READING / LITERATURE
PROGRAMS
BOB JONES READING (1-6)
This reading program is the most comprehensive
I’ve seen, incorporating phonetic reading at the
lowest levels (correlated to phonics instruction),
a full range of comprehension skill development,
and reading-related skills not usually found in a
basal program (map skills, reading and making
schedules, word skills, time lines, literary skills,
and many more). The Teacher’s Manual contains
daily lesson plans, with a complete presentation
of the lesson, and student reading pages, either as
a full size text, or in reduced size. Each reading
lesson begins with skill development, the reading
lesson, and optional enhancement or reinforcement activities. In the younger grades, many of
the skill development sections reinforce phonetic
and decoding skills. Many of the lessons refer to
the Flip Charts for reading lists of words with the
constructs being studied. The reading selections
are wholesome, engaging, and include all genres
- biographies, narrative exposition, historical
fiction, Bible stories, imaginary (fantasy) stories,
etc. These acquaint students with different types
of literature from the beginning - a feature lacking
in most other basal readers, which predominately
seem to contain stories. As with all Bob Jones
lines, the content is tacitly Christian. Typeset
used in the readers is age-appropriate and not
eye-straining. Most reading comprehension is
done orally, but student worktexts contain skill
practice pages and some exercises to test or
reinforce student understanding. A Teacher’s
Edition of the worktext has answers overprinted
in red. The accompanying chapter-by-chapter study, along with background information
and discussion questions, is contained in the
Teacher’s Manual. Essential materials are listed
first beneath each grade level, followed by asterisked (*) support materials. Home School Kits
contain all essential materials to teach one child.
The Bob Jones reading program has been a
mainstay in our schooling for years, and we
highly recommend it.
Grade 1 (4th Ed.)
No longer part of the same package as the
Phonics and English 1 course, this reading
course has a lot to offer and helps develop
phonics systematically. The course consists of
a single student worktext, which is consumable
and colorful; and six reading books. The readers contain some new stories, some previouslyincluded stories, and some rewritten ones.
These introduce students to different genres,
including fiction, non-fiction, plays, poetry, and
even choral readings. Many of the stories are
centered around a Christian family, and all are
edifying and character building. The new 4th
edition pieces are compatible with the 3rd Ed.
283671 Home School Kit . . 156.67 133.15
275222 Teacher's Ed. w/ CD . . 70.83
275131 Student Readers Set . . 66.67
275206 Student Worktext . . . . 19.17
275248 *Service Word Cards . 20.83
109363*Starting Line Storybks 24.44 15.50
087221*Take Along Stories . . 24.44 15.50
182196 *Take-Along Stories 2 . 24.44 15.50
002760*Favorite Poems Old
and New . . . . . . . . . . 26.99 18.25
Grade 2 (3rd Ed.)
In this 2015 revision, four Student Texts provide
interesting selections from a variety of genres
with emphasis on silent reading for comprehension, the development of higher-order thinking,
phonics instruction, oral reading, and literary
techniques.
The Home School Kit includes the Teacher’s
Edition (2 vols.), four Student Texts (All God's
Creatures, Hearts and Hands, Memories to Keep
and Precious Treasures), the Student Worktext,
and the Worktext Teacher’s Edition.
501122 Complete Home School Kit
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218.60 185.80
294298 Teacher’s Ed w/CD (2 vols.) 79.72
278911 Student Text 2A . . . . . 18.61
278929 Student Text 2B . . . . . 18.61
294231 Student Text 2C . . . . . 18.61
294249 Student Text 2D . . . . . 18.61
294256 Student Worktext . . . . 32.22
294264 Worktext Teacher’s Edition 32.22
228296 *Phonics Review Student
24.44
228304 *Phonics Review Answer Key 25.56
002760*Favorite Poems Old
and New . . . . . . . . 26.99 18.25
Grade 4 (2nd Ed.)
Although some phonics review is provided
at this level, the emphasis is on preparing the
student for more challenging work as comprehension is stressed and more advanced
activities are provided. Selections are from
a mix of genres and include excerpts from
classic literature. The Home School Kit contains Teacher’s Edition, Student Text, Student
Worktext, Teaching Visuals Flip Chart, and
Worktext Teacher’s Edition,
236562 Home School Kit . . 231.58 196.80
185231 Teacher’s Edition . . . . 79.72
260463 Student Text . . . . . . . . 56.67
122796 Student Worktext . . . . 32.22
122804 Worktext Teacher’s Edition 32.22
Grade 3 (2nd Ed.)
128215 Teaching Visuals Flip Chart 30.75
The readers at this level include a variety 002760*Favorite Poems Old
of selections that encourage building posi- and New . . . . . . . . 26.99 18.25
tive virtues and character qualities. Readers
are exposed to many genres, including poet- Grade 5 (2nd Ed.)
ry, fiction, historical fiction, biographies, tall
Reading comprehension and critical reading
tales, adaptations of Bible stories and more. and thinking skills are emphasized, although
Comprehension skills are emphasized and pho- some remedial phonics is included. Selections
nics skills are reviewed. The Home School Kit include excerpts from classic literature and qualcontains Reading 3A and 3B Teacher’s Edition, ity stories from a wide variety of genres. The
Once Upon an Open Book Student Text, Not So Home School Kit contains the Teacher’s Edition,
Very Long Ago Student Text, Student Worktext, Student Text, Student Worktext, Teaching
Teaching Visuals Flip Chart, and the Worktext Visuals Flip Chart, and the Worktext Teacher’s
Teacher’s Edition. The two-volume Teacher's Edition. The two-volume Teacher's Edition also
Edition also includes the Reading for Life DVD. includes Message from Print DVD.
236463 Home School Kit . . 237.32 201.70 236612 Home School Kit . . 231.58 196.80
124289 Teacher's Edition w/ DVD 79.72 199323 Teacher's Edition w/DVD
79.72
270496 Student Text 3A (Revised)
35.56 268763 Student Text . . . . . . . . 56.67
270504 Student Text 3B (Revised)
35.56 125633Worktext . . . . . . . . . . 32.22
120782 Student Worktext . . . . 32.22 125641 Worktext Teacher . . . . 32.22
120790 Worktext Teacher’s Edition 30.56 129296 Teaching Visuals Flip Chart 30.75
123406 Teacher’s Visual Flip Chart 30.75 002760*Favorite Poems Old
228296 *Phonics Review Student
24.44 and New . . . . . . . . 26.99 18.25
228304 *Phonics Review Answer Key 25.56
002760*Favorite Poems Old
Grade 6 (2nd Ed.)
and New . . . . . . . . 26.99 18.25
Intended as a bridge to the BJU Literature program, this course emphasizes literary elements,
Bob Jones Reading 3 - 3rd Ed. (3)
study skills, listening, strategies, vocabulary
506014 Home School Kit . . 218.60 185.80 and critical reading skills. Selections remain
299230 Teacher’s Book w/ CD 79.72 a mix of classic literature excerpts and quality
299172 Reading 3A Stdt Text . 37.22 stories from other sources. The Home School
299180 Reading 3B Stdt Text . 37.22 Kit contains Teacher's Edition, Student Text,
299198 Student Worktext . . . . 32.22 Student Worktext, Worktext Teacher's Edition,
299206 Student Worktext Key 32.22 and the Teaching Visuals Flip Chart. The twovolume Teacher's Edition now also includes the
Message from Print DVD.
236737 Home School Kit . . 231.58 196.80
199331 Teacher's Edition w/DVD
79.72
270884 Student Text (Revised) 56.67
128330 Student Worktext . . . . 32.22
128348 Worktext Teacher’s Edition 32.22
129304 Teaching Visuals Flip Chart 30.75
002760*Favorite Poems Old
and New . . . . . . . . 26.99 18.25
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading / Literature
235
BOB JONES LITERATURE (7-12)
Once reading skills are mastered, the Bob
Jones reading curriculum becomes one of literature study from a Biblical perspective. Literary
constructs and techniques are learned and
explored in the context of both Christian and
secular literary selections. There is increasing
emphasis on the evaluation of literature against
a Biblical standard. As in the lower grades,
reading selections are carefully chosen and represent a variety of genres at each level. Many
of these are excerpts or short stories. Grades 8
and up also include one full-length work as part
of the course. In response to requests for more
studies of complete works, new Study Guides
have been added for The Scarlet Letter and Julius
Caesar. These can be used anytime during high
school. The Teacher’s Editions for these studies
contain the full-sized text with marginal notes as
well as background information, commentary,
discussion and/or essay questions, and project
ideas. As the course emphasis at each level is a
little different, we’ve further described individual course contents below. All of the Teacher’s
Editions contain a complete copy of the student
text. In the 9th and 10th grade books, these
are full-color with marginal notes and answers.
All other grades have the reduced student pages
in two-tone, again with marginal notes and
answers. It seems like it would be difficult to
share the student text - especially during discussion time - but it is possible to do so.
Testpacks include ready-to-use tests. Answers
are found in the Testpack Answer Keys. Essential
materials that are included in Home School
Kits are listed first by grade level, followed by
asterisked (*) support materials. Multigrade
resources are listed together at the end.
Explorations in Literature (4th Ed.) (7)
Revised for 2013, this 4th edition includes new
selections and additional teacher resources.
Students transition from reading for pleasure
to reading for wisdom, in preparation for more
analytical study in grade 8. Establishes a
Biblical perspective in six unit themes: courage,
nature and man, generosity, our land, humility,
and family. Students interpret, analyze, and
evaluate authors, works, themes, and terms in
light of Scripture.
292730 Home School Kit . . 151.95 129.15
291492 Teacher’s Edition . . . . 68.06
291468 Student Text . . . . . . . . 56.67
291500Testpack . . . . . . . . . . 15.83
291518 Testpack Key . . . . . . . 11.39
Excursions in Literature (3rd Ed.) (8)
Selections are chosen for teaching moral and
literary discernment. More analytical study here,
in preparation for the in-depth critical study of
literature beginning in grade 9. Quality literature
from authors around the world are assembled
under the themes of: choices, friends, viewpoints, adventurers, discoveries, and heroes
and villains. Teacher's Edition includes a CD
with reading quizzes, writing rubrics, additional
worksheets, test practice, and more.
256370 Home School Kit 151.95 129.15
244046 Teacher's Edtn w/ CD . 68.06
500728 ☼Student Text (Updated
Version) . . . . . . . . . . . 56.67
233072Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.83
233080 Tests Answer Key . . . . 11.39
236
Reading / Literature
Fundamentals of Literature (2nd Ed.) (9)
Rather than a thematic study,
this updated course concentrates on six important literary elements: conflict, character, theme, structure, point
of view, and tone. Students
delve more deeply into literary analysis, enabling them to
interpret and evaluate what they read in light of
God’s word. The DVD provides literary analysis
and excerpts from the drama and is not included
in the Home School Kit. Newly revised.
271254 Home School Kit . . 157.22 133.60
259986 Teacher Ed. w/ CD . . . 68.06
259960 Student Text . . . . . . . . 61.94
259994Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.83
259945 Test Key . . . . . . . . . . 11.39
205534*Cyrano de Bergerac DVD
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.95 11.95
Elements of Literature (2nd Ed.) (10)
This level continues to build on the Biblical
and literary foundation provided in the 9th
grade text.
Literary concepts are illustrated with biblical examples and analyzed and
applied to key literary selections. Units include
Imaginative Comparison, Sound & Syntax,
Allusion & Symbol, Irony, Folktale & Epic, Essay
& Short Story, Poetry and Drama. The course
culminates with Romeo and Juliet. Although
we found the selections to be rather depressing
in the first edition, the course was updated for
2012 and includes new authors and selections.
283937 Home School Kit . . 151.95 129.15
277665 Teacher's Ed. w/ CD . . 68.06
277624 Student Text . . . . . . . . 56.67
277673Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.83
277632 Tests Answer Key . . . . 11.39
205930*Romeo & Juliet DVD 14.95 11.95
205666*Julius Caesar DVD 14.95 11.95
046516 Great Expectations . . . 13.00
Course culminates with the optional study
of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
047407 Great Expectations Tchr Ed 41.11
Includes full-sized student text pages and
additional teaching information.
American Literature (2nd Ed.) (11)
A very thorough study of American literature
from the Colonial-Revolutionary period through
Modern, including an examination of the works
in relation to the authors’ lives and beliefs and
in light of the literary period in which they
wrote. More than 70 authors are included, and
critical attention is given to movements such as
romanticism, Darwinism, and religious liberalism. The content is very interesting, especially
in conjunction with American History. Includes
the complete modern play The Happy Journey
to Trenton and Camden by Thornton Wilder.
201046 Home School Kit . . 149.44 127.00
188920 Teacher Edition . . . . . 73.33
273714 Student Text (Updated) 53.89
188938Testpack . . . . . . . . . . 15.83
188953 Testpack Key . . . . . . . 11.39
American Literature 3rd Edition (11)
506154 Home School Kit . . 157.22 133.60
295915 Teacher Edition w/ CD 73.33
295881 Student Text . . . . . . . . 56.67
295923Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.83
295949 Tests Answer Key . . . . 11.39
British Literature (2nd Ed.) (12)
This updated second edition discusses the
works of almost 70 authors and is fairly similar
to the first edition, with mostly cosmetic changes. The text divides works into eight literary periods: The Middle Ages (Old English and Middle
English), the Renaissance, Tudor period, Stuart
period, the Age of Revolution (Neoclassical
and Romantic), the Age of Reform, Victorian,
and Modern. Author’s works and cultural issues
are examined in light of Scripture. This course
illuminates such religious developments as the
English Reformation, Bible translation, nonconformity, Methodism, and British hymnody.
It provides an overview of English Christianity
from its inception to the present while discussing important works of literature. A part of this
course includes the study of the Shakespearean
tragedy Macbeth. Please note that this DVD is
listed below but is not included in the Home
School Kit. The Teacher’s Edition is also revised
from the original and includes full-sized student
pages with specific analysis discussions and
biblical application suggestions.
208033 Home School Kit . . 157.22 133.60
195842 Teacher's Edition . . . . 73.33
278424 Student Text . . . . . . . . 56.67
195859Testpack . . . . . . . . . . 15.83
195867 Testpack Key . . . . . . . 11.39
205633*Macbeth DVD . . . 14.95 11.95
~~~~~~~~~~~
CHRISTIAN LIBERTY ACADEMY READING
PROGRAM (K-6)
A God-honoring program of enriching and
interesting reading. Several of the books are
excellent supplements to history and are also
listed in that section. Currently, the reading
program covers K-9. Some supplementary books
are also listed below by grade level.
Kindergarten Reader Set (K)
¾¾ It is Fun to Read
¾¾ Pals and Pets
¾¾ A Time for Home
¾¾ It is a Joy to Learn
A four-book set for earliest readers. The first
two books focus on single-syllable short vowel
words. The latter two progress into two-syllable
words and long vowels. Consonant blends are
introduced throughout the four readers. Each
book is about 60 pgs, with stories running from
1-3 pgs. Full-color, illust. by Vic Lockman.
012252 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.00 15.25
Meeting New Friends (1)
A series of short stories designed to reinforce
and apply phonics instruction. This 150-page
book also includes phonics charts and vocabulary drill.
017535 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.75
8.50
Beautiful Stories for Children (2)
At this level, it is assumed that children have
a good grasp of phonics. Selections include
real-life stories demonstrating godly character
traits and poems about children, families and
nature. New vocabulary is introduced prior to
each selection, but there are no comprehension
questions. 190 pgs.
017534 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.75
8.50
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Robinson Crusoe Reader (2)
True to the original, but rewritten at a
lower reading level and printed in larger type.
Includes teaching suggestions for art/craft activities at the end of the book.
010440 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.50
7.50
(See also Lessons from the Farmyard in our
Bible section for gr. PK-2.)
History Stories for Children (3)
Wholesome stories about various historical
figures and events in U.S. and world history are
offered in this 250-pg reader. Print is large for
still-developing eyes. Book does not contain
any comprehension questions, only additional
teacher notes. Thought questions and “model”
answers are both provided in the answer key.
012253Book . . . . . . . . . . . 14.75
8.50
000296 Answer Key . . . . . . . 4.25
3.25
064822 Student Exercises . . . 4.25
3.25
064823Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.25
3.25
Stories of the Pilgrims (4)
A rewrite of the original by Margaret Humphrey
(see our description in the History section).
Comprehension questions are included in the
book, with corresponding answers located in
the answer key.
002125Book . . . . . . . . . . . 11.75
8.50
000299 Answer Key . . . . . . . 4.25
3.25
Finding a New Land (4)
A completely revised and reworked version of
Boys and Girls of Colonial Days, this reader has
doubled in size! It now includes 8 units and
29 reading selections, including some poetry.
You will find some of the same selections as
in Boys and Girls, but plenty of “new” material
taken from other history books of yesteryear.
Stories involving famous figures, including Leif
Ericsson, Columbus, Jonathan Edwards, Paul
Revere, Betsy Ross, and Phyllis Wheatley are
mixed in with stories of colonial children.
Many stories now feature full-color illustrations,
and vocabulary words are formatted in bold.
After each story, you’ll find a list of vocabulary
words with definitions, five comprehension
questions, and an extension activity. A test
packet and an answer key are also available.
025536Book . . . . . . . . . . . 14.75 10.75
039613 Answer Key . . . . . . . 4.25
3.25
039994 Test Packet . . . . . . . 4.25
3.25
Building a New Nation (5)
The new fifth-grade reader from Christian
Liberty picks up where Finding a New Land left
off, introducing notable people and events from
America’s westward expansion through the 20th
century. Reading selections include historical
fiction, folktales, biographical accounts, poetry
and true stories. Most selections include colorful, cartoon-like illustrations, a vocabulary
list with definitions, comprehension questions
and an extension activity or two. While some
extension activities send you to websites to
discover more, or provide topics for research,
others will direct you to the Student Exercises
Booklet for a corresponding worksheet. These
activities might include word puzzles, creative
writing activities, research opportunities, story
or character analysis and more. Directions
for completing these activities and answers to
the comprehension questions are found in the
Teacher’s Manual. The test packet provides
unit tests (with multiple-choice, true/false and
vocabulary questions) and an answer key. - Jess
052568Book . . . . . . . . . . . 14.75 10.75
052569 Student Exercises . . . 4.25
3.25
052570 Teacher’s Manual . . . 4.25
3.25
052571 Test Packet . . . . . . . 4.25
3.25
Discovering New Worlds (6)
Do you remember the wonder of discovering literature? The realization that you could
go places, see things, and experience other
lives just by opening the cover of a book?
Christian Liberty Press wants your young reader
to join the ranks of those who have made that
discovery, and they’ve made it easy and inexpensive to do so. This sixth-grade addition to
their reading program provides a solid, multifaceted reader, extension activity workbook,
tests, and a just-the-answers teacher’s manual
– all for prices so low you will be tempted to
assume the program isn’t “up to snuff.” But you
would be so wrong! The 230 pg, paperback
reader includes all sorts of genres – excerpts
(fiction, biographies, autobiographies), short
stories, poetry, quotes, and Bible stories – from
all sorts of authors - classic, contemporary,
Christian. Through eight “Discovering a World
of… Adventure, Heroic Faith, Family, etc.”
units, the student is inspired and motivated to
live a more purposeful Christian life. Each of the
45 selections includes a vocabulary segment,
comprehension questions, and a suggestion for
an extension activity (literary analysis, maps,
timelines, and writing activities) along with a
full-color illustration. Classic authors include
Stevenson, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Benjamin
Franklin, Alcott, and Isaac Watts. The Text
is the non-consumable student reader. The
Workbook is not reproducible and includes
activity pages (often hands-on) for 25 of the
extension activities. The Test Booklet is unusual
in format (8.5 x 11 sheets folded sideways and
stapled) and non reproducible. Tests (one for
each unit) include vocabulary (matching) and
comprehension (multiple choice and true false)
questions. A complete answer key to the tests is
included in the booklet. The Teacher’s Manual
is simply an answer key for the comprehension
questions found at the end of each reading
selection. (May I just say how much I love a
publisher who keeps costs low by providing just
what is needed – answers – rather than a whole
lot of extra information that you feel guilty for
not including?) ~ Janice
031309Text . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.75 10.75
031287Workbook . . . . . . . . 5.25
3.95
031306 Test Packet . . . . . . . 5.25
3.95
031298 Teacher's Manual . . . 5.25
3.95
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Christian Liberty Nature Readers (K-5)
Kids love to read about animals and nature,
and Christian Liberty Press offers five readers
chock-full of interesting stories and appealing
illustrations. Book K introduces an animal
for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet, and
includes a story on each one of them. Book
1 focuses on Creation and reinforces phonics
principles. Book 2 emphasizes small creatures
and lessons from nature. Books 3 and 4 discuss
the daily routine and other aspects of animal
life. Book 5 teaches about the wonders of the
human body. Review questions provided at the
end of each chapter. Answer keys are available
for Books 1-5. These contain detailed answers
to the review questions found at the end of each
chapter in the student text.
041413 Book K . . . . . . . . . . 5.25
3.95
002539 Book 1 . . . . . . . . . . 9.50
6.95
002540 Book 2 . . . . . . . . . . 9.50
6.95
000108 Book 2 Key . . . . . . . 3.25
2.95
002541 Book 3 . . . . . . . . . . 9.50
6.95
000109 Book 3 Key . . . . . . . 3.25
2.95
000297 Book 4 . . . . . . . . . . 9.50
6.95
000298 Book 4 Key . . . . . . . 4.25
3.25
002542 Book 5 . . . . . . . . . . 9.50
6.95
000173 Book 5 Key . . . . . . . 5.25
3.95
The Story of Inventions (6)
See our complete review in Science. Extremely
interesting 280-page reader about discoveries
and inventions from the 1600’s to the 1980’s.
Comprehension questions included. 2nd Ed.
008682Book . . . . . . . . . . . 11.75
8.50
000300 Answer Key . . . . . . . 4.25
3.25
~~~~~~~~~~~
Christian Light Reading (1-8)
Learning to Read, Sunrise (2nd Ed.) (1)
How often have we been told not to judge a
book by its cover? With its rather plain packaging, this phonics/beginning to read program from
Christian Light might not fare very well. But, it
would be a big mistake to dismiss Learning to
Read just because it doesn’t have cute graphics
or a catchy title. Designed to be preparation
and an entry point for their well-constructed
reading program, LTR is phonics, and phonics
well-done! The general “feel” of the program is
wholesome, God-honoring, and rural.
Starting with frequently used consonants and
short /a/, reading is begun early (the primers are
added with the second light unit) and the decoded vocabulary grows through the introduction of
all consonants, short vowels, long vowels, /wh/,
/ch/, dipthongs (called vowel sets) – ee, ai, ay,
ea, ie, oa, oe, ue, ui – beginning and ending
blends, and finally trigraphs, compound words,
suffixes, and special vowel sounds. Consonant
sounds, short and long vowel sounds, and some
digraphs are introduced using a rhyme as a
mnemonic device. Light units include frequent
review lessons as well as a review at the end
of each unit. Lessons are designed to teach
to all the learning styles and include listening to stories, oral discussion, activity sheets,
hand motions that accompany the teaching
sequences, penmanship practice, several skillbuilding segments (e.g. working with sounds,
blending fun, reading skills), dot maps (copying
dot designs), and spelling. Classroom reincontinued...
Reading / Literature
237
forcement is emphasized and includes use of
flashcards, games, and the unique Sound Slider
(a device for practicing blending).
The four Primers have color covers and black
and white illustrations. They progress from
single words to multi-page stories. [May I take
a moment to rave about the illustrations? They
are excellent! Drawings, but well-proportioned
and very detailed with meticulous shading.
Scenes tend to be rural.] The stories contain
new sounds and sight words. Small icon-like
pictures substitute for words students have
not yet learned. [What a good idea! Stories
are much more interesting without the risk of
encouraging sight reading utilizing this pictorial
vocabulary.] Some stories contain challenge
words – untaught but can be sounded out –
which are bolded and listed in footnotes. 50
– 70 pgs each, pb
Light Units – consumable work texts with an
accent color that provide phonics reinforcement, reading comprehension, and handwriting activities. One unusual activity is the
Dot Maps, which become progressively more
complex and develop hand-eye coordination.
About 50 pgs each, pb
Practice Sheets – blackline masters (removable
answer key in middle) that provide additional
practice and activities. 52 pgs, pb
Teacher’s Guidebooks pull everything together. They are very comprehensive and include
a complete overview of the program, a detailed
scope and sequence, daily schedule and lesson
plans, reading assessment rubric, alternate tests,
games suggestions, answers to all student pages/
tests, spelling word lists, and grading/recordkeeping info. Daily lessons are scripted and
include reduced copies of light unit pages. A
nice feature; examples are given to help evaluate student work. [One of the disadvantages of
homeschooling is the lack of comparison with
other students and a good working idea of what
is acceptable. Sometimes we’re way too hard
on our kids.]
Teacher support materials include: Picture
Flash Cards (4" x 5") – full color illustrations
for each consonant, vowel, and the four main
digraphs (ch, sh, th, wh) on one side and rhymes
on back. Picture Wall Cards (8½ x 11) (see our
website) – same as Picture Flash Cards, but larger and without the rhymes. Word Flash Cards
(8 x 2¾) – both sight words and sound-out
words. Phrase Flash Cards (11½ x 4) – helps
students recognize thought segments in groups
of words. Sound Slider, an ingenious device
for practicing beginning and ending blends – a
double-sided laminated strip (4x20) listing all
consonants and four main digraphs; five doublesided, laminated “sleeves,” each with a viewing
window and a vowel positioned on one side for
beginning blends and on the other for ending
blends. Student or teacher slides a sleeve up
and down the strip to practice – then turns the
strip over and goes through the other side.
It’s hard to imagine a more let’s-get-down-tobusiness-and-learn-to-read program. Obviously
designed for a classroom setting, the easy-to-use
materials will lend themselves well to home
use and the total cost is reasonable. Necessary
components would include the Primers, the
Light Units, and the Teacher’s Guides. Nice to
have but optional would include the flashcards
and sound slider. The practice sheets might
238
Reading / Literature
or might not be necessary depending on the
student. You can expect to spend about two
weeks on each Light Unit which leaves just the
right amount of time (about 10-12 weeks) to finish up the year with the I Wonder reader from
the Christian Light Reading Program. ~ Janice
EACH PRIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.00
048910 Primer 1 – We Live
048908 Primer 2 – We Explore
048909 Primer 3 – We Learn
048907 Primer 4 – We Discover
048900 Lt Unit Set (101-110) 34.50 31.95
048898 Tchr Guide 101-105 . . 6.95
048899 Tchr Guide 106-110 . . 6.95
048901 Practice Shts 101-105 . 4.00
048902 Practice Shts 106-110 . 4.00
048904 Picture Flash Cards . . 12.00 10.95
048911 Word Flash Cards . . . 10.50 9.50
048903 Phrase Flash Cards . . 14.00 12.95
048906 Sound Slider . . . . . . . 11.00 9.95
check. To be completed in 17 days, day 16
is a review and day 17 is a Light Unit test and
extra reading time. In grades 4-8, answers to
Light Unit exercises are found in the Light Unit
Answer Keys. Light Unit answers for grades 1-3
are found in the Teacher's Guidebooks.
Teacher’s Guidebooks (coil-bound) are
designed to be used with the Reader and the
Light Units to provide a guided reading program. Well-organized and laid out, the lessons
are easy to follow. Lessons are complete with
an overview, detailed teacher’s instructions, and
daily schedules. Helpful appendices include:
study words, story verses, an index of character traits, scope and sequence, index of skills
taught, alternate reproducible tests with answers
(Light Units also contain tests), books for extra
reading, and alphabetical lists of all stories and
poems. ~ Janice
Grade 1: I Wonder
016224Reader . . . . . . . . . . . 8.50
7.75
016225 Teacher Guide . . . . . 9.00
8.25
016226 Light Units (101-105) 14.25 13.50
Grade 2: Helping Hands / Happy Hearts
(Sunrise 2nd Ed.)
016222 Helping... Reader . . . 8.50
7.75
016223 Helping... Teacher Gd 9.00
8.25
016221 Helping... Light Units (201-205) . . . . . . . . . 14.33 13.50
016219 Happy... Reader . . . . 8.50
7.75
016220 Happy... Teacher Gd 9.00
8.25
016216 Happy... Light Units
(206-209) . . . . . . . . . 14.25 13.50
Christian Light Reading Program (1-8)
This series just might have everything you are
looking for in a reading program. With a major
goal of teaching children to think clearly and
logically, the readers are highly readable and
include enjoyable anthologies of stories and
other prose selections as well as poetry and a
generous dose of Bible selections (KJV). These
selections have a strong character building
emphasis as well as a foundational biblical and
Christian worldview. Vocabulary development
is enhanced by boldfaced words that are listed
in a glossary in each book along with literary
terms. On a practical note, the hardcover books
are a nice, just-right-for-small-hands size that
lay flat with ease. As you would expect, font
size gradually diminishes throughout the grade
levels. Colorful covers and inside accent color
produce an inviting appearance, but there is a
reminder of the program’s Mennonite origins
visible in the illustrations depicting their particular mode of women’s apparel.
Just reading through the program would
be beneficial, but the support information is
well done as well. Light Units accompany
each reader. These are magazine-size worktexts that review phonics (lower elementary),
competently cover reading comprehension (all
levels), emphasize vocabulary development,
and introduce literary analysis (middle school).
Integrating these studies with practical application of Bible verses, there is also biblical
review and an encouragement toward Bible
memorization. The Light Units are designed so
the student can work somewhat independently,
with symbols to indicate when teacher help is
needed. Each Light Unit has three sections;
each section has four lessons plus a quiz or self-
Grade 3: Doors to Discovery
016213Reader . . . . . . . . . . . 10.50 9.50
016214 Teacher Guide . . . . . 12.00 10.95
016215 Light Units (301-310) 28.50 26.50
Grade 4: Bridges Beyond
016211Reader . . . . . . . . . . . 10.50 9.50
016212 Teacher Guide . . . . . . 9.00 8.25
016210 Light Units (401-405) 14.25 13.50
016209 Light Units Ans Key . . . 5.00
066181 ☼Quizzes/Test Ans Key 3.00
BBANST ☼Answer Package . . 8.00
7.25
Includes #016209 and #066181.
Grade 5: Open Windows
016228Reader . . . . . . . . . . . 10.50 9.50
016229 Teacher Guide . . . . . . 9.00 6.95
016230 Light Units (501-505) 14.25 13.50
016227 Light Units Ans Key . . . 5.00
066182 ☼Quizzes/Test Ans Key 3.00
Grade 6: Calls to Courage
028098Reader . . . . . . . . . . . 10.50 9.50
028099 Teacher Guide . . . . . . . 6.95
029494 Light Units (601-605) 14.25 13.50
029495 Light Units Ans Key . . . 2.85
Grade 7: Road Less Traveled
028100Reader . . . . . . . . . . . 10.50 9.50
028101 Teacher Guide . . . . . . . 6.95
029496 Light Units (701-705) 14.25 13.50
019758 Light Units Ans Key . . . 2.85
Grade 8: Where Roads Diverge
034755Reader . . . . . . . . . . . 10.50 9.50
034756 Teacher's Guide . . . . . . 6.95
034754 Light Units (801-805) 14.25 13.50
034753 Light Units Ans Key . . . 2.85
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Scott Foresman Reading Street (1-6)
We’ve needed this series! A secular, graded,
reading anthology program that is also a complete language arts program. I have to admit that
I’m pretty impressed with the scope, breadth,
and possibilities of this program. Considering
that it’s from a major textbook publisher, it is
surprisingly user-friendly if you take a little time
to become familiar with the various components
and decide which ones you want to integrate
into your course at home.
Incorporating an amazing array of reading
material, practically every genre is represented
– fiction: realistic fiction, drama, folktales, fantasy, fables, legend, tall tales, historical fiction,
and poetry, and nonfiction: expository, literary
nonfiction, procedural text, biography, autobiography, photo essay, and interview. Being a
fan of word pictures, I have a special appreciation for the “Envision It!” feature of this series.
Key concepts are depicted by graphics, often
creating fun and humorous mnemonic devices.
These graphics are incorporated into two handbook features – the Visual Skills Handbook
and the Visual Strategies Handbook – a part of
each text. For instance, in the 3rd grade text the
Visual Skills Handbook includes depictions of
author’s purpose, cause/effect, classify/categorize, compare/contrast, draw conclusions, fact/
opinion, generalize, main idea/details, graphic
sources, literary elements, sequence, and steps
in a process. The Visual Strategies Handbook
includes background knowledge, important
ideas, inferring, monitor/clarify, predict/set purpose, questioning, story structure, summarize,
text structure, and visualize.
The hardback Reading Street Texts (two volumes in grades 2-6; five soft-backed readers in
1st grade) are the starting point. If you wanted
to keep things simple, I think you could “do” the
course with just these readers. At first glance,
they might seem a little “busy” – at least compared to some of our other reader series. But that
busyness actually translates into the elements
that make up a complete course. Some of the
reading selections are on the inner two-thirds
of each page, and the text is interspersed with
both illustrations and their labels. For instance,
within an article titled “Meeting the Challenge
of Collecting” (Grade 3.1), there is a picture of
the anthropologists being interviewed, Incan
pottery from Peru, tapa bark cloth from Papua
New Guinea, a woven basket of the Wappo
Indians, and a mask from Cameroon. The outer
third of each page provides valuable sidebar
information. In this collecting article, one sidebar provides objectives and a short teaching
sequence on the interview genre. The remaining three provide discussion questions (Let’s
Think about . . .) on both the interview content
and its relationship to a previous reading selection. One of these questions suggests a writing
activity. This is just one example - the reading
selections are presented in a variety of ways.
In the same text, there are some that are just
well-illustrated stories without any sidebar interruptions (fiction), and some that are text plus
illustrations (non-fiction). After one of these,
there are a series of five “think critically” questions, a series of illustrations to aid the student
in retelling the story, and some biographical
information on the author. Interspersed between
the reading selections are the language arts les-
sons. These include: phonics review, writing
workshops (assignment, directions, checklist,
and model), grammar and vocabulary instruction, reading comprehension strategies, and
fluency activities. The texts are brightly (one
might even say brilliantly) full-color and literally packed with both stories and information.
I meant it when I said that going through these
texts together with your student will provide
a well-rounded reading experience as well as
complete language arts instructions. By the way,
at the back of each text is a complete glossary
and a vocabulary handbook.
However, this package provides much more.
The Guide on the Side will bring out the
teacher in you. Tab-indexed, this collection of
teacher helps – scope and sequence information, pacing chart, instructional strategies and
example lessons, monitoring progress, scoring
rubrics, research-based “routines” (i.e. lesson
plans), and strategies for differentiation (suggestions for teaching both struggling and advanced
students) – is designed for easy access and support. 384 pgs, hard back cover, spiral bound.
The Teachers Resource DVD-ROM provides
an array of printable teacher and student support
material in digital format – vocabulary, comprehension, writing and grammar activities. These
include digital whiteboard transparencies, practice
books (printable PDF forms), a colorful lesson
planner template, scoring rubrics, and vocabulary
resources (printable Envision It! vocabulary cards).
The ExamView CD-ROM provides printable
tests - weekly tests as well as unit and endof-year assessments - and includes an option
for creating your own tests. Minimum System
Requirements: Windows XP, SP, Vista SP1, and
7. Mac OS 10.5.8 or OS 10.6.4~ Janice
EACH HOMESCHOOL PKG . 124.99 109.95
055754 Grade 1
055756 Grade 4
055755 Grade 2
055757 Grade 5
037821 Grade 3
055758 Grade 6
Reading Street Sleuth (1-6)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.47 20.95
065211 Grade 1
065214 Grade 4
065212 Grade 2
065215 Grade 5
065213 Grade 3
065216 Grade 6
007147 Learning Through Sounds Bk 1 2.00
This workbook introduces short vowel and
consonant sounds. Use for the first weeks in
school, before starting the readers. 80 pgs.
007148 Learning Through Sounds Bk 2 2.00
Continuing in phonics, including blends,
long vowels, consonant and vowel digraphs,
and others. Use after Book 1, before starting the readers.
007149 Teacher’s Manual for Learning
Through Sounds Bks . . 3.95
007101 Helping Yourself . . . . . 2.00
Seatwork book for first grade. Designed
to be used along with Learning Through
Sounds; however, you may definitely use
this book with any phonics program to
reinforce letter-recognition skills. Simple
instructions are included on each page.
001951 First Steps Preprimer . 5.75
006312 First Steps Workbook . 2.00
007150 Tchr Manual for Before We
Read & First Steps . . . 3.95
001952 Days Go By (Primer) . 5.75
007151 Days Go By Workbook 2.00
005107 More Days Go By . . . 5.75
007152 More Days Go By Workbook 2.00
007153 Days/More Days Teacher
3.95
020324 Flashcards for Grade 1 12.50
Grade 2
006647
007154
004244
007155
004245
004246
007156
007157
Busy Times (Reader 2-1)
Busy Times Workbook More Busy Times (Reader 2-2)
More Busy Times Workbook
Tchr Manual Busy Times and
More Busy Times Wkbks
Climbing Higher (Reader 2-3)
Climbing Higher Workbook
Teacher’s Manual Climbing
Higher Workbook . . . . 3.95
Grade 3
006434
007158
006435
006648
007159
007160
New Friends (Reader 3-1)
New Friends Workbook Workbook Teacher's Ed.
More New Friends (Rdr 3-2)
More New Friends Workbk
Workbook Teacher's Ed.
6.50
2.00
3.95
6.50
2.00
3.95
Grade 4
006646 Building Our Lives . . . 007161 Building Our Lives Workbk
007162 Workbook Teacher's Edition
7.35
2.00
3.95
Grade 5
006645 Living Together . . . . . 007163 Living Together Workbook
007164 Workbook Teacher's Ed.
7.35
2.00
3.95
6.50
2.00
6.50
2.00
3.95
6.50
2.00
PATHWAY READING PROGRAM (1-8)
An Amish reading program which portrays
a lifestyle in which people cherish Christian
traits, and in which children gain insights into
how to behave! Families are large and stories
are centered around the family and farm. The
stories are interesting to children, if our kids are
any indicator! One of my favorites is a story
from First Steps in which little Rachel discovers,
after attempting to help mother shell peas, that
watching baby Miriam really is a good way to
help mother with meal preparations!
Although many of our customers use the
readers as a standalone, we carry the complete
reading program, including teacher’s manuals
and workbooks. Please note that the teacher’s
manuals are necessary for Before We Read, First
Steps, and Learning Through Sounds 1 and 2.
Grade 6
007165 Step By Step . . . . . . . 007166 Step By Step Workbook 007167 Workbook Teacher's Ed.
7.35
2.00
3.95
Grade 7
007168 Seeking True Values . . 007169 Seeking True Values Wkbk
007170 Workbook Teacher's Ed.
7.35
2.00
3.95
Grade 1
007146 Before We Read . . . . . 2.00
A workbook of pre-reading exercises for
those first weeks. 64 pgs.
Grade 8
007171 Our Heritage . . . . . . . 007172 Our Heritage Workbook
007173 Workbook Teacher's Ed.
7.35
2.00
3.95
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading / Literature
239
Elson Readers (K-8)
Does the name William Harris Elson ring a
bell? If so, you probably remember him for
his Fun with Dick and Jane readers. However,
earlier in his career, he created this reading
series, which first appeared in 1909. This series
has been reprinted from the 1920 edition of the
Elson readers, with the original format, layout,
study questions, and illustrations retained. The
only updating you'll find here is in some of
the text, which has been updated and edited
"only where necessary" in terms of spelling and
punctuation. All poetry has been untouched,
and the end result of the book is an edition
very faithful to the original. Like other readers from the time period, the selections will be
more advanced than we are used to seeing in
similarly-graded editions of today, but whatever difficulty may be encountered in reading
is more than made up for in the quality reading selections, many by great authors. Where
else can you be introduced to pieces by Davy
Crockett, John James Audobon, Sir Walter Scott,
Theodore Roosevelt, and Ralph Waldo Emerson
at this level? The selections also tend to focus
on our country, nature, U.S. and world history,
classic literature, the Bible, biographies of great
men, classic fairy tales and adventure stories,
and more. Readers for grades seven and eight
incorporate more "classic" American literature,
from well-known authors. The overall flavor is
a very patriotic, conservative, academic feel that
lovers of history and great literature are sure to
appreciate. Selections include a mix of prose
and poetry, and longer selections are often
divided into more manageable portions to retain
comprehension. At the lower levels, reading
selections feature folk tales, poems (including
Mother Goose), and simple, wholesome stories.
Each grade level consists of a paperback reader
and a teacher's guide. The readers contain
reading selections and a glossary. Readers
for Grade 3 and above also feature a "Helps
to Study" section with suggested comprehension questions for each reading selection. The
teacher's guide contains objectives for each section, answers to the comprehension questions,
and extension activities, which often involve
writing assignments, using graphic organizers,
hands-on activities, or answering comprehension questions for a piece that did not originally
include study questions. Vocabulary exercises
are included at the end of each unit in the
teacher's guides for upper elementary/junior
high levels, while vocabulary is incorporated
into the comprehension questions at lower
levels. In upper elementary grades, vocabulary
worksheets are strictly word-definition exercises, where the word is supplied, and the student
must write a definition. As the original readers
and teacher's guides focus primarily on reading
skill and comprehension, the updated teacher's
guides attempt to fill in the gaps as far as literature study is concerned. Therefore, some of
the extended activities focus on teaching concepts like conflict, plot, characterization, causeeffect, poetic meter, rhyme schemes, and more.
An appendix at the end of the upper elementary
teacher's guide offers advice on silent and oral
reading, graphic aids for oral presentations and
the writing process, a brief description of World
War I (often referred to in the readers, due to
the publication date) and a copy of the glossary
240
Reading / Literature
included in the reader. Primer, Book One , and
Book Two teacher's guides are more minimal,
and include comprehension/vocabulary questions for most stories, worksheets that focus
on phonics, word word usage or simple story
elements, and some guidance on including phonetic instruction into the lessons.
If you enjoy the feel and challenge of a "vintage" literature program, you'll enjoy the Elson
readers. Readers will be exposed to a variety
of quality writers, excellent nature and history writing, and a great love for our country.
As mentioned, comprehension and clarity in
reading are the main focus of the series, and
although an effort has been made to incorporate
literary structure and elements, you may wish
to supplement with a program or workbook that
spends more time on these elements. - Jess
038052Primer . . . . . . . . . . 14.95 10.75
038053 Primer Teacher . . . . 14.95 10.75
038044 Book One Reader . . 15.95 11.50
038045 Book One Teacher . 14.95 10.75
038050 Book Two Reader . . 16.95 11.95
038051 Book Two Teacher . 16.95 11.95
038048 Book Three Reader 17.95 12.75
038049 Book Three Teacher 17.95 12.75
007758 Book Four Reader . . 18.95 13.50
007778 Book Four Teacher 17.95 12.75
007728 Book Five Reader . . 19.95 14.25
007747 Book Five Teacher . 18.95 13.50
038046 Book Six Reader . . . 21.95 15.75
038047 Book Six Teacher . . 20.95 14.95
007782 Book Seven Reader 22.95 16.25
007790 Book Seven Teacher 21.95 15.75
007712 Book Eight Reader . 23.95 16.95
007723 Book Eight Teacher 19.95 14.25
McGuffey Reading Series
McGuffey's Eclectic Readers (K-AD)
Over 100 years of educational use and still
making a worthwhile contribution to homeschooling! Well-Trained Mind suggests using
the McGuffey's as read aloud material for
students starting with the Third Reader after
completing phonics instruction. And why not?
The introductory material in each reader is an
elocution course in and of itself. That's "elocution" as in "the skill of clear and expressive
speech". To give you an idea of the breadth
and scope of the readings in these books, here
is a sampling from the Fifth Reader: history The Battle of Blenheim (Southey), poetry - The
Village Blacksmith (Longfellow), character education - Do Not Meddle (unknown), science
- The Passenger Pigeon (Audubon), and literature - Squeere's Method (Dickens). There are
delightful period illustrations such as The Fish
I Didn't Catch throughout (albeit sparsely) the
books. Don't be fooled by the "Revised Edition"
on the front cover. The revision happened
somewhere between the original copyright date
of 1879 and the last copyright date of 1920.
These hardcover reprints from John Wiley &
Sons are authentic.
019178Primer . . . . . . . . . . 12.95 10.75
025733First . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.95 10.75
035463Second . . . . . . . . . 14.95 11.95
035551Third . . . . . . . . . . . 12.95 10.75
026427Fourth . . . . . . . . . . 14.95 11.95
029219Fifth . . . . . . . . . . . 14.95 11.95
029220Sixth . . . . . . . . . . . 14.95 11.95
020887 Complete Set . . . . . 94.95 62.95
McGuffy’s New Eclectic Readers (with instructions for use with Charlotte Mason teaching
methods)(PK-12)
065507 First Reader . . . . . . . . 9.99
065509 Second Reader . . . . . . 10.99
065511 Third Reader . . . . . . . 11.99
065508 Fourth Reader . . . . . . 11.99
065506 Fifth Reader . . . . . . . 12.99
065510 Sixth Reader . . . . . . . . 14.99
065503 Set of Readers 1-3 . . . 29.00
065505 Set of Readers 4-6 . . . 35.00
065504 Set of Readers 1-6 . . . 60.00
McGuffey’s Eclectic Readers 1836 Ed. (K-12)
Homeschools have sometimes been compared
to old-fashioned one room schoolhouses. And
it’s a comparison to be proud of. Back when
we were a nation of one-room schoolhouses the
literacy rate was considerably higher than it is
today. And, interestingly enough even without
today’s emphasis on “standards”, there was a
uniformity among curriculum materials largely
because there were so few being produced.
School children all across America learned to
read using the McGuffey Readers, first published in 1836. This edition is a reprint of the
original edition. As you would expect, there are
some dated elements, but the stories often have
strong moral messages that are timeless. The
upper readers include many classic selections.
018315 Primer (K-1) . . . . . . . . 9.99 7.95
018312 Pictorial Primer (1-2) . 13.99 10.95
018296 First Reader (2-3) . . . . 13.99 10.95
018331 Second Reader (3-5) . 16.99 12.50
018332 Third Reader (6-8) . . . 18.99 13.95
018302 Fourth Reader (7-12) . 24.99 19.95
018319 Progressive Speller (1-12) 13.99 10.95
018303 Parent-Teacher Guide . 9.99 7.95
018329 8-Volumes (w/ Gd) . 113.99 85.95
McGuffey And His Readers (AD)
This book provides a convincing argument for
using McGuffey's readers. Starting by examining the life of William Holmes McGuffey, the
author shares the story of how the readers were
developed and makes a case for McGuffey's
significant impact on 19th century education. It
also examines the strong moral values built into
the readers. Critics’ statements about the readers are included, as well as arguments in favor
of using the original readers instead of “updated
versions” developed without McGuffey’s input.
Excerpts from McGuffey's writings are included,
illustrating his views on education. If you want
to know more about the McGuffey readers, you
should check out this book – just be warned that
you may be inspired to switch over to using the
McGuffey readers. 214 pgs, pb. ~ Rachel
018294 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.95
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Classic Curriculum Reading Workbooks (1-4)
These workbooks corresponds to the first four
years of reading instruction using the McGuffey
Readers. Each workbook is designed for nine
weeks of instruction. The student completes
a lesson per day for four days each week with
the fifth day being review and/or quiz. A final
test completes each workbook. Answer keys
are included. The workbooks cover phonics,
reading comprehension, and language arts.
Series One and Two are used with McGuffey’s
Pictorial Eclectic Primer, the Eclectic Progressive
Speller, and Phonics Made Plain. Series Three
is used with the Pictorial Eclectic Primer, the
Eclectic First Reader, the Progressive Speller,
and Phonics Made Plain. Series Four is used
with the Eclectic First Reader, the Eclectic
Second Reader, and Phonics Made Plain.
EACH WORKBOOK . . . . . . . 13.49 10.75
Wkbk 1 Wkbk 2 Wkbk 3 Wkbk 4
Series 1 017950 017971 018017 018041
Series 2 017951 017977 018027 018048
Series 3 017962 017982 018035 018049
Series 4 017970 017989 018037 018058
Mosdos Press Literature Series (3-8)
Mosdos Press bills its
literature courses as intellectually challenging with
positive moral values. We
used the Gold book for
Mark's literature course for
one year, and we would
agree with their assessment.
So that students will see
the full range of literary
works, each level in the program is comprised
of several types of literature: short stories, poetry, nonfiction essays, plays, songs, drama selections, and even a complete novel. Selections
are from top-notch authors. A review of the
table of contents in Pearl reveals selections
from such well-known authors as Irene Hunt,
Langston Hughes, Alex Haley, T. S. Eliot, Jack
London, Leo Tolstoy, James Thurber, Robert
Frost, James Herriot, Carl Sandburg, and Aesop.
Each level consists of three components: a
hardcover student book, a softcover spiralbound teacher edition, and a softcover workbook.
The student book is quite visually
appealing, with a mixture of color photographs,
color drawings, b&w line drawings, and watermark backgrounds and borders. The desire for
visual appeal is even more obvious in Pearl (6th
grade, copyright 2003) than in Gold (8th grade,
copyright 2001), showing that visual quality is
quite important to the publisher. But quality is
much more than skin-deep. In addition to the
literary work itself, each piece is proceeded by
a Blueprint for Reading. This includes a brief
bio of the author, an introduction to the story,
and an explanation of some facet of literature.
A Word Bank lists vocabulary words to know;
however, pronunciations and definitions of the
more challenging words are given at the bottom
of the page where each first appears in the story.
Selections end with Quick Review, In-depth
Thinking, and Drawing Conclusions questions.
A Focusing On section asks the student to
examine some literary aspect of the selection.
Creating and Writing lists a few possibilities for
some type of writing related to the story.
While the teacher edition lacks the color of the
student book, it contains a wealth of information
to aid the instructor. For starters, it contains a
reduced-size version of the student text, sans
color. It also contains additional background
information about the selection and general
literary information as well, such as comments
about setting and plot. Discussion questions
(with answers), which are different from and
more detailed than the end-of-selection questions, are given along the way. Answers to
the end-of-selection questions and workbook
questions are also provided, as are pointers to
aid with the Creating and Writing assignments.
The workbook format differs slightly from
grade to grade. The 6th grade workbook contains vocabulary activities, graphic organizers,
and space to write answers to the In-depth
Comprehension Questions and the Creative
Writing exercises, plus 25 additional Creative
Writing tasks which incorporate language arts
components and facets of each type of literary genre. It also contains 25 prose pieces
with comprehension questions to help prepare students for standardized tests. The 8th
grade workbook contains Vocabulary Exercises,
graphic organizers, and a research or creative
writing activity. Answers to the questions are
included in the back of the Teacher's Editions.
A CD-ROM for each level is available which
contains all the test masters for prose selection,
unit tests, vocabulary tests and essay questions.
Use them as tests or as extra assignments.
As an instructor, I really liked this program.
I (Bob) was doing a fair amount of Mark's
instruction at this point, and I don't always
get a chance to preview the material before
discussing it with Mark. The teacher's manual
really fills in the gaps in this situation, although
it is always better for me to read the selections
prior to discussion. Mark is not a big fan of
canned literature programs (although he reads
a great deal), but in general he liked the stories
included in the program.
One final note. The program is written so
that it can be used in a secular setting, so you
won't see many references to God or the Bible.
However, the selections do maintain a high
moral tone that should be pleasing to a broad
spectrum of users. All things considered, we
believe that this program compares favorably to
programs like the Bob Jones literature program,
which we have also used at various levels.
EACH STUDENT TEXT . . . . . . . 55.00
EACH WORKBOOK (except noted)
18.00
EACH TEACHER EDITION . . . . 80.00
EACH TEST CD-ROM . . . . . . . . 69.95
Opal (3)
045666 Student Text 045725 Workbook
045791 Teacher Ed.
045664 Test CD
Ruby (4)
046265 Student Text 046266 Workbook
046267 Teacher Ed.
046264 Test CD
Coral (5)
034851 Student Text 034852 Workbook
034853Teacher
037740 Test CD
Pearl (6)
005458 Student Text 040660 Test CD
005461 Teacher Ed.
005460Workbook . . . . . . . . . 20.00
Jade (7)
005454 Student Text 030605Workbook
005455 Teacher Ed.
040658 Test CD
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Gold (8)
005449 Student Text
005453 Teacher Ed.
005450Workbook
040656 Test CD
Mosdos Short Stories Anthologies (6-9)
A perfect opportunity! That’s what this excellent collection of short stories represents. If
you’ve been wondering about the Mosdos
literature program, this 160 page collection
provides you the perfect opportunity to sample.
If you’ve been looking for a short story unit
to add to your whole book literature studies,
this is the perfect opportunity. Compiled and
structured with the same thoughtfulness and
moral content that marks their literature courses,
Mosdos presents twelve stories from contemporary (such as Gary Paulsen) and classic (such as
Anton Chekhov) authors along with a discussion
question framework designed to provoke quality teacher-student interaction. The paperback
student text includes the stories preceded by
a “Consider This” segment that provides an
introduction to some aspect of the story. Each
story includes vocabulary notes and “Thinking It
Over” questions. There are intriguing pen and
ink illustrations for each story. The spiral-bound
Educator’s Guide provides talking points for the
Consider This segments and answers for the
Thinking It Over sections. ~ Janice
042720 Silver Collection . . . . . 12.95
042721 Silver Educator’s Guide 16.00
Pearson Literature Homeschool Bundles (2015
Editions) (6-12)
EACH BUNDLE (except) . . . . 146.97 135.95
029698 6th Grade 029735 8th Grade
029720 7th Grade 029739 9th Grade
029643 10th Grade
029652 11th Grade . . . . . . 149.97 139.95
029667 12th Grade . . . . . . 149.97 139.95
ALPHA OMEGA LITERATURE COURSES (7-12)
American Literature
This course is designed to be a supplement to
the LIFEPAC Language Arts Curriculum which
introduces students to prominent American
writers. In one semester, students will study
Early American Literature, Growth of a Nation,
American Renaissance, War and Reconciliation,
Realism and Naturalism, the Modern Age,
and Modern to Post-Modern. The Boxed Set
includes five LIFEPACs and Teacher's Guide. A
set of LIFEPACs only (no teacher's guide) is also
available for additional students.
004767 Complete Boxed Set 49.95 44.96
012904 Lifepacs Only . . . . . 34.75 31.28
American Literature Switched-On Schoolhouse
This CD-ROM provides a supplement to the
SOS Language Arts curriculum. The one-semester course covers a variety of periods including early American literature, the Romantic
Period, war and reconciliation, the Modern
Age, and the Post-Modern Age. Please see our
main Switched-On Schoolhouse description in
Curriculum for more details on the lastest SOS
version. System requirements: Windows Vista
Service Pack 2/Windows 7/ Windows 8 & 8.1
and Windows 10. CD-ROM drive and printer
(recommended).
010931 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.95 51.26
Reading / Literature
241
British Literature
This semester-long course introduces students
to important British authors. Periods covered include: the Middle Ages; Tudor, Stuart,
Restoration and Neoclassical Period; Romantic
Period; Victorian Age; and the Modern Era.
Boxed Set includes five LIFEPACs and a Teacher
Guide. A set of LIFEPACs only (no teacher's
guide) is also available for additional students.
004782 Complete Boxed Set 49.95 44.96
012905 Lifepacs Only . . . . . 34.75 31.28
British Literature Switched-On Schoolhouse
This CD-ROM provides a supplement to the
SOS language arts curriculum. The one-semester course introduces students to prominent
British authors and their writings. Covers the
Middle Ages, Reformation and Renaissance,
Neoclassical Period, Romantic Era, and Modern
Age and era. Please see our main SwitchedOn Schoolhouse description in Curriculum for
more details on the lastest SOS version. System
requirements: Windows Vista Service Pack 2/
Windows 7/ Windows 8 & 8.1 and Windows
10. CD-ROM drive and printer (recommended).
010949 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.95 51.26
James Stobaugh Literature Courses
Skills for Literary Analysis (7-12)
This course is intended for use in middle
school or the Freshman level of high school.
Although it used to be a 15 week course, it
has been expanded upon and now contains 35
weeks of lessons. It can be used stand-alone
or in conjunction with its companion volume,
Rhetoric: A Classical Writing and Speaking
Course (see English). As with its sister upperlevel courses, Literary Analysis has a strong
written component as the student is required to
compose an essay for each lesson. In this same
vein, your child will need a copy of the Writer’s
Inc. Handbook which is used as a reference in
almost every assignment.
Each of the lessons focuses on a specific literary construct as students read through full-length
novels or excerpts of larger works. In some
cases, the author provides significant portions
(or the entire work) in the text. After reading
Call of the Wild, lessons refer to that novel
for studies on setting, narration, and theme.
Lessons 5 and 6 study characterization and plot
through reading of the Joseph Narrative (excerpt
from Scripture provided in text). Humor is analyzed in the context of The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer. A large portion of Idylls of the King
(by Tennyson) is included in the text for lessons
8-9 which look at allegory and characterization. Students also read Treasure Island (plot
and tone), How Green Was My Valley (narration), Alice in Wonderland (theme and parody),
Oracle of the Dog (dialogue), Screwtape Letters
(humor vs. satire), Uncle Tom’s Cabin (propa242
Reading / Literature
ganda and allegory), Anne Frank: The Diary
of a Young Girl (character development and
setting), Silas Marner (coincidence, irony/sentimentality, and theme), The Religious Life of the
Negro (precis), Anne of Green Gables (characterization and theme), Ivanhoe (world views
exemplified in characters), Shane (suspense and
internal conflict), A Midsummer Night’s Dream
(drama), Letters (letters), The Midnight Ride of
Paul Revere (poetry), and a short story, “Lady or
the Tiger”. Each lesson includes an explanation
of the literary term (often accompanied by reference to Writer’s, Inc.), the Assignment (a literary
analysis essay), a Writing Style component, Peer
Evaluation (have a sibling evaluate one of your
essays), Vocabulary (consisting of student making/keeping index cards of unknown words),
Journal Writing (following a format supplied in
the appendix - really more a Bible study/devotion), Biblical Application discussion/question,
and usually a Challenge Question. The last
lesson is a final project in which students write
an essay on a book not included in the course.
Another substantial revision is in the teacher’s
edition, which used to be just a partial solution manual to help evaluate responses. Now
weighing in at over 375 pages, the teacher book
contains lesson plans, teacher helps, suggested
weekly schedules, student lesson assignments
(with answers), literature excerpts, appendices,
and a DVD with additional information from
the author. The student book is smaller and
includes suggested weekly schedules, lesson
assignments, literature excerpts and appendices.
001434Student . . . . . . . . . 34.99 24.75
001435Teacher . . . . . . . . . 15.99 11.75
057868Package . . . . . . . . . 50.98 36.75
James Stobaugh High School Literature
Courses (9-12)
Some things get better and better. Now in its
fourth edition with a new copyright, these literature and critical thinking courses by Dr. James
Stobaugh remain academically challenging with
an underlying biblical/Christian worldview.
With the revision, the courses have become
geared more toward student independent work.
When paired with the author’s complementary
history courses, they provide integrated and
cohesive history/literature/writing credits.
American, British, and World Literature
are survey courses characterized by rigorous,
college-prep academics with an emphasis on
effective composition that are worthy of an
Honors designation. The author clearly believes
that accomplished rhetorical skills are at the
heart of apologetics – a systematic argumentative discourse in defense of Christianity and that
high school literature courses are a necessary
training ground.
The scope and breadth of the literature
selections is... well, not for the faint-hearted.
Masterful, comprehensive; and challenging;
selections include short stories, historical narratives, epic poetry, essays, poetry, novels,
and plays. Many of the smaller works (poetry,
essays, historical works and some excerpts) are
included in the student texts with the larger
works (listed below) usually available at the
public library, in audiobook versions, or online.
Chapters (one per week; 34 per year/course)
typically cover several smaller works (or one
larger work) and include five lessons. Only
occasionally will a literary work span more than
one week. Students should be prepared to read
200 or so pages per week and it’s recommended
they also get a jump ahead by reading through
the whole book’s list the preceding summer.
Since reading classic and well-written literature
is the best means of increasing vocabulary,
students are encouraged to create vocabulary
cards, with the word on the front and its meaning, part of speech designation, and use in a
sentence on the back.
Each course is designed as a two credit course
in writing and literature. The courses do not call
themselves “honors”; however, these rigorous
courses are worthy of the designation. Likewise,
while not calling themselves AP lit courses, a
student who has competently completed all
three of these courses could feel confidant that
they have acquired many, if not most, of the
skills required for those exams. However, if a
less intense course is desired, it would be possible to “tweak” the assignments and still have
solid college prep courses, as long as you were
careful to preserve the breadth and depth of the
reading and writing requirements.
A significant focus of each course is interacting with a biblical and Christian worldview.
Students are encouraged to keep a daily prayer
journal and are routinely challenged to consider literary components in light of that worldview. Essay questions often ask the student to
compare/contrast/relate various aspects of the
reading assignment to the Bible, Christianity,
or a biblical worldview. The first chapter in
American Literature is a short worldview survey
and analysis course.
Students are encouraged to work independently.
This is a change from earlier editions which were
somewhat dependent on teacher-student interaction. Discussion is always a significant aspect of
vibrant literary education (in my opinion), but
format changes in this edition prompt the student
to complete much of the preliminary analysis
on his/her own. Each lesson includes a Concept
Builder. These utilize a graphic organizer format
and include a wide range of literary analysis
techniques. For instance, in World Literature, CB
20-B compares the different views of hell held by
Dante, Goethe, and Sartre. British Literature’s CB
14-E uses an arrow graphic to trace the development of Crusoe’s Christian maturity. In American
Literature’s CB 6-D the student cites passages
from a short story to illustrate humorous and
serious aspects of the story’s tone. Although a student could complete these courses with relatively
little interaction with either a teacher or fellow
students, I think a discussion group or a weekly
“mentor” meeting with a parent/educator would
be a wonderful addition.
Chapters and Lessons follow a pattern.
As an example, let’s look at Chapter 8
from American Literature. (Chapter 8 covers Romanticism through the New England
Renaissance:1840-1855.) An introduction to
the chapter includes “First Thoughts” – an
overview – and “Chapter Learning Objectives”
stated in a general form and then in detailed
specifics. The student looks over the Weekly
Essay Options (found in the Teacher Guide) and
is told what reading they should be doing to
stay ahead of the Lessons. Daily Lessons focus
on either a specific literary selection (i.e., short
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
continued...
story, part of a novel, poetry, essay, etc.) or on
background or supplemental information. Daily
assignments include a Warm-Up (interacting
with a reading selection), completing a Concept
Builder, reviewing required reading, and working on an assigned essay. It is expected that the
teacher will assign (or the student will select)
one essay to be completed each week, but the
student will likely be asked to outline other
essays (from the suggested list) as well. Lessons
are varied and may include: background/author
or period information; analysis aspects of specific works; or related essays or poetry. Essays
are due at the end of each five-lesson chapter,
and chapter tests are assigned weekly. Tests
include objective questions, discussion questions, and short answer questions. While Dr.
Stobaugh suggests the lessons can be completed
in 45-60 minutes, I think it will take somewhat
longer unless the student has completed most of
the reading assignments ahead of time and is a
skilled essayist.
These courses do assume both experience in
and a certain degree of ease with essay writing –
particularly response to literature essays. There
is virtually no writing instruction other than
some help in and prompting for completing various steps in the process. Essay topics are derived
from the lessons and include Critical Thinking
(taking the reader from simple recall to digging
more deeply into the meaning and interpretation
of the novel), Biblical Application (considers the
novel, or part of it, in light of Scripture), and
Enrichment (usually literary criticism where the
student examines particular literary constructs,
such as tone, plot, style, characterization, setting, or theme, and sometimes applications to
other disciplines or subjects.
The Student Text includes the Lessons/Chapters
which are self-contained, often including the
Literature selections as well as the Concept
Builders and assignments. A Glossary of Literary
Terms and a Book List for Supplemental Reading
are included in the back of the book. Around
500 pgs pb.
The Teacher Guide includes chapter-bychapter “helps”: chapter introductions, daily
lessons, Concept Builder answer keys, essay
answer summaries, and chapter test answer
keys. Essay options for each chapter and chapter
tests (reproducible for families and small classes)
are available in the back of the Teacher Guide
(and online as downloads). Around 350 pgs,
three-hole punched, looseleaf.
Supplies needed by the student include: notepad/computer for writing assignments, pen/
pencil for taking notes and for essays, a prayer
journal, daily concept builders, weekly essay
options, and weekly tests (available either in the
Teacher Guide or as free downloads). Literature
needed is either included in the Student Book
(shorter pieces) or listed below. ~ Janice
American Literature
Of Plimoth Plantation, Religious Affections,
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Narrative
of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Scarlet Letter,
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Farewell to
Arms, Red Badge of Courage, Unvanquished,
Pearl, Walden, Billy Budd, Emperor Jones, Little
Foxes, Glass Menagerie, Crucible, Ethan Frome,
Cold Sassy Tree, Their Eyes Were Watching
God, The Chosen.
001313Student . . . . . . . . . 39.99
001317Teacher . . . . . . . . . 19.99
057851Package . . . . . . . . . 64.98
29.75
14.75
46.75
British Literature
Beowulf, Ecclesiastical History of the English
People, “Pardoner’s Tale and Nun Priest’s
Tale” (Canterbury Tales), Sir Gawain and The
Green Knight, Fairie Queene, “Macbeth,”
“Dr. Faustus” (Marlowe), “Holy Sonnet XIV”
(Donne), Paradise Lost, “An Essay of Dramatic
Poesy,” Evelina or Cecilia, Robinson Crusoe,
Gulliver’s Travels, Vicar of Wakefield, “Rivals,”
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Jane Eyre,
Frankenstein, A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and
Prejudice, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, “Witch,”
Mayor of Casterbridge, Lord Jim, “Are Women
Human?” and “Human-Not-Quite” (Sayers),
“Terence, This is Stupid Stuff,” “Loveliest of
Trees,” and “Be Still My Soul,” (Housman), “An
Irish Airman Foresees His Death,” “When You
are Old,” “Second Coming,” “White Swans
at Coole,” and “Byzantium” (Yeats), Mere
Christianity, Lord of the Rings, “Murder in the
Cathedral.”
001562Student . . . . . . . . . 34.99 24.75
001574Teacher . . . . . . . . . 19.99 14.75
057854Package . . . . . . . . . 54.98 39.75
World Literature
Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Confessions (Augustine),
Faust (Goethe), War and Peace, Crime and
Punishment, Cry, the Beloved Country
001588Student . . . . . . . . . 34.99 24.75
001593Teacher . . . . . . . . . 19.99 14.75
057873 Package . . . . . . . . . 54.98 39.75
~~~~~~~~~~~
Read with the Best (8-12)
You expect an excellent
college-prep high school
literature course to provide
exposure to a comprehensive
cross-section of literature,
serious vocabulary study,
extensive literary analysis, thorough reading comprehension coverage, and
insightful writing instruction and assignments.
This course delivers! With its emphasis on
vocabulary and composition, it provides prep
for the SAT/ACT as well as the AP Literature
Exams or the Literature CLEPs. The author has
chosen to divide American Lit into two years
instead of the typical one in order to provide
more thorough author/works coverage, noting
that many of these works provide excellent
vehicles for the introductory literature and composition skills usually found in first year high
school courses. Interestingly, there is enough
background research required that each course
can also be counted as a 1/4 credit in American
history.
Read with the Best (RWTB) coordinates with
Write with the Best (WWTB) (by the same
author, Jill Dixon). Volume 1 is occasionally
referenced but Volume 2 is heavily drawn from
to provide instruction and illustration for writing assignments in RWTB. What that means in
practical terms is that for some of the writing
assignments in RWTB, the student is told to read
specific pages in WWTB and complete a series
of daily assignments from WWTB leading to a
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
particular type of written work.
The course is organized into 34 weekly study
units which include one or more literature selections. The two remaining weeks are reserved for
review and tests. Each selection’s study includes
author/setting background information (student
researches); a “Words to Know” section that
requires the student to determine the part of
speech, provide synonyms, and use in sentences;
and questions for both literary analysis and critical reading. Each week the student is challenged
to “make it real.” For instance: “Think of two
examples of foils in literature or movies” or
“Name at least one stereotype or stock character
that Irving portrays in Rip Van Winkle.” Writing
assignments are also part of each week’s study.
As previously mentioned, these are typically
coordinated with Write with the Best. There is
also a weekly “culminating activity”. These
activities vary greatly but tend to be more handson and often something that will be more meaningful and fun if done in a group. Vocabulary and
Literary Terms Tests are given every six weeks.
Many of the literature selections are taken from
Norton Anthologies although they can also be
found online. Additionally, one or more whole
book studies are covered in each course. For
the British Literature course, the author highly
suggests that parents or students access audio
versions of all literary works online or purchase
them in audio format, noting that many can be
downloaded free from the Internet.
The Student Worktext is consumable and
designed to provide both an excellent study tool
and comprehensive test-prep review material.
Introductory material and a weekly schedule
(in the form of a checklist) communicate to the
student the course’s independent study nature.
Writing space for all assignments is provided
although some students may prefer to complete
the composition assignments on the computer.
The Teacher’s Edition is essentially a full-text
answer key but also includes vocabulary and
literary terms test masters (reproducible for family) along with their answer keys. There is also a
research paper checklist that can be reproduced
for the student.
Born out of the author’s experience teaching
a home school literature class, these books are
ideal for classes and co-ops, providing a good
vehicle for meaningful discussion and skill mastery: essay-writing, oratory, etc. ~ Janice
American Literature, Volume 1 (1500-1860)
053158 Student Workbook . 29.95 27.95
053159 Teacher Edition . . . 35.95 33.95
053159 Norton Anthology Am Lit., Vol. 1 Shorter 8th Ed. . . . . 35.9533.95
Please note that the Norton Anthology of
American Literature – Shorter 7th edition is
the one that is referenced, but it has been
replaced by the 8th edition.
American Literature, Volume 2 (1860-1950)
056104 Student Workbook . 29.95 27.95
056105 Teacher Edition . . . 35.95 33.95
054493 Norton Anthology of Am. Lit.
Shorter 8th Ed. . . . . 78.75 76.25
019905 Red Badge of Courage 4.95
3.95
046091 Autobiography of an
Ex-Colored Man . . . . 3.00
2.50
008924Crucible . . . . . . . . . 15.00 10.95
025027 Our Town . . . . . . . 14.99 10.75
continued...
Reading / Literature
243
British Literature
033258 Student Workbook . 29.95 27.95
033284 Teacher Edition . . . 35.95 33.95
054493 Norton Anthology English Lit
Major Authors 8ED 78.75 76.25
057470Macbeth
(No fear Shakespeare) 5.95
4.75
011110 Screwtape Letters . . 14.99
8.95
Required
019034
035790
054413
054414
Resources for Read with the Best:
Write w/ the Best V2 29.95 27.95
American Heritage Dictionary
and Thesaurus . . . . 19.95 14.25
Writing a Research Paper-Step
-by-Step Approach . . . 19.50
Writing a Research Paper Tchr Edition (3ED) . . . 17.95
Excellence in Literature (IEW)
Excellence in Literature Guides (8-12)
We’ve come to expect
excellence in the writing
programs from IEW. Should
we expect anything less in
their literature programs?
Well, this series proves that
we won’t have to. Designed
to both teach students to
read with discernment and
to train them to be independent, self-motivated learners, they will likewise be introduced to great literature from the
Western tradition and provided with tools to
strengthen their writing skills. In other words,
they will be well-prepared for college classes.
Each course is a nonconsumable, spiral-bound
manual with outlines for nine units of study
each with four weeks of assignments. Students
read and respond to great literature – great
because the selections reveal truth through the
power of story. And although each unit has a
focus text, additional reading is also expected
– contemporary poetry, essays, biographical
sketches, etc. Also provided are suggestions
for additional reading and writing assignments
for those wanting to count the course as an
Honors English course. Assignments follow a
typical path but they have been carefully chosen
so that knowledge and skills build sequentially
although a competency level of literary analysis
and writing skills are assumed. If the student
is unsure about these, he should consider two
resources as prerequisites (or do them concurrently) – Teaching the Classics and Elegant
Essay. Although the student is expected to do
his own contextual research (information about
author and story background), directed paths
are provided in the form of quality web links
and research suggestions – and these are extensive (audio, video, visual arts, music, historic/
geographic context, places to go, and relevant
quotes).
During the completion of each four-week unit,
students will complete a number of written
assignments including author profiles, approach
papers, historical papers, and 750 –word essays
usually from a choice of topics. Not to worry,
though. A Formats and Models section provides exactly what it sounds like – formats
for the various types of papers accompanied
by sample (model) writing papers prepared in
accordance to the suggested format. Very help244
Reading / Literature
ful! Also helpful is the How to Evaulate Writing
section and its Evaluation Rubric.
The courses are designed for the student
to work through independently. Assignments
contain specific instructions. So what does that
leave for the teacher/parent to do? Become a
Writing Mentor, of course. Plan to spend some
time each week with the student talking through
assignments, literary gleanings, and preparation.
The mentor should also be prepared to either
evaluate the papers – or find someone else to
do so. Oh, and by the way, students will be
compiling a binder-notebook-portfolio.
Although it may be hard to believe that the
author, Janice Campbell, has packed so much into
such a tidy package, it’s true. Introductory information includes a course overview, FAQs, and short
sections on How to Read a Book and Discerning
Worldview through Literary Periods. At the back
of the book is not only the amazing Formats &
Model section, but also a helpful section on Honors
preparation, and a glossary. The detailed unit lesson
plans make up the rest of the course.
The British and American Literature courses
are published by the Institute for Excellence
in Writing. However the other three courses,
published by the author, are similar in organization and structure. The author suggests the
following scope and sequence: Introduction
to Literature, Literature and Composition,
American Literature, British Literature, and
World Literature, but a student with appropriate literary course experience could “jump in”
at any point to do one or more of the courses.
These are excellent college-prep courses that
allow the student to work independently, take a
whole-book approach with a suitable emphasis
on essay responses to literature, and can be
easily “upgraded” to an Honors level. ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.00
047351 Introduction to Literature (English I)
Starts with an in-depth look at five popular
short stories, then covers Around the World
in Eighty Days, A Connecticut Yankee in
King Arthur’s Court, Jane Eyre, Pygmalion,
Treasure Island, Animal Farm, The Tempest,
and Gulliver’s Travels. 132 pgs
048442 Literature & Composition (English II)
Robinson Crusoe, Walden, The Count
of Monte Cristo, Heart of Darkness, ‘Til
We Have Faces, Death Comes to the
Archbishop, Julius Caesar, Ivanhoe, and
The Importance of Being Earnest. 158 pgs
027806 American Literature (English III)
Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin, Rip
Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,
The Last of the Mohicans, The House of the
Seven Gables, Moby Dick, The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn, House of Mirth, The
Great Gatsby, and The Old Man and the
Sea. 168 pgs
027812 British Literature (English IV)
Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, Edmund
Spenser, Sir Gawain, the Arthurian
Legend, King Lear, Paradise Lost, Pride and
Prejudice, Great Expectations, Wuthering
Heights, and To the Lighthouse. 168 pgs
047350 World Literature (English V)
The Odyssey, Antigone, The Aeneid, The
Inferno, Don Quixote, Les Miserables,
19th-Century Russian selections by Pushkin,
Dostoyevsky, et al., Faust (Goethe), and
Out of Africa. 163 pgs
Windows to the World: Introduction to
Literary Analysis (9-12)
I’m itching to teach this course! Maybe it’s the
appeal of the topic – recognizing the power of
literature to influence readers for good or for ill.
Maybe it’s the fact that this well-structured curriculum makes such a study very manageable.
Maybe it’s because the author adopts a warm,
first person approach to the study. Whatever!
I’m already devising ways to come up with students for a class now that my own homeschool
students have graduated and moved on.
Windows to the World is a high school level
course offered by the Institute for Excellence
in Writing. The course presumes that its students will be able to write an understandable
paragraph with a topic and clincher sentences
and that they are interested in an academically challenging study.
There are fifteen
units often focusing on a particular aspect of
literary analysis – annotations, allusions, plot
& suspense, characterization, symbolism &
emphasis, theme, setting, imagery, point of
view, tone, and irony. The well-chosen short
stories and poetry are “unlocked” and made to
reveal their secrets through exercises, quizzes,
essays, and projects. For instance, unit 7 is on
characterization and has as one of its objectives
to understand and recognize different kinds
of characters, such as protagonist, antagonist,
stock, and foil. This unit can be spread over
one to two weeks with the unit plan presenting a
set of 12 discussion points, projects, and assignments. These sometimes refer back to a previously studied piece for examples and sometimes
present new tools like the “character arc” to aid
in understanding. Some of the activities/questions listed are considered “core” and some are
listed as supplemental or reinforcement. These
designations are helpful in determining class
priorities if time is limited or if you choose to
complete the study over the longer time span.
The Teacher’s book provides background information for the stories, vocabulary exercises,
detailed instructions (just short of scripted) for
the main teaching points, sample essays, and
suggestions for additional work. All questions
and discussion topics have answers or talking
points. Although the teacher would need to be
comfortable with the topics and the studies, the
support material is so strong that preparation
would be minimal and success almost assured.
Throughout the teacher’s material the author is
writing in first person making it seem as though
you have a master teacher “holding your hand”
and mentoring you through the entire course.
That same warm, first-person tone permeates
the student book. Each unit includes wellillustrated (by examples) instructional information written directly to the student (not included
in teacher’s book). All literary material (short
stories and poems) except some Bible passages
is included in the student book (also not in
teacher’s book). Many of the activities involve
worksheets which are provided in the student
book and are reproducible for home and classroom use although families participating in a
co-op class should be encouraged to purchase
their own student materials. Both teacher’s and
student’s books are required for the course with
little overlap between the material in each.
Windows to the World is designed to be a
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
continued...
semester course but could be taught in a condensed version in five or six weeks or extended
to a year’s study by adding the additional stories
and projects suggested in the teacher’s book.
This course would definitely be considered
a college-prep level course. Those completing it would be well prepared to continue
on with Advanced Placement level preparation. Although the reading assignments are
frequent, they are not massive. The author is
wanting the student to spend quality thinking
time with the material and activities, projects,
and assignments work toward that goal. The
student will be expected to write – often and
well. Assignments are frequent and range from
“quick write” paragraphs to researched essays.
An unstated but very discernible goal of the
course is the development and strengthening of
the student’s biblical and Christian worldview.
Student – 194 pgs; Teacher – 129 pgs; both pb,
spiral. ~ Janice
042562Teacher/Student . . . . . 49.00
042561 Student only . . . . . . . . 29.00
☼Illuminating Literature: When Worlds
Collide (9-12)
From Sharon Watson,
the author of the composition programs, Jump In
and Power in Your Hands,
comes a high school literature program designed to
help your students become
more knowledgeable and
discerning analytical readers and, thereby, more
powerful fiction writers.
Watson asserts that a key element in literature
(and in our fallen world) is conflict. Therefore,
this course highlights literature with multiple
levels of conflict—hence the “worlds collide.”
Not only can literature reflect our fallen, sinful state, but it can also uplift and encourage
us. It is from these premises that this program
approaches literature study. The Program Goals
are to identify literary elements, terms and writing devices; interpret novels from a balanced,
Biblical perspective; provide group and multiple
learning-style activities; engender a love of fine
literature; and strengthen vocabulary.
Two particular course components of note
are the Novel Notebook and group discussion.
Students are required to create their own Novel
Notebook to record specific observations and
answers to questions as they read. Free downloadable notebook pages are available from the
publisher. The group discussion might seem
a little contrived if you are working with just
one student—but once you and your student
get to discussing literature, I think you’ll have
a grand time. To facilitate the group discussion
component, homeschoolers could also use the
curriculum as a spine with other students for a
book-of-the month club (suggestions included).
The course design studies a literary classic
each month (8 total). The literature was selected
based on the particular “colliding worlds” (the
various types of conflict exposed), literary value,
and the potential to help students make moral,
ethical, spiritual and life choices from a godly
perspective. The author strongly advises using
approved editions (ISBN’s provided) since questions and discussions reference exact literature
pages. The order of the unabridged literature
is Pudd’nhead Wilson; The War of the Worlds;
The Friendly Persuasion; Peter Pan; Warriors
Don’t Cry; A Tale of Two Cities; Fahrenheit
451; and The Screwtape Letters. We have compiled a Literature Pack for your convenience.
You may think Peter Pan an unusual choice
for high school curriculum—I did. However,
Watson states that this novel’s intergenerational
conflict themes are missed by young readers and
she assigns this book at the teen level to revisit
and explore issues in more depth. Keeping the
curriculum teen-friendly is a central theme.
The literature choices and the tone/style of the
student books were written with a teen audience in mind (students take a vocabulary “quizzola,” for example). The author intends this as a
2-semester literature class (1 high school credit).
Since the author writes assuming an audience
with no literature background and the grading
is strongly completion based, this course would
serve well as an introduction to literature. The
Teacher Guide and Student book are required
for this course. The Quiz and Answer Manual
is required only if you do not wish to use the
available online quizzing.
The easy to follow Teacher’s Guide is written
directly to the teacher. If you feel a bit intimidated teaching literature, this guide, although
not scripted, will provide what you’ll need to
aid your student. Four pages of the TG provide an overview of the key topics covered
each month. Answers for all student work
and detailed responses to discussion questions,
along with where to locate these answers in the
literature, are provided. Grading and evaluation
are straightforward and fairly simple. The overall
course grade is comprised of 3 components: the
Grading Grid score, a vocabulary grade and
activity grade for each book. The teacher will
use the reproducible Grading Grid to evaluate
the student’s work. With this measuring tool,
students are graded on 7 tasks. For five of the
tasks, teachers evaluate only the student’s level
of completion/involvement in certain tasks. The
final two evaluations are comprised of the Yes,
I Read It (reading comprehension) and Literary
Terms quiz grades.
At the end of each chapter, students choose
from various multiple-learning-style activities
that expand on and respond to literary themes:
mapping, writing music, reenacting, history,
imitating, responding to author or characters,
etc. The TG provides brief suggestions and guidance for these activities. However, the teacher
will decide how activities are evaluated. 8.5” x
11” 182 pp, sc.
The Student Text is fairly self-directed, written
as a conversation to the student. Students are
guided step by step through learning about and
responding to the reading. Each chapter covers
one book in 6-9 lessons. The lessons combine
instruction and workbook into one format so
that students respond to questions as they read
through the text. As they complete their study of
the literature, students must evaluate the conflict - “colliding worlds” - (man vs. man; man
vs. ideas, etc.) involved, complete the quizzes
and survey, take a vocabulary “quizzola,” and
complete the final, culminating activity. An “If
You Liked This Book” section includes a list of
additional readings. 8.5” x 11” 285 pp, sc.
The Quiz and Answer Manual is designed
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
for those who prefer their students take quizzes
and surveys on paper rather than online. For
group classes, the author recommends completing quizzes, etc., by following online links
through the publisher’s website (link included
in texts). It contains all quizzes and answers
for each literature book studied: Yes, I Read It
quiz, Literary Terms quiz, and Opinion Surveys.
Each quiz utilizes a form of multiple choice.
Don’t let the term “survey” make you think
these are optional. These encourage students
to apply what they’ve read to their own situation with multiple choice and also some written
“response to literature” questions. Permission to
copy for personal use. 8.5” x 11”, 101 pp, sc.
If you select the free Online Quiz option (for
the Yes I read It and Literary Term quizzes and
Opinion Surveys) answers are graded automatically. For each quiz, students will receive an
emailed report including the questions with
their original answers, the correct answers and
their final quiz score. The online quizzing and
online grading option is interesting. Many colleges incorporate some online course component, so this would be a way to introduce your
homeschooler to this method without a costly
investment.
001065 Teacher Guide . . . . 16.49 14.95
001057 Student Text . . . . . . 39.49 35.50
001041 Quiz/Answer Manual 8.49
7.75
ILWWCP Literature Package 77.42 57.00
WORLDVIEW CURRICULUM LITERATURE
PROGRAMS (9-12)
There are very few literature programs that
thoroughly integrate composition, vocabulary,
and grammar while still analytically covering
classical literature selections. These literature
programs are among the few, and they do it all
with excellence! Better yet, they have a solid,
underlying biblical and Christian worldview.
We offer four of their programs: Introduction to
Literature, Survey of World Literature, Survey
of American Literature, and Survey of British
Literature. Each program is a 36-week course
during which the students read 10-20 books or
comparable selections, which requires about 45
minutes each day. In addition to comprehension and review questions about the books, the
program also concentrates on vocabulary building (15 - 20 words per week), writing (essay,
argumentative papers, and research papers),
and grammar. Complete programs include study
guides for each reading selection, writing lessons, paper assignments and teacher helps. The
program is now all online and you will receive
an online access code. We have received feedback from one customer who advises using a
high-speed printer if you are planning on printing out all course material at the beginning of
the school year - and expect to use quite a bit
of paper too!
The teacher helps include some general
notes about the course, daily lesson plans, and
answers to all of the questions from the student
companion guide, as well as to the vocabulary
quizzes. One helpful section has quality suggestions for grading and responding to the “heart”
of writing assignments - not just the errors.
Included is a detailed rubric for determining the
quality level of papers.
The student companion guides are designed to
continued...
Reading / Literature
245
help the student comprehend the material he/
she is reading and includes the overall 36-week
lesson schedule, along with the daily lessons.
The literature lessons include an introduction
to the reading selection, vocabulary lists and
exercises, reading assignments, recall questions, and critical thinking questions, plus some
“Bonus Thoughts” which include additional
literature excerpts and historical and worldview
notes. Writing lessons cover grammar and editing exercises, step-by-step instruction on the
writing process and stylistic elements, and the
writing assignments. Students are expected to
write several (usually 6-8) full length (five paragraph) essays during each course, and the upper
grades (11th & 12th graders) are encouraged to
complete the optional impromptu essays. These
language lessons follow a similar pattern in each
course, but all of the examples and exercises are
integrated with the literature from that course.
A glossary in the back of the guide lists the
vocabulary words studied.
Reading selections have been carefully chosen - novels and poetry that have withstood the
test of time, speaking to the soul and emotions
of the student. The publisher has attempted
to limit the objectionable language as well as
material that could be offensive according to
biblical Christianity. Where anti-biblical philosophy is evident, the study guide directs the
student to biblical references or explanations to
counter false teaching. Italicized titles below
each course denote reading selections used in
the course (but not included in the course).
The actual books may be obtained from the
library or purchased separately (we carry most
of them). Although unabridged versions are
required, generally inexpensive paperback versions are acceptable. Some of the selections
are compilations or hard-to-find selections published directly by Smarr. (Smarr publications are
designated in the course listings - see next column for these). Please note that these texts are
no longer available in printed format but can be
downloaded for free from www.smarrpublishers.com. There is no stated order to the courses,
although to my mind it makes sense to start
with the Intro course. Obviously, the American
literature course would be an excellent complement to an American history course.
These courses are organized in a very teacher
and student friendly manner. They are challenging, meeting or exceeding the requirements for
Honors courses, but at the same time the student is enabled and empowered by the instruction provided. Teacher preparation is minimal
- actually, practically nonexistent, although
there are some grading expectations. The author
is obviously convinced of the strength of the
training he’s offering and its value to the student, particularly in the area of SAT or ACT test
preparation. The publisher offers an unusual
guarantee - if a student doesn’t score certain
minimum scores on either the SAT or ACT (650
on SAT critical reading; 60 on SAT writing; 50
on ACT English; 4 on ACT optional writing),
Smarr Publishers will pay for the cost of the test
(as long as the student has diligently completed
the coursework and a test prep book). After
spending some time with this curriculum, I can
understand how he can offer such a confident
guarantee. ~ Janice
NOTE: Required texts published by Smarr are
246
Reading / Literature
now available as free downloads from www.
smarrpublishers.com
EACH PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . 129.00 109.95
009670 Introduction to Literature
Introduction to the Short Story (Smarr), The
Importance of Being Earnest, The Merchant
of Venice, Call of the Wild, White Fang,
The Prince and the Pauper, Silas Marner,
Moping Melancholy Mad: An Introduction
to Poetry (Smarr), Great Expectations, The
Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Black Arrow.
009638 Survey of World Literature
Studies in Poetry (Smarr), Epic of Gilgamesh
(Smarr), Book of Job, Greek and Roman
Mythology, Iliad, Oedipus Rex, Antigone,
Aeneid, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, The
Song of Roland, Ivanhoe, La Vita Nuova,
The Misanthrope, The Law, The Kreutzer
Sonata.
009637 Survey of American Literature
The Scarlet Letter, A Narrative... of Mary
Rowlandson (Smarr), A Faithful Narrative
of the Surprising Work of God (Smarr),
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
(Smarr), Autobiography of Benjamin
Franklin, The Gold-Bug and Other Tales,
The Raven and Other Poems, Evangeline
and Other Poems, Billy Budd, Walden, A
Southside View of Slavery, The Red Badge
of Courage, Up from Slavery, Humorous
Stories and Sketches (Twain), Short Stories
(Wharton), Autobiography of an Ex-Colored
Man, The Road Not Taken and Other
Poems, I'll Take My Stand (Agrarians), The
Mouse that Roared.
040986 Survey of British Literature
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Idylls
of the King, Beowulf, Macbeth, Hamlet,
Utopia, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, A Modest
Proposal and other Satirical Works, Essay on
Man, She Stoops to Conquer, Frankenstein,
A Tale of Two Cities, Wuthering Heights,
Pride and Prejudice, Arms and the Man,
World War I British Poets.
Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Literature (9-12)
With an emphasis on interactive discussion
and worldview, the guide provides a lessonby-lesson framework for studying some of the
major works of ancient literature – The Epic
of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex,
Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. Using an
inductive approach, the student is encouraged
to use three steps – observation, interpretation,
and application – in coming to an understanding of the literary piece. Only after spending
some time reading, absorbing, and comprehending the selection does the student seek to
discover what others have said about it. The
goal is for the student to be able and prepared
to evaluate the opinions of others because they
have formed their own thoughts first as opposed
to just internalizing what others have thought
and written.
The course is divided into 24 lessons, each
one taking about a week to complete. This is
just about right for the literature component
of a high school English course. You could
easily lengthen the course to encompass the
entire school year (30 or 36 weeks) by inserting
writing assignments between the sections. As
an example, let’s look at the study of Oedipus
Rex, which starts with some background infor-
mation on the Greek Theater. This is to bring
the student “up to speed” so to speak and
includes all the basic information that a Greek
theater-goer would know – such things as the
story of Oedipus, how the play is organized,
and who appears in the play. There are five
lessons covering this reading selection, each
organized similarly. First is a list of People and
Places along with vocabulary that the student is
expected to be able to identify and define. Then
follows some reading sections, each accompanied by a set of comprehension questions
(i.e. who, what, describe, how, etc.) An early
lesson in the series gives some instruction on a
literary analysis device – Dramatic Irony – and
subsequent lessons ask the student to look for
examples. In the second lesson in the series,
an Overview Chart is introduced. The student
uses this graphic organizer to identify and organize the main events and characters from the
play. The series of lessons concludes with an
in-depth Essay Question. The course includes
four lessons on biblical literature and the Epic
of Gilgamesh, four on The Odyssey, five lessons on Oedipus, five on Antigone (please note
that both Sophocles’ Antigone and the twentieth
century play by Jean Anouilh are studied), and
a final summary lesson.
The text is designed as a consumable student
workbook providing space to write the short
essay answers to the comprehension/discussion questions. It could easily be used as a
non-consumable by having the student keep
answers in a separate binder/notebook. There
are no answers given or an answer key. The
parent/teacher is encouraged to be a participant
along with the student in completing the readings and discussions. Although I understand
this rationale and even agree that this approach
is optimum, nevertheless, speaking as a mom,
I would have appreciated some talking points.
Compared to some, this is a relaxed study.
This should not be interpreted as “lightweight.”
There’s plenty here – both in organization and
in the literature selections and discussion – to
provide a challenging examination of ancient
literature. One of the best features of the entire
course is the fact that it starts with a four-lesson
study of Daniel (the literature and culture of
the Babylonians) and Genesis (creation, flood,
and Tower of Babel) in order to assure that the
student is well-grounded in biblical events and
principles. Another excellent feature is the
final worldview lesson. Although most ancient
literature is the literature of pagans, this study
provides the biblical grounding to make certain
the study is profitable. ~ Janice
010792 Greenleaf Guide . . . 18.95 15.75
Resources Used in Greenleaf Guide:
Although a specific book list is not provided,
it’s obvious that specific versions of these works
are being referenced because of the page numbers given throughout the lessons.
027968 Epic of Gilgamesh (Sandars translation) . . . . . . . 12.00 8.50
023401 Sophocles: The Oedipus Cycle - Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone . . 14.00 9.95
041930 Antigone (Anhouilh) 14.95 10.75
042664 Odyssey (Fitzgerald) . 14.00 9.95
ANCLIT Guide + 4 bks above 73.90 51.00
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Old Western Culture (9-12)
A Christian Approach to the Great Books!
Mortimer Adler – primary editor for the compilation of the well-known set of ageless literary
masterpieces called the Great Books – considered them a conversation. He felt our primary
motivation in reading them should be to participate in that great conversation. Wesley Callihan
and Roman Roads Media have added an important element for Christians. Mr. Callihan maintains that the great conversation must lead to
truth – God’s truth. His goal in teaching this
course? That high school Christians would have
the opportunity and the ability to participate
in the great conversation in a meaningful way
that leads to truth. Old Western Culture is an
integrated humanities curriculum that provides a
well-rounded education for the classical student
from a Christian perspective.
Taken into a video classroom, albeit a
comfortable and cozy one, the student finds
himself immersed in classical literature assignments, knowledgeable commentary, captivating
artwork, absorbing discussion questions, and
meaningful writing assignments; emerging with
a full credit in literature, a half credit in history,
and a half credit of philosophy/theology for
each year of the course. To my way of thinking, there’s also enough material for a ¼ credit
in Art Appreciation. Ultimately, this will be a
four-year course of study (Year 1 – The Greeks,
Year 2 – The Romans, Year 3 – Christendom,
and Year 4 – The Moderns); currently only Year
1 is available. Each year is divided into four
independent units but also sold as a set. This
allows for some flexibility (and the opportunity
to spread out the expense).
Each unit contains 12 lectures (yes, they really
are lectures although you’ll feel as though you
are sitting in a cozy chair across from your mentor). These lectures/discussions introduce the
literary work, summarize the most important
elements of the text, and analyze the themes,
background, and surrounding history as well as
the importance of the works and their influence
in history and western thought. Students are
assigned readings from the original works (the
Resources used in Greenleaf Guide:
029709 Ecclesiastical History of the English- average daily reading load is 30-40 pages) as well
Speaking People . . . . 13.95 10.75 as comprehension questions in the workbook that
007269 Beowulf (Rebsamen) . . 9.99 7.50 cover both the readings and the lecture.
The videos are well-done, professionally incor012051 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Tolkien trans) 7.99 5.95 porating material from blackboard “sidebars,”
036475 Canterbury Tales (Coghill)11.00 7.95 definitions, quotes, timelines, art, and historical
019899Hamlet . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99 3.95 places. The DVD set for each unit includes four
DVD-ROMs, the student workbook (on PDF)
030414 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead! . . . . . . . . 15.00 10.95 and teacher’s edition (PDF) and a small bookletMDVLIT Guide & 6 Books . . . 82.87 58.00 form “Guide to the Art” that includes a comprehensive list of artwork by lesson plus small,
full-color reproductions and background info
of major pieces from each lecture. Each DVDROM for each unit includes the video lectures
as well as the PDFs of the student workbook and
the teacher’s edition. The Student Workbook
provides the comprehension questions mentioned previously. Quarterly term papers allow
students to explore an area of interest with
more in-depth creativity. The Teacher’s Edition
includes both an answer key and quarterly
exams. The Student Workbook is also available
separately in printed form, if you or your student
would prefer that over the PDF version. Year 1
and 2 sets include all 4 DVDs or Workbooks, or
in the Complete sets, both. ~ Janice
Greenleaf Guide to Medieval Literature (9-12)
Continuing their literature series and including many of the characteristics of the Greenleaf
Guide to Ancient Literature, this course is
designed to provide the first year of a three-year
survey of British and American Literature. Again
utilizing whole works rather than excerpts, this
course includes studies of Bede’s Ecclesiastical
History of the English-Speaking Peoples,
Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,
and selections from the Canterbury Tales and
Hamlet (including the modern, worldviewshifting perspective from Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern Are Dead). There are 23 lessons, each expected to take about a week to
complete, written directly (and often with a
subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor) to the student,
leading them to dig deeper into the shades of
understanding of the literary piece as well as the
culture and worldview of the author. The study
guide – really a consumable worktext providing
both the questions and plenty of space to write
responses – starts with “typical” questions such
as vocabulary development and sequence of
events, but there is a spiraling intensity as the
questions continue that quickly draws out more
thoughtful responses. Most of the literature
selections are written from a Christian worldview perspective.
There are occasional writing suggestions (but
no writing instruction) and many of the questions could be deepened into essays. Parents
are strongly encouraged to read along with
the student, and while I always think this is an
excellent idea, I tend to be a little irritated when
forced to do so: like other Greenleaf guides,
there are no answer keys or even talking points
provided. Students and parents are on their
own in terms of evaluation. With the exception of Hamlet, specific versions (translations)
of each work are referenced. We’ve listed
these below. The Medieval Lit Study Package
includes each of these books along with the
Greenleaf Guide. ~ Janice
046123 Greenleaf Guide . . . 19.95 16.50
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
EACH DVD SET . . . . . . . . . . 56.00 49.95
EACH PRINTED WORKBOOK 12.00 10.95
Year 1: The Greeks
058877 The Epics DVD Set
058878 The Epics Student Workbook
The Iliad and The Odyssey.
058875 Drama and Lyric DVD Set
058876 Drama and Lyric Student Workbook
Greek lyric poetry, including the works of
Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, & other poets.
058879 The Histories DVD Set
058880 The Histories Student Workbook
Works of Herodotus, Thucydides, and
Xenophon.
058881 The Philosophers DVD Set
058882 The Philosophers Student Workbook
The works of Plato and Aristotle.
GRKDVD Year 1 DVD Set . . 224.00 184.95
GRKWKB Year 1 Wkbk Set . . 48.00 41.50
GRKCMP Year 1 Complete 272.00 224.95
Year 2: The Romans
028711 Unit 1: The Aeneid DVD Set
028719 The Aeneid Workbook
Vergil and other Roman Epics
060346 Unit 2: The Historians DVD Set
060347 The Historians Workbook
Livy, Tacitus, Sallust, Caesar, Plutarch, and
Cicero
060342 Unit 3: Early Christianity DVD Set
060343 Early Christianity Workbook
Clement, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr,
and Eusebius
060344 Unit 4: Nicene Christianity DVD Set
060345 Nicene Christianity Workbook
Athanasius, Augustine, and Boethius
RMNDVDYear 2 DVD Set . . 224.00 184.95
RMNSTD Year 2 Wkbk Set . 48.00 41.50
RMNCMP Year 2 Complete . 272.00 224.95
Apologia American Literature (9-12)
065443 Textbook & Online Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99.99 74.95
065442 Student Notebook . . 39.00 27.95
AMRLITPackage . . . . . . . . . 138.99 101.95
Canon Press British Literature for Classical
Schools (9-12)
065464 V1 - Old English . . . 10.00
8.50
065466 V2 - Middle English 19.00 15.25
065467 V3 - Golden Age . . 26.00 20.95
065468 V4 - Paradise Lost . 15.00 11.95
065469 V5 - Pride and Prejudice
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.00 14.50
065470 V6 - Tale of Two Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.00 16.25
065471 V7 - Comic Theater 10.00
8.50
065472 V8 - Crime . . . . . . . 21.00 16.95
065473 V9 - Right Ho Jeeves 12.00
9.75
065465 V10 - Poetry Workbook
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.00 14.50
BRTLITPackage . . . . . . . . . 169.00 129.95
Reading / Literature
247
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES/
SUPPLEMENTS
Reading Strands (PK-12)
Do you want a reading program without a reading curriculum? Or maybe a reading program in
which the kids enjoy the “great” books, discuss
them at the dinner table, and don’t even realize
they’re in a reading “program”? If either answer
is yes, this book is for you. And I do mean for
you. Reading Strands is designed for the teacher
to use. It shows you how to teach your children
to appreciate fiction. Author Dave Marks wants
our children to develop a love for reading, first
and foremost. Reading should be fun for a child,
something he/she eagerly looks forward to. They
need to share their reading experience and enjoyment with others, also. Those around them need
to express an interest in what they’re reading
and their opinion of what they’ve read. Through
oral discussion, Dave shows us how to help our
children get more out of reading and begin to
read for deeper understanding. Reading Strands
contains simple Socratic dialogue samples, based
on Bloom’s taxonomy, showing you how to
discuss fiction with your children based on their
age level. Literary components and terms are
explained so that you can, at appropriate age
levels, discuss these intelligently with your children. Mr. Marks also cautions us that, to some
extent, “you are what you read.” He wants us
to become serious about selecting the types of
reading materials we want our children to “consume” based on what kind of people we want
them to become. To aid us in selecting books,
Reading Strands contains numerous reading lists:
suggested books based on grade level, a graded
list of books popular with reading teachers, a
listing of children’s favorite books, Coretta Scott
King Award Books, Caldecott Medal winners,
Newbery Medal winners, Children’s Library recommendations, and a list of Great Classics.
Whew! Even if you didn’t use this approach
as your basic reading program, employing the
ideas contained in Reading Strands would greatly
enhance your children’s overall enjoyment and
understanding of literature. 138 pgs, pb.
006728 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.00 12.50
TEACHING THE CLASSICS (K-12)
Teaching the Classics (AD)
A Socratic Method for Literary Education that's the subtitle for this video seminar with
accompanying workbook. So just what is the
Socratic method? And how does it apply to the
study of literature? And why should one employ
it? And just who does the methoding? Or perhaps I should ask - who needs to be Socratized?
While perhaps just a tad clumsy, the above
is actually an example of the Socratic method
which harkens back to Socrates and his method
of instruction - beginning with questions rather
than answers. Granted, the questions had more
purpose and form than my example and so do
the questions that the authors have compiled
into their Socratic List (attached as an appendix
to the 97-page workbook). But all this is getting
the horse ahead of the cart.
This two-day video seminar, reminiscent of
the writing seminars produced by the Institute
for Excellence in Writing contains four discs;
six, one-hour lecture sessions plus a scope and
248
Reading / Literature
sequence. Based on the concept of "leadership
education" presented in A Thomas Jefferson
Education by Oliver Van DeMille, this is a
seminar for parents and teachers - but your children can certainly join you. Adam Andrews is
a dynamic, excited teacher who transfers his
excitement about literature to his audience.
Andrews is quick to credit his wife, Missy, for
the development of this model for exploring literature intelligently and of the extensive, annotated, age-appropriate reading lists supplied.
Because short stories are a type of microcosm,
containing all the elements (character, plot,
theme) of larger pieces of literature, are readily
available and easy to work from as well as being
familiar to children, they become the vehicles
of instruction. You'll be prepared to equip your
children with literary study tools and ready to
enjoy any piece of quality literature benefiting
from its study. I wasn't very far into the first
video before I realized that this was a seminar
I wanted to watch in its entirety for my own
understanding and appreciation of literature.
The lecture sessions - Preparing for Literary
Analysis, Plot & Conflict, Setting, Character,
Theme, and Practicum - are professionally
videographed and edited. This professionalism, although easily discernable to the trained
eye, will mean that there is little to distract and
disturb your viewing pleasure. As mentioned
before, Mr. Andrews is engagingly enthusiastic
if slightly less delightfully quirky than Andrew
Pudewa (IEW seminars). At times the lectures
follow the workbook text almost word for
word which, of course, prompts the question
of whether you actually need to make the
expensive purchase of the videos. Although the
author says emphatically that both are important, I think almost anyone would benefit from
picking up and using the workbook by itself.
Nevertheless, the lectures repeatedly show you
how to apply the workbook-described elements
to literature. It's a classic case of the advantages
of multi-sensory learning along with the value of
application and examples.
Why the Socratic method?
Because it
involves the student in the learning process
and thus avoids dependence on the lecture
format. Although most homeschoolers rarely
use a lecture format for teaching literature,
we're still vitally concerned with involving our
students in discussion. This is often difficult
with literature. But TSM, while giving a workable tool to facilitate this discussion, likewise
becomes a means of character instruction and
of worldview-imparting. The emphasis subtly
shifts from literature to teaching the student how
to think (as opposed to what to think) which is
the essential element of education.
The Socratic List is a list of questions arranged
in order of increasing complexity following the
classical stages of understanding - grammar,
logic, and rhetoric. This list of questions can
be used with all types of literature but within
the seminar is applied to children's stories
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Riki-Tikki-Tavi,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Martin
the Cobbler. Following these examples, Mr.
Andrews then applies the same instruction to
ongoing analysis of four pieces of adult literature - The Iliad, MacBeth, Great Expectations,
and To Kill a Mockingbird. The seminar concludes with a practicum using the poem Casey
at the Bat.
Containing lecture notes, short story texts,
and extremely useful graphic organizers, the
accompanying workbook is designed to be
used as you follow the seminar. The Andrews
also provide both a suggested curriculum for
literature and daily lesson plans in the workbook. Although rather simplified models, these
are quite thorough. Not surprisingly, routinely
assigned writing lessons are coordinated with
IEW. Helpfully, the authors give examples of
grammar, logic, and rhetoric level exercises.
How would one compare the cost of this seminar with continuing to use the many, excellent
literature study guides available? I suppose
it's the proverbial teaching to fish versus giving a fish. One comes away with the tools.
However, it seems to me that there's another
very important element here - that of learning to
use an exceptionally facile tool for critical and
worldview thinking (the Socratic Method). For
me, this seminar does for literature instruction
what the IEW writing seminars accomplished for
writing instruction - giving a now-I-get-it overview of a complete system of literature instruction as well as a means for teaching students to
be profound thinkers. ~ Janice
035998 DVD & Workbook . . . 89.00
035999 Workbook Only . . . . . 29.00
Worldview Detective: A Socratic Method for
Investigating Great Books (7-12)
Isn’t this what you would expect from a seasoned seminar presenter who has already hinted
at the importance of determining worldview as
you read literature? In Teaching the Classics,
Adam Andrews gave us tools for enjoying,
learning from, and understanding classic literature. In this seminar, he and his wife, Missy,
get more specific about how to go about the task
of analyzing the worldview of literary pieces.
Coming from a definite Christian perspective, both literary analysis tools and worldview
analysis tools are examined. As before, graphic
organizers help clarify the analysis. One of the
most helpful parts of this seminar is the “live”
discussion of the worldview of two well-known
literary works, one by Jack London and one by
Anton Chekhov (both included in the student
workbook). The workbook provides a place
to take notes as the student follows along with
the seminar. The seminar also includes a new
Socratic List (113 discussion questions) designed
to help in analyzing any book. ~ Janice
042559 DVD & Workbook . . . 49.00
042558 Workbook only . . . . . 19.00
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading Road Maps: Literary Scope &
Sequence K-12
This book should be on every homeschooler’s
desk (and I don’t mean the bookshelf!). Rarely
will you hear me be quite so emphatic, but this
book is a treasure! Designed to be a companion
to Teaching the Classics, a Socratic approach to
teaching literature, and undoubtedly an amazing resource for those using that approach, it
is also an incredible reference for anyone who
wants flexibility in terms of teaching literature
coupled with “just enough” structure.
The authors identified 200 books for grades
K-12 and then (in a wonderful spreadsheet
format) annotated them with tons of information – plot, conflict, theme, aids & devices, and
alternate titles (other books that could be used).
In short, it lists everything you need at your
fingertips to supervise a comprehensive literary
analysis of the book. As if that weren’t enough,
they further reworked that annotated information into six different curriculum models – daily,
weekly, monthly, six-week, quarterly, and seasonal. These different models mean that you
can teach literature in whatever way you want.
Want to focus on literature everyday? Want to
conduct a short-term co-op course? Want to
hit literature “hard” for a little while – and then
be done? This resource will help you plan and
implement any of these scenarios.
The usefulness doesn’t end there, however.
There are separate chapters on writing from
literature, learning objectives by grade level,
grading and assigning credits, and major historical periods in western literature. The writing
from literature section gives a brief overview of
writing assignments (what sort and how long)
for the elementary, junior high, and senior high
levels. On the other hand, the analytical essay is
dissected very thoroughly and a helpful “tootsieroll” diagram helps the student to see how the
parts of the essay work together. Just as helpful
is the model essay that illustrates the effective
use of this diagram. The graded learning objectives for literature are quite specific and can be
used as a scope and sequence or for developing
lesson plans. I used high school literature texts
as references when I wanted information about
the history of literature, but to have that same
information at my fingertips would have been a
beautiful thing. 230 pgs. pb ~ Janice
005267 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.00 35.95
Quick Flip Guide for Close Reading & TextDependent Questions (AD)
Close reading involves a text and questions that
require no previous knowledge of the subject to
answer. This 13 page reference guide includes
tips on what your student should look for in
their 1st, 2nd and 3rd reading of the text. It also
helps teachers to write questions that are solely
based on the information in the text, which can
be a tricky thing to do. Spiral bound at the top,
this is useful for public school parents to better
understand Common Core reading standards,
and for homeschoolers who want some ideas or
even good test prep strategies for their students.
Measures 6.5" x 10” ~ Sara
041618 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.95
who don’t. Or perhaps there’s a third category.
Those who loved to read as a child but found
the inclination “beaten” out of them in middle
school or high school.
If you love literature, it’s likely you’ve been
allowed to read and read and read. Talking
about what you’ve read? Yes, definitely. Writing
book reports? Essays? Tests? Maybe not so
much. If you want to make sure your kids love
literature regardless of whether you do or don’t,
Reader’s Odyssey is probably just what you’re
looking for. If you’ve considered excerpt/anthology approaches to literature and found them
lacking, or if you’ve liked the idea of whole
book studies but found the typical study guides
to be “too much,” then Reader’s Odyssey is
probably just what you’re looking for.
It calls itself an “individualized literature
program for homeschooling middle and high
school students.” Wow! That’s a mouthful but
surprisingly accurate. Starting from the premise
that a student who chooses what she reads
is going to be much more enthusiastic about
the “read,” this little planning tool gives you
practical advice on stocking a bookshelf (with
the kinds of books he ought to be reading) and
allowing for student choice. If that seems just
a little too loosey-goosey for you, consider
that what is really being suggested here is an
organized approach that relies on and builds
the relationship between teacher/parent and
student. Expectations (of both student and parent) are considered, suggestions for how to
appeal to a student’s current tastes and interests
while expanding and accelerating those tastes
and interests are provided, and guidelines are
developed for building a four-year literature program that is something like a funnel that starts
broad and wide and gradually narrows down
to a tighter focus. The role of the teacher is to
organize well, entice students to engage, and
trust them to make good choices. Yes, that does
mean eliminating testing, but it also means that
on an annual or a semi-annual basis, the teacher
is actively comparing the quality of literature
chosen by the students as well as the quality of
their response to it. This type of high school literature program is a wonderful way for parents
to interact with students, to develop a growing
appreciation of their good and beautiful ideas,
and to establish a mentoring relationship that
should characterize the second (and third, etc.)
decade of the parent-child relationship.
About half of the book describes the rationale of
this approach, philosophical yet practical (even
down to where/how to purchase books). The
remaining portion of the book is tools – in the
form of appendices. These include book recommendations, classic literature categorized by difficulty and length, templates for reading logs and
learning contracts, checklists, worksheets (for
literary terms and interpretative helps) and lastly,
how-to’s for writing brief book summaries and a
literary analysis paper. 139 pgs. pb ~ Janice
037423 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 12.95
Reader’s Odyssey (6-12)
The world just might be divided into two types
of people – those who love to read and those
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Handbook for Literary Analysis (7-AD)
Just the preface to this book will straighten out
your thinking if you’ve ever seriously questioned
why we should take the time to analyze the
literature we read. Or why we should read literature at all, for that matter. The author, James
Stobaugh, starts by defining the terms. Literary
analysis is literary criticism, which is talking and
writing about literature – any literature, at any
age. We tend to think of “criticism” as negative comments – but that’s not necessarily so.
Literary criticism is intentional, however, and
it is evaluative. The author believes that “at the
heart of literary analysis is rhetoric (speaking
and writing skills). At the heart of rhetoric is
apologetics. If we teach literary analysis we are
going a long way toward teaching apologetics.”
In order to talk about literature, we must know
and be able to use a special language: protagonist, foil, internal conflict, character development, and setting, to name only a few terms.
This book is a handbook about that language,
the language that gives readers a way to evaluate and discuss a literary work. By the way, this
book is a gold mine.
Divided into chapters, each covering a particular aspect of literary criticism, Book 1 covers allegory, characterization, narration, and
plot while Book 2 covers theme, tone, and
poetry. The chapters are extensive, some running more than 200 pgs, and follow a pattern.
First background information is covered, and
then terms are defined followed by a list of
suggested literary works. The real heart of each
chapter, though, is the examples that are given,
commented on, and analyzed. These examples
are from a wide-range of classic literature and
are often accompanied by classic illustrations,
many in full color. For instance, in Chapter 1
(allegory) examples are from the Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Allegory of the
Cave” in Plato’s Republic, and I Corinthians
13 (Bible). In some of the more involved chapters (such as plot) element after element (such
as rising action, climax, etc.) is drawn out,
explained, and “exampled.” Chapters conclude
with student essays that not only illustrate the
focal literary terms but also give a young student
models for their own literary criticism writing.
There are a number of helpful appendices: a
glossary of literary terms, book list (categorized
into younger/older), subject index, index of
excerpted and suggested works, and biblical
selections. I can think of a number of excellent
uses for these two books including my reading
through them as an enjoyable refresher course.
Obviously, they could be used as a handbook complement to any high school literature
course. They would be even more valuable,
though, as a “setting the stage” introduction to
literature for middle school or early high school.
There is an extensive collection of excerpted
literature included which would provide a nice
foundation for students needing allusion material as well as an excellent complement to the
author’s Skills for Rhetoric course. Part 1 – 323
pgs, pb; Part 2 – 365 pgs, pb. ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.99 33.95
012094 Book 1
012102 Book 2
Eternal
Argument:
Framework
for
Understanding Western Lit. and Culture (4-AD)
064770 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.95
Reading / Literature
249
ASSESSMENT / PLACEMENT
Progress-Monitoring Comprehension
Assessments (K-6)
Test your child’s reading comprehension
skills. Use the teaching units from Everyday
Comprehension Intervention Activities to
strengthen each of those skills. Re-test periodically to monitor progress. The heart of this program is the ability to keep track of the progress
that is being made as well as to target specific
areas that might need additional work. Sixteen
reading comprehension strategies are covered:
¾¾ analyze character
¾¾ analyze story elements
¾¾ analyze text structure and organization
¾¾ compare & contrast
¾¾ draw conclusions
¾¾ evaluate author’s purpose and point of view
¾¾ evaluate fact and opinion
¾¾ identify cause and effect
¾¾ identify main idea and supporting details
¾¾ identify sequence or steps in a process
¾¾ make inferences
¾¾ make judgments
¾¾ make predictions
¾¾ summarize information
¾¾ use graphic features to interpret information
¾¾ use text features to locate information
There are three assessments per strategy covering the reading levels of each book. Each
assessment has a reading passage and five test
items to measure the one strategy. There are
three multiple-choice and two short-answer
questions. Although designed and used primarily for reading comprehension, they can also
be used to measure listening comprehension.
Complete answer keys are included in the back
of the book and the assessments are each reproducible for classroom use. The Bonus CD-ROM
contains printable PDF versions of the assessments. 112 pgs. pb ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 13.55
036133 Grades K-2
036085 Grades 3-4
036087 Grades 5-6
English Literature for Boys and Girls (7-10)
Yesterday’s Classics has found another Marshall
book to reprint. Good choice. Providing a
historical look at the writers of English/British
literature, this collection includes background
information and excerpts of their writings, interweaving the literature selection with the historical setting. It’s a masterful and encompassing
way to approach literature. Especially in the
earlier portions, the author has tried to keep the
literature in touch with history because he felt it
illustrates how the political development of the
country was influenced by and influenced the
literary development. At the end of many sections is a list of Books to Read suggesting additional and complete works to read. The author
says the selections were chosen because they
seemed to best illustrate the breadth and depth
of English/British literature; although, sometimes
he admits to choosing something because of its
appeal to young people, as it is not always a
writer’s greatest or best known work that can be
most easily grasped by young minds.
The selection of authors and works is massive;
grand; sweeping. However, it is possible to
detect an interesting bias. There are no selections from women even though there were some
women who had received literary notice by the
end of the nineteenth century, most notably
Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. There seems
to be equal time given to poetry and prose.
There are no lesson plans, assignment charts,
or even discussion questions. The publisher
does provide a chronological list of the writers included correlated with a list of monarchs
that would make it easy to correlate readings
to historical studies. Although this would not
be considered a complete literature course, it
is a valuable collection of well-selected literary
works beautifully presented with comprehensive
historical and literary analysis. 666 pgs, pb. ~
Janice
056886 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.95 19.95
Scholastic Success with Reading Tests (3-6)
These reproducible workbooks build students'
confidence in test-taking by offering practice
tests for students that familiarize them with the
types of questions on standardized tests and provide review of the most commonly tested reading skills. Each book holds 10-15 tests covering
various skills as appropriate to that grade level,
with answers in the back of the book. Use in
preparation for standardized tests, for extra practice, or as a tool to assess your child's abilities.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
034003 Grade 3
034005 Grade 5
034004 Grade 4
034006 Grade 6
Analytical
Grammar
High
School
Reinforcement (8-12)
Solid grammatical review and the perfect complement to high school literature courses. See full
description under Grammar Programs. ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95
004630 American Authors
004631 British Authors
004632 Shakespeare’s Plays
004635 World Authors
☼Critical Thinking: Test-Taking Practice with
Reading (K-6)
Looking to improve reading skills? Gain critical thinking skills? Develop general test taking
strategies and help your child/student become
a more confident test taker? The best way to
accomplish all of this is practice! It’s not just
memorizing facts; it’s learning how to interpret
questions on these tests that can help you get a
better score in the end. Even if the only thing
250
Reading / Literature
you accomplish with your test prep is reduce
your child’s anxiety about the exam, you have
given them a huge gift. Being nervous can affect
a child’s scores dramatically. The questions are
correlated to Common Core testing (standards are
listed), but the principle applies to most standard
state tests. Learn the difference between explicit
and implicit questions, and practice making
inferences and drawing conclusions after reading
a passage. Every workbook has 3 practice tests
(A/B/C) with 50 questions each. A bubble sheet
with A-B-C-D to fill in can be reproduced for
practice, and all answers are in the back. You
will practice reading fiction and non-fiction and
work on vocabulary. Reproducible for a classroom, co-op or family. 96pp. ~ Sara
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.95
060527 Grade 3
060529 Grade 5
060528 Grade 4
060530 Grade 6
Common Core Reading: Warm-Ups, Test
Practice (3-8)
If there’s one thing that people agree on
concerning CCSS, it’s that the standardized
testing associated with Common Core English/
Language Arts is challenging. There are several
reasons for this. Tests are taken online; there are
many new types of assessment items; there is a
great variety of types of texts utilized; students
are expected to interact with the texts in new
ways; they utilize two-part questions where the
second part is dependent upon a correct answer
in the first part; and the tests are longer and
require more writing – again interacting with the
tests. This series is designed to prepare students
for these new, more challenging tests.
In these books there are Warm Ups (for guided
practice) and Practice Tests (for building testtaking stamina). Short reading passages in the
ten Warm Ups include examples of the genres
students are required to read – fairy tales, poetry, memoir, technical/how-to, informational.
Questions – in a variety of formats and types
– follow the passages. A tear-out answer key
means that the book is a consumable worktext
that can be given to your student. Warm-ups
can be assigned for homework or used as a
quick review while the longer practice tests
provide more targeted preparation prior to taking any CCSS standardized tests. There are four
practice tests featuring fiction, social studies,
realistic fiction/poetry, and social studies. These
include a reading passage followed by ten questions; three of which are writing prompts. Out of
curiosity, I worked through a couple of the tests
in the Grade 6 book and I’m a little ashamed to
admit they challenged me. I can definitely see
the advantage of taking the practice tests and
becoming familiar with this new methodology.
Technological advantages have impacted the
future of test-taking. Questions no longer are
relegated to multiple choice and some questions
even have multiple right answers. The two-part
questions actually provide both a challenge and
the opportunity to rethink your answer on the
first part if a suitable answer doesn’t seem readily visible on the second part. Writing prompts
associated with reading passages make close
reading a necessity. 127 pgs, pb. ~ Janice
EACH WORKTEXT . . . . . . . . 21.99 17.50
058602 Grade 3
058605 Grade 6
058603 Grade 4
058606 Grade 7
058604 Grade 5
058607 Grade 8
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
3-Minute Reading Assessments (5-8)
This assessment book provides short passages
and step-by-step directions to help teachers
evaluate student reading in a short amount of
time (my educated guess would be three minutes or so). The book contains four passages
(a passage about food, a passage about family
outings, a passage about extreme weather, and
a passage about unique individuals) for four
grade levels. A teacher’s page accompanies
each student passage page, where teachers
can follow along, score student reading, and
write additional comments. Basically, students
read the passage aloud and teachers determine
the level of performance in word recognition,
reading fluency, and comprehension. The book
recommends you use it to assess students three
to four times a year at regular intervals to measure progress within the year. To record the data
generated from these assessments, the book provides both a class record sheet for 20 students
and an individual student sheet to measure
scores. Included is the procedure for calculating
word recognition accuracy and fluency through
reading rate, a scale for figuring fluency through
expression, and a rubric for determining comprehension. To help address targeted areas of
concern, the book includes a brief section of
instructional ideas for each of the three major
areas assessed. Though this useful assessment
guide was created for classroom teachers who
don’t have a lot of extra time to spend assessing
students, they would also work well for homeschooling parents, who don’t have much time to
spare either! Reproducible, 64 pgs, pb.
036856 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.25
the story. Plus, students are more motivated to
read the next passage, since there’s an ongoing
story in the background. The worktext is also
in full-color, with a photograph or illustration
accompanying every passage.
Each selection is contained on one page, with exercises
on the facing page. Each exercise page has
Knowing the Words, Learning to Study, Reading
and Thinking, and Working with Words sections. These correspond roughly to the skills
mentioned above. It would be difficult to give
examples of the activities; they vary so much
from one selection to the next that there is little
repetition. This constant variety would also be
more stimulating to a student than completing the same types of exercises over and over.
Although no mention is made of it anywhere
in the instructions or skills inventory, there’s a
section at the end of the book called Checking
Understanding. This consists of four tests, one
for each of four passages in the book. There are
eight questions about the passage and a place
to record number of words read per minute and
number of correct responses. I would guess
the intention is to provide you with yet another
measure of reading ability here, much like what
a student would encounter on a timed test.
Answer key is included in book. This series
was revised in 2006, and now includes more
nonfiction activities.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
6.95
003847 Grade K
003844 Grade 4
003841 Grade 1
003845 Grade 5
003842 Grade 2
003846 Grade 6
003843 Grade 3
Spectrum Reading 2015 (K-8)
The 2015 edition of the Spectrum Reading
workbooks contains the same reading passages as the previous 2007 edition. However,
the exercises accompanying each selection
have changed. A single series of questions follows each passage, essentially the same as the
Reading Skills section of the previous edition.
Students have more room to write answers
Assessment Prep for Common Core Rdng (6-8) (which are typically short answer or short essay)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.50 and the general format is single column instead
034822 Grade 6
034840 Grade 8 of the double column of the previous edition.
Sometimes vocabulary content is included in
034828 Grade 7
these questions but there is virtually no incorporation of the previous study skills material. 170
READING SKILLS
pgs, pb. ~ Janice
EACH WORKBOOK . . . . . . . 11.99
8.50
Combined
001751 Grade K
001737 Grade 5
001703 Grade 1
001744 Grade 6
Rosetta Stone Reading for Homeschool (K-5)
058381 Grade 7
Please note that this product is a one-year 001714 Grade 2
058382 Grade 8
subscription to an online service, not a physical 001715 Grade 3
001732 Grade 4
curriculum or book.
062231 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99.00
Read & Understand with Leveled Texts (K-6)
It’s often difficult to figure out what literature
Spectrum Reading (K-6)
This unique reading skills series helps students selections are appropriate for which reading
improve comprehension, vocabulary, decoding, levels. This series addresses that concern by
and study skills - going beyond the typical read- using leveled texts. The text selections have
ing comprehension program. The selections are been rated using the Lexile® measure of text
appealing also. Rather than unrelated excerpts, difficulty. For example, reading selections for
the workbook contains a storyline which pro- the Grade 3 book include stories that range
gresses throughout the book. Each reading is an from Lexile® levels 480-710 (i.e., late second
event centering around the same characters and grade to beginning fourth grade). The book
families. While the characters and scenario are accommodates such a wide range since all third
fictitious, many of the excerpts contain a good graders do not read at the same level.
In addition to carefully chosen readings, this
bit of real, textual information. It’s a nice blend,
with students learning a lot from the context of series includes fleshed-out comprehension and
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
vocabulary activities that complement each
reading selection. Each book contains 20-25
reading selections. Every reading selection
is followed by 5 reproducible student activity
pages that test various reading skills such as
categorizing, inferring, recalling information,
cause and effect, fact or opinion, building
vocabulary, describing story characters, and
more. Approximately 160 pages with answer
key included. ~ Anh
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.99 15.95
052113 Grade K
052110 Grade 4
052107 Grade 1
052111 Grade 5
052108 Grade 2
052112 Grade 6+
052109 Grade 3
180 Days of Reading (K-6)
So, you’d like to use “real” books in your reading program, but are a little concerned about
missing those core reading skills lessons that are
part of most basal reading programs. Here’s a
great remedy offering short, easy lessons that
you can use in tandem with reading those classic children’s books. Like its math counterpart
(180 Days of Math), each book provides diagnostics, practice and assessments for all common core reading skills by grade.
Exercises are in 5-day groups. The first three
days present a brief fiction or nonfiction passage
followed by four or five questions (depending
on grade). These are very short to read and
complete. The fourth day has a longer selection with more questions to answer. On the fifth
day, your student will re-read the final selection
and respond to it using the provided prompt.
Answers to all exercises are in the back of
the book. Since questions are presented in a
predictable pattern of skills, you can quickly
diagnose any reading skill deficiencies by noting
the number of the question(s) missed. Reading
skills practiced are:
• reading comprehension
• identifying main idea and theme
• interpreting meanings and tone of words and phrases
• determining author’s purpose and point of view
• applying phonics and word-analysis skills
• making inferences
• summarizing
• responding to literature
Recording form masters are included and also
available in Excel and Word format on the
included CD. Also included on the CD are a
Standards Correlations Chart, reproducible PDFs
for each practice page, instructions for completing diagnostic forms, fluency assessment directions and rubric for scoring reading responses.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.99 14.95
030397 Grade K
030361 Grade 4
030346 Grade 1
030373 Grade 5
030347 Grade 2
030392 Grade 6
030352 Grade 3
Reading / Literature
251
Flash Kids Reading Skills (K-5)
This vibrantly colorful workbook series contains grade appropriate reading passages and
fun activities to strengthen your young readers’ ability to understand a variety of text
and grow in confidence as a reader. The
first grade book has been adapted from the
Steck-Vaughn Reading Comprehension book
(#22239) and contains many of the same
readings and activities (although with colorful
illustrations as compared to the Steck Vaughn
Reading Comprehension book which is entirely
black and white). The focus of the first grade
book is on vocabulary, drawing conclusions,
facts and inferences, main idea, making judgments and noting details. Multiple choice questions develop skills for a successful standardized
test taking experience. The second through fifth
grade books are adapted from Comprehension
Skills Complete Classroom Library and further
develop children’s abilities to comprehend fiction and non-fiction reading passages through
multiple choice questions and writing activities.
Grade appropriate skills covered are: facts,
sequencing, context, main idea, conclusion,
and inference. Pages are perforated and an
answer key is located the back of the book. 128
pgs, pb. Non-reproducible. ~ Deanne
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.50
038909 Grade K
053698 Grade 3
053696 Grade 1
053699 Grade 4
053697 Grade 2
053700 Grade 5
Advantage Reading (K-8)
Like the other workbooks in the Advantage
series, these provide good, solid subject practice in a clean, non-distracting format, while
slipping in a standardized test prep. This series
provides practice in grade-appropriate reading
skills, including comprehension, vocabulary,
fluency, interpreting graphic information, reading with expression, writing, phonemic awareness (in the lower grades), structural word analysis (upper grades) and more. The books use a
variety of genres, both fiction and non-fiction.
Reading skills covered include not only reading regular text but also reading charts, graphs,
labels, maps, and recipes.
Each unit of the workbook is focused around
a theme, and each of the major skills covered
in the book is presented again in each unit,
with slightly more difficulty. Each unit contains
exercises and activities to practice these reading
skills including fiction and nonfiction passages,
reading comprehension questions in multiplechoice and short answer format, writing assignments, using graphic organizers, fill-in-theblank questions, matching and more. Each
unit begins with a page where students answer
questions about the theme based on their prior
knowledge, and at the end of each unit there is
a writing assignment based around that theme
as well as suggested follow-up activities. All
multiple choice questions are presented in a format similar to standardized tests, where students
must bubble in answerd. An answer key is
included in each book. An excellent series that
provides a well-rounded practice supplement to
any elementary reading program. Please note
that several of the books have been replaced
by Ultimate Advantage Reading workbooks.
These are virutally the same as the originals, but
also include full-color quiz cards (answers on
252
Reading / Literature
reverse) for additional practice. Reproducible,
approx. 105 pgs, pb - Jess / Caryl
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.95
028200 Grade 1
028204 Grade 5
028201 Grade 2
028205 Grade 6
028202 Grade 3
032191 Grade 7
028203 Grade 4
032192 Grade 8
EACH ULTIMATE BOOK . . . . . 9.99
7.95
047275 Grade K
047273 Grade 2
047272 Grade 1
047274 Grade 3
Giant Beginning Reading Workbook (1-2)
060395 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99
7.95
Kumon Reading Workbooks (1-6)
Designed to be self-instructional, these workbooks are unlike most out there. You may recognize the Kumon name and approach: step-by
step instruction, logical progression and lots
of repetition of main concepts. These books
focus on improving a child’s reading ability and
vocabulary through a variety of activities. Grade
levels are aligned to state reading standards and
an answer key is in the back of each book.
Grade 1: Students trace words using short
vowel sounds, connect dots to learn consonant
combinations, fill in the blank from a word box
to practice long vowels, look at pictures and
learn new vocabulary in a variety of situations,
study adjectives and read paragraphs with questions to test reading comprehension.
Grade 2: Tracing vocabulary words and vowel
words, working with consonant combinations,
practice synonyms and antonyms, learn question words and plurals, reading the table of
contents, sequencing, and a longer section of
reading comprehension.
Grade 3: Students learn about suffixes, compare and contrast, context clues, more question
words, and reading comprehension.
Grade 4: This book starts with reading comprehension and uses the paragraph with questions
format to teach vocabulary review, question
words, determining true or false, cause and
effect, main idea, and character development.
Grade 5: This book uses the format of reading
a passage and answering questions to teach lessons in main idea vs. supporting ideas, vocabulary, cause and effect, additions, descriptions,
characters, vocabulary & comprehension.
Grade 6: This level has more advanced reading comprehension activities like determining
theme, interpreting text, fact vs. opinion, story
elements, lots of vocabulary and reading passages with questions.
Kumon workbooks are designed to help each
child reach their potential and become selfmotivated learners. Kids will likely enjoy setting
their own pace and showing you the results.
You are teaching them to take charge of their
learning at an early age. 80 pgs, pb ~ Sara
EACH WORKBOOK . . . . . . . . 7.95
5.95
053217 Grade 1
053220 Grade 4
053218 Grade 2
053221 Grade 5
053219 Grade 3
053222 Grade 6
Head for Home Reading (1-6)
This workbook series comes from Steck-Vaughn
and provides independent practice for students of
all skill levels in grades one through six. These
books are intended to aid in comprehension by
using both fiction and non-fiction reading selections. Each book is a colorful, non-reproducible
64-page workbook that offers practice for struggling, on-level, and advanced learners. Novice
(struggling readers) has eight lessons; Intermediate
(on-level readers) and Advanced each have twelve
lessons. Each lesson includes an introduction that
defines the skill, explains the importance of that
skill, and provides step-by-step instructions for
applying the skill. Lessons also include a reading
selection followed by comprehension questions
and a graphic organizer for applying that skill.
The novice level also includes guided practice,
which is a reading passage with reader-response
questions that assist in the understanding of the
skill for that lesson.
Improvement in comprehension comes about
through understanding story elements and terminology such as character, setting, plot, context
clues, fiction, nonfiction, main idea, inferences,
predictions, and much more, all of which are
addressed in this series. Answer keys are included
at the back of each book. Assist, reinforce, and
challenge students all with this one series. ~
Donna
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.75
Novice:
018505 Grade 1
018513 Grade 2
018527 Grade 3
018530 Grade 4
018544 Grade 5
018555 Grade 6
Intermediate:
018444 Grade 1
018448 Grade 2
018457 Grade 3
018474 Grade 4
018478 Grade 5
018493 Grade 6
Advanced:
018414 Grade 1
018415 Grade 2
018416 Grade 3
018421 Grade 4
018437 Grade 5
018438 Grade 6
Reading Informational Text: CC Lessons (1-6)
The Common Core standards differentiate
between particular types of reading material
and, thus, are re-orienting the way we think
about reading and writing tasks. For instance,
informational text is now mentioned specifically
and, therefore, must be built into the curriculum
so students are well prepared for achievement
testing. Informational Text has both specific elements and various types of structure. An element
is something you can think about or look for in
the text – purpose for reading, major ideas, supporting details, visuals/graphics, and vocabulary.
A structure is how a text is organized and how the
main ideas are shared. Structures typically found
in information texts include main idea/details,
time order, compare/contrast, cause/effect, and
question/answer. These elements and structures
are not new – in fact, they’re found in most
reading comprehension texts and supplements.
However, now we’re looking for them specifically and making sure the material we’re reading
provides both the elements and structures. With
this teacher’s reproducible (for single classroom)
workbook series Evan Moor is providing infor-
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
continued...
mational texts that conform to the CCSS expectations. Units include science, social studies, geography, biography, and technology with one to
three lessons in each unit. To give you an idea of
topics, content area, and text structure, here are
the lessons for the Grade 3 book: Big, Wild Cats!
(Life Science, Compare/Contrast); Sandra Day
O’Connor (Biography – Political Science, Time
Order); Barack Obama (Biography – Political
Science, Time Order); Plants of the Rainforest
(Life Science, Main Idea/Details); The Great
Lakes (Geography, Cause/Effect); Two Climates
(Earth Science, Compare/Contrast); It’s a Grand
Old Flag (Social Studies – Sociology, Main Idea/
Details); Mystery of Mesa Verde (Social Studies –
U.S. History, Time Order); About Banks (Social
Studies – Economics, Question/Answer); and The
Zipper (Social Studies – Sociology, Cause/Effect).
As you would expect the introductory information in these books include an orientation
to the units, correlations to both the CCSS and
the Texas standards, an overview of articles
and writing prompts, and reproducible prewriting charts showing the Five Elements and
the Five Structures of Information Text. Each
lesson includes two pages of teacher information (objectives, preparation, and lesson plans)
plus reproducible students’ pages. A complete
Answer Key is provided. Student pages include:
Content Area Article (two pages with illustrations in the Grade 3 book), Dictionary Page
- defines content and academic words, Identify
Information – close reading activity (annotating
the text article), Answer Questions – reading
comprehension (multiple choice and whole sentence), Apply Vocabulary – choosing words to
complete sentences, Text Structure – examines
how information is organized, Write About It –
text-based writing assignment. This well-done
series provides quality reading comprehension
and writing preparation that is correlated to
the current state standards (most of which are
CCSS). Conservative parents will likely sigh a
bit at the content choices, while recognizing
they are consistent and typical of the CCSS. 113
pgs, pb ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.99 16.50
057765 Grade 1
057768 Grade 4
057766 Grade 2
057769 Grade 5
057767 Grade 3
057770 Grade 6
☼Daily Reading Practice (1-10)
This is a reading comprehension series based
on the belief that students should do quick,
short, daily reviews on a regular basis so that
reading skills will be forced into long-term
memory. As teachers we often use such techniques in learning math skills, for example.
Why not apply it to reading? This series applies
the same methodology used in Daily Grammar
Practice and is also by the same author as
Focused Writing: Elementary Writing Practice.
Each level’s Student Workbook (one per student) provides an introduction to the program,
a quick weekly reference guide (an overview
of the weekly focus skills), and daily directions
with space to record answers. Each weekday,
no matter their level, students work the same
targeted reading skills—just at their own level.
The activities become more in depth as the week
progresses, and also as students progress yearly
through the levels. For example, every Monday
after reading that week’s selection for the first
time, students will review how to determine the
passage’s main subject and how to construct
titles. Every Thursday, students will focus on the
main idea/thesis, find problems in the selection
and sometimes use graphic organizers to understand the text. So, with each daily activity, students return to that week’s reading assignment,
seeing it “afresh” with a new task. In addition,
certain skills are introduced at certain times. For
example, identifying allusion and other literary
skills are introduced in 9th grade; identifying
rhyming words is only focused on in the first
through third grades. Student Workbooks are
consumable, non-reproducible, soft-cover and
come 3-hole punched (40 pp).
The Teacher Guides include an introduction to
the program, weekly Help pages geared to that
specific student level, the weekly reading passages, and the answer keys for all the student’s
activities. They are spiral bound softcover and
the weekly reading passages are reproducible
for a single classroom (62 pp).
Daily Reading Practice is an incremental,
“daily bite” approach to reading comprehension. It would be great as a component of your
language arts program or as a supplemental tool
to help a reader better understand his reading.
It is especially helpful for the English language
learner or children with reading difficulties.
Since the students are evaluating writing and
honing those skills throughout the year from
first grade through tenth, I can also see how this
curriculum—although not a “composition program”—would intuitively develop your students
as writers. ~ Ruth
EACH TEACHER GUIDE . . . . . . 31.95
EACH STUDENT WORKBOOK 9.95
5.95
Workbook Teacher
Grade 1
059622
059632
Grade 2
059624
059634
Grade 3
059625
059635
Grade 4
059626
059636
Grade 5
059627
059637
Grade 6
059628
059638
Grade 7
059629
059639
Grade 8
059630
059640
Grade 9
059631
059641
Grade 10 059623
059633
Zaner-Bloser Read for Real (3-8)
If you haven’t heard the term “non-fiction
reading strategies” you just haven’t been listening in the right places. It’s the “new” focal
point for reading comprehension and while it
might sound involved and scary, once you start
digging into the concept, it starts to look a lot
like common sense. The Zaner-Bloser Read
for Real series is a non-fiction reading comprehension program designed to complement
literature-based reading or basal readers. Each
grade level book has six units; each containing
three reading assignments. Each unit focuses
on a specific before reading strategy, a during
reading strategy, and an after reading strategy.
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
In the first story in each unit, the strategies are
modeled by a “partner” – a grade level counterpart who shares his/her thoughts and responses
to the strategy prompts as the story progresses.
In the second article, the strategies are mentioned and response prompts are outlined but
the student is asked to make his own notes. In
the third article in the unit, students are to make
their own similar observations and notes. All
the stories in a unit are related in terms of topic.
While this sounds confusing, there is an orderliness summed up in a chart found in each text
and shown on our website that removes much
of the confusion. Before reading strategies are:
preview the selection, activate prior knowledge,
and set a purpose. During reading strategies
include: make connections, interact with text,
and clarify understanding. After reading strategies are: recall, evaluate, and respond. Each
strategy further has two applications within the
course. For instance, “respond” by drawing logical conclusions about the topic and “respond”
by forming my own opinion about what I’ve
read. The bottom line here is that there is a very
well-thought out progression of before, during
and after skills that are being modeled, taught,
and evaluated. And these skills are taught
consistently through the courses with gradeappropriate, non-fiction content.
That content is vibrant, multi-faceted, and
on a rich variety of cross-curricular topics. For
instance, just in skimming through the various levels, I noticed articles on the Cirque du
Soleil, the Ironman race, Female Pirates, and
the Special Olympics, not to mention a number
of biographies. And that only scratches the surface. Frankly, I had a hard time keeping myself
from getting caught up in reading. At first glance
the colorful pages can seem a bit cluttered –
particularly in the first article of each unit. In
that article, there are responses from one of the
student “partners” along with his/her picture.
Once you get used to them, these are helpful
because they help the student understand what
is expected of him in terms of reading through
the article and responding to it using the strategies. There are also a number of pictures, photos, graphs, and charts.
The student is given a LOT of help in learning, practicing, and applying the strategies with
sidebar comments and instructive sequences.
Think About the Strategies segments start and
end each article. Completed graphic organizers in the first articles become examples for the
students to complete in later articles. In fact,
most of the things a student is asked to do are
modeled in the first article in each unit.
There are other aspects of the program worth
noting – most found in the Student Book.
Developing Vocabulary covers word roots,
using a thesaurus, synonyms, and much more.
There are also numerous vocabulary sidebar
notes throughout the articles. Fluency sections
encourage students to develop expression and
phrasing in a variety of oral reading situations
(poetry, drama, etc.). Reading in the Real World
gives students the opportunity to apply the unit
reading strategies to a practical text and respond
to questions designed to engage higher level
thinking skills. Connecting to the Real World
provides extension activities and resources that
enable students to transfer their learning and
continued...
Reading / Literature
253
satisfy their curiosity. Assessments (available
only in the Teacher Edition) are reproducible
and include a pretest, a posttest, and comprehension tests for each unit. All answer keys are
provided in the TG.
The Teacher Guide is designed as a wraparound (i.e. reduced student pages with teacher
helps “around the edges”) companion to the
text. An introductory overview section cites
research and explains the various aspects of the
program along with correlation to state standards. There are detailed lesson plans for each
unit. Paralleling the instruction and modeling
in the text are scripted teaching segments that
provide additional instruction. There are suggested answers for all questions and reading skill
response requests. The Vocabulary, Fluency,
Reading in Real World and Connecting to the
Real World sections receive special attention in
the TG. Included with the TG is a Fluency CD
which allows students needing extra help with
the reading fluency assignments to listen to the
fluency model and then practice reading along
with it. TG does reference a product that we do
not offer – Transparency & Blackline Masters.
Much more multi-faceted and involved than
most of our reading comprehension programs
(usually supplements), this series will provide a
wealth of information and give students a set of
comprehensive tools (i.e. strategies) for handling
any reading assignment or testing situation. I
think there would be value in using only the
Student Book but there might be accompanying frustration with the lack of answers in a few
instances. If your goal is a self-directed study,
then the Student Book alone gives you a lot to
work with. If your goal is a teacher/student interactive study, then the biggest lack in using only
the Student Book would be missing the richness
of the teacher support material and the lack of
assessments (if that’s important to you).
Student books are 229 – 278 pgs, pb. Teacher
guides are spiral-bound with hard back covers
and tabbed dividers. ~ Janice
EACH H/S BUNDLE . . . . . . . 109.98 59.99
EACH STUDENT EDITION . . 29.99 22.49
Bundle
Student
Level C
060150
060151
Level D
060152
060153
Level E
060154
060155
Level F
060156
060157
Level G
060158
060159
Level H
060160
060161
at www.tcpress.com/pdfs/9780807755567.pdf.
This can be used for any of the McCall-Crabbs
Standard Test Lesson books and makes it easy to
give students a score for each lesson and for the
entire book. The answer key contains an introduction, directions for use, an explanation of
the G-score system and answers for all 6 books.
014205 Book A (3) . . . . . . . 12.00 11.50
014206 Book B (4) . . . . . . . . . 8.95
014207 Book C (5) . . . . . . . 12.00 11.50
014208 Book D (6) . . . . . . . . . 8.95
014209 Book E (7) . . . . . . . . . 8.95
014210 Book F (8) . . . . . . . . . 8.95
014204 Answer Key . . . . . . . . 8.95
McCall-Crabbs A-E (3-8)
An all-in-one comprehensive volume of books
A through E of the McCall-Crabbs Standard Test
Lessons in Reading series. Recommended by
The Writing Road to Reading, these activities
test your student's reading comprehension skills.
There are 78 three-minute reading exercises for
each of the 5 books as well as a standardized
grade level measurement for each exercise. hc,
answers not included. ~ Enh
009101A-E . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.00 35.95
025856 Answer Key . . . . . . . . 4.95
Einstein's Who, What, and Where (4-7)
A very interesting way to build writing skills
and reading comprehension. Each activity starts
with a short story about an interesting person,
place, or historical event. Some of the topics
include Queen Elizabeth, the Great Wall of
China, the printing of the Gutenberg Bible,
Machu Picchu, women workers of World War
II, Saint Petersburg, the death of Julius Caesar,
laser eye surgery, the Forbidden City, and many
more! Every 2-3 page story starts with a "thinker"
question, and following the story are several
skill building activities. These include answering questions from the story and underlining
important ideas; working with words, such
as prefixes, synonyms, defining words, etc.;
short writing activities, including descriptions of
people, and short stories on selected topics; and
other various exercises working with analogies,
word puzzles, idioms and more. Each book
contains 15 lessons, and the teacher’s guides
offer teaching guidance, answers, and suggestions for extended activities. ~ Stephanie
EACH STUDENT BOOK . . . . 15.60 12.25
EACH TEACHER . . . . . . . . . . . 5.30
4.50
Student
Teacher
McCall-Crabbs Standard Test Lessons in 015539
Book 1
015540
Reading (3-8)
015541
Book 2
015542
Practice reading comprehension and test tak- 030682
Book 3
030683
ing with this series of reading tests. Each book
contains a total of sixty short (half-page or less) ☼Hot Dots Let’s Master Reading (PK-3)
reading selections followed by eight multiple
An interactive, multi-sensory series to reinchoice questions. These books employ a read- force reading skills. Each set contains two spiral
ing level determination called a G-score (not a bound soft cover books that cover a total of 85
standard evaluation method) with which you lessons and 15 challenge lessons. Students read
can estimate your student's reading level. It is the questions and use the Ace pen as an interacbased on the selection and how many of the tive tool to “self-check” their answers. Correct
eight questions were answered correctly. To responses are rewarded with a green light
properly estimate, however, you must give your and congratulatory phrases. Incorrect responses
child a three-minute time period with which receive a red light and a gentle redirection. The
to complete the reading and the test. Reading Hot Dots Jr models (PK & K) include an “Ace”—
selections are both fictional and non-fictional the Talking, Teaching Dog® pen. The Hot Dots
accounts. The pack of 30 bubble-format answer (grades 1-3) contain an Interactive Hot Dots®
sheets are no longer available in print format, Pen. Students work progressively through the
but you can download a PDF version free series, beginning with letter recognition, reading
254
Reading / Literature
readiness, phonics, and sight words and then
advance to reading comprehension, synonyms
& antonyms, homophones & multiple-meaning
words, context clues, spelling, and finally,
punctuation & grammar. Pen requires 2 AAA
batteries (not included). Includes access to freeonline tips for reading success. ~ Ruth
EACH SET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.99 19.50
059710Pre-K
059707Grade 2
059709Kindergarten 059708Grade 3
059706 Grade 1
Reader Rabbit Personalized Reading (PK-4)
This software is similar to the Reader Rabbit
Personalized Cross-Curricular CD-ROMs (see
description), but focuses exclusively on improving reading skills. Using A.D.A.P.T. technology,
the software adjusts the programming to match
student ability. These games feature interesting storylines, bright and colorful graphics,
fun puzzles, and animated stories. There are
also “tickle spots” that players can click on to
expand their vocabulary and have fun playing
with words. The interactive storybooks and
record-and-playback technology add a lot of fun
to the software as well. There are 50 printable
activities for every CD-ROM and personalizedprintable rewards. Each set comes with two
disks. System requirements: Windows XP, Vista,
7 (32-bit only), Macintosh OS 7.1-9.2. ~ Rachel
EACH CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.95
030125 Ages 4-6
40+ interactive storybooks and activities,
over 100 reading lessons. Phonics, listening
and thinking, vocabulary, identifying letters,
rhyming words, comprehension, reading
aloud, letter sounds, blending sounds, word
recognition, sounding-out words, reading
sentences, making predictions.
030248 Ages 6-9
20 interactive storybooks, over 100 reading
lessons. Vocabulary, advanced phonics,
writing and creativity, predicting, rhyming words, combining syllables, compound
words, consonant blends, long and short
vowels, superlatives, reading aloud, antonyms and synonyms, visual and auditory
word recognition.
Combined - Paired Text
☼Close Reading with Paired Texts (K-5)
This close reading practice is designed to
strengthen reading comprehension skills. Ageappropriate, paired texts are pulled from four
subject areas: Language Arts, Math, Science and
Social Studies (three units in each subject). Nonfiction and fiction texts are paired to provide
opportunities to gain proficiency in a range of
text types while drawing connections between
the two. Students compare & contrast, reread for
accuracy and personally select activities to complete. Books provide teachers with at-a-glance
type lesson plan overviews and model close
reading through Think Alouds. Appendices contain cited references, standards, implementing
lesson tips, strategies, assessment options and a
few student reproducibles (close reading bookmarks, etc.). 128 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.99 14.95
060095 Level K
060092 Level 3
060090 Level 1
060093 Level 4
060091 Level 2
060094 Level 5
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading Paired Text: CC Lessons (1-6)
The Common Core standards
differentiate between particular types of reading material
and, thus, are re-orienting the
way we think about reading and writing tasks. For
instance, paired reading is
now mentioned specifically
and, therefore, must be built
into the curriculum so students are well prepared for achievement testing. Paired Reading
Text provides reading selections (social studies and science topics) with comprehension
and writing activities. The pairing of texts
(one informational; one literary) allows students
to compare multiple viewpoints, encouraging
information integration. This teacher’s reproducible workbook series from Evan Moor is providing paired text units that conform to the CCSS
expectations.
Each of the eight units (four in social studies
and four in science) contains two thematically
related selections that are tied together by an
“essential question”. Each text has comprehension activities - vocabulary, oral close reading
discussion, comprehension questions and a
writing prompt. Then, teacher-guided discussion of the topic, the two texts, and the focusing
question along with another writing assignment
provides the unit assessment.
Teacher material for each unit includes a unit
overview, lesson plans, and questions for both
the oral close reading discussion and the unit
assessment discussion. A complete answer key
is provided. Reproducible student pages for
each article include: Article (two pages with
illustrations in the Grade 3 book, Dictionary
Page – writing sentences from vocab words,
Apply vocabulary – complete sentences from
word choices, Answer Questions – reading
comprehension (multiple choice and whole
sentence), Write About It – assignments plus
graphic organizers. The unit assessment writing
assignment also includes graphic organizers and
has an emphasis on addressing the question that
draws the two text articles together.
To give you an idea of this type of reading/
writing instruction, consider the third unit from
the Grade 3 book. Topic: Meeting the Father
of a Country; Essential Question: What was
the first United States president like? The first
article is The Generals and Their Dogs which
relays across battle lines dog-finding and returning incident from the Revolutionary War. The
second is The Legend of the Cherry Tree which
shares the old story that is generally considered
to be made-up legend. The assessment writing
asks the student to describe Washington’s character as a young boy and how/if it changed as
an adult.
This well-done series provides quality reading
comprehension and writing preparation in a
targeted application that is correlated to the current state standards (most of which are CCSS).
Conservative parents will likely sigh a bit at
some of the content choices; at the same time
recognizing they are consistent and typical of
the CCSS. 176 pgs, pb. ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.99 16.50
057771 Grade 1
057774 Grade 4
057772 Grade 2
057775 Grade 5
057773 Grade 3
057776 Grade 6
☼Reading Literary Text: Common Core
Lessons (1-6)
If it is important to you to meet the Common
Core reading standards or the Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills reading standards, this
series from Evan-Moor will make it easy to
accomplish. The goal is for student to demonstrate mastery of certain reading skills in a variety of genres. This series covers several genres,
including myth, folk tale, comedy, realistic fiction and historical fiction.
The series is very easy to use. Charts early
in the book show which literature selections
meet which requirements of the standards, the
reading level of each story, its genre, type of
analysis being studied, and what type of writing
will be done after each selection. Bullet-point
definitions of the different types of genre make
it clear what characteristics make up each
genre. Ditto for literary elements (point of view,
setting, character, plot, etc.). Lesson prep and
directions are simple to follow. The stories seem
well chosen; my 3rd grade sample contained
nine 2-page selections from Country Mouse and
City Mouse, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Carl
Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, Davy Crockett’s
1846 Almanac, and the Greek legend of Damon
and Pythias. Ten discussion questions with
answers are provided for each selection. Close
reading questions require the student to find
specific answers in the text and mark or highlight them. Vocabulary words (8 to 10) that may
not be familiar are listed, along with definitions,
and are then used to fill in the blanks in sentences. Short answer and multiple choice questions
test whether student understands the literary
elements. A writing assignment wraps up each
section, featuring different types of writing, such
as narrative, explanatory, or opinion. An answer
key in the back is provided.
Even if you are not a big fan of the Common Core
or TEKS standards, this series provides good reading selections with a variety of follow-up activities
to ensure understanding of the reading selections,
all in an easy-to-use format.sc, 130 pgs. ~ Bob
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.99 16.50
044366 Grade 1
044455 Grade 4
044447 Grade 2
044456 Grade 5
044449 Grade 3
044459 Grade 6
☼Nonfiction and Fiction Paired Texts (2-6)
Help your student improve comprehension
skills and make connections between fiction
and nonfiction. Each resource in this series provides grade-level appropriate material with high
interest passages as well as multiple choice and
short answer questions. Each reproducible book
(for one classroom) contains 26 units of 5 pages
each that can be used in any order: no necessary progression to follow. The first two pages
contain the fiction & nonfiction reading; the
last three pages contain activities. These range
from comprehension to extension questions.
Each includes instructions for using the workbooks, an Answer Key and a chart of correlating
standards. As a tapsponder-enabled resource
from Teacher Created Resources, teachers have
access to real-time, online grading of activities.
CCSS, 144 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH WORKBOOK . . . . . . . 15.99 12.50
039076 Grade 2
039114 Grade 5
039095 Grade 3
039132 Grade 6
039100 Grade 4
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading Skills - Specific
Increasing Fluency with High Frequency Word
Phrases (1-5)
We get questions occasionally about teaching
a child to read more fluently – they have the
phonics and decoding skills, but their reading
seems choppy and rough. This program strives
to help students achieve that fluency with word
recognition, and reading with expression which
in turn will improve reading comprehension.
Based on Dr. Fry’s Instant Word List (3000
most used words), each level practices words,
phrases and oral stories in order to achieve
the goal of fluency. The program progresses
sequentially through Dr. Fry’s list, so lessons are
to be done in order at each specific grade level:
Grade 1 – words 1-100, Grade 2 – 101-625,
Grade 3 – 626-1325, Grade 4 – 1326-2025,
and Grade 5 – 2025 and up. There are twenty
4-page lessons at each level and each includes
an audio CD and CD-ROM. The audio CD
includes the oral readings of phrase lists and
reading selection found in each lesson and the
CD-ROM allows you to print the student pages
for your classroom or family. The front of each
book includes instructions for the instructor
along with a scoring chart to determine reading
level up through 6th grade and rubric for assessing fluency.
Each lesson is divided into 8 sections for practice. Grades 1 and 2 begin with word practice,
then phrases, story, comprehension, ‘On Your
Own’ activity which allows more practice with
phrases, ‘Try It,’ ‘Fluency Checkpoint,’ and an
evaluation. Grades 3 -5 start out with phrases,
then listen and read along with the story, ‘On
Your Own,’ comprehension questions, ‘Reading
with Expression,’ ‘Try It’ offers practice with
expression, ‘Fluency Checkpoint,’ and evaluation. The ‘Fluency Checkpoint’ and evaluation
are opportunities for the student to self-evaluate
and realize areas of improvement. Every lesson
follows the same format, so the program is easy
to use. If practice really makes perfect, this may
be just what the doctor ordered to improve reading fluency. ~ Donna
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.99 22.95
024915 Grade 1
024953 Grade 4
024925 Grade 2
024966 Grade 5
024951 Grade 3
Reading / Literature
255
Following Directions (1-6)
The number one cause of answering questions
incorrectly is probably not carefully reading and
following the directions! I don't know how
many times I, as a student, have either been told
or realized looking back at a missed question
on a test, that if I'd only followed the directions I would have gotten it correct. Usually
the direction I didn't follow was not reading
the questions or answer choices all the way
through! Help your students learn the valuable skill of following directions with these fun
and easy-to-use workbooks. Each workbook is
divided into three sections: Following Written
Directions, Following Step-by-Step Directions to
Draw a Picture, and Following Oral Directions.
In the first two sections students can work independently, but in the third section, the directions need to be read aloud to students. Skills
progress by grade levels. The 1-2 grade books
contains activities such as hidden pictures,
crack the codes, matching, coloring, connectthe-dots, solving riddles, drawing simple pictures, etc. Grades 3-4 covers more complex
dot-to-dots, coloring activities, riddles, pictures,
etc. Grades 5-6 includes mapping activities,
graphing pictures, alphabetizing, riddles, more
complicated pictures and more. If students
learn this valuable skill early, it will save them
from kicking themselves later on! ~ Megan
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.99
9.50
032195 Grades 1-2
032197 Grades 5-6
032196 Grades 3-4
Inferring (Spotlight on Reading) (1-6)
This series will help improve student reading
comprehension and scores on standardized
testing by providing practice with the skill of
inferencing, which is using context clues to infer
meaning. A wide variety of activities are provided, but basically, an interesting text passage
is given (or black and white pictures for some of
the beginning level activities) and then questions
or activities about the passage are provided in a
variety of formats. All of the questions require
students to draw logical conclusions based on
prior knowledge or information that is implied
but not directly stated. In beginning levels, students cut out illustrations and paste them into
a larger picture where they belong, and then
activities progress through the levels to include
matching, multiple-choice, short answer, drawing, and short writing activities. The captivating
activities will help strengthen this important
skill which is often hard for students to master,
and it will help improve their comprehension
across subject areas as well as improve reading
standardized test scores. Answers are provided
in the back of the books. 48 pgs, pb. ~Rachel
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
029551 Grades 1-2
029553 Grades 5-6
029552 Grades 3-4
Inference Jones (3-6)
How do you teach a child to think critically?
One way is to teach them to draw inferences
about what they read. Inferences are the meanings we-the-reader assign to text. The author
does not have to tell us that the boy who is
laughing is happy; we infer that he is happy.
We draw from personal knowledge based on
our experiences. Readers construct meaning
through interpretation and this is the basis of
256
Reading / Literature
Inference Jones. Each lesson has a text with a
title. Ask students to predict what the story will
be about based on the title. How did they come
to this conclusion? Students will then read a text
selection, about half a page. As the teacher,
you ask them to create an association between
themselves and what they read. Since kids have
different experiences, you may have to ask some
pretty specific questions until they get the hang
of the activity. Students may not relate to all the
characters in the text, although the stories are
made to be relatable to the grades specified.
There are questions to discuss and answers
(answer key is in the back for you). Making
students aware of things like inference when
they are in younger grades will only help them
to be better critical thinkers in high school and
college. The more a child is aware of how they
learn and make connections in their brains from
new material to existing information, the better
a learner they will become. ~ Sara
EACH WORKBOOK . . . . . . . . . 11.99
052040 Beginning (3-4)
052041 Level 1 (5-6)
☼Mastering Complex Text: Using Multiple
Reading Sources (2-6)
Help your students strengthen their reading muscles with
this series! Students learn to
synthesize information from
a variety of textual types.
Students explore the reading
material and complete the
activities which help the students draw out information,
use higher-order thinking to answer questions,
locate information that fits specific criteria and
integrate information so that they can write
knowledgeably about a topic. Questions range
from multiple choice to short answer, openended responses. Includes an Answer Key
and correlates to CCSS (Common Core State
Standards). Units vary from 22 (Grade 2), 25
(Grade 6) to 28 Units (Grades 4-5). 8 1/2” x 11”,
112 pp, sc.~ Ruth
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.95
060545 Grade 2
060548 Grade 5
060546 Grade 3 060549 Grade 6
060547 Grade 4
Speed Reading for Better Grades (7-9)
Read faster and retain more of what you read!
Using a variety of diverse reading material such
as editorials, letters, and primary source materials from several core subject areas, these lessons are geared to improve the student’s speed
of reading and overall comprehension, which
should result in better test-taking skills. This
workbook contains sixteen lessons focusing
on specific reading skills including vocabulary
building, eye movements, reading purpose,
previewing, reading in thought, skimming and
scanning for the main idea and details, study
reading and memory, and how to improve your
reading in specific subject areas such as math,
social studies, science, and literature. Each lesson has five exercises. The lesson begins with
a teacher page describing the skill, which could
also be read by the student. Then students work
through an interpretation exercise, perception
exercise, comprehension exercise, and two
stories with questions for the student to answer
to determine their average comprehension score
and effective word-per-minute speed. Answers
are included at the end of the book. This workbook could easily be used for self-study by an
individual student or in a “class” situation, as
the exercise pages are reproducible. What I
like best about this workbook is that it is very
realistic in what words we should be able to
read per minute (not skim or scan per minute).
While other products make loftier promises,
this workbook states that the maximum number
of words read are 800-900 words per minute.
Overall, this is a very thorough course that will
teach you how to speed read without sacrificing
reading comprehension. – Jess
030506 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.00 15.95
Close Reading
Literary Passages: Close Reading (1-6)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.99
040313 Grade 1
040386 Grade
040382 Grade 2
040394 Grade
040383 Grade 3
040397 Grade
8.95
4
5
6
☼Conquer Close Reading (2-6)
In case you’re not familiar with Common
Core State Standards jargon, close reading
is…”thoughtful, critical analysis of a text that
focuses on significant details or patterns in order
to develop a deep, precise understanding of
the text’s form, craft, meanings, etc.” Another
online definition says, “reading to uncover layers of meaning that lead to deep comprehension.” Well, that’s all well and good, but how
do you integrate this into your reading program?
First, let me say that I believe most homeschoolers ALREADY are fostering close reading habits
naturally, without doing anything different or
special. Like most CCSS, these standards aren’t
really new – students were always supposed to
understand what they were reading. Apparently,
public schools got a wee bit off track before the
CCSS were implemented, focusing more on
what a student thought about the text and what
impressions the text left them with rather than
what the text was actually saying. While these
are important and interesting ways to study text
(especially fiction), the more obvious information was often getting lost in the musings. So,
enter close reading. Back to the first question
– how you can implement this? If you want to
see how it works (methodology) and have your
student practice it, Conquer Close Reading is
a good way to achieve this. The Introduction
fills you in on the process and purpose as well
as how to use the book. Each grade provides
two model texts – one fiction, one non-fiction
– along with twelve mini-lessons (one focusing
on each close reading skill) using the model
texts. Each mini-lesson has instructions for
teaching the skill to your student. Part of these
mini-lessons is practice in pairs. However, these
are not collaborative activities. I’m guessing the
“paired” activity is meant to fulfill another CCSS
since these can easily (and more efficiently) be
completed by a single student. Once these
“building block” mini-lessons are completed,
students move to the fourteen main lessons.
Each of these presents a passage (lessons 1-7
have a literary text, lessons 8-17 an informational) for students to practice and apply the
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
continued...
skills learned in the mini-lessons. The worktext
is very self-instructional. Each lesson has a
worksheet for each of the four reading “passes”
(Read for Story Elements, Build Vocabulary,
Identify Text Structure Examples, and Build
Deeper Understanding) with clear instructions
and prompts for appropriate responses. Again,
instructions often reference working with a
partner, but this seems unnecessary. A fifth
worksheet leads students to Apply Knowledge
Through Writing. These are as varied as the texts
themselves, requiring anything from a poem to
a short, polished essay. Helpful checklists /
rubrics at the end of the volume help students to
edit, evaluate, and revise their writing. I would
probably teach the mini-lessons one per day
then have my student do a lesson once a week
instead of their “normal” language arts assignments. 128 pages, softcover.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.99 17.50
038106 Grade 2
038109 Grade 5
038107 Grade 3
038123 Grade 6
038108 Grade 4
Using Paired Novels to Build Close Reading
Skills (4-8)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.99 10.95
050333 Grades 4-5 050364 Grades 6-7
050337 Grades 5-6 050513 Grades 7-8
Reading Comprehension
Jane Ervin Reading Comprehension in Varied
Subject Matter (2-12)
Out of the many comprehension workbooks
I have used and reviewed, this series is my
personal favorite. It contains great variety in
subject matter and excellent thinking questions.
Before reading each of the 31 reading selections per book, a short introduction gives a little
background information and states the reading
skill to be emphasized. Selections include
pieces on general topics, mathematics, philosophy, literature, science, social studies, logic
and thinking, language, and the arts. Because
this is a secular program, you may choose
to preview some of the reading selections,
particularly in the upper grades. Following
the selections are questions which require students to find the main idea, identify sequence,
draw conclusions, make assumptions, match
vocabulary words to meanings, and identify
and interpret facts. Although this series is my
favorite, our children are not as certain, since
these books really made them think. Small
teacher’s keys contain solutions to the lessons.
Early Reading Comprehension (2-4)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.90
8.45
EACH KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.50
2.95
Book:
Key:
003396
A (2)
003398
003404
B (2-3)
003407
003422
C (3)
003424
008926
D (3-4)
008927
Reading Comprehension (3-9)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.90
EACH KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.50
Book:
Key:
006669
1 (3-4)
003425
003427
2 (4-5)
014590
003429
3 (5-6)
006670
9.45
2.65
006671
003438
003446
4 (6-7)
5 (7-8)
6 (8-9)
003437
003445
003447
More Reading Comprehension (9-12)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.90
EACH KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.50
Book:
Key:
003452
1 (9)
003453
003454
2 (10)
003459
003460
3 (11)
003461
003462
4 (12)
003463
9.45
2.65
Everyday Comprehension Intervention Activities (K-5)
Don’t let the education-speak title of this
book fool you. Yes, it is aligned to Common
Core standards. Yes, it is “research-based” and
its introductory pages sound alarmingly lofty.
Nevertheless, this is an easy-to-use book that
emphasizes assessment as well as modeled
instruction (i.e. “this is what we’re doing” and
“this is what it’s supposed to look like”) and
guided practice (“let me help you do that”).
There are approximately 30 units; each targeting
a specific reading comprehension skill. Each
skill has a five-day teaching plan. Day 1 looks
at an example. Scripted analytical questions
are provided for the teacher. Days 2, 3, and
4 develops the skill; each day with worksheets
and step-by-step tasks. Day 5 gives the student
the opportunity to complete the skill “from
scratch” without the help of the teacher or the
prompts. It’s a great teaching progression! Both
student worksheets (reproducible for classroom)
and teacher scripting and prompts are provided
in this book. Free online assessments are available on the publisher's website. Skills covered
in this book parallel those covered in its companion, Progress-Monitoring Comprehension
Assessments:
¾¾ analyze character
¾¾ analyze story elements
¾¾ analyze text structure and organization
¾¾ compare & contrast
¾¾ draw conclusions
¾¾ evaluate author’s purpose & point of view
¾¾ evaluate fact and opinion
¾¾ identify cause and effect
¾¾ identify main idea and supporting details
¾¾ identify sequence or steps in a process
¾¾ make inferences
¾¾ make judgments
¾¾ make predictions
¾¾ summarize information
¾¾ use graphic features to interpret information
¾¾ use text features to locate information
Approx. 170 pgs, pb ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.99 15.95
035974 Grade K
035962 Grade 3
035960 Grade 1
035970 Grade 4
035961 Grade 2
035971 Grade 5
EDCON CLASSIC WORKTEXTS (1-5)
A “novel” approach to reading, and introduction to the classics rolled into one. Each
"Bring the Classics to Life" worktext contains
a complete adaptation of the original work,
written at appropriate reading level, a synopsis of the story, vocabulary lists, comprehension questions, vocabulary quizzes and
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
answer key. Novels have been broken into
ten short chapters. Prior to each chapter, new
vocabulary words are defined and used in context. Comprehension questions include recall
of specific details, sequence of events, drawing
inferences from story context, critical thinking,
selecting the main idea. Vocabulary exercises
using the newly-learned words follow. 72 pgs.
each, reproducible. Black and white (nice for
coloring!) illustrations. There are 9-10 Classic
Worktexts per grade level, with a complete
set also available at each grade. A separate
Shakespeare series is also available for grades 2
and up, with plays adapted in modern English
(no "thees" or "thous") for easy reading.
The retellings of the classic books are also
available in audio CD format. The comprehension questions and other features in the worktexts are not included, just the adapted story
The audio recordings are fairly well done, with
expertly paced narration and exciting sound
effects. If used with a workbook, these could
provide a nice audio component for listening
comprehension. CDs are available for Level 1
and Level 2 books, but not Level 2 Shakespeare.
EACH WORKTEXT . . . . . . . . 11.99
9.25
EACH WORKTEXT SET . . . . . 119.90 92.50
Grade 1 Worktexts
019760 Adv of Huck Finn
043380 Christmas Carol
019759Heidi
004456 Jungle Book
007122 Little Women
002565 Rebecca of Sunnybrk Fm
002855 Rip Van Winkle
007138 Swiss Family Robinson
002860 Uncle Tom's Cabin
002564 White Fang
042304 Worktext Set (10 above)
043377 All Lvl 1 Sets . . . . . 249.90 177.95
All Level 1 Workbooks and Audio CDs.
Grade 2 Worktexts
043375 Around World 80 Days
007140 Black Beauty
007394 Call of the Wild
002849 Hunchback Notre Dame
002851 Man Without a Country
002572 Merry Adv. Robin Hood
019762 Prince and the Pauper
004503 Silas Marner
019761 Tom Sawyer
007141 Treasure Island
042305 Worktext Set (10 above)
043378 All Lvl 2 Sets . . . . . 249.90 177.95
All Level 2 Workbooks and Audio CDs.
Grade 3 Worktexts
004438 Connecticut Yankee in
King Arthur's Court
043381Frankenstein
002671 Invisible Man
019763Kidnapped
002854 Oliver Twist
007234 Red Badge of Courage
007142 Robinson Crusoe
002856 Sea Wolf
002857 Man in the Iron Mask
002858 War of the Worlds
042306 Worktext Set (10 above)
continued...
Reading / Literature
257
Grade 4 Worktexts
007296 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
007245 Captains Courageous
002845 David Copperfield
002846 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
002847 From the Earth to the Moon
007295 Gulliver’s Travels
019764Pathfinder
014518 Picture of Dorian Gray
004485Pioneers
002859 Time Machine
014493 Worktext Set (10 above)
Grade 5 Worktexts
007297 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
004449 Count of Monte Cristo
002848 Hound of the Baskervilles
007298Ivanhoe
002704 Journey to the Center of the Earth
002850Kim
019765 Last of the Mohicans
002852Metropolis
002853 Moby Dick
002673 Tale of Two Cities Worktext
002198 Worktext Set (10 above)
Shakespeare Classic Worktexts
Level 2 (2-3)
004457 Measure for Measure
001930Pericles
012650 Romeo & Juliet
012651Tempest
014884 Winter’s Tale
013003 Set of all 5 above . . 59.95 46.50
Level 3 (3-4)
012646 As You Like It
001929 Merchant of Venice
014881 Midsummer Night's Dream
014882 Much Ado About Nothing
004511 Two Gentlemen of Verona (3-4)
013004 Set of all 5 above . . 59.95 46.50
Level 4 (4-5)
004416 Antony and Cleopatra
012647Hamlet
012648Macbeth
014883 Richard III
001944 Twelfth Night
013188 Set of all 5 above . . 59.95 46.50
Level 5 (5-6)
004401 All's Well That Ends Well
014246 Julius Caesar
014880 King Lear
012649Othello
001934 Taming of the Shrew
013292 Set of all 5 above . . 59.95 46.50
~~~~~~~
Comprehension Quickies Series (1-5)
These worksheets offer quick reading comprehension practice and assessment. Each page
features a short (4-8 sentence), interesting,
information-packed paragraph followed by six
or seven short-answer comprehension questions. The paragraphs are about real people,
places and events; for example, in Level 1, topics include the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Scotland
Yard, Mt. Rushmore, Houdini, The Liberty Bell,
the Tower of London, and more. The questions
are basic and can be answered by referring
to the passages. There are 27 worksheets in
each book. Each worksheet should only take
about five minutes to complete, though they
may take longer for struggling readers or writers. Worksheets are reproducible, and answers
are included in the back of each book. These
books were developed to be used for struggling
readers from grades 4-8, but they can easily be
adapted for younger grades because of the reading levels. Level One is written at a 1st grade
reading level, Level Two at a 2nd grade level,
and so on. If you have a second grader reading
at a third grade level, go with book three; if you
have a seventh grader reading at a fourth grade
level, go with book four. 30 pgs, pb. ~ Rachel
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.95
019840 Level 1
019843 Level 4
019841 Level 2
019844 Level 5
019842 Level 3
ing assignments. Each of the 30 lessons starts
with a short passage plus guided instruction and
practice on a particular skill. Then follows a
longer passage (high interest topics from wellknown authors), comprehension questions, and
more practice on specific comprehension skills.
A short vocabulary study and a writing activity
complete the lesson. Coverage of comprehension skills is thorough and includes extras such
as literary elements, some specific word studies, and exercises in “document” reading (i.e.
maps, tables, graphs, dictionary, encyclopedia,
etc.). All in all, a very well-rounded, gradespecific series. Student Worktexts are full-color.
Teacher’s Guides are needed to take full value
from the series. Guides include a scope and
sequence for the series, test masters (and answer
keys), detailed lesson plans, reproducible graphic organizers, and worktext answer key. ~ Janice
STUDENT A . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.47 10.45
EACH STUDENT B-D . . . . . . 12.47 11.25
EACH STUDENT E-F . . . . . . . 13.47 11.75
EACH TEACHER A-F . . . . . . . 15.97 14.85
EACH BUNDLE A-F . . . . . . . 20.97 17.45
Level
Student
Teacher Bundle
A 023249023264051742
B 023265023266051743
C 023270023296051744
D 023302023303051745
E 023346023353051746
F 023359023362051747
Read and Succeed: Comprehension (1-6)
Some kids retain everything they read while others need practice to develop this important skill. I
thought these books were going to be quite serious in nature, but the activities are colorful and
engaging for students. There are several pages up
front for parents and teachers explaining the purpose of the exercises and how to use the books.
Lessons are focused and standards-based. A CD
of student pages in pdf format is also included.
Print these or project them from a computer
to use in a classroom setting. You can work
through the book in order or use the exercises
your student needs to practice. Each chapter
begins with a Skill Focus statement. In the 6th
grade book, the first chapter is called Predict.
Kids are told to look for clues to help them guess
what is coming next in the text. The text is called,
“The Price to Play” and shows a photo of a boy
holding a soccer ball. Kids are asked to look at
the title and the picture and answer what sort of
“play” they think the text will be about and if they
think the story is true or not. Discuss these questions before reading the text. There are a couple
of questions about the text itself, and then you are
asked how your predictions compare with what
actually happened. Every lesson is very clear and
easy to follow. The topics are age appropriate
and interesting. Full-color photos add more interest. Answer keys are in the back. Reproducible,
152 pgs., pb ~ Sara
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.99 14.95
053395 Grade 1
053398 Grade 4
053396 Grade 2
053399 Grade 5
053397 Grade 3
053400 Grade 6
Core Skills: Reading Comprehension (1-8)
These comprehension books offer a variety
of activities focusing on developing important
reading comprehension skills. These include
recalling facts, finding the main idea, differentiating between facts and opinions, sequencing,
recognizing synonyms and antonyms, and critical thinking, just to name a few. Each workbook
is structured similarly, with each lesson featuring a fictional or non-fictional story, followed
by multiple choice questions, a vocabulary
activity featuring the words used in the context
of the story, and an additional activity utilizing
any of the other skills listed above. Skill reviews
follow a group of several stories, ensuring that
the student is allowed more practice with each
skill covered. The workbook for grade 1 has
158 pages and approximately 30 stories with
accompanying exercises, while grades 5-8 have
around 126 pages and between 11-12 stories
with exercises. An answer key is also included
in each workbook. The format and structure of
the lessons, as well as the skills practiced, will
not only improve reading comprehension: they
also lend themselves well to test prep, however
far down the road that may be. - Jess
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.45
022239 Grade 1
003326 Grade 7
022243 Grade 5
003327 Grade 8
022244 Grade 6
Wonder Stories (1-5)
Have you ever wondered why February is a
short month? Or what causes hiccups? Each
workbook in this reading comprehension series
contains 28 short stories, each story answering a
question that starts with "I wonder why..." Each
story is followed by six questions that practice
reading skills such as finding the main idea,
reading for detail, locating an answer, and making inferences. Answers provided. ~ Anh
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.50 Comprehension Plus (1-6)
What’s the Plus? I’m glad you asked. This
019877 Grade 1
019882 Grade 4
series provides instruction and practice in major
019879 Grade 2
019894 Grade 5
comprehension skills and strategies as well as
019880 Grade 3
guided practice in related study skills and writ258
Reading / Literature
Core Skills: Reading Comprehension 2014 Ed.
Updated version features more informational texts,
paired selections for comparing texts and higherlevel thinking questions. Aligns with Common Core
Standards for English Language Arts.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.45
031315 Grade 1
031345 Grade 5
031318 Grade 2
031349 Grade 6
031333 Grade 3
031350 Grade 7
031336 Grade 4
031361 Grade 8
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
☼Comprehending Text (1-8)
Using literal, inferential & applied questioning
is the rest of the title of this series from Teacher
Created Resources which gives students 20 different texts from a variety of genres to read and
reply to. Each unit is 5 pages longs and includes:
teacher info (focus/genre/answer key/extension
activities), 1 full page of text, 1 page covering
literal & inferential questions, 1 page covering
applied questions & 1 page that will require a
student to apply a certain comprehension strategy (different with each unit.) The stories are
fun to read and reflect a variety of cultures from
an Irish folktale to a wizard teacher to contemporary text about their adventures of modern
students. A useful resource for homeschoolers
to check a student’s reading comprehension
level. Reproducible for a single classroom or
family. Pages are perforated, black/white, CCSS
correlated, 112 pp, sc. ~ Sara
EACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.95
060515 Grade 1
060519 Grade 5
060516 Grade 2
060520 Grade 6
060517 Grade 3
060521 Grades 7-8
060518 Grade 4
Daily Reading Comprehension (1-8)
Developed to correlate with state standards,
these reading comprehension workbooks are
well laid out and easy to use. Each book contains 30 weekly units that include a teacher
page explaining skills to be covered, as well
as daily instructions for activities and student
pages. Each daily lesson is one page and
includes the paragraph to be read and four comprehension questions, making this a “bite size”
activity that will be easy to incorporate into your
daily routine. Also included are comprehension
strategies and skills, a scope and sequence, student record sheet, and tips for the student. The
reproducible pages are illustrated in black-andwhite and an answer key is included. 192 pgs
each. ~ Deanne
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.99 20.95
026987 Grade 1
027015 Grade 5
026989 Grade 2
027016 Grade 6
027003 Grade 3
027017 Grade 7
027004 Grade 4
027019 Grade 8
100+ Reading Comprehension (1-8)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99
034672 Grade 1
034683 Grade
034674 Grade 2
034688 Grade
034681 Grade 3
034696 Grade
034682 Grade 4
034698 Grade
9.50
5
6
7
8
Instant Reading Comprehension Practice (2-6)
Each of these Teacher Created Resources’
workbooks provides over 240 fiction and nonfiction quick reading activities for 2-6th grade
students to practice the following comprehension skills: locating the main idea; finding cause
and effect; noting details; using context clues;
identifying facts and opinions; making inferences; sequencing; and predicting outcomes.
Each page’s activity is printed in black and white
and is easily completed in a few minutes (just a
couple to a handful of questions). Purchase of
these books allows access to TCRs’ Tapsponder
service. This feature provides the flexibility and
convenience of digital access: assign the lessons in the book and this service grades them in
real time and records grades for a classroom of
students. Correlates to CCS standards. Includes
an answer key and a CCS Correlations sheet to
increase ease of finding just the right worksheet.
Consumable with perforated pages; reproducible for single classroom only. Approx. 144 pp,
8.5” x 11”, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.99 12.50
060531 Grade 2
060534 Grade 5
060532 Grade 3
060535 Grade 6
060533 Grade 4
☼Targeting Comprehension Strategies for the
Common Core (2-8)
This Teacher Created Resources series uses
multiple types of texts to guide students through
reading practice which is reinforced with comprehension questions. Give your children practice reading reports, narratives, expositions,
recounts, procedures and explanations at their
grade level. Each level contains four units that
identify the skill to be practiced. Skills covered
include: finding information, the main idea,
point of view and purpose; predicting; understanding words; summarizing; drawing conclusions; making inferences; determining cause/
effect, similarities/differences and fact/opinion.
Includes listings of Common Core standards
correlations, answer key and comprehension
strategy helpful hints. For your convenience, an
included CD provides all student pages for easy
printing and a copy of the standards correlations. 83 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.95
060538 Grade 2
060542 Grade 6
060539 Grade 3
060543 Grade 7
060540 Grade 4
060544 Grade 8
060541 Grade 5
☼Geronimo Stilton Academy (3-5)
These fun, colorful workbooks use excerpts
from the Geronimo Stilton series of books.
These silly tales are about a mouse named
Geronimo, his friends, and all the situations he
finds himself in. Read a part of the story with
silly words emphasized for extra effect, then
answer some questions and complete some fun
activities (arrange the parts of the story in order,
fill in the blanks, etc.). The books do build a
little bit in difficulty with the text being smaller
in the third book. Level 1 covers predicting,
inferring, sequencing, comparing/contrasting,
recalling details and main ideas. Level 2 covers
all previous skills as well as drawing conclusions and summarizing. Level 3 builds on the
skills of levels 1&2 while adding giving reasons
and stating opinions and point of view. Parents,
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
there are a few pages referencing Halloween. 64
softcover pages each. – Laura
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
060058 Level 1
060060 Level 3
060059 Level 2
Skills Builders Reading Comprehension (3-6)
These small (6” x 9”) booklets are perfect for
giving students lots of reading comprehension
practice. Each 2-page spread offers an activity
that students will enjoy as they improve their
reading comprehension skills. The left page of
the spread includes a grade-appropriate passage
for students to read. Passages range from fiction
to biographies to history to poems and more. All
sorts of activities are then presented to test reading comprehension of the passage; these include
typical multiple-choice questions, fill-in-theblank, short writing prompts, and at upper levels
crossword puzzles and word searches. Cute
black and white illustrations are included (more
at younger levels), and a small critical thinking section in the back of each book includes
exercises to develop higher-order thinking skills.
These books offer some great, quick exercises
for testing reading comprehension of various
text types with various exercise formats. Each
book is about 78 pgs, pb. ~ Rachel
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
011883 Grade 3
011892 Grade 5
011887 Grade 4
011913 Grade 6
Mini-Mysteries (3-6)
Reading comprehension just got a little help
from Sherlock - Sam Sherlock, that is. For
some children, paying attention to what they
read or hear takes practice. High-interest material can help. Mini-Mysteries leads students
through many adventures with Sam, the famous
detective, his dog, Watson, and a cast of other
characters.
Some “cases” are just foolish
pranks; others are serious business. Regardless
of the origin of the mystery, Sam is on the trail.
Selections may be read by students or read by
you. Students must read or listen closely to
catch the clues needed to solve the “crime.”
Questions following each selection also give
logic and thinking skills a workout as children
work to put the clues together and draw a conclusion. The stories increase in difficulty as the
book progresses, helping the reader to steadily
increase his (or her) problem solving abilities.
Other thinking skills get a workout, too, as questions ask children to predict outcomes, analyze
motives, exercise judgment, apply information
to other situations, etc. More Mini-Mysteries
contains 22 more fun mysteries in the same
format. This time, however, Detective Bree
Cody and her cat Rico are solving the crimes.
Answers are included at the back of both. Is
there a detective in the house?
004242Mini-Mysteries . . . . . 9.99
7.75
017090 More Mini-Mysteries 9.99
7.75
017089 Set of both above . . 19.98 15.50
Reading / Literature
259
Reading Detective (3-AD)
I waited awhile for this product! Critical
Thinking Press has tackled reading comprehension and critical thinking in this popular series.
Reading and thinking should go hand in hand,
but sometimes those skills need to be developed a little more. These excellent books use
excerpts from award-winning authors, original
fiction in a variety of genres and an assortment
of nonfiction articles covering a broad array of
topics and subject areas. Reading skills honed
in the series include: comparison/contrast; distinguishing cause and effect; distinguishing
fact and opinion; drawing conclusions; finding
supporting details; identifying main idea; making inferences; making generalizations; making
predictions; reading for details and information;
sequencing; using tables, diagrams, and illustrations; recognizing analogies; predicting outcomes. Literary analysis is included here, too,
as students will: analyze character traits; identify key events in plot; identify theme; identify
setting; predict resolution; identify author's purpose; recognize figurative language; recognize
conflict; recognize point of view; and sequence
events. While all skills are developed, particular attention is given to those requiring critical
thinking, such as inference and generalization.
The goal is to teach students to think as they
read to increase their understanding and retention of the material. To that end, instead of just
answering questions about each reading passage, students are asked to support their choice,
citing specific evidence from the passage (hence
the "detective" part). Pre- and post-tests are
supplied to help you determine which skills
and lessons to focus on. Student books are
consumable worktexts. A Teacher Overview
contains an introduction to the program and
how to use it, as well as answers to the practice
activities. The answer key contains answers
to the exercises in context; all of the passages
and questions are included to aid in discussion.
Beginning, A1, and B1 levels are all very similar
in structure and content, but adjusted to different grade levels. Reading Detective Rx features
low-readability, high-interest passages and exercises for the remedial reader.
Besides the interesting, varied selections, broad
range of skills covered, and development of critical thinking skills, I also appreciate that the reading level is on target for the grade level (except
for Rx). Many reading comprehension books
seem to go to extremes to ensure that difficulty in
actual reading ability doesn't impede the student
in working through the lessons by lowering the
reading level of the passages - resulting in overly
simplistic passages that take most of the interest
(and challenge!) out of reading.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.99
004100 Beginning (3-4)
004101 Book A1 (5-6)
004104 Book B1 (7-8)
002279 Rx (6-AD)
Reading Detective Software (3-8)
As an official detective trainee, your mission,
should you choose to accept it, is become a
master reading detective. With approximately
50-60 case files to solve, this will likely become
an on-going mission. Each case file consists of
a reading passage. To close a case file, you
must answer a series of questions about the pas260
Reading / Literature
sage and be able to back up your answers with
evidence from the passage. With each case file
you close, the closer you are to becoming a
4-star master reading detective! This software,
based on the popular Reading Detective books,
is virtually identical in content. Nearly all the
same reading passages and comprehension
questions are used. Win/Mac system requirements: Windows 7/Vista/XP; Mac OS X 10.3+.
~ Anh
EACH CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.99
023610 Beginning (3-4)
023608 Level A1 (5-6)
023609 Level B1 (7-8)
Comprehension Detective (3-8)
Students sharpen their comprehension and
critical thinking skills by analyzing cases just
as a real detective would. Each interesting story
holds all the information that children need to
solve the case, but it will take some digging
to find the clues. By answering the series of
questions following the story, children will use
critical thinking to uncover the facts and draw
logical connections to solve the mystery. They
will also increase their vocabulary by using the
dictionary to look up difficult words. Fun word
puzzles add to the challenge. ~ Steph
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.95
033344 Book One (3-5)
033345 Book Two (6-8)
Strategies That Work: Comprehension Practice
(3-7+)
This series is designed to introduce students
to effective strategies in developing reading
comprehension skills. It covers a wide range of
literature, including both fiction and nonfiction
passages. Each passage is followed by a variety
of questions that focus on one particular reading
strategy. This allows for a thorough, concentrated understanding of one strategy before moving on to the next. Strategies covered include
finding main ideas, noting details, using context
clues, drawing conclusions, following directions, using reference materials, understanding
questions and paragraphs, determining relevant
and irrelevant information, and more. Answers
included, reproducible. -Enh
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99 10.25
044217 Grade 3
044220 Grade 6
044218 Grade 4
044221 Grades 7+
044219 Grade 5
Story of the U.S.A. (4-8)
Similar in structure and content to the Story of
Western Civilization series, this reading comprehension series focuses on the story of the
United States, from early Native American times
to today. There are a few differences in format,
however. First, the lesson vocabulary words
featured before the reading include the definition, whereas the vocabulary section in Story
of Western Civilization requires the student
to look up the word in a dictionary and then
write a definition. As far as the post-selection
questions, the content is pretty similar - short
answer, true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-theblank, discussion and vocabulary questions are
featured. Two tests are included in each book one halfway through the book, and another one
at the end. One major difference is that there
is one answer key for each book in the series,
and each answer key contains answers for both
lesson questions and test questions. Additional
discussion or research activities for each lesson
are also included in answer key as well. - Jess
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.50 10.15
EACH KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.65
5.75
Book Key
026309 Explorers & Settlers
026310
026341 Yng Nation Solves Problems026342
026302 America Becomes a Giant 026303
026322 Modern America026323
Reading Comprehension Across the Genres (6-8)
This workbook series strengthens students’
comprehension using a wide variety of writing
forms. Nearly all of the 35 lessons feature a different type of writing, from narratives, letters,
journals, and school texts to poems, articles,
reviews, recipes, and even maps and graphs.
Each lesson is composed of 3 worksheets and
follows the same format. First the lesson is
introduced with the type of text, purpose, structure, and specific features outlined. The writing
example is presented below, followed by the
comprehension exercises. These exercises consist of 4 separate sections, each asking a handful of questions about the passage at a different
level. Students will answer “On the Surface”
questions and make “Discoveries” (a closer look
at some of the specific words or parts of speech
found in the passage) before digging deeper
into the passage through the questions in the
“Delving More Deeply” and “Hidden Depths”
sections. Lastly, the book invites the students
to “Extend Yourself” through some suggested
extension activities – doing additional research,
completing various writing assignments, creating special projects, etc. Blank graphic organizer forms and answers are included in the back
of the books. Reproducible, 128 pgs. - Melissa
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.25
038998 Grade 6
039000 Grade 8
038999 Grade 7
Read All About It! (6-8)
Extra! Extra! Your child will love to practice
reading comprehension and vocabulary with
these books packed with 64 actual Associated
Press stories. These are tales of the unusual like
prom outfits made of duct tape and students
concocting bug recipes that will capture the
interest of junior high readers. The stories are
divided into 4 sections with 16 stories in each.
The first section of stories is used to teach
new vocabulary words. The student will learn
and practice 10 words from each article. The
remaining stories are for comprehension practice. The student will answer 10 questions after
each story. In section two the student answers
with complete sentences, there are multiple
choice questions in section three, and section
four features true or false statements. General
directions are in the front of each section, so students can work independently or with very little
adult guidance. A progress chart and answer
keys are included. Books are 144 pages and are
reproducible for classroom or family use. These
books would be a fun supplement for practicing
reading comprehension. ~ Donna
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 13.25
037155 Grade 6-7
037156 Grade 7-8
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
McDonald Reading Comprehension (6-9)
Many of the passages in these activities are
similar in format to reading comprehension passages on standardized tests. Each book contains
20 age-appropriate stories from the same general
genre. Following each story is a page or so of
exercises that have been designed to test abilities
in general comprehension, using context clues,
finding the main idea, supporting details, drawing conclusions, sequencing, and vocabulary
development. Questions are short answer, multiple choice, sequencing, and word puzzles.
Removable answer key included. ~ Rachel
Each book . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
014626Mysteries
014629 Unique Stories
Reading Comprehension Success in 20
Minutes a Day (9-12)
It’s often been said that the single most important skill for test-taking success is good reading
comprehension. I totally agree. Even math section scores will be higher if the student reads
carefully. Providing a pretest and posttest, along
with in-depth instructional sequences, this book
will positively impact reading comprehension
skills. The pretest is unusual in its length, with
excerpts from eight different types of writing
and detailed answer explanations that provide
great help in understanding why you missed
a question. The twenty lessons are organized
into four units – building a strong foundation,
structure, language/style, and reading between
the lines. Introductory information at the beginning gives specific suggestions for becoming an
active reader – skimming ahead/jumping back,
marking up the text, highlighting or underlining,
circling unfamiliar words, making notes in the
margins, and making observations. Lessons are
detailed and varied. For instance, lesson 4 on the
difference between fact and opinion includes a
lesson summary, a page of detailed instructional
material, and three practice exercises, two of
which include a passage and questions (with
answers) and a third which actually allows you
to manipulate sentences back and forth between
fact and opinion. Another type of lesson, such
as lesson 14 on tone, starts with a lesson summary then walks the student through different
examples of how tone influences meaning and
exercises on analyzing tone from several examples. The concluding posttest utilizes the same
methodology as the pretest – excerpts from different types of writing and detailed explanations
of answers. A ten page study skills section in
the appendix provides excellent suggestions and
effective tips. If you feel like you’re just getting
started when you come to the end of the book,
there’s a code in the book that gives you access
to additional reading comprehension practice
with immediate scoring, detailed answer explanations, and personalized recommendations for
further practice and study. This seems an excellent resource for solid high school level reading
comprehension skill-building which, of course,
is excellent preparation for standardized and
college entrance testing. 214 pgs, pb. ~ Janice
057181 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.00 13.95
of kiddos, some need a little something different. Something livelier and more interesting is
needed to get them practicing reading. Make
learning fun and get instant feedback (making
this an independent activity) from the Power
Pen! It looks a little like a flashlight. When
your student places the tip of the pen on the
correct answer on a Power Pen Learning Card,
they hear a “Hooray!” or a “Yahoo!” If they
are wrong, they are encouragingly redirected.
Three volume levels on the pen include voice,
sound and light effects. Requires 2 AAA batteries (not included). The card sets include 53 (8”
x 5”) double-sided cards, instructions and an
answer key. Each card has a reading passage
on one side and 4 multiple-choice questions on
the other. Skills include using words in context/
vocabulary, finding main ideas/details, identifying sequence, making inferences/predictions,
analyzing/comparing info, integrating knowledge, understanding author’s purpose, and noting conditions. ~ Sara
1CHOKING HAZARD (1). Not <3yrs.
EACH CARD SET . . . . . . . . . 15.99 12.50
039259 Grade 1
039268 Grade 4
039263 Grade 2
039291 Grade 5
039264 Grade 3
039293 Grade 6
039240 Power Pen . . . . . . . 10.99
8.75
040722 Answer Stickers . . . . 4.99
4.50
104 correct stickers and 312 incorrect stickers to make your own cards or worksheets.
Reading Comprehension - Nonfiction
Nonfiction Reading Comprehension (1-6)
The importance of reading comprehension can
not be emphasized enough. It is an extremely
vital skill needed to develop confident readers.
Filled with interesting non-fictional topics in the
subjects of geography, history, and science, this
series is designed to strengthen your student's
comprehension skills by developing seven vital
reading skills: using facts to answer who, what,
when, where, why, and how many questions;
placing events in sequential order; identifying
similarities and differences and cause and effect
relationships; using context clues to figure out
the meaning of a word; making inferences to
make decisions and draw logical conclusions;
integrating knowledge by drawing upon visualization skills and prior knowledge; and stating
an opinion and providing support for it. The
passages are presented in order of increasing
difficulty, and the content area standard and
benchmark (now correlated to Common Core
standards) covered within each passage are
boxed off and noted at the beginning of each
passage. A series of multiple choice questions
and one short answer question assesses understanding of each and every passage. ~ Enh
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
7.25
030319 Grade 1
030322 Grade 4
030320 Grade 2
030323 Grade 5
030321 Grade 3
030324 Grade 6
Common Core Nonfiction: Activities for
Informational Practice (1-5)
One of the greater emphases of the common
core standards for language arts is the focus on
nonfiction informational reading. Grade specific,
☼Power Pen Reading Comprehension (K-6)
Reading comprehension is usually practiced each book in this series offers 15 leveled nonficin a workbook. Students read a passage and tion passages. Straightforward to use, students
answer questions. While this works for a lot read the passage and then complete two pages
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
of practice exercises. Exercises cover writing,
reading, speaking and listening, and a variety of
other language activities. Each activity lists the
related CC standards. Teaching notes and answer
key included. Black and white pages are reproducible for classroom use. An excellent resource
for focused review, practice, or evaluation of a
student’s ability to understand and apply informational text. 48 pgs, sc. ~ Deanne
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
7.25
041569 Grade 1
041612 Grade 4
041579 Grade 2
041616 Grade 5
041587 Grade 3
☼Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension for the
Common Core (1-8)
Informational text can be tough. It doesn’t
always come “naturally” and it needs to be
taught differently than fictional narratives. This
series teaches students how to strengthen their
non-fiction reading muscle and focus on analysis. Each activity builds in complexity. There are
18 reading selections in each workbook, separated into scientific, historical, biographical and
informational text. Kids learn to look for important concepts & ask and answer questions about
the text. The questions are in 3 tiers of difficulty
and are based on Costa’s Levels of Questioning.
While this book is specifically written for CCS,
reading comprehension is nothing new. This
series can be useful for students not in a school
to become familiar with standardized testing
language. It is also helpful for parents to know if
your child is reading non-fiction text at his grade
level or if they need extra practice beyond what
you are using for ELA curriculum. Plenty of parent or teacher guidance is given at the beginning
of the workbook and answers are in the back.
Reproducible for a single home or classroom.
Approx 50 pp, sc. ~ Sara
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
7.25
061713 Grade 1
061717 Grade 5
061714 Grade 2
061718 Grade 6
061715 Grade 3
061719 Grade 7
061716 Grade 4
061720 Grade 8
Daily Warm-Ups Nonfiction Reading (1-6)
Quick and easy to use (10-15 minutes per
day), these daily activities may strengthen reading comprehension and prepare students for
achievement testing. Reading selections have
been created using the Flesch Kincaid readability formula and include a “leveling chart” and
tracking sheet for further assessment. Each book
contains 150 daily readings with comprehension
questions targeting a variety of reading skills and
strategies. Five topic areas include: Interesting
Places and Events, Scientifically Speaking, From
the Past, Did you know? and Fascinating People.
Examples from the first grade book include
Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, Easter Island, and
the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Sixth grade contnt
includes: Ellis Island, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey,
and LEGO©. Comprehension questions focus on
a variety of activities including: recall, main idea,
supporting details, cause and effect, sequencing,
vocabulary/context clues, inferences and drawing conclusions. 176 perforated pages includes
answer key. Correlated to CCSS. ~ Deanne
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.99 14.95
025455 Grade 1
025522 Grade 4
025459 Grade 2
025525 Grade 5
025501 Grade 3
025526 Grade 6
Reading / Literature
261
Reading Fundamentals (Flashkids) (1-6)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.95
023677 Grade 1
023835 Grade
023792 Grade 2
023845 Grade
023825 Grade 3
023849 Grade
5.95
4
5
6
Nonfiction Reading Comprehension: Social
Studies (1-6)
These books contain high-interest, nonfiction
passages that help children develop their skills
in reading comprehension while simultaneously
learning about various social studies topics
like how the bald eagle became the national
emblem and how Saint Bernards work as rescue
dogs. Each lesson starts off by introducing students to a handful of vocabulary words used in
that particular passage. Then students read the
passage, which varies in length by grade level
(in first grade, it is five paragraphs and 275-300
words long). The passages are moderately rigorous given the intended grade levels and are
each approximately one page in length. Each
passage covers an interesting, grade-appropriate
social studies topic. You may choose to work
through the book from beginning to end or pick
passages that complement your other lessons
for the day. Following each passage, a set of 5
multiple-choice questions tests comprehension
of the main idea, specific details, vocabulary,
analogies, sequencing, and thinking beyond the
facts. The arrangement of each unit is ideal for
test practice as it follows the format of standardized tests. Although students answer questions
directly within each unit, a separate master copy
of an answer sheet is provided should you want
to simulate a more realistic test setting. Each
level contains 44 passages. Answers included.
Reproducible, 144 pgs. ~ Enh
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 13.25
039971 Grade 1-2
039970 Grade 4
039972 Grade 2-3
017919 Grade 5
039969 Grade 3
017934 Grade 6
Nonfiction Reading Comprehension: Science (1-6)
This series provides practice in standardized testing, reading comprehension skills, and
student understanding of text with scientific
themes. Each book provides 44 grade appropriate, high-interest, page-long nonfiction passages that include basic scientific facts. Passages
include descriptions of various animals and
what they eat or how they survive, weather and
nature stories, descriptions of inventions and
experiments, famous historical discoveries and
scientists, and much more. Each of the passages is accompanied by five multiple-choice
test questions that cover main idea, detail,
vocabulary, and critical reasoning. Additionally,
a list of several vocabulary words is included.
Black and white sketches accompany the passages and students can either circle the correct
answers, fill in the bubbles on the page, or fill in
bubbles on a reproducible answer sheet (2 are
provided so you’ll have to make copies if you
want more). Teacher tips and an answer key
are included. Each book is reproducible, has
perforated pages, and is 144 pgs, pb. ~ Rachel
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 13.25
043657 Grade 1
043660 Grade 4
043658 Grade 2
043661 Grade 5
043659 Grade 3
017916 Grade 6
262
Reading / Literature
Story of Western Civilization (4-8)
This unique series from Educators Publishing
Service combines a chronological tour of history
with reading comprehension with struggling
readers in mind. Each chapter contains a pagelength reading selection and several pre- and
post-reading exercises to test comprehension
and vocabulary. A "Getting Ready" section
features black and white drawings with captions
related to the topic, followed by a handful of
vocabulary words used in the selection student
must look up and write definitions for. The
reading selection was written to provide a good
overview of the topic or time period while keeping it short enough to hold students' attention.
The vocabulary words are printed in bold in the
selection with pronunciation as well. Followup comprehension exercises may include short
answer questions, true/false, sentence completion, matching, multiple choice and discussion
questions. A cumulative test is offered at the
end of each book, containing a variety of questions on all content in the book. Because the
books were designed largely for the student
to work on their own, there is no answer key
for the lesson exercises; the Teacher's Guide
contains only answers to the cumulative tests.
The workbooks themselves are fairly meaty,
each containing between 86 and 120 pages.
Excellent for use for either remedial reading
comprehension, or on-target younger readers,
this course will give a good overview of Western
civilization at the same time. Please note that
the first two lessons in How Civilization Began
contain human pre-history from a secular viewpoint. - Jess
EACH STUDENT BOOK . . . . 15.15 11.95
026317 How Civilization Began
026312 Greece/Rome Build Great Civilizations
026321 Middle Ages
026331Renaissance
026336 Teacher's Guide . . . . 4.85
4.25
Hot Dots Reading Informational Text (1-6)
What does a dress made from cream puffs, a
two-headed snake and a cow magnet have in
common? They are all topics on these cards!
Each set includes 40 large format cards (8”x 8”)
with text on one side and four multiple-choice
questions on the other. Colorful and engaging,
these provide test practice for your students on
the ELA (English/Lang Arts) portion of Common
Core exams. They are also rather entertaining!
Use the Hot Dots Pen (not included) or write
your answers on paper. You could even just discuss the answers with your students out loud as
a warm-up activity. These cards are reproducible so you could make them into worksheets.
Your children will enjoy reading the interesting
variety of topics as they become familiar with
the language of the questions. These are great
for reading comprehension and critical thinking, too – even if you are not using them for test
prep. Answer key included. ~ Sara
EACH CARD SET . . . . . . . . . 19.99 15.50
026382 Grade 1-3 026402 Grade 4-6
☼Info Passages for Text Marking & Close
Reading (1-6)
Navigating nonfiction reading can be a challenge, but is an absolutely necessary skill. These
reproducible, grade-level workbooks contain
20 activities designed to help strengthen students’ reading comprehension skills using a
basic but valuable technique: marking text.
Students learn to recognize context clues such
as adverbs (before, finally), phrases (In my
opinion, because of), etc. Students also learn to
recognize key reading elements: main idea, fact/
opinion, sequence, cause/effect, comparison/
contrast, contextual clues, problem/solution,
inferences, summary and the author’s purpose.
Students read a one-page passage, mark (according to directions) certain aspects in the passage
with boxes, circles, underlines, etc., and then
answer comprehension questions on the next
page. Includes teacher’s directions, answers
and comprehension skill summary cards to cut
out. Supports the College and Career Readiness
Anchor Standards for Reading. 63 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.99
8.95
040248 Grade 1
040262 Grade 4
040249 Grade 2 040287 Grade 5
040261 Grade 3
040294 Grade 6
Reading Strategies / Critical Reading
Paired Passages: Linking Fact to Fiction (1-8)
This series allows students to test their reading
comprehension of fiction and nonfiction passages. Each unit presents two related reading
passages, one fiction and one nonfiction. Both
selections in the unit are on the same topic (and
complement each other), but the fact that one
passage is fiction and the other nonfiction helps
students practice critical reading skills including
comparing/contrasting, connecting fiction and
nonfiction, analyzing story elements, separating
sequence and details from the two passages,
and synthesizing information. Each reading
pair is followed by two worksheets. One worksheet consists of multiple-choice questions that
test reading comprehension, while the other
worksheet consists of a combination of fillin-the-blank, short answer, sequencing, and
writing prompts. A total of 25 paired passage
units cover a range of topics across a variety
of subjects such as science, history, literature,
biographies, sports, animals and more. A bibliography, bubble answer sheet template, and
answers are included. Reproducible. 112 pgs.
Correlated to Common Core standards. ~ Lisa
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.99 12.50
047906 Grade 1
047910 Grade 5
047907 Grade 2
047911 Grade 6
047908 Grade 3
047912 Grade 7
047909 Grade 4
047913 Grade 8
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reasoning & Reading (3-10)
Critical reading and reasoning activities for
younger students are practiced in this popular series from EPS.
Each book contains
four basic divisions: Word Meaning, Sentence
Meaning, Paragraph Meaning, and Reasoning
Skills. These are meant to build comprehension
and critical reading abilities "from the ground
up". Word Meaning contains exercises to
increase awareness and understanding of words.
Specific activities focus on word definition, classification, and the relationships between words.
In the next section, the basic element for study
is the sentence. Varied exercises help students
see how different combinations of words affect
meaning, how words in sentences are related,
and how the meaning of a sentence can be
affected by the meaning of even "small" words.
In Paragraph Meaning, students take on a larger
"chunk" of information for dissection. Activities
discuss and develop understanding of unity
in a paragraph, help students discern types of
paragraphs and determine the main idea and
supporting details within the paragraph. The
last unit contains practice with critical (judicial)
reading skills such as discerning fact/opinion,
determining relevance, making inferences and
comparisons, practicing syllogisms, and drawing conclusions. Level 1 is written at a sixthto seventh-grade reading/vocabulary level for
use with capable fifth-graders and beyond.
The Level 2 book uses eighth- to ninth-grade
vocabulary for use with capable seventh-graders
and beyond. It is not necessary to use one level
before using the next, but you can use them in
succession if you wish. Student worktexts are
consumable. Teacher's Guides contain reduced
student pages with suggested answers.
EACH WORKTEXT . . . . . . . . 17.60 13.25
EACH TEACHER GUIDE . . . . 13.60 10.25
Worktext
006856 Beginning (3-4)
006909 Level 1 (5-8)
006911 Level 2 (7-10)
Teacher
006857
006910
006912
Critical Thinking: Readings in Nonfiction for
Middle School (4-7)
This book contains a collection of activities
to help students develop their critical thinking
skills. The book is divided into seven chapters focusing on different skills - judging the
relevance of information; distinguishing among
facts, assumptions, and values; understanding
the relationship of conditions or events in stories; recognizing cause and effect relationships;
rational thinking; persuasive techniques; and
recognizing assumptions. Each skill is first introduced by a short example and exercise. The
remainder of the chapter contains at least six
different passages or stories, with questions to
answer after each one. The passages are nonfiction, but interesting and appealing to kids. The
questions are in a variety of formats depending
upon the skill being covered, and include multiple choice, matching, long answer, and more to
test comprehension and practice critical thinking. Overall, this well-designed course progresses at a good pace and appears to be both
worthwhile and thought-provoking. Answer key
is included. Reproducible. - Melissa
022378 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.00 18.95
Critical Thinking: Readings in Nonfiction (9-AD)
For the high schooler, this series develops critical thinking and reading skills which focus on
nine particular competencies. These nine fundamental skills were selected based on a survey
of English teachers that asked them to identify
the skills which are most important to student
success in English. The "winners" were: recognizing and remembering key ideas; identifying
the main idea; recognizing similarities; identifying sequences; the ability to cite evidence to
support a position or point of view; recognizing differences between fact, probability, and
opinion; the ability to judge the adequacy of
information for specific purposes; selecting criteria to use for making judgments; drawing valid
conclusions from the data studied. As you can
see, these are not just skills to aid in reading
and understanding, but abilities that will help
students to succeed wherever problem-solving
skills are needed. The apt title of the book was
chosen because the authors "want students to
be able to perceive what's important, valid, and
the main idea of what they're reading, and not
be misled or distracted by superfluous details or
spurious arguments." Answers to the questions
(which you will probably need) are included
with the student book. Reproducible.
008009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.00 18.95
How to Read a Book (9-AD)
Why did nobody tell me
about this book before now???
Even just the first few chapters
lifted loads from my shoulders
and helped me understand so
much about my reading. Did
you know that we read for
three basic reasons? For entertainment, information and
understanding. If reading for understanding is
your goal, the author of this book will take you
by the hand and open the world of books up for
you. There are levels to reading which you will
learn about: elementary (basic reading), inspectional (skimming systematically), analytical (best
and most complete reading given an unlimited
amount of time), and syntopical (comparative
reading through many different sources). While
focusing mainly on analytical reading, this book
will encourage you to take your reading level
beyond elementary, (which is where many people are stuck), and to progress on to the fantastic
and ever so rewarding heights of the higher
levels of reading. Then be taught techniques to
reading different types of books including practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry,
history, science, mathematics, philosophy and
social sciences. Included in Appendix A is a list
of recommended reading books. I would buy
the whole book just for this list; it is that helpful!
While moms and dads will also want to read
this book, I think it will be particularly helpful for teens as well. Progressing through high
school, studying for exams, getting my teeth
into classics and learning about things which
interest me would all have been enhanced had
I read this book long ago! This 1940 classic
by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren is
now brought to you in a revised, updated, and
expanded version. Enjoy and be stretched! 426
pgs, pb. ~ Genevieve
014902 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 11.95
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
How to Read Slowly (9-12)
When I’m reading, I often come to the end
of a page and realize I have no idea what I
just read. I was reading the words but was not
processing anything. This book by James W.
Sire teaches how to read in a way that will not
only ensure understanding of the material, but
will allow readers to perceive the worldview
and reasoning behind the writing. The book
is written by a Christian, and though specific
guidelines for Bible-reading are not set down,
the author states that learning to read other
books well will naturally lead to a better understanding of the Bible. There’s a conversational
tone to the book, with anecdotes and examples
of reading interspersed. As the author points
out that worldviews and meanings are hidden
in everything from advertisements to poetry to
non-fiction books, he clearly explains how you
can read and analyze to uncover these hidden
aspects. Different genres of writing are split into
different chapters and then the book shows how
to analyze each type of writing to discover the
worldview of the writer and the underlying message. There are chapters covering nonfiction,
poetry, and fiction, and one that discusses how
biographical, literary, historical, and intellectual
writing affect the meaning of passages. Each
chapter includes excerpts of actual passages in
the specific genre so students can practice the
reading techniques while they learn about them.
A chapter of the book is also dedicated to giving
tips on what and where to read. A reading list is
provided that categorizes books and other works
into different genres and worldviews. Reading
these books will show students how the worldviews of the authors are depicted in the writing.
This is a great book for showing students how
to slow down and really absorb the information
they are reading as well as analyze writing and
identify themes or worldviews hidden within.
192 pgs, pb. ~ Rachel
024361 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 10.95
Reading Games
Comprehension Blast Off Game (2-AD)
“Take us to Your Reader!” Your goal is to
reach Cosmos. Start reading on Earth; answering questions correctly will move you towards
outer space. The first player to reach Cosmos
wins. But there are twists, turns, and dangers
ahead! A player may switch places with you;
you may lose a turn; you may be sent back to
another planet. You can save yourself, however,
with the much sought after X-Pack—but you’re
allowed only one at a time!
This creative and enjoyable game reinforces reading comprehension techniques such
as main idea, inference, details, cause/effect,
visualizing and sequencing. Also highlighted
are more complex skills including figurative
language, context clues, comparison/contrast,
genre, rhyming and vocabulary/grammar. These
absolutely crucial reading skills are practiced
while playing in an engaging and fun spacethemed game format—with a bit of humor along
the way.
Four square game boards are double sided.
Place them together, but players stay on their
individual boards. Everyone starts on the side
that shows earth. Use the spinner to start, and
continued...
Reading / Literature
263
then select Earth card questions (either level A
or the more challenging, B). Cards sometimes
ask you to read the card’s passage and answer
questions or may reinforce reading terms. Once
you’ve made it to the rocket ship and correctly
answered the next question, flip your game
board over and move to the Space questions
(there’s also a level A and B). Travel to 7 planets
and then reach Cosmos.
Won’t the cards’ reading selections just get
routine or memorized? Substitute your own
questions for the included cards. Imagine using
your students’ textbook reading comprehension
questions to reach the Cosmos! Caution: product may cause extreme fun while learning!
Includes four double-sided game boards, a
sturdy spinner card, 4 game pawns, 140 question cards, rules and answer key. Correlates to
CCS standards. For 2-4 players. ~ Ruth
1CHOKING HAZARD (1). Not <3yrs.
060636 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.99 22.75
TEACHING LITERARY ELEMENTS / GENRES
☼Language Arts Series (PK-2)
Each book in this series conveys the craft,
structure and purpose of four literary genres:
fiction; folktales, fables & fairy tales; poetry;
and nonfiction. As each book moves deeper into
explaining concepts, the right-hand pages show
examples of the specific genre in text and fullcolor photos and drawings, while the left-hand
pages explain the content. In Learning About
Fiction, the right pages are the pages of one
story: a book within a book. Each book in the
series includes a glossary of key literary terms,
a brief additional references list, online access
for bonus content on FactHound.com, critical
thinking questions using Common Core criteria
and an index. Large print with clearly conveyed
content. Approx. 200 words, 11” x 9”, sc, 24
pp. ~ Ruth
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.95
060720 Learning About Fiction
060721 Learning About Folktales, Fables, and Fairy Tales
060722 Learning About Nonfiction
060723 Learning About Poems
Story Elements (1-6)
These slim, inexpensive workbooks provide
any reading curriculum with additional worksheets on literary elements such as genre, character, setting, dialogue, conflict, action, climax,
plot, theme, perspective, and more. Each element is explored in more depth through workbook pages that use a good mix of story examples, short answer questions, multiple-choice
questions and more. Answer key included.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
029583 Grades 1-2
029585 Grades 5-6
029584 Grades 3-4
Teaching Literary Elements with Favorite
Chapter Books (2-4)
It makes perfect sense to use favorite books
to learn about literary elements. Students will
learn about character as they read Amber
Brown is Not a Crayon, Tales of a Fourth Grade
Nothing, Dear Mr. Henshaw, and Holes. How
to Eat Fried Worms, Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of
Mystery, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and Bud, Not
Buddy are used to teach plot. Sarah, Plain and
264
Reading / Literature
Tall, Knights of the Kitchen Table, Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory, and From the MixedUp Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler help students understand setting. Theme is taught using
StoneFox, The Whipping Boy, The Prince of the
Pond, and Shiloh (books are not included).
Each section of this book includes an explanation of the literary element, its importance to the
story, an example of its use in the featured book,
and a lesson for each book. Within each lesson
you will find a story summary, learning goals,
discussion starters, and activities (2 per story) to
be completed, such as graphic organizers, writing exercises, making games, and a variety of
other activities. For example, after students read
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory they make
their own tourist brochure highlighting the interesting parts of the chocolate factory. Students
make a snapshot timeline for the events of From
the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
Encourage a love of reading and learning
through the content of this book. Activity pages
are reproducible for classroom or family use. 96
pages, pb. ~ Donna
030500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.25
Teaching Literature Through Art (2-12)
“Two-fer” studies are such a good idea. One
course; two subjects covered. This particular
combination – literature and art – makes so
much sense. Richly illustrated with both fullcolor reproductions of masterpiece art plus
step-by-step art lessons, this book will serve as
a reference (for literary terms), an art appreciation course, and a drawing instruction manual.
This should give you a little idea of its flexibility.
The book is organized around different types/
genres of literature: epic poetry, fable, science
fiction, novel, and journal writing – to name just
a few. Each genre is defined plus examples cited
(good suggestions for reading lists). Masterpiece
art that relates in some way to the genre is
provided, and several art projects are described
and facilitated. To give you an idea of how this
all works, take the example of the segment on
free form verse. Starting with some biographical
information on Robert Frost (an American master of free form verse), Mrs. Jeffus focuses on a
specific poem – The Road Not Taken – giving
website links to where it can be found and read.
She then has two artwork examples of paths
– each very different from the other, and she
describes the differences. Then citing another
Frost poem – this one mentioning a crow –
she has a short segment on painting birds and
references Audubon providing an example of
his work with the suggestion that the student
reproduce the shapes found in the painting.
She continues with the shape theme of the art
lesson with examples of other bird paintings by
Thorburn and a rabbit by Durer. With the rabbit
picture, the student is led through the steps of
creating a similar rabbit. Likewise with an owl
painting. She ends the segment by noting how
we can communicate certain characteristics by
artistic additions. For instance, we communi-
cate that an owl is “wise” by adding a graduation cap and glasses. This segment is longer than
some but others follow a similar pattern.
There are no lesson plans, per se. However,
there are reading suggestions throughout plus lots
of art projects and even discussion questions. The
tone of the course is conversational and comfortable. This course could be completed independently, I think, by a high school student or to
varying degrees of accomplishment and with varying amounts of assistance by younger students. A
short, illustrated vocabulary and a simple endof-course test (define genres and give examples)
conclude the book. 92 pgs, pb. ~ Janice
026075 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95 17.95
Figurative Language and Other Literary
Devices (3-6)
065496 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.95 12.75
Story Elements: Using Literature to Teach
Literary Elements (3-6)
065497 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.95 12.75
☼Teaching Lit. Elements Using Poetry (4-8)
Poetry is a perfect avenue for teaching literary
elements. They are typically short, allowing you
to focus on particular elements without losing
sight of the poem as a whole. This book has 12
reproducible lessons, each following the same
format. First comes a definition of the literary
element and suggestions for introducing it and
the poem to your students, a vocabulary box,
reading the poem aloud, discussion and activity
suggestions, a writing activity and some ideas
to extend the lesson. In the back of the book is
a glossary of key terms and reproducible activity pages (graphic organizers) to help students
understand the literary elements. Terms learned
are plot, setting, character, theme, symbolism,
metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, mood and poetic patterns. The
poems themselves are as varied as the literary
elements. Some are quite short, only a couple
are longer, but still not more than a page. The
subjects have broad appeal and are very well
chosen to demonstrate the elements. A ballad
called “The Golden Vanity” teaches plot and a
short one called “Quilt” demonstrate symbolism, for example. If you are wanting to add
poetry and are not sure how, this book walks
you through the process in a very user-friendly
presentation. 96pp, pb. ~ Sara
060061 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 12.50
Story Elements Journal (4-12)
Do you have a budding writer in your home?
He or she will love this journal, which is all
about outlining the elements of a story. I can see
it being used one of two ways: to analyze literature, or to outline your own story. Either way,
there’s enough space for 40 stories, so you’ll be
set for a while. The story elements you’ll record
in this journal are: setting, characters (and their
characterizations), point of view and mood,
plot, theme, conflict, climax, and resolution.
There’s an element guide on the inside of the
cover that briefly explains each one. You’ll
also be able to record the title of the story, the
date you’ve journaled it, the author, number of
pages, total wordcount, and the average number
of words per page. - Chad
054479 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.95
3.95
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Story Elements: Understanding Literary Terms
& Devices (5-8)
With plenty of examples from classic and
modern literature, this book teaches students
about a variety of literary terms and devices.
The following concepts are covered: plot, conflict, character, setting, point of view, style,
mood, theme, tone, and genre. Each element
is defined and then explained with examples
from literary excerpts. Exercises help students
develop and apply their skills in these areas.
For example, in the “Story Elements” section,
there are exercises requiring students to match
up cause and effect statements and sequence
of events based on context clues. Short answer
and writing activities are also featured throughout the book. One assignment requires students
to write a paragraph from different points of
view, while another asks students to describe
the tone and mood of a book they’ve recently
read. Vocabulary words appear in bold throughout the lessons, and each term has about 2-3
pages of examples and exercises. An appendix
contains a story elements chart, a character
development chart, glossary, answer key, and
bibliography. Reproducible. 80 pgs, pb. ~ Lisa
046811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.95 12.75
Figuratively Speaking: Using Classic Literature
to Teach 40 Literary Terms (5-8)
Often students learn literary terms only within
the larger realm of a reading program, where
they are brought to light when a particular
piece illustrates the meaning of that term well,
and then it is again shadowed behind the other
activities of comprehension, determining meaning, and interpreting symbolism. If you'd like
to work in some lessons exclusively on these
terms before encountering them, this makes a
great supplement to define these terms and give
students practice before they are expected to
understand and use these in high school. Each
lesson focuses on one of 40 literary terms and
gives a definition, examples from literature,
provides questions based on the examples,
and then includes several written exercises for
students to try their hand exploring and using
the terms. The activities are a nice mix of short
answer questions, writing activities, matching,
interpreting, listing, and more to give students
great practice both identifying and using each
term. The literary terms included here include
figurative language (denotation/connotation,
idiom, personification, symbol), poetic language (parallelism, rhyme, rhythm, assonance/
consonance), and literary techniques (allusion,
conflict, flashback, genre, irony, mood/tone,
satire, stream of consciousness) and too many
more to list! Very well done. 136 pgs. - Jess
028214 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.99 13.75
Figurative Language and Other Literary
Devices (5-8)
Using classic and some modern literature as
examples, this book introduces and reinforces
literary techniques. The following literary terms/
techniques are covered: connotation, dialogue,
dialect, imagery, idiom, simile, metaphor, allusion, personification, hyperbole, understatement, irony, sarcasm, oxymoron, paradox,
symbol, pun, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.
Each term is defined and then one or more
examples are given in the form of excerpts from
classic/modern literature. Simple exercises then
have students identify, explain, or use the technique. For example, when discussing idioms,
the book defines it, gives three examples from
Anne of Green Gables, and then includes four
excerpts (one from Treasure Island and three
from Little Women) that have idioms in them.
The idioms are bolded in the sentence and
students must write what the idiom means in
standard English. Most literary devices receive
2-3 pages of examples and exercises. The end of
the book has a few exercises that review all the
topics covered in the book, along with a glossary of literary terms and an answer key. Inviting
reviews, examples, and exercises make this
a great resource for teaching literary devices.
Reproducible, 80 pgs, pb. ~ Rachel
040264 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.95 12.75
Toolbook for Prose and Poetry (7-AD)
Residing in this handy volume are the explanations and
examples of literary and poetic elements you’ve been looking for! After a short preface,
the entire book consists of
reproducible student pages,
and is pretty much selfinstructional. According to the author, “Words
are tools, and mastered words are power tools.”
In this spirit, all of the exercises are reality-based
and constitute actual practice in using each new
term as a tool. The first part of the book covers
the basic tools: setting, plot, mood, conflict,
style, theme, point of view, slant, and character,
with a special section on outlining. The second
part covers the shared vocabulary of poetry and
prose: figures of speech (antithesis, apostrophe,
hyperbole, irony, literary allusion, metaphor,
metonymy, oxymoron, personification, simile,
synecdoche, and understatement). Each of
these first two sections contains a definition of
the term, a cartoonish depiction of the concept,
additional explanation, examples, and exercises. Answers to these exercises are included in
the back of the book. The final part covers the
specialized vocabulary of poetry: melody (alliteration, assonance, and rhyme), onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme schemes. It also presents
and explains various types of poetry including:
epic, narrative, lyric, acrostic, ballad, blank
verse, didactic, dramatic, elegy, epigram, epitaph, free verse, haiku, light verse, limerick,
ode, parody, pastoral, satire, sonnet, and wordplay. A special section on poetry explication,
complete with sample questions and sample
explication elements ends the unit. One of the
problems I’ve encountered in using a non-text
approach to literature in the upper grades is the
hit-or-miss presentation of literary terms. Some
guides touch on a concept or two in each guide
but what are the chances that my high schoolers
will be exposed to all of them in our course of
study? So, I’ve been on the lookout for a book
just like this, to make sure my children have
the familiarity and understanding of literary and
poetic terms they’ll need in college - regardless
of the literature program we use.
003588 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.00 18.95
Forms and Elements of Literature (6-9)
Roughly one-third of this reproducible activity
book is devoted to describing various types of
literature, both fiction and nonfiction. Novels,
short stories, myths and fables, biographies/
autobiographies, diaries/histories, essays, poetry, and dramatic literature are all covered.
This section is followed by a brief review via
crossword puzzle. The remainder of the book
explores the following literary elements: plot,
theme, characterization, setting, mood, conflict,
point of view, symbolism, foreshadowing and
flashback, personification and hyperbole, irony,
simile, metaphor, satire, dialogue, suspense,
and poetic devices. A literary review page, this
time in matching format, closes the 28-page
booklet. Exercises throughout the book present explanations of the constructs and require
written student response, ranging from short
Tackling Literary Terms (9-12)
answers to lists to full paragraph exposition.
Similar to Forms and Elements of Literature,
008571 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
but slightly longer (40 pgs.), this worktext
concentrates solely on literary terms. Included
here are: allusion, antagonist/protagonist, assoLiterary Genres (6-9)
It's true that there are a lot of different liter- nance and alliteration, blank verse/free verse,
ary genres out there, but that doesn't mean characterization, cliché, connotation/denotayou have to complete an exhaustive course tion, description, dialect and local color, elegy,
to familiarize students with them. This slim, figurative language (simile and metaphor), flashreproducible workbook will introduce students back, hyperbole, interior monologue and stream
to different kinds of literature from haiku to sci- of consciousness, limerick, personification,
ence fiction. Each page contains terms, defini- point of view, and theme. While there is some
tions and further information, examples, and overlap between these two titles, each covers
a short, fun exercise for students to complete. material not included in the other. Each lesson
The worksheets cover poetic devices, poetry, is presented in a two-page spread complete with
fantasy, science fiction, mystery, historical fic- full explanation and student activities. These
tion, realistic fiction, biographies and autobiog- may be discussion questions, exercises or even
raphies, and adventure. Students will practice a full-blown project which usually involves
actually writing in several different literary more extensive responses. A simple, onegenres throughout the pages. An answer key is page test matching terms to their definitions is
included at the end of the book.
included. 28 pgs. - Melissa
7.50
022458 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95 006548 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading / Literature
265
READING PLANS / RECOMMENDATIONS
☼Organized Teacher’s Guide to Children’s
Literature (AD)
Even wonder what a Lexile score really
means? It is an educator’s tool used to match
a student’s reading level to the level of difficulty (and appropriate content for the age of the
reader) of a particular book. You want the right
level of challenge: if it’s too difficult, a child
can become frustrated. The higher the Lexile
score, the more difficult the book (typically).
This teacher resource discusses Lexile scores
and so much more! Chapters include how to
choose books for your children; how to set up
a library; strategies to increase comprehension
(also vocabulary development & interpreting
the theme); ways to discuss what was read; and
responding to literature (book report & project
ideas). There are lists of titles recommended
for all ages and grade-specific lists of books,
with many award winning books (Caldecott,
Newbery, etc.). Also listed are multicultural
books, titles about character traits, and racespecific titles. Suggestions are here for ELL learners, too (those learning English). The last part
shows how to link a book to other subject areas.
For you homeschooling families, this amounts
to a unit study. When choosing books for your
library, include both books to be read aloud and
those to be read by students. Classroom teachers, librarians and homeschool families can all
use this resource packed full of great ideas!
Parents are always calling us for book suggestions and we are happy to give suggestions, but
here is a book of reading lists & activities to help
you any time you like! 351pp, pb. ~ Sara
062119 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.00 15.95
Read Aloud Handbook (AD)
When my sisters and I were younger, there
weren't many things that could beat Dad reading to us. Although Dad worked full-time and
didn't spend much time with us in the classroom, he always tried to work in reading before
bedtime. The Little House books, Beverley
Cleary's books, and other "classics" were always
entertaining to hear aloud, even though most of
us had already read them for ourselves (maybe
it was Dad's voices). Author Jim Trelease was
also a dad who read aloud to his kids because
he enjoyed it, and because his father had read
to him when he was a young boy. One day,
almost by accident, he stumbled onto several
realizations: most children are rarely or never
read to; children that are read to tend to become
livelong, avid readers; and children who don't
read or are never read to often lag way behind
in both their reading and verbal skills.
The product of his investigation and research
is this title, first published in 1979. Its initial
purpose was to educate parents and teachers on
the impact that reading aloud to children can
have, as well as to suggest some excellent books
for reading aloud. Now in its 7th edition, the
Read-Aloud Handbook serves the same goal,
with a few updated features for today's parents
and educators. This hefty guide contains a lot
in just ten chapters! The introduction and the
first chapter make the case (very loudly!) on
why parents should read to their children. The
following chapters address the when's, what's,
and how's of reading aloud, offering advice on
266
Reading / Literature
the stages of reading aloud, as well as some
do's and don'ts. The fifth chapter discusses
Sustained Silent Reading (not lacking in most
homeschools, I'm sure!), and why it naturally
complements reading aloud. Subsequent chapters discuss the role of libraries, what we can
learn from the successes of the Harry Potter
phenomenon and Oprah's book club, the limitations of using the Internet for reading or research,
how to help the television occupy a healthier,
less time-consuming place in the readers' lives,
Dad's role in reading, and reading with hyper
children. The last portion of the book, about
120 pages in length, is the "Treasury of ReadAlouds". The Treasury is helpfully divided
by type of book. For "Wordless Books" and
"Predictable Books" (those with sentence patterns repeated often enough to be predictable
to readers), recommendations are given in a
list form. For recommendations on reference
books, picture books, short novels, full-length
novels, poetry, anthologies, and fairy/folk tales,
the featured books are listed alphabetically,
and include name of author, publisher, copyright date, # of pages, what grades the book is
recommended for, and a short synopsis of the
storyline. Yes, there is definitely a lot here for
your mind to chew on! His list of recommended
books offers a great place for parents and children to start, while his informational chapters
are engrossing, and adults will find them very
readable as well. While I would suspect that
the percentage of homeschool parents who read
to their children is probably already higher than
those who do not homeschool, this volume
offers any parent interested in beginning to read
aloud to their children an excellent place to
start. 350 pgs, pb. - Jess
029814 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.00 12.95
and Fantasy, History and Biography, Spiritual
Reading, Poetry and Music, and Art and Nature.
Prior to the lists, Sarah shares personal stories as
well as explanations on why certain books are
included in each category. This is specifically
beneficial when considering the Fairy Tales and
Fantasy Category. Within each chapter, book
recommendations are organized by author and
include a brief book review. This book review
includes author’s name, original publication
date, award(s), illustrator, general age category,
a short review, and any cautions you, the parent, should know regarding mature or questionable content. Appendices at the end of this
book provide you quick references for finding
books. These lists include Caldecott Medalists,
Newberry Medalists, G.A. Henty Historical
Fiction, Landmark History Books, Trailblazer
Series, and Sarah’s personal favorite literature
for family read-aloud. All in all, this soft-cover
book contains 384 pages of living literature
inspiration for your family. The text is a larger
print with ample margin space to record your
own family favorites, thoughts, and memories.
A delightful book that is sure to inspire you on
your own journey of family reading. ~ Deanne
031448 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.00 12.95
Silly Books to Read Aloud (AD)
We offer a variety of resource books to help
parents find the right books for their children to
read. We have added this one because it offers
lists of just funny or silly books for readers of
all ages. Book summaries are divided into five
categories – silliest picture books, silliest easy
readers, silliest chapter books, silliest poetry
books, and silliest graphic novels and manga.
Hundreds of titles include books by authors
such as Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein,
and many more. For each book you will find a
summary of the content, the author, publisher,
and copyright date. What is missing, and I
think is kind of important, is the recommended
age range for each book. This book is from the
American Library Association, so the books
recommended aren’t run through a Christian
filter. Whether you have a reluctant reader
or just have a reader who wants a book with
laughs, this is a great resource book. 160-pgs,
pb. ~ Donna
057048 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.95 13.95
Read for the Heart: Whole Books for the
Wholehearted Family (AD)
Becoming a family that reads aloud together
was one of the most enjoyable journeys my
family made. I only wish this book had been
available when we transitioned into a read
aloud family!
Are you looking to introduce the reading of
“living literature” into your home but feel overwhelmed at the vast array of books available?
While there are many books available to guide
you in selecting books, Read for the Heart is
written from the perspective of a home educated Bugs, Bogs, Bats, and Books (AD)
young lady who was home educated in a family 035908 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95
which successfully incorporated living literature
into their home. Sarah Clarkson, daughter of
Clay and Sally Clarkson, shares the inspiration
and vision for incorporating literature into our
homes through research, personal stories and
suggestions on how to make reading a reality in
your home. Her goal is simply to equip you to
develop a reading habit within your own home,
and with this book she has accomplished this
goal.
The first three chapters focus on helping you
develop the habit of reading in your home. The
following chapter is intended to give you a “road
map” on using this book most effectively. The
remaining chapters contain the booklists and
are organized according to types of books. Each
chapter focuses on one of the following eight
literature categories: Picture Books, Golden
Age Classics, Children’s Fiction, Fairy Tales
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
14.75
Honey for a Child's Heart (4th Ed.) (PK-9)
Now in its 4th edition,
Gladys Hunt's book has
encouraged thousands of
families to reap the benefits
of quality literature. Gladys
wrote Honey for a Child's
Heart to help others experience the same influence
that reading books both
separately and together has
had on her family. In the first section of this
book, she offers advice on "using books to help
children grow." Through the chapters in this
section she emphasizes the way that quality literature affects children, provides tips on raising
a reader, helps you learn how to select good
books and stories for your children, and discusses the merits of reading aloud together. She also
explores in depth the question "What Makes a
Good Book?" and discusses fantasy vs. realism
and poetry before talking about the influences
on your children from various sources. Gladys
also provides a chapter in this section encouraging family Bible reading, warmly sharing on
how to integrate it into your daily life and why it
is so important. The second half of this volume,
aptly sub-titled "Books your children should
have the opportunity to enjoy," features lists
of quality literature for different age levels and
interests. These lists are organized by author and
then title with brief descriptions of each book.
Thirteen chapters recommend books for children age 0-3; picture book classics and more
favorite picture books for 4-8 year olds; first
books for beginning readers, classic children's
novels, more great books for intermediate readers, stories for animal lovers, historical novels,
and fantasy novels, all geared towards 9-12 year
olds; young adult novels for ages 12-14; and
worthwhile poetry, Bible and Christian truths
storybooks, and books for special occasions.
251 pgs. ~ Steph
008979 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.99
9.50
Honey for a Teen's Heart (7-12)
A follow-up to the popular Honey for a Child's
Heart, Gladys Hunt has taken her passion for
good literature and melded it with her passion
to help teenagers catch a "vision of what they
could be, what they were meant to be, created
in God's image."
The book discusses the value of reading as an
individual as well as together as a family. She
relates stories about her family reading together
and the shared experiences, memories and discussions which resulted. The point? Reading
together is as valuable for families with teens as
it is for families with small children. I can attest
to this as when our three year old goes to bed,
my teenage boys and my wife and I read aloud
together. I am fairly sure my teenagers enjoy
it, if their pleas of "Can't we read just one more
chapter?" are any indication.
The author then discusses the characteristics
of what makes a good book and evaluating
literature within a Christian worldview. Finally,
there are book lists by genre to help you choose
books of interest to your teen along with handy
indexes for reference. Want help getting your
teen off the computer and back into reading?
This book may just be the ticket. ~ Jerry
030564 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99
9.50
Books Children Love: A Guide to the Best
Children’s Literature (PK-12)
From a Christian perspective. A wonderful
guide to well-written, interesting books that
embody the values Christians hold dear. The
author’s goal is to expose children to books
which will build character and instill a love
for good literature. In the spirit of Charlotte
Mason’s philosophy, the author has provided us
with a listing of hundreds of what she considers
“living books” - books that “open windows onto
the world God made for man to live in”. Her
extensive list is arranged by subject and includes
a summary and evaluation of each. A welcome
addition to your bookshelf - helping you to be
wise in the selection of literature to be “consumed” by your children. 320 pgs.
000960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.99 14.95
Children’s Book-a-Day Almanac (PK-AD)
Just imagine! Not only one well-loved children’s book highlighted for every day of the
year, but also some literary and general interest
happenings for that day in history. For each
highlighted book a brief description gives information about the book and interweaves it in
some way with that particular calendar day.
For instance, on November 13, 1926, a short
story appeared in an Australian newspaper that
recounted the saga of an “underneath nurse”
and her charges Jane, Michael, Barbara and
John. As perhaps you’ve guessed, that story
grew into the beloved series by P.L. Travers –
Mary Poppins and, of course, that’s the book
for November 13th. Other historic notes include
the Montgomery Bus Boycott ending in 1956,
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial being dedicated in 1982 and the birthdate of Robert Louis
Stevenson. All on one page! Multiply that by
365 days and you have a wonderful collection
of books to enjoy reading with your children
and a wealth of information. Enjoy! 390 pgs,
pb. ~ Janice
057839 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.99 13.95
Books for Boys (PK-AD)
If you’re looking for good books to get your
boys into reading, these little booklets are a
lifesaver! They provide titles and descriptions of
wonderful books and magazines for every level
of male reader. The booklets are divided into
several age groups: Ages 4-9, Ages 8-12, Ages
10-14, and Ages 15 to adult. In Books for Boys,
the first three sections together contain over
300 recommendations and book descriptions,
with about 50 titles recommended for the oldest age group. The booklet also includes some
additional advice concerning reticent readers.
The More Books for Boys booklet contains an
additional 200+ suggested titles. ~ Melissa
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.00
3.75
005495 Books for Boys
045413 More Books for Boys
Great Reading For Girls (PK-7)
If you’re looking for quality books that girls
would love to read, this booklet is a helpful
resource. It is composed of titles with one or
two sentence descriptions of books that a young
girl personally selected with suggestions from
her family and other people. A small smiley face
is included by the descriptions of the books the
author particularly enjoyed. Books are divided
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
into sections including picture books, titles for
ages 6-8, titles for ages 8-12, titles for pre-teens,
and magazine titles. - Rachel S.
015308 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.00
3.75
150 Great Books (7-12)
Reading good literature opens wide the
windows of the world to students. A body of
materials which will link the student with the
general experience of mankind is provided in
this book. This collection of titles is divided into
ten units presenting experiences common to
people in all times and societies. Certain works
have been selected to provide as wide a scope
as possible and while something will interest
each reader, all of the titles in this collection
will not be suitable for all students. Books such
as Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, The Chalk
Garden, The House of Mirth, On Golden Pond,
The Chocolate War, 2001: Space Odyssey, The
Great Gatsby, Great Expectations, and Ivanhoe
represent the quality books featured from all
spectrums. The book includes a reading level
identification and a short description of all 150
featured books and then provides tests for each
book. Each test in this volume contains three
types of questions. A set of objective questions
will measure the student’s understanding of
the reading content., such as the basics of plot
and setting. Five short-answer questions require
more inferential responses about the larger ideas
that the author wishes the reader to grasp. A
final challenge essay asks the student to express
observations on what has been read and to support those observations with information gained
from the book, other books, and life. 100 More
Great Books is constructed in the same format
and contains seven units grouped in types of
books: Adventure and Survival, The Maturing
Self, History in Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy,
and the Supernatural, Social Issues and Moral
Challenge, Success and Achievement and
Reflections of the Family. It recommends classics such as Pilgrims Progress, Jacob Have I
Loved, Across Five Aprils, A Wrinkle in Time,
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Anna and the
King of Siam, and many more. - Rachel
015676 150 Great Books . . 44.00 34.95
015673 100 More Great Bks 38.00 28.95
Classical Reader: Comprehensive Reading
Guide for K-12 Students (AD)
064826 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.95
7.25
Good Books for Teenage Girls (8-12)
This booklet is the girls' version of Books for
Boys. The book list was put together by a teenage girl with some help from her friends. Listed
are dozens of books they have read and loved.
Some are well known while others are less
familiar. Each book is accompanied by a short
description, & they are grouped into categories,
such as mysteries, biblical novels, true stories,
classics, missions, romance, & more. - Melissa
001349 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.00
3.75
Reading / Literature
267
Reading Logs
Book Buddies with Book Rings (PK-AD)
Bragging rights go to the reader of the most
books! Help kids keep track of what they
read with these 2” x 6” cardstock book marks
with lines to write the book’s title and author,
number of pages, and their comments. Their
comments will help them remember what they
liked about the story. But these are not just book
marks; they have a hole punched at the top to
put them on a binder ring. It’s like making your
own fan deck, which all kids love. Super bright
rainbow colors are almost neon. I think these
could inspire some healthy competition to see
who can read more books. They are kind of
like a prize to collect, like stickers only better
because they show a child’s reading accomplishments. ~ Sara
052175 Set of 25 w/ 1 Ring . 2.99
2.75
052174 Set of 100 w/ 2 Rings 7.99
6.95
Home Reading Log (PK-AD)
Track your reader’s home reading progress.
Set of 50 cards are 6x8” cardstock and printed
on both sides. Each log sheet has space for the
student’s name and the date. Days of the week
are listed down the left side with columns for
#minutes read, #pages read, and the title of
the book/reading material. At the bottom you
total the minutes and pages read that week and
there is space for a parent’s signature. A simple,
inexpensive and effective record keeping tool
for homeschool and classroom use alike. ~ Sara
057602 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
4.50
My Reading Journal (K-3)
A special little journal where your child or student can record book titles, authors, # of pages,
date read, draw a little picture and write a few
sentences about the story. It has a paper cover,
so it is an inexpensive option for a classroom. I
think this would be one of those little items parents keep to look back on to see what your student liked at a certain age. Do one every year! It
Books Read List Cards (PK-AD)
Simple and functional, vertical 3x5” cards have has space to write about 29 books. Green cover,
lines for the student’s name, book title, # pages 7.5x9” 28pp ~Sara
1.30
and the date. Each set has 50 cards, printed on 057932 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.40
both sides, with space for 16 books each. Set
of brites includes neon yellow, orange, blue, Write It Down - Books I’ve Read Journal
pink & green. You could use these to color- (1-AD)
5.95
code types of books: biographies, fiction, etc. 065084 Coral (3” x 5.5”) . . . 6.95
Cards would easily slide into our cute adhesive 065085 Pumpkin (7.5” x 9”) 19.95 18.95
pockets such as items 021433 & 040366! ~ Sara
057600 Brite Asst . . . . . . . . 3.49
3.25 Book Life: A Book Lover's Journal (5-AD)
A well-organized book lover’s log! Smaller
057601White . . . . . . . . . . . 2.99
2.75
sections are here to record your reading wish
list, memorable quotes, your favorite books and
Passport to Reading (PK-6)
You fill out a passport when you visit other authors, and books that changed your life. The
countries; why not track the places you visit book log portion is 120 pages (2-page spread
in literature the same way? These inexpensive per each entry) to journal your reasons for likpassport-themed booklets make fun little per- ing the book, memorable quotations or events,
sonal reading logs. Each measures 4 ½” x 5 ½” and rank it in different aspects. Book Life also
and includes 24 pgs. Students can personal- includes lots of ways to find a good book: lists
ize the first page with some information about of award winning books and book web sites,
themselves, then fill out the rest of the booklet’s and a list of memorable author’s homes and
pages as they plow through their reading list. book stores to visit in the U.S. and some in the
Each page offers lines to record some basic U.K. The detailed book lists are geared for the
information about the book as well as an open older reader, including Pulitzer Prize book lists
space to draw or write more. Covers are assort- and the Modern Library 100 Best Novel’s list.
ed bold colors and the whole thing is small Still, it is a great idea for the book lover in your
enough to fit into a larger notebook, lapbook, family. But don’t forget school uses! Use it as a
book-report upgrade or a way to compile a portor scrapbook when complete. – Jess
052808 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.95 folio of your reading assignments. Or just plan
a literary field trip. Sections are color coded
and separated by authors’ quotations. A sturdy,
☼Explore 1000 Books (PK-6)
This is a really attractive reading log. This book keepsake-like, pocket-sized book that will easily
sprung from the idea of having parents read their travel with you to your next book adventure. 5”
children 1000 books by the time they reach x 7”, 207 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
9.50
kindergarten age. The value of reading to your 061854 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99
children cannot be overstressed – so while 1000
books may seem like a lot, the investment is Books I’ve Read: A Bibliophile’s Journal (7-AD)
Have you ever read something in a book that
worth every breath! The pages are simple: numbered lines (1-1000) with “title” and “author” at you wanted to remember later? Or have some
the top of each page; but also attractive with a comments or thoughts on the book you want
tan background color and quotes, comments, to write down? This beautiful 240 page journal
illustrations and places for pictures or illustra- gives you plenty of space to do just that. It’s
tions throughout. Each 100 books is noted with compact size and durable hardcover makes it
a space for a sticker and a date to mark the perfect for taking on the road so you never forget
milestone. This could also be used quite well for a detail. Sprinkled with pretty watercolor paintan elementary reading log, and I fully intend to ings of bookshelves, book stacks, and reading
get copies for my voracious 8 and 6-yo readers areas. A great Mother’s Day gift! – Laura
– because tracking progress can be both fun and 057970 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.95 10.95
rewarding, as well as a great keepsake! – Zach
061921 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.00
268
Reading / Literature
STUDY GUIDES & BOOKS
Please note that a brief synopsis of many of the
books included here are provided in our Library
Builders section.
PROGENY PRESS STUDY GUIDES (K-12)
The best way to describe
these wonderful books is
“literature and Bible study
rolled into one.” Truly from
a Christian perspective, these
classic and award-winning
books are examined in the
light of God’s Word and
a Biblical worldview. The
author sent us several review copies and they
are wonderful!
Each guide includes:
• a concise synopsis of the book
• information about the book’s author
• background information pertinent to the story
• suggestions for activities relating to the
subject matter
• introduction of literary terms
• vocabulary exercises for each section of
reading
• comprehension, analysis, and application
questions for each section of reading with
discussion of related Biblical themes
• a complete answer key and suggestions for
further reading
Their brochure states “Our goal is to teach
students of all ages to examine what they read,
Christian or secular, classic or contemporary,
and value the truth it contains as measured
against the Bible.” A worthy goal indeed! If you
want to study great literature from a Christian
perspective, here’s your answer! If in doubt, try
just one - we’re sure you’ll be back for more!
Progeny Press guides are available in two
formats: softcover staplebound booklets and
CD-ROMs. The CD-ROMs originally featured
printable .pdf files, but Progeny Press is now
transitioning these to interactive .pdf files.
Inspired by a tax software, these files are able
to be used by the student on the computer, or
printed out. Questions in the files have text
boxes to type in or buttons to select, so you
won't have to print worksheet pages if you don't
want to. Plus, users can grade their answers and
leave notes as well! Upper Elementary through
High School CD guides are now interactive,
while Lower elementary titles are remaining the
same, printable but not interactive. All books
to accompany study guides are available from
us for your convenience.
EACH LOWER ELEM GUIDE 12.99
9.95
EACH LOWER ELEM CD . . . . 11.99
9.50
EACH UPPER ELEM GUIDE . . 18.99 13.95
EACH UPPER ELEM CD . . . . 17.99 13.95
EACH MIDDLE SCHL GUIDE 21.99 15.95
EACH MIDDLE SCHL CD . . . 18.99 13.95
EACH HIGH SCHL GUIDE . . 24.99 18.50
EACH HIGH SCHL CD . . . . . 21.99 15.95
Lower Elementary (Prereader - K-1)
000615 Oscar Otter/Henry and Mudge in
Puddle Trouble Guide
040812 Oscar Otter/Henry & Mudge in Puddle Trouble Guide CD
000907 Oscar Otter Book . . . 3.99
3.45
001000 Henry and Mudge Bk 3.99
3.25
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Lower Elementary - Grades 1-3
009258 Bears on Hemlock Mountain Guide
040758 Bears on Hemlock Mountain Gd CD
003216Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.25
009291 Lion, Witch and Wardrobe Gd (4-7)
040796 Lion, Witch and Wardrobe Gd CD
010719Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
009296 Magician’s Nephew Guide
040803 Magician’s Nephew Guide CD
007831Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
009268 The Courage of Sarah Noble Guide
040768 Courage of Sarah Noble Guide CD
002525Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.25
009273 The Drinking Gourd Guide
019884Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
009277 Frog and Toad Together Guide
040779 Frog and Toad Together Guide CD
003124Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
009290 Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie Gd
040795 Keep Lights Burning, Abbie Gd CD
019887Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.95
009293 Long Way to a New Land Guide
019888Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
009308 Sam the Minuteman Guide
040823 Sam the Minuteman Guide CD
019891Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
Lower Elementary - Grades 2-4
009299 Minstrel in the Tower Guide
040806 Minstrel in the Tower Guide CD
019893Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
Upper Elementary - Grades 2-4
046158 Dragon’s Hoard Guide
046159 Dragon’s Hoard Guide CD
048794Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.95
038330 Sword in the Tree Guide
040833 Sword in the Tree Guide CD
011812Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
4.25
Upper Elementary - Grades 3-5
009126 Big Wave Guide
040760 Big Wave Study Guide CD
011783Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
008538 Mr. Popper's Penguins Guide
040808 Mr. Popper’s Penguins Guide CD
002483Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.00
5.75
6.25
009272 Door in the Wall Guide
040772 Door in the Wall Guide CD
007300Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
022729 Prince Caspian Guide
040817 Prince Caspian Guide CD
018204Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
009274 Farmer Boy Guide
040776 Farmer Boy Guide CD
000875Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
002194 Redwall Guide (5-9)
040819 Redwall Guide CD
002401Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.50
009132 Shadow Spinner Guide (5-8)
040828 Shadow Spinner Guide CD
012089Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
009292 Little House in the Big Woods Gd
040797 Little House in Big Woods Gd CD
007213Book . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
009312 Shiloh Guide
040829 Shiloh Guide CD
018366Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
000636 Little House on the Prairie Guide
040798 Little House on the Prairie Gd CD
007716Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
009313 Sign of the Beaver Guide
040830 Sign of the Beaver Guide CD
018639Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
009309 Sarah, Plain and Tall Guide
040824 Sarah, Plain and Tall Guide CD
005901Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
048569 Voyage of Dawn Treader Guide
048570 Voyage of Dawn Treader Guide CD
048969Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
009283 In the Year of the Boar and
Jackie Robinson Guide
040787 In the Year of... Guide CD
003307Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
Middle Grades - Grades 5-7 (or as noted)
028297 Across Five Aprils Guide (5-9)
028296 Across Five Aprils Guide CD
021689Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
010959 Anne of Green Gables Guide (5-8)
040757 Anne of Green Gables Guide CD
006045Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.50
4.95
009301 Number the Stars Guide
040810 Number the Stars Guide CD
003128Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
009255 Amos Fortune, Free Man Guide
040756 Amos Fortune, Free Man Guide CD
002481Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
009318 Where the Red Fern Grows Guide
040841 Where the Red Fern Grows Gd CD
007352Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
010406 Witch of Blackbird Pond Guide
040843 Witch of Blackbird Pond Guide CD
001408Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
000678 Wrinkle in Time Guide (5-8)
040844 Wrinkle in Time Guide CD
007358Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.75
009265 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Guide
040764 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Guide CD
007700Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
Middle School - Grades 6-8
010486 Adventures of Tom Sawyer Guide
040755 Adventures of Tom Sawyer Gd CD
010516Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.50
019337 ☼Give Me Liberty Guide
019349 ☼Give Me Liberty Guide CD
003569Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
009263 Bridge to Terabithia Guide
040762 Bridge to Terabithia Guide CD
017280Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
5.95
009264 Bronze Bow Guide
040763 Bronze Bow Guide on CD
001899Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
030150 Horse and His Boy Guide
030164 Horse and His Boy Guide CD
003359Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
034397 Cay Guide
034398 Cay Guide CD
007684Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
5.95
009284 Indian in the Cupboard Guide
040788 Indian in the Cupboard Guide CD
013075Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
005857 Crispin: Cross of Lead Guide
005870 Crispin: Cross of Lead Guide CD
027922Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
009269 Cricket in Times Square Guide
040769 Cricket in Times Square Guide CD
001754Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.75
009285 Island of the Blue Dolphins Guide
040790 Island of the Blue Dolphins Gd CD
009346Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
009282 Hiding Place Guide
040784 Hiding Place Guide CD
011984Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
008542 Stone Fox Guide
040831 Stone Fox Guide CD
002435Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
010956 Whipping Boy Guide
040842 Whipping Boy Study Guide CD
001319Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
Upper Elementary - Grades 4-6
009259 Best Christmas Pageant Ever Guide
040759 Best Christmas Pageant Ever Gd CD
018373Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
009266 Charlotte's Web Guide
040765 Charlotte’s Web Guide CD
005790Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
000666 Holes Guide (5-8)
040786 Holes Guide CD
010003Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading / Literature
5.95
269
009287 Johnny Tremain Guide
040792 Johnny Tremain Guide CD
000770Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
009297 Maniac Magee Guide
040804 Maniac Magee Guide CD
008286Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.00
6.25
High School - Grades 9-12 (or as noted)
009254 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Gd
040754 Adventures of Huck Finn Guide CD
004203Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.50
001204 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 4.50
3.75
050402 Beowulf Study (10-12)
050403 Beowulf Study on CD
009306 Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Guide 034727 Book (Heaney trans.) 14.95 11.25
040821 Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Gd CD
003280Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95 005849 Call of the Wild Guide (8-12)
005856 Call of the Wild Guide CD
009311 Secret Garden Guide
038063Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.50
040827 Secret Garden Guide on CD
007294Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
3.25 000683 Christmas Carol Guide (8-12)
040766 Christmas Carol Guide CD
016863 Tuck Everlasting Guide
001042Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
3.25
040837 Tuck Everlasting Guide CD
004465Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.75 010488 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Guide (8-12)
040773 Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde Guide CD
010517Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
3.25
Middle School - Grades 7-9
050404 Eagle of the Ninth Guide
009127 Fahrenheit 451 Guide (10-12)
050405 Eagle of the Ninth Guide CD
040775 Fahrenheit 451 Guide CD
012136Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.50 035088Book . . . . . . . . . . . 15.99 11.50
050406 Golden Goblet Guide
050407 Golden Goblet Guide CD
006212Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
009278 Giver Guide
040780 Giver Guide CD
003189Book . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
010957 Out of the Dust Guide
040813 Out of the Dust Guide CD
009483Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
6.25
5.25
6.95
5.25
022731 Swiss Family Robinson
040832 Swiss Family Robinson Guide CD
Uses the W.H.G. Kingston translation.
Guide includes first sentence of each chapter section to allow for variation.
036621 Book (Bantam) . . . . . 4.95
3.95
048572 Book (Yearling) . . . . 6.99
5.50
008613 Treasure Island Guide (7-10)
008683 Treasure Island Guide CD (7-10)
022854Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
3.25
006128 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 4.00
3.50
000762 Fellowship of the Ring Guide
040777 Fellowship of the Ring Guide CD
001046Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.75
000902 Frankenstein Guide (10-12)
040778 Frankenstein Guide CD
000915Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
005933 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 4.00
4.75
3.50
058810 Great Expectations Guide
058811 Great Expectations Guide CD
009279 Great Gatsby Guide (10-12)
040781 Great Gatsby Guide CD
001887Book . . . . . . . . . . . 16.00 10.50
Reading / Literature
009295 Macbeth Guide
040802 Macbeth Guide CD
005053Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
009298 Merchant of Venice Guide
040805 Merchant of Venice Guide CD
019903Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
019902 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 3.00
2.50
010407 Old Man and the Sea Guide
040811 Old Man and the Sea Guide CD
003493Book . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99
8.95
009302 Out of the Silent Planet Guide
040814 Out of the Silent Planet Guide CD
024439Book . . . . . . . . . . . 15.00
9.95
047715 Pride and Prejudice Guide
047716 Pride and Prejudice Guide CD
038060Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.95
3.95
009305 Red Badge of Courage Guide
040818 Red Badge of Courage Guide CD
019905Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.95
3.95
019904 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 3.00
2.50
022730 Return of the King Guide
040820 Return of the King Guide CD
016065Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.75
009307 Romeo and Juliet Guide
040822 Romeo and Juliet Guide CD
019907Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
019906 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 3.00
3.95
2.50
009310 Scarlet Letter Guide
040825 Scarlet Letter Guide CD
012404Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
001220 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 4.50
3.25
3.75
012391 Scarlet Pimpernel Guide
012412 Scarlet Pimpernel Guide CD
002450Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.95
3.95
009280 Hamlet Guide
040782 Hamlet Guide CD
019899Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
019898 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 3.50
3.95
2.95
009281 Heart of Darkness Guide
040783 Heart of Darkness Guide CD
019901Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.95
019900 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 2.50
3.95
2.05
010408 Hobbit Guide (8-12)
040785 Hobbit Guide CD
004235Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
010960
040826
011110
6.75
012362 Hunger Games Guide
012376 Hunger Games Guide CD
030205Book . . . . . . . . . . . 10.99
009314 Tale of Two Cities Guide
040834 Tale of Two Cities Guide CD
002425Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.95
8.25
009286 Jane Eyre Guide
040791 Jane Eyre Guide CD
017282Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
009315 To Kill a Mockingbird Guide
040836 To Kill a Mockingbird Guide CD
013819Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.95
4.75
008527 Julius Caesar
040794 Julius Caesar Guide CD
005046Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
016864 Two Towers Guide
040839 Two Towers Guide CD
016069Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
3.95
042837 Uncle Tom’s Cabin Guide (10-12)
042839 Uncle Tom’s Cabin Guide CD
038080Book . . . . . . . . . . . 10.00
7.75
034401 Last of the Mohicans Guide
034412 Last of the Mohicans Guide CD
036604Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.25
270
010487 Lord of the Flies Guide (11-12)
040801 Lord of the Flies Guide CD
010518Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.50
Screwtape Letters Guide
Screwtape Letters Guide CD
Book w/ Screwtape Proposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99
8.95
009319 Yearling Guide
040845 Yearling Guide CD
019908Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
3.95
6.75
7.75
particular book, the fullness and richness of that
same study conducted by a TTC “graduate” will
make that “passable” job seem pale by comparison. So, to summarize the relationship between
these products: Teaching the Classics provides
the philosophical and methodological foundation. Reading Road Maps provides “framing” for
100 books, while the Ready Readers provide a
complete finishing off of a literary “room” for a
different series of books. ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.00 25.95
000208 Vol. 1 (K-3)
000225 Vol. 2 (3-6)
000227 Vol. 3 (6-8)
000228 Narnia (5-8)
063998 High School, Vol 1 (9-12)
Studies include suggestions for six writing
assignments.
Great Works Guides
Instructional Guides for Literature (K-12)
They’re a surprising product to be excited
about – literature study guides. After all, we have
quite a few series – and most of them are very
good. Still, I’m excited about this Great Works
series for a number of reasons. Easy to use and
comprehensive, these combine all the elements
Ready Readers (K-12)
of a good literature study – vocabulary, literary
Embracing the Socratic methodology of litanalysis, writing connections, assessments – giverature instruction outlined in Teaching the
ing you eye-pleasing, reproducible student pages
Classics, the Ready Readers provide a weland a well-constructed, thorough study. But, it’s
come pick-up-and-go option.for those who
the extras that make them special. First of all,
want fleshed-out lesson plans. The Readers are
they have culminating activities (Creating with
exactly that – whole book studies that encomStory Elements) – ways to focus on book spepass both comprehension and literary analysis.
cifics, such as understanding the bad guy from
Discussion-based, the studies are designed to
Wrinkle in Time. This particular activity starts
involve the student in question answering and
with a Venn diagram, comparing and contrasting
analysis in several general areas – setting, charother “bad guys” with the Black Thing and then
acters, conflict, plot, theme, literary devices, Resources for Ready Reader 1
choosing a project (write a movie scene, create a
and context. Having identified the best Socratic 014407 Harriet, You’ll Drive Me
Wild . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.005.50 three-dimensional model, make a movie poster).
questions in each area for this particular book, the teacher is aided in handling the discussion 014829 Sam, Bangs & Moonshine 8.99 6.95 Another, is the “close reading” of specific subby talking point answers. Also provided for each 016820 Apples to Oregon . . . . 7.99 5.95 sections and the thought-provoking questions
study is a one page summary of the book and a 049663 Brave Irene . . . . . . . . 7.99 5.95 that follow. Then, there’s the making connecstory chart. Although they don’t specifically say 016879 Relatives Came . . . . . . 7.99 5.95 tions section – using some aspect of the reading
so, there is an “empty” story chart that looks like 000753 Clown of God . . . . . . 7.99 6.25 segment to “jump” into another subject area. For
it’s designed to be copied and then filled out 014103 Fishing in the Air . . . . 6.99 5.50 instance, in Wrinkle, mentally working through
geometry dimensions. I like the cross-curricular
by the student. A completed chart graphically 049653 Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge . . . . . . . . . . 7.997.19 connections. I like the variety of writing and lanoutlining the major structural and thematic ele- ments of each story is provided for the teacher. 013962 Letting Swift River Go 7.00 5.75 guage activities – in fact there’s good variety in
Each of the Readers features books in a desig- 014000 All the Places to Love 17.99 12.50 all of the activities. And I particularly like the pronated reading level range. The studies however, RR1SET Set of 10 above . . . . 87.92 62.00 gressive training in writing response to literature
compositions. At the earlier levels the student is
can be used with students who are somewhat
walked through the response and the writing of
older. In fact, the authors recommend that Resources for Ready Reader 2
each year begins with a study that is somewhat 001754 Cricket in Times Square . 6.99 5.75 it. At the high school level, the student is given
below the student’s reading level. This serves to 003360 Trumpet of the Swan . 6.99 5.50 choices for different types of writing.
These books are essentially teacher’s lesson
acquaint the student with the Socratic method- 001534 Misty of Chincoteague 6.99 5.75
ology and familiarize both the student and the 026537 Miracles on Maple Hill 7.99 6.25 plans with accompanying reproducible activteacher with the discussion environment. The 022349 Door in the Wal . . . . . 6.99 5.50 ity sheets. The studies are very cohesive both
Readers can be used with any unabridged ver- RR2SET Set of 5 above . . . . . 35.95 23.00 internally as they work through a literature
selection and sequentially as one level presion of the literary selection. pares the student for the next. In case you’re
These Readers are a welcome addition to the Resources for Ready Reader 3
Teaching the Classics line-up of literature stud- 022854 Treasure Island . . . . . . 3.95 3.25 interested, they’re also aligned to standards –
ies. With Teaching the Classics, the parent/ 004235Hobbit . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99 6.75 CCSS English/Language Arts standards as well
teacher receives an excellent introduction to 001899 Bronze Bow . . . . . . . . 7.99 6.25 as various state standards and those for English
the world of Socratic literary discussion and 007700 Carry On,Mr. Bowditch 7.99 6.25 Language Learners. Coverage includes author
the tools she/he will need to effectively set up 013442 At the Back of the North Wind 6.99 background, resource lists for text comparisons,
meaningful literature studies. Reading Road RR3SET Set of 5 above . . . . . . 35.91 26.50 book summary, theme, vocabulary, literary
analysis (setting, plot, characters, devices, etc)
Maps – by the same authors – flesh out the procomprehension, response to literature writing,
cess a little more and provide all the “answers,” Resources for Ready Reader: Narnia
so to speak for 100 favorite books. Still, there 013779 Narnia set mass market45.00 28.95 and language learning (mainly younger levels).
are many of us who want more – more guidance 012231 Narnia set full color . . 59.99 38.50 A comprehensive answer key is provided in the
and direction – as we embark down this discus- 046125 Narnia set movie ed . . . 45.00 28.95 back of each book. 72 pgs. pb ~ Janice
sion path that we may enthusiastically embrace 018164 Narnia Combined Vol . 21.99 14.95 EACH GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.95 12.95
“theoretically.” The sample studies in Teaching 010719 Lion, Witch & Wardrobe . 6.99 5.50 Grades K-3
the Classics are a starting place, but I would 018204 Prince Caspian . . . . . . . 6.99 5.50 004229 Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
probably be one of those who would like more 048969 Voyage of Dawn Treader . 6.99 5.50 examples before feeling entirely comfortable 018220 Silver Chair . . . . . . . . . 6.99 5.50 057270 Are You My Mother?
setting out on my own armed only with my lit- 003359 Horse and His Boy . . . . 6.99 5.50 016714 Cat in the Hat
erature selection and a list of Socratic questions. 007831 Magician’s Nephew . . . . 6.99 5.50 026840 Charlotte’s Web
007579 Last Battle . . . . . . . . . . 6.99 5.50 038192 Day the Crayons Quit
So, thank you Missy Andrews.
004248 Fire Cat
The Readers thoroughly provide all the elements
needed for a comprehensive and meaningful lit- Resources for Ready Reader: High School, 057273 Frog and Toad Together
016727 Great Kapok Tree
erature study. I can already hear the question Volume 1
being asked. “If they’re so thorough, do I really Please note that any unabridged version can be 004261 Green Eggs & Ham
need to watch the Teaching the Classics video used; below we’ve listed inexpensive paper- 057275 Henry and Mudge - The First Book
057276 Hi! Fly Guy
seminar?” I have no doubt that the Andrews back versions of these classics as suggestions.
3.75 026851 How to Eat Fried Worms
would answer with an emphatic “yes!” The 006123Odyssey . . . . . . . . . . 4.50
2.05 026865 If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Readers are obviously designed to complement 005953 Julius Caesar . . . . . . 2.50
3.25 057279 Little Bear
the TTC series rather than replace it. While 012404 Scarlet Letter . . . . . . 3.95
2.05 004264Mitten
someone picking up a Reader could probably 005953 Tale of Two Cities . . 2.50
do a passable job of leading a discussion on any 026639 Great Divorce . . . . 14.99 10.75
continued...
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading / Literature
271
057281
057282
057285
026880
057286
016802
057288
057289
057293
My Father’s Dragon
One and Only Ivan
Owl at Home
Pigeon Books
Poppleton in Winter
Put Me in the Zoo
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Stories Julian Tells
Very Hungry Caterpillar
Grades 4-8
026833 Adventures of Tom Sawyer
016690 Because of Winn Dixie (3-5)
031981 ☼Boy in the Striped Pajamas
004247 Bridge to Terebithia
057271 Bud, Not Buddy
016726 Dark is Rising
026843Dragonwings
038218 Flora & Ulysses
031982 ☼Freckle Juice (3-5)
057274Hatchet
057277Holes
057278 Island of the Blue Dolphins
016731 Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe
026866 Maniac Magee
016785 M.C. Higgins the Great
057280 My Brother Sam is Dead
004266 Number the Stars
031986 ☼Of Mice and Men
057287 Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
057290 The Giver
057292 Tuck Everlasting
004274 Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
057294 Wrinkle in Time
Grades 9-12
057272 Fahrenheit 451
004254 Great Gatsby
016757Odyssey
057283Outsiders
026883 Their Eyes Were Watching God
057291 To Kill a Mockingbird
VERITAS PRESS LITERATURE GUIDES (K-9)
☼Kindergarten Favorites (K)
Curl up with your favorite kindergarten books
and begin the process of enjoying and comprehending with this one-volume collection of literature guides. There are six guides or units, each
covering one book or several poems, and you
can expect to spend 3-4 days on each unit, reading the book twice in the process. Plan to read
the book aloud together with your child, giving
help with decoding and reading with expression. The manual’s reproducible worksheets
have a horizontal orientation and are perforated.
Coverage includes comprehension questions and
activities, writing exercises, activities to bring the
text alive, and handwriting exercises. An answer
key is provided. Books covered are Biscuit,
Morris the Moose, Horse in Harry’s Room,
Sammy the Seal, Big Brown Bear, and some
favorite old poems. 56 pgs. pb ~ Janice
039504 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95
272
Reading / Literature
First Favorites Comprehension Guides (1-3)
By Veritas Press, these comprehension guides
are for beginning readers. Each guide covers fourteen favorite children's books, like
Madeline, Miss Nelson is Missing, A New Coat
for Anna, Amelia Bedelia, Caps for Sale, Billy
and Blaze, Frog and Toad, and more. It is recommended to spend at least three or four days
on each book, with the child reading it to you
at least twice and completing the comprehension activities. After a "to the teacher" page,
the rest of the book is simply packed with the
activity worksheets. These include comprehension questions, comprehension activities, art
activities, and handwriting exercises. There are
around 5-10 activities for each book covered.
Each activity centers on material from the book
to help children retain what they've read. The
books are arranged in order of difficulty, but
you can work through them in order you want.
The books are 148 and 170 pgs respectively.
Reproducible. An additional volume in this
series covers 8 more books for youngsters:
Danny and the Dinosaur, Mouse Soup, My
Father’s Dragon, Now We are Six, Encyclopedia
Brown: Boy Detective, Hundred Dresses, Owls
in the Family, and Sarah Plain and Tall. The format is similar to the other two volumes, though
the length of each activity section ranges from 3
to 16 pages. - Melissa
EACH VOLUME . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95
034290 Volume 1
034291 Volume 2
048873 More Favorites
Veritas Comprehension Guides (2-6)
In the classical education model, a grammar
student should be able to show reading comprehension on a literal and inferential level, demonstrate an increasing vocabulary, and identify
various styles of literature as well as basic biblical values. These literature guides from Veritas
Press are carefully constructed to train students
in those skills. Encouraging oral reading and
requiring questions to be answered in complete sentences, these worktexts are attractively
illustrated (black & white) and easy to use with
complete answer keys included (worksheets
are reproducible for family use only). There
are some basic similarities among the various
titles. For instance, all have who/what/where/
why/when questions for the student to answer.
However, there’s considerable variety as well.
Alice in Wonderland, a third grade guide,
includes recipes, several cut and paste projects,
memory work, and some writing assignments
(adding silly stanzas to a song). The fourth
grade guide for The Story of Rolf and the
Viking Bow includes (among others) vocabulary
exercises, drawing assignments, a relationship
web, a cause & effect worksheet, and several
writing assignments (paragraphs, cinquain, and
limerick). Author information and a short story
writing assignment are included in Where the
Red Fern Grows, a fifth grade guide.
As is typical with classical education material,
the assigned grade levels often seem challenging. Don’t let that discourage you from using
an otherwise excellent resource – simply adjust
the grade level to suit your student (guides are
unlabeled). ~ Janice
EACH GUIDE (except noted) . . 13.95
048870 Adventures of Tom Sawyer (4)
034276 Alice in Wonderland (3)
046204 Anne of Green Gables (5)
046205 Around the World in 80 Days (6)
034277 Baby Island (2)
016176 Black Ships Before Troy (3)
034279 Blackthorn Winter (5)
034280 Boxcar Children (2)
041779 Call of the Wild & White Fang (6)
034281 Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (4)
034282 Charlotte's Web (3)
034283 Chronicles of Narnia (3) . . . 24.95
016177 Dangerous Journey (4)
048871 Fahrenheit 451 (6)
016178 Fairy Tales (3)
016179 From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs.
Basil E. Frankweiler (4)
046206 Heidi (5)
016180 Hobbit (4)
016181 Homer Price (3)
041780 Jungle Book (6)
041781 Little House in the Big Woods (2)
034298 Little House on the Prairie (2)
041782 Little Women Part I (6)
Guide covers only Chapters 1-23
041783 Lord of the Rings (6) . . . . 24.95
048872 Mary Poppins (4)
034299 Milly-Molly-Mandy (2)
034300 Misty of Chincoteague (3)
041817 Peter Pan (3)
034301 Pinocchio (2)
041864 Railway Children (2)
016182 Robin Hood (4)
034302 Secret Garden (5)
048874 Squalls Before War (5)
016183 Story of Rolf and Viking Bow (4)
046207 Story of the Treasure Seekers (3)
048875 Stuart Little (4)
034307 Swiss Family (5)
046415 Treasure Island (5)
016184 Twenty-One Balloons (4)
016185 Where the Red Fern Grows (5)
053859 Winnie-the-Pooh (2)
MEMORIA PRESS LITERATURE
Just the right stuff!
That’s what you’ll be
thinking as you use
this warm and inviting reading program
from Memoria Press.
The guides are wellorganized,
userfriendly, academically challenging, and graphically pleasing. Memoria believes that reading
is not a passive activity, but that it requires an
active, discriminating mind, one that has been
challenged to think, compare, and contrast.
That philosophy is evident in these guides.
Student Guides are consumable, providing
space for the student to write. Each book/story/
poem is approached in much the same way,
although with increasing depth – vocabulary,
comprehension and discussion questions, quotations, composition, and miscellaneous literary
analysis activities (sequencing, literary terms,
dictation, poetry connections, etc.). Upper level
books (Gr. 2 and up) are organized around the
Trivium, and activities are grouped into PreGrammar (preparation – prior knowledge or
experience), Grammar (presentation – essential
facts, elements, and features), Logic (dialectic –
reasons with the facts, elements, and features),
and Rhetoric (expression – explains in own
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
continued...
words with supporting details). Although there is
consistency from lesson to lesson, there is also
an extra activity provided with each lesson, and
these are quite varied. Background information
on the author and book is included. Teacher
Guides provide full-text answer keys with talking points for the discussion questions. The
TG also provides reproducible quizzes and a
final test, all with answers. The first grade program (StoryTime Treasures and More StoryTime
Treasures) differs a little bit in content due to the
lower grade level. For grades 2-9, we are now
offering literature guide packages that include
all of the student and teacher guides for each
grade, no books. ~ Janice
EACH STUDENT (exc noted) 11.95 10.25
EACH TEACHER (exc noted) 12.95 11.15
EACH LESSON PLANS . . . . . . 8.00
7.25
EACH LIT GUIDES PKG (exc) 99.60 83.50
Second Grade
023329 Animal Folk Tales of America Stdt
015396Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.95
023344 Prairie School Student Guide
003944Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
035314 Courage of Sarah Noble Student Gd
002525Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.25
035389 Little House in the Big Woods Student Guide
007213Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
035488 Tales of Beatrix Potter Student Gd
049407 Tale of Benj. Bunny . 6.99
5.25
049408 Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
049409 Tale of Peter Rabbit . 6.99
5.25
049410 Tale of Tom Kitten . . 6.99
5.25
035469 2nd Grade Teacher Guide
MPL2ND 2nd Grade Pkg . . . 130.58 105.00
Includes all Student Guides, literature and
First Grade
Teacher Guide listed above.
The Study Guides at this level are a bit dif- 056855 Lesson Plans
ferent than those at the higher grades. They MPL2GO 2nd Grade Literature Guide feature a horizontal orientation for ease of writ- Package . . . . . . . . 72.7060.95
ing and provide the student with vocabulary
and comprehension worksheets. There’s writing Third Grade
involved (7/16” lines with dotted midline) but 035322 Farmer Boy Student Guide
the top binding makes it easy for either right- 035323 Farmer Boy Teacher Guide
handed students or lefties. The teacher needs to 000875Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
take a quick peek at two pages at the beginning
that give the plan for the Word Study, Read, 035250 Charlotte’s Web Student Guide
Comprehension, and Language (introductory 035257 Charlotte’s Web Teacher Guide
grammar) segments of each lesson. The Just For 005790Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
Fun section is self-explanatory. StoryTime covers five classic children’s books in 16 lessons, 049675 Mr. Popper’s Penguins Student Gd
while More StoryTime provides another 16 les- 032205 Mr. Popper’s Penguins Tchr Gd
sons and seven children’s books. The Teacher 002483Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.00
5.75
Key provides answers for both guides. Lesson
Plans cover phonics and spelling.
014858 Bear Called Paddington Stdt Gd
047614 StoryTime Treasures 14.95 12.95 014860 Bear Called Paddington Tchr Gd
048077 More StoryTime
014019Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
Treasures . . . . . . . . 14.95 12.95
049810 Teacher Key . . . . . . 10.00
8.75 MPL3RD 3rd Grade Package .127.57 100.00
056811 Lesson Plans . . . . . . . 8.00
7.25
Includes all of the Student Guides, Teacher
066204 Simply Classical StoryTime
Guides and literature for third grade.
Treasures Tchr Gd . 10.008.75 030327 Lesson Plans (revised sequence)
056872 Lesson Plans (accelerated sequence)
StoryTime Treasures Resources:
MPL3GO 3rd Grade Literature Guide Pkg
015483 Little Bear . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
018194 Little Bear’s Visit . . . 3.99
3.45
005780 Caps for Sale . . . . . . 6.99
5.50 Fourth Grade
002251 Blueberries for Sal . . 7.99
5.95 029820 Blue Fairy Book Student Guide
009208 Make Way for Ducklings 7.99
5.95 029825 Blue Fairy Book Teacher Guide
STRYTM Set of 5 above . . . . 30.95 20.00 005755Book . . . . . . . . . . . 11.95
9.50
More StoryTime Treasures Resources:
002382 Billy and Blaze . . . . . 7.99
5.95
004577 Blaze & Forest Fire . . 7.99
5.95
016381 Story About Ping . . . 5.99
4.50
019887 Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie . . . . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.95
034129 Stone Soup . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
002252 Little House . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
015119 Miss Rumphius . . . . . 7.99
5.95
MRSTTM Set of 7 above . . . 52.89 35.00
MPL1ST 1st Grade Package 123.74 89.00
Includes StoryTime Treasures and More
StoryTime Treasures Study Guides, the
Answer Key and all 12 storybooks.
056855 Lesson Plans
015007 Cricket in Times Square Student
015058 Cricket in Times Square Teacher
001754Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.75
029825 Dangerous Journey Student Guide
029909 Dangerous Journey Teacher Guide
027870Book . . . . . . . . . . . 25.00 16.50
035339 Homer Price Student Guide
035343 Homer Price Teacher Guide
001533Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
MPL4TH 4th Grade Package 150.53 119.00
Includes all of the Student Guides, Teacher
Guides and literature for fourth grade.
030163 Lesson Plans (revised sequence)
056820 Lesson Plans (accelerated sequence)
MPL4GO 4th Grade Literature Guide Pkg
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Fifth Grade
035370 Lion, Witch, Wardrobe Student Gd
035377 Lion, Witch, Wardrobe Tchr Guide
010719Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
035324 Heidi Student Guide
035325 Heidi Teacher Guide
008074Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.75
035367 Lassie Come-Home Student Guide
035369 Lassie Come-Home Teacher Guide
043519Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
MPL5TH 5th Grade Package 99.63 79.00
Includes all of the Student Guides, Teacher
Guides and Literature for fifth grade.
030129 Lesson Plans (revised sequence)
056805 Lesson Plans (accelerated sequence)
MPL5GO Fifth Grade Literature Guide Package . . . . . . . 74.70 62.75
Sixth Grade
035185 Adam of the Road Student Guide
035190 Adam of the Road Teacher Guide
000656Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
035413 Robin Hood Student Guide
035434 Robin Hood Teacher Guide
012013 Book (Roger L. Green) 4.99
3.95
035353 King Arthur Student Guide
035357 King Arthur Teacher Guide
018535Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.50
036203 Door in the Wall Student Guide
036204 Door in the Wall Teacher Guide
022349Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
MPL6TH 6th Grade Package 125.56 99.50
Includes all of the Student Guides, Teacher
Guides and literature for sixth grade.
030299 Lesson Plans (revised sequence)
056867 Lesson Plans (accelerated sequence)
MPL6GO 6th Grade Literature Guide Pkg
Seventh Grade
035199 Anne of Green Gables Student Guide
035204 Anne of Green Gables Teacher Guide
007881Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.75
035232 Bronze Bow Student Guide
035234 Bronze Bow Teacher Guide
001899Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
035537 Trojan War Student Guide
035540 Trojan War Teacher Guide
011265Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.50
035326 Hobbit Student Guide
035335 Hobbit Teacher Guide
004235Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.75
MPL7TH7th Grade Package . 133.48 105.00
Includes all of the Student Guides, Teacher
Guides and literature for seventh grade.
030283 Lesson Plans (revised sequence)
056862 Lesson Plans (accelerated sequence)
MPL7GO 7th Grade Literature Guide Pkg
continued...
Reading / Literature
273
Eighth Grade
035541 Wind in the Willows Student Guide
035542 Wind in the Willows Teacher Guide
008338Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.75
056771 Adv of Tom Sawyer Student Guide
056772 Adv of Tom Sawyer Teacher Guide
007860Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.75
035508 Treasure Island Student Guide
035518 Treasure Island Teacher Guide
008332Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.75
052945 As You Like It Student Guide
052946 As You Like It Teacher Guide
008841Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.95
Memoria Press Poetry (3-12)
These books provide the poetry you would
expect to be covered when Memoria Press studies literature. Poetry for the Grammar Stage is
designed for younger students (grades 3-6). It
provides space for copywork and illustrations
and includes vocabulary studies, analysis, and
discussion questions. The Student Book is a
worktext, while the Teacher Key is a replica of
the student book, plus answers. A short glossary
of poetic terms is located in the back of each
book. Poetry & Short Stories focuses primarily on American literature and was written for
students in 7th grade and up. Brief timelines,
descriptions of each era, and short bios of the
poets are included. The Student Guide offers
workbook activities in vocabulary, comprehension, discussion questions, essay topics and
more. The Teacher Guide contains the student
exercises with completed answers. Books I, II,
and III study poetry from a range of historical
eras, with black and white illustrations. ~ Janice
is studied within the context of quality literature
and is a valuable part of the study. Secondly,
literary analysis starts early and is covered
thoroughly. Thirdly, questions go beyond basic
comprehension and delve into deeper, thoughtprovoking issues. Lastly, writing activities are
expected and have good variety. This series
provides all of that and does it well. To add to
the appeal, the guides have a pick-up-and-go,
user-friendly format that doesn’t burden you
with a lot of teacher-y rigmarole. All pages
are reproducible for a classroom and there’s a
complete answer key. 24 – 35 pgs. pb ~ Janice
EACH LITTLE NOVEL-TIES . . 15.95 13.25
Little Novel-Ties Guides (K-2)
065771 ☼Amelia Bedelia
065780 ☼Blueberries for Sal
MPL8TH8th Grade Package . 139.40 113.00
065785 ☼Caps for Sale
Includes all of the Student Guides, Teacher
065789 ☼Corduroy
Guides and Literature for eighth grade.
065791 ☼Curious George
029953 Lesson Plans (revised sequence)
065803 ☼Goodnight Moon
029929 Lesson Plans (accelerated sequence)
065804 ☼Harry the Dirty Dog
MPL8GO 8th Grade Literature Guides Only
065814 ☼Little Island
Poetry for the Grammar Stage (3-6):
055454 Student . . . . . . . . . 14.95 12.95 065818 ☼Madeline
055455Teacher . . . . . . . . 16.95 14.50 065819 ☼Make Way for Ducklings
Ninth Grade
PF36PK Set (Stdt & Tchr) . . 31.90 26.50 065822 ☼Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel
015206 Beowulf Student Guide
065823 ☼Millions of Cats
015291 Beowulf Teacher Guide
065825 ☼Miss Nelson is Missing
006230Book . . . . . . . . . . . 10.95
8.50 Poetry & Short Stories: American Lit (7-12)
055456 Book . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95 17.45 065826 ☼Miss Rumphius
015294 Sir Gawain Student Guide
056843 Student Guide . . . . 14.95 12.95 065835 ☼Ox-Cart Man
015296 Sir Gawain Teacher Guide
056844 Teacher Guide . . . . 16.95 14.50 065837 ☼Rosaboxen
019198Book . . . . . . . . . . . 12.00
8.50 PSSALS ☼Set (3 above) . . . . 51.85 43.50 065842 ☼Snowy Day
065843 ☼Story of Ferdinand
059233 Canterbury Tales Student Guide
Poetry, Prose & Drama Book 1: Old English 065851 ☼Whistle For Willie
059234 Canterbury Tales Teacher Guide
and Medieval Periods (8-12)
015293 Canterbury Tales (Prologue & 3 056845Book . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95 17.45 EACH GR. 1-12 GUIDE . . . . 16.95 13.95
Tales) Edited version 14.95 12.95 063861 Student Book . . . . . 14.95 12.95 Grade 1:
030171 Henry V Student Guide
063862 Teacher Guide . . . . 16.95 14.50 065776 ☼Bargain for Frances
030176 Henry V Teacher Guide
PPDB1S Set (3 above) . . . . . 51.85 43.50 065779 ☼Biscuit
065792 ☼Danny and the Dinosaur
010478Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
061545 Frog and Toad All Year
MPL9TH9th Grade Package . 143.49 115.00 British Poetry Anthologies (8-12):
061546 Frog and Toad Are Friends
Includes all Student Guides, Teacher Guides
055452 Book II: Elizabethan to and accompanying books for 9th grade
Augustan . . . . . . . . 19.95 17.45 061547 Frog and Toad Together
065813 ☼Lighthouse Children
MPL9GO 9th Grade Literature Guides Only 055453 Book III: Romantic to Victorian Age (9-12) 19.95 17.45 061578 Little Bear
061579 Little Bear's Friend
061580 Little Bear's Visit
Other Literature Guides from Memoria Press: NOVEL-TIES STUDY GUIDES (K-12)
What? Another set of literature guides? 061590 Mouse Tales
035411 Moffats Student Guide (3-4)
035412 Moffats Teacher Guide (3-4)
Sometimes, it seems that way even to us. 065839 ☼Sammy the Seal
049274Book . . . . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.50 However, what’s a person to do when you 061631 Wagon Wheels
060278 Twenty-One Balloons Stdt Gd (5-7) encounter an excellent secular series that has an
060279 Twenty-One Balloons Tchr Gd (5-7) amazing list of titles and provides a quality study Grade 2:
059993Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50 at all grade levels? To us, it’s a bit of a no-brainer. 061514 Balto: Bravest Dog Ever
These are very comprehensive and thorough 061518 Big Balloon Race
065883 Romeo and Juliet Student Book (8+)
065884 Romeo and Juliet Teacher Guide(8+) studies with just a hint of cross-curricular appli- 061524 Buffalo Bill & Pony Express
060276 To Kill A Mockingbird Stdt Gd (8+) cations and a good variety of writing activities. I 065788 ☼Chang’s Paper Pony
060277 To Kill A Mockingbird Tchr Gd (8+) particularly like the fact that they do use graphic 061538 Daniel's Duck
013819Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.95 organizers – but not so exhaustively that you 065794 ☼Dinosaurs Before Dark (MTH)
feel overwhelmed by them. The guides have 065795 ☼Dolphins at Daybreak (MTH)
035461 Robinson Crusoe Stdt Guide (9+)
a common pattern whether for young primary 065796 ☼Drinking Gourd
035462 Robinson Crusoe Tchr Guide (9+)
065800 ☼Flat Stanley
011204Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.00
6.75 grades or high school level. Guides include:
065805 ☼Henry and Mudge
•Synopsis and Background Info
030236 Merchant of Venice Stdt Gd (9+)
•Pre-Reading Activities & Discussion Questions 061559 Hill of Fire
030244 Merchant of Venice Tchr Gd (9+)
029752 Bk-Ignatius Critical Ed. 5.95 5.25 •Chapter (or passage) coverage including vocab- 065808 ☼Hour of the Olympics (MTH)
036249 Midsummer Night’s Dream Stdt (9+) ulary, comprehension questions, discussion ques- 061570 Josefina Story Quilt
061573 Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
036288 Midsummer Night’s Dream Tchr (9+) tions, literary devices, and writing activities
008850Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.95 •Cloze Activity (filling in the blanks of a quote/ 065812 ☼Knight at Dawn (MTH)
065828 ☼Mummies in the Morning (MTH)
passage with appropriate words)
000895 The Scarlet Letter Student Gd (9+)
•Post-Reading Activities & Discussion Questions 061596 Nate the Great
000928 The Scarlet Letter Teacher Gd (9+)
061611 Sam the Minuteman
•Suggestions for Further Reading
I look for several things in a good study and 061625Tornado
this series has them all. First of all, vocabulary
continued...
274
Reading / Literature
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Grade 3:
065769 ☼26 Fairmount Avenue
061516 Ben and Me
061520 Boxcar Children
061535 Courage of Sarah Noble
061553 Grain of Rice
061558 Helen Keller
061564 Hundred Dresses
065816 ☼Littles
065827 ☼Mouse and the Motorcycle
061593 Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
061605 Ramona Quimby, Age 8
065845 ☼Surprise Island (Boxcar Children)
Grade 4:
061509 All-of-a-Kind Family
065775 ☼Ballad of Lucy Whipple
065777 ☼Because of Winn-Dixie
061517 Best Christmas Pageant Ever
065778 ☼Big Wave
061525 By the Great Horn Spoon
065783 ☼Caleb’s Story
061531 Charlotte's Web
061536 Cricket in Times Square
065793 ☼Dear Mr. Henshaw
061541 Encyclopedia Brown:Boy Detective
061544 Family Under the Bridge
065798 ☼Fantastic Mr. Fox
065806 ☼Henry Huggins
061567 Indian in the Cupboard
061576 Lion to Guard Us
061577 Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
061581 Little House in the Big Woods
061582 Little House on the Prairie
061583 Long Way from Chicago
065824 ☼Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane
061589 Misty of Chincoteague
061591 Mr. Popper's Penguins
065832 ☼Nory Ryan’s Song
065833 ☼One and Only Ivan
061604 Pippi Longstocking
065838 ☼Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
061612 Sarah, Plain and Tall
061617Shiloh
061620Skylark
061621 Stone Fox
061622 Stuart Little
061627 Trumpet of the Swan
061630 Velveteen Rabbit
Grade 5:
061504 Adam of the Road
065772 ☼Among the Hidden
065773 ☼Among the Imposters
061510 Amos Fortune/Free Man
065774 ☼Babe the Gallant Pig
065782 ☼Borrowers
061521 Bridge to Terabithia
061523 Bud, Not Buddy
061526 Cabin Faced West
061527 Caddie Woodlawn
065784 ☼Call It Courage
065786 ☼Castle in the Attic
061530Cay
061537 Crispin:The Cross of Lead
061539 Detectives in Togas
065796 ☼Ella Enchanted
065801 ☼Flora and Ulysses
065802 ☼Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule
061548 From Mixed-up Files Mrs. B.E.F
061549 Gathering of Days
061552 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
061565
061566
061568
065811
061571
061595
061602
061603
061616
061618
065841
061624
061628
061629
065849
061635
In Year of Boar & Jackie Robinson
Incredible Journey
Island of the Blue Dolphins
☼Journey to America
Julie of the Wolves
My Side of the Mountain
Perilous Road
Phantom Tollbooth
Shades of Gray
Sign of the Beaver
☼Sing Down the Moon
Toliver's Secret
Tuck Everlasting
Twenty-One Balloons
☼Wanderer
Whipping Boy
Grade 6:
065770 ☼Abel’s Island
061507 Alice in Wonderland
061513 Anne of Green Gables
061519 Blue Willow
061522 Bronze Bow
065787 ☼Catching Fire
061529 Catherine, Called Birdy
061532 Chasing Vermeer
061540 Door in the Wall
061542 Endless Steppe
061550Giver
061551 Golden Goblet
061557Hatchet
065807 ☼High King
061561Holes
061562 Homer Price
061563Homesick
065817 ☼Long Walk to Water
061586 Maniac Magee
065820 ☼Master Puppeteer
065821 ☼Midwife’s Apprentice
061592 Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH
061597 Number the Stars
061599 Old Yeller
061600 Out of the Dust
065836 ☼Rascal
061607 Red Scarf Girl
061615 Secret Garden
061619 Single Shard
065840 ☼Shadow of a Bull
065847 ☼View From Saturday
065848 ☼Walk Two Moons
061633 Westing Game
061636 Wind in the Willows
061637 Witch of Blackbird Pond
Grade 7-8:
061503 Across Five Aprils Novel-Ties
061506 Adventures of Tom Sawyer
061511 Animal Farm Novel-Ties
061512 Anne Frank:Diary of Young Girl
061515 Banner in the Sky
061528 Call of the Wild
061533 Cheaper By the Dozen
061534 Christmas Carol
065799 ☼Farewell to Manzanar
061560Hobbit
065809 ☼Hunger Games
061569 Johnny Tremain
061574 Lantern in Her Hand
061575 Light in the Forest
065815 ☼Little Prince
061588 Miracle Worker
061594 My Brother Sam is Dead
065831 ☼No Promises in the Wind
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
061598 Old Man and the Sea
065834 ☼Outsiders
061601Pearl
061608 Rifles for Watie
061609 Roll of Thunder,
061610 Romeo and Juliet
065844 ☼Streams to the River, River to Sea
061626 Treasure Island
061632 Watership Down
061634 Where the Red Fern Grows
061638 Wrinkle in Time
061639Yearling
Grades 9-12:
0615021984
061505 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
061508 All Quiet on the Western Front
065781 ☼Book Thief
065790 ☼Crucible
061543 Fahrenheit 451
061554 Great Expectations
061555 Great Gatsby
061556Hamlet
065810 ☼Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
061572 Julius Caesar
061584 Lord of the Flies
061585Macbeth
061587 Midsummer Night's Dream
065829 ☼Murder on the Orient Express
065830 ☼Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass
061606 Red Badge of Courage
061613 Scarlet Letter
065846 ☼Things Fall Apart
061623 To Kill a Mockingbird
065850 ☼Wave
Christian Novel Studies Mini-Guides (1-12)
In between a full-blown literature guide and
reading literature without any discussion, these
mini-guides provide a two-week study on a
variety of novels. This allows students to move
quickly through literature and study more novels
in a year, but it still provides vocabulary and discussion questions so students learn more about
the book, characters, and ideas. They may also
serve to fill out a novel that your student is reading in conjunction with the historical period or
event you are studying. Each mini-guide holds
vocabulary, discussion questions, background
information, reading and hands-on activities,
and answers for the respective novel, divided
into easy-to-use lessons for each day. Guides
consist of approximately five 3-hole punched
pages. Since their creation, Mini-Guides have
been written for several different grade levels please check below for grades on specific titles.
For a bit more, you can get extra reproducible sheets that contain the fill-in-the-blank and
crossword puzzles included in the guide. These
continued...
Reading / Literature
275
sheets are designed to be photocopied for multiple students and just present the activities, not
extra questions or directions, but with the same
format and size as is given in the mini-guides.
The guides with the reproducibles usually have
two additional pages.~ Steph
EACH GUIDE ONLY . . . . . . . 4.00
3.75
EACH GUIDE w/ REPRODUCIBLES
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.00
4.50
Guide only Grades 1-3
Guide w/ Repro.
048495 Courage of Sarah Noble
048496
Guide only Grades 4-6
Guide w/ Repro.
032119 All-of-a-Kind Family
048491
005772 Bound for Oregon
005784
015746 Door in the Wall
023394
005914 Ink on His Fingers
005965
046068 Little Pilgrim’s Progress
046069
056959 Twenty and Ten
056960
Guide only Grades 6-9
Guide w/ Repro.
015739 Adam of the Road
030469
015740 Anne of Green Gables
023326
033309 Bronze Bow
023348
033310 Golden Goblet
023435
046066 Hiding Place
046067
033312 Mara, Daughter of the Nile 023482
013724 Otto of the Silver Hand
013725
032155 Twice Freed
048500
056961 Witch of Blackbird Pond 056962
Guide only Grades 9-12
Guide w/ Repro.
013803 To Kill A Mockingbird
013807
Novel Literature Guides and Mini Lapbooks (1-6)
This enjoyable and engaging literature study
has a twist – a small lapbook that is completed
at the end of the study. As with most wholebook studies, there are extension activities and
review question worksheets for each chapter as
well as vocabulary study worksheets every three
chapters. A concluding book report along with
a small lapbook becomes both the whole book
review and a presentation piece. The printed
version is consumable and includes brightly-colored mini-book parts to be cut out, assembled,
and attached onto a colored file folder according to the printed sample that’s included. The
CD version includes all the same material as pdf
files that can be printed as needed for use in one
family. ~ Janice
EACH PRINTED GUIDE . . . . 19.99 18.95
EACH CD GUIDE . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.95
058467 Cricket in Times Square – Printed
058466 Cricket in Times Square – CD
058469 Pippi Longstocking – Printed
058468 Pippi Longstocking – CD
058471 Sarah, Plain & Tall – Printed
058470 Sarah, Plain & Tall – CD
276
Reading / Literature
NOVEL THINKING GUIDES (3-6)
What a novel idea!
Literature guides from
The Critical Thinking
Company.
And nicely
done, too. These are userfriendly, student-oriented
lesson guides aimed at
enhancing both reading
comprehension and vocabulary skills. Novels to be
read/studied are divided into reading assignments. Reproducible (for classroom or home)
worksheets for each assignment provide a variety of vocabulary activities that include identifying parts of speech, synonyms as well as definitions and context clues plus a series of comprehension questions. Comprehension questions
cover a broad range of skills and include main
idea and supporting details, characters, setting
and plot, problem and solution, cause and
effect, making inferences and predictions, drawing conclusions, comparing and contrasting,
cause and effect, and sequencing. The table of
contents for each guide lists the comprehension
skills used in each exercise. Each novel study
also includes writing projects with the types of
writing varying with the novel. For instance,
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has two
projects – a descriptive essay and a comparing/
contrast essay. For each writing project there
are multiple worksheets that walk the student
through the entire writing process – prewriting,
first draft, revising, and second draft editing.
Also included is a writing grading sheet for each
project. The study closes with suggestions for
extension activities. A complete answer key is
included at the back of the guide. Approx 100
pgs each, pb ~ Janice
EACH GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
042184 Charlie & Chocolate Factory
042185 Charlotte’s Web
020729 George’s Marvelous Medicine
013171 In Own Words - Abraham Lincoln
042186Shiloh
NOVEL UNITS LITERATURE GUIDES (3-12)
If you're looking for a study guide for a
specific book, Novel Units probably has it
covered! They produce hundreds of literature
guides - only a sampling of them are listed
here. Teacher Guides are 30-40 pages - not
voluminous, but enough for good coverage of
the book. Format of the guides vary somewhat
by grade level, but have some common elements. They begin with a synopsis of the book
and its author and some pre-reading activities
that serve both to provide background for the
novel study and initiate student involvement and
thinking about the story. Chapter by chapter
(in some guides, multiple chapters) lesson plans
contain vocabulary words, discussion questions
(with answers), and suggested activities. Some
guides also include writing ideas. Literature
concepts/skills appear here and there. Some
guides contain reproducible graphic organizers
to aid student analysis. All include some culminating questions and activities. Again, these
vary in scope and type by guide. There are no
objective or essay tests, but each guide ends
with a student assessment page that provides a
list of projects or exercises to be completed to
help evaluate student understanding. Student
Packets (where available) are reproducible and,
again, vary somewhat by grade level and book.
In my sample packet, masters are provided for
an initiating activity, a chapter-by-chapter study
guide with questions and lines for answers,
vocabulary activities, journal ideas, literary
analysis, cross-curricular activities (art, drama,
math), several graphic organizer / analysis
pages, varied activity pages, comprehension
quizzes, and a final test. Answers to all questions, worksheets, and test are included in the
back, along with an essay evaluation form.
Really, each of these components can function as a stand-alone product and can be used
without the other, but for a more comprehensive
study, they are best used in concert. There is
very little overlap between the two, even in the
chapter-by-chapter questions - but completing the questions in the Student Packet will
help prepare your child for the more in-depth
questions found in the Teacher Guide. If your
child is working independently on a novel,
the Student Packet can be used alone (if available). If you want to do little written work and
put more emphasis on discussion, the Teacher
Guide can be used by itself. As stated before,
we have selected a sampling of guides at each
grade level. If you like them, we'll add more!
Please note that some guides have been written
to correlate with a specific edition of a book.
Some of these editions are now out of print,
and we do not carry all versions mentioned.
Where multiple editions are available, such as
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the page numbers
given in the guide may not correlate exactly.
EACH TEACHER GUIDE . . . . 11.99
9.95
EACH STUDENT PACKET . . . 12.99 10.50
Teacher Grades 3-4
Student
006192 Best Christmas Pageant 006191
Ever
013107 Boxcar Children
013106
006258 Charlotte's Web
006257
006265 Cricket in Times Square
006264
024912 Flat Stanley
024911
017869 James and the Giant Peach 017868
017887 Lion, Witch, and the
017886
Wardrobe
006374 Little House in the Big Woods 006373
006376 Little House on the Prairie 006375
006398 Mouse and the Motorcycle 006397
006469 Ramona Quimby, Age 8
006468
006560 Trumpet of the Swan
006559
017986 Whipping Boy
017985
Teacher
034937
017787
032340
017794
006220
006254
017820
017855
017860
017866
017912
006457
017944
006507
066264
017973
Grades 5-6
Student
Adam of the Road
034936
Because of Winn-Dixie
017786
Black Beauty
032339
Bridge to Terabithia
017793
By the Great Horn Spoon 006219
Castle in the Attic
006247
Door in the Wall
017819
How to Eat Fried Worms 017854
Indian in the Cupboard
017859
Island of the Blue Dolphins017865
Number the Stars
017911
Phantom Tollbooth
058405
Roll of Thunder, Hear
017943
My Cry
Secret Garden
006498
☼Summer of the Monkeys 065494
Tuck Everlasting
017972
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Teacher Grades 7-8
Student
024905 20,000 Leagues Under 024904
the Sea
017767 Across Five Aprils
017766
017771 Adventures of Tom Sawyer 017770
017779 Anne Frank: Diary of a
017778
Young Girl
017800 Call of the Wild
017799
014349Eragon
014331
017832Giver
017831
017845Hatchet
017844
017847Hobbit
017846
017848Holes
017849
025475 Hunger Games
025470
017875 Johnny Tremain
017874
006378 Little Women
006377
017910 My Side of the Mountain 017909
017930 Prince and the Pauper
017929
017948 Samurai's Tale
017947
017969 Treasure Island
030663
017984 Where the Red Fern Grows017983
017988 White Fang
017987
017992 Witch of Blackbird Pond 017991
017994 Wrinkle in Time
017993
Teacher Grades 9-12
Student
017769 Adventures of
017768
Huckleberry Finn
017773 All Quiet on Western Front017772
017777 Animal Farm
017776
017783 Around World in 80 Days 017782
006235 Canterbury Tales
006234
017802 Catcher in the Rye
017801
017813 Count of Monte Cristo
017812
020773 Fahrenheit 451
020772
017828Frankenstein
017827
017839 Great Expectations
017838
017841 Great Gatsby
017840
006349 Gulliver's Travels
006348
009418 Invisible Man
009417
017871 Jane Eyre
017870
017883 Last of the Mohicans
017882
017890 Lord of the Flies
017889
017898 Midsummer Night's Dream 017897
046539 Murder on Orient Express 046538
017914 Of Mice and Men
017913
006464 Pride and Prejudice
006463
017940 Red Badge of Courage
017939
017946 Romeo and Juliet
017945
017964 Tale of Two Cities
017963
017968 To Kill a Mockingbird
017967
017980 War of the Worlds
017979
043745 Watership Down
043744
(see Library Builders for corresponding novels)
TOTAL LANGUAGE PLUS (3-12)
Very comprehensive and versatile study guides
from a Christian perspective for selected novels. According to the publisher, the focus is on
“teaching thinking and communication skills
using literature as a base.” A myriad of skills
are covered here: reading comprehension, analytical and critical thinking, spelling, grammar,
vocabulary, writing, and listening (I guess that’s
the “Plus”!). Total Language Plus is really both
literature and language arts combined in one
program. Novels have been carefully selected to
either display a high moral tone, or to provide a
basis from which to teach Biblical discernment.
Most are Newbery Medal or Honor books; all
are generally thought of as quality literature,
have depth, and are high-interest.
One small teacher’s manual presents the how’s
and why’s of the program. It provides an overview and philosophy of the program, sample
lesson plans for a typical week, and instructions
for teaching each component of the program.
The appendix contains a writing helps section
and a summary of basic spelling rules. Also
included here are answers to common questions
about the Total Language Plus program. The
program requires minimal teacher involvement
as students work through most of the material on
their own. While some work is done on separate paper, most exercises are worked directly
in the student worktext, which is not reproducible. The only condition under which copying
is allowed is when teaching multiple students
simultaneously out of the same study guide.
The beginning of each book contains a variety
of critical thinking activities, correlated to chapters in the novels, which include projects, drawing, writing assignments, and a puzzle. Some
of the writing assignments require research or
lengthier essays, while “Personally Thinking”
questions require shorter written answers to
questions that apply concepts in the story to the
student’s life or require the student to think and
make judgments about story events and characters. These activities can be used at any time
during the unit at your discretion, but you will
probably want to use several of the shorter writing assignments per week if you want to include
composition skills in the program.
The rest of the guide is broken down into
weekly units. Each week, the student reads a
section of the novel and answers comprehension questions pertaining to those chapters.
Daily oral language exercises contain short
paragraphs to be dictated to the student, practicing listening and memorization skills and
reinforcing spelling and grammar. Passages
are chosen to emphasize Bible truths that relate
to the story or are actual excerpts from the
literature. Other exercises practice an assortment of English skills, with Friday’s exercise
a summary of “problem words” for the week.
Each day, students complete a section of their
vocabulary worksheets, including the compilation of a glossary of vocabulary words for which
students supply definition and part of speech.
Vocabulary review sheets are included at the
back of the book, and you can assign these to
review and reinforce learning. As a culmination of vocabulary work, a final review test and
answer key is provided. Daily spelling exercises
also revolve around words from the novel. At
the end of each week, a spelling test is admin-
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
istered on the words studied that week. As you
can see, far more than reading and comprehension is covered here! Using this program you
should not need separate spelling or vocabulary
programs. Depending on the activities you
choose, and the emphasis you place on composition skills, this may suffice as your total English
program. Each book contains 5 to 8 units and
will take about 8 to 10 weeks to complete. Plan
on using about 3 to 5 guides per year.
Guides are available at five grade levels.
Advanced high school guides contain more
extensive writing activities that teach composition techniques, showing the student how
to organize and plan their writing, as well as
suggesting what points to include. They also
contain oral readings for the selections to incorporate speech and drama into the program.
Lower-priced guides (see Out of the Dust and
From the Mixed-Up Files...) are Focus Guides,
which "focus" on specific writing skills and omit
many of the varied language arts activities found
in the other guides. While containing comprehension and analysis questions like other guides,
they also feature comprehensive writing assignments relevant to the novel. Focus guides have
less content overall than other guides and will
take about 3 weeks to complete. Correlating
novels are listed with the guides below.
001742 Teacher’s Manual . . . . 3.95
EACH GUIDE (except noted) . . 21.95
EACH FOCUS GUIDE . . . . . . . . 8.50
Beginning - Grades 3-4
034327 Charlotte’s Web Guide 005790Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
CWEBSTGuide and Book Set 33.94
25.95
5.95
29.00
037231 Courage of Sarah Noble Gde 25.95
002525Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.25
CSNPKGGuide & Book Set . 31.94 28.00
037237 Pippi Longstocking Guide
008952Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
PIPPKG Guide & Book Set . 32.94
25.95
5.25
29.00
046405 Shiloh Guide (3-6) . . . 018366Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
SHILOH Guide and Book Set 33.94
25.95
5.95
29.50
046407 Sign of the Beaver Gd (3-6) 25.95
018639Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
SGNBVRGuide and Book Set 33.94 29.50
037239 Whipping Boy Guide . 001319Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
WHPPKG Guide and Book Set 31.94
25.95
4.95
28.50
Lower Middle - Grades 5-6
023364 Adam of the Road Guide
000656 Adam of the Road . . 7.99
ADMSETGuide and Book Set 29.94
5.95
25.50
008294 Amos Fortune Free Man Guide
002481Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
AMFSET Guide and Book Set 28.94 25.00
049987 Ben and Me Focus Guide
Focus guide emphasis is imagination and
expressing ideas and opinions.
008282Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.00
5.75
BAMSET Guide and Book Set 15.50 13.00
continued...
Reading / Literature
277
001761 Caddie Woodlawn Guide
004912Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
CADSET Guide and Book Set 29.94
5.95
25.95
034239 Christmas Carol Guide 001042Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
CHCSET Guide and Book Set 16.90
12.95
3.25
14.50
001753 Cricket in Times Square Guide
001754Book . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.75
CRKSET Guide and Book Set 28.94 25.00
049989 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler Focus Guide
Focus guide emphasis is letter writing.
002428Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
MIXPKG Guide and Book Set 16.49 12.95
001772 Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe Gd
010719Book . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
LIONST Guide and Book Set 28.94 25.25
001766 My Side of the Mountain Guide
003354Book . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
MYSSET Guide and Book Set 28.94 25.00
014847 Twenty-One Balloons Guide
013568Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
TOBSET Guide and Book Set 28.94 25.00
000827 Wheel on the School Guide
005902Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
WHLSETGuide and Book Set 28.94
5.50
25.25
001776 Where the Red Fern Grows Guide
007352 Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
REDSET Guide and Book Set 28.94 25.00
Middle - Grades 6-8
000235 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Guide
007700Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
CRYSET Guide and Book Set 29.94 26.00
054579 Crispin: Cross of Lead Focus Guide
Emphasis on descriptive writing & identity.
027922Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
CRSPST Guide and Book Set 16.49 13.50
049988 Door in the Wall Focus Guide
Focus on perseverance and research papers.
007300Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
DIWSET Guide and Book Set 15.49 12.50
034240 Hobbit Study Guide
004235Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
HOBSET Guide and Book Set 30.94
014845 Incredible Journey Guide
005045Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
IJRNST Guide and Book Set 28.94
010918 King of the Wind Guide
020969Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
KOWSETGuide and Book Set 29.94
278
Reading / Literature
002075 Swiss Family Robinson Guide
036621Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.95
3.95
SFRSET Guide and Book Set 26.90 23.75
049991 Out of the Dust Focus Guide
Focus guide emphasis is poetry.
009483Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
OODPKG Guide and Book Set 15.49 12.75
023370 Treasure Island Guide
008973Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
TRISET Guide and Book Set 25.90
049992 Phantom Tollbooth Focus Guide
Emphasis is on "rhyme and reason" and the
5-step writing process.
017664Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
PHTSET Guide and Book Set 16.49 12.95
001830 Rifles for Watie Guide
001878Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
RFWSET Guide and Book Set 29.94
5.95
25.75
001780 Witch of Blackbird Pond Guide
001408Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
WBPSET Guide and Book Set 29.94 26.00
001987 Words by Heart Guide
001990Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
WBHSETGuide and Book Set 27.94
4.50
24.50
001828A Wrinkle in Time Guide
007358Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
WRNKSTGuide and Book Set 28.94
5.75
25.00
023369 Christmas V1: 3 Short Stories 15.95
“A Pint of Judgment” by Elizabeth Morrow,
“The Fir Tree” by Hans Christian Anderson,
and “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry.
High School - Grades 9-11
049986 Animal Farm Focus Guide
Emphasis is on discernment & essay writing.
016003Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.50
ANFSET Guide and Book Set 18.49 14.50
010920 Around the World in 80 Days Gd
000186Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
ARWSETGuide & Book Set . 26.94 23.75
040532 Good Earth Focus Guide (9-12)
Focus is on Ecclesiastes; critical thinking,
character analysis
027733Book . . . . . . . . . . . 16.00 11.50
GDERTH Guide and Book Set 24.50 18.25
010921 Pride and Prejudice Guide
005085Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
PAPSET Guide and Book Set 27.94
4.75
25.00
004450 Scarlet Pimpernel Guide
002450Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.95
SCPSET Guide and Book Set 26.90
3.95
24.75
001898 Bronze Bow Guide
001899Book . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
BRBWSTGuide and Book Set 29.94
6.25
26.00
002155 Yearling Guide
019908Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
YRLSET Guide and Book Set 31.94
002069 Call of the Wild Guide
038063Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
001205 Thrift Edition . . . . . . 2.50
CALLST Guide and Book Set 27.94
4.50
2.05
24.25
5.50
25.50
000825 Giver Guide
003189Book . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
GIVSET Guide and Book Set 30.94
6.95
26.50
002073 Hiding Place Guide
011984Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
THPSET Guide and Book Set 29.94
5.95
25.50
001792 High King Guide
001793Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
HIKSET Guide and Book Set 28.94
5.75
25.00
001985 Johnny Tremain Guide
000770Book . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
TRESET Guide and Book Set 29.94
6.25
26.00
5.95
25.95
002029 Trumpeter of Krakow Guide
002056Book . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.75
TRMPST Guide and Book Set 28.94 25.50
004452 To Kill a Mockingbird Guide
013819Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.95
TKMSET Guide and Book Set 30.94 26.50
6.75
26.25
21.95
5.50
25.25
3.95
22.95
Upper Middle - Grades 7-9
000234 Anne of Green Gables Guide
006045Book . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.50
ANNSET Guide and Book Set 27.94 24.50
040523 Dragon's Blood Focus Guide
Focus is on story-world, redemption; similes, metaphors, strong verbs
021485Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
DRGBLDGuide and Book Set 16.49 13.50
049990 Island of Blue Dolphins Focus Gd
Focus is on survival and similes/metaphors.
009346Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
IBDSET Guide and Book Set 16.49 13.75
001795 Julie of the Wolves Guide
001797Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
JULSET Guide and Book Set 28.94
001786The Light in the Forest Guide
001790Book . . . . . . . . . . . 7.50
5.50
LIFSET Guide and Book Set 29.45 25.25
7.75
27.50
Advanced High School - Grades 11-12
034238 American Literature: Nonfiction
023367 American Literature: Poetry Guide
023368 American Lit: Short Stories Guide
002205 Jane Eyre Guide
017282Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
EYRSET Guide and Book Set 27.94
4.75
25.00
054580 Lord of the Flies Guide
010518Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
LOFSET Guide and Book Set 31.94
7.50
27.50
000831 Oliver Twist Guide
000828Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
OLVSET Guide and Book Set 27.94
4.75
25.00
002186
012404
001220
TSLSET
3.25
3.75
22.95
Scarlet Letter Guide
Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
Thrift Edition . . . . . . 4.50
Guide and Book Set 25.90
054581 Screwtape Letters Focus Guide
Emphasis on Christian apologetics.
011110Book . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99
8.95
SCRWSTGuide and Book Set 23.49 16.75
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
P & R Books and Study Guides (4-8)
"A classic is something that everybody wants
to have read and nobody wants to read." Mark Twain. The author of this guide hopes
to make reading the classics enjoyable for you
and your students. The study guides contain
background information about the author of the
novel as well as wonderful vocabulary exercises
and discussion questions to accompany each
chapter or group of chapters from the book.
The vocabulary building activities reinforce
vocabulary from the book which may be unfamiliar. The comprehension questions may be
answered orally or in writing. You may wish to
cover the majority of them orally and choose a
few for students to write about and address in
more depth. In the back of each guide, there
are several pages packed with "creative ideas."
These ideas allow for a change of pace, and
may include recipes to try, games to play, suggestions for field trips, or projects to complete.
While the ideas enhance the story, they are simply provided for you to pick and choose from as
desired. The pages of this book can be reproduced up to five times without permission from
the publisher, so you won't necessarily need to
buy more than one guide even if using this with
multiple children. Approximately 60 pgs.
The accompanying books have been carefully
edited to preserve the detail from the original
stories while featuring an accelerated pace
(although the P & R Little Women is still quite
thick at 217 pages, so don't worry about too
much "editing"), updated language, and large
illustrations. To use the P & R Guides, you
should also buy the P & R book, as the guides
correspond to these books. - Melissa
EACH GUIDE (except noted) . 6.99
5.95
032783 Faerie Gold Guide
032784 Faerie Gold . . . . . . 14.99 10.75
011309 Hans Brinker Guide
011308 Hans Brinker . . . . . . 9.99
7.95
039401 Heidi Study Guide . . 7.99
6.25
039400 Heidi . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.95
027242 Little Women Guide
027241 Little Women . . . . . . 9.99
7.95
018507 Robinson Crusoe . . . 9.99
7.95
Discovering Literature Series (4-12)
These are excellent literature study guides
which cultivate appreciation in literature,
improve reading comprehension, and encourage development of insight. The guides are
meant to be used by the teacher, although they
contain student reproducibles. In the regular
guides, chapter by chapter analysis includes
student directives, chapter vocabulary and a
chapter summary. Student directives are questions about the chapter that can either be used
as discussion questions or as a guide for the
student to use in developing his own summary.
Vocabulary sections contain both word and
description. The summary is intended for use
by the teacher and gives pertinent details about
each chapter. Many chapters are followed by
a reproducible skills page which cover literary
concepts such as character development, setting, elements of a narrative, plot development,
etc. For example, in the guide to My Side of
the Mountain, the flashback device is used in
chapter one. So, following that chapter's analysis is a skill page on Flashback Development in
which students learn about how the flashback is
used effectively in the chapter. Other skill pages
focus on other non-literary (but essential) skills
such as outlining, sequencing, categorizing,
comparison and contrast, etc. Another unique
and appreciated feature is the incorporation
of Writer's Forum pages. These are sprinkled
throughout the guide and provide writing opportunities based on the novel. Some guides
contain more of them than others: My Side of
the Mountain includes three such pages which
explore conflict, reality (vs. artistic "license")
and a page which contains eight different writing suggestions to use for a culminating presentation. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry has
five such pages on a variety of topics including
poetry, discrimination, and round vs. flat characters. Some of the guides also include a final,
culminating project. Besides all of this, tests are
included at the end of reading "blocks" (My Side
has them every five chapters, Roll of Thunder
has them every three). These include multiple
choice, vocabulary and essay questions. Each
book also contains a reproducible page to use
for student summaries and chapter vocabulary
plus answers for all skill pages and tests (including model essay answers). Challenging Level
guides are formatted somewhat differently, with
much more emphasis on reading strategies and
analysis. Chapter by chapter discussion still
centers on questions, vocabulary, and summary, but there are many more Strategy (the
counterpart to the middle school level skill
pages) and Writer's Forum pages. These are just
excellent, exploring and examining many literary constructs and techniques. For example, in
The Giver, while studying chapters 1 through
5, Strategies include: Beginning a Book, Setting
and Mood, Irony, Plot - The Design of a Story,
and Foreshadowing and Flashback. During this
same span, three Writer's Forums are included:
“Shades of Meaning,” “Anecdote,” and “A List
of Rules.” As with the lower level guides, testing
occurs regularly at the end of specified chapter "blocks." Tests no longer include multiple
choice answers, but concentrate on vocabulary
and contain more essay (both short and long
answer) topics. Again, answer pages in the back
of the guide contain suggested responses for
all student exercises and tests. While chapter
summaries are usually sufficient for answering
chapter questions in the regular level, the challenging level guides (thankfully) include answers
to these questions also. These guides are well
conceived and highly recommended.
Grades 4-8:
004725 Island of the Blue Dolphins Guide . . . . . . . . . . 11.95
9.75
009346Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
013331 Lord of the Flies Gd 13.95
010518Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
10.75
7.50
004720 My Side of the Mountain Guide . . . . . . . . . . 11.95
003354Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
9.75
5.25
007445 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Guide . . . . . . . 10.95
003280 Book . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
8.95
5.95
004722 Where the Red Fern Grows Guide . . . . . . . . . . 10.95
007352Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
8.95
5.50
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Challenging Level (7-12):
007451 Giver Guide . . . . . . 12.95
003189Book . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
9.95
6.95
003118 Hobbit Guide . . . . . 11.95
004235Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
9.75
6.75
001992 To Kill a Mockingbird15.95 12.25
013819Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.95
056666 Hunger Games Gd . 13.95
030205 Book . . . . . . . . . . . 10.99
10.75
8.25
056667 Mockingjay Guide . 13.95
060064Book . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99
10.75
9.50
Illustrated Classics Books and Guides (4-12)
Ideal for early remedial readers, these classics
are illustrated re-tellings of classic novels, with
a graphic novel feel to them. The pages are
colorful and glossy with text boxes and speech
bubbles that capture the essence of the novel
in an adventurous, fast-paced way. They are
each about 60-80 pages, have fewer than 200
words per page, and are paperback. You can
purchase the classics separately, or in a set that
includes the classic, an audio CD that reads the
illustrated classic aloud, and a study guide.
The audio CD that accompanies each set contains a word-for-word reading of the illustrated
classic (with beeps for turning pages) and is easy
to listen to. Each CD runs about 30-40 minutes.
The study guides include reproducible review
sheets for students to complete. Each includes
11 worksheets which focus on a variety of
reading comprehension skills and are written
at a fifth grade reading level. Students will
preview the featured classic, learn vocabulary,
do a character study, sequence events from
the classic, and more. Some fun activities like
crossword puzzles and mazes are also included.
Answer key included.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
8.50
019425 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
019515 Great Adventure of Sherlock Holmes
029524 Julius Caesar
019691 Romeo & Juliet
EACH SET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.95 19.95
009361 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
009494 Call of the Wild
009554 Great Adventure of Sherlock Holmes
029537 Julius Caesar
009859 Romeo and Juliet
Reading / Literature
279
CHRISTIAN NOVEL STUDIES GUIDES (5-12)
Similar to the Progeny Press study guides
is this series of guides from Chris Roe of
Christian Novel Studies. The literature guides
are extremely well done, emphasizing Biblical
principles and Christian character traits. Each
begins with a short biograpical sketch of the
main character(s), and some background information about the time period. Pre-reading
questions and activities help familiarize students
with the setting and characters involved. A section of “During Reading Activities” gives you
a selection of activities to use as students read
through the book; activities like tracing journeys
on maps, keeping journals on some aspect of
the book, researching more about a background
topic relating to the book, doing character
comparisons, etc. Then, each chapter in the
study guide is correlated to a chapter in the
book; providing vocabulary exercises, ideas for
discussion and writing, a reading activity, and
extension activities. The discussion questions
are thought-provoking and range from simpler
comprehension-type questions to interpretive
questions. The questions provide an excellent
avenue for comparison between Christian and
non-Christian characterizations and actions.
Reading activities focus on different literary
constructs and ideas, giving the student a good
background for high school studies. Sample
topics (from my review copies) are foreshadowing, symbolism, analogy, fact vs. opinion,
main conflict, dialogue and characterization.
Extension activities take students beyond the
book, often including scriptural research, comparison or content. Many involve the student in
drawing, artwork, or other hands-on activities.
Each guide concludes with a “More About”
section furnishing further insights (and insightful
questions) that reveal more about the main characters and a section of Post-Reading Questions
and Activities. This last section contains wonderful questions and interesting activities to use
as concluding projects, reports, or recaps of the
stories and lives of the characters. Again, much
thought went into the construction of these;
there’s no “fluff” here! The author estimates that
each book/study guide will require about three
weeks to complete, if all the work for a chapter is completed in one day. Unconditionally
recommended. Available for several popular
series of books.
Chronicles of Narnia Study Guides (5-8)
The study guides for The Chronicles of Narnia
are written very similarly to other Christian
Novel Studies guides, although each guide is
designed to take about two weeks to complete,
and most books are covered two chapters at a
time. Each chapter group in the study guide
features pre-reading, during reading, vocabulary, discussion, writing, literature analysis, life
application and extension activities. Answers
are found at the end of each chapter group in
the guide. Although the single guides are still
available, author Chris Roe has now compiled
all seven guides into an 8 ½” x 11” spiral-bound
volume as well if you are planning on studying the entire Chronicles of Narnia anyway.
Although you could finish all seven in about
a semester, Chris Roe recommends that you
may want to study the Chronicles of Narnia
for a year, as a reading and Bible program.
280
Reading / Literature
To tie into Bible, she recommends A Family EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.75
Guide to Narnia: Biblical Truths in C.S. Lewis’ 004235 Hobbit
The Chronicles of Narnia (listed in our Library 001046 Fellowship of the Ring
Builders section). If you choose to go this 016069 Two Towers
route, a suggested format for year-long study 016065 Return of the King
is provided at the beginning of the compiled
volumes. Two versions of the combined volumes are available; one contains only the study Standards-Based Literature Guides (5-12)
guide content and one contains the study guide
As a long-time homeschooler when I hear
content with reproducible student activity sheets that something is “standards-based” I usually
at the end, based on activities provided in the proceed cautiously. These guides are proof that
guide. – Jess
“standards-based” can be a good thing. They
040715 Combined Volume . 34.99 28.95 are very meaty, user-friendly guides for those
040876 Combined Volume w/ wanting an in-depth study of quality literature.
Reproducible Sheets 39.99 32.95 Reproducible, these guides provide biographical
and background info, vocabulary, comprehenSingle Study Guides & Books
sion, and writing activities as well as quizzes
EACH GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
5.25 and tests; all with answers included. All of
012532 Magician's Nephew Study Guide
these you would expect and hope to find in a
007831 Magician's Nephew . 6.99
5.50 literature study guide. Now for the “meaty” part.
012349 Lion, Witch, Wardrobe Study Guide For instance, the pre-reading assessment for The
010719 Lion, the Witch, and the Crucible includes questions about the Salem
Wardrobe Book . . . . 6.99
5.50 witch trials, witchcraft in the 16th and 17th cen012179 Horse and His Boy Study Guide
turies, puritan religion and beliefs as well as the
003359 Horse and His Boy . . 6.99
5.50 Joseph McCarthy hearing of the 1950’s (the con033314 Prince Caspian Study Guide
text of the writing of the play), communism, the
018204 Prince Caspian . . . . . 6.99
5.50 House un-American activities committee, and
033320 Voyage of Dawn Treader Study Gd the red scare and blacklists. Background infor048969 Voyage of the Dawn Trd 6.99
5.50 mation on these subjects provide the material
033318 Silver Chair Study Guide
for “exploring expository writing” exercises such
018220 Silver Chair . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50 as note-taking and summarizing. After these
033311 Last Battle Study Guide
introductory and orientation activities, reading
assignments with corresponding vocabulary,
Lord of the Rings Study Guides (5-12)
comprehension, and literary analysis exercises
It's been called the greatest fantasy epic of are provided with frequent use of graphic
our time. Copies of the book have circled the organizers to help the student sort through and
globe, as paper editions and audio editions; and organize the information. Since The Crucible
now with the movies available, we can read, is a play, literary analysis in this guide focuses
listen to, and watch the story of the Third Age on dramatic elements such as “tragedy and the
of Middle Earth. We can study the books now, tragic hero” in addition to more typical literary
too. These booklets are guides which will help elements such as irony. Vocabulary exercises
you delve a little deeper into your reading of are impressive. For instance, one section in this
the trilogy by asking questions on vocabulary; guide highlights the subtle differences between
bringing up discussion and writing topics; and “denotation” (dictionary definition of a word)
zeroing in on various aspects of the literature and “connotation (feeling behind the word);
for greater analysis. One of the main themes another looks at word parts. For each reading
in the study guides is to explore the trilogy for assignment segment (in this case, each act of the
Christian principles and biblical parallels that play) there is a comprehension check, a quiz,
can be found written into the characters and and a vocabulary quiz. There are two forms
their story. There are four guides, each meant of the final test – one that is solely multiple
for a study of about two weeks. Predetermined choice and one that includes matching, multiple
answers are included in the guides, though there choice, true-false, and short essay responses.
are some activities where answers will vary.
In addition to the above, there is a “teacher
Pre- and post-reading activities, extra informa- guide” portion which includes a summary of the
tion, and "Tolkien Trivia" all play a part to help play, a vocabulary list with definitions, pre- and
you more thoroughly enjoy and understand your post-reading extension activities and alternative
exploration of The Lord of the Rings.
assessment as well as essay writing ideas. For
If you prefer all the Lord of the Rings study help in grading there are two rubrics – one for
guides in one volume, consider Hobbit and projects and one for written responses to literaLord of the Rings Study Guide. This spiral- ture. The Guides are designed to be used in
bound volume contains all four study guides. their sequential entirety but they may be divided
This compilation guide is also available “with into separate parts. Not all activities need to be
Reproducibles” (005898), which contains the used although they have been provided with the
study guides plus copier-friendly reproducible goal of full comprehension and mastery of the
sheets of the activities. ~ Zach
skills involved.
EACH GUIDE (except noted) . 5.99
5.25
All in all, these guides are very easy to use
012101 Hobbit (5-8)
and quite flexible (we have also been pleased to
016721 Fellowship of the Ring (9-12)
discover that several of them have been written
016722 Two Towers (9-12)
by an actual homeschool mom!). Teacher prep
016723 Return of the King (9-12)
has been done – except for copying the student
005896 Hobbit & LOTR Study Gd19.99 16.95 sheets. Could you just hand your student these
005898 Hobbit & LOTR Study Guide copied sheets and have them complete the work
with Reproducibles 23.99 19.95
continued...
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
059292 Frankenstein Guide
005933Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.00
3.50
059293 Great Expectations . 29.95
017611Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.50
24.75
4.75
059298 Midsummer Night’s Dream
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.95
006046Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.50
17.95
2.05
059288 Because of Winn Dixie Guide (3-4)
018720Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
059300 Night Guide 2ED
028081Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.50
059297 James and the Giant Peach Guide (3-4)
008939Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
059301 Pearl Guide . . . . . . 27.95
008950Book . . . . . . . . . . . 11.00
22.95
7.95
059304 Shiloh Guide (3-4)
018366Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
059303 Separate Peace . . . . 29.95
048308Book . . . . . . . . . . . 14.00
24.75
10.25
059302 Rules Guide (4-5)
050430Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
059305 Things Fall Apart Gd 29.95
009368Book . . . . . . . . . . . 12.00
24.75
8.50
as an independent study? Probably. However,
the richness of the material will be strengthened
by one-on-one discussion and instruction or by
co-op class interaction. Throughout the guides
there is an emphasis on finding and developing
common moral themes like “honesty is the best
policy” but if you’ve guessed these are from a
secular publisher, you would be correct. - Janice
EACH GUIDE (except noted) 24.95 20.50
Middle School Guides (6-8 exc noted):
059287 Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Guide . . . . . . . . . . 27.9522.95
005859Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.50
3.75
059289 Bridge to Terabithia Guide (5-7)
018154Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
042988 Bud, Not Buddy Guide (5-8)
013649Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
058928 Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl Gd . . . . 27.95
019931Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
22.95
5.25
059291 Esperanza Rising Guide
048269Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.25
059294 Hatchet Guide (5-7)
003200Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
5.95
059295 Hunger Games Guide (7-9)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.95 22.95
030205Book . . . . . . . . . . . 10.99
8.25
059294 Island of Blue Dolphins Gd (5-6)
009346Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
059299 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Guide . . . 27.9522.95
002079Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.00
2.50
043004 Outsiders Guide . . . 27.95
041617Book . . . . . . . . . . . 10.00
22.95
7.75
059306 Where the Red Fern Grows
Guide (5-6)
007352Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50
High School GUIDES (9-12 exc noted):
042986 Animal Farm Guide (9-11)
016003Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99 7.50
059290 Death of a Salesman Gd 29.95
040721Book . . . . . . . . . . . 14.00
24.75
9.95
042991 Fahrenheit 451 Guide (10-12)
035088Book . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.99 11.50
043008 To Kill A Mockingbird Gd (9-10)
013819Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99 6.95
Christian Guides to the Classics (6-AD)
The title of this series pretty much says it all
but I’ll “unpack” it just a bit so you’ll have a
proper appreciation for the excellent content of
these little books. First of all, they are “guides”
in the truest sense of the word; providing
summary information, chapter-by-chapter commentary, explanation of literary allusions and
devices, and reflection/discussion questions.
Incorporating published literary criticism of the
work as well as listing resources for further study
rounds out the “guide” experience. Succinct yet
thorough, comprehensive yet concise; using
these guides alongside your reading will give
you an in-depth understanding about the author,
times, book, and its significance.
Secondly, they are Christian. Exploring not
only the author’s Christianity but also the literary selection’s worldview, this is some of the
most useful and insightful commentary I’ve
seen. Professor Ryken (English professor at
Wheaton College for over 40 years) looks first
at the (book’s) author and his faith; examining
the religious context, evidences of a personal
religion and demonstrations of religious beliefs
in the book. But then, continually, throughout the chapter-by-chapter (or scene-by-scene)
coverage, the worldview being presented is
pondered, delineated, and becomes the basis
for reflection and discussion questions. For
instance, in Macbeth, the student is asked
“What details in this scene contribute to the
Christian world of the play?”
Lastly, these are guides to the classics. The author
starts by defining classics and explaining why they
matter as part of the short introductory material
that is consistent in each guide. He notes: “works
of literature that demand a lot from us will always
yield more than works that demand little of us.”
It’s obvious as he guides the student through both
the content and the literariness of these works that
he expects the student to work a bit – but he’s
there to guide, point in the right direction, and
provide important pieces of the puzzle at just the
right moment. Unlike some guides that provide
vocabulary and content exercises as part of the
study, these do not. Although reflection/discussion questions are plentiful, they’re designed to
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
facilitate contemplation rather than easy answer
reports. Accordingly, there are no answer keys.
On the one hand, these guides may seem a light
touch but that would be a faulty impression.
There’s very solid, intense content that will delight
a serious, thoughtful, Christian student. ~ Janice
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
063008 ☼Augustine’s Confessions
056096 Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress
056097 Dickens’s Great Expectations
044478 Devotional Poetry of Donne, Herbert & Milton
056100 Milton’s Paradise Lost
056098 Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter
056099 Homer’s The Odyssey
044483 Shakespeare’s Hamlet
056101 Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Rocketbook Study Guide
DVDs (7-12)
Do you feel that your
literature studies could use
a pick-me-up – especially
for your not-so-fond-ofreading auditory learner?
Check out these Study
Guide DVDs. Cogent summaries and in-depth analysis incorporating historical setting, author information, comprehension, and literary analysis,
coupled with short quizzes mean these are solid
literature guides. The audio-visual presentation
(albeit not glitzy and maybe even a bit dated) is
still professionally done utilizing a well-voiced
actor and a straight-forward delivery. The organizational structure is simple. The book or
play is covered by short segments (chapters in
books; scenes in plays). Events in the section are
summarized in casual lecture style with animations incorporating stylized artwork and visual
“notes” provided. Then analysis – both of events
and literary aspects – is provided followed by a
short pop quiz that reviews the basic information. Quizzes, by the way, are presented orally
and in written form (on the screen). Questions
are multiple choice. A short time for answering is allowed and then the answer is given.
Navigation between the scenes/chapters and the
summaries, analysis, and quizzes is easy.
Designed to be used as companions to reading the literary selection, the actual literary text
is not provided except as illustrative quotes.
Also, it should be noted that nothing from
the DVD is printable. However, there are two
Bonus Features available at the end of the DVD:
character descriptions of three major characters
(lecture format) and a slideshow of the stylized
artwork. ~ Janice
EACH DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.98
9.95
060760 1984 (7-12)
060761 Beowulf (10-12)
060762 Crucible (10-12)
060763 Frankenstein (10-12)
060764 Great Gatsby (10-12)
060765 Hamlet (10-12)
060766 Julius Caesar (10-12)
060767 King Lear (10-12)
060768 Macbeth (10-12)
060769 Odyssey (10-12)
060770 Othello (10-12)
060771 Pride & Prejudice (10-12)
060772 Romeo & Juliet (10-12)
060773 Scarlet Letter (10-12)
Reading / Literature
281
Walking to Wisdom Literature Guides (7-12)
This series of upper-level literature guides from
Classical Academic Press covers selected works
from C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and Dorothy Sayers.
They can be used together to fulfill one year of
British literature or individually, although the
authors selected these authors and works specifically as these authors’ works often share the same
themes and ideas – even across different genres
of writing. These authors were deeply familiar
with one another; all members of an informal literary discussion group called “The Inklings.” The
Inklings shared unfinished works with each other,
reading and discussing them on Thursday evenings in C.S. Lewis’ college rooms. The authors
of these studies have taught extensively on all of
these authors, and desire to share the relationship
between them, as well as a recognition for the
common themes and ideas that run throughout
their fictional and nonfictional works. A unique
feature of these guides is that students not only
read the featured work of fiction, but also read
excerpts from essays by all three of these and
other related authors. For example, in the guide
for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, students spend the first several days reading, analyzing and summarizing essay excerpts from The
Weight of Glory and Mere Christianity before
starting into the novel. The excerpts are not
included in the guides (for copyright reasons), so
you will need to get the books from the library
or purchase those books as well. There are two
suggested reading schedules given in each guide:
a 10-day schedule and a 20-day schedule. Please
note that you may want to schedule in additional
time for the enrichment and writing activities
found at the end of each guide.
The study guide authors emphasize active
reading and note-taking, where the student
makes notes in the novel to help them pay attention, gather details, and note instances where
themes are apparent. (You may wish to invest in
a copy of the book for your student’s purposes
only, rather than have them mark up the family read-aloud copy!) The study guide pages for
each reading assignment remind the student to
make notes in their book, look for passages that
reference the “great ideas” in that section and
record them on the lined pages provided for
nine different themes, orally narrate a summary
of the chapters to a teacher or partner (or retell
in another creative way), and answer the reading and discussion questions. The reading questions are more comprehension-oriented, while
the discussion questions focus on main ideas
and analyzing the author’s meanings and choices. The literature guide activities wrap up with
a journaling assignment based on the reading
and a prompt to generate your own discussion
questions based on the reading. No crosswords
or vocabulary exercises here; there is a heavy
emphasis on discussion and writing throughout
these guides. At the end of the guide, you’ll find
enrichment activities and writing project suggestions. These focus on the work as a whole, and
include hands-on and creative activity and writing suggestions, as well as multiple suggested
essay assignments exploring one of the “great
ideas” from the book even further. Suggested
essay assignments include a thesis, question,
expanded question, and personal connection
questions (the Teacher’s Edition also includes a
sample essay for each).
282
Reading / Literature
Many of the pages in the teacher’s edition are
a copy of the student’s page with answers and
suggested summaries/essays filled in. However,
the study guide authors suggest that it will probably be helpful for you to have the teacher’s
edition so that the student can write their own
summaries and answers, then read the authors’
version in the teacher’s edition to see what they
may have missed. If you choose to use these
for a year of British literature, the suggested
scope of sequence is: The Lion, the Witch and
the Wardrobe, The Last Battle, The Screwtape
Letters, Till We Have Faces, The Man Born to
Be King, the Fellowship of the Ring, The Two
Towers and The Return of the King. These fill
a unique niche in the study guides available at
the upper levels, and they go deeper – across
the works of multiple authors – than other study
guides we have seen at this level. – Jess
EACH STUDENT GUIDE . . . . 14.95 13.50
EACH TEACHER GUIDE . . . . 19.95 17.50
Dover Thrift Study Editions (7-AD)
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you get
surprised. Who would have suspected Dover of
planning an augmentation to their dependable,
cost-effective, thrift editions? Now, for a super
reasonable price you get not only the complete
and unabridged text of the book but also a
comprehensive study guide. The study guide
(at the back of the book after the text) starts with
an author’s biography, historical background,
a list of characters, and a summary. Then this
Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe
introduction concludes with a brief, extremely
059511
Student Guide
useful section which provides an analysis of
059512
Teacher Guide
possible reading complications to expect (such
010719Book . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50 as dated language or plot twists) and makes
LWWWTWPackage . . . . . . . 41.8933.75 suggestions for setting up a reading schedule.
Next follows reading assignments and study
The Last Battle
segments. The number of these differs with the
059509 Student Guide
book (i.e. Frankenstein had 11; Huckleberry
059510 Teacher Guide
Finn, 22) but the format is consistent. There’s a
007579Book . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.50 listing of new characters, a summary and then
LBTWTWPackage . . . . . . . . 41.89 33.75 analysis (including literary analysis references)
of the book segment, ten study questions (with
The Screwtape Letters
answers), and several suggestions for essays.
059519 Student Guide
Questions focus on story aspects and while they
059520 Teacher Guide
lack the depth and application of some of our
011110Book . . . . . . . . . . 14.99
8.95 other study guides, they do an excellent job of
SCLWTWPackage . . . . . . . . 49.89 37.95 covering the basics and giving the reader a quality tool for understanding the book. My only
Till We Have Faces
quibble is that the answers follow immediately
059521
Student Guide
after the questions making them less than ideal
059522
Teacher Guide
for independent student use. [Maybe someone
028775Book . . . . . . . . . 14.95 10.95 else can come up with a better quick-fix but
TWFWTWPackage . . . . . . . 49.85 38.95 I would probably use one of our Post-it index
cards and cover the answers as my student
Man Born to Be King
worked on the questions.] All in all, these
059514 Student Guide
provide a good, solid study of the book and you
059515 Teacher Guide
can’t beat the price, which is usually less than
059513Book . . . . . . . . . 19.95 17.50 other versions of the book. ~ Janice
MBKWTWPackage . . . . . . . 54.85 45.50 041760 Adv. of Huck Finn . . 7.95
6.75
042540Frankenstein . . . . . . . 6.95
5.75
Fellowship of the Ring
042668 Heart of Darkness . . 5.95
4.95
059507 Student Guide
043197 Pride and Prejudice . 6.95
5.75
059508 Teacher Guide
043439 Scarlet Letter . . . . . . 6.95
5.75
061484Book . . . . . . . . . . 10.95
8.50 026882 Tale of Two Cities . . 7.95
6.75
FORWTWPackage . . . . . . . 45.85 36.50 026891 Uncle Tom’s Cabin . . 7.95
6.75
The Two Towers
059523
Student Guide
059524
Teacher Guide
061486Book . . . . . . . . . 10.95
TWTWTWPackage . . . . . . . 45.85
8.50
36.50
The Return of the King
059517 Student Guide
059518 Teacher Guide
061485Book . . . . . . . . . 10.95
ROKWTWPackage . . . . . . . 45.85
8.50
36.50
WTWCMP Complete Set . . . 383.93 300.00
Includes all eight student guides, teacher’s
editions and corresponding novels
SparkNotes Literature Guides (9-12)
There’s so much packed into these small-sized,
inexpensive literature guides the biggest liability
is that your student will be tempted to forego
reading the book! On the other hand, it makes
them perfect for busy teaching moms. However
you choose to use them, you’ll find a wealth
of information including a mini-guide on writing a literary analysis paper (identical within
each book) along with suggested topics and a
sample essay, study questions (discussion-type
questions with answers/talking points), a glossary of literary terms, and suggestions for further
reading. The features you typically expect to
continued...
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
find in literature guides are also here – content
and background, plot overview, character list
and analysis, key facts, (excellent) discussion
of themes, motifs, and symbols as well as
(equally excellent) summary and analysis. In
fact, the only aspect of literature studies that
I found missing is vocabulary study (too bad).
However, you’ll hardly notice because you’ll
be so busy with all the other quality content.
One of my favorite features is the section that
offers an explanation for a number of important
quotations from the book. These are not student
worktexts; although, there is a multiple choice
25-question review (with answers) in each
guide. Rather, they are a study handbook for the
literature selection. This series is from a secular
publisher, but, interestingly, they include study
guides for both the Old and the New Testament
that look at these sections of the Bible from a
literary perspective. There’s a certain sort of balance in these studies as well as those for books
that have religious themes. They neither ignore
nor spiritualize the themes, just recognize that
there is a reality in which these are important
themes to note and discuss. Usually 90 pgs or
so, pb. ~ Janice
EACH GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.95
4.75
057385 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
057386 Adventures of Tom Sawyer
057391 All Quiet on the Western Front
057406 Catcher in the Rye
057411 Count of Monte Cristo
057412 Crime and Punishment
057414 Death of a Salesman
057445 Great Expectations
057476 Midsummer Night’s Dream
057493 Old Man and the Sea
057502 Pride and Prejudice
057523 Tale of Two Cities
057526 Their Eyes Were Watching God
057527 Things Fall Apart
057528 To Kill a Mockingbird
0573841984
057394 Animal Farm
057398Beowulf
057400 Brave New World
057404 Canterbury Tales
057413Crucible
057424 Fahrenheit 451
057427Frankenstein
057444 Grapes of Wrath
057446 Great Gatsby
057449Hamlet
057451 Heart of Darkness
057454Hobbit
066058 ☼Hunger Games
057458 Iliad SparkNotes
057459Inferno
057461 Jane Eyre
057463Jungle
057467 Les Miserables
057469 Lord of the Flies
057471Macbeth
057477Moby-Dick
057483Mythology
057485 New Testament
057486Night
057490Odyssey
057491Oedipus
057492 Of Mice and Men
057494 Old Testament
057495Othello
057508 Romeo and Juliet
057509
057510
057538
057545
Scarlet Letter
Separate Peace
Julius Caesar
Wuthering Heights
Barron's Literature Made Easy (9-12)
These guides help high school students fully
comprehend the classics. They do not include
the actual books, rather they are meant to be
used alongside of or after the book to enhance
understanding of the plot, characters, and
language. Each guide follows the same basic
format. The first several pages provide suggestions for studying and using the guide. Then
an informational background for the book is
given, followed by a summary of the story. After
this, a "Who's who?" section provides detailed
paragraphs describing the key characters, while
a similar "Themes" section explores the main
themes of the book. The largest part of the book
is the Commentary. The Commentary divides
the chapters into sections, beginning with a
short preview and then discussing the important events in the chapter. Special icons call
attention to notable details. The Commentary
is designed to be read after the corresponding
chapter in the book, and it also includes brief
questions for the student to pause and think
about. The last several pages provide additional
aid especially for students who have to write
about the literary work. Subjects covered here
include topics for discussion and brainstorming,
how to get an "A" in English Literature, the exam
essay, and model answers. A glossary and
index complete the guide. These guides help
unlock the language and complexities of classic
literature. Digest size, 80+ pgs. - Melissa
EACH GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.95
009557 Animal Farm
032575 To Kill a Mockingbird
Ignatius Critical Education Study Guides (9-12)
Don’t let the small format fool you; there is
a lot of good information in these little guides.
Not your typical literature guides with basic
comprehension and story element questions to
go with each chapter, ICE guides are written at
a very high reading level. They aim for a “level
of critical and literary appreciation befitting the
works themselves.” Think of great authors sitting at a Paris café talking existentialism and
politics in each others’ work. Imagine great
debates on the humanity of a fictional character,
or dialogues on western versus eastern settings
for a story. Each guide begins with a short
introductory appraisal of the context of the story
followed by a basic plot summary, and then a
more in-depth summary of some of the essential
critical aspects of the work, in the form of short
analyses from several contributors along with
study questions. Students are then provided with
a list of things to think about as they read, which
helps them focus on key ideas and start to ponder them as they read. Then come the questions
– first are text-level questions which are based
on the facts of the work and check understanding of the narrative, and then the higher-order
questions, which focus on analyzing the truths
that come from the work. These questions are
what achieve the purpose of the guides: having students discern themes and parallels and
critically evaluate them, both from a literary
perspective and beyond to real life. A parent or
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
teacher can choose which of these questions to
answer, depending which are suitable for your
student. The answer key in the back contains
answers for both the text-level and higher-level
questions. These guides are from a traditionoriented perspective and will not include any
analysis on postmodern ideas such as feminism,
deconstruction, etc. About 5" x 8”, and 40-55
pp each, pb. ~ Sara
EACH GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
3.50
026683 Adventures of Huck. Finn
026715Dracula
026730 Great Expectations
026731 Gulliver’s Travels
026734 Julius Caesar
026772 Merchant of Venice
026775 Moby Dick
026776 Picture of Dorian Gray
026784 Pride and Prejudice
026787 Red Badge of Courage
026789 Scarlet Letter
026798 Uncle Tom’s Cabin
026802 Wuthering Heights
Compilation Study Guides
Reading with the Magic Treehouse (1-3)
This handy little workbook is for teachers
and parents of kids who are reading the Magic
Treehouse series. The guide specifically covers:
Dinosaurs before Dark, the Knight at Dawn,
Mummies in the Morning, Pirates Past Noon,
Night of the Ninjas, Afternoon on the Amazon,
Sunset of the Sabertooth, Midnight on the
Moon, Dolphins at Daybreak, Ghost Town at
Sundown, Lions at Lunchtime, Polar Bears Past
Bedtime, Vacation Under the Volcano, Day of
the Dragon King, Viking Ships at Sunrise, Hour
of the Olympics, and Tonight on the Titanic.
The entire book is reproducible and includes
some great resources. You get summaries of
each story to be used as student predicting
activities or to pique their interest. You also get
very helpful, open-ended discussion/quiz questions for each chapter of each book. These are
built-in lesson plans! The answer key is here for
you in case you need it. I like how the questions
encourage further thought from the student,
either as more study in an area (like science or
geography) or as imaginary scenarios of future
book chapters. Activity suggestion cards really
push kids to think beyond the books. They are
asked to compare and revise stories, requiring
higher level thinking skills. Teacher evaluation sheets allow you to keep track of several
students' reading progress, while students get
their own reading checklist. Simple to use and
thorough, I feel this is a “must have” to get the
most out of the Magic Treehouse series. ~ Sara
051685 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 10.95
Reading / Literature
283
Circle C Series Activity Pages & Enrichment
Guides (1-8)
Circle C Beginnings (1-3)
065325 Activity Pages . . . . . 15.00 12.25
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99
4.95
064372 Andi’s Pony Trouble #1
064356 Andi’s Indian Summer #2
064355 Andi’s Fair Surprise #3
064358 Andi’s Scary School Days #4
064357 Andi’s Lonely Little Foal #5
064354 Andi’s Circle C Christmas Bk 6
Circle C Adventures (4-8)
066059 Enrichment Guide . . 15.00 12.25
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
064365 Long Ride Home #1
064361 Dangerous Decision Book #2
064362 Family Secret #3
064368 San Francisco Smugglers #4
064370 Trouble with Treasure #5
064366 Price of Truth #6
Goldtown Adventures (4-8)
065326 Enrichment Guide . . 15.00
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
064359 Badge of Honor Book 1
064371 Tunnel of Gold Book 2
064360 Canyon of Danger Book 3
064367 River of Peril Book 4
12.25
6.25
Christian Reading Companion for 50 Classics (7-12)
Dr. James Stobaugh offers this great reading
resource for use in your homeschool or classroom. Originally written in 2004, this book was
revised in 2012 and is now published by Master
Books. Fifty classics are presented alphabetically in the first half of the book, and for each
one there is a short description, objective and
discussion questions, and suggested vocabulary
words. The latter half of the book includes “Aids
for the Teacher,” which includes answers for
the objective and discussion questions, general
sources, the book list arranged by appropriateness for younger and more mature readers, a
glossary of literary terms, and short biographies
of each author. Use this book to enhance and
expand the understanding of some of the classics, from Agamemnon to Wuthering Heights.
293 pgs., pb. ~ Donna
036461 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.99 11.75
Single Book Study Guides
Little Pilgrim’s Progress Adventure Guide (PK-AD)
Immerse your family in the adventures of
Christian and Christiana as they make their way
to the Celestial City. This little study guide is
designed to help you make a well-loved, acrossthe-centuries favorite into a family favorite.
Little Pilgrim’s Progress, an adaptation of John
Bunyan’s classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, maintains
all the allegorical messages, characters and
places of the original. Helen Taylor wanted
a younger audience (elementary and middle
school children) to profit from the allegory as
much as countless generations of “grown-up”
284
Reading / Literature
Christians had before them. Accordingly, the
language and vocabulary is more accessible
and the main character is a young boy rather
than a man.
The Study Guide – or Adventure Guide as the
author, a homeschooling mom of five boys,
prefers to call it – provides vocabulary work,
recall and digging deeper types of questions,
allegorical exploration, literature elements coverage, and Bible applications with an emphasis
on character development. A key element of
this latter is the on-going development of a
Character Chart where the student keeps an ongoing record of story characters who have had
a positive influence and those who have had
a negative influence on Christian’s pilgrimage.
The Guide is designed as a consumable (you’ll
want one for each family member) with a brief
(but very helpful) Leader’s Guide in the back
followed by an Answer Key. The Leader’s Guide
contributes a list of interesting additional book
activities (ie. mapping Christian’s journey, art
projects, verse memorization, and dioramas – to
name a few). 79 pgs, pb. ~ Janice
011280 Adventure Guide . . . 8.99
6.50
003903 Little Pilgrim’s Progress 10.99
8.25
Literature Adventure - Island of the Blue
Dolphins (3-8)
From Here to Help Learning.
065673 Student Notebook . . 18.99 17.50
065674 Teachers Kit . . . . . . 27.99 25.95
☼Legends/Lessons of King Arthur and His
Court (5-9)
The legends of King Arthur have not lost their
appeal down through the centuries. Perhaps it’s
the Knights of the Round Table; perhaps it’s the
sword in the stone; perhaps it’s the chivalry and
valor. Does chivalry still have a place in the 21st
century? The author believes so if its foundation
is in Christian character. This book and study
guide are real gems used as either a 10-week
mini unit study or as a supplement to medieval
history. The Legends of King Arthur and His
Court is based on a 1908 rendition of the King
Arthur legends. There are scores of Arthurian
legends out there, sometimes containing disturbing elements. This version follows the noble
style set forth by Alfred Lord Tennyson, who
emphasized chivalry. In this text the knights’
words are actual lines from Tennyson. Ten
stories span Arthur’s life: being crowned king,
marrying Guinevere, creating the Knights of the
Round Table, chasing the holy grail, etc.
The Lessons of King Arthur Study Guide provides a lesson for each book chapter and helps
students dig in to the stories but also the principles of good character, with Biblical support.
Students read a book chapter and then respond
to the questions, do vocabulary work, write,
draw, research, complete an activity and keep
a notebook of their work. Students are asked
thought-provoking questions about characters’
behaviors and also about their own character
in comparison. Vocabulary and answers are
provided for teacher assistance, but a percentage of questions request the student’s own input
(answers will vary). In addition, students will
research story-related aspects: a quest, night
constellations, the holy grail, etc. Directions
for an oral presentation and hosting a Medieval
Tournament are also included. When students
are asked to write or draw, pages with large
Celtic-style borders are provided. Answer Key
is located in the back. Written by a homeschool
mom and son team, Shelley and Jacob Noonan.
Consumable and non-reproducible. Legends is
5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 92 pp, sc. Lessons is 8 1/2” x
11, 96 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.95 10.50
022642 Legends of King Arthur
022655 Lessons of King Arthur Study Guide
Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings 2ED (9-12)
Combining the literary magnificence of The
Lord of the Rings trilogy with an enthusiastic
study of the rich, ancient literature that served
as its inspiration and packaging it into a wellorganized, easy-to-use study, Literary Lessons
from LOTR is a beautiful thing! Now in its
second edition, this course has much to offer
the serious high school student: broad exposure to literary terms, excellent overview of
ancient literature – Greek epics, Beowulf and
the Arthurian Romances, extensive vocabulary
studies, an introduction to poetry, and significant writing opportunities designed to develop
creativity as well as actual writing skills. All of
this is in addition to an in-depth look into the
novels (and their author) widely considered to
be one of the most influential literary works of
the past century.
The “secret” of this course’s success is the
skillful weaving of related unit studies with the
comprehensive study of the six “books” which
make up what is commonly known as The LOTR
trilogy. Each book is studied chapter by chapter
and students are expected to provide a synopsis
of events, complete vocabulary exercises, and
sometimes read “additional notes” (literary analysis and interpretation) before answering comprehension and sometimes challenger questions
and completing writing assignments. Each book
study ends with a vocabulary review, completion of a study guide, and a unit test. There are
thirteen “unit studies” interspersed among these
six book study units. These studies include:
author background, linguistics (etymology and
philology), setting, map study, ancient epics,
introduction to Old English, Beowulf, monsters
and heroes, genre (fantasy as literature), poetry,
Arthurian romances, theme and motif. An
interesting final unit study is a research project
which invites the student to explain “whatever happened to the Hobbits, Men, Elves, and
Dwarves?” Definitely a one credit, college-prep
high school literature course with an emphasis
on character development and truth, it could be
counted either as Ancient or British Lit (although
as British literature it is missing some typical
content – Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, etc.).
The Student Edition is hefty - 477 pgs, spiralbound – providing textual information and
serving as a worktext. Chapter synopses are
designed as fill-in-the-blank with page references for gleaning answers. These serve as
review as well as providing experience with
an excellent technique for literary study. Page
number references coordinate with the Lord of
the Rings Combined Volume (50th Anniversary
Edition). Vocabulary is introduced in context.
Comprehension questions can be used either
for discussion or for short essay-type answers.
Challenger questions (for more advanced stu-
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
continued...
dents) can be either skipped or completed
depending on the student. The student is
encouraged to check (and correct) his answers
continually so that his efforts will be effective in
terms of review and reinforcement. The thirteen
Unit Studies are varied in form and substance.
Sometimes essays about various elements of literature; sometimes explorations of other literary
works; and occasionally related work projects
such as the map project, these units will often
include writing assignments. As an example, in
the introductory Beowulf study (there are two
parts to the Beowulf study) textual information
includes sections on Tolkien and Beowulf, the
history of Beowulf, unfamiliar terms, and features of old English poetry and then provides
excerpts from the poem. As with each of the
unit studies, a study guide is to be completed
at the end. If the student is inclined for further
study on any topic, the publisher’s website
provides links to interactive resources for more
information. The Appendix includes two additional unit studies – Movies and the Classics
and Exploring Religious Elements in the LOTR
– as well as a glossary, a dictionary of literary
terms, and a works cited page. These last two
unit studies are optional. By the way, religious
content in this course is reserved for this last
optional unit study. There are only a few references to the Bible as literature or as a source for
an idea throughout the rest of the study.
The 341 page Teacher Edition is packaged
in a three-ring binder. Introductory information “walks” the teacher through the course,
outlining each of the components mentioned
previously. Detailed lesson plans for 180 days,
a chapter-by-chapter answer key, and grading suggestions are also provided along with
”grey boxes” which suggest additional writing
assignments, provide notes and tell when to
give quizzes and reviews. Eighteen vocabulary
quizzes, six unit tests and unit study quizzes, included in the TE, are reproducible for
home and family use. All answers for quizzes
and tests are included in the TE. Flexibility
and ease of use are key characteristics of this
course. Students can work independently with
the teacher as administrator (grading & recordkeeping) – or the teacher can be as involved as
she chooses in terms of discussion. In order to
facilitate discussion, the teacher is encouraged
to purchase “Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”. Writing
assignments are plentiful – and interesting – but
the author cautions against trying to do ALL of
them, suggesting that one per week is about
right.
Teacher prep is minimal. I think this
course would work very well as a co-op literature class. ~ Janice
033705 Student Edition . . . . 60.00 50.95
033709 Teacher Edition . . . 65.00 55.00
049915 Lord of the Rings 50th
Anniv. Combined Ed. 20.00 14.25
Divine Comedy Study Guide (10-AD)
Memoria Press does it again; helping you
teach a very difficult text in manageable bits.
Why read Dante? This book came out of the late
middle Ages and impacted literature from the
Renaissance to the 20th century. Its lessons on
depravity and consequences are an extremely
valuable lesson about the human condition for
teenagers to learn. One man and his struggle for
hope in a world of political, social and spiritual
upheaval (sound timely?) is the center of Dante
Alighieri’s novel as translated by John Ciardi.
The Teacher Guide has lessons for you to present each “canto” or section. You will have all
of the answers to the student guide, plus step by
step assignments that are not in the kids’ book,
like memorization, vocabulary, discussion starters and some background overview material
to make you look good! The material itself is
complicated, but the Teacher Guide is easy to
follow. There is a section of Drill Questions and
then the Test Answer Key. There are no blank
student pages in this book.
The Student Guide is meant to be written in
by the student as you read the Comedy. It is
logically divided by the cantos (chapters) and
there are vocabulary words that refer to a specific line in the canto. There are comprehension
questions with plenty of space for answers. In
the back is a place to write answers to the Drill
Questions (50 short answer questions) from the
Teacher Guide.
The Quizzes & Tests are numbered and
each covers one or two cantos. Questions are
matching, multiple choice, short answer and
some which require about a paragraph answer.
There are quizzes, a mid-term (matching, short
answer, and a mini-essay which has two pages
of lines), and a final exam in the same format as
the mid-term for each of the three parts: Inferno,
Purgatorio, and Paradiso. There are no answers
in this book.
I think it would be hard to teach such a classic
and heavy text with only one of these books. You
really need all three to effectively make it work.
Everything is laid out for you to follow. ~ Sara
052960 Student Study Guide 16.95 14.50
052961 Teacher Guide . . . . 16.95 14.50
054721 Quizzes & Tests . . . . 5.00
4.50
053265 Divine Comedy . . . 21.00 14.75
056797 Lesson Plans . . . . . . . 8.00
7.25
Movie / Video Study Guides
Movies as Literature (9-12)
This complete, one-year literature course was
designed for high school but would be great for
a middle school study as well. The course uses
classic novels that have been made into movies
to introduce and study the elements of literary
analysis. Student discussion and composition
questions are provided for each of the seventeen
movies featured. An extensive teacher's guide
and answer key are included for the questions
asked. A glossary of important literary terms is
also given, as well as a final exam which tests
literary elements learned from each movie. The
course not only provides students the skills
needed to dissect different literary aspects of
books, it also teaches them to discern underlying messages in movies rather than simply
absorbing them. Whether you want your students to read the novels first and then watch the
movies and analyze them, or merely watch the
movies alone, this book provides great guidelines and offers students the tools they need for
prompting literary analysis. A student workbook
for the course is also available; this contains all
the questions from the guide book with room for
students to answer them, a glossary, and plenty
of movie trivia for fun. ~ Rachel S.
017555Book . . . . . . . . . . . 38.00 31.95
034765Workbook . . . . . . . 20.00 17.95
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
SHAKESPEARE
Instructional / Study Guides
☼Shakespeare (Eyewitness Book) (3-12)
Learn about Shakespeare’s world in an accessible, kid-friendly way! In classic DK fashion,
this book’s pages are a perfect blend of visual
information: both pictures and text. Each spread
covers a topic with one or two large color photographs, a paragraph or two, then the margins
are filled in with smaller, relevant images and
captions. This visual approach makes for a wonderful way to learn about Shakespeare’s world.
Learn about his upbringing, the royalty of that
time, daily life and culture of that era, how his
plays were written and performed, the different
types of plays he wrote (such as comedy and
tragedy), his legacy, and so much more! I absolutely loved this type of book as a child because
it takes a dry subject and gives the reader a
detailed, historically accurate view. Complete
with a timeline, reference of Shakespeare’s characters and a glossary. Perfect as a supplement
to literature or history, or as a stand-alone book
that is fun to read. 72 softcover pages. – Laura
055576 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.75
Tales from Shakespeare (5-8)
This guide by Matt Whitling provides instruction for teaching ten of Shakespeare’s most
famous plays including Macbeth, Hamlet,
Romeo and Juliet, and Much Ado about
Nothing. The instruction is based off and
requires a copy of Tales from Shakespeare by
Charles and Mary Lamb, a readable adaptation
of the plays for younger students (listed below).
Though the teaching tips are meant for larger
classes, the worksheets and test provided are
great for homeschoolers. A similar two-page
worksheet is provided for each of the ten plays.
Students are instructed to record statistics (like
plot type, setting, etc.), describe the attributes
and roles of characters, summarize the plot,
sketch a memorable scene, define vocabulary,
and answer comprehension questions. Answers
are included. Please note that although the
guide references page numbers for vocabulary
words in both the Signet and Puffin Classics,
that these are no longer accurate for the Puffin
Classic. A four-page exam tests all ten of the
plays. Most of the questions are short-answer
questions, with a few matching. A review sheet
is given before the exam for study. An answer
key is also provided for the final exam. The
back of the book includes Venn diagrams showing how Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies
have overlapping themes. Overall, this guide
provides great review of Shakespeare’s plays
and requires minimal effort from teachers.
Reproducible, spiral bound, 50 pgs. ~ Rachel
015930Guide . . . . . . . . . . 15.00 11.95
046358 Book (Puffin Classic) 4.99
3.95
Reading / Literature
285
Parallel Text Shakespeare (9-AD)
I realize this may sound like an exaggeration,
but after perusing this sample of Romeo and
Juliet, I almost wished I could go back to high
school and study it again, in this format! It's
extremely well thought out and put together.
With this program, I feel like I could actually
teach my younger siblings Shakespeare, and
it would be an experience that we could all
enjoy. There are four components to each play:
a text, a teacher's guide, a student workbook,
and a teacher workbook. The text is unique
and contains a lot more than just an unabridged
version of the play. Rather, the text contains
two versions of the play, with the unabridged,
original version on the left-hand side of each
two-page spread, and the modern translation
printed on the right-hand page. Both versions
are laid out identically with regard to format, so
you won't have to flip to another page to keep
up with the other translation. Ideally, students
will read the original form through, and then
read the modernized translation so they can go
back to the original, and realize "oh, that's what
he meant!". The play is divided up by act, with
each act featuring "before you read" questions,
a discussion of the literary elements found in
that act, a list of vocabulary (with definitions)
that may be unfamiliar to the student, and an
act summary. After each act in the text, you'll
find a handful of discussion questions, a return
to the literary elements found in that act that ask
the students to find examples from the text, and
a list of writing prompts. I'm pretty impressed
at the depth of the questions included; they ask
students to interpret character's actions to determine their character, analyze their behavior,
compare and contrast characters, ask them how
their feelings for the character have changed,
and much more. The literary element questions
and writing prompts are just as involved, asking students to find examples of foreshadowing
and hyperbole, or asking students to look up
the rules for writing a sonnet and write one, or
to choose a quotation that best characterizes
a scene, and write about its significance. The
end of each text features discussion questions,
literary analysis questions, and writing prompts
for the whole play, as well as "extras," like group
activity suggestions, and background about
Shakespeare's life, and the Globe theater.
The text teacher's guide "fills in all the blanks"
from the student text, and includes true/false
"anticipation questions,” pre-reading discussion
questions, teaching suggestions and suggested
activities, an act summary, detailed answers to
the post-reading discussion and literary element
questions, suggestions for the writing prompts,
and a defined vocabulary list for each act. A
reproducible vocabulary quiz is also included
for each act, as is an essay quiz. The vocabulary quiz contains matching, multiple-choice,
and short answer questions on the vocabulary,
while the essay quiz asks short essay questions
at both a literal level and an interpretive level.
The end of the guide contains the answers to
the final discussion and literary questions, as
well as an end-of-play test including matching,
true/false, multiple-choice, and essay questions
about the play as a whole.
Really, you could study a play very thoroughly
simply by using the text and the teacher's guide,
and if reading, discussion, and essay questions
286
Reading / Literature
are all the further you want to take each play, I
would highly recommend this. However, there
is also a workbook component available that
emphasizes both the reading comprehension
aspect of the play and explores open-ended,
creative questions as well. For each scene, or
group of scenes chunked together, the student
will answer reading questions for that section,
which are primarily reading comprehension
questions, with references to the text for help
finding the answers. A "response log" follows
the reading questions, and asks the students
open-ended questions about issues in the text.
For example, at the beginning of Romeo and
Juliet, they are asked to imagine what may have
originally caused the conflict between the two
families, and think about what may resolve it.
Other response questions are equally thought
provoking, and may ask the student to explore
the different characters using graphic organizers,
to make a list of symbols and phrases of love in
our times, to write questions you may want to
ask the characters, and much more. The end of
each act lists discussion questions for short essay
responses. These are different than the response
questions in the text, and further flesh out the
study of each scene. The end of the workbook
offers suggestions for extension activities and
additional writing assignments, based on the
play. The workbook teacher's guide offers additional teaching helps and copies of the student
worksheets with answers provided.
Altogether, I think these are the most thorough
and easy-to-use studies on Shakespeare's plays
that I've run across in a long time. I love that
the text is provided in two versions, so you can
really understand what's going on in the play
without turning to another source constantly
to look up words and phrases. I also enjoy
the quality and the depth of the discussion
questions, and I appreciate the lengths that
the authors have gone to, to include a study of
literary elements in the plays. Often, comprehension is the most important thing studied in
literature guides, and literary elements are left
along the wayside. As I mentioned above, if
you do not want to put the expense and effort
into a full-blown mini-course on each play, you
will get along quite nicely with the text and the
teacher's guide. However, if you would like to
focus more on comprehension and writing, the
workbook is a terrific complement. Whichever
option you choose, I think you'll agree that
this is an excellent and high-quality course that
makes teaching Shakespeare a little easier for
both the teacher and student. - Jess
EACH PARALLEL TEXT . . . . . . 9.95
8.50
EACH TEACHER GUIDE . . . . 10.95
9.25
EACH WORKBOOK . . . . . . . . 6.95
6.25
EACH WKBK TEACHER . . . . 13.25 10.95
037874 Hamlet Text
037875 Hamlet Teacher Guide
036513 Julius Caesar Text
036514 Julius Caesar Teacher Guide
036516 Julius Caesar Workbook
036515 Julius Caesar Wkbk T/G
036517 Macbeth Text
036518 Macbeth Teacher Guide
036520 Macbeth Workbook
036519 Macbeth Wkbk T/G
037878 Merchant of Venice Text
037879 Merchant of Venice Teacher Guide
037880 Midsummer Night’s Dream Text
037881
009118
009120
036522
036521
037884
037885
Midsummer Night’s Dream Tchr Gd
Romeo & Juliet Text
Romeo & Juliet Teacher Guide
Romeo & Juliet Workbook
Romeo & Juliet Wkbk T/G
Taming of the Shrew Text
Taming of the Shrew Teacher Guide
The Brightest Heaven of Invention (9-12)
Shakespeare for the Christian! Six famous
Shakespearian plays are interpreted and analyzed from a Christian perspective by author
Peter Leithart. Any study of Henry V, Julius
Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Taming of the
Shrew, or Much Ado About Nothing will be
enhanced by his insights. The studies are
very thorough, putting the action of the play
into historical context and helping the reader
understand the culture, characters, motives,
and themes. After a very interesting overview,
each play is broken into lessons for discussion.
The text examines each segment of the play
in greater detail, referencing specific lines and
actions, again interpreting and analyzing these
for us against a Christian and historical backdrop. After each lesson are review and thought
questions for the student. The review questions
review material as presented in the textual discussion. Thought questions have the student
interpret other elements of the play (it would
be nice if Mr. Leithart included a key for these).
For those wanting their student(s) to prepare a
written project as a summary activity, Suggested
Paper Topics are also provided for each play.
002506 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.00 16.95
Activities / Supplements
Master Puppet Theater (7-12)
Shakespeare at your fingertips, literally. This
set really is quite clever. You get 60 characters
from well-known plays on 30 cards. The cards
have 2 holes to make your fingers the legs. You
have 12 backgrounds and a book of classic
scenes. What fun to read the scenes while acting out the characters with your fingers. Make
sure to add accents and intonation as you play
out Antony & Cleopatra, As You Like It, Hamlet,
Henry IV, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth,
The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives
of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Othello, Richard III, Romeo & Juliet, The Taming
of the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night and
The Winter’s Tale. After you have performed
these scenes in your own Knuckleodeon, have
a go at the entire play. Shakespeare was written
to be performed after all. Add this activity to any
unit study of the Bard’s work. I like anything that
makes something daunting into something less
intimidating. ~ Sara
052719 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.95 10.95
Shakespeare Masks (package of 24) (PK-AD)
022832 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
7.25
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Plays / Adaptations
Shakespeare for Kids (2-6)
Truly enjoyable adaptations of classic
Shakespeare! Author Lois Burdett has successfully introduced her second grade classes
to Shakespeare for over twenty years. These
64-page books contain simplified versions that
are written in rhyme. What makes each book
so delightful is the contribution of Ms. Burdett’s
class. Each play contains their ingenuous
commentaries and colorful illustrations, which
clearly express their thoughts and feelings about
the play. These books can be used as a basis for
activities such as writing a character diary, holding a debate, or for the really ambitious – performing the entire play! A short list of activity
suggestions is located in the back of each book.
Some discussion about antiquated language
may be required during reading. ~ Anh
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.95
014023Hamlet
014024Macbeth
014025 Midsummer Night’s Dream
014026 Much Ado About Nothing
014027 Romeo and Juliet
014028Tempest
014029 Twelfth Night
Tales from Shakespeare (3-7)
I was once told by a high school English
teacher that Shakespeare’s plays were meant to
be seen, not read. Although that didn’t make
much sense at the time, I can see now that he
had a point. Shakespeare is definitely much
easier to understand if you can visualize what
is happening instead of relying solely on the
dialog and your imagination. This series, made
specifically for children, presents adaptations
of Shakespeare’s famous plays in an easy-tounderstand comic-strip format. Each comic is
set at the Globe Theater, complete with amusing comments made by members of the audience. Though the main characters speak dialog
straight from the play, the plot is explained in
simple language underneath each frame. The
humorous illustrations will definitely make you
chuckle. After reading each comic, you’ll be
able to recognize main characters and have
a basic understanding of the plot of the play.
Each book in this series contains seven different
plays in colorful comics. ~ Anh
032033 Tales from Shakespeare7.99 6.25
Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and
Juliet, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale
032032 More Tales from Shakespeare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99
6.75
Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, King
Lear, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado
About Nothing, Richard III, Twelfth Night
Shakespeare’s Stories for Young Readers (3-AD)
Author Edith Nesbit brings twelve classic
Shakespeare stories to young readers as she
adapts complicated language and tales into
easy to read short stories. Each story contains
the same main events and lessons along with
some of the original wording, yet all are charmingly transformed into short stories that are readable and appealing to children. Stories included Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, King Lear, Cymbeline, The Merchant
of Venice, As You Like It, The Tempest, Twelfth
Night, Pericles, Hamlet, The Taming of the
Shrew, and The Winter’s Tale.
023321 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
4.25
Children’s Shakespeare (3-AD)
A classic retelling of major Shakespearean
plays. Although to author Edith Nesbit (author
of Railway Children and Five Children and It),
the stories are the “least part of Shakespeare,”
she wrote this volume to introduce Shakespeare
to her own children. Eleven plays are rewritten
in an appealing and understandable manner in
about 10 pages or less each: The Winter’s Tale;
Romeo & Juliet; The Tempest; A Midsummer’s
Night Dream; King Lear; Cymbeline; The
Taming of the Shrew; Hamlet; Twelfth Night;
As You Like It; and Pericles. The stories are a
lovely blend of Nesbit’s voice and also maintaining the Shakespearean tone and feel. For
example, Petruchio greets Kate with, “Goodmorrow, Kate,” and tells her he must marry
her. She responds by yelling and saying, Nesbit
retorts, “some extremely disagreeable things to
him, and, I am sorry to say, ended by boxing
his ears.” Plays chosen are more “kid friendly”
and difficult-for-kids passages are presented discretely and matter-of-factly without aggrandizing them. 6” x 9”, 117 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
058455 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.95 11.50
No Fear Shakespeare (9-12)
We sometimes forget that Shakespeare’s plays
were meant to be heard, seen, experienced
rather than read. In fact, they are difficult to read
because of the centuries of language transformation that lies between their conception and us.
But Shakespeare holds an enduring place in
literary history – memorable characters, startling
stories, skillful punning, and quotable quotes.
No Fear Shakespeare is a better start down that
path to lifelong appreciation. The playbooks
provide a readable side-by-side, line-by-line
translation – original language on one side and
its meaning in understandable modern English/
American peppered with editorial notes and
comments on the other. Thus the necessity of
reading and constantly consulting footnotes is
eliminated. A complete listing and description
of characters precedes the play and completes
the book. That’s all! No study questions, no
copious endnotes, and no handwringing. You
can choose to “study” the plays or just learn to
read them for enjoyment. I suggest the latter.
If you do want to flesh out your Shakespeare
reading with just a little extra perspective, the
No Fear Shakespeare, A Companion is the
answer. Part 1 humbly claims to cover everything you need to know about his life (there’s
not much, really), career, and world. In similar
humility, Part 2 claims to provide everything
you really need to know about each of his plays;
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
divided into the “top ten,” the ones that “show
you’re really well-read,” the plays with which to
“seriously impress your teacher,” and those for
“hardcore Shakespeareans.” For each of these
plays there is a brief synopsis and then three
or four brief essays that encompass what is the
most important to know/remember about each
play. I’m fairly versed in Shakespeare (I’ve read
a couple of the “hardcore” plays) and I found
these essays insightful. For instance, I’ve never
coupled Romeo and Juliet with Midsummer’s
Night Dream nor considered they have parallel
plots, were likely written in sequence, etc. It
was new perspective. I love it! There’s a concluding “bonus” section on poetry that includes
the Sonnets and his two long poems.
Shakespearean plays require a certain caution.
They are ribald and bawdy. When we read them
in the original language this can sometimes be
missed. When we see them performed, it’s almost
always a noticeable element. By providing a
relevant modern translation, you might, in some
instances, find you would rather have the meaning obscured. Just so you know! Books range from
approximately 250 to 350 pgs. pb ~ Janice
EACH BOOK (except noted) . . 5.95
4.75
057487 No Fear Shakespeare: A Companion . . . . . . 9.95
7.75
057395 Antony and Cleopatra 6.95
5.50
057397 As You Like It
057410 Comedy of Errors
057448Hamlet
057452 Henry V
057453 Henry VI . . . . . . . . . 7.95
5.95
057462 Julius Caesar
057464 King Lear . . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.50
057470Macbeth
057474 Merchant of Venice
057475 Midsummer Night’s Dream
057479 Much Ado About Nothing
055916Othello
057505 Richard III . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.50
057507 Romeo and Juliet
057524 Taming of the Shrew
057525Tempest
057530 Twelfth Night
No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels (5-10)
William Shakespeare is one of the greatest
playwrights in history, but let’s face it—his
plays can be difficult to understand. No Fear
Shakespeare provides students with a fun,
effective way to experience the Bard’s plays
by telling the story in black-and-white, manga
comic book form. These adaptations are more
thorough and detailed than the other abridged,
illustrated Shakespeare books we carry, making
them suitable for older students. They also retain
the “flavor” of Shakespeare’s original language.
Approx. 200 pgs, pb. ~ Lisa
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.75
044188Hamlet
044192MacBeth
044196 Romeo & Juliet
Reading / Literature
287
Tales from Shakespeare (5-AD)
Although first published in 1807 with the
intent of being “an introduction to the study of
Shakespeare,” these prose retellings by Charles
and Mary Lamb have stood the test of time.
Because the plays are told in story format, they
can be somewhat easier for children to understand than the play format, and give a good
basis for understanding the complete play when
read later. These unabridged editions feature
twenty retellings of Shakespeare’s plays, including The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The
Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Macbeth, The
Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Romeo
and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello and more.
000652 Wordsworth Classic . 4.99
3.95
Features occasional black/white illustrations
by Arthur Rackham and is 278 pbs, pb.
046358 Puffin Classic . . . . . . 4.99
3.95
346 pgs, no illustrations.
Ten Tales from Shakespeare (5-AD)
This is a collection of unabridged prose (not
play!) retellings of 10 of Shakespeare's highly
regarded works including The Tempest, A
Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It,
The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Macbeth,
The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet,
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and Othello. An
Evergreen Classic. ~ Enh
024245 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.00
3.50
Brick Shakespeare (7-AD)
I was getting such a kick out of looking at the
pictures in these books that I almost forgot I was
reading Shakespeare! Illustrated with photos of
Lego minifigures set into scenes, your student
(and you!) will read the Bard’s classic tales
in a way that is just so…different & unique.
The Comedies includes: A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, the Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing,
and the Taming of the Shrew. The Tragedies
includes: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius
Caesar. Each story is carefully abridged, reading
as a comic book would with dialogue boxes
next to the photos. Helpful narratives introduce
the scenes and explain extra detail not in the
script. I thought the graphic novels we carry
for Shakespeare were brilliant; this is another
creative way for students to better understand
these plays which can be so difficult to interpret.
I had to chuckle at the Jarjar Binks minifigure
being used as Bottom in Midsummer Night and
the funny greenery stuck to Puck’s plastic yellow
head. Facial expressions have been carefully
painted on and used to express emotion in the
photos. Eyebrows are furrowed and the ends
of mouths are turned downward. It is just a
hoot! I think I recognized Sam from the Hobbit
Legos being used as Ariel in the Tempest. At
the beginning of each play, you are introduced
to the Lego characters playing the Shakespeare
characters. From someone who remembers the
Shakespeare I read in high school being hard
to follow, I appreciate the visual appeal here!
I would have remembered Jarjar as Bottom and
been better able to follow the story. Large books
have glossy pages that should stand up to years
of use. Approx. 345pgs, pb. ~ Sara
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95 13.95
057360 The Comedies
057361 The Tragedies
288
Reading / Literature
Barron’s Shakespeare Made Easy (7-12)
These books include both the original play
and a modernization by Alan Durband. These
parallel each other page by page - open the
book to any point and the left page will have
the play in the original language while the right
page displays the same lines in modern English.
This should make comprehension and understanding a whole lot easier and more accessible for students. Each book has a number of
activities in the back; these include activities
to develop opinions on the characters, textual
questions for exploring some aspect of the play
(speeches sonnets, etc), structure, setting, a list
of examination questions that could very well be
encountered, some one-word-answer quiz questions, and a number of "complete the following"
lines from the play. Shakespeare will suddenly
make a lot more sense. ~ Zach
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.95
5.95
010307 As You Like It
025889Hamlet
025891 Julius Caesar
025893Macbeth
025894 Merchant of Venice
025895 Midsummer's Night Dream
023818 Much Ado About Nothing
025896 Romeo and Juliet
023821 Taming of the Shrew
025897Tempest
025898 Twelfth Night
Signet Classics (7-AD)
Concise, useful editions of classic “pillars” of
Literature. Include introductions and afterwords.
The Signet Classic editions of Shakespeare’s
plays and sonnets are edited by outstanding
scholars. These 2nd revised editions include
additional helps for the student: an extensive
overview of Shakespeare’s life, world and theater; a special introduction to each play; selections of the sources from where Shakespeare
derived each story; dramatic criticism; history
of the play (including stage and screen); and
text notes and commentaries as well as an upto-date list of recommended readings. All cover
art by Milton Glaser. Approx 200 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH BOOK (except noted) . . 4.95
3.95
019327 Hamlet: Prince of Denmark
019328 King Lear
019362 Romeo and Juliet (10-AD)
019359 Macbeth w/Updated Critical Essays
019317Sonnets . . . . . . . . . . 5.95
4.50
Oxford School Shakespeare (8-12)
Serious about Shakespeare? This series from
Oxford University Press contains the complete
and unabridged plays with many other great features. Each book begins with a discussion of the
theme of the play. Characters are introduced,
and a summary of the story by act and scene
is provided. The bulk of the book is devoted to
the play itself. Line-by-line interpretations in the
margins explain what is happening throughout
the play and define words or phrases in modernday terms. These interpretations are helpful for
the modern reader. Approximately 10 pages of
teaching suggestions include topics for discussion, activity ideas, suggested essay topics, and
more. These are intended for classroom teacher
use or for self-study; no answers are included.
This is a great series for students who want to
read original Shakespeare but struggle with the
tough language. “All the world’s a stage...”
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95
7.95
008840 Antony and Cleopatra
008841 As You Like It
008843Hamlet
008846 Julius Caesar
008848 Macbeth
008850 Midsummer Night's Dream
008853 Romeo and Juliet
008854 Taming of the Shrew
Pelican Shakespeare (11-AD)
056327 As You Like It . . . . . 8.00
056328Hamlet . . . . . . . . . . 8.00
038068 Julius Caesar . . . . . . 8.00
038069 King Lear . . . . . . . . . 8.00
038071Macbeth . . . . . . . . . 8.00
038072 Merchant of Venice . 8.00
019197 Much Ado Abt Nothing8.00
038079 Twelfth Night . . . . . . 8.00
4.73
3.83
5.95
4.82
4.34
3.83
5.95
5.95
POETRY COMPREHENSION / STUDIES
Child’s Introduction to Poetry w/ CD (PK-6)
This book by Michael
Driscoll
introduces
young students to poetry and famous poets in
a way they will find
interesting and fun.
The first part of the
book describes the various types of poetry like
nursery rhymes, villanelle, limerick, narrative
verse, ballad, sonnet, free verse, and more. Each
type of poem is described quickly and clearly,
and then the book contains famous examples
of that type of poem. Kids can either read the
poems themselves, or play the accompanying
CD when prompted. The audio CD includes
all the poems in the book read alternately by
a man and a woman with pleasant voices.
Colorful boxes tell readers when to play a track
on the CD, as well as sharing extra information
about the poems or their authors. “Words for the
Wise” boxes are included on each page, defining words in the poems that children may not
be familiar with. “If You’re a Poet, You Should
Know It” boxes are also included throughout the
book, with vocabulary words related to poetry
defined (like stanza, alliteration, etc.). After all
the types of poetry are introduced, explained,
and exampled, the second half of the book is
dedicated to famous poets. A quick biography
of each poet is included and then excerpts from
that person’s poetry are shared. These excerpts
(sometimes full poems) are also included on the
CD. Text boxes on the pages give a summary
of the poems and explain confusing parts. Fun,
colorful, little drawings accompany these poems
(as well as those earlier in the book) and add to
the charm of the book. Homer, Shakespeare,
Blake, Dickinson, Kipling, Sandburg, Heaney,
Angelou, and many more are included in this
section of the book. Overall, 64 famous poems
are included in the book (and on the CD). With
the easy-to-understand explanations and numerous examples, young students will be grasping
and enjoying poetry in no time. Book includes a
listing of all 64 tracks on the CD and measures
10.25” x 10.25”. 96 pages, hc. ~ Rachel
037493 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.99 13.95
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Read and Understand Poetry (2-6)
Quite a few books on how to teach kids to write
poetry come my way, but rarely have I seen one
that actually teaches children how to understand
and appreciate poetry! Each of the books in this
series includes over 25 poems, grouped into
sections by topic. In my sample of Grades 4-5
these are: family, unique word usage, action
poems, occupations, the railroad, water, history
and holidays. Each section includes 3-4 poems,
each accompanied by two student pages and a
teacher page. The teacher page for each poem
includes teaching tips and topics to use before,
during and after the poem reading. Often these
feature suggestions for introducing topics or
words, locating and discussing poetic devices
used in the poem, or for pointing out formal
English language "irregularities" that are often
found in poems. The actual poem follows,
printed in large font on an entire page accompanied by a black-and-white drawing. The poems
themselves have been selected from a wide
range of authors, both well-known and not-so
well-known, modern and classic. Some poems
and authors included in Grades 4-5 are: Walt
Whitman ("I Hear America Singing" and "The
Runaway Slave"), Francisco X. Alarcón ("My
Grandma is Like a Flowering Cactus"), William
Shakespeare ("Full Fathom Five"), Emma Lazarus
("The New Colossus"), Edward Lear (selections
from his Book of Nonsense), Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow ("The Landlord's Tale: Paul Revere's
Ride" and "The Village Blacksmith"), Michael
Burgess ("Lightning Jumpshot"), and many more.
Two student workbook pages follow the poem,
asking students to reflect on meanings in the
poem and think about how language was used.
The first page contains a series of multiplechoice questions that ask students to think about
the poem itself and particular pieces of the
poem. Questions might ask students to interpret
what certain phrases in the poem mean, who is
narrating the poem, how the people mentioned
in the poem probably feel, and much more.
The second student page focuses more on language skills, and analyzing language through
the poem. For example, after "Jabberwocky",
they must decide whether some of the nonsense
words included in the poem are nouns, verbs,
or adjectives. Other worksheets ask students for
specific examples of language from the poem,
and then challenge them to write their own
similar poem, using their own words or phrases.
A glossary of poetry terms, short biographies of
the featured poets and an answer key are also
included. Overall, I'm very impressed with this
series and all the bases it covers. Not only is
poetry read or shared aloud, but students also
learn to understand and comprehend poetry
(which is a little different than regular reading
comprehension), and even develop an appreciation for the way poets use language and specific
poetic devices in their creations. As a bonus,
students are often given the opportunity to write
their own poetry after studying the model poem,
providing them with a much more well-rounded
foundation to write from than a "here's what a
limerick is - now write one" lesson. - Jess
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.99 13.95
031788 Grades 2-3
031789 Grades 3-4
031791 Grades 4-5
031790 Grades 5-6
Poetry Comprehension (2-6)
An ideal supplement to any reading program,
these books are full of comprehension activities
that are designed to help students understand
poems and improve scores on reading standardized tests. Each book contains a two-page
assessment that can be used as a pre- or posttest for the book. Then, the book is divided into
twenty lessons. Every lesson includes a teacher
page that displays the skill being practiced,
a summary of the poem, specific directions
for introducing the poem, a list of vocabulary
words, and ideas for additional writing activities
to extend the lesson. Then each lesson includes
a poem (many by classic authors) that complements topics taught at each grade level, illustrated for fun. Following the poem is a 7-question
assessment. The first six questions are presented
in a standardized-test format and test on facts,
sequence, context, main idea, conclusion, and
inference. A final question then has students
write a brief response to a higher-level question.
With twenty grade-appropriate poems and similarly formatted lessons in each book, students
will definitely be prepared for standardized test
questions on poetry. Each book also includes
a few extras, like a list of grade-level, poetry
specific standards, a glossary of poetry terms,
and five graphic organizers to support different
activities suggested in various lessons. Answers
included, each book 96 pgs, pb. ~ Rachel
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99
9.75
031802 Grade 2
031805 Grade 5
031803 Grade 3
031806 Grade 6
031804 Grade 4
are: 1) an intensive month-long unit; 2) a yearlong study to match the school year; and 3) a
slower pace that stretches the study out over several years. You can certainly match this flexible
course to the academic and interest level of your
student. The teacher’s edition is a fleshed-out
version of the student book. All student pages
are included in the teacher’s edition, the layout
alternating between the student chapter and the
corresponding section of teacher pages. These
teacher’s sections include explications of 39 of
the poems from the student text and complete
answers to all of the exercises. A final section
contains a poetry timeline and quizzes – both
by the chapter and a cumulative book quiz. The
optional seven-disk DVD set features author
Christine Perrin teaching the entire Art of Poetry
text to four eighth grade students. High quality
video shows the teacher and students discussing the lessons, chapter by chapter. Poems are
read aloud and the class engages in thoughtful
dialogue as they analyze the poetry. The DVD’s
are intended to be viewed while following along
with the student book, as there are no captions,
prompts, or on-screen text to read during the
lessons. The author demonstrates the end-ofchapter activities in real-time, so students can
develop and practice their poem writing skills.
15+ hours of video. – Zach
041088Student . . . . . . . . . 24.95 21.25
048912Teacher . . . . . . . . . 29.95 25.50
013241 DVD Set . . . . . . . . 69.95 59.95
ARTPTR ☼Package . . . . . . . 124.85 99.95
Includes 3 items listed above.
Young Scholar’s Guide to Poetry Book with
CD (4-8)
065456 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.95 26.95
Art of Poetry (5-9)
There are so many uses for poetry – to tell a
story, to sing a song, to melt a heart, to paint a
picture, to inspire, to amuse, for reflection. So
numerous are the forms that poetry can take
that it is easy to see why it is considered an art.
This book explores the depth and breadth of
poetry; within these pages students will delve
into image, metaphor, symbols, words, sound,
rhythm, shape, and tone, the eight elements
of poetry. Following this is a formal history of
poetry that examines form, movement, genres,
structure, open verse, and narrative. Each chapter begins with text that fully examines the topic
at hand, discussing origins, uses, variations,
style, and other such points that are essential
to opening up the inner workings of poetry to
the student. The next step is learning to read
closely, where students are prompted through
an analytical reading of a given poem for the
use and effect of the element/form under consideration This is followed by a number of poems
(which varies by chapter), each with their own
set of exploratory questions. Chapters finish
up with a page of activities that give students
many different opportunities to explore the use
of poetry in more hands-on and practical ways,
and a list of vocabulary words with definitions.
The final chapter of the book talks about application – poetry groups, journaling, keeping a
notebook, slams and recitations, hosting, and
finding mentors. There are several timetables
outlined for using this book. The suggestions
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Jabberwocky: Poetry Studies for Junior High (7-8)
What’s the right amount of poetry for a junior
high student? I think you’ll agree that this collection is “just right.” Assuming the student
knows the basics (e.g. rhythm, rhyme patterns,
metaphor, etc.), this study provides 32 poems
(one for each week) printed right in the book.
The collection is eclectic; some classic, some
not, but each with something to offer – and
the invitation to the student to slow down long
enough to see, hear, and taste the world the poet
has created. Following each poem is a short
series of discussion questions, one of which is
a vocabulary inquiry. Students are encouraged
to keep a notebook with the answers and are
often asked to write short paragraphs. Because
answers will typically vary, there’s no answer
key. 105 pgs, pb
047581 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.00
Reading / Literature
289
Classical Poetry / Traditional Poetry (7-10)
For a more in-depth course in poetic appreciation and understanding, turn to these units
which contain and analyze some of the best
poetry from the late Middle Ages through the
19th (Classical) or early 20th (Traditional) century. The poems used are printed right in the
loose-leaf text and include works from such
notable authors as William Shakespeare, John
Keats, Christopher Marlowe, John Donne, John
Milton, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Alfred
Lord Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett and Robert
Browning, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson,
and others. Both units begin with a study of
"The Ballad," though more attention is given to
this form in the Traditional Poetry unit, which
also contains a Nursery Rhymes section. The
basic organization of Classical Poetry is by "Age"
(Elizabethan, Seventeenth Century, Restoration
and Eighteenth Century, Romantic, Victorian,
and Nineteenth Century) with a discussion
about that era and the style of poetry characterizing it. Biographical information about
each poet is included, along with a blackline
"portrait." After the first two units in Traditional
Poetry, that book is organized by poet and
also includes biographical information and a
portrait for each. Activities follow the poetry.
These range from interpretational to a study of
poetic devices and are very well-contrived, with
ample explanation and background information.
Concluding each unit are activities for essay
and discussion centering around themes in the
poems or asking students to compare or contrast
aspects of two or more of the poems. These
are excellent units; my only quibble is the lack
of a teacher key to evaluate student responses.
If you do this study along with your child, this
shouldn't be much of a deterrent.
009810 Classical Poetry . . . 12.99
9.95
009821 Traditional Poetry . . 12.99
9.95
Introduction to Poetry: Forms and Elements
Study Guide (9-12)
This study guide from Progeny Press, though
tackling a slightly different topic, is just as well
done. The format is much the same, although
it requires three books to use (all of which we
offer very inexpensively and are listed below for
your convenience). The study guide begins with
an introduction to poetry and its historical background. The first part of the book offers a short
lesson in types of poetry, and the remaining two
parts offer several lessons each. The second
part focuses on elements of poetry, and the lessons deal specifically with lines, words, sounds,
rhyme, imagery, tone, and other specific poetic
elements. The last part in the book looks at
designated forms of poetry such as the sonnet,
blank verse, ballad, limerick, free verse, etc.
The lessons in these two parts both begin with
some information in the guide, and then the
student is direct to read a poem or two per lesson and answer questions about them. As with
Progeny's other guides, these challenge students
to think critically about the selections. Scripture
based questions are also tied into the themes in
"deeper thinking" questions. 84 pgs. - Mel
022728Guide . . . . . . . . . . 24.99 18.50
040789 Guide on CD . . . . . 21.99 15.95
The following three items are used with the
Introduction to Poetry Study Guide above.
008670 100 Best Loved Poems 3.00
2.50
290
Reading / Literature
000438 101 Great American Poems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.00
033394 Great Short Poems . . 2.50
2.50
2.05
Linguistic Development through Poetry
Memorization 2nd Ed. (PK-12)
Memorization can have a profound effect on
all areas of learning. The discipline required to
memorize new pieces and maintain old ones
helps children learn and retain material regardless of the subject. Also, the more a child
memorizes, the easier it becomes. While memorization used to be a mainstay in education,
this powerful tool is now largely overlooked.
This program helps you utilize the power of
memorization in your school. It includes five
different levels of poetry selections to be memorized: four levels of poems and one of famous
speeches. Poetry is used as the primary memorization tool because it is generally enjoyable,
easily remembered, and displays sophisticated
vocabulary and structure. The poems in this
book were carefully selected for their linguistic
qualities, as well as other criteria. While you
can start this program with a student of any age,
it is recommended that you start as early as possible. Even if your child is too young to read,
he can begin memorizing as you read poems
to him one line at a time. All students begin
at Level One. There are five levels in all, and
while it will probably take you multiple years
to complete the program, you will begin to see
results within just a couple of months. There
are over 100 poems and speeches to memorize
throughout the program. The length of the
poems varies, with more short ones near the
beginning and more long ones near the end.
However, there are some lengthier poems in
the first level as well as some short ones at the
end. Shorter poems give students a break, so
once they reach the end levels they aren't overwhelmed. Students progress through the levels,
memorizing new ones and constantly practicing
old ones. You are likely to recognize many of
the included poems, such as "Who Has Seen the
Wind?" "The Eagle," "Jabberwocky," "Stopping
By Woods on a Snowy Evening," "Casey at the
Bat," and "In Flanders Fields." When students
learn the first poem, they move on to the second, but they still recite the first poem at least
once a day. When they finish the second, they
move on to third, again reciting the first two
poems at least once a day. For the entire first
chapter, students recite every poem they've
learned every day until they have memorized
all twenty. When they move into the second
level, they recite the previously learned poems
"E.O.P.E.O.D." - every other poem, every other
day. At the third level, their recitation of past
poems is again adjusted on a rotating schedule
to make sure they are flawlessly maintained.
By the end of Level Four, students will most
likely have achieved a life-long retention of all
eighty poems due to the frequency, intensity,
and duration and will be ready to tackle the
speeches in Level Five. While memorizing over
a hundred speeches and poems may seem like
a huge undertaking, remember that it will get
easier as they go and is supposed to take several
years. The benefits students will reap from exercising and growing their brain through memorization will spill over into all areas of education.
Also, poems and speeches can be recited in the
car, through chores, or while working on other
projects to cut down on the required "school"
time. Brief biographies of the included poets
are provided.
The complete boxed set includes the spiralbound teacher's manual, downloadable student
e-book, Nurturing Competent Communicators
DVD, five CDs and a soft disc case. The CDs
have been newly recorded and feature all of
the poems and speeches from all five levels so
students can hear the poems read with correct
pronunciation, clear articulation, and artistic
locution. These can also aid younger learners
so you don't need to read and repeat the poems
for them. However, you can opt to purchase
the teacher's manual individually as well, if you
are just looking for the core of the program and
don't mind reading the poems and speeches to
your child. - Melissa
032559 Teacher Book Only . . . 29.00
032560 Boxed Set w/ CDs . . . 65.00
LITERATURE BASED STUDIES / ACTIVITIES /
MISC ITEMS
Literature Pockets (K-6)
What’s a literature pocket? A literature pocket
is a "student portfolio with pockets full of projects." Each of these workbooks starts off with
detailed instructions on how your children can
create their own personal portfolio to hold their
literature pockets. Literature Pockets - Caldecott
Winners are exciting workbooks full of ageappropriate projects for grades 1-3 and 4-6.
Each of these workbooks highlights the works
of eleven award-winning illustrators through
eleven creative and fun projects. A complete
list of all the Caldecott winners from 1938
through 2001 is provided in each workbook.
As you learn about each illustrator, you might
want to check out the book from the local
library so your children can experience their artwork and the story first hand. There are seven
pages dedicated to each illustrator. A thorough
biography is provided, and the following pages
hold fun projects and cut outs to create a new
pocket for the portfolio. The projects focus on
creative writing and artistic creation. These fun
projects often are a spin-off of what the story is
all about. For example, in the grades 1-3 workbook, one of the Caldecott winners featured is
Ezra Jack Keats who illustrated The Snowy Day.
The projects that follow have children write
about their own snowy day experience, create a
snowflake stamp, cut out snowflakes and write
about what snow is, and create an accordion
book with a simplified version of the story. Each
project provides a list of the materials you need,
reproducible patterns, and detailed instructions.
Literature Pockets - Nursery Rhymes follows
the same structure as the Caldecott Winners
workbooks. This workbook is created for grades
K-1 and contains activities for twelve nursery
rhymes. This book contains well-known favorites such as "Jack and Jill" and Little Bo Peep."
As well as lesser-known rhymes such as "My
Black Hen" and "To Market, To Market." All
twelve nursery rhymes are printed in the book,
and eight pages of simple and fun art projects
accompany each one. For example, for "Little
Bo Peep" your child will create an accordion
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
continued...
book, cut-and-paste to make a sheep out of cotton balls, and color a picture to see how many
sheep are hidden in the background. Each
workbook features reproducible student pages
and is 96 pgs. - elise
Each book (except noted) 16.99 12.50
029313 Aesop's Fables
014014 Caldecott Winners (4-6)14.99 10.95
029149 Folktales & Fairy Tales (K-1)
029094 Folktales & Fairy Tales (2-3)
029319 Greek & Roman Myths
014017 Nursery Rhymes (K-3)
029323 Tall Tales
014016 Nonfiction (4-6)
Little House Lapbooks (K-8)
Creating a lapbook is a fun, hands-on activity
for crafty students. Knowledge Box Central kits
include a chapter by chapter study guide and
clear instructions for creating your lapbook.
You can work on it as you go through the book,
or make it as a wind-up activity after reading
the whole story. If you get the CDROM version, you will print all of this yourself and can
make as many copies as needed. The printed
version already has the minibooks and other
components printed for you on various colors
of paper. You then cut out the parts and create
the lapbook (without all the time and money of
printing it on colored paper yourself. This is my
favorite option for lapbooks.) The assembled
lapbooks become a go-along with your reading, rather than an activity to complete, though
you can add to it yourself and make it more
personalized.
EACH CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.99 15.95
EACH PRINTED . . . . . . . . . 26.99 25.75
EACH ASSEMBLED (except *) . . 35.99
CD
Printed
Assembled
Big Woods 061944 061945
061943
The Prairie 061950 061951
061949*
Plum Creek 061947 061948
061946
Silver Lake 061941 061942
061940
*The Prairie Assembled . . . . . . . 45.99
Authors Playing Cards (PK-AD)
This standard deck of 54 playing cards has
the four suits and two jokers, but the middle
of each card displays a full-color illustration
of a famous author. The name of the author is
written beneath the illustration and a few of the
books written by that author are listed. Players
can play all kinds of card games while growing more familiar with 54 classic and famous
authors. ~ Rachel
034262 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.00
4.95
Reading Bookmarks (K-5)
Any bookmark can hold your place, but these
bookmarks make better readers! Each paper
bookmark lists steps one should take to improve
critical reading skills. – Rachel
EACH BOOKMARK . . . . . . . . . 0.50
024937 Before, During, and After Reading
Reminds the reader to ask him/herself questions like “Is there a problem in the story?”,
“What happens at the end of the story?”,
“What is your favorite part of the story?”
024976 Things Good Readers Do
Highlights suggestions like “Think about
what the details tell you,” “Compare the text
to other texts…,” “Decide if what you read
was important to you,” etc.
How to Report on Books (1-6)
Are you looking to incorporate book reports
into your school year, but just don’t have the
time to come up the all the components? These
books are just for you! They contain suggested
reading lists and all the time-saving reproducible
forms you need for various hands-on projects
that make book reports fun for elementary students. 96 pgs each. ~ Enh
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 12.50
007060 Grades 1-2
Contains 20 individual book report forms
and 18 individual book projects. Focuses
on the following literature skills: identifying between stories that are real or
make-believe, identifying main characters,
re-telling stories, sequencing events, and
identifying problems and solutions. Projects
include mobiles, puppets, pop-ups, lift-theflap books, etc.
007064 Grades 3-4
Contains 10 individual book report forms,
16 individual book projects, and 5 group
book report projects. In addition to skills
listed above for Gr 1-2 book, focuses on the
following literature skills: identifying facts
in fiction, identifying story elements, recognizing figurative language, understanding
fairy tales, and recommending and evaluating books. Projects include: puzzles, posters, trivia games, interviews, character trait
maps, etc.
007067 Grades 5-6
Contains 16 individual book report forms, 18
individual book projects, and 10 group book
projects. In addition to skills listed in the Gr
3-4 book, focuses on the following literature
skills: defining character traits and relationships, identifying symbolism and themes,
understanding pourquoi (French for “why”)
tales, and completing a reading interest survey. Projects include: graphic organizers,
debates, drama, interviews, trivia, etc.
two for narrative writing. Each of these lessons
consists of reading texts – often more than
one text. After reading the passages, there is a
guided discussion usually involving a graphic
organizer which might ask for main points, evidence, reasons, or details. Use of these graphic
organizers helps to plan the student’s writing.
Assignments might only be the opportunity to
read and analyze the prompt but might also lead
the student into an actual writing assignment.
Each mini-lesson includes a student example of
a writing prompt response which your student is
then asked to critique (compare with a checklist
to see how well the prompt was answered). The
mini-lessons are designed to give your student
exposure and experience with a variety of types
of textual content as well as a variety of writing
prompt assignments. Following the mini-lessons
are twenty practice texts with writing prompt
assignments. There’s a wide variety of types of
writing in these texts, ranging from historical
fiction and folktales to science texts and biographies. Each of these practice prompts includes
text passages with three types of prompts
(argument, informative/explanatory, narrative).
A variety of reproducible graphic organizer
masters are included in the back of the book
along with checklists for each of the types of
writing (also reproducible). The format for these
books is the same regardless of grade level but,
of course, both the reading passages and the
writing expectations are grade appropriate. The
wide variety of textual content opens the door
to topics some might wish to avoid but my spot
checking was reassuring. I noticed historical
anecdotes, biographies, well-known literature
such as Aesop’s fables, narrative stories that
emphasized moral values (honesty, doing well
in school) and poetry. The workbook format of
this program, along with the step-by-step nature
of the instruction and the quantity of practice
options means this could be an effective writing
program regardless of whether or not you are
trying to conform to CCSS. Answers are provided. 136 pgs, pb. ~ Janice
EACH WORKTEXT . . . . . . . . 21.99 17.50
058608 Grade 1
058611 Grade 4
058609 Grade 2
058612 Grade 5
058610 Grade 3
058613 Grade 6
Common Core Writing to Texts (1-6)
“Writing to texts” might sound new because
it’s usually attached to the words “Common
Core.” But it you take time to read what is being
taught and what writing is being assigned, you’ll
come to realize that these are valuable skills not
all that different from other strong reading/writing courses. The idea is that the student reads
and then interacts with various types of text –
sometimes informational; sometimes narrative.
Writing assignments are carefully structured and
integrated with the reading assignments in a
meaningful way. In each grade level book are
six mini-lessons – two for argument writing,
two for information/explanatory writing, and
Literature Response Forms (1-8)
These books offer a variety of appealing
literature response forms to be used independently by students. Each level holds a detailed
teacher guide on using the reproducible forms in
the classroom, teacher and student assessment
rubrics, and approximately 60 different response
forms. The forms in the first book are categorized by vocabulary development, sequencing
and summarizing events, synthesis and evaluation, character analysis, and creative thinking
activities. The second level holds forms in the
areas of prediction and inference, identifying
important information, character analysis, summarizing events, reasoning and critical thinking,
and vocabulary development. The third level
contains forms in the areas of vocabulary development, character analysis, reasoning and critical thinking, identifying important information,
summarizing events, and creativity and design.
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.99
9.95
017383 Grades 1-3 028163 Grades 6-8
017384 Grades 4-6
READING RESPONSES / BOOK REPORTS
Reading and Responding: Guide to Literature
(K-6)
003994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99 10.50
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading / Literature
291
edges." In typical Great Source fashion, the
Daybooks are graphically energetic and colorful. They make me want to be a student all
over again. The use of examples, models and
graphic organizers are excellent! Literary selections include a wide range of articles, fiction,
nonfiction, and poetry chosen from the recommendations of veteran teachers at each grade
level. At every step, students are encouraged to
participate via a variety of response activities.
My sample is for grade 6. To give you an idea
of the scope of the book, the main sections are
titled: Angles of Literacy; Essentials of Reading;
Essentials of Story; Understanding Character;
Author's Craft; The Art of Argument; Focus on
the Writer: Lois Lowry; Challenging Reading;
Active Reading: Social Studies; Active Reading:
Expository Writing; Style and Structure; Active
Reading: Poetry; Active Reading: Persuasive
Writing; and Focus on the Writer: Gary Paulsen.
Each section has five lessons, for a total of 70
lessons. High-school level books each have 80
lessons, however. This course can be used as a
daily, one-semester English course, or can be
used as a supplement, integrated into your existing literature program, or just to add variety to
your English program.
The series is correlated to the Great Source
handbooks - a chart in the Teacher's Guide
shows the interrelationship between the
Daybook lessons and the handbook sections.
Teacher's Editions also contain guidelines for
assessment of student responses, information
and teaching tips for the assignments as well
as page-by-page lesson plans. The first part
of each lesson helps prepare students for the
reading selection by providing background and
introducing new or difficult words. The second
half concentrates on the writing portion giving
sample responses, rubrics for assessment, and
writing suggestions. An extensive reading workshop section gives tools to use with students word webs, vocabulary inventories, etc.
EACH STUDENT BOOK . . . . 22.59 16.95
EACH TEACHER’S GD (exc*) 51.40 31.95
019123 Grade 2 Teacher . . 51.40 32.50
Student
Teacher
Grade 2 (see above)
Reading Response Trifolds: 40 Popular 019122
016258
Grade 4
016259
Nonfiction Books (2-6)
Grade 5
016261
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.99 11.25 016260
003214
Grade 6
003927 (Grades 2-3)
003215
Grade 7
003933 (Grades 4-6)
003217
Grade 8
Grade 9
003213
Daybooks of Critical Reading and Writing (2-9) 003212
Encourage your student to become an active,
rather than a passive, reader. Teach them to Daybook of Critical Reading & Writing New
get out their highlighters and pens and circle, Editions (3-9)
New editions of this popular series are now
jot, scribble, and respond as they read! That's
the essence of the Daybook series. Daybook is available, and some would say they’re better
defined as a journal or diary, and these books than ever. Following the same general format
are, in essence, journals about literature. They as the original editions, the books offer students
encourage children to read, write, and think a diverse collection of traditional and concritically; to chew up and taste before they temporary literature, with more multicultural
swallow; to jot notes and formulate responses authors and a greater emphasis on nonfiction.
as they read. This series from Great Source is Selections are presented in an engaging readerdifferent from anything I've seen before. They response format that builds literacy skills, and
will invite students to get involved by virtue the books are just as colorful as earlier ediof the high-interest excerpts that are included tions. New wraparound teacher’s editions are
as well as the format of the book itself. These also available, which include lesson plans with
books just cry out to be written on; if I could step-by-step instructional support, differentiated
show you one in person, you'd see what I instruction strategies to meet all students’ needs,
mean! The reading excerpt is centered on a coverage of the five essential acts of readtwo-page layout with writing space "around the ing, vocabulary support for each section, and
Deconstructing Penguins (2-5)
You don’t have to have a degree in literature
to discuss books with your child. Lawrence
and Nancy Goldstone do such a wonderful
job of laying out a plan that anyone can do it.
This book is written to be a guide to begin a
parent-child book club. It would also be a good
discussion guide to use with your own children.
The reading in this book is recommended for
children in grades 2nd through 5th.
The authors teach readers how to be “book
detectives” and find the story hidden within the
story. Stories are written in layers, and readers
need to peel them away by determining which
characters fit the role of protagonist and antagonist, the importance of setting, identifying the
climax, and point of view. They even spend
some time looking for the deeper meaning
within poetry. Using this approach will allow
readers to unlock the adventure in every story.
A list of the books used by the authors in their
reading groups is included. In second grade
they include Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Babe: The
Gallant Pig, Charlotte’s Web, Frindle, and various poems. Third grade includes Half Magic,
The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,
The Phantom Tollbooth, The Enormous Egg,
and Bull Run. In fourth grade they read The
View from Saturday, White Lilacs, The Giver,
Animal Farm, and The Call of the Wild. The fifth
grade list includes A Wrinkle in Time, Macario,
Lost Horizon, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde, and The Time Machine. Along with
the books used in their group they include some
alternative selections. You are taken through
some of the books step-by-step to illustrate how
you can have discussions with your children in
the manner suggested by the authors.
I was surprised at what an easy-read this is. I
really enjoyed the book summaries, insightful
discussions, and the humorous way some of the
information is presented. This is a wonderful
resource for those who want to help kids experience literature rather than just speed through
books. 206 pgs, pb. ~ Donna
039546 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.00 11.50
292
Reading / Literature
detailed guidelines for assessing students’ progress. This series functions just like the earlier
editions but with a facelift that provides more
diverse reading selections and a teacher’s guide
that is even more helpful. ~ Rachel
EACH STUDENT BOOK . . . . 38.55 16.95
EACH TEACHER GUIDE . . . . 74.80 42.95
Student
Teacher
038240 Grade 3 (2008) 038241
002991 Grade 4 (2008) 003013
003017 Grade 5 (2008) 003022
038242 Grade 6 (2007) 038243
038244 Grade 7 (2007) 038245
038246 Grade 8 (2007) 038247
041902 Grade 9 (2008) 041903
☼Advanced Writing About Reading (5-6)
This blank journal helps students become
active, thinking readers, instead of passive
readers as so many students are today. The
journal holds room for writing about at least
36 different books. Inside the front and back
covers, students list the titles, authors, genres,
and personal ratings of the books they have
read. The bulk of the pages inside the journal
consist of places to write about the book before,
during, and after students have read it. On the
left-hand page of each spread, the top half holds
lines to write about prior knowledge - what they
already know about the book. Beneath this are
the lines for writing during the reading of the
book - what they are thinking. The entire right
page is devoted to journaling after they’ve finished the book - what they think now. Students
may use the pages to write comments, notes,
illustrations, and other responses they may have
to the book. In the back of the book, lists of
good reading strategies and questions to help
prompt responses at all three stages of reading
are included. 80 pgs.
028508 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.05
3.25
Reading Projects for Nonfiction (3-8)
These clever idea cards include 40 projects
for your student and accommodate a variety
of learning styles. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy
for levels of comprehension and the Multiple
Intelligence (MI) profiles, you can choose the
card that best fits your learner or push their
boundaries with projects outside of his natural
learning direction. If you are not familiar with
the term MI, you might still recognize the intelligence categories: naturalist, musical, verbal/linguistic, interpersonal, bodily/kinesthetic, visual/
spatial, existential, and intrapersonal. Bloom’s
categories include: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. At the bottom of each card, the relevant
categories are highlighted. On the back of each
card is a 16-point grading rubric. Students can
use this as a guide as they complete their project, and parents/teachers can use it to assess
their student’s work. The cards vary in complexity and have both individual and group/partner
activities centered on the elements of nonfiction such as setting, theme and tone. A small
guide for using the cards and a short explanation
of the MI and Bloom categories are included.
For example: Plot or Setting Map – Is there a
location in your book that is important to the
people in it? Do the people in your book travel
somewhere or go on a journey? Create a map
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
continued...
of a journey or location that is important in your
book. Look at similar maps for ideas, and then
create your map. The highlighted MIs for this
card are logical/mathematical and visual/spatial.
The Bloom levels are remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, and creating. ~ Sara
041633 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.95
Book Chat Flash Cards (3-12)
Fifty 4” x 8” “flashcards” help you dig into
any book. Questions differ on each card but are
in the categories of character, plot and setting.
For instance in character: “What gift would you
give to the main character in your book? Why?”
For plot: “Describe a way that your book could
have ended sadly. If the ending is already sad,
think of a new way.” For setting: “How would
the plot and characters from your book be different if it were set 100 years earlier?” On the
back of each card is an extension activity such
as “Create a newspaper front page that features
articles and pictures about one of your book’s
main events.” The beauty of these cards is that
you can use them with any book; go through the
set and then use them over and over again with
books at a different grade level. As a thank you
for using this product, the publisher has made
bonus activities available for download from
their website. Just use the item and pass code
included with the flashcards. ~ Janice
062022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.95
9.95
☼50 Common Core Reading Response
Activities (5-8)
There is such a fun variety of writing activities
in this workbook that your students are bound
to find some of them interesting, even if they
are not fond of writing! This is very user-friendly
for students and their instructors at home or in
the classroom. The preface to the teacher is
written in easy-to-follow language—a big deal
if you are not familiar with CCSS lingo! The
book is divided into 2 parts: daily practices
which work on various concepts, and individual
activities to apply concepts to your own text.
Each lesson contains the relevant CC standard,
a list of needed materials, an explanation of the
lesson’s benefits, and instructions for completing the lesson. Students have to read closely
to explore vocabulary and figurative language,
trace character development, analyze character
relationships, discern point of view, discover
themes and main ideas, compare and contrast
multiple texts, evaluate information and arguments and much more. To assess your student’s
work, some lessons come with suggestions to
build a rubric to fit your student. Other lessons
need only a completion grade or none at all.
Reproducible for classroom use. 128pp ~ Sara
060057 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 12.50
Beyond the Book Report (6-12)
Evidently there is a lot that lies “beyond
the book report.” Literary analysis, journalism,
poetry, drama, public speaking, essays, and
research papers are just some of the places
this series takes us. The perfect complement to
Analytical Grammar (and by the same authors),
Beyond the Book Report combines the reading
of excellent literature with video lectures, notes,
lots of practice (i.e. assignments), samples,
grading rubrics, and flexibility to provide a wellrounded middle school language arts program.
All you need to add to these two is a roots-based
vocabulary study, and all this can be accomplished in about an hour a day.
The same qualities that make Analytical
Grammar so appealing – clear, logical, and timeeffective – have been built into this literature and
writing component. Just like AG, there are three
Seasons. To give you an idea of what to expect,
in Season One, the basic book report is used as
a vehicle to cover following a rubric, conflict,
point of view, climax, protagonist/antagonist,
paraphrase and summary skills. From there they
use a pamphlet book report to cover the elements of the plot, mood and tone, setting, and
genre. Concluding the Season, they use a news
article book report to cover headline, byline,
dateline, inverted pyramid, lead, objectivity,
bias, objective, and point of view. Seasons Two
and Three are just as packed with both writing
and literary skills. Poetry and Drama are studied in Season Two and the Oral Book Report,
Essay and Research Paper appear in Season
Three. Continuous reading of quality literature
is required, but no specific reading list is designated (with the exception of Shakespeare’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream in Season 2). Please
note that Season 3 includes expanded versions
of the Teaching the Essay and Teaching the
Research Paper units (previously published high
school writing units from AG).
The course is composed of a Teacher Guide
(small collection of three-hole punched papers)
and a DVD. The Teacher Guide includes
sample teaching schedules (three-year starting in
6th or 7th grade; two-year starting in 8th or 9th;
and one-year starting in 10th or above). These
schedules incorporate the AG seasons with
the BBR seasons and add vocab. Each scheduled year would equal one credit in English
(Language Arts). Beyond this helpful schedule
the Teacher Guide is minimal – some basic
teaching info for each assignment, examples
(based on Charlotte’s Web), grading rubrics, a
glossary of terms, and answers where relevant.
Study segments start off with a video “lecture”
that includes printable outline/notes and assignments that are laid out step by step. Teaching
days are not necessarily consecutive but allow
for “writing” and/or reading periods.
The DVD included with each Season has both
videos and PDF files. In addition to the teaching modules there are lecture slides that can be
printed to give the student a handy reference
and a good place to take notes. Any forms or
activities needed for the lessons are provided as
pdf (printable) files. The DVD lectures provide
clear, straight-forward instruction by the two
authors although not “glitzy” with animation or
high intensity graphics. These lectures take the
pressure off you and make this course into a
pick-up-and-go option. All printables are welllaid out and eye-pleasing.
I have to admit that I’m a fan of the AG teaching methodology and materials. I believe they
cover the material thoroughly and competently
but without burdening home school moms
with detailed pedagogical options. Having the
DVDs to provide all the instructional material
further heightens their value to the busy home
school mom. This series coupled with the AG
series thoroughly prepares the middle school
student for high school literature and writing
assignments. If your high schooler is lacking
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
such preparation, then these materials offer a
speeded-up coverage option that can be very
valuable. ~ Janice
EACH BBR SEASON . . . . . . . . . 24.95
056564 Season 1 Notepages & DVD
Concepts covered include following a
rubric, conflict, point of view, climax, protagonist, antagonist, paraphrase and summary, element of the plot, mood and tone,
setting, genre, headline, byline, dateline,
inverted pyramid, lead, objectivity, bias,
objective, point of view.
056566 Season 2 Notepages & DVD
Covers figures of speech, alliteration, metaphor, hyperbole, simile, personification,
poetry terms (stanza, rhyme scheme, verse)
poetry types (sonnet, haiku, limerick), drama
terms (dialogue, monologue, 4th wall, cast,
props, staging, aside, blocking), and drama
genres (comedy, drama, farce, melodrama).
056565 Season 3 Notepages & DVD
Covers oral presentations with slides, essays
[personal, literary, and “issues” (SAT),
and step-by-step instruction on writing a
research paper.
Reacting to Literature: Writing Activities for
Every Book (6-12)
Is your current novel study unit short on
writing activities? Are you looking for a more
in-depth way to explore the novel your student
is currently reading? If you are, you may want
to check out these collections of reproducible
writing assignments, designed to accompany
any novel. Both books are similar in content,
although the format and assignments are adapted slightly for either middle-grade students or
high school students. Each 20-page workbook
features writing assignments that "follow" the
reader through the novel, from beginning to
end. Areas explored through writing include
prediction of what the story is about, investigating the author, describing the setting, tracing
the plot, defining unknown vocabulary words
used in the story, finding imagery, exploring the
point of view the story is told from, identifying
the conflict or problem, character studies, and
more. Additional, more creative assignments
ask the student to project what the characters
in the novel will be doing in the future, write a
poem in a specific format based on the book, or
even write a bumper sticker message based on
the main idea of the book (in Grades 6-8 book
only). Far from being merely writing prompts
on these topics, each page features a layout
specific to answering that question, or exploring
the idea. These include adaptations of graphic
organizers, grids, specific questions, and more.
Often a degree of creativity is worked into the
assignment, leading students away from simply
citing an example from the story and walking
away. Designed to be used as writing journals
for literature, an extension to summer reading,
or to replace book reports, these offer a lot of
opportunities to explore a novel through writing,
whether you pick and choose assignments that
fit the novel well, or complete them all. - Jess
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
5.75
028431 Grades 6-8 028432 Grades 9-12
Creating Book Reports with Cool New Digital
Tools (7-12)
065593 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.00
8.25
Reading / Literature
293
GRADED READERS / ANTHOLOGIES
Reading-Literature Readers (K-4)
In 1910, the primer of this series was addressed
to “little children learning to read.” We call them
“emerging readers” today but the need for quality, literary reading material remains the same.
The old stories still charm and interest them and
this unabridged republication by Yesterday’s
Classics is full of stories, poetry, and fairy tales.
If you’ve found yourself bewildered by the new
versions of old favorites, you’ll be glad to know
that won’t happen here. These are the stories as
you probably read them years ago (or at least
they’re the ones I read). The numerous black and
white illustrations are charming and the layout
(well-spaced, large print) draws young readers to
the page. While no phonics and reading instruction is included, there is a gradual increase in
both reading skills and vocabulary development
that is subtly built into the series.
The Primer includes nine folk tales written in
a simple style so children can easily and quickly
begin to read a real story. Well-known folk
tales are represented, including: Little Red Hen,
Gingerbread Boy, Chicken Little, Three Billy
Goats Gruff, and many others. These classic
stories will be guaranteed read-alouds at story
time! The First Reader provides 13 similar stories, gradually increasing in difficulty, and adds
rhymes and jingles suitable for young children.
The Second Reader continues with folk tales
and simple poems and introduces fables and
fairy stories. Favorite children’s authors are featured – Mother Goose, Rossetti, and Stevenson.
The Third Reader features "wonder tales" such
as Aladdin and the Lamp, Black Beauty, and
Alice in Wonderland along with groups of
poetry from well-loved poets (Stevenson, Lucy
Larcom, Lydia Maria Child, and Eugene Field).
The stories in these books will take your children to far-away places and open wide their
mind’s eye. ~ Janice
052925 Primer (K-1) . . . . . . . . 8.95
057668 First Reader (1-2) . . . . 8.95
057669 Second Reader (2-3) . . 9.95
057671 Third Reader (3-4) . 10.95 10.75
Spectrum Readers (PK-2)
These fun readers are sure to captivate your
child and help build a foundation of a lifetime
of reading. Level 1 is for younger students who
are just beginning to read. Some of the words
included are too challenging for the child’s ability (such as the sea anemone and a rhinoceros
in the Nature’s Helpers book), but most words
are frequently used and will help your reader
build a foundation. Level 2 is for students who
read with help and can read slightly longer
sentences. Level 3 is for students who can read
alone and can handle multi-syllable words and
more complex sentences. Each book has fullcolor photos and illustrations.
EACH COMPILATION . . . . . 12.99
9.50
040538 Awesome! Level 1 (PK-K)
Compilation of 8 books: Alert! Wild Weather,
Awesome! Snakes, Cool! Sea Life, Look!
Nature's Helpers, Odd! Birds, Shh! Night
Animals, Wacky! Pets, and Wow! Big Animals.
040529 Amazing! (Level 2) (K-1)
Compilation includes 8 books: Amazing!
Structures, Creep! Crawlers, Danger! Deadly
Animals, Extreme! Earth, Intense! Machines,
294
Reading / Literature
Look Closely! Hidden Animals,.Warning!
Disasters, and Wild! Animal Journeys.
040748 Incredible! (Level 3) (1-2)
Compilation includes 8 books: Fascinating!
Human Bodies, Incredible! Foods,
Mysterious! Outer Space, Run! Predators,
Stop! Crime Scene, Strange! Plants,
Thrilling! Sports, and Ultimate! Races.
National Geographic Readers (PK-3)
The source of fascinating articles and striking photographs
for years, National Geographic
has brought this high-interest
combination down to the level
of the youngest students. The
readers are almost magazinelike in the quality of the phoLife of Fred Eden Series (PK-2)
tos and the short segments
Move over, Gossie and
of interesting text. The information is concise
Gertie; Life of Fred is breakand does not overload young readers—they can
ing into the early reader
easily read through a book and feel accomplishgenre with the Eden series.
ment while learning great information. Since
Fans of Fred will immediatethe books are designed for children, they disly recognize the trademark
cuss topics that fascinate young minds—from
sparse graphics (not in quanbugs and animals to trucks. Each book is rated
tity, just as a type) and subtle
according to reading levels, with vocabulary
humor. Prof. Schmidt even
and sentence lengths appropriate for each
makes a couple of cameo
level. Each collection contains four readers in
appearances (as a bus driver/ticket seller in one convenient, money-saving volume. 32 pgs
Bus and as himself in Duck). As a LOF fan, I each, pb. – John
enjoyed reading through each one. They are EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.25
not phonetic readers, though they have controlled vocabulary that is much more true to Pre-Reader (PK-K)
beginner reading level than many of the larger 047928 ☼Dive, Dolphin
publishers’ series. Here children will meet both 059971 Flutter, Butterfly!
Fred as a (more or less) average four-year old 046418 Go Cub!
and his compatriot, Kingie (the talking, artistic 041827 Hang On Monkey!
doll that appears later in the LOF series; notably 059972 Hoot, Owl!
in Calculus). They will also learn about colors, 041884 Hop, Bunny!
travel, packing for a trip, counting, how to 046419 Jump Pup!
make French fries and mashed potatoes, and a 048145 ☼Peek Otter!
little grammar. Mostly, though, they will learn 048202 ☼Play, Kitty!
about the life of Fred on a trip at age four. I like 059963 Sleep, Bear!
that the books are part of an overall storyline 059964 Slither, Snake!
that begins in Blue and goes through Going 047557 Swim Fish!
Home (and possibly beyond?). The books are 047560 Swim Sloth!
appropriately silly, look like a mishmash of 048259 ☼Trot, Pony!
drawings by a four-year-old and graphic art, and
are reasonably priced for hardback books. If Level 1 (PK-1)
you’re already a Fred fan, you will enjoy intro- 057959 Amelia Earhart
ducing your budding reader to him. If not, it’s 051349 Caterpillar to Butterfly
worth a try as an easy reader series. All books 047927 ☼Day and Night
are hardbound, 32 pgs.
048085 ☼George Washington Carver
EACH INDIVIDUAL BOOK . . . . 6.00 023919 Dinosaurs
059975 Red Pandas
047988 ☼Follow Me 041985 Sea Otters
Series 1:
048116 ☼Giraffes
047555 Seed to Plant
059384 Blue (Book #1)
059959Lions
051355Spiders
059385 Bus (Book #2)
051351 Lizards
024165Storms
059387 Lake (Book #3)
041939 Owls
024223Trains
059388 Potato Dreams (Book #4)
051353Ponies
048273 ☼Turtles
059386 Ducks (Book #5)
059974 Pope Francis 057969 Weather
059389 Rain (Book #6)
LOFEDNEden Series Set 1 . . 36.00 34.50 Level 2 (K-2)
047925 ☼Bees
024107Penguins!
Series 2:
024012Dolphins
022425Planets
065429 ☼Mud (Book #7)
022413Monkeys
051354Sea Turtles
065430 ☼Night (Book #8)
024037Pandas
024163Snakes!
065419 ☼Dawn (Book #9)
022398 Abraham Lincoln
065427 ☼House (Book #10)
059948 Alexander Graham Bell
065432 ☼Windows (Book #11)
059949 Alligators and Crocodiles
065428 ☼Kitchen (Book #12)
059950 Barack Obama
LOFED2 ☼Eden Series Set 2 . 36.00 34.50 059969 Coral Reefs
057962 Deadly Predators
Series 3:
046403 George Washington
065423 ☼Electricity (Book #13)
059960Meteors
065420 ☼Dinner (Book #14)
059961 Prehistoric Mammal
065424 ☼Evening (Book #15)
022431 Rocks and Minerals
065425 ☼Garden (Book #16)
059976 Rosa Parks
065431 ☼Peach (Book #17)
047974 Thomas Edison
065426 ☼Going Home (Book #18)
059977 Ugly Animals
LOFED3 ☼Eden Series Set 3 . 36.00 34.50
continued...
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
EACH COMBINED VOLUME . . 7.99
5.95
022404 Creepy Crawly Collection
Two Level 1 books, Frogs and Ants, and two
Level 2 books, Bats and Snakes.
022408 Favorite Animals Collection
Includes Ponies (Level 1) and Pandas,
Dolphins, and Cheetahs (all Level 2).
059973 Ocean Animals Collection
From Sea Otters to Manatees, Sea Turtles
to Weird Sea Creatures, this book is jam
packed with info about these awesome
animals, their habitats, colorful photos and
much more. This book combines four books
into one. 130 pps.
041944 Planet Earth Collection
057966 Predators Collection
Wonders of America Series
The Wonders of America series consists of
short, nonfiction books that describe the geologic formation of natural wonders and also
provide some interesting historical trivia.
036943 Grand Canyon
039839 Mighty Mississippi
039847 Mount Rushmore
036944 Niagara Falls
039848 Rocky Mountains
031800 Statue of Liberty
043955Yellowstone
059341 6-book set . . . . . . . 15.96 11.50
Includes The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls,
The Rocky Mountains, Mount Rushmore,
The Statue of Liberty, and Yellowstone.
Level 3 (1-3)
034108 Johnny Appleseed
057960 Anne Frank
Learn how Johnny Appleseed planted and
047902 ☼Bears
gave away apple trees along the Ohio River.
059968Cleopatra
The simple rhyming sentences are balanced
047943 ☼Ellis Island
by its detailed illustrations.
058853 Great Migrations: Amazing Journeys
058854 Great Migrations: Elephants
031205 Martin’s Dream
058855 Great Migrations: Whales
Learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and the
064500 ☼Ibn al-Haytham: Man Who struggle for civil rights. Beautiful illustraDiscovered How We See
tions and rhyming text explain King’s words
041885 Mars (Level 3)
so that even very young children can under022410 Martin Luther King, Jr.
stand his legacy.
041924 Nelson Mandela
057967Robots
024158 Pancakes, Pancakes!
059962Sacagawea
Jack learns how to make a pancake – from
041986 Water
grinding wheat for flour to flipping it in a
059979 ☼Wildfires
pan. Written and illustrated by Eric Carle
020269 The First Book
001000 ...in Puddle Trouble
024137 Value Pack (6 books) 15.96 11.50
The First Book, Annie's Good Move, Puddle
Trouble, Forever Sea, Green Time & Happy Cat
059336 Collector’s Set . . . . 15.99 11.50
This set comes in a cardboard storage box
with a plastic carrying handle and hook
and loop fasteners. Books include Henry
& Mudge: The First Book, Henry & Mudge
in Puddle Trouble, Henry & Mudge in
the Green Time, Henry & Mudge Under
the Yellow Moon, Henry & Mudge in the
Sparkle Days, and Henry & Mudge and the
Forever Sea.
065268 Collector’s Set #2 . . 15.99 11.50
This set comes in a cardboard storage box
with a plastic carrying handle and hook
and loop fasteners. Books include Henry
and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers; Henry
and Mudge and the Happy Cat; Henry and
Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps; Henry
and Mudge Take the Big Test; Henry and
Mudge and the Long Weekend; Henry and
Mudge and the Wild Wind
Living in…. Series (K-2)
065271 South Africa 065262Italy
065260Brazil
065263Mexico
065261China
065270India
065274 Puppy Mudge Collector’s Set (PK-1)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.99 11.50
This box set with carrying handle includes:
Puppy Mudge Finds a Friend, Puppy Mudge
Has a Snack, Puppy Mudge Loves His
Blanket, Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath, Puppy
Mudge Wants to Play, and Henry and
Mudge: The First Book.
READY TO READ READERS (PK-3)
This series was designed to provide good books
for early readers. The levels denote the reading
difficulty of the books. Please note that there is a
Ready to Read Childhood of Famous Americans
series in our History section.
Level 1 - Starting to Read (PK-1)
• Simple stories
• Short sentences
• Easy vocabulary
EACH BELOW (except noted) . 3.99
3.25
Weather Series (PK-1)
Written by Marion Dane Bauer and illustrated
by John Wallace, these beginning readers are
great for introducing young students to various
weather conditions. With simple stories, easyto-read text, and full-color pages showing kids
experiencing weather, the series will entertain
while it educates. 32 pgs, pb.
007629Clouds
024463Snow
007749Rain
065277Sun
065275Rainbow
007810Wind
065280 Wonderful Weather Set15.99 11.50
Includes six titles above in cardboard carrying case with handle.
☼Peanuts Series (PK-1)
These Ready to Read Level 2 readers tell
familiar stories from Peanuts comics in the
familiar Ready-to-Read format. In You Got a
Rock, Charlie Brown goes trick or treating with
Level 2 - Reading Independently (K-2)
his friends, but with every house he comes to,
• More complex stories
he only gets rocks! In Time for School, Charlie
• Varied sentence structure
Brown takes a big chance and decides to go out
• Paragraphs and short chapters
EACH BELOW (except noted) . 3.99
3.25 for the spelling bee. 30 pgs, pb. – Laura
010590 Happy Valentine’s Day, Charlie 059339 ☼Surprise, Trojans! The Story of the Brown
065273 Peppermint Patty Goes to Camp
Trojan Horse
059340 Time for School, Charlie Brown
Learn about the Trojan horse and how it
059342 You Got a Rock, Charlie Brown!
helped win a war! Complete with colorful
illustrations, this Ready to Read Level 2
Pets to the Rescue Series (1-3)
reader is 30 softcover pages.
This series of amazing true stories about ani066035 Hamster Holmes, Combing for Clues
mals that have saved their owners' lives will
066038 Stella: The Dog with the Big Heart
appeal both to beginning readers, and even
Mom or Dad. Each short book recounts the
Henry and Mudge Series (K-2)
Never mind the recommended reading range miraculous tale in simple language, yet not
on these, I enjoyed them all! Henry is a little boring enough to bring down the story, and the
boy with orange hair and Mudge is his big dog. warm, colorful illustrations portray the animals
The two enjoy each other's company and basi- realistically and beautifully. 32 pgs, pb.
cally just share great times. While Henry and 018642 Brave Norman (L1)
Mudge are enjoyable characters, I also like 020249 Dolores and the Big Fire (L1)
the other characters appearing throughout the 059335 Gabe: Dog Who Sniffs Out Danger (L2)
books (my favorite is Henry's dad!). The books 024457 Pigeon Hero! (L2)
are fully illustrated with colorful pictures. (I 018643 Ringo Saves the Day! (L1)
especially like The Happy Cat, but I'm sure you 059337 Sadie: Dog Who Finds the Evidence (L2)
and your children will enjoy the whole series!) 027721 Tara & Tiree, Fearless Friends (L2)
- Melissa (see our website for complete listing)
continued...
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading / Literature
295
Level 3 - Reading Proficiently (1-3)
• Rich vocabulary
• More challenging Stories
• Longer chapters
EACH BELOW . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.25
009681 Billy and the Rebel
One night, a young Confederate deserter
asks Billy and his mother for shelter. Can
they keep him safe?
009685 From Slave to Soldier
See how an act of courage earns Johnny his
uniform. Based on a true story.
034122 Pearl Harbor
Describes the political scene before and
after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.
065279 Women Who Launched the
Computer Age
065272 ☼You Should Meet Mae Jemison
Fairy Tale Ready to Read Series (K-3)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
065612 Cinderella (Level 1)
065613 Hansel and Gretel (Level 1)
065614 Little Red Riding (Level 1)
065619 Snow White (Level 1)
065620 Ugly Duckling (Level 1)
065615 Princess and the Pea (Level 2)
065616 Puss in Boots (Level 2)
065617 Rapunzel (Level 2)
065618 Rumpelstiltskin (Level 2)
~~~~~~~~~~
☼Scholastic Discover More Readers (1-3)
I had one student who only wanted to read
nonfiction—always. Do you have one of those?
These are the readers for them! Highly engaging
nonfiction books help your early reader explore
the world around them. Pages are full of color
and include photographs, highlighted new terms
Science of Fun Stuff to Go! Series
065269 ☼How Airplanes Get from Here..to and interesting facts. These readers progress in
difficulty and depth of topic. Any age will enjoy
There!
065278 Unmasking Science of Superpowers! learning new information with these readers.
065276 Boxed Set . . . . . . . 15.99 11.50 (Did you know some frogs scare away enemies
by smelling like peanut butter?!)
Cardboard box with handle includes: Thrills
Each level corresponds to a grade level, but
and Chills of Amusement Parks; The Innings
may still be of interest for students a grade
and Outs of Baseball; Pulling Back the
below or above. Level 1 (for beginning readers)
Curtain on Magic!; The Cool Story Behind
contains 200-500 ¼” printed words in simple
Snow; The Sugary Secrets Behind Candy;
sentences. They cover new vocabulary, key
How Airplanes Get from Here...to There!
facts, and famous people and introduce children
to infographics. Level 2 (for developing readers)
History of Fun Stuff Series (1-3)
contains 500-1200 3/16” printed words in more
066031 4-1-1 on Phones!
complex sentences. They include more challeng066032 Cool Story Behind Snow
ing vocabulary, infographics, maps, charts, and
066033 Deep Dish on Pizza!
quotations from experts. Level 3 (for indepen066034 Explosive Story of Fireworks
dent readers) contains 1,000-1,800 3/16” printed
066036 Scoop on Ice Cream!
words using complex sentence structures and
066037 Sparky and Tidbit
technical vocabulary. They include maps, charts,
and time lines; expert quotations and debates;
and varied writing styles. After children read their
texts, they are encouraged to download the free
downloadable digital activities that correspond to
each book (available through Scholastic). These
would appeal to a struggling reader. With so
many choices, you can select a book to coordinate with your main subject areas and pack even
more punch! All include a glossary; levels 2 and
3 include an index. If you love these, check out
the Discover More History Readers for your older
students. 32 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH READER . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.25
059261 Busy Butterflies (Level 1)
059262 Petting Zoo (Level 1)
059264 Branches of Military (Level 2)
059265 Dolphin Dive (Level 2)1-3
059266 Fabulous Frogs (Level 2)
059268 Rocks & Minerals (Level 2)
059269 Shark Attack! (Level 2)
059271 Titanic (Level 3)
059272 Volcanoes (Level 3)
Animals (K-5)
Exciting lenticular covers will grab your child’s 059273 Where in the World? (Level 3)
attention and engage them in reading. Fun topics feature color photographs on each page as
well as a fun fact about the animal, insect, or
object featured. 29 pgs, sc. – Laura
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99
4.25
057578Bugs
057579 Dangerous Dinos
057580 Extreme Animals
057589 Mighty Machines
057591 Slithering Snakes
057590Sharks
296
Reading / Literature
☼Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers (K-2)
This set of 15 classic stories was designed with
the early reader in mind. Learn cross-cultural
fairy tales while also building reading skills.
Folk tales come from both traditional (The
Ugly Duckling, The Tortoise and the Hare) and
diverse backgrounds (Martina the Cockroach
and The Spider and the Beehive). The word
length for these 5.5” x 5.5” storybooks ranges
from just over 200 to mid-400. Each book’s
guided reading level is listed inside the front
cover. Be aware that the term “easy reader”
is used a bit broadly. The guided reading levels included start with level E (one story) and
include levels F (two stories), G (7 stories), H
(3 stories) and I (2 stories. Although challenging words are included (nightingale, snoozed,
cockroach), the children can learn these words
by using the brief picture glossary at the end of
the story. The set comes with a listing of the
included guided reading levels, word count,
challenging vocabulary list and one comprehension question. These would be good for a parent
to read along with their younger reader, assisting
in the reading process. Note: book cover colors
do not correlate to reading level. Store your
books in the included cardboard case. Each
book is 16 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
055629 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.99 12.95
SCHOLASTIC READERS (PK-4)
These high-interest readers feature sharp, fullcolor photographs and carefully leveled text
to make reading a rewarding experience. This
series includes the fun I Spy readers, Breyer
Stablemates series, and many terrifc nonfiction topics as well (please note that topics that
are more science-oriented are located in our
Science - Topical Informational section; check
there for exciting books on animals and bugs!).
Level 1 Books include 50-250 words, Level
2 books include 250-750 words and Level 3
Books range from 700-1500 words.
EACH READER . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.25
Level 1 Readers (PK-1)
006176Bats
056135 Get the Giggles: First Joke Book
064603 Giant Pandas
059251 Saturday Triplets:Teacher Trouble!
Scholastic Readers: BOB Books (PK-1)
Delightful stories, these books follow siblings
Jack and Anna on their daily adventures and
mishaps. Each has simple sentences, sight words
and words to sound out. There are 12 square
cards (paper) to cut out with a word on the front
and the picture from the page with that word on
the back. Use these to reinforce new vocabulary
after reading the story. ~ Sara
053374 Cupcake Surprise! (#2)
053376 My School Trip (#3)
023676 Buddy to the Rescue
023681 I Can Ride!
continued...
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
I Spy…Scholastic Readers
Kids can sharpen their reading skills, vocabulary, and visual observation skills with the I Spy
series of readers. Each book features colorful
photographed scenes, each strewn with many
small objects. The challenge is to locate specific
objects hidden within. For example, in I Spy A
Balloon, one of the scenes consists of a dresser
top with seashells, jewelry, photographs, bottles
of nail polish, and other small knick-knacks.
The facing page lists the items to find: “I spy
a brush, a lady on toes, a spider, a ball, and a
bunny in clothes.” Each book contains about ten
scenes, and the last few pages have additional
challenges that require comparing and analyzing several scenes (i.e., “I spy two words that
start with the letter T”). 32 pgs, pb. ~ Lisa
019479Butterfly
013625 Dinosaur’s Eye
013637 School Bus
Level 2 Readers (1-3)
060062Frogs
024695 George Washington
064604 Life on Mars
059252 Racing the Wave: Tales of the Time Dragon #2
059253 Stinky Bugs
059259 Teensy Weensy Animals
059254 Ugly Cute Animals
Level 3 Readers (2-4)
064605 Horses and Ponies
028758 When I Grow Up:
059255 When I Grow Up:
059256 When I Grow Up:
059257 When I Grow Up:
Sotomayor
Abe Lincoln
Ben Franklin
Sally Ride
Sonja DK Readers (PK-4)
This series provides young kids with worthwhile reading. While many readers at this age
are just full of entertaining stories, these are
educational but just as interesting. Many fascinating topics of history and science are covered
with age appropriate vocabulary, colorful illustrations and sharp photographs. ~ Steph
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.25
Pre-Level 1 (PK-K):
017154 Big Trucks
016126 Colorful Days
033363 Farm Animals
057752 Frogs and Toads
042249 Garden Friends
052087 Meet the Dinosaurs
052088Monkeys
017170 Petting Zoo
055575 Nighttime Animals
013693 Ponies and Horses
055577 Snakes Slither and Hiss
055581Weather
DKRDRP All Pre-Level 1 Above 43.89 30.50
Level 1 (PK-K):
014497 Animals At Home
013739 Animals Hide and Seek
021929 Bed for the Winter
021931 Big Machines
021934 Born to be a Butterfly
052059 Bugs and Us
057745 Bugs Hide and Seek
021936 Busy Buzzy Bee
016128 Day at Greenhill Farm
030024 Deadly Dinosaurs
016161 Diving Dolphin
016262 Duckling Days
013601 Homes Around the World
046006 ☼Jungle Animals
057754 Lego Star Wars: A New Hope
057757 Little Dolphin
057758 Mega Machines
036868 Pirate Attack!
057760 Playful Puppy
046177 ☼Sea Otters
026409 Submarines and Submersibles
021976 Tale of a Tadpole
017176 Train Travel
016492 Trip to the Zoo
021980 Whatever the Weather
021981 Wild Baby Animals
055582 Year on the Farm (Level 1)
DKRDR1All Level 1 Bks Above107.7371.95
Level 2 (1-2):
045409 ☼Amazing Bees
021924 Amazing Buildings
045410 ☼Amazing Dogs
019131 Animal Hospital
021928 Astronaut: Living in Space
057744 Battle at the Castle
016112 Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
016146 Dinosaur Dinners
021948Eruption
016318 Fire Fighter!
052074 Great Migration
036832 Great Panda Tale
013654 Journey of a Pioneer
016332 Journey of a Humpback Whale
046045 ☼LEGO City: Heroes to the Rescue
056130 Lego Friends: Perfect Pets
057755 Lego Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back
042255 Let’s Go Riding
021974Pocahontas
021966 Secret Life of Trees
016387 Slinky Scaly Snakes
046337 ☼Soccer School
046368 ☼Space Quest: Jump to Jupiter
057763 Space Quest: Mission to Mars
046369 ☼Spaceships and Rockets
013837 Starry Sky
021973 Story of Columbus
021975 Survivors: Night the Titanic Sank
021978Twisters!
026738 Water Everywhere
047895 ☼Wild Baby Animals
DKRDR2 All Level 2 Bks Above107.7372.00
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Level 3 (2-3):
021923 Abraham Lincoln
029992 African Adventure
013518 Amazing Animal Journeys
019393 Bermuda Triangle
020031 Disasters at Sea
045715 ☼Emergency Rescue
021953 George Washington
013653 Greek Myths
017167 Helen Keller
055573 Hope for the Elephants (Level 3)
056131 Lego Legends of Chima: Heroes’ Quest
057756 Lego Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
021963 Plants Bite Back!
014701 Polar Bear Alert
057761 Rainforest Explorer
061061 Rocket Science (Level 3)
020635 Shark Attack!
057762 Shark Reef
055578 Snappy Crocodile Tale (Level 3)
013842 Snow Dogs! Racers of the North
026216 Space Heroes
016397 Spacebuster: Race to the Moon
021971 Spiders' Secrets
020764Spies!
021927 Story of Anne Frank
032269 Story of Chocolate
020771 Tiger Tales
021977Titanic
014726 Welcome to China
DKRDR3 All Level 3 Books . . 115.71 74.95
Level 4 (3-4):
019172 Atlantis: The Lost City
045433 ☼Big Fantastic Earth
026212 D-Day Landings
019668 Danger on the Mountain
021940 Days of the Knights
016140 Dinosaur Detectives
014546 Dinosaurs! Battle of the Bones
016267Earthquakes
020142 Extreme Machines
021951 First Flight: Story of the Wright Brothers
021952 Flying Ace: Amelia Earhart
016326 Free At Last: The Story of Martin Luther King Jr.
052075 Horse Heroes
046011 ☼Knights and Castles
046052 ☼LEGO Ninjago: Team Ninja
021961Micromonsters
020504Pirates!
020507 Robin Hood
021967 Secrets of the Mummies
046372 ☼Spiders and Other Deadly Animals
014719 Thomas Edison: Great Inventor
021979Volcanoes
DKRDR4 All Level 4 Bks Above79.80 55.00
Reading / Literature
297
DK Readers - Star Wars (PK-5)
EACH INDIVIDUAL READER . 3.99
3.25
Pre-Level 1 (PK-K):
046520 ☼Can You Spot a Jedi?
046770 ☼Even Droids Need Friends
047040 ☼Masters of the Force
SWDKPL Star Wars Package 11.97
8.50
Includes all Star Wars Pre-Level 1 Readers
above.
Step Into Reading (PK-4)
The "Step Into Reading" series provides readers
of all levels with engaging books appropriate
for their reading skill. Step 1 books are geared
towards children who know the alphabet and
want to begin reading. Step 2 readers hold
short, simple sentences and focus on beginning
phonics skills as young children read and sound
out words with help. In Step 3, stories are a
little longer with fun characters and easy plots
Level 1 (PK-K):
to satisfy children reading by themselves. Short
046508 ☼Are Ewoks Scared of Stormtroopers? paragraphs and increasingly difficult vocabulary
047018 ☼Luke Skywalker’s Amazing Story
are introduced in Step 4 as students are build047079 ☼Ready, Set, Podrace
ing their reading confidence. Step 5 storybooks
047328 ☼What is a Wookiee?
provide skilled readers with chapter books. Each
047369 ☼Who Saved the Galaxy?
level features a captivating assortment of fiction
SWDKL1 Star Wars Package 19.95 13.95 and nonfiction topics, all colorfully illustrated
Includes all Star Wars Level 1 Readers
and appealing to young readers.
above.
EACH BOOK (except noted) . . 3.99
3.25
Level 2 (1-2):
046376 ☼Adventures of BB-8
046443 ☼Adventures of C-3PO
046481 ☼Adventures of Han Solo
046626 ☼Clone Wars: Jedi in Training
046884 ☼Free the Galaxy
047010 ☼Journey Through Space
047074 ☼R2-D2 and Friends
046373 ☼Rebels: Darth Vader, Jedi Hunter!
SWDKL2Star Wars Package . 31.92 22.25
Includes all Star Wars Level 2 Readers
above.
Level 3 (2-3):
046555 ☼Clone Wars: Jedi Heroes
046731 ☼Clone Wars: Yoda in Action
046993 ☼I Want to be a Jedi
047296 ☼Story of Darth Vader
047052 ☼Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Knight
046827 ☼Finn’s Mission
047017 ☼Legendary Yoda
046374 ☼Rebels: Fight the Empire!
047106 ☼Star Pilot
SWDKL3 Star Wars Package 35.91 24.95
Includes all Star Wars Level 3 Readers
above.
Level 4 (3-4):
046511 ☼Beware the Dark Side
046536 ☼Clone Wars: Jedi Adventures
046643 ☼Clone Wars: Planets in Peril
046945 ☼Galactic Crisis
046747 ☼Epic Battles
047310 ☼Ultimate Duels
SWDKL4 Star Wars Package 23.94 16.50
Includes all Star Wars Level 4 Readers
above.
298
Reading / Literature
Step 1 Readers - Ready to Read (PK-K):
• Large type and simple words
• Rhyme and rhythm
• Picture clues
064537 ☼Honeybees
055599 Little Butterfly
057977 Lowly Worm Meets the Early Bird
024321 Now You See Me...
The Cat in the Hat takes Sally and Nick to
the jungle to learn about camouflage.
043563 One Hundred Shoes
This cute story about a centipede’s shoes
proves educational as it incorporates math
concepts of pairs and sets. 32 pgs.
055600 Planet Name Game
051821Platypus!
055602 Richard Scarry’s Be Careful, Mr. Frumble!
047076 Snow Wonder
A fun rhyming story about the adventures of
two kids on a wintry day.
041653 Statue of Liberty
Read about the construction of the Statue of
Liberty and the joy it brought to immigrants.
041657 Worst Helper Ever
In this Richard Scarry story, Farmer Pig
enlists Charlie Cat to help him on the farm.
Step 3 Readers - Reading on Your Own (1-3):
• Easy-to-follow plots
• Engaging characters
• 48 pages each
051800 Abe Lincoln’s Hat
020718 Amazing Armadillos
Learn all about armadillos, from their protective shells, to their long sticky tongues.
058867 Anne Frank’s Chestnut Tree
004576 Best Mistake Ever! & Other Stories
057971 Ballet Stars
Includes “The Best Mistake Ever,” “A Visit
059998 Berenstain Bears: Bears on Wheels
to Mr. Fixit,” and “Best Friends” by Richard
004338 Big Egg
Scarry.
Who laid the large egg in the hen's nest? If
028460 Christopher Columbus
nobody claims it, fox may make his move!
Discover America with Columbus and his
057972Chicks!
shipmates. 48 pgs.
057973 Dig, Scoop, Ka-boom!
047070 Dogerella
051814 I Like Bugs
A cute retelling of the Cinderella story star051815 I Like Stars
ring a lonely pug and "Fairy Dogmother."
033855 Jack and Jill and Big Dog Bill
018046Dolphins
Jack and Jill go sledding but rely on poor Bill
Learn all about dolphins, including their
to drag them back up the hill!
ability to do tricks and interact with humans.
051819 Lion and the Mouse
064529 ☼Dr. Seuss: Great Doodler
064538 ☼Little Rabbit
004381 Eat My Dust! Henry Ford’s First Race
057978 Mouse Makes Words
The story of how Henry Ford raised the
055601 Poky Little Puppy
money to open the Ford Motor Company.
064541 ☼Saggy Baggy Elephant
051808 First Thanksgiving
058869 Step This Way
051358 Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled 047077 Too Many Cats
Banner
A stinky cat, a slinky cat, a nice cat, a mean
Discover what prompted a busy lawyer and
cat and more start to sing... yikes!
father to write a poem that would become
057980 Tree Doctor
our national anthem. 48 pgs.
041656 Watch Your Step, Mr. Rabbit
022513 George, Thomas & Abe!: A distracted Mr. Rabbit walks right into dryPresidents Story Col . 7.99
5.95
ing cement. Uh oh! By Richard Scarry.
Three books in one: George Washington and
the General’s Dog (Lvl 3), Abe Lincoln’s Hat
(Lvl 3), and Thomas Jefferson’s Feast (Lvl 4)
Step 2 Readers - Reading with Help (PK-1):
042861 Hungry, Hungry Sharks!
• Basic vocabulary
Did you know that the Whale Shark has
• Short sentences
three thousand teeth and is longer than a
• Simple stories
bus?
• 32 pages each
033857 Johnny Appleseed
059997 Bears Are Curious (Level 2)
Johnny Appleseed tells the story of his life in
051801Bones
this humorous tale.
051805 Dinosaur Babies
028651 Lewis & Clark: Prairie Dog for the 060001 Feeding Time at the Zoo
President
033853 Here Comes Silent E
Join Lewis and Clark as they set out to
The mysterious "Silent E" sneaks about
uncover the mysteries of the West.
changing simple words in humorous ways.
continued...
☼Aaron Alligator Series
Aaron Alligator is a silly creature who has a
knack for being a little clumsy. You can read
about his activities and mishaps in these simple, introductory readers. Approx. 32 softcover
pages each. – Laura
055595 Aaron Has a Lazy Day
055596 Aaron is a Good Sport
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
028652 Listen Up!
Share the experiences that led Bell to the
invention of the telephone.
018170 Monster Bugs
You won't have to ask kids to read about tarantulas, praying mantises and other bug giants.
027461 Nutcracker Ballet
A classic retelling of the Nutcracker Ballet.
029394 Paul Bunyan: My Story
Paul Bunyan shares about his life story, his
appetite, and his life as a lumberjack.
013052 Pompeii... Buried Alive
Describes the destruction and excavation of
Pompeii. Dramatic and fascinating!
064543 Space: Planets, Moons, Stars & More!
055604 Stingrays! Underwater Fliers Level 3
064544 ☼Take a Hike, Teddy Roosevelt!
055593 ☼Tale About Tails
Join the Cat in the Hat, Sally, and Nick as
they learn all about different animal tails and
how they help certain animals.
036617 Tentacles: Tales of the Giant Squid
The giant squid is one of the greatest mysteries of the ocean.
020947 Twisters!
All kinds of twisters from tornadoes and hurricanes to dust devils and water spouts.
051826 Whales: Gentle Giants
Step 4 Readers - Reading Paragraphs (2-3):
• Short paragraphs
• More challenging vocabulary
• 48 pages each
Step 5 Readers - Ready for Chapters (2-4):
• Chapters
• Longer paragraphs
• 48 pages each
033861 Moonwalk: First Trip to the Moon
Read about the great space race and join the
astronauts aboard the Apollo 11.
006125 The Trail of Tears
Learn the history behind the Trail of Tears,
including the struggles endured by the
Cherokees.
043564 To the Top! Climbing World’s Highest Mountain
Climb along with Edmund Hillary and
Tenzing Norgay.
“make”. Consonant pairs are introduced from
the beginning of the series. From the sixth book
on (in Level B), two and three syllable words are
introduced (fireflies, snowflakes, and everyone).
Box Set 2 begins with Level C, continuing the
one-sentence per page storylines, but gradually
introduces dialogue and multiple, lengthier sentences. Box Set 3 begins with Level E and gradually increases the difficulty so that by Level G,
each page contains 3-4 sentences of up to nine
words in length. The softcover 5” x 5” books
come in a cardboard storage box. ~ Ruth
EACH SET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.99
9.50
057781 Box Set 1
019588 Box Set 3
019562 Box Set 2
My First I Can Read - Shared Reading (PK)
• Basic language
• Word repetition
• Whimsical illustrations
EACH BOOK (except noted) . . 3.99
3.45
I Can Read Books (PK-4)
To present their excellent early reader books in
an organized and graded way to young readers,
the publisher has divided some of their popular
children's books into different "I Can Read"
levels, based on the structure and complexity of the content. Many of these are modern
children's classics, and will be enjoyed by all
children, whether read aloud or read alone. For
your convenience in finding age-appropriate
books for your young reader, we will list them
in groups by level.
051802Chopper!
051806 Discovery in the Cave
004406 Escape North! Story of Harriet Tubman
Follow the brave “Moses of her People” as
she leads others to freedom.
My Very First I Can Read
051809 Great Houdini
028613 Helen Keller
☼Learn to Read w/ Tug the Pup & Friends (PK-3)
Discover her journey from learning words to
When my students were learning to read,
becoming a published author.
finding enough readers to meet their needs was
051813 Hungry Plants
difficult. We found one book set, but after that—
020795 Ice Mummy
what do you do? This series of My Very First I
Tells the true story of how two hikers in the
Can Read introduces four animal friends and
Alps discover a 5,000 year-old mummy.
their adventures accompanied by colorful, story051816 Jackie Robinson & the Story of supporting illustrations. This series, based on
All-Black Baseball
recent literacy research, combines phonics and
064532 ☼Malala: Hero for All
sight words and is aligned with CCS standards.
064539 ☼Nelson Mandela: From Prisoner to Each box set contains 11 short books and a
President
parent guide with progress stickers and a few
006034 Thomas Jefferson’s Feast
tips/activities to aid the child’s reading. These
Learn about Thomas Jefferson’s favorite
activities vary according to set level. Each set
foods, including macaroni and cheese!
progresses through three reading levels (the
014223 Tut’s Mummy
entire series works through levels A through G).
The story of Tutankhamen from his death to
For each box, the final level of readers is continthe excavation of his tomb 3,000 years later.
ued in the next set for continuity and added rein039560 Volcanoes!
forcement. At the end of each 12-page reader is
A fascinating look at volcanoes, the sciena Parents’ Corner page with questions and ideas
tists who study them, and famous eruptions.
for learning organized by activity: Rereading
018277 Wild Cats (2-3)
the Book Together, Fun with Words and More
Did you know that leopards can store their
Learning. When students successfully complete
food in trees? Learn this and lots more!
each book, they complete a Name page and
receive a sticker to show their reading progress.
There is variety in these books, both in content
and word choice. The first four books (Level A)
in Box Set 1, for example, work through the
short vowel sounds, beginning with Big Pig,
Nat the Cat, Tug the Pup and then Pen Hen.
But they don’t restrict themselves to just short
vowels or single consonants. The third book
introduces long vowel sounds as in “likes” and
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Biscuit Series
Join Biscuit, an adorable little yellow dog,
on his adventures as he makes friends, goes to
school, and even wins a prize.
026612Biscuit
035651 Biscuit and the Baby
011299 Biscuit and the Lost Teddy Bear
028491 ☼Biscuit Feeds the Pets
059797 Biscuit Goes Camping
027184 Biscuit Loves the Library
026616 Biscuit's Big Friend
046860 Biscuit’s Day at the Farm
026617 Biscuit Collection . . 11.99
8.75
Includes Biscuit, Biscuit Wants to Play, and
Biscuit Finds a Friend.
065629 ☼Biscuit and Friends Boxed Set . . . . . . . 31.92 21.25
046861 Chicken Said, "Cluck!"
Earl and Pearl are planting pumpkins, but
Chicken keeps getting in the way.
056222 Everything Goes Henry On Wheels
Henry wants to go for a bike ride, but his
mom tells him to stay on their block. Same
old, same old... or is it?
051045 Huff and Puff
A teamwork story involving an engine and
a caboose. The caboose gets tired of always
being in back, but when the two switch
places, they see that they can’t pull the
train effectively. What will they do now?
Beautiful, colorful illustrations. 24 pp.
065643 ☼Huff and Puff Have Too Much
Stuff!
Little Critter Series
Beloved children’s character Little Critter learns
all about life in these fun adventures.
028512 ☼Going to the Firehouse
028516 ☼Just a Baby Bird
057782 Just a Kite
065022 ☼Just a Little Love
065648 ☼Just a Special Day
028521 ☼Just Helping My Dad
028530 ☼Just Saving My Money
059802 Just Teacher’s Pet
046865 To the Rescue!
051113 Set of 3 in slipcase 11.99
8.75
Going to the Seapark, Going to the
Firehouse, and Snowball Soup.
Reading / Literature
299
Mittens Series
Cute and curious, Mittens the kitten explores
the world around him. By Lola M. Schaefer and
features full-color illustrations by Susan Kathleen
Hartung.
048135 Follow Me, Mittens!
016805Mittens
Pete the Cat Series (PK-3)
061453 Pete the Cat & the Bad Banana
065657Scuba-Cat
065658 Sir Pete the Brave
Level 1 Books - Beginning Reading (PK-1)
• Short sentences
• Familiar words
• Simple concepts
EACH BOOK (except noted) . . 3.99
3.45
Danny and the Dinosaur Series
007689 Danny and the Dinosaur
Danny goes to the museum, where he wistfully looks at the dinosaurs and wishes, "It
would be nice to play with a dinosaur." As
you might guess, Danny gets his wish!
065632 and the New Puppy
065634 Too Tall
065633 Storybook Collection 11.99
8.75
051069 Paddington: Meet Paddington
Based on the 2014 movie. Meet the friendly
bear and his new friends.
059803 Paddington: Paddington’s Adventures
Filled with fun pictures from the 2014 film,
this book follows the film’s plot line. A great
little introduction for young readers who just
aren’t yet ready for the chapter book. 32 pp
065653 ☼Paddington and the Magic Trick
065656 ☼Paddington Sets Sail
Penny Series
A sweet series about Penny, a young mouse
who overcomes dilemmas that many children will identify with. By Kevin Henkes.
057779 Penny and Her Marble
018574 Penny and Her Song
☼Pinkalicious Series (PK-3)
Pinkalicious is a little girl with a penchant for
all things pink. These are level 1 readers, so
you will find short sentences, familiar words
and simple concepts for children who are eager
to read on their own. The colorful illustrations
are engaging and each page has about 4 lines
Fancy Nancy Series
to read. In the Parakeet book, Pinkalicious
065636 Best Reading Buddies
visits the house of birds at the local zoo with
065637 It’s Backward Day
her class. They had spent a week learning lots
of bird facts (sounds like a great unit study!).
002368 Fire Cat
When the pink parakeet escapes, Pinkalicious
Pickles has big paws meant to do big things,
saves the day. In the Tutu story, Pinkalicious is
but is he brave enough to be a Fire Cat?
going to join her friend Allison’s ballet class but
accidently walks into an advanced ballet class
052735 Horse in Harry's Room
instead. The cute stories make your child want
Nobody else can see it, but Harry has a horse to read them again and again, building their
in his room. He loves riding him in circles or fluency. Part of the I Can Read series. Guided
jumping him over the bed. And then one day, reading level J. 32pp, pb. ~ Sara
Harry gets to see real horses.
061454 And the Pink Parakeet
Berenstain Bears Series
065659 ☼And Planet Pink
Similar in style to the classic Berenstain Bears
065660 ☼And the Sick Day
series, these I Can Read Books have a some- 003868 Harry and the Lady Next Door
Meet Harry the dog. He loves all of his
065661 ☼Story Time
what simpler style and easier-to-read content.
neighbors except one, the lady who sings.
061455Tutu-rrific!
32 pgs, pb.
017627 All Aboard!
Little Bear Series (PK-3)
025033 Sammy the Seal
035649 ... and the Baby Chipmunk
015483 Little Bear
Join Sammy on his adventurous day away
059796 ...Are SuperBears!
Little Bear's mother helps him through all
from the zoo. He goes to the city, finds a
032440 ... Clean House
his adventures - from figuring out that he
school full of children and learns a new skill.
036960 ... Gone Fishin’!
really doesn't need a coat to go outside in
036959 ... Lemonade Stand
the winter to granting his wish at story time.
Young Amelia Bedelia
065627 ☼...Take Off!
011302 Little Bear and the Marco Polo
Stories about Amelia Bedelia's childhood, writ065628 ☼...We Love Soccer!
Grandfather Bear tells Little Bear about his
ten by Herman Parish.
014635 Collection . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.50
sailing adventures on his ship the Marco
028474 ☼Amelia Bedelia By the Yard
Includes Berenstain Bears Clean House,
Polo when he was a sea captain.
056212 Amelia Bedelia Chalks One Up
Berenstain Bears’ New Kitten, and
061861 Father Bear Comes Home
059793 Amelia Bedelia Is for the Birds
Berenstain Bears Down on the Farm.
061862 Kiss for Little Bear
032039 Amelia Bedelia Joins the Club
061864 Little Bear’s Friend
065624 ☼Amelia Bedelia Takes the Cake
Charlie the Ranch Dog Series (PK-1)
8.75 065021 ☼Amelia Bedelia Tries Her Luck
Join Charlie the Ranch Dog on his adventures 061863 Little Bear Box Set 11.97
Contains Little Bear, Father Bear Comes
056215 Storybook Treasury . 11.99
8.75
based on the real life bloodhound belonging to
Home, and Little Bear's Visit
1st Day of School, 1st Field Trip, Sleeps
best selling author Ree Drummond. In Where’s
Over, Makes a Friend and Hits the Trail
The Bacon?, Charlie’s owners are pet-sitting
another dog. Will Charlie ever learn to share? 052737 Morris the Moose
A cow has four legs, a tail, and something
I Can Read Level 1 Boxed Set
In Charlie’s Snow Day, fun in the snow become
on her head… So she must be a moose,
Enjoy 8 fun readers, each featuring a story
less than enjoyable when Charlie gets too cold
right? That’s what Morris thinks! What if he
from the most popular characters in the I Can
to climb up the sledding hill, but when Walter
asks a deer about it?
Read library! This set includes Danny and the
goes missing, it’s up to Charlie to find him!
Dinosaur, Charlie the Ranch Dog – Charlie’s
These simple readers contain captivating stories
New Friend, Splat the Cat and the Duck with
for dog lovers and eager young readers. Even I 025026 Oliver
Oliver always wanted to be a dancing circus
No Quack, Fancy Nancy and the Too-Loose
can’t wait to read the rest in the series! - Laura
elephant, but the circus already has one!
Tooth, The Berenstain Bears and the Shaggy
014045 Charlie Goes to the Dr.
Little Pony, Penny and her Song, Amelia Bedelia
014099 Charlie’s New Friend
000907 Oscar Otter
Makes a Friend, and Dixie. Comes in a card057780 Charlie’s Snow Day
Oscar Otter sets off to build a new slide,
board sleeve with a fun poster.
065630 ☼Rock Star
but soon is being tailed by predators. Think
051164 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.99 16.95
019551 Stuck in the Mud
quick, Oscar!
056221 Where’s the Bacon?
065644 My Favorite Stories Box Set
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.99 11.95
Includes Level 1 Readers Happy Birthday,
Danny and the Dinosaur!; Clark the Shark:
Tooth Trouble; Harry and the Lady Next
Door; The Berenstain Bears: Down on the
Farm; and Splat the Cat Makes Dad Glad
065651 My Favorite Dog Stories Box Set . . . . . . . . . 16.9911.95
Includes Level 1 Readers Berenstain Bears
and the New Pup; Charlie the Ranch Dog:
Where’s the Bacon?; Dixie Loves School Pet
Day; Harry and the Lady Next Door and
Pinkalicious: Puptastic
040424 Baa-Choo!
Sam the lamb has a cold and keeps sneezing. But he never finishes his sneezes!
300
Reading / Literature
Diary of a Worm Series
Short stories based on the popular picture book
series, with illustrations in a very similar style.
026179 Teacher’s Pet
036961 Nat the Gnat
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Level 2 Books - Reading with Help (K-3)
• Engaging stories
• Longer sentences
EACH BOOK (except noted) . . 3.99
3.45
Amazing Animals Series
Nonfiction books with lots of full-color photos.
046863Dolphins!
035647 Tigers!
035648Whales!
Amelia Bedelia Series
Amelia Bedelia is always ready to help out,
and her cheerful disposition and eagerness to
please help to counteract the fact that she takes
everything literally. And somehow, she always
saves the day, despite all the havoc she causes.
Amelia Bedelia books have long been favorites
of early readers, as it's great fun to see the results
of someone actually following instructions like
"dusting the furniture," "dressing the chickens,"
and "drawing the curtains" to the letter!
007678 Amelia Bedelia
025001 Amelia Bedelia and the Baby
014634 Amelia Bedelia and the Cat
007680 Amelia Bedelia and Surprise Shower
006942 Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm
026700 Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor
065020 ☼Amelia Bedelia Bakes Off
007679 Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping
026702 Amelia Bedelia Helps Out
051104 Amelia Bedelia Makes a Friend
040410 Amelia Bedelia, Rocket Scientist?
016680 Amelia Bedelia Under Construction
026597 Amelia Bedelia's Family Album
018697 Amelia Bedelia’s Masterpiece
030834 Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia
007688 Come Back, Amelia Bedelia
011298 Go West, Amelia Bedelia
026704 Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia
024293 Good Work, Amelia Bedelia
026705 Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia
026706 Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia
030867 Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia
026707 Thank You, Amelia Bedelia
026701 40th Anniversary Set 11.99 8.75
Includes Amelia Bedelia, Amelia Bedelia
and the Surprise Shower, and Play Ball,
Amelia Bedelia in a slipcase.
065622 Box Set #1 . . . . . . . 16.99 11.95
065623 ☼Storybook Treasury #211.99
8.75
Includes Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia,
Amelia Bedelia and the Cat and Amelia
Bedelia Bakes Off in one hardcover book.
Frances Series
Pony Scouts Series
Young readers can enjoy
Meg is pony crazy: she has
the classic stories of Frances
pony toys, pony books, and
the badger in I Can Read forpony clothes. All she’s missmat. These have been kept
ing is a real pony. On her first
very close the original stories,
day at a new school, she meets
with the same illustrations.
a girl who does have a real
The text has been slightly
pony—and the girls form a club
abridged to fit the smaller
called the Pony Scouts!
format. Pb.
046867 Pony Crazy (#1)
000946 Bargain for Frances
017668 Really Riding! (#2)
021250 Bargain for Frances w/ 052157 At the Show (#3)
Audio CD . . . . . . . . 9.99
7.50 052158 Back in the Saddle (#4)
What will happen when Frances' sly friend
052159 Runaway Ponies! (#5)
Thelma makes an offer Frances can't refuse?
052160 Trail Ride (#6)
046630 Bread and Jam for Frances
026192 The New Pony (#7)
When picky Frances declares she will only
026190 Blue Ribbon Day (#8)
eat bread and jam, Mother saves the day.
036995 The Camping Trip
056226 Pony Party
Frog and Toad Series
There are few duos in literature as memorable 028533 Small Pig
as Frog and Toad. Frog is more adventurous,
and Toad likes to be safe at home. (My favorite 061457 Winter Wasteland: Batman Classic
quote from Toad is "Winter may be beautiful,
but bed is much better.") Each of these delightful
books shares some of the adventures that these Level 3 Books - Reading Alone (2-4)
two friends enjoy together, in short story format.
• Complex plots
Great for read-alouds or just reading alone!
• Challenging vocabulary
026626 Days with Frog and Toad
• High-interest topics
007703 Frog and Toad All Year
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
007704 Frog and Toad are Friends
003124 Frog and Toad Together
034416 Emma's Strange Pet
032454Collection . . . . . . . 11.99
8.75
Max wants a furry pet, but he can't have one
Holds Frog and Toad All Year, Frog and
because Emma is allergic. Can they find a
Toad Together, Frog and Toad are Friends.
pet that they can agree on?
032053 Storybook Treasury . 11.99
8.75
This 254 page, hardcover collection, con026640 Greg's Microscope
tains four books: Frog and Toad Are Friends,
When Greg's friend gets a microscope, Greg
Frog and Toad Together, Frog and Toad All
decides he wants one too. When he gets his
Year, and Days with Frog and Toad. Destined
wish, he looks at everything underneath it,
to become a favorite bedtime book.
and draws in his class and family too!
061452 Frog and Toad and Friends
Boxed Set . . . . . . . 24.9916.95
This set includes Frog and Toad All Year,
Flat Stanley and the Firehouse, Amelia
Bedelia and the Surprise Shower, Marley’s
Big Adventure, Bread and Jam for Frances,
Mouse Soup, Pony Crazy, and The Best Seat
in Second Grade. Comes in a cardboard
sleeve with a fun poster.
Guinness World Records Series
028492 Daring Dogs
028493 Fun with Food
028494 Wacky Wheels
Flat Stanley Series
Brief episodes based loosely on the popular
novel. Through Stanley's adventures, he realizes 003102 Mouse Soup
Poor Mouse is about to become Weasel’s
that being flat comes in handy sometimes!
dinner. Can mouse create a distraction?
059799 Flat Stanley & the Very Big Cookie
065638 ☼Flat Stanley and the Lost Treasure
026657 Mouse Tales
026184 Flat Stanley Goes Camping
It's bed time, and father mouse has a story for
065639 ☼Flat Stanley On Ice
each of his seven boys. Each story holds a sub037004 Show-and-Tell, Flat Stanley!
tle lesson such as consideration, tolerance for
others, or selflessness. Arnold Lobel slyly mixes
humor with morals in these compact tales.
026659 Owl at Home
Owl is sensible, but he has his moments like when he tries to let winter come in and
warm up by the fire. Kids will love these
short, silly stories.
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
040415 It’s Snowing! It’s Snowing!
A book of short poems by Jack Prelutsky, all
of which deal with winter. Topics include
snow, playing with friends, ice skating, getting a cold, winter clothing, and more.
046862 It’s Thanksgiving!
Presents 12 poems about Thanksgiving
by Jack Prelutsky. Includes “The First
Thanksgiving,” “When Daddy Carves the
Turkey,” “Leftovers” and more. Some poems
are serious, others quite funny!
Level 4 Books - Advanced Reading (3+)
• Short chapters
• Short paragraphs
• Exciting themes
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.45
032447 Dinosaur Hunter
Growing up in Wyoming in the 1880's, Ned
dreams of discovering dinosaur bones. He
teams up with George, a bone digger's son.
Will they make the find of a lifetime?
003944 Prairie School
It is 1880 and 9 year-old Noah loves life on
the prairie. One day, Mother tells Noah that
Aunt Dora is coming to teach Noah. Noah
is reluctant, but Aunt Dora turns him into an
eager student. How does she do it?
Reading / Literature
301
Zondervan I Can Read Books (PK-2)
These great books combine the popularity
of I Can Read! books with stories that contain
a Christian or moral element. Like all Level 1
books, they contain simple sentences that are
perfect for new readers, along with simple to
follow stories and colorful illustrations. The lessons learned in the stories are sometimes subtle
but include important aspects of Christianity like
kindness, trusting God, responsibility, etc. Each
book is 32 pgs, pb.
EACH BOOK (except noted) . . 3.99
3.45
Level 1 Readers
Berenstain Bears Living Lights Series
These Berenstain Bears stories feature the familiar bear family faced with characer-building
situations.
043925 Help the Homeless
051903 Mama’s Helpers
040171 God Shows the Way . . 9.99 7.50
Includes Faith Gets Us Through, Have No
Fear, God Is Near, and Piggy Bank Blessings
040177 Good Deed Scouts Help Their Neighbors . . . . 9.997.50
Includes Mama's Helpers, Help the
Homeless, and Honey Hut Helpers
040178 Treat Others Kindly . 7.99
5.95
Includes The Forgiving Tree, Gossip Gang
and Show Some Respect
040186 Good Deed Scouts to the Rescue (3 bks in 1) . . 9.997.50
Level 2 Readers
Adventure Bible I Can Read Series
The artwork is beautiful and covers almost
every page. The last page is a one-page summary of main characters mentioned in the story,
a scripture passage (NIV) that is important to the
story, and Words to Treasure, which sums up
the lesson to be learned.
061425 Brave Queen Esther
050811 Father’s Love
056899 God’s Great Creation
050813 Miracles of Jesus
056903 Moses Leads the People
061426 Noah’s Voyage
061439 Ruth and Naomi
Made By God Series
Cats, dogs, snakes, plants, trees, bees—all of
these are made by God! This nonfiction science
series teaches kids about a variety of plants or
animals. Sharp color photos appear on every
page, along with basic facts about the plant
or animal. (Did you know that a tarantula can
grow as big as a dinner plate? Or that redwood
trees can live to be 2000 years old?). Respect for
God’s creation is emphasized. ~ Lisa
009343 Big Bugs, Little Bugs
031327 Cats, Dogs, Hamsters, and Horses
025956 Curious Creatures Down Under
025977 Forest Friends
025978 Jungle Beasts
009491 Our Feathered Friends
031360 Poisonous, Smelly, & Amazing Plants
025979 Polar Pals
009505 Rainforest Friends
009528 Sea Creatures
056897 Curious Creatures 4 Books in 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.997.50
Princess Parables
Meet Charity, Faith, Hope, Grace and Joy.
The girls are sisters…and princesses! They have
many adventures both inside and outside the
castle. Sometimes the princesses run into challenges, so they learn to trust in God. The stories
are loosely based on parables from the Bible.
044003 Princess Charity’s Golden Heart
GREEN LIGHT READERS (PK-4)
044004 Princess Faith’s Garden Surprise
This series is specifically geared towards young
044005 Princess Hope & Hidden Treasure
beginning readers. By using simple words,
057673 3-in-1 Treasury . . . . . 9.99
7.50 rhymes, and rhythms, these high interest storylines encourage students to not only pick up
the books and read, but also to finish the stories
VeggieTales I Can Read Series Level 1 (PK-2) on their own. Additionally, each book is filled
If your beginning readers like VeggieTales, with lots of colorful illustrations that really help
they’ll love these books. Sentences are short engage the reader and bring the story to life.
and simple to keep things manageable for This is a good, inexpensive series to develop and
children, but the stories are interesting, not reinforce your child’s reading skills. Pb.
watered-down. And the best part is (as you’d
expect from VeggieTales), in every story your Level 1 Readers
children will be learning character lessons or ☼Gossie and Friends Readers (Level 1) (PK-3)
biblical truths. Each book is a little over 30
Follow a duckling family and friends in this
pages. Pb. Combined volumes hold 3 titles and early reader series. The illustrations are charmare hardcover.
ing and the storylines are light-hearted, relatable
059020 Junior Comes Clean
and engaging. The series balances well between
059021 LarryBoy and the Mudslingers
simple sentences and words/stories that are chal059022 Listen Up, Larry
lenging enough for a young reader. Stubborn
Ollie won’t come out of his shell; Gideon loses
his favorite toy; Boo Boo eats everything. The
Green Light books provide a handy chart indicating each book’s age and grade level, guided
reading, lexile and reading recovery levels. Each
book includes details to download a read-along
audio file. Corresponding games and activities
available at www.gossieandfriends.com. 6” x
9”, 32 pp, sc. ~ Ruth
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.50
014345BooBoo
014376Peedie
059825Gideon
302
Reading / Literature
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety
059824 Gideon & Otto
056756 Gossie & Gertie
056757Gossie
065050 ☼Jasper & Joop
065053 ☼Merry Christmas, Ollie!
056758Ollie
056759 Ollie the Stomper
065049 ☼Big Book of Adventures (9 Readers) . . . . . . 15.99
Curious George Series
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
056249 A Home for Honeybees
056250 Boat Show
056255 Dinosaur Tracks
065046 ☼Fire Dog Rescue
059820 Gymnastics Fun
056257 Perfect Carrot
11.75
3.50
Level 3 Readers
Celebrating the States (1-4)
These beautifully-illustrated readers give lots
of fun facts and information about each state.
Young readers will enjoy the pictures as well as
the fact that they are now reading these on their
own. 36 pgs, sc, by Marion Dane Bauer. - Laura
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.50
056239Arizona
065037 New Jersey
056240 California 056244 New York
065035 Colorado
056245 N. Carolina
056241Florida
065038 Ohio
059822Georgia
059823Pennsylvania
056242Illinois
056246Texas
065036 Louisiana
056247Virginia
056243Massachusetts056248Washington
☼American Museum & Natural History
Readers (K-1)
These fun, colorful readers feature beautiful
pictures of different kinds of animals and insects
as well as easy to read text (though several of the
animal names like axolotl and anemone might
be a little tricky). These are great for the animal
lover or as a way to work on reading and natural science at the same time! Approx. 30 pages
each, softcover. – Laura
EACH READER . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
3.25
024085 Deadly & Dangerous (Level 2)
024090 Extreme Survivors (Level 2)
024091 Snakes Up Close! (Level 2)
024095 Strangest Animals (Level 2)
024098 Wolf Pup (Level 1)
024132 World of Sharks (Level 1)
024159 World’s Fastest Animals (Level 2)
Improvement Act warning labels.
Orion Early Readers Fairy Tales (K-2)
These little jewels are a delight to any young
reader! With words as charming as the illustrations, these precious fairytales are retold with
a modern, unique take on the classic originals
with fun touches of humor. The text is clear,
easy to read, and a joy to read aloud. The illustrations are whimsical, full of heart, and nicely
placed throughout the text. Facial expressions
are animated and reflect the story well, even
without the words. Books are written and illustrated by award-winning novelist Sally Gardner,
who knows the importance of building confidence in young readers, as she struggled with
dyslexia throughout her childhood and learned
to overcome it on her path to becoming a writer.
Books are 5” x 7.75”, softcover, 80 pages.
EACH READER . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.99
6.25
057050Cinderella
057051 Frog Prince
057052 Princess and the Pea
057053 Sleeping Beauty
057054 Snow White
Kingfisher Readers (K-3)
Encourage a child’s natural curiosity about
the scientific world by proving interesting little
books on a variety of topics. Kingfisher grade
level readers give your child a chance to practice their reading skills and learn substantive
information. Topics are high interest and color
photos on every page increase comprehension.
Glossaries in the back build their vocabulary.
The levels are not by grade, but by reading
ability.
Level 1: Children are beginning to read short
simple sentences with familiar vocabulary.
Level 2: Beginning to read alone with longer
sentences and familiar vocabulary.
Level 3: Reading alone with some help, short
paragraphs, some new specialized vocabulary
and fact boxes.
Level 4: Reading alone longer sentences and
complex vocabulary, descriptions, diagrams,
captions and fact boxes.
Level 5: Reading fluently, complex ideas,
sophisticated vocabulary, exciting historical and
cultural content, and scientific context.
Each 6” x 9” book is 32 pgs, pb. ~ Sara
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.50
Level 1
057826 Animals Colors
002716 Baby Animals
062043 Brilliant Birds
002843 Jobs People Do
062059Ladybugs
063470 ☼Seals
057835Time
057836Tyrannosaurus
Level 2
062041 African Savanna
057825 Amazing Animal Senses
062044Chimpanzees
062045 Combine Harvesters
057830 Fur and Feathers
057833 Sun, Moon, and Stars
003079 Where Animals Eat
057837Vikings
003061Volcanoes
Level 4
057827 Arctic & Antarctica
003066Weather
Level 5
053542 Ancient Egyptians
027601Explorers
PENGUIN YOUNG READERS (formerly All
Aboard) (K-4)
Silly fairy tales, dramatic stories, interesting
science facts all combined with charming illustrations by various artists will make your early
readers want to get each and every one of these
books! Readers grow as their skills develop and
these books are right there with them giving
them the challenges they need at each level.
Younger readers figure out new words from
picture and context clues while they begin to
recognize fiction from non-fiction. Maturing
readers can understand different points of view
and identify story elements like characters and
conflict. Use the levels to correlate to your student’s grade to start. As they master each series,
they will see their progress when moving up to
the next level. Inside each cover are activity
ideas such as asking your child to compare and
contrast or make predictions from looking at the
pictures. You could create some spelling practice or grammar lessons based on the stories or
let the kids make a journal about their reading
(likes, dislikes, new words, places they want to
visit someday, etc). 32-47 pgs each, pb. ~ Sara
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99
3.25
LEVEL 1 (K-1)
029754 At the Beach
051297 Dick & Jane: Go, Go, Go
051298 Dick & Jane: Jump & Run
051299 Dick & Jane: Something Funny
051300 Dick & Jane: We Look
022160 Dick and Jane: We Play
022201 On a Farm
051322 Turtle & Snake Go Camping
LEVEL 2 (1-2)
044786 Baby Panda is Born
053266 Bravest Cat!: True Story of Scarlett
022155 Dick and Jane: Fun w/ Dick & Jane
022161 Dick and Jane: We See
022162 Dick and Jane: We Work
022169 Dick and Jane: Who Can Help?
036486 Giant Lizards
064505 ☼Hedge-Hedgey-Hedgehogs
041989 I Am Benjamin
059984Kit-Kit-Kittens
064507 ☼Miss Bindergarten and the Very
Wet Day
064509 ☼Noah’s Ark
065958 ☼Pig and Pug
065959 ☼Pig, a Fox, and a Box
064510 ☼Pig-Piggy-Pigs
064511 ☼Slow, Slow Sloths
028335 Very Busy Spider
036502 Bats: Creatures of the Night
019604 Big Cats
059983 Bones and the Apple Pie Mystery
064503 ☼Buzz on Insects
019677 Do Dolphins Really Smile?
019682Fireflies
008350 Fake Out! Animals That Play Tricks
036504 Giant Squid: Mystery of the Deep
064504 ☼Giraffes
019731 Hidden Army: Clay Soldiers of Ancient China
050683 Little Princess
008228Knights
046355 Mummies
056340 Owls: Birds of the Night
036506 Pink Snow and Other Weird Weather
050685 Secret Garden
008300 Sitting Bull
064514 ☼Thomas Edison and His Bright Idea
056341 Very Quiet Cricket
008304 Volcanoes - Mountains That Blow
Their Tops
046044 Wagon Train
019260 Why Do Birds Sing?
053268 Why Do Cats Meow?
051325 Why Do Dogs Bark?
053269 Young Cam Jansen & Lost Tooth
LEVEL 4 (3-4)
023410 Alice in Wonderland
022150 Amistad: The Story of a Slave Ship
019750 Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty
008254 Civil War Battleship: The Monitor
036503 Civil War Sub: Mystery of the Hunley
064506 ☼Home Address: International Space Station
059985 Lion, Tiger, and Bear
064508 ☼Moon
019253 Ocean Monsters
008275 Pocahontas - An American Princess
008295 Sacajawea: Her True Story
064512 ☼Star-Spangled Banner
064513 ☼Tale of Beatrix Potter
064515 ☼U.S. Women’s Soccer: Go for Gold!
042013 Welcome, Bao Bao
All About Reading Story Collections (1-2)
Engaging, charmingly illustrated, informative.
Everything you might want a child’s reader
to be. Each book contains between 208-256
pages, is hard-bound, and just the right size (5
1/2” x 8 1/2”) for little hands. The illustrations
are amazing – pen and ink sketches with lots
of detail and shading and a touch of humor.
Ah, but it’s the stories that really matter, isn’t
it? These stories will capture your child’s heart
(and yours, too). Whether trying to figure out
what the lump under the rug is or spying cloud
objects (with your frog) or dealing with the reality of a skunk in the shed, the result is enthrallment. Happy reading! ~ Janice
EACH VOLUME . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95
Level 1 Books
066258 Run, Bug Run! (Volume 1)
066259 Runt Pig (Volume 2)
066260 Cobweb the Cat (Volume 3)
LEVEL 3 (2-3)
Level 3
041989Annie
002702 Ancient Rome
Level 2 Books
019535 Baby Alligator
062042 Astronauts
026103 What Am I? (AAS Level 2, Volume 1)
064502 ☼Baby Wolf
002883 Record Breakers – Big
026067 Queen Bee (AAS Level 2, Volume 2)
041988 Backyard Chickens
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.
Reading / Literature
303
☼Alice and Jerry Basic Reading Program (1-5)
Are you looking for stories that will foster a
lifelong love of reading? That’s the testimony of
one “graduate” of the Alice and Jerry Reading
Program – a grade school student in the 60’s
now rejoicing in the re-printing of this winsome
series. These books are pure mid-20th century Midwest and absolutely, delightfully so. No
political correctness here – but there is bountiful
evidence of a more carefree childhood lifestyle,
a freedom and innocence that seems to have
been lost somewhere along the line. Originally
published in 1957, the stories are full of the
wonderful experiences of children who are
happy, interested in life and those around them,
and sometimes just a bit naughty. The children
and the adults in their lives are involved in the
everyday joys of pre-computerized, pre-nannystate, pre-regulated America. Be careful! You
might enjoy the stories more than your children.
You won’t find any intensive phonics in this
series – or even much phonics at all – but you
will find a carefully structured reading program
that provides an increasing vocabulary plus a
systematic presentation with a planned absorption of new words. At first glance, you might
decide to have your student just read through
the books in order. While I’m sure there would
be value in that approach, you would be in danger of under-appreciating this program.
There is a pattern to the books – and even to the
stories within the books. First of all, it’s important to note that not all the books in the series
have been reprinted. Secondly, although the
books each have a grade designation, reprints
appear to have been given new names different
from the originals of this series (referenced in the
Word Lists in the back of each book). Thirdly,
the multiple books in the early grades each have
a different purpose. As we try to unpack all that,
let’s look first at the Word Lists located at the
end of each book. This list shows the words
that are introduced and developed in the book
along with the page number on which the word
first appears. Comments are included with these
Word Lists to indicate how many words are
newly introduced in the book. It’s in these comments that the books are referenced with new
names. The comments and Word Lists appear to
be part of the original publication so I assume
the rename designations were important to the
program. I’ve included these name changes parenthetically in the list below.
New words are introduced in a specific
order. In the Primers and Readers there are
“Presentation Units” and “Absorption Units.”
Each unit is a series of stories and there are
multiple units in each book (6 - 10 in the early
books). The largest portion of new words is
introduced in the Presentation Units. Then,
in the Absorption Units, fewer new words are
introduced and the student is given the opportunity to read additional stories utilizing the new
words from the previous presentation units. So,
the student is constantly practicing and strengthening new vocabulary, alternating between the
Presentation and Absorption units. Deceptively
simple, this routine gives the student the opportunity for continual review and repetition.
Stories in the Grade 1 Day In and Day Out
have 3-4 word sentences and are typically
one-half page of type, coupled with a half-page
picture. Font size is large –about 18 points –
and classic style. Towards the end of the book,
304
Reading / Literature
sentences increase to 5-9 words with 10 sentences or so on some pages. There is a full page
of text every 2-3 pages. In each of grades 1-3,
there are three readers. The first book for each
grade level can be used in four ways for different
student purposes: as a quick review of the previous year’s vocabulary; as independent reading for accomplished readers; to provide new
challenges for average readers; and as a regular
teaching book for less proficient students. The
second book in a grade’s sequence presents the
bulk of the new vocabulary. The third book is a
parallel reader designed to apply vocabulary to
new content and to develop confidence, power,
and pleasure in reading by supplying content
well within the range of a pupil’s reading ability.
Illustrations are delightful and plentiful, especially in the lower level books. Even in the
upper level books, however, where illustrations
take a backseat to the text, they still engage
the reader. Sweet, nostalgic and colorful: they
remind you of a gentler, slower, more friendly
and peaceful life.
The Fourth and Fifth Reader are special. By
this time the student is on his way to reading independently and these readers (one per
grade level) provide quality information as well
as practice in their stories. The Fourth Reader
– Singing Wheels – is about life in an earlier
time – pioneer days, to be exact. In addition
to the same enjoyable (although less numerous)
illustrations, the book is full of little educational
drawings of animals, equipment, etc. It’s sort
of like a living museum wrapped up in a book,
reminding me of Greenfield Village in MI. The
Fifth Reader – Engine Whistles – contains stories
that trace the development of transportation and
inventions. This one also has small drawings of
the components of different types of inventions
such as various automobile parts (i.e. lamps or
horns).
As a reading program, this has much to offer.
There is a great opportunity for vocabulary exposure and mastery as well as out-loud reading fluency (stories the whole family will enjoy). More
than just another reading program, however,
this series is a walk through history. From the
snapshots of everyday life in the 50s and 60s, to
the historical journeys of the upper levels, this
series contributes to an understanding of our
American culture and heritage. Note: The order
of readers listed below is the recommended
order of progression. In addition, there are some
books in the original series that are not available
at this time. ~ Janice
Grade 1 Readers
060650 Day In & Day Out . . . 12.95
(Basic Primer) In the original series, this is
the fifth 1st grade book with previous ones
designated as pre-primers. 78 words from
those previous books are repeated in the
first unit of this book. Additionally, there are
102 words newly introduced in this Basic
Primer. 160 pgs. hb.
060657 Round About . . . . . . . 12.95
(Basic First Reader) In the original series,
First Grade #6, this book introduces 195
new words. The entire vocabulary of the
Basic Primer is repeated. 208 pgs. hb.
060649 Anything Can Happen . 12.95
(Parallel First Reader) Only 66 new words
introduced. 192 pgs. hb.
Grade 2 Readers
060651 Down the River Road . 12.95
(Readiness Second Reader) 55 new words.
160 pgs. hb.
060654 Friendly Village . . . . . 14.75
(Basic Second Reader) 396 new words. 254
pgs. hb.
060656 Neighbors on the Hill . 12.95
(Parallel Second Reader) 124 new words.
192 pgs. hb.
Grade 3 Readers
060659 Through Green Gate . . 12.95
(Readiness Third Reader) No new words.
192 pgs. hb.
060655 If I Were Going . . . . . 14.75
(Basic Third Reader) 545 new words.
Glossary and Pronunciation of Foreign
Words in back. 348 pgs. hb.
060653 Five-and-a-Half Club . . 14.75
(Parallel Third Reader) 114 new words. 256
pgs. hb.
Grade 4 Readers
060658 Singing Wheels . . . . . . 14.75
(Fourth Reader) 532 new words. Glossary in
back. 383 pgs. hb.
Grade 5 Readers
060652 Engine Whistles . . . . . 17.99
(Fifth Reader) 1042 new words. Glossary in
back. 383 pgs. hb.
Realms of Gold (6-8)
EACH BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.95
064863 Volume 1: Grade 6
064864 Volume 2: Grade 7
064865 Volume 3: Grade 8
20.00
Norton Anthology of American Literature
Volume 1 Shorter 8th Edition (11-AD)
Used as a reference in the Read with the Best
program, this book begins with some Native
American stories and accounts of first meetings with Europeans and ends with works of
American authors in the 1960s. For being a
shorter, edited version of Norton’s Anthology,
this book still contains a whopping 2992 pages!
Then there are selected bibliographies, history
and criticisms in the back, plus an index. Some
of the authors included are: Benjamin Franklin,
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Mark
Twain, Jack London, T.S. Eliot, Langston
Hughes, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, and
Louise Erdrich (to name just a few). There are
a few black-and-white illustrations and some
color plates as well. The paper is quite thin but
of good quality. Book measures 6” x 9” and is
about 2.5” thick. A great resource for many language arts programs. pb. ~ Sara
054493 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76.25
See page vi for key to Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act warning labels.