Kaufman Speech Praxis Treatment Kits 1 and 2 by Nancy Kaufman

The Kaufman Speech Praxis Kits 1 and 2 were developed to help children ages 2-6 with apraxia of speech. Each comprehensive kit includes over 200 visual cards targeting the syllable shapes children with apraxia need to master. This systematic treatment program simplifies word pronunication patterns and can help children become more effective vocal and verbal communicators.

The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Movement by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala (372.868 LEN)

Are some of your students very active? Are students sometimes restless during classroom activities? Do you notice students who attend better in class following gym class or recess? This clever book takes physical activity beyond gym class and recess and right into your classroom! Research shows that regular physical activity helps all children and teenagers perform better in school. This book is filled with suggestions of movement activities which can be easily integrated into the classroom as part of teaching and learning, many in two minutes or less.

To read makes my speaking English good?

Confession time...when it comes to grammar I am one of those people. You know...the kind who will edit someone's doodles, or worse, their e-mails/Facebook updates/love letters. If you haphazardly scribble me a note I will read it, acknowledge it, and probably add a comma. I can't help it - I love writing, editing, and grammar, especially when it's used correctly. So for this post I would like to share some of the best grammar resources I've found in the SERC Library...



The Chortling Bard - Caught'ya! Grammar with a Giggle for High School (IM 428.00712 KIE)
Tee-hee...chortling indeed...even this book's cover illustration of a puffed up Shakespearean type incites a laugh. In this 226-page resource, the author uses three of the Bard's most famous tales to teach writing mechanics to high school students at any level. She adapts the stories into modern, vocabulary-rich English, and includes thorough sentence breakdowns, word and literary device lists, and corresponding exams, as well as a grammar reference handbook. And as an added bonus, she includes a warm-up exercise for students to construct Shakespearean insults, pointing out that the average person won't know the origins of the words anyway, and that "English teachers are so thrilled that you are using Shakespeare that they won't mind." Now come check out this book, you gorbellied, clapper-clawed connigit!

Grammar Games (CD 372.61 DAV)
This award-winning CD-ROM contains four games for children to practice their grammar knowledge, including proper punctuation, formation of plurals and possessives, and identification of sentence fragments. Each game has multiple difficulty levels, allowing children of all ages to partake in the educational fun. The jungle-themed games (Rain Forest Rescue, Falling Fruit, Hidden Wonders, and Jungle Gizmo) are vibrantly colored and accompanied by a lively beat. This program will work both in and out of the classroom, so parents be sure to check this one out.

Tic-Tac-Grammar (IM 372.61 WIL)
This unique 166-page book fuses grammar lessons with the classic game of Tic-Tac-Toe. There are more than 150 different game sheets included, on which students match pictures with sentences in a fun, lightly competitive way. The games prompt students to make corrections to the provided sentences, in addition to coming up with new ones of their own. The book also contains additional activity ideas, recommended book lists, and blank Tic-Tac-Toe game pieces so that teachers can put their own creativity to good use. The excellent grammar guidance makes checking out this book a no-brainer - the only thing left to decide is who will be X's and who will be O's!

English Grammar in Use: A Self-Study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students of English (IM 428.24 MUR)
Now...admittedly, the first three materials in this post speak to the more light-hearted side of teaching. But this book here? Serious business. This recently revised third edition is nearly 400-pages long, and contains hundreds of grammar rules with corresponding self-check exercises. There is also a CD-ROM included, with hundreds of additional practice activities, audio recordings of major grammar points, a built-in dictionary, and customized tests to help readers work on the areas of their choice. Though geared more towards self-study than school curriculum, teachers will find plenty of material to incorporate into their own lesson plans. It is also excellent for educators, college students, and any other individuals who need to brush up on their writing proficiency, or frankly, for grammar nerds like myself who get a cheeky delight out of testing our syntax savvy. Fun!


Note from the Grammar Police: Please feel free to point out any grammatical errors in this post in the comments. Statistics show a high likelihood of making a grammatical error when writing about not making grammatical errors.

World Folk Art and Fables Week, March 22-28

The end of March ushers in not only the first peek of springtime, but also an international celebration of cultural history with World Folk Art and Fables Week. From ancient Rome to the dynasties of China to the native tribes of the Americas, folk stories are a fundamental part of our human history, and indeed they are one of the few commonalities shared by all cultures. The most wonderful thing about fables is the way that they seamlessly weave together entertainment and education, sweeping you up into a web of human tradition and spirit while also leaving you with valuable lessons. We're all familiar with Aesop's Fables, but there are thousands of lesser known tales of equal value, including some that can be found right here in the SERC Library!

Native American Animal Stories, Told by Joseph Bruchac (YP F BRU)
Though this 136-page book is located in our Young People's collection, the stories and illustrations within will entertain those of all ages. With 24 legends from tribes such as the Hopi, Mohawk, Tlingit and Dakota Sioux, as well as maps, tribal nation descriptions, and a glossary, this book will enrich your understanding of Native American history and legend.



The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales, told by Virginia Hamilton (YP F HAM)
This award-winning 178-page anthology presents a wealth of stories. Divided into categories like animal tales, fantasy, supernatural, and slave tales of freedom, the literature presented here will excite you, inspire you, amuse you...and maybe even scare you!



Golden Tales: Myths, Legends, and Folktales from Latin America, by Lulu Delacre (YP F DEL)
This 80-page book is filled with exciting tales from countries such as Bolivia, Mexico, and Cuba. But it is the gorgeous full color oil painting illustrations that really bring this book to life, along with all of its heroes, monsters, and fantastical creatures.



Afterwards: Folk and Fairy Tales with Mathematical Ever Afters, by Peggy Kaye (IM 372.7044 KAY)
This two-part series intersperses math lessons with classic stories to enhance children's understanding of the material, with one book designated for grades 1-2 and the other for grades 3-4. From measuring the growth of Rapunzel's hair to arranging Baba Yaga's dinner table to outwitting the trickster Anansi himself, these books are a unique way for teachers to combine math and literature.



Working Together: Building Children's Social Skills Through Folk Literature, by Gwendolyn Cartledge & James Kleefeld (IM 303.32 CAR)
This unique multimedia kit uses folktales from around the world to teach social skills to children in grades 3-6. It includes dozens of activities designed to enhance vital skills, including time management, respecting others, negotiation conflict and speaking positively. The kit comes with 5 audiotapes and 31 posters to aid with the lessons.


The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories, edited by William J. Bennett (FAM 808.8038 BEN)
We placed this book into our Family collection because there are few things that can bind a family together like shared stories and memories. In this colossal 832-page volume the author uses well-known tales to illustrate 10 key tenets of the human condition, such as demonstrating compassion with "The Little Match Girl" and courage with "Chicken Little", along with scores of others ranging from Greek myths to the Gettysburg Address. Why not take a cue from the simpler times these stories convey and turn off the television in favor of sharing a story or two with your own family?

Early literacy skills builder (ELSB). By Diane Browder, Susan Gibbs, Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell, Ginerva Courtade, and Angel Lee, 2007. (IM 372.4145 BRO)

Have you met Moe the frog? This cute puppet with corresponding stories and activities make this program student-friendly. The ELSB language-rich literacy curriculum was developed for students ages 5 to 10 with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. It uses systematic instruction to teach both print and phonemic awareness to students with cognitive disabilities, autism, developmental delays, multiple disabilities and mild disabilities who are English learners. The ELSB is a multi-year program with seven distinct levels and ongoing assessments.

Mastermind behind Wikipedia launches education video website

Larry Sanger, who co-founded Wikipedia, has started a new online community aimed at educators and students. The website, www.watchknow.org, features an extensive library of education-related videos for children from ages 3 to 18. It also offers indispensable advice to teachers through the video format. For example, a simple search on geometry, filtered for ages 17-18+, returns such results as: "Helpful Ways to Teach Geometry", "Quadrilateral Song" and "How to Solve Geometry Proofs". Users can create accounts that allow them to add videos and edit descriptions. Because of this reliance on users to both expand and organize the collection, Sanger himself has described WatchKnow as "YouTube meets Wikipedia". Though still in in its infancy, WatchKnow already has 11,762 videos (and counting!). Considering the scope of material available on sites like YouTube and Wikipedia, it is not unlikely to think that one day WatchKnow's collection could be truly powerful in its ability to harness the power of the internet by bringing together people and ideas on a global level. So bookmark WatchKnow, spread the word to your fellow educators, direct your children there, and most importantly, contribute your own unique talent and voice. And for now, check out these videos found by browsing the poetry section....

Shel Silverstein narrating his poem "Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too":



T.S. Eliot narrating his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock":



Langston Hughes narrating his poem "I, Too":

Keymath-3

The Keymath-3 Essential Resources: Levels I and II are instructional kits and companion tools of the Keymath-3 Diagnostic Assessments available in the SERC Library. These kits enable teachers of students performing at grade levels 3-5 to provide math interventions directly based on a student's Keymath-3 DA results. A CD-ROM contains masters for guided and independent practice and assessment material for progress monitoring. This kit can be used independently of the Keymath-3 DA. Level I is for Grades K-2 and Level II is for Grades 3-5 (IM 513.2 CON).