Nonfiction Books

<DIV>Despite the best efforts of educators, our nation’s schools are dangerously obsolete. Instead of teaching students to be critical thinkers and problem-solvers, we are asking them to memorize facts for multiple choice tests. This problem isn’t limited to low-income school districts: even our top schools aren’t teaching or testing the skills that matter most in the global knowledge economy. Our teens leave school equipped to work only in the kinds of jobs that are fast disappearing from the American economy. Meanwhile, young adults in India and China are competing with our students for the most sought-after careers around the world. <p>Education expert Tony Wagner has conducted scores of interviews with business leaders and observed hundreds of classes in some of the nation’s most highly regarded public schools. He discovered a profound disconnect between what potential employers are looking for in young people today (critical thinking skills, creativity, and effective communication) and what our schools are providing (passive learning environments and uninspired lesson plans that focus on test preparation and reward memorization).<p>He explains how every American can work to overhaul our education system, and he shows us examples of dramatically different schools that teach all students new skills. In addition, through interviews with college graduates and people who work with them, Wagner discovers how teachers, parents, and employers can motivate the “net” generation to excellence.

An education manifesto for the twenty-first century, <i>The Global Achievement Gap is provocative and inspiring. It is essential reading for parents, educators, business leaders, policy-makers, and anyone interested in seeing our young people succeed as employees and citizens.

For additional information about the author and the book, please go to www.schoolchange.org


 

Written in an accessible style for all those who work with young children or will, the author asks the reader to think of the child in the context of the family and community. Reorganized and updated, the book continues to examine developmental theory, but now with a greater emphasis on Bronfenbrenner's theory of ecological development, discussed in Chapter 1, and more on the importance of contexts of development woven throughout. The book goes beyond encouraging mere parent involvement to how to develop a true collaboration and working relationship through good communication. It also continues to have strong coverage of cultural diversity and present personal examples and vignettes. The text explores many hot-button issues of the day such as supporting self-esteem, discipline, attachment, coping with separation, teen parents, child-abuse, children with ADHD, shy children, aggressive children, conflict resolution, problem solving, and gender issues. Full of real life examples and personal insights, the book is designed and written for not just teachers, but caregivers, child-care workers, and parents.All readers are expected to reach into their own experience, knowledge, ideas and insights to make sense of the new information in the text in the context of their own lives.

Parents can assure their child's success in language arts with this simple-to-use, scripted guide. First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind uses picture study and other classical techniques to develop the child's language study in those first two all-important years of school. Each lesson leads the parent, step-by-step, through the simple oral and written projects that build reading, writing, spelling, storytelling, and comprehension skills. Use this book to supplement school learning, or as the center of a home-school language arts course.

This practical text is designed to meet the needs of administrators, as well as current and practicing teachers across all grade levels who are trying to create effective partnerships with families. It provides an overview of modern families and their complex roles, to sensitize teachers to the diversity and needs of families they will encounter. The text fully discusses both the benefits of creating productive partnerships and the barriers that teachers must work beyond. Practical and effective communication strategies are described, with abundant examples. Emphasis is placed on current developments in the field of early childhood education, legislative mandates in education, and position statements from professional organizations. A discussion of No Child Left Behind and updated NAEYC Code of Ethics accreditation standards for programs and for teacher education supports this emphasis.

<I>The Process of Parenting is a comprehensive introduction to parenting that describes the many ways parents and caregivers can translate their love and concern for children into effective parenting behavior. With a strong emphasis on the developmental process and in the changing nature of parent-children relationships over time, the book presents a wide range of theories and research with a focus on real-life applications. Two basic tasks of parenting are emphasized as ultimate ends: creating close emotional relationships with children and supporting the development of children’s full potential.

What will your child be expected to learn in the first grade? How can you help him or her at home? How can teachers foster active, successful learning in the classroom? This book answers these all-important questions and more, offering the specific shared knowledge that hundreds of parents and teachers across the nation have agreed upon for American first graders. Revised and updated, filled with a wealth of opportunities for reading aloud and fostering discussion, this first-grade volume of the acclaimed Core Knowledge Series presents the sort of knowledge and skills that should be at the core of a challenging first-grade education. Discover:

Favorite Poems, old and new, such as "The Owl and the Pussycat," "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod," and "Thirty Days Hath September"

Beloved Stories from many times and lands, including a selection of Aesop's Fables, "Hansel and Gretel," "All Stories Are Anansi's," "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," and much more

Familiar Sayings and Phrases such as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and "Practice makes perfect"<br><li>World and American History and Geography--take a trip down the Nile with King Tut, and learn about the early days of our country, including the story of Jamestown, the Pilgrims, and the American Revolution<br><li>Visual Arts--fun activities plus full-color reproductions of masterworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Georgia O'Keefe, and others

Music--engaging introductions to great composers and music, including classical music, opera, and jazz, as well as a selection of favorite children's songs

Math--a variety of activities to help your child learn to count, add and subtract, solve problems, recognize geometrical shapes and patterns, and learn about telling time<br><li>Science--interesting discussions of living things and their habitats, the human body, the states of matter, how we measure things, how electricity works, our solar system, and what's inside the earth, plus stories of famous scientists such as Thomas Edison and Rachel Carson

This completely revised and attractively redesigned edition of one of the most popular volumes in the bestselling Core Knowledge Series features up-to-date ideas and information based on input from parents and teachers across the country.

With sixteen pages of full-color illustrations, a bolder, easier-to-follow format, and a thoroughly updated curriculum, What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know, Revised Edition,reflects the Core Knowledge Foundation’s ongoing commitment to providing a solid educational foundation for today’s elementary school students. <br><br><b>What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know, Revised Edition,covers the basics of language arts, history and geography, visual arts, music, math, and science. A collection of American speeches, tales from around the world, math problems, and biographies of famous scientists add to the book’s usefulness and enhance the pleasure of both adult and child as they work together. Hundreds of thousands of children have benefited from the Core Knowledge Series. This revised edition gives a new generation of fifth graders the knowledge they need to make progress in school and establish an approach to learning that will last a lifetime.