Cozy Classics: Pride and Prejudice, by Jack Wang and Holman Wang (based on the book by Jane Austen)

Cozy Classics: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Authors: Jack Wang and Holman Wang

Based on the book by Jane Austen 

Publisher: Simply Read Books 

Publication Date: November 15, 2012 

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Let's just get this out of the way right off the bat. Some of you are huge Jane Austen fans. You know who you are. Of course you do, you're not ashamed of it. There are millions of you. And among you Jane Austen fans, many of you have a child in your life. Maybe it's not your own child, but a niece or a nephew, a friend's baby, a neighbourhood kid who waves at you on the way to work. Whatever. The point is, you will buy them this book. It's just a scientific fact. There's no way around it, really. It's freaking adorable, for one thing. Look at that felt doll on the cover! She has mud on her skirt and everything! You'd be crazy to think you can resist the charm of that. It's like weapons-grade cute right there.

Now parents: be prepared. If you have a friend or a relative or a chatty co-worker who loves Jane Austen, even ironically (whatever that means), you will most likely be receiving this book at some point. Don't be alarmed. It's cute and harmless...although I will admit that it's a little disconcerting to see a felt doll with cleavage.

Hit the jump for Magda's Take and more pictures from the book!

Changing Tomorrow 2: Leadership Curriculum for High-Ability Middle School Students Grades 6-8, by Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Ed.D. and Linda D. Avery, Ph.D.

Changing Tomorrow 2:

Leadership Curriculum for High-Ability Middle School Students

Grades 6-8

Authors: Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Ed.D. and Linda D. Avery, Ph.D.

Editor: Jennifer Robins

Publisher: Prufrock Press

Publication date: November 1, 2012

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Changing Tomorrow 2 outlines an entire unit plan for teachers on the theme of leadership, with lesson plans that include in-depth study of several famous leaders, including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Pablo Picasso, Charles Darwin and more. Students are asked, through a series of lessons and projects, to learn more about each person and assess the ways in which each does or does not exemplify the qualities of leadership. This leaves a lot of room for class discussion and critical thinking because even though all of the people included in the book are exemplary in many ways, even great humans have their flaws and their detractors. The lesson plans in the book encourage students to ponder whether a person's positive contributions to society outweigh their bad decisions, or whether it is even necessary for them to do so in order for us to rightly admire them as great leaders.

Countdown with Milo and Mouse, by Mike Austin

Countdown with Milo and Mouse
(The Adventures of Milo and Mouse)
Author: Mike Austin
Publisher: Blue Apple Books
Publication Date: May 22, 2012
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This spaceship-themed counting book is cute and fun, though the illustrations are a bit busy at times, making it a bit hard to read. Other than that, it's fantastic. I particularly liked how the counting was used in two different practical ways--first, as a countdown for the rocket ship, and then again as a number of steps the rocket ship takes (first they visit the moon, etc.). So many counting books for preschoolers simply showcase quantitative numbering (one duck, two dogs, three glasses of milk, etc.) which is fine, but it's nice to see other uses for numbers and counting in a picture book. After I read this with my three-year-old, I noticed her going around the house saying, "First, I'm going to get a book. Two, I'm going to read the book. Three, I'm gonna put the book away. Four, I'm gonna get another book!" Awesome!

Differentiating Instruction with Menus for the Inclusive Classroom: Language Arts Grades 6-8, by Laurie E. Westphal

Differentiating Instruction with Menus for the Inclusive Classroom:

Language Arts Grades 6-8

Author: Laurie E. Westphal

Editor: Sean Redmond

Publisher: Prufrock Press

Publication date: November 1, 2012

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I can't say enough great things about this series. On the other hand, I'm a preschool teacher, so my lesson planning looks a lot different than that described in this book, so why should you believe me? Because I'm an awesome book reviewer, that's why!

And also because my partner Mike teaches middle school English and Social Studies (junior high, as it's known here in Canada) and this is what he had to say:

"I particularly liked the way the choice boards were set up with 'free choice' options. Like in the bingo or tic-tac-toe menus, the whole board may have different things like "write a newspaper article" or "create a children's book" but then in the centre there'll  be "free choice." Of course the kid is going to choose that. But the trick is for 'free choice' they actually have to come up with their own project idea and write a proposal explaining it and get it approved before they even start. But writing a proposal is something you can grade them on! So it's like getting them to do a bonus assignment before they even do the real assignment. And the whole time the student is thinking he's getting away with something because he chose the 'free choice' square. Genius."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Differentiating Instruction With Menus for the Inclusive Classroom: Social Studies Grades 6-8, by Laurie E. Westphal

Differentiating Instruction With Menus for the Inclusive Classroom: 

Social Studies Grades 6-8

Author: Laurie E. Westphal

Editor: Sean Redmond

Publisher: Prufrock Press

Publication Date: November 1, 2012

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Oh these books make me excited! The entire series is filled with such enthusiasm for teaching and so many great ideas for teachers that I actually get a little tingly when I read them.

First of all, I love the idea of creating choice boards (or menus) for students' assignments. It's such a great way to incorporate different means to a common end. This is good for a classroom in which many students may have IPPs (individualized program plans) so they have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways.  (A student with dyslexia may choose to do an oral or a visual presentation instead of a written assignment, for example.) More importantly, it empowers the students to make the choice themselves, so they can decide which assignments best play to their strengths (The student with dyslexia may prefer the written assignment because it allows more time for proofreading and revision as needed.) And, of course, it allows all of the students to have a variety of assignments to choose from, not just those with identified special needs.

And, as Westphal points out, having an inclusive classroom doesn't just mean taking students' different learning abilities into consideration It also means paying attention to things like socioeconomic differences. One thing she suggests is the "$1.00 contract," in which students and their parents verify that no more than $1.00 was spent on additional materials for a project. This encourages students to be more resourceful with materials available in the classroom or to re-purpose things they have at home, and evens the playing field for students who may not be able to afford expensive presentation materials or props.

There Were Dinosaurs Everywhere! A Rhyming Romp Through Dinosaur History

There Were Dinosaurs Everywhere!

A Rhyming Romp Through Dinosaur History

Author: Howard Temperley 

Illustrator: Michael Kline 

Publisher: KWS Publishers 

Publication Date: October 26, 2012 

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What a fantastic book! It's eighty pages of funny and informative poems about dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures (my resident dino-geek, Mike, insisted that I make the distinction since not all prehistoric creatures that we think of as 'dinosaurs' were, in fact, classified as dinosaurs). The illustrations are cute and charming, showing dinosaurs in silly situations, like pterosaurs with aviator glasses and a triceratops curled up in bed with insomnia. My three-year-old also enjoyed reading it with me, though it is intended for an older child and would be perfect for any elementary school aged dinosaur lover.

Normally I don't make reference to books being "girl" books or "boy" books. Actually, it's a pet peeve of mine that there even ARE books that are only meant for one gender or the other, especially with books for children. As a mother of a young child, I'm constantly irritated with how much genderizing the world seems to want to do to my daughter, even in books. But one thing I did love about this book is that it does not appear gender biased. Sometimes dinosaur things are subtly (or not so subtly) geared toward boys, but this book shows illustrations of girls and boys both, and refers to the dinosaurs mostly as "it" or "they" (instead of always "he"). It's a small thing, but I appreciated it.
Hit the jump for Magda's Take and more...

How to Handle Difficult Parents: Proven Solutions for Teachers (2nd edition), by Suzanne Capek Tingley

How to Handle Difficult Parents: 

Proven Solutions for Teachers

(2nd edition)

Author: Suzanne Capek Tingley

Editor: Lacy Compton

Publisher: Prufrock Press

Publication Date: August 1, 2012

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I've been a preschool teacher for about a decade now, and my partner Mike is in his first few years as a middle school teacher, so we've both had reason to be concerned about "difficult parents." It's important to stay professional and focused, but some parents can drive you around the bend! Most of the time, parent interactions are smooth and easy, but for those other times, there's this book. 

Mike and I agreed that we had never encountered a resource for educators about dealing with parents that was so, well, readable. We both read this book cover-to-cover almost as soon as we got it, often waiting impatiently for one to be finished a chapter so the other could keep reading. We skipped back and forth between sections, saying things like, "Did you read that part about the helicopter parents? I wish I'd read that before parent-teacher night!" This book was the subject of frequent conversations for several weeks.

And it's written to be conversational. Suzanne Capek Tingley is speaking directly to educators, almost as though she were in the room. She gets that we work hard, we do our best and we genuinely care about our students, BUT that there are times we just wish we could throw a coffee mug right at sweet little Johnny's blowhard dads (But don't do it, she cautions!) She also gets that we all want to be professional and not let difficult situations escalate if we can help it. In other words, she's on our side.