Educators Books

This book should be read just before, or just after Stuart's beloved "The Thread That Runs So True". In it, you discover parts of his life that are only hinted at in "Thread". Like the year he spent in the rough and tumble world of the steel mill, and the time he traveled with a carnival. There are wonderful sections about how he worked his way through Lincoln Memorial, and his time at Vanderbilt, where he wrote the paper that was the original version of this book.

It arrived quickly in time for class.

You can pretty much tell what this book is about from its title. It is a book, broken down into three major parts that gives lists of recommended books for children. The three parts are: School Subjects, Character and Values, Genres and Themes. Each of thes parts is further broken down into the specific lists themselves. For instance under Genres and Themes, there are Genres and Themes. Under themes there are Angels, Cowboys, Holidays. Some of these, such as Holidays are further broken down into Chinese New Year, Easter, Christmas, etc. All in all there are 100 lists.

While not copyright free, permission is given to libraries to copy the lists, put them into a newsletter or other such uses. The lists themself are organized on pages by themselves so that a library logo, clipart, etc. can be put on top of the pages before they are reproduced. There are also a dozen bookmarks that can be reprinted for library use.

Therre is a wealth of information here that can be of great help in the right situation.

I bought this to use in my 6th grade reading classroom. It is excellent to use to teach reading skills such as main idea, author's purpose, or summarizing. I put it in a center and students have 10 minutes to use the book for an assignment. Since it is at a lower reading level, students have success in building skills to use in higher level texts.

This book is a good addition to the grade 1-6 classroom library.

For a good background on Booker T. Washington that does not try to place blame (for slavery), this is the book to read. It gave a lovely story on his life, without getting into politics. The real joy of this book are the illustrations. The artist captures the essence of the time and the person in beautifully rendered paintings. While children will enjoy the "pictures" and the story, anyone will appreciate this as a wonderful art book. The artist has done another children's book that is just as beautiful as this one. Between the author and the artist, Booker T. Washington's life was captured in an unforgettable way. Look forward to seeing and reading more from both these talented people!

This book is not an ordinary biography. The author's extraordinary talent and insight bring forth the living principle that is Henry Adams. It will draw the attentive reader into Adams' world and one will come face to face with an original genius. And I would like to paraphrase Schopenhauer's definition that genius is the capacity to bring forth some light into this world of ignorance and darkness.

We experience the catastrophe of the American Civil War through the mind of Adams. We are given the usual dates and events, but at a deeper level we encounter "the inside narrative:" the petty bickering, plotting, blundering and revenge. On the other side we see skill and diplomacy; acts of kindness and compassion. It rises to the level of something Shakespearean, and leaves a strong impression of powerful collective forces to be reckoned with. So the book is not merely about individuals and events at a particular time in the past. It delves deeply into the great mystery of human nature.

Another thing I can say is that Dr. Chalfant's conversational style is so pleasant to read that I frequently get pulled into it and have trouble putting the book down. Something someone once wrote about Robert Burton comes to mind. "While reading this book, one feels as if he is in the company of a good friend."

This book is a wealth of knowledge for those rare bread of educators who are truly interested in integrating scientific knowledge of children into their instruction and assessments. Berninger has a unique way of organizing information and theory into a concise model that allows one to quickly apply that knowledge to almost any situation in education: assessment, curriculum assessment, child assessment, lesson design, special ed lesson design, and child behavior problems.

Breaking the Circle of One expands the traditional meaning of mentorship in education. From its beginning as a writing circle of graduate students and professors emerged a group that was redefined by the mentoring and support the members provided to one another. This book is a rich and diverse compilation of experiences that evolved as a continuing strand of mentorship by those students who participated the Circle. The stories in this book illustrate that mentoring can truly be established as a way of life, especially for those of us who are in the education profession.

This book had special meaning for me as it turns out the author is a cousin-by-marriage! But my enjoyment in reading Penny Petrone's autobiography went beyond the personal angle. She describes a segment of Italian-American life that isn't very well known--that of the immigrants from Italy's southernmost province, Calabria. The portraits of her mother and father are unforgettable. With descriptions of the special foods, religious observances, bits of folk wisdom, and Calabrese dialect--this book filled in many gaps in my understanding of what life was like for the people who left the Old Country, and for the first generation of their kids growing up in the new world.

Susan Hathorn speaks for herself through her diary, but Ms. Petroski provides background and insightful comments that explain some of Susan's more obscure references. Newly married, Susan accompanied her husband on his ship to England and the West Indies. She kept this diary for the whole year of 1855 while she was on the ship and then when she was left behind in their hometown in Maine because she was expecting a baby. I found it absolutely fascinating although a lot of Susan's time was spent at mundane tasks. Susan sure had a thing for sewing! I recommend this book highly to anyone who is interested in the lives of women in the 19th century.