Sherman Books

I highly recommend this book. I read it on a car ride and couldn't put it down. It resonates so well with my experiences as a teacher, teacher educator, and reading researcher. For some reason there is a political twinge to reading philosophies - I've always wondered about it - and this cleared it up for me quite a bit. Seems to me that if reading research PROVES what works with children who are struggling to read, there should be very little resistance to implementing it in reading curricula, but there is massive, and even angry resistance out there. I've asked my students, who are future teachers, why they think that is and there reasons are in harmony with this book: tenure ("I don't HAVE to do anything"), fear ("people are going to find out I have no clue how to teach children to read"), laziness ("but I've gotten away with doing the same old thing for so long I don't want to be professional and improve my practice"), and above all, ignorance ("I never learned how to do this in graduate school" - "Oh, before it was Whole Language and now it's phonics - the pendulum is just swinging again and it means nothing" - "Those right wing Bush-loving neo-cons are forcing their agenda" - "It takes a lot of money to implement instruction that my students need and I can't do it without some funding"). Read the book - it's amazing...I truly loved it.

I did not find this book useful,and not just because I am already in the field of learning disabilities.
My comments concern the organization of the book, and its content.
I do not believe that scattering the examples throughout the book was necessarily relevant to the particular chapter they illustrated. For example, in several chapters adults who had failed in school and were then successful were used as illustrations, rather than assembled. I understand, however, why the book was organized this way.
There is no concluding chapter or comment after the excellent examples of successful education in chapter 6.
I believe the book would have more impact if the examples had been drawn from a wider geographical area.
Finally, for whom is the book intended? Will graduates or teachers read it to learn what they should be teaching? Is it an introduction for parents?
While there is plenty of interesting information, "The Reading Glitch" is not a book I will be recommending to anyone.

This is an important and timely book about the crucial skill of reading.
Reading well is a skill that must be learned, and the evidence is clear that reading instruction in American schools is failing many students, particularly those with learning difficulties and the disadvantaged. This is a shame, because scientific research into the reading process points the way to success for all readers.
These are the themes of The Reading Glitch, a book for general audiences that seeks to make sense out of the science, teaching, and culture of reading in America. The authors of The Reading Glitch are Lee Sherman, a research writer at Oregon State University (OSU), and Betsy Ramsey, a research associate at Oregon Health Sciences University.
The difficulties many students have with the primary task of reading have large implications not just for literature and language arts classes, say the authors, but in every other part of schooling and outside and beyond school, for the rest of a person's life.
The book points out that approximately 40 percent of all American fourth-graders scored below national standards for "basic" reading skills, according to the federal government's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted in 2000. By the time they're leaving high school, the NAEP found, American students are often still struggling. By age 17, only about 1 in 17 seventeen year olds can read and gain information from specialized text, for example the science section in the local newspaper.
American educators have been arguing over the causes and cures of reading problems for decades, but the preferred reading instruction used in most schools is still a variant on the Dick and Jane books introduced in the 1950s. The method is generally referred to as "whole language," referring, by way of contrast, to other methods which base learning on understanding the parts of written language.
"The tenets of `whole language' or `discovery learning' are simple," writes author Sherman: "reading is as natural as speaking. Therefore, skills instruction is unnecessary. Children will learn to read when exposed to books in a supportive, caring environment, just as they learn to speak in day-to-day interactions with Mom and Dad. Give them lots of rich literature, and off they'll go."
But this "reading is natural" notion rests on a fallacy, a "fatal mixing of apples and oranges. Humans' ability to communicate orally is an evolutionary adaptation that began a million years ago. Writing, in contrast, is a human invention that has been around only about 5,000 years. Spoken language is passed down in our genes. Written language is not."
Assuming individuals will learn to read by being exposed to writing makes about as much sense as assuming a person could fly an aircraft by being exposed to a Boeing 747, Sherman says.
Sherman and Ramsey bring together research conducted through the last two decades in diverse but related fields such as brain imaging, child psychology, and reading instruction which leads to what Sherman calls an "inconvenient truth": "A mounting body of evidence shows that struggling readers lack a skill that is absolutely essential to the reading process: phonemic awareness. Simply put, it's the ability to hear the individual sounds in spoken words.
"The typical disabled reader can't distinguish these sounds (called phonemes) - so she fails to make the next leap - linking sounds to letters. Without these basic building blocks, the rest of the reading skills - decoding (letter combinations), word recognition, and reading comprehension -- are all but impossible."
The good news is that studies sponsored by the federal National Institutes of Health show that all kids can be taught to read competently. "All the literacy deficits kids bring to school can be overcome with a research-based reading program that starts where they are--not from where we wish they were or where we think they should be--when they enter kindergarten."
A research-based reading program will include direct instruction in phonics, the sounds associated with letters.
"Research has shown again and again that all children, including the disadvantaged and the learning disabled, can learn to read adequately when given direct, explicit, systematic instruction in phonics.
"Despite countless studies that affirm this, however, the whole-language philosophy shuns phonics, demonizing it as a right-wing plot against progressive teaching methods."
Many educators, Sherman and Ramsey lament, dismissed the 1998 National Academy of Sciences report, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, which concluded that children need to be taught to read, directly and systematically. And these teachers rejected the findings of the congressionally mandated National Reading Panel, which reported in 2000 that kids need direct instruction in phonics.
"For many educators, these panels lacked validity because they included experts from fields such as neurology, pediatric medicine, and psychology. Interference from these perceived outsiders in classroom practice is deeply resented by many educators," Sherman notes.
The Reading Glitch explains the science and provides numerous examples of individuals and schools using that scientific background to help kids to read.

this is an excellent intermediate deck. i really loved the designs and the vibrant colour. also, the meanings of each card are quite open to the reader's interpretation. (which as we all know, is quite important when the picture can differ from the meaning.) this is a great deck to advance to. and i consider it the "sequel" (hee hee) to the hanson roberts tarot deck. i highly reccomend both of them!

I puchased this set in 1997. I never read for anyone with the deck because I was afraid I may scare some one with it. This deck has been in print since the 1970s and has a popular audience apparently. I was attracted to the image of roses that are my favorite flower.

The backs are beautiful. Then you turn them over and the human figures are staring back at you with stark white eyes! I found this disturbing. I tried to work with the cards and could not connect with them. The people seem dead or soulless. Not my cup of tea...

I set then in my collection of cards to maybe come back to them someday and found them missing! Very odd since I have many decks in my collection, some very valuable. No human would have took them. Maybe a spirit of one of the cards...Be Warned!

This is a beautiful deck, very powerful, with a lot of vibe. It can give you gentle advice, but also a good smack on the head if you need one. ;)

The art is very different form other decks, vibrant colors, RWS based but with a lot of personal insight too. The book I liked a lot, very thorough, althoug a little on the dark (negative)side.

All in all a great set, absolutely worth your time.

The Shape of Practical Theology: Empowering Ministry with Theological Praxis, is a deftly articulation of the praxis of pastoral theology by Dr. Ray S. Anderson. Dr. Anderson boldly rejects the sharply drawn lines of demarcation, established by some scholars that separate academic theology from practical theology, and argues effectively that a "bridge" has been constructed that achieves greater collaboration. Dr. Anderson's thorough and reasoned definition of what practical theology is was insightful, exhilarating, and daunting considering the theological context that most clergy professionals find themselves operating in.

Though I am not in the same theological camp as Ray Anderson, I must say that this book has helped me revisit my approach the the biblical text. I especially like his treatment on the Holy Spirt. He gives a balance approach, not forgotten and not overexposed.

Ray S. Anderson's book, The Shape of Practical Theology: Empowering Ministry with Theological Praxis, was a heart breaking disappointment. Having high hopes when I first found the title, I was anxious to read the book. By the end, I was sick at heart at the state of modern theology it portrayed.

Behind the book is a stated premise that there is no such concept as absolute truth. No passage of Scripture is held to be an absolute commandment, applicable to all peoples in all generations or all cultures. Everything is relative and subject to redefinition based on the standards of the society in which one lives.

Since Scripture lacks absolute truth, and has no absolute commandments, every passage is subjective in nature, based on how the individual pastor or parishioner feels the Spirit may be leading. God, being sovereign, may redefine His laws, His words, and His truths in each generation and culture. Pastors must use culture to determine what action to take based on the suggestive and subjective guidelines of Scripture. Exegesis is replaced with Praxis as a hermeneutic criterion, and the loose concept of "finding antecedents" becomes the preferred means of interpreting the Word.

In short, this book is a blueprint for the subjective use of God's Word, as is more often seen in the Emerging Church. This book is simply not about practical theology so much as it is about following one's gut in lieu of not having definitive Scripture on which to rely.

This is good addition to Osprey's Vanguard series, this volume presents one from the "armoured funnies" of WW II. There are, however, some deviations from what readers have come to expect from this publication. In text are short history of anty-mine Britisch tanks and history of idea flail tank. About using Sherman Crab is too little information, there are no line drawings of this machine. For modellers and hobbists too little, for teenangers - too much. In this series I read better books.

David Fletcher's SHERMAN CRAB FLAIL TANK follows the design and history of the Sherman tank, considering its development and deployment. Colorful artwork and vintage photos supplement a collection recommended for any in-depth military library focusing on equipment history.

Interesting historical facts regarding the backgtound before manufacturing the Crab. Nothing over post WW.2 use, if any.

Young Prince Hauberin is a half-elven prince of Fairie. Despised by his cousin for his human blood, he faces the scorn of his people with a wry sense of humor and a quick wit. After being cursed, Hauberin is forced to go on a quest to discover the origins of his human lineage. Together with his friend Li who is a wind elemental, he travels to the human realm to the ancient castle of his forefather.

This was an entertaining book. I really liked Prince Hauberin, he was charming, entertaining and well constructed. His friend Li was also quite intriguing. I liked the way that Faerie was visualized and the various creatures therein.

On the negative side, the romance between Hauberin and Mathilde did nothing for me. It seemed a bit tacked on. I also found the ending a little trite with all elements falling a little too neatly into place. Finally, I found the villain and the battle with him unsatisfying because of his ability to posses his victims. I was never quite sure who he was fighting and what he was fighting. If a book deserved a sequel though, it would be this one.

One final note. The fugly cover of this book just does not do this novel justice. Sweet's art makes every character look wizened. He doesn't even get the hair color right. :Sighs: I guess the publishers will continue to completely disregard the benefits of an appealing cover in favor of hiring the same cheap painter hack who draws everyone the same.

There were some interesting ideas in this book, but I thought that it fell far short of its potential. The writing was mediocre at best, the characterization bland, and there were too many plot holes to make it a really enjoyable read. I was also annoyed by the way that Sherman seemed to discard most of the faerie "lore" that has become accepted in the world at large (and by this I mean like folk-tales, not rules set forth by other fantasy writers) but she didn't really create her own either. I spent most of the book confused about the societies of the faerie creatures.

The potential for a good story was there, but the ideas, characters, and world needed to be better developed for it to work well. I would only recommend this book to Sherman fans

This book isn't necessarily a classic, one that all people should read, but when I picked it up I enjoyed every minute. I've re-read it twice since then and enjoyed it just as much the second or third time. That's a hard thing to find in a book and Josepha Sherman does a good job. If you like fantasy, especially the Mercedes Lackey and Ann Marston type, I think you will like this. I also like the book King's son, Magic's son by Sherman.

I've collected books by Jory Sherman for years but did not pay much attention to the series of books on the Barons until recently. What a pleasant surprise in reading. As far as I can tell there are at least six books in this series: Grass Kingdom, Baron War, Baron Honor, Baron's of Texas, The Baron Brand, and this one, The Baron Range. Quite a collection of books as well as characters, too.

The Baron Range is a sprawling book of events and peoples with Martin Baron, wife Caroline, son Anson, and Juanito Salazar as the center of all activity. As Mickey Bone relates to the Lipan Apaches: ... I am not a Mexican, I am not a white man,..." and in this same vein the book deals with all peoples: Mexican, Texican, white, Apache, and in Salazar's case a man from Argentina. All these people are caught up in both Texan and frontier love, lore, and war. I use the word 'sprawling' because this book seems somehow a book in a series of books that could have been written and projected as a mini series for TV. The Baron family is embroiled in much internal strife with wife and husband arguing, son Anson in contention with his father. The family eventually ruptures with great price to be paid in both love and friendship.

As most readers will find, this book holds the reader attention well causing one to want to continue turning pages. The writing is very smooth with generally small chapters. Both the events and the characters cause the reader to want to know more about them and their eventual outcomes. Not so much a 'western' as a novel of a large ranch and the various peoples drawn onto the million acre Baron range.

Semper Fi.

I liked it. The story shows you what the early settlers in Texas had to face every day.

This book is written in the style made famous in "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara (also known as "Gettysburg," the name given to the film based on the book). Well researched history comes alive by telling the story through the eyes, ears, and words of characters who are themselves as well researched as possible. "The Better Angels of Our Nature" tries to do the same thing, and in some ways this is a good book. The history is very well done. The characters, however, are noncredible. For example, Ms. Gylanders wants us to see how bloody the war is, and characters bleed and die, but somehow they are never convincingly in pain. One dying soldier seems unaware of his own pain and wants only to protect his brother's feelings. Another severely injured character, weak from loss of blood, parched, unfed, and captured by the enemy, nevertheless has absolutely no loss of energy and quibbles with the enemy over every word he says. The characters are also not credible in the way they interact. The text tells us about affection between some of the characters, but their actions show only one mistreating the other. A woman who has spurned the attentions of each and every suitor is totally bereft, completely devastated, when one of them stops writing to her. A nurse who has comforted every character in the book, the sick and the dying, the emotionally needy, Confederate and Federal alike, inexplicably won't even look at General Sherman's ailing son.

If you read this book for its history, you may well like it. But if you hope to have the history brought to life by the characters, you will probably be disappointed.

Stunning! An exploration of the humanity of man during the violence of War. A wonderful narrative in the manner of Howard Bahr's gripping Civil War trilogy. Ms. Gylanders exhaustive 7 year study and research of General William T. Sherman's actions during the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg are noteworthy. She vividly re-creates them in wonderful detail with all the drama, brutality, and camaraderie that men and women at war experience. Although a work of historical fiction, Ms. Gylanders imparts to the reader the feel and empathy of America's most terrible conflict. She is able to create all the sights, sounds, and smells of men at war wrapped in the emotions and feelings of fear, exhilaration, sorrow, and happiness at being alive! It is not enough to be apart of the horrific battles and survive, but to also be able to touch the very soul of man's being and live! All this Ms. Gylanders imparts in her classic debut novel of the Civil War.

The plot is both complex and simple; a weave of human emotion from despair to giddy happiness. Jesse, a stranger, appears in General Sherman's camp several days before the battle of Shiloh. The manic and complex Sherman takes Jesse under his venerable wing. For much of the first half of the book Jesse is assumed to be a boy, until her friend the irascible and compassionate surgeon Seth Cartwright discovers that Seth the boy is really a GIRL. The surgeon tries to keep the secret but Jesse's heroic actions and humane hospital skills brings her to the attention of everyone including General U.S. Grant. As Sherman's aide the secret is finally revealed after she is injured in battle. Sherman is beyond furious for the deception but can not part with the aide he has grown to depend on for humanity. The story continues as the person Jesse falls in love with eventually discovers that Jesse is a women. Complex yes, but Ms. Gylanders weaves the tale in such a delightful and believable way that the story takes on the air of truth. More, much more is involved and begs to be told but that is what the book is for.

Plot is extremely well done and very believable. Character development is some of the best I have ever read. General Sherman is one of two of the most complex men of the American Civil War; Nathan Bedford Forrest is the other. Ms. Gylanders examination of Sherman is full of pathos, understanding, and admiration. Her rich prose paints a man of humanity in turmoil at having to fight a total war of brutality. No gratuitous violence or sex although the Civil War battles were horrific in and of themselves.
Must read recommendation, especially if you like Howard Bahr.
Well Done Ms. Gylanders

When I first ordered I thought I orderd the hard copy.
Please read carefully if you wish to order the Unit Plan in book form. After receiving it though I have the PDF file and can print to make qizes, tests. Pretty good study guide to creat your own assessments or use theres, versatile.
Follows both the book and DVD movie very well.

When I read the novel, The Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen, I was moved. I thought and thought about what approach I wanted to take when I introduced it to my 8th grade students. This teacher "tool" simplified my fears and made teaching the novel much easier and more significant to my students. The step by step guide is excellent for beginner teachers as well as those who have taught the novel before. It gives insight to the Holocaust and examples of bringing difficult situations to a middle school level. I would recommend it to any language arts or history teacher who wishes to use this novel in the classroom and be successful in doing it.

This book is continued and I would like very much to find the next book in this series.I liked the book very much. Diferent. Doyce Watkins

I bought this book at an "used books-store" and thought it would be a simpel novelette. But I started reading.. And loved it. It's a story about an impossible love between two young people and I would love to know how it finishes. Could someone please tell me? In Holland, they can't find the title of the book that continues the story!

This collection of journal articles assembled by Sherman and Alcock is somewhat thought prevoking. Unfortunately that is where it ends. Most of the articles are subjective in nature and often lack any real scientific structure (e.g., no data, unclear methods, etc.) If, however, you enjoy a good biological debate, this book contains many articles which argue various points of view (with various degrees of ability) on subjects such as sociobiology, coevolution, and behavioural genetics.

As a third year university studentm, I read this text as supplementary reading for our Animal Behaviour undergraduate course last semester. Throughout the duration of the course I was suitably impressed with the presentation of the material in the class (particularly due to the notable performances of the two profs teaching it) but found that this text was a truly engaging read that helped round out my learning experience.

While it does not follow the structure of a true scientific report, we do keep in mind that it is composed of excerpts from a scientific magazine that also caters towards the laypeople (i.e. those who have no major scientific background), just like Scientific American and Wildlife Conservation (although both those magazines are even more general than the American Scientist!). I found this to be one of the best supplementary texts that we have been given at the university so far, due to the scope of interesting topics presented, from canid domestication to prairie-vole partnerships to human mating strategies. As many of my other classmates, I read the rest of the book (as well as parts of the other assigned textbook) without the necessity of our profs assigning readings, growing more and more attached to the amazingly captivating field of ethology.

As I mentioned before, this text is not written in the format of a scientific journal, but it still educates and inspires readers of our generation to investigate the issues discussed further in depth (even during our spare time) by using those aforementioned scientific journals to glean valuable insight into actual experimental methods. Excellent!