Following is a list of free or inexpensive resources that teachers can order.
Correspondence.
Beeline Books has published The Treasured Mailbox, a book by Caroline Linse that includes numerous ideas, resources, techniques, and activities to help children express themselves through letter writing. Cost: $14.95. For more information, contact: Beeline Books/Heinemann, 361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, NH 03801-3912; (800) 793-2154; http://www.heinemann.com.
Idea Book.
A&E Television Networks, a joint venture of the Hearst Corp. and ABC Inc., offers guides to accompany programming on the A&E entertainment network and the History Channel. “The Idea Book for Educators” features study guides, questions about programs such as Jane Austen’s Emma, and calendars noting programs airing through January. “Biography: Experience It!” is based on the Biography series and is designed to enhance curricula through print materials and videos. Both publications are free. For more information, contact: A&E Community Marketing, P.O. Box 1610, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-1610; (212) 210-1338; fax (212) 210-1429; http://www.aetv.com and http://www.historychannel.com.
Stuttering.
The Stuttering Foundation of America offers teachers a free copy of “The Child Who Stutters at School: Notes to the Teacher.” This brochure addresses tough classroom situations such as calling on children who stutter, teasing, and reading aloud. A Spanish translation, El Nino Que Tartamudea en la Escuela, is also available. Additional copies cost 10 cents each. Contact: Stuttering Foundation of America, P.O. Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111; (800) 992-9392.
Teen Smoking.
“Teens and Tobacco,” an anti-tobacco booklet, is available from Business & Legal Reports Inc., a national publisher of training information. The booklet covers why teens start smoking, the toxic materials in tobacco and their effects, the dangers of tobacco alternatives such as cigars, and how to stop smoking. Cost: 25 for 98 cents each; 100 for 68 cents each. Contact Business & Legal Reports Inc. at (800) 7-ASK-BLR; fax (203) 245-2559.
Special-Needs Children.
The Option Institute and Fellowship, a nonprofit organization offering programs for parents and professionals who teach special-needs children, offers Barry Neil Kaufman’s book, Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues, as a free gift to teachers. The book is a follow-up to Son-Rise, the 1979 account of the intensive therapy that Kaufman, the founder of the Institute, and his wife used to help their autistic and mentally retarded son, Raun. Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues updates Raun’s progress and profiles other families helped by the therapy designed by Kaufman and his wife. To order, call the Option Institute at (800) 714-2779.
Millennium.
Teaching the Millennium, by Craig Munsart and Christine Izmirian, aims to provide a historical context for the issues that will confront society in the next millennium. The book is designed to help those teaching ages 9-13 about topics relating to energy, resources, food, shelter, air, water, technology, medicine and health, education, economy, government, population, and war. Cost: $17.95. To order, call Fulcrum Publishing at (800) 992-2908.
Pro Lingua.
The Pro Lingua Associates catalog lists games, activities, and books for students learning English or other languages and teachers interested in resources on the subject. The catalog is free to teachers. For more information, contact: Pro Lingua Associates, 15 Elm St., Brattleboro, VT 05301; (800) 366-4775; fax (802) 257-5117; e-mail prolingu@sover.net; http://www.bookworld.com/proling.htm.
Art.
Doing Art Together, by Muriel Silberstein-Storfer with Mablen Jones, is a teaching guide based on the methods used in the parent-child workshops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Silberstein-Storfer discusses how to lead others working with paint, paper, collage, clay, and other materials. Each chapter covers a hands-on studio project and includes photographs to illustrate methods. Cost: $19.95. Contact: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishing, 100 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011; (800) 288-2131.
Solar Eclipse.
ABELexpress Astronomy Products Division offers a kit of products for watching a solar eclipse. The kit includes a safe solar filter, viewing-safety information, and a guide to photographing solar eclipses. The next eclipse is Feb. 26, 1998, and the kit includes a map detailing where in the United States the phenomenon will be visible. Cost: $2 each; $1.50 each for orders of 25 or more. Contact: ABELexpress-Astronomy Products Division, P.O. Box 668-T, Carnegie, PA 15106; (800) 542-9001.
Equitable Education.
A Great Balancing Act, published by the National Association of Independent Schools, discusses how gender can influence teaching styles and curriculum. Written by Anne Chapman, the academic dean at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, the book offers classroom-tested suggestions for overcoming negative aspects of gender stereotyping and maximizing learning potential for boys and girls. Cost: $18 for NAIS members; $22 for nonmembers. Contact: National Association of Independent Schools, 1620 L St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036-5605; (202) 973-9749.
Books.
The New York Public Library’s Books of the Century, published by Oxford University Press Inc., takes readers on a tour of some of the best books published in past 100 years. Editor Elizabeth Diefendorf organized more than 150 pivotal works into topical categories such as: “Colonialism and Its Aftermath"; “Women Rise"; “Economics and Technology"; and “Popular Culture and Mass Entertainment.” Cost: $19.95; paperback $8.95. For more information, contact: Oxford University Press Inc., Order Dept., 2001 Evans Rd., Cary, NC 27513; (800) 451-7556.
Pleasure Of Reading.
The Most Wonderful Books, published by Milkweed Editions and edited by Michael Dorris and Emilie Buchwald, features essays by 57 contemporary writers on the books and events that turned them into lifelong readers. Cost: $14.95. For more information, contact: Milkweed Editions at (800) 520-6455.
--Julie Hope Kaufman
