the Illinois Principals Association.Robert Eaker is a nationally known authority on instructional leadership, having writtenwidely on the issues of effective teaching, effective schools, and student achievement. He hasspoken at numerous national forums, such as NASSP, ASCD, and the National Center forEffective Schools, and was chosen by Phi Delta Kappa for a "People in EducationalEvaluation and Research" interview series. Dr. Eaker is the former Dean of the College ofEducation at Middle Tennessee State University and former fellow with the National Centerfor Effective Schools Research and Development.

Author: Esquith, RafeTitle: Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire: The Methods and Madness InsideRoom 56Publication Date: 2007# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Esquith might be the only public school teacher to be honored by both Oprah Winfrey and the DalaiLama; he is the only school teacher ever to receive the president's National Medal of the Arts. Forthe past 25 years, Esquith has taught fifth graders at Hobart Elementary in central Los Angeles. Likemost progressive educators, Esquith is outraged by the tyranny of testing, the scripting of teachingunder "No Child Left Behind" and the overwhelming bureaucratization of the education industry.Still, he's done wonders with the basic curriculum—developing a hands-on arts program, a moneymanagementcurriculum and a sports-based statistics unit. Esquith and his Hobart Shakespeareansare world famous for the rock opera they create every year. Throughout each school day, Esquithteaches life skills: how to think about problems, how to plan a strategy to solve them and, mostimportant, how to work together and be nice to each other. While his goals are inspiring, he's alsopractical—most chapters include affordable, how-to directions for a variety of his most effectiveclassroom activities; he's even got a few tips for revamping those inescapable "test prep" sessions.(Jan.)In a Los Angeles neighborhood plagued by guns, gangs, and drugs, there is an exceptional classroomknown as Room 56. The fifth graders inside are first-generation immigrants who live in poverty andspeak English as a second language. They also play Vivaldi, perform Shakespeare, score in the top 1percent on standardized tests, and go on to attend Ivy League universities. Rafe Esquith is theteacher responsible for these accomplishments.From the man whom The New York Times calls “a genius and a saint” comes a revelatory program foreducating today’s youth. In Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire!, Rafe Esquith reveals the techniques thathave made him one of the most acclaimed educators of our time. The two mottoes in Esquith’sclassroom are “Be Nice, Work Hard,” and “There Are No Shortcuts.” His students voluntarily cometo school at 6:30 in the morning and work until 5:00 in the afternoon. They learn to handle moneyresponsibly, tackle algebra, and travel the country to study history. They pair Hamlet with rock androll, and read the American classics. Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire! is a brilliant and inspiring road mapfor parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about the future success of our nation’s children.About the Author:Rafe Esquith has taught at Hobart Elementary in Los Angeles for twenty-two years. He isthe only teacher to be awarded the president’s National Medal of the Arts.

Author: Florida, RichardTitle: Rise of the Creative Class: And how It’s Transforming Work, Leisure,Community, and Everyday LifePublication Date: 2002# of copies: 4Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):A maverick urbanist looks at the growing influence of today's newest "Creative Class" andoffers innovative and practical lessons for business and workers. Many writers havecommented on the massive social changes of the past few decades, but most of them havetreated these shifts as something imposed on us, by technology or the marketplace. This iswrong, says Richard Florida: we've chosen to alter our values, work, and lifestyle, and forgood economic reasons. Why have we done this?Florida finds the answer in the rise of a new social class. Like other classes, its basis iseconomic. Just as the feudal aristocracy derived its identity and values from its hereditarycontrol of land and people, and the bourgeoisie derived its identity and values from its roleas merchants of goods, the Creative Class derives its identity and values from its role aspurveyors of creativity. When we see ourselves as "creative," our self-image affects thechoices we make in every area of our lives.Based on a massive body of research, The Rise of the Creative Class chronicles the ongoingsea-change in people's choices and attitudes, and shows not only what's happening but alsohow it stems from a fundamental economic change. The Creative Class now comprisesnearly forty million Americans, or more than 30% of all employed people. The choices thesepeople make have already had a huge economic impact, and in the future they will determinehow the workplace is organized, what companies will prosper or go bankrupt, and evenwhich cities will thrive or wither.About the Author:Richard Florida is H. John Heinz III Professor of Regional Economic Development, HeinzSchool of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University. A columnist forInformation Week (circ. 400,000), he gives fifty to one hundred invited lectures a year, tomostly business audiences. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Author: Follman, Joseph, James Watkins, & Dianne WilkesTitle: Learning by Serving: 2,000 Ideas for Service-Learning ProjectsPublication Date: 1994# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):About the Author:Joseph Follman has directed Florida Learn & Serve, part of the Center for Leadership andCivic Education, since 1995. As director of Florida Learn & Serve and co-director of theFlorida Alliance for Student Service, Follman oversees several statewide service-learninggrant programs and coordinates state and national conferences. Prior to his career at FSU,Follman held such positions as the SERVE director of publications, multiple researchpositions and an intelligence specialist at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Follman receiveda BA in English from Emory University and an MA in English from the University ofVirginia.

Author: Fox, MemTitle: Radical Reflections: Passionate Opinions on Teaching, Learning, andLivingPublication Date: 1993# of copies: 11Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):With lighthearted anecdotes, poems, letters, and other writings, the renowned Australianchildren's book author entices teachers to do more writing themselves and rejects the "skillsand-drills"mentality in language arts teaching. Fox, an advocate of the "whole language"movement, fiercely condemns the use of basal readers in reading instruction classes. Theirdullness, she maintains, causes students to avoid reading altogether. Fox recommendsinstead that real books be read and real language used. She advocates stories that bringteacher and student together in a relationship to experience genuine feeling, laughter, andfun. A superb writer, she constructs an excellent case, and surely any child would like to be amember of her reading/writing class. Her ideas are jotted down in a rather disorganizedfashion, but her writing is fresh.About the Author:MEM FOX is the author of many acclaimed books, including Possum Magic, Koala Lou,Time for Bed, and, for adults, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children WillChange Their Lives Forever. She lives in Adelaide, Australia.

Author: Given, BarbaraTitle: Teaching to the Brain’s Natural Learning SystemsPublication Date: 2003# of copies: 5Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Although the brain is the most complex entity in the universe, it can be studied broadly aswell as in great detail by focusing on five of its major systems: emotional, social, cognitive,physical, and reflective. In Teaching to the Brain's Natural Learning Systems, Barbara K.Given has cautiously investigated brain structures and functions of these five systems andapplied findings from neurobiology to education without making leaps of judgment orunfounded claims. Thus, this is the first book that translates neuroscience into aneducational framework for lesson planning and teaching.The framework can serve as a mental model for an ongoing assessment of youngsters' basichuman needs to be themselves, to belong, to know, to do, and to experiment and explore. Itcan also help teachers assess the roles they play (mentor/model, collaborator, facilitator,coach, and talent scout) and the personal/professional qualities they bring to the classroom(passion, vision, intention, action, and reflection). This is a practical book for educatorsbased on current neurobiological insights into learning.About the Author:Barbara K. Given is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education and thedirector of the Adolescent Learning Research Center, Krasnow Institute for AdvancedStudies, at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia

Author: Goleman, DanielTitle: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQPublication Date: 1996# of copies: 4Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Is IQ destiny? Not nearly as much as we think. This fascinating and persuasive programargues that our view of human intelligence is far too narrow, ignoring a crucial range ofabilities that matter immensely in terms of how we do in life.Drawing on groundbreaking brain and behavioral research, Daniel Goleman shows thefactors at work when people of high IQ flounder and those of modest IQ do well. Thesefactors add up to a different way of being smart -- one he terms "emotional intelligence."This includes self-awareness and impulse control, persistence, zeal and self-motivation,empathy and social deftness.These are the qualities that mark people who excel in life, whose relationships flourish, whoare stars in the workplace. Lack of emotional intelligence can sabotage the intellect and ruincareers. Perhaps the greatest toll is on children, for whom risks include depression, eatingdisorders, unwanted pregnancies, aggressiveness and crime.But the news is hopeful. Emotional intelligence is not fixed at birth, and the author showshow its vital qualities can be nurtured and strengthened in all of us. And because theemotional lessons a child learns actually sculpt the brain's circuitry, he provides guidance asto how parents and schools can best use this window of opportunity in childhood. Themessage of this eye-opening program is one we must take to heart: the true "bell curve" for ademocracy must measure emotional intelligence.About the Author:Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., covers the behavioral and brain sciences for The New York Timesand his articles appear throughout the world in syndication. He has taught at Harvard (wherehe received his Ph.D.) and was formerly senior editor at Psychology Today. His previous booksinclude Vital Lies, Simple Truths and, as co-author, The Creative Spirit.

Author: Harwell, Joan MTitle: Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook: Ready-to-Use Strategies &Activities for Teaching Students with Learning DisabilitiesPublication Date: 2001# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):From the Back CoverThis New Second Edition of a practical resource already being used by over 55,000 special educatorsgives you a wealth of new and proven suggestions and ready-to-use materials for helping students ofall ages overcome learning disabilities, including dozens of full-page devices you can photocopy anduse at once!Written by a master teacher with over 30 years of experience in both mainstreamed and specialclasses, the Handbook covers virtually every aspect of working with students with learningdisabilities, from causes and assessment to classroom management and lesson planning.You'll find diagnostic tools and remediation techniques for all types of learning disabilities specificinterventions for specific problems strategies for building academic skills in all basic content areasand ways to improve motivation, participation, and self-esteem in even the most reluctant learner.For quick access and easy use, materials are organized into 16 chapters and printed in a big 8-1/4" x11" format that folds flat for photocopying of any page as many times as needed. Here's just a brieflook at some of the specific helps in this resource:Overview of Learning Disabilities provides background on the LD field and answers thequestions of "What is it?" "What causes it?" "What is the prognosis of the person who has thecondition?" and "What resources are available to help deal with the condition?"Tools for Diagnosis and Assessment includes guidelines for identifying learning disabilities andmake requests for testing... advice on talking with parents...descriptions of diagnostic tests...suggestions for developing an IEP... and lists of accommodations.Early Childhood Education for At-Risk Students covers advice on special education servicesfrom birth to age five... the components of an effective early childhood education program... tips forparents of young at-risk children... and parent-child activities.Strategies for Classroom Management presents tips on how to prevent and handle misbehavior...room arrangements that foster positive behavior... guidelines on using rewards effectively... types ofchallenging students... and "20 Tips for Successful Classroom Management."Solutions to Specific Problems gives you ready-to-use tools and techniques for helping studentswith visual perception and auditory processing problems... conceptual difficulties... memory deficits...

dyslexia... attention deficits... poor social skills... low self-esteem... poor work and study habits... andcommon classroom problems related to LD.Guidelines for Interventions in Specific Academic Areas features practical techniques, lessonsand worksheets for teaching reading... writing... spelling... math... and speech... plus graded word lists,alphabet cards, cursive writing activities, sample word problems, and more.Adolescents and Adults with Learning Disabilities offers timely help on transition IEPs... workstudyprograms... services for students going to college... teaching students to be their ownadvocates... and adult education opportunities.The Role of the Family includes tips on supervising homework... helping at school... worthwhileactivities at home... and counselor handouts for parents of children with LD.In short, COMPLETE LEARNING DISABILITIES HANDBOOK, New Second Edition gives youan unparalleled source of practical, tested, up-to-date information and materials to help you ensurethat all of your students can learn to their fullest potential!About the Author:Joan M. Harwell has over 30 years of experience as a regular classroom teacher and a specialeducation teacher for students with learning disabilities in the schools of San Bernardino,California. In addition, she was a special education mentor teacher. Since retiring from fulltimeteaching in 1998, she has been a field supervisor for student teachers and interns at theUniversity of Redlands and California State University at San Bernardino. Ms. Harwell hasbeen in Marquis' Who's Who in American Education.

Author: Healy, Jane M.Title: Endangered Minds: Why Children Don’t Think and What We Can DoAbout ItPublication Date: 1999# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Is today's fast-paced media culture creating a toxic environment for our children's brains?In this landmark, bestselling assessment tracing the roots of America's escalating crisis ineducation, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., examines how television, video games, and othercomponents of popular culture compromise our children's ability to concentrate and toabsorb and analyze information. Drawing on neuropsychological research and an analysis ofcurrent educational practices, Healy presents in clear, understandable language:-- How growing brains are physically shaped by experience-- Why television programs -- even supposedly educational shows like Sesame Street --develop "habits of mind" that place children at a disadvantage in school-- Why increasing numbers of children are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder-- How parents and teachers can make a critical difference by making children good learnersfrom the day they are bornAbout the Author:Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., has been an educational psychologist and professional educator formore than thirty-five years, with experience as a classroom teacher, university professor,reading and learning specialist, and elementary school administrator. She won the DeltaKappa Gamma Society International Educator's Award for Endangered Minds. She is aparent and grandparent, and lives with her husband in Vail, Colorado.

Author: Heller, PhD., SharonTitle: Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You AreSensory Defensive in an Overstimulating WorldPublication Date: 2003# of copies: 4Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):In the publishing tradition of Driven to Distraction or The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing, thisprescriptive book by a developmental psychologist and sufferer of Sensory DefensiveDisorder (SD) sheds light on a little known but common affliction in which sufferers reactto harmless stimuli as irritating, distracting or dangerous.We all know what it feels like to be irritated by loud music, accosted by lights that are toobright, or overwhelmed by a world that moves too quickly. But millions of people sufferfrom Sensory Defensive Disorder (SD), a common affliction in which people react toharmless stimuli not just as a distracting hindrance, but a potentially dangerous threat.Sharon Heller, Ph.D. is not only a trained psychologist, she is sensory defensive herself.Bringing both personal and professional perspectives, Dr. Heller is the ideal person to tellthe world about this problem that will only increase as technology and processedenvironments take over our lives. In addition to heightening public awareness of thisprevalent issue, Dr. Heller provides tools and therapies for alleviating and, in some cases,even eliminating defensiveness altogether.Until now, the treatment for sensory defensiveness has been successfully implemented inLearning Disabled children in whom defensiveness tends to be extreme. However, thedisorder has generally been unidentified in adults who think they are either overstimulated,stressed, weird, or crazy. These sensory defensive sufferers live out their lives stressed andunhappy, never knowing why or what they can do about it. Now, with Too Loud, Too Bright,Too Fast, Too Tight, they have a compassionate spokesperson and a solution-oriented book ofadviceAbout the Author:Sharon Heller, Ph.D., is the author of The Vital Touch and teaches courses in psychology.She received her master's degree from the University of Chicago and her doctorate fromLoyola University of Chicago. She lives in South Florida

Author: Hensley, Michele, M.S., Walter Powell, Susan Lamke, Scott Hartman,M.S.Title: The Well-Managed Classroom: Strategies to Create a Productive andCooperative Social Climate in Your Learning CommunityPublication Date: 2007# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):How can the school experience be humanized so that students feel connected, valued, andmotivated to learn and achieve? How can the school environment be improved so thatteachers and staff feel confident, respected and safe? The Well-Managed Classroom canshow you how to overhaul or enhance the social climate and build a true community in yourschool. The authors describe the Girls and Boys Town Education Model, a school-basedintervention strategy that emphasizes behavior management practices, relationship-buildingtechniques, and social skills instruction. It offers you the structure and strategies needed toreduce disruptive behaviors and empower students with self-management skills. The Modelhas been implemented in hundreds of schools and school districts nationwide. Researchshows that in classrooms where the Model is implemented with high fidelity, more studentscomply with teacher correction and stay academically engaged while office disciplinereferrals and student suspension days decline. The benefits of social skills instruction,coupled with proactive classroom management (having rules, procedures, and consistentconsequences) cannot be underestimated. When students are motivated to learn, when theyfeel good about the classroom environment and the relationships they have with teachersand staff, when they can manage themselves and accept responsibility for their behavior, andwhen they feel empowered to improve, only then can you effectively teach and students trulylearn.About the Author:The authors, from the National Resource and Training Center at Girls and Boys Town, havemany years of experience teaching and training teachers and school administrators tosuccessfully implement the Education Model.

Author: Honos-Webb, PhD, LaraTitle: Gift of ADHD: How to Transfer Your Child’s Problems into StrengthsPublication Date: 2005# of copies: 6Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Santa Clara Univ., CA. Consumer health text helps parents direct their child's ADHDsymptoms into positive paths of expression. Text covers topics such as boosting a child'sself-esteem, transforming symptoms into strengths, developing creativity, and heighteningawareness. Also gives tips for advocating a child's needs in educational and mental-healthsystems.About the Author:Lara Honos-Webb, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in WalnutCreek, CA. She is author of The Gift of ADHD, the forthcoming Gift of Depression (NewHarbinger, 2006), and more than twenty-five scholarly articles. Her work has been featuredin Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and Publisher's Weekly as well as newspapers acrossthe country and local and national radio and television. She specializes in the treatment ofADHD and depression and the psychology of pregnancy and motherhood; she speaksregularly on her areas of expertise. Honos-Webb completed a two-year postdoctoral researchfellowship at University of California, San Francisco, and was, until recently, an assistantprofessor teaching graduate students. She offers telephone therapy to residents anywhere inCalifornia. For more information, please visit her Web site visionarysoul.com

Author: Jensen, EricTitle: Brain Compatible StrategiesPublication Date: 1997# of copies: 2Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Want to add some spice to your lesson plans? This revised edition of Brain-CompatibleStrategies is full of creative, ready-to-use ideas to motivate, inspire, and encourage yourstudents.If you are a novice just getting started with brain-compatible teaching, or a practiced veteranlooking for ready-to-implement ideas, this book is for you. It's 90% action steps and 10%background and theory. With its plain-language instructions and easy-to-implementactivities, this resource will be one of your most thumbed-through referencesAbout the Author:Eric Jensen is an internationally known trainer and member of the Society for Neuroscience.A former teacher, Jensen is the author of fourteen books about brain-compatible teachingand learning including Super Teaching, Brain Compatible Learning and Brain CompatibleStrategies

Author: Jensen, EricTitle: Different Brains, Different Learners: How to Reach the Hard to ReachPublication Date: 2000# of copies: 9Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):This full-color book is packed with powerful tools, techniques, and strategies to helpstudents improve brain function. The author presents a concise outline for identifying thesymptoms and causes of prevalent impairments, such as oppositional disorder, attentiondeficit, dyslexia, hyperactivity, depression, auditory processing deficits, and more.About the Author:Eric Jensen is an internationally known trainer and member of the Society forNeuroscience. He is the author of fourteen books about brain-compatible teaching andlearning including Super Teaching, Brain Compatible Learning and Brain CompatibleStrategies

Author: Jensen, EricTitle: Learning Smarter: The New Science of TeachingPublication Date:# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Looking for a handy reference with a good balance of theory and practice? LearningSmarter translates the latest research into easy-to-implement action steps to help increaseyour teaching effectiveness. Each of the brief articles summarizes exciting discoveries aboutthe brain and learning while translating them into practical classroom applications.This fully cited resource covers a variety of material in small, digestible chunks. Includedwithin each chapter are specific tips for boosting cognition, improving test scores, andencouraging student achievement. Each of the nearly one hundred reader-friendly briefsends with a complete list of references for additional fact finding.About the Author:Eric Jensen is an internationally known trainer and member of the Society forNeuroscience. He is the author of fourteen books about brain-compatible teaching andlearning including Super Teaching, Brain Compatible Learning and Brain CompatibleStrategies

Author: Jensen, EricTitle: Sizzle & Substance: Presenting with the Brain in MindPublication Date: 1998# of copies: 2Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Have you reached a training plateau? Are you looking for a resource that will take you andyour participants to the next level? Sizzle and Substance links brain research to adultlearning and training with its combination of theory and practical training techniques.The author leads you through the key theories about how the brain learns and then gives youhundreds of strategies for:• Preparing your presentation• Opening with pizzazz• Engaging your participants• Making use of transition times• Handling hecklers• Making abstract concepts real• Making content relevant to each participantYou’ll walk into your next training or presentation full of confidence and walk out full ofpraise.About the Author:Eric Jensen is an internationally known trainer and member of the Society for Neuroscience.A former teacher, Jensen is the author of fourteen books about brain-compatible teachingand learning including Super Teaching, Brain Compatible Learning and Brain CompatibleStrategies

Author: Jensen, EricTitle: Super TeachingPublication Date: 1995# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):This international bestseller explores the foundations of brain-compatible learning and offersspecific ways to make brain research-based methods a part of your teaching and trainingrepertoire. You will:• Discover how accommodating different learning styles can make an immediateand dramatic impact on learners’ achievement• Explore the options for working with and assessing students with diverseability levels• Learn how your "mental modes" impact the academic success of your students• Implement user-friendly strategies to transform your classroom into a place ofinquiry, discovery, and accomplishmentThis practical resource offers an abundance of research-based and workable strategies for alleducators.About the Author:Eric Jensen is an internationally known trainer and member of the Society for Neuroscience.A former teacher, Jensen is the author of fourteen books about brain-compatible teachingand learning including Super Teaching, Brain Compatible Learning and Brain CompatibleStrategies

Author: Johnson, MD, SpencerTitle: Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in yourWork & in your LifePublication Date: 1998# of copies: 4Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message of WhoMoved My Cheese? is that all can come to see it as a blessing, if they understand the nature ofcheese and the role it plays in their lives. Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable that takes place ina maze. Four beings live in that maze: Sniff and Scurry are mice--nonanalytical andnonjudgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hemand Haw are "little people," mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationshipwith cheese. It's not just sustenance to them; it's their self-image. Their lives and beliefsystems are built around the cheese they've found. Most of us reading the story will see thecheese as something related to our livelihoods--our jobs, our career paths, the industries wework in--although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of thestory is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go running offin search of new sources of cheese when the cheese we have runs out.About the Author:Spencer Johnson, M.D. is an internationally bestselling author whose books have helpedmillions of people discover simple truths they can use to enjoy healthier lives with moresuccess and less stress. He is the Originator and co-Author of The One Minute Manager, the#1 New York Times bestseller written with legendary management consultant KennethBlanchard, Ph.D., which has become the most popular management method in the world.Dr. Johnson has written many other bestsellers, including five books in the One Minute®series. Yes or No, the popular ValueTales children's books, and the perennial gift favoriteThe Precious Present. His education includes a B.A. in psychology from the University ofSouthern California, an M.D. degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, and medicalclerkships at Harvard Medical School and The Mayo Clinic. Dr. Johnson's books have beenfeatured often in the media, by, among others. Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, USAToday, CNN, Larry King Live, the Associated Press, and United Press International. Morethan eleven million copies of Spencer Johnson's books are in print, in twenty-six languages.

Author: Johnston, Peter HTitle: Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children’s LearningPublication Date: 2004# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Johnston (education, State University of New York-Albany) shows how elementary teacherscan build emotionally and relationally healthy learning communities in the classroomthrough language. He provides examples of ordinary words, phrases, and uses of languagethat encourage students to become strategic thinkers and acquire literacy skills. Hisexplanations of the significance of these examples draws on the disciplines of discursivepsychology, narrative psychology, discourse analysis, and conversational analysisAbout the Author:Peter Johnston (Ph.D. University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana) is a professor in theReading Department. He has worked as an elementary classroom teacher and as a readingteacher, and he currently serves on the editorial boards of: Reading Research Quarterly, Journal ofLiteracy Research, Elementary School Journal, and Literacy, Teaching and Learning. He has publishedeight books and numerous articles in journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, Journal OfLiteracy Research, Elementary School Journal, Reading Teacher, Harvard Educational Review, TeachersCollege Record, Journal Of Educational Psychology, Contemporary Educational Psychology, EducationalPsychologist, and Theory Into Practice. His most recent books are Choice Words: How Our LanguageAffects Children’s Learning (2004, Stenhouse), Critical literacy/critical teaching: Tools for preparingresponsive teachers (in press, Teachers College Press, with Cheryl Dozier & Rebecca Rogers),Reading to Learn: Lessons from exemplary fourth grade classrooms (2002, Guilford, with RichardAllington), and Running records: a self-tutoring guide (2000, Stenhouse), Knowing literacy (1997,Stenhouse). He chaired the International Reading Association and National Council ofTeachers of English Joint Task Force on Assessment that produced the position monographStandards for the assessment of reading and writing. The International Reading Association awardedhim the Outstanding Dissertation award in 1981, and in 1987 the Albert J. Harris Award forhis contribution to the understanding of reading disability. In 1996, the Educational PressAssociation recognized one of his articles as the Outstanding Learned Article. His currentwork investigates literacy assessment, the consequences of teaching practices for the kind ofliteracy children acquire, how teachers and students build productive learning communities,and the process of building critical inquiry into literacy teacher education.

Author: Kaye, M.A., Cathryn BergerTitle: Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, Practical Ways to EngageStudents in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum, & Social ActionPublication Date: 2004# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Table of contents, index and several pages can be viewed via Amazon.com. I was notable to copy anything for this page.MargieAbout the Author:Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., is a former classroom teacher and an International ServiceLearning Consultant. She works with state departments of education, university faculty andstudents, school districts, and classroom teachers on a variety of education issues such asservice learning, civic responsibility, student leadership, and respectful school communities.Cathryn lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Barry, and daughters Ariel and Devora.Cathryn Berger Kaye’s workshop topics include: Inspiring social responsibility through literature Cross curriculum connections between content, skills, and service Service learning as teaching methodology Creating a respectful learning environment through service learning Developing a school-wide strategy for service learning

Author: Keene, Ellin Oliver & Susan ZimmermanTitle: Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Reader’s WorkshopPublication Date: 1997# of copies: 7Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):How do students become thoughtful, independent readers who comprehend text at a deeplevel?About the Author:SUSAN ZIMMERMANN co-founded and served as the executive director of the PublicEducation Business Coalition. During her ten years there, she initiated numerous programsto improve the quality of public schools, including the Reading Project, which has beenimplemented in more than thirty Colorado schools and is the source of the classroomexamples presented in Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Reader'sWorkshop. Mosaic of Thought (co-authored with Ellin Oliver Keene) has been a celebratedHeinemann title since 1997. She is also the author of Writing to Heal the Soul (Three RiversPress, 2002), Grief Dancers (Nemo Press, 1996), and the upcoming 7 Keys toComprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It (Susan Zimmermann

Author: Kidder, TracyTitle: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a ManWho Would Cure the WorldPublication Date: 2004# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):At the center of Mountains Beyond Mountains stands Paul Farmer. Doctor, Harvardprofessor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, the recipient of aMacArthur “genius” grant, world-class Robin Hood, Farmer was brought up in a bus and ona boat, and in medical school found his life’s calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseasesand to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. Thismagnificent book shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seeminsurmountable, and it also shows how a meaningful life can be created, as Farmer—brilliant, charismatic, charming, both a leader in international health and a doctor who findstime to make house calls in Boston and the mountains of Haiti—blasts through conventionto get results.Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia asFarmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the onlyreal nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity hefounded, Partners In Health. He enlists the help of the Gates Foundation, George Soros, theU.N.’s World Health Organization, and others in his quest to cure the world. At the heart ofthis book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of theHaitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”: as you solve one problem,another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.About the Author:Tracy Kidder has won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Robert F.Kennedy Award, among other literary prizes. The author of The Soul of a New Machine,House, Among Schoolchildren, Old Friends, and Home Town, Kidder lives inMassachusetts and Maine.

Author: Kohn, AlfieTitle: The Homework MythPublication Date: 2006# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Education watchdog and author Kohn (No Contest: The Case Against Competition) questionswhy teachers and parents continue to insist on overloading kids with homework when thereare no definitive studies proving its overall learning benefits. Indeed, argues Kohnpersuasively, homework can be detrimental to children’s development by robbing families ofquality evening time together and not allowing a kid time simply to be a kid. Americans ingeneral advocate a tough-going approach to education and push teachers to give moredrudgery nightly as a way of "building character." Yet Kohn shows that doing forcedbusywork only turns kids off to school and kills intellectual and creative curiosity. TheAmerican insistence on producing good worker bees "by sheer force or cleverness," notesKohn, "reflects a stunning ignorance about how human beings function in the real world."Kohn pursues six reasons why homework is still so widely accepted despite the evidenceagainst it, including the emphasis on competitiveness and "tougher standards" and a basicdistrust of children and how they would fill their time otherwise if not doing busywork.There aren't enough case studies in Kohn's work, but Kohn sounds an important note:parents need to ask more challenging questions of teachers and institutions.About the Author:Alfie Kohn is the author of ten previous books, including Punished by Rewards, The Schools OurChildren Deserve, and Unconditional Parenting, which have helped to shape the thinking ofparents and educators throughout the country and abroad. He lectures widely and hasappeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," the "Today" show, and many other TV and radioprograms. He lives with his family in the Boston area.

Author: Kralovec, Etta, & John BuellTitle: End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, OverburdensChildren, and Limits LearningPublication Date: 2000# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):With the publication of The End of Homework, Etta Kralovec and John Buell touched off aheated debate in American culture. Their provocative argument, featured in Time andNewsweek, in numerous women's magazines, and on National Public Radio and manytelevision broadcasts, was the first openly to challenge the gospel of "the more homework,the better." Arguing that, in assigning massive amounts of homework, teachers and schoolsare essentially abdicating their responsibility to teach, the authors advocate forcefully forprotecting the leisure time of children and the precious resource of family time.About the Author:Etta Kralovec was a teacher and professor of education for more than twenty years and isthe author of The End of Homework (Beacon /4219-6 / $11.00 pb). She is currently vicepresident for learning with Training and Development Corporation, in Maine. She lives inOrland, Maine

Author: Kranowitz, MA, Carol StockTitle: Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory IntegrationDysfunctionPublication Date: 1998# of copies: 8Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):The Out-of-Sync Child broke new ground by identifying Sensory Processing Disorder, acommon but frequently misdiagnosed problem in which the central nervous systemmisinterprets messages from the senses.About the Author:Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A., has been a preschool teacher for more than 25 years. She hasdeveloped an innovative program to screen young children for Sensory Processing Disorder,and writes and speaks regularly about the subject. She has an M.A. in Education and HumanDevelopment.

Author: Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed., RichardTitle: DVD - When the Chips Are Down: Strategies for Improving Children’sBehavior (60 min)Publication Date: 1997# of copies: 1Description/Review of DVD:From PBS - Ever have days when the kids seem totally out of control? Falling into pointlessarguments with students or children? Expert on learning disabilities Richard Lavoie offersthis teacher's guide to his WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN video on handling behavioralproblems effectively. He shows how preventive discipline can anticipate problems and howteachers and parents can create a stable, predictable environment to help LD childrenflourish.About the Author:Rick Lavoie has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with specialneeds since 1972. He holds three degrees in Special Education and has served as an adjunctprofessor or visiting lecturer at numerous universities including Syracuse, Harvard,Gallaudet, Manhattanville College, University of Alabama and Georgetown. His numerousnational television appearances include CBS Morning Show, Good Morning Amedca, ABCEvening News and Disney Channel Presents.Rick serves as a consultant on Learning Disabilities to several agencies and organizationsincluding Public Broadcasting Service, New York Times, National Center for LearningDisabilities, Girl Scouts of America, Child Magazine and WETA. He is a member of theProfessional Advisor Board of the Learning Disabilities Association.Rick has delivered his message to over 500,000 parents and professionals throughout NorthAmerica. He has the distinction of having delivered Keynote Addresses for all three of themajor special needs advocacy organizations in the United States (Learning DisabilitiesAssociation, Council for Exceptional Children, Children with Attention Deficit Disorder).Rick has held administrative positions at residential programs for thirty years. Theseexperiences at residential school have provided Rick with a "living laboratory" in which hedeveloped and refined his methods and philosophies related to the education of adolescentswith special needs.

Rick is probably best known for his videos "How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. CityWorkshop" and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications ofLearning Disabilities". These award-winning films have brought Rick's sensitive andcompelling message to countless thousands throughout the world. After viewing the videos,former First Lady Barbara Bush stated, "You really wowed us! I only wish that every parentand teacher in the United States today could also see your program."Rick lives on Cape Cod with his wife.

Author: Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed., RichardTitle: DVD – It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the LearningDisabled Child Find Social Success (90 min)Publication Date:# of copies:Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Drawing on three decades of experience in residential schools, Rick Lavoie providespowerful strategies for teaching friendship skills in the classroom, the homefront, and thecommunity.About the Author:Rick Lavoie has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with specialneeds since 1972. He holds three degrees in Special Education and has served as an adjunctprofessor or visiting lecturer at numerous universities including Syracuse, Harvard,Gallaudet, Manhattanville College, University of Alabama and Georgetown. His numerousnational television appearances include CBS Morning Show, Good Morning Amedca, ABCEvening News and Disney Channel Presents.Rick serves as a consultant on Learning Disabilities to several agencies and organizationsincluding Public Broadcasting Service, New York Times, National Center for LearningDisabilities, Girl Scouts of America, Child Magazine and WETA. He is a member of theProfessional Advisor Board of the Learning Disabilities Association.Rick has delivered his message to over 500,000 parents and professionals throughout NorthAmerica. He has the distinction of having delivered Keynote Addresses for all three of themajor special needs advocacy organizations in the United States (Learning DisabilitiesAssociation, Council for Exceptional Children, Children with Attention Deficit Disorder).Rick has held administrative positions at residential programs for thirty years. Theseexperiences at residential school have provided Rick with a "living laboratory" in which hedeveloped and refined his methods and philosophies related to the education of adolescentswith special needs.Rick is probably best known for his videos "How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. CityWorkshop" and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications ofLearning Disabilities". These award-winning films have brought Rick's sensitive andcompelling message to countless thousands throughout the world. After viewing the videos,

former First Lady Barbara Bush stated, "You really wowed us! I only wish that every parentand teacher in the United States today could also see your program."Rick lives on Cape Cod with his wife.

Author: Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed., RichardTitle: DVD – Last One Picked; First One Picked On: Learning Disabilitiesand Social Skills (62 min)Publication Date: 1994# of copies:1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Playing with friends is a happy ritual for most children. But kids with learning disabilities areoften isolated and rejected, lacking the social skills to make and keep friends. Richard Lavoieshows how to help these kids succeed in every-day situations. This program gives parentsand teachers greater understanding of social skill deficits and strategies for developing skillsand fostering social competence. Includes printable viewer guide.About the Author:Rick Lavoie has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with specialneeds since 1972. He holds three degrees in Special Education and has served as an adjunctprofessor or visiting lecturer at numerous universities including Syracuse, Harvard,Gallaudet, Manhattanville College, University of Alabama and Georgetown. His numerousnational television appearances include CBS Morning Show, Good Morning Amedca, ABCEvening News and Disney Channel Presents.Rick serves as a consultant on Learning Disabilities to several agencies and organizationsincluding Public Broadcasting Service, New York Times, National Center for LearningDisabilities, Girl Scouts of America, Child Magazine and WETA. He is a member of theProfessional Advisor Board of the Learning Disabilities Association.Rick has delivered his message to over 500,000 parents and professionals throughout NorthAmerica. He has the distinction of having delivered Keynote Addresses for all three of themajor special needs advocacy organizations in the United States (Learning DisabilitiesAssociation, Council for Exceptional Children, Children with Attention Deficit Disorder).Rick has held administrative positions at residential programs for thirty years. Theseexperiences at residential school have provided Rick with a "living laboratory" in which hedeveloped and refined his methods and philosophies related to the education of adolescentswith special needs.Rick is probably best known for his videos "How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. CityWorkshop" and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications ofLearning Disabilities". These award-winning films have brought Rick's sensitive and

compelling message to countless thousands throughout the world. After viewing the videos,former First Lady Barbara Bush stated, "You really wowed us! I only wish that every parentand teacher in the United States today could also see your program."Rick lives on Cape Cod with his wife.

Author: Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed., RichardTitle: DVD – Beyond F.A.T. City: A Look Back, A Look Ahead – AConversation about special education (90 min)Publication Date: 2005# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):F.A.T--Frustration, Anxiety, Tension--three all-too-familiar feelings for the families ofchildren with learning disabilities. It is the basis for a 1987 workshop simulating thechildren's daily experiences. Richard Lavoie, creator of the original F.A.T.About the Author:Rick Lavoie has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with specialneeds since 1972. He holds three degrees in Special Education and has served as an adjunctprofessor or visiting lecturer at numerous universities including Syracuse, Harvard,Gallaudet, Manhattanville College, University of Alabama and Georgetown. His numerousnational television appearances include CBS Morning Show, Good Morning Amedca, ABCEvening News and Disney Channel Presents.Rick serves as a consultant on Learning Disabilities to several agencies and organizationsincluding Public Broadcasting Service, New York Times, National Center for LearningDisabilities, Girl Scouts of America, Child Magazine and WETA. He is a member of theProfessional Advisor Board of the Learning Disabilities Association.Rick has delivered his message to over 500,000 parents and professionals throughout NorthAmerica. He has the distinction of having delivered Keynote Addresses for all three of themajor special needs advocacy organizations in the United States (Learning DisabilitiesAssociation, Council for Exceptional Children, Children with Attention Deficit Disorder).Rick has held administrative positions at residential programs for thirty years. Theseexperiences at residential school have provided Rick with a "living laboratory" in which hedeveloped and refined his methods and philosophies related to the education of adolescentswith special needs.Rick is probably best known for his videos "How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. CityWorkshop" and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications ofLearning Disabilities". These award-winning films have brought Rick's sensitive andcompelling message to countless thousands throughout the world. After viewing the videos,

former First Lady Barbara Bush stated, "You really wowed us! I only wish that every parentand teacher in the United States today could also see your program."Rick lives on Cape Cod with his wife.

Author: Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed., RichardTitle: DVD – How Difficult Can This Be? F.A.T. City – A LearningDisabilities Workshop (70 min)Publication Date: 1989# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):This unique program lets viewers experience the frustration, anxiety, and tension faced bychildren with learning disabilities. Workshop facilitator Richard Lavoie presents a series ofstriking simulations emulating daily experience of LD children. Teachers, social workers, andparents, workshop participants, reflect upon how the workshop changed their approach toLD children. Includes discussion of mainstreaming discipline and self-concept.About the Author:Rick Lavoie has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with specialneeds since 1972. He holds three degrees in Special Education and has served as an adjunctprofessor or visiting lecturer at numerous universities including Syracuse, Harvard,Gallaudet, Manhattanville College, University of Alabama and Georgetown. His numerousnational television appearances include CBS Morning Show, Good Morning Amedca, ABCEvening News and Disney Channel Presents.Rick serves as a consultant on Learning Disabilities to several agencies and organizationsincluding Public Broadcasting Service, New York Times, National Center for LearningDisabilities, Girl Scouts of America, Child Magazine and WETA. He is a member of theProfessional Advisor Board of the Learning Disabilities Association.Rick has delivered his message to over 500,000 parents and professionals throughout NorthAmerica. He has the distinction of having delivered Keynote Addresses for all three of themajor special needs advocacy organizations in the United States (Learning DisabilitiesAssociation, Council for Exceptional Children, Children with Attention Deficit Disorder).Rick has held administrative positions at residential programs for thirty years. Theseexperiences at residential school have provided Rick with a "living laboratory" in which hedeveloped and refined his methods and philosophies related to the education of adolescentswith special needs.Rick is probably best known for his videos "How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. CityWorkshop" and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications of

Learning Disabilities". These award-winning films have brought Rick's sensitive andcompelling message to countless thousands throughout the world. After viewing the videos,former First Lady Barbara Bush stated, "You really wowed us! I only wish that every parentand teacher in the United States today could also see your program."Rick lives on Cape Cod with his wife.

Author: Levine, MD, MelTitle: Myth of LazinessPublication Date: 2003# of copies: 2Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):A professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School, Mel Levine receivedacclaim for his previous book, A Mind at a Time, which argued that children’s different learningcapabilities demand diverse teaching strategies. In The Myth of Laziness, Levine isolates another groupof kids--so-called "lazy" children who aren’t working up to their potential in school--and explores thecauses of their low performance. Levine scoffs at the perception that any child is lazy, stating that"everybody yearns to be productive." These children, according to Levine, are simply experiencing"output failure" due to different neuro-developmental weaknesses.Levine produces case studies of seven children and adults who have been labeled lazy and identifiesinternal sources that are undermining their production. Many of their output issues revolve arounddifficulties with writing, as is the case with Russell, who is hindered by his low motor skills, or Clint,whose long-term memory lapses prevent him from expressing himself well. Other weaknesses, suchas poor oral language ability, mental energy dysfunction, poor idea generation, and organizationalproblems, plague the individuals in these case studies. Levine talks briefly about external factors thatcontribute to low output, such as socioeconomic background, family life, and negative role models.In the profile for Scott Murray, Levine even has the humility to admit that he was unable to reachthis young man. External influences--namely, Scott’s privileged upbringing--were too pervasive incausing his output failure.The last few chapters are devoted to suggestions for what parents and teachers can do to fosterproductive output in their children and students and how to detect a problem that is internal ratherthan environmental. Tips on how to cultivate writing skills, set up an organized home office, andassist with homework are aimed at parents while teachers are encouraged to consider individualityamong their students’ learning styles. Finally, the appendices offer two worksheets to help studentsplan stories and reports. Two additional worksheets help pinpoint whether output problems are thecause of poor schoolwork. This is a valuable book that will give parents some guidance in solvingtheir children’s productivity issues and preparing their children successfully for adulthoodAbout the Author:Mel Levine, M.D. is professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina MedicalSchool and director of its Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning. He isthe founder and cochairman of All Kinds of Minds, a nonprofit institute for theunderstanding of differences in learning. The author of the national bestseller A Mind at aTime, he lives in the Raleigh-Durham area with his wife, Bambi, and many farm animals

Author: Levine, MD, MelTitle: Mind At a TimePublication Date: 2002# of copies: 3 hard cover, 9 paperbackDescription/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):"Different minds learn differently," writes Dr. Mel Levine, one of the best-known education expertsand pediatricians in America today. And that's a problem for many children, because most schoolsstill cling to a one-size-fits-all education philosophy. As a result, these children struggle because theirlearning patterns don't fit the schools they are in.In A Mind at a Time, Dr. Levine shows parents and others who care for children how to identifythese individual learning patterns. He explains how parents and teachers can encourage a child'sstrengths and bypass the child's weaknesses. This type of teaching produces satisfaction andachievement instead of frustration and failure.Different brains are differently wired, Dr. Levine explains. There are eight fundamental systems, orcomponents, of learning that draw on a variety of neurodevelopmental capacities. Some students arestrong in certain areas and some are strong in others, but no one is equally capable in all eight. Usingexamples drawn from his own extensive experience, Dr. Levine shows how parents and children canidentify their strengths and weaknesses to determine their individual learning styles.For example, some students are creative and write imaginatively but do poorly in history becauseweak memory skills prevent them from retaining facts. Some students are weak in sequential orderingand can't follow directions. They may test poorly and often don't do well in mathematics. In thesecases, Dr. Levine observes, the problem is not a lack of intelligence but a learning style that doesn'tfit the assignment. Drawing on his pioneering research and his work with thousands of students, Dr.Levine shows how parents and teachers can develop effective strategies to work through or aroundthese weaknesses."It's taken for granted in adult society that we cannot all be 'generalists' skilled in every area oflearning and mastery. Nevertheless, we apply tremendous pressure to our children to be good ateverything. They are expected to shine in math, reading, writing, speaking, spelling, memorization,comprehension, problem solving...and none of us adults can" do all this, observes Dr. Levine.Learning begins in school but it doesn't end there. Frustrating a child's desire to learn will havelifelong repercussions. This frustration can be avoided if we understand that not every child can doequally well in every type of learning. We must begin to pay more attention to individual learningstyles, to individual minds, urges Dr. Levine, so that we can maximize children's learning potential. InA Mind at a Time he shows us how.About the Author:Mel Levine, M.D. is professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and director ofits Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning. He is the founder and cochairman of All Kinds

of Minds, a nonprofit institute for the understanding of differences in learning. The author of the nationalbestseller A Mind at a Time, he lives in the Raleigh-Durham area with his wife, Bambi, and many farm animals

Author: Lickoma, PhD, Thomas & Matthew Davidson, PhDTitle: Report to the Nation Smart & Good High Schools: IntegratingExcellence & Ethics for Success in School, Work, & BeyondPublication Date: 2005# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Good-High-Schools-Integrating/dp/B000JRF28O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222962996&sr=1-2Author: Littky, DennisTitle: Big Picture: Education is Everyone’s BusinessPublication Date: 2004# of copies: 6

Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):What is the purpose of education? What kind of people do we want our children to grow up to be?How can we design schools so that students will acquire the skills they'll need to live fulfilled andproductive lives?These are just a few of the questions that renowned educator Dennis Littky explores in The BigPicture: Education Is Everyone's Business. The schools Littky has created and led over the past 35 yearsare models for reformers everywhere: small, public schools where the curriculum is rich andmeaningful, expectations are high, student progress is measured against real-world standards, andfamilies and communities are actively engaged in the educational process.This book is for both big "E" and small "e" educators:* For principals and district administrators who want to change the way schools are run.* For teachers who want students to learn passionately.* For college admissions officers who want diverse applicants with real-world learning experiences.* For business leaders who want a motivated and talented workforce.* For parents who want their children to be prepared for college and for life.* For students who want to take control over their learning . . . and want a school that is interesting,safe, respectful, and fun.* For anyone who cares about kids.Here, you'll find a moving account of just what is possible in education, with many of the examplesdrawn from the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center ("The Met") in Providence,Rhode Island--a diverse public high school with the highest rates of attendance and collegeacceptance in the state and a dropout rate of less than five percent. The Met exemplifies personalizedlearning, one student at a time.The Big Picture is a book to re-energize educators, inspire teachers in training, and start a newconversation about kids and schools, what we want for both, and how to make it happen.About the Author:Dennis Littky co-founded and co-directs The Big Picture Company with Elliot Washor, and is theDirector of The Met Center in Providence. He is nationally known for his over 35 years in secondaryeducation in urban, suburban, and rural settings. His work as a principal at Thayer Junior/SeniorHigh School in Winchester, NH, was featured in an NBC movie, "A Town Torn Apart," based onthe book, Doc: The Story of Dennis Littky and His Fight for a Better School. Most recently he published abook on The Big Picture’s philosophy (along with Samantha Grabelle) entitled The Big Picture:Education is Everyone’s Business (ASCD, September 2004). He holds a double Ph.D. degree inpsychology and in education from the University of MichiganAuthor: Louv, RichardTitle: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-DeficitDisorderPublication Date: 2005

# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Today's kids are increasingly disconnected from the natural world, says child advocacy expertLouv (Childhood's Future; Fatherlove; etc.), even as research shows that "thoughtful exposure ofyoungsters to nature can... be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorder andother maladies." Instead of passing summer months hiking, swimming and telling storiesaround the campfire, children these days are more likely to attend computer camps orweight-loss camps: as a result, Louv says, they've come to think of nature as more of anabstraction than a reality. Indeed, a 2002 British study reported that eight-year-olds couldidentify Pokémon characters far more easily than they could name "otter, beetle, and oaktree." Gathering thoughts from parents, teachers, researchers, environmentalists and otherconcerned parties, Louv argues for a return to an awareness of and appreciation for thenatural world. Not only can nature teach kids science and nurture their creativity, he says,nature needs its children: where else will its future stewards come from? Louv's book is a callto action, full of warnings—but also full of ideas for change.About the Author:Richard Louv is a futurist and journalist focused on family, nature and community. He is theauthor of seven books, including, most recently, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving OurChildren From Nature-Deficit Disorder" (Algonquin). Among his other books are"Childhood's Future" (Anchor), "The Web of Life," (Conari), "Fly-Fishing for Sharks: AnAngler's Journey Across America" (Simon & Schuster), and "America II" (HoughtonMifflin). He is a columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune and has written for The New YorkTimes, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor and other newspapers and magazines.He also served as a columnist and member of the editorial advisory board for Parentsmagazine, and as a commentator on Monitor Radio.He is an advisor to the Ford Foundation's Leadership for a Changing World award programand the Scientific Council on the Developing Child, and a Visiting Scholar at the HellerSchool for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. He is also a partner in TheFrameworks Institute and a member of the Citistates Group, an association of urbanobservers. He helped found Connect for Kids, the largest child advocacy site on the WorldWide Web. Louv has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, The Morning Show on CBS,Good Morning America, Today, Bill Moyers' Listening to America, NPR's Fresh Air, Talk ofthe Nation, PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly Newsand many other programs. The United Nations commissioned his monograph onfatherhood for the U.N. Year of the Child, and he has spoken before the National PolicyCouncil in the White House. He speaks frequently around the country. He is married toKathy Frederick Louv and is the father of two young men, Jason, 23 and Matthew, 17.

Author: Master Teacher, Inc - PublisherTitle: Lesson Plans for Service LearningPublication Date: 1999

# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):This is a loose leaf binder with 106 lesson plans for service learningprojects.Author: Miller, DebbieTitle: Reading with Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary GradesPublication Date: 2002

# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Most Helpful Customer Reviews94 of 94 people found the following review helpful:Reading for Meaning is a "must have" for any primary teacher, June4, 2003By Cindy (San Diego) - See all my reviewsIf you have dedicated yourself to producing thoughtful readers who read formeaning, this is the book you need! Not only is it filled with helpful lesson ideas, butthe arrangement of each chapter follows a scaffolded approach to help youngreaders engage and develop as lifelong readers. Miller shows teachers how to layout the entire year. Included in this book are chapters about schema building,mental images, inferring, questioning, non-fiction reading, and synthesizing. Shefocuses on one comprehension strategy in each chapter, including how to introduceit to students AND what children's books she considers "tried-and-true." At the endof each chapter, the author includes a list of children's book titles that all highlightthe comprehension strategy perfectly for young children. I have purchased many ofthe titles that she recommends. All of the books are outstanding pieces of literaturethat children adore. Also, the lessons work well in a Reader's Workshop format.After instruction, students can get busy practicing reading from their own books byusing what they learned right away. This book is an outstanding resource for anyteacher!About the Author:

Author: Oppenheimer, ToddTitle: Flickering Mind: Saving Education from the False Promise ofTechnologyPublication Date: 2003# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):The Flickering Mind, by National Magazine Award winner Todd Oppenheimer, is alandmark account of the failure of technology to improve our schools and a call for renewedemphasis on what really works.American education faces an unusual moment of crisis. For decades, our schools have beenbeaten down by a series of curriculum fads, empty crusades for reform, and stingy funding.Now education and political leaders have offered their biggest and most expensive promiseever—the miracle of computers and the Internet—at a cost of approximately $70 billion justduring the decade of the 1990s. Computer technology has become so prevalent that it istransforming nearly every corner of the academic world, from our efforts to close the gapbetween rich and poor, to our hopes for school reform, to our basic methods of developingthe human imagination. Technology is also recasting the relationships that schools strikewith the business community, changing public beliefs about the demands of tomorrow’sworking world, and reframing the nation’s systems for researching, testing, and evaluatingachievement.All this change has led to a culture of the flickering mind, and a generation teetering betweentwo possible futures. In one, youngsters have a chance to become confident masters of thetools of their day, to better address the problems of tomorrow. Alternatively, they canbecome victims of commercial novelties and narrow measures of ability, underscored bymisplaced faith in standardized testing.At this point, America’s students can’t even make a fair choice. They are an increasinglydistracted lot. Their ability to reason, to listen, to feel empathy, is quite literally flickering.Computers and their attendant technologies did not cause all these problems, but they arequietly accelerating them. In this authoritative and impassioned account of the state ofeducation in America, Todd Oppenheimer shows why it does not have to be this way.Oppenheimer visited dozens of schools nationwide—public and private, urban and rural—to present the compelling tales that frame this book. He consulted with experts, readvolumes of studies, and came to strong and persuasive conclusions: that the essentials oflearning have been gradually forgotten and that they matter much more than the novelties of

technology. He argues that every time we computerize a science class or shut down a musicprogram to pay for new hardware, we lose sight of what our priority should be: “enlightenedbasics.” Broad in scope and investigative in treatment, The Flickering Mind will not onlycontribute to a vital public conversation about what our schools can and should be—it willdefine the debate.About the Author:Todd Oppenheimer won the 1998 National Magazine Award for his Atlantic Monthly storyon this subject and has received numerous other awards during roughly twenty-five years injournalism, for both his writing and his investigative reporting. His articles have appeared invarious local and national publications, including Newsweek, The Washington Post,Columbia Journalism Review, and National Journal. He lives with his wife, Anh, and his son,A.J., in San Francisco.

Author: Pearson, Carol STitle: Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to HelpUs Find Ourselves & Transform Our WorldPublication Date: 1991# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):In this brilliant sequel to her bestselling The Hero Within, Carol Pearson traces twelvedifferent archetypal patterns that can aid inner development and the quest for wholenessthat is life's journey. She offers a deeper exploration of this journey and its pitfalls,confronting the sorrows that are as much a part of development as the victories.About the Author:Carol S. Pearson, Ph.D., is the Director of the James MacGregor Burns Academy ofLeadership and a Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Maryland, CollegePark, MD. Her publications include The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By Educating theMajority: Challenging Tradition in Higher Education, co-edited by Donna L. Shavlik and Judith G.Touchton); Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes that Help Us Find Ourselves andTransform Our World; Magic At Work: Camelot, Creative Leadership and Everyday Miracles; The Heroand the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes, co-authored byMargaret Mark; Mapping the Organizational Psyche: A Jungian Theory of Organizational Dynamics andChange, co-authored by John Corlett; and What Story Are You Living? Co-authored by HughMarr. Her books are widely translated. She lives with her husband of 33 years close to herthree married children and four grandchildren.

Author: Pennac, DanielTitle: Better Than LifePublication Date: 1999# of copies: 4Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):A best seller in France last year, this is a collection of short essays and reflections on readingand the reader by a former teacher. Pennac indulges in a sometimes philosophical, yet simpleand practical reasoning that addresses many of our attitudes toward reading. He attempts todemystify the traditional, mostly school-rooted conception of knowing how to read. He goesso far as offering a "Reader's Bill of Rights," which guarantees, among other things, the rightto reread, skip pages, not to have to defend your taste, and even not to read at all. Readingbehavior in general, and youth and reading in particular, are prominent in his analysis. Hepoints out that when it comes to reading, modern youth are often considered lazy andspoiled by the easier access to other media; by contrast, reading would seem to be aSisyphean task. Pennac thus calls for a change in attitude toward reading. His style is wittyand masterly, and the result will provide entertaining and engrossing reading.About the Author:

Author: Peterson, Jean SundeTitle: Talk with Tweens About Self and Stress: 50 Guided Discussions forSchool and Counseling GroupsPublication Date: 1993# of copies: 1Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Table of contents, index and several pages can be viewed via Amazon.com. I was notable to copy anything for this page.MargieAbout the Author:

Author: Putnam, Robert D.Title: Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American CommunityPublication Date: 2001# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Few people outside certain scholarly circles had heard the name Robert D. Putnam before1995. But then this self-described "obscure academic" hit a nerve with a journal article called"Bowling Alone." Suddenly he found himself invited to Camp David, his picture in Peoplemagazine, and his thesis at the center of a raging debate. In a nutshell, he argued that civilsociety was breaking down as Americans became more disconnected from their families,neighbors, communities, and the republic itself. The organizations that gave life todemocracy were fraying. Bowling became his driving metaphor. Years ago, he wrote,thousands of people belonged to bowling leagues. Today, however, they're more likely tobowl alone:Television, two-career families, suburban sprawl, generational changes in values--these andother changes in American society have meant that fewer and fewer of us find that theLeague of Women Voters, or the United Way, or the Shriners, or the monthly bridge club,or even a Sunday picnic with friends fits the way we have come to live. Our growing socialcapitaldeficit threatens educational performance, safe neighborhoods, equitable taxcollection, democratic responsiveness, everyday honesty, and even our health and happiness.The conclusions reached in the book Bowling Alone rest on a mountain of data gathered byPutnam and a team of researchers since his original essay appeared. Its breadth ofinformation is astounding--yes, he really has statistics showing people are less likely to takeSunday picnics nowadays. Dozens of charts and graphs track everything from trends in PTAparticipation to the number of times Americans say they give "the finger" to other driverseach year. If nothing else, Bowling Alone is a fascinating collection of factoids. Yet it doesseem to provide an explanation for why "we tell pollsters that we wish we lived in a morecivil, more trustworthy, more collectively caring community." What's more, writes Putnam,"Americans are right that the bonds of our communities have withered, and we are right tofear that this transformation has very real costs." Putnam takes a stab at suggesting howthings might change, but the book's real strength is in its diagnosis rather than its proposedsolutions. Bowling Alone won't make Putnam any less controversial, but it may come to beknown as a path-breaking work of scholarship, one whose influence has a long reach intothe 21st century

About the Author:Robert D. Putnam is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard. Heis currently president of the American Political Science Association, fellow of the AmericanAcademy of Arts and Sciences, and the author of nine previous books. He lives inLexington, Massachusetts. To learn more about Bowling Alone and ways to help rebuild ournation's social capital, visit the author's Web sites at www.bowlingalone.com andwww.bettertogether.org

Author: Seligman, PhD, Martin, E.P.Title: Optimistic ChildPublication Date: 1995# of copies: 8Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Despite the increased focus on self-esteem over the past three decades, depression inchildren has continued to grow, now affecting a quarter of all kids today. To combat thistrend, Dr. Seligman began the Penn Depression Prevention Project, the first long term studyaimed at 8 to 12 year olds. His findings were revolutionary, proving that children can beagainst depression by being taught how to challenge their pessimistic thoughts.The Optimistic Child offers parents and teachers the tools developed in this study to teachchildren of all ages life skills that transform helplessness into mastery and bolster selfesteem.Learning the skills of optimism not only reduces the risk of depression but boostsschool performance, improves physical health, and provides children with the self-reliancethey need as they approach the teenage years and beyond. world of optimists is a biggerworld, a world of more possibilities, says Seligman. Filled with practical advice and written inclear, helpful language, this book is an invaluable resource for caregivers who want to openup this world for their childrenAbout the Author:Martin E. Seligman is Kogod Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania andpast president of the division of clinical psychology of the American PsychologicalAssociation. He lives in Wynnewood, PA

Author: Shaw, MD, RobertTitle: Epidemic: The Rot of American Culture, Absentee and PermissiveParenting, and the Resultant Plague of Joyless, Selfish ChildrenPublication Date: 2003# of copies: 7Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):The shock of the Columbine shootings and other school violence has generated a nationaldebate, and there's a dawning realization that something incomprehensible is happening: ourprivileged, pampered children are turning into monsters at an alarming rateAbout the Author:Robert Shaw, M.D., a child and family psychiatrist practicing in Berkeley, California, is thedirector of the Family Institute of Berkeley. He specialized in child psychiatry at Mt. SinaiHospital in New York City and taught at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where hetrained residents in community psychiatry as the chief of the Family and Children's MentalHealth Services for the entire South Bronx. He then directed the Family and Children'sMental Health Services for the city of Berkeley. The father of four grown children, he liveswith his wife, Judith, in the San Francisco Bay Area

Author: Shaywitz, SallyTitle: Overcoming Dyslexia: A New & Complete Science-Based Program forReading Problems at Any LevelPublication Date: 2003# of copies: 3Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):From one of the world’s leading experts on reading and dyslexia, the most comprehensive, up-todate,and practical book yet to help us understand, identify, and overcome the reading problems thatplague American children today. For the one in every five children who has dyslexia and the millionsof others who struggle to read at their own grade levels—and for their parents, teachers, andtutors—this book can make a difference.Drawing on recent scientific breakthroughs—many of them in her own laboratory—Dr. Shaywitzdemystifies the subject of reading difficulties and explains how a child can be helped to become agood reader. She discusses early diagnosis in young children as well as the diagnosing of olderchildren, young adults, and adults. Dr. Shaywitz explains why some bright adults can read only veryslowly, and what they can do about it. Her book makes clear how the latest research, including newbrain imaging studies, is uncovering the mechanisms underlying dyslexia and has led to effectivetreatments for each age group.Dr. Shaywitz instructs parents in what they can do year-by-year, grade-by-grade, step-by-step for adyslexic child. She lays out a home program for enhanced reading; guides parents in choosing thebest school for their child and in working with teachers; and suggests ways of raising and preservingthe child’s self-esteem. She provides exercises, teaching aids, information on computer programs, andmany other invaluable resources.In addition, her book corrects such popular (and harmful) myths as the belief that dyslexia isprimarily a male problem, that children with dyslexia see words backward, that dyslexia is linked tointelligence. She shows us how, although dyslexia cannot be outgrown, its effects can, with carefulplanning and hard work, be overcome.Dr. Shaywitz lifts the barrier of ignorance surrounding dyslexia and replaces it with the comfort ofknowledge. Here is a trusted source to which you can turn for information, advice, guidance, andexplanation. In sum, here is cutting-edge research translated into an easy-to-follow plan of actionoffering help—and hope—to all who have reading problems, and their families.About the Author:Sally Shaywitz, M.D., is a neuroscientist, a professor of pediatrics at Yale, and co-director of the YaleCenter for the Study of Learning and Attention. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine of theNational Academy of Sciences, and of the National Reading Panel, mandated by Congress todetermine the most effective reading programs. She has written for Scientific American and the New

York Times Magazine. Dr. Shaywitz lectures throughout the country and appears regularly in nationalmedia. She lives with her husband in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

Author: Silver, Harvey F, Richard W Strong, & Matthew J PeriniTitle: So Each May Learn: Integrated Learning Styles & Multiple IntelligencesPublication Date: 2000# of copies: 4Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):One of the greatest challenges faced by every school and every educator is encouraging andaccommodating a full range of student diversity while simultaneously promoting a uniformlyhigh level of academic achievement for all students. Two powerful learning models--multipleintelligences and learning styles--provide us with the best means of rising to this challenge.Yet each model has particular strengths and weaknesses that directly correspond to thestrengths and weaknesses of the other, meaning that a truly holistic model--one that allowseducators to engage a full range of human diversity and meet rigorous academic standards--occurs only in the integration of these two great models.The book includes rationales and research-based principles of learning that supportintegrated learning; many classroom examples, activities, and organizers to help educatorsprocess ideas and analyze their current practices; instruments for readers to identify theirown style and intelligence profiles; and planning templates for designing integrated lessons,assessments, and curriculum.The authors show educators at all grade levels and in all content areas how to implement aholistic learning program that seamlessly integrates learning styles and multiple intelligencesinto instruction, curriculum, and assessment.About the Author:

Author: Simontacchi, Carol NTitle: Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains andHarming Our ChildrenPublication Date: 2000# of copies: 8Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):An unprecedented and impeccably reported look at how American food manufacturers andtheir "products" may be endangering our minds.In The Crazy Makers, nutritionist Carol Simontacchi reveals that brand-name consumer foodproducers may be putting items on the market that redefine what we commonly think of as"food." From infant formulas to supposedly health-conscious packaged meals, these pseudofoodsmay be causing chemical levels in the brain to rise to alarming heights.Based on new research, epidemiological evidence, and a formal study of schoolchildren'seating habits conducted by Simontacchi, The Crazy Makers will open your eyes as it identifieshow the latest food products may be driving you crazy-and will tell you what you can doabout it. Notes. Index.About the Author:Carol Simontacchi is a certified clinical nutritionist. She is the author of several books onnutrition, including Your Fat Is Not Your Fault.

Author: Sobel, DavidTitle: Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature EducationPublication Date: 1996# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Beyond Ecophobia speaks to teachers, parents, and others interested in nurturing in childrenthe ability to understand and care for nature. This expanded version of one of OrionMagazine's most popular articles includes descriptions of developmentally appropriateenvironmental education activities and a list of related children's books.About the Author:David Sobel is Director of Teacher Certification Programs in the Education Department atAntioch New England Graduate School. He is the author of Children's Special Places;Beyond Ecophobia; Mapmaking with Children; and his newest title, Place-Based Education:Connecting Classrooms & Communities.

Author: Sousa, David ATitle: How the Special Needs Brain LearnsPublication Date: 2001# of copies: 5Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Now from the author of the best-selling How the Brain Learns comes a new book dealing withspecial needs students. How the Special Needs Brain Learns helps you turn research on the brainfunction of students with various learning challenges into practical classroom activities andstrategies.David Sousa shows how the brain processes information and examines both simple andcomplex learning strategies that can be adapted and taught to your students. The first stepfor students with learning disabilities is helping them to build self-esteem by teaching themhow to work in groups and giving them strategies for engagement and retention. This bookfocuses on the most common challenges to learning for many students, especially for thosewho are often the first candidates for special education referral, and emphasizes lifelongindependent learning, increased retention, and cognitive flexibility for all.Sousa builds on the latest brain research to discuss teaching strategies for studentschallenged by:• ADHD/ADD• Speech disabilities• Reading disabilities• Writing disabilities• Math disabilities• Sleep disorders• Emotional and behavioral disorders• Autism• Asperger’s SyndromeToday’s classrooms embrace students of all abilities, and Sousa’s latest work provides themost up-to-date information and insight on how to work effectively with each one of them.Offering real strategies for real classrooms, How the Special Needs Brain Learns is anindispensable tool for all educators, school administrators and teachers, staff developers,pre-service educators, and even parents who want to better understand the way theirchildren process and retain information.

About the Author:David A. Sousa, Ed.D., is an international educational consultant. He has madepresentations at national conventions of educational organizations and has conductedworkshops on brain research and science education in hundreds of school districts and atseveral colleges and universities across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Dr.Sousa has a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Massachusetts State College atBridgewater, a master of arts in teaching degree in science from Harvard University, and adoctorate from Rutgers University. His teaching experience covers all levels. He has taughtjunior and senior high school science, served as a K–12 director of science, and wasSupervisor of Instruction for the West Orange, New Jersey, schools. He then becamesuperintendent of the New Providence, New Jersey, public schools. He has been an adjunctprofessor of education at Seton Hall University, and a visiting lecturer at Rutgers University.He was president of the National Staff Development Council in 1992. Dr. Sousa has editedscience books and published numerous books and articles in leading educational journals onstaff development, science education, and brain research. He has received awards fromprofessional associations and school districts for his commitment and contributions toresearch, staff development, and science education. He received the Distinguished AlumniAward and an honorary doctorate in education from Bridgewater (Mass.) State College. Hehas appeared on the NBC Today show and on National Public Radio to discuss his workwith schools using brain research. He makes his home in south Florida.

Author: Sprenger, MarileeTitle: How to Teach So Students RememberPublication Date: 2005# of copies: 6Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):When you teach a lesson, do your students remember the information the next day? Thenext week? Will they retain that information long enough to use it on a high-stakes test and,most importantly, will they retain it well enough to make use of it in their lives beyondschool?How to Teach So Students Remember offers seven steps to increase your students’ capacity toreceive information in immediate memory, act on it in working memory, store it in longtermmemory, and retrieve and manipulate it in unanticipated situations--that is, to use whatthey’ve learned when they need it.Step by step, you will discover* how to reach your students and get them to attend to incoming information;* how to encourage reflection to better enable students to make connections to priorknowledge;* how to help students recode new concepts in their own words to clarify theirunderstanding;* how to use feedback to provide a framework for learning and show the brain what'simportant to remember;* how to incorporate multiple rehearsal strategies that provide multiple avenues to storedmaterial;* how to structure review processes so students retain information beyond the test; and* how to align instruction, review, and assessment to help students more easily retrieveinformation.We all know that some children come to school with their ability to remember informationalready firmly established; others are not so fortunate. By consciously teaching for memory,we can remediate some of these differences and help students gain confidence in theirabilities. By doing so, we will better equip all students to be successful learners, reliablefamily members, and informed members of societyAbout the Author:Marilee Sprenger is an international educational neuroscience consultant who has taught atall levels: from pre-kindergarten to graduate school. She is an adjunct professor at Aurora

University where she teaches brain-compatible strategies and memory courses. For the pastfifteen years she has been engaged in raising student achievement using brain-based teachingstrategies, differentiation, and memory research. Marilee is a member of the AmericanAcademy of Neurology, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, and the Learning and BrainSociety, as well as many education organizations such as ASCD and Phi Delta Kappa. She isthe author of Learning and Memory: The Brain in Action, Becoming a Wiz at Brain-based Teaching,Differentiation through Learning Styles and Memory, and How to Teach So Students Remember . She haswritten numerous articles and provides staff development internationally. Translating andapplying current educational neuroscience and memory research, she assists schools andregions internationally.Marilee may be reached at 5820 Briarwood Lane, Peoria, Illinois, 61614, by calling (309)692-5820, and by email at brainlady@gmail.com.

Author: Strand, Philip, John Christensen, & Andy HalperTitle: Schools of Fish!Publication Date: 2006# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):It’s two minutes to 8:00. Time to put on your tights and cape.As an educator, every time that bell rings, you face dozens of challenges. Students withoverwhelming personal and academic needs. Creativity-stifling mandates. Administrivia.Cynicism. Apathy. The things that keep you from being the educator you want to be.The FISH! Philosophy -- four simple principles: Be There, Play, Make Their Day, andChoose Your Attitude -- has helped educators around the world build more effective,fulfilling relationships that lead to better learning. It is also backed by tons (OK, about ahundred pounds) of research on classroom management.Schools of FISH! is full of inspiring and instructive stories about people just like you -- withhopes and challenges just like yours. It’s about real-life heroes who give the best inthemselves to help their students find the best in themselves.Schools of FISH! offers practical ideas on classroom management. It addresses the issues youdeal with every day—improving learning, respect and personal accountability, self-disciplineand internal motivation, and finding ways to make learning more fun. Because you’re notjust teaching students to learn . . . you’re inspiring them to want to learn.About the Author:Philip Strand is a senior writer at Charthouse Learning, where he helps create books,learning curriculums, and mischief.John Christensen is a filmmaker and CEO of Charthouse Learning, the leading producersof corporate learning programs.Andy Halper, ChartHouse Learning’s Professor of Boredom Prevention Emeritus , workedwith John, Phil and the team who created FISH! For Schools.

Author: Stuart, Timothy S & Cheryl G BostromTitle: Children at Promise: 9 Principles to Help Kids Thrive in an At RiskWorldPublication Date: 2003# of copies: 11Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Children At Promise offers a breakthrough paradigm for raising healthy and responsiblechildren who contribute positively to their world. School principal Dr. Tim Stuart andformer teacher-of-the-year Cheryl Bostrom offer a practical book filled with illustrations thatshow how at-risk and advantaged children can realize their At Promise identity. Solidlygrounded in tested educational and psychological theory as well as timeless biblical wisdom,Children At Promise provides parents and educators with the insights, motivation, and toolsfor raising successful children of P. R. O. M. I. S. E. character.AT PROMISE stands forA Adversity and pain can lead to growthT Trust between a caring adult and a childP PerseveranceR Responsibility for our actionsO OptimismM Motivated by identityI IntegrityS ServiceE Engaged PlayAbout the Author:Timothy S. Stuart, Ed.D., serves as the high school principal at Rehoboth Christian Schoolin New Mexico. He is a member of North Carolina's High Plains Saponi Indian Tribe and aGates Millennium Scholar. Tim has worked with kids as a secondary school teacher, coach,and administrator on three continents. The founder and president of At Promise, Inc., Timspeaks widely on the At-Promise paradigm. He and his wife, Mona, have been married foreleven years and have three children.

Author: Tomlinson, CarolAnn & Caroline Cunningham EidsonTitle: Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for DifferentiatingCurriculum, Grades K-5Publication Date: 2003# of copies: 7Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Join Carol Ann Tomlinson and Caroline Cunningham Eidson in their continuing explorationof how real teachers incorporate differentiation principles and strategies throughout anentire instructional unit. Focusing on the elementary grades, but applicable at all levels,Differentiation in Practice, Grades K-5 will teach anyone interested in designing andimplementing differentiated curriculum how to do so or how to do so more effectively.Inside, you'll find* Annotated lesson plans for differentiated units in language arts, social studies, science, andmathematics. * Samples of differentiated product assignments, learning contracts, rubrics,and homework handouts. * An overview of the non-negotiables in differentiated classroomsand guidelines for using the book as a learning tool. * An extended glossary andrecommended readings for further exploration of key ideas and strategies.Each unit highlights underlying standards, delineates learning goals, and takes you step bystep through the instructional process. Unit developers provide running commentary ontheir use of flexible grouping and pacing, tiered assignments and assessments, learningcontracts, and numerous other strategies. The models and insight presented will inform yourown differentiation efforts and help you meet the challenge of mixed-ability classrooms withacademically responsive curriculum appropriate for all learners.About the Author:Carol Ann Tomlinson is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Foundations and Policy atThe Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. Tomlinson works with teachers throughoutthe United States and Canada toward establishing more effectively differentiated classrooms, and isCo-Director of the University of Virginia's Summer Institute on Academic Diversity. She is alsoSecretary of the Executive Board of the National Association for Gifted Children.Tomlinson's research interests include differentiated instruction in the middle school, use of multipleintelligences approaches with high-risk and high-potential primary grade learners, and practices ofpre-service teachers related to academic diversity. She has written many articles, book chapters, andstaff development materials that blend classroom and research insights.Tomlinson's experience includes 21 years as a public school teacher, working with preschoolers,middle school students, and high school students. She has taught English, language arts, German,and history. Tomlinson has administered district, level programs for struggling and advanced learnersand was Virginia's Teacher of the Year in 1974.

Author: Whitney, Rondalyn VarneyTitle: Bridging the Gap: Raising a Child with Nonverbal Learning DisorderPublication Date: 2002# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Millions of children suffer from Nonverbal Learning Disorder, a neurological deficit thatprevents them from understanding nonverbal cues like tone of voice and facial expression.Though they are exceptionally bright and extremely articulate, these children often havedifficulty in social situations-and can become depressed, withdrawn, or anxious. In Bridgingthe Gap, Rondalyn Varney Whitney-a pediatric occupational therapist and the parent of achild with NLD-offers practical suggestions that will help parents put their child on the pathto a happy, fulfilling life.By definition, NLD is a neurological defect in children who are unable to recognize thenonverbal clues that make up 50 percent of communication. In Bridging the Gap, Whitneyseamlessly weaves practical professional advice throughout the account of her passionateinvolvement with her son. She writes, "I believe that NLD, now thought to be as prevalentas dyslexia, is a difference and not a flaw." She also warns parents and teachers that kids withNLD are likely to be misdiagnosed as lazy or defiant, so she urges readers to consider boththe strengths (high intelligence and advanced verbal skills and memory) and weaknesses (lowvisual, spatial, and motor skills and deficits in social communication) of these kids.Whitney focuses on NLD as a unique learning style, rather than a disability, offering abrilliantly realized account of a day in the life of a child with NLD. Other chapters addressspecific problems, including finding the right school, telling your child about the diagnosis,teaching social skills, negotiating the maze of interventions, and caring for self and spouse.Each chapter balances vivid case examples with thoughtful strategies. This is an exceptionalbook--moving, hopeful, and grounded in the wisdom of a seasoned professional and thelove of a mother for her unique child. --Barbara MackoffAbout the Author:Author Rondalyn Varney Whitney, a pediatric occupational therapist, is the mother of Zac, achild who suffers from nonverbal learning disorder, or NLD.Rondalyn Varney Whitney, MOT, OTR, is a regular speaker at the annual NLDAsymposium and a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops for parents, teachers,and therapists

Author: Wolfe, PatriciaTitle: Building the Reading Brain, PreK-3Publication Date: 2004# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):The brain is hardwired for spoken language but not for reading. Yet reading skills serve asthe primary foundation of all school-based learning. Research indicates that a student’sfuture academic success can be predicted by his or her reading level at the end of third grade.Patricia Wolfe and Pamela Nevills bring insight and assistance to preschool educators,parents and care providers, kindergarten and primary grade teachers for this essentialprocess. They explain the development of the young brain, the acquisition of language aspreparation for reading, and the nurturing and instruction process from birth to age eight.This unique guide demonstrates how the brain of a child masters the reading process ofdecoding print and reading with fluency and comprehension and addresses related literacyskills of writing and spelling.Brain-friendly strategies that lay the groundwork for reading success include:• Activities to support phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary,comprehension, and fluency• Applications of games, music, play, and instruction• Intervention suggestions for children who are challenged or discouraged earlyreadersLearning to read is a complex, gradual process that begins in infancy and Building theReading Brain, PreK-3 provides insights and guidelines to help early childhood educators,parents, and care providers and K-3 teachers to meet the challenge of insuring that everychild learns to read with fluency and comprehensionAbout the Author:Patricia Wolfe is an independent consultant who speaks to educators in schools across theUnited States and in international schools. Her professional background includes publicschool teaching at all levels, staff development trainer for the Upland School District,Director of Instruction for the Napa County Office of Education, and a lead trainer for theInternational Principal Training Center in Rome and London. Her staff developmentexperience includes workshops in Madeline Hunter’s Elements of Effective Teaching andClinical Supervision, Anthony Gregorc’s Mind Styles, Carolyn Evertson’s ClassroomManagement and Organization, and Peer Coaching. She has been featured in a number of

videotape productions and satellite broadcasts. Wolfe’s major interest over the past 15 yearshas centered on the educa-tional implications and applications of current neuroscience,cognitive science, and educational research for teaching and learning. She can be reached atMind Matters, Inc., 555 Randolph Street, Napa, CA 94559, Phone and Fax: (707) 226-1777,Web site: www.patwolfe.com. Pamela Nevills is first and foremost a teacher, working withlearners from multiages—primary grades through post graduate students. Her undergraduatework at California State University, Los Angeles, was furthered by masters and doctoratedegrees from the University of La Verne. She held teaching, staff development, andadministrative positions and serves on and has been honored by local and state advi-sorycommittees. She is a national and international speaker and consultant on topics that includeBrain Development from Birth Through Adulthood, The Brain and Reading, SchoolDesigns for All Readers, Adult Learners, and Administrative Leadership Skills. Writing is arecent addition to Pam’s work. She is published through the state of California, the Journalof Staff Development, and she regularly contributes to organizational newsletters. Herpassion about the brain and reading developed from a childhood love affair with books,grandchildren who are emergent readers, and encouragement from a dear friend, Pat Wolfe.Pamela can be reached at 1619 Tecalote Drive, Fallbrook, CA 92028; phone (909) 894-2100;e-mail address: panevills@earthlink.net.

Author: Wong, Harry K & Rosemary T WongTitle: First Days of SchoolPublication Date: 2004# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):The First Days of School Hands down, by far, the best selling book in education. With over2.8 million copies sold, it continues to be at the top of the chart. The revised and updatedVersion Three of The First Days of School includes a 38 minute bonus multimediaEnhanced CD. The CD features Harry Wong, the most sought-after speaker in education onan audio and a video track. His message, Never Cease to Learn, is one that will inspire alleducators.The First Days of School is for new and veteran teachers, from kindergarten to collegeinstructors. The graphic layout, with 302 photos and illustrations, is partnered with text thatflows silken smooth. You will learn about classroom management, teaching for mastery andto standards, and creating positive expectations. The First Days of School will bring youinstant results so that you can become an even more effective teacherAbout the Author:Harry K. Wong, a former high-school science teacher in Menlo Park, California, is now oneof the country's leading speakers in the field of education

Author: Wormeli, RickTitle: Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the DifferentiatedClassroomPublication Date: 2006# of copies: 10Description/Review of Book (mostly from Amazon.com):Table of contents, index and several pages can be viewed via Amazon.com. I was notable to copy anything for this page.MargieAbout the Author:One of the first Nationally Board Certified teachers in America, Rick Wormeli bringsinnovation, energy, validity and high standards to both his presentations, and hisinstructional practice, which includes more than 20 years teaching math, science, English,physical education, health, and history. Rick’s work has been reported in numerous media,including ABC’s Good Morning America, National Geographic, Good Housekeeping, WhatMatters Most: Teaching for the 21st Century, and the Washington Post. He is a columnistfor the National Middle School Associations’ Middle Ground magazine. In addition, he isthe author of the award-winning book, Meet Me in the Middle: Becoming an AccomplishedMiddle Level Teacher, as well as the best-selling books Day One and Beyond: PracticalMatters for New Middle Level Teachers and Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessment andGrading in the Differentiated Classroom.