Curriculum & Methods
Kids on the ‘Net: Conducting Internet Research in K-5 Classrooms, by Jessica G. Morton (Heinemann, 361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, NH 03801-3912; 84pp., $9.95 original paperback). A guidebook that explores the Internet’s potential in the classroom. The author, a teacher of a combined 1st and 2nd grade classroom, demonstrates how she expanded her curriculum by connecting to the Internet. Chapter titles include “Thinking in a ‘Connected’ Classroom,” “Getting Comfortable With the Internet,” and “Choosing a Topic for Long-Term Student Research.”
Losing Our Language: How Multicultural Classroom Instruction Is Undermining Our Children’s Ability To Read, Write, and Reason, by Sandra Stotsky (The Free Press, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020; 288 pp., $25 hardcover). Argues that a strong political agenda has taken away the intellectual and literary goals that once were the focus of elementary education, and that multiculturalism, as it is practiced in the classroom, is damaging to all children--and minority children in particular. Included is a comparison of three generations of basal readers the author uses to contend that, as “politically correct” content has increased, textbooks’ literary and grammatical standards have declined.
Teaching Every Child Every Day: Learning in Diverse Schools and Classrooms, edited by Karen R. Harris, Steve Graham, & Don Deshler (Brookline Books, PO Box 1047, Cambridge, MA 02238; 258 pp., $19.95 original paperback). Essays providing practical guidelines for implementing programs in elementary and middle schools that help “create truly diverse communities of learners, learning from and about one another.” The authors incorporate a variety of techniques in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics--from explicit instruction to discovery-oriented approaches.
The passport Program: A Journey Through Emotional, Social, Cognitive, and Self-Development, by Ann Vernon (Research Press, 2612 N. Mattis Ave., Champaign, IL 61821). Self-contained and comprehensive curriculum that helps children and adolescents learn positive mental-health concepts and cope with the situational and developmental problems of growing up. Available in three separate volumes for grades 1-5 (334 pp., $32.95 original paperback); 6-8 (264 pp., $32.95 original paperback); and 9-12 (288 pp., $32.95 original paperback). Each volume includes learning activities and student handouts.
Service Learning: A Movement’s Pioneers Reflect on Its Origins, Practice, and Future, edited by Timothy K. Stanton, Dwight E. Giles Jr., & Nadinne I. Cruz (Jossey-Bass, 350 Sansome St., Fifth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104-1342; 240 pp., $24.95 original paperback). Leaders of service-learning describe their early efforts to combine education with social action. The editors assess pioneering experiences and recommend future policy and practice, emphasizing the critical need to preserve an activist commitment as programs become increasingly institutionalized.
Reading
American Children’s Literature and the Construction of Childhood, by Gail S. Murray (Twayne Publishers, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019; 276 pp., $32 hardcover). Covers the history and changing face of American children’s literature--from The New England Primer to the works of authors like Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak. This book is part of Twayne’s History of American Childhood series and includes an annotated bibliography.
Children Achieving: Best Practices in Early Literacy, edited by Susan B. Neuman & Kathleen A. Roskos (International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Rd., PO Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139; 323 pp., $12 original paperback). Each of the 13 chapters frames a critical issue in early literacy, examines what is known about it, and describes literacy practices suggested from this existing knowledge base. The issues addressed include: providing inclusive early literacy instruction for children with disabilities; providing culturally responsive instruction; recognizing the role of computer-related technology in early literacy; and parent involvement.
Why Our Children Can’t Read: And What We Can Do About It, by Diane McGuinness (Touchstone Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020; 384 pp., $16 paperback). Offers a critique of reading methods and contends that all current programs will fail at least 30 percent of children because they themselves fail to recognize how writing systems work. The author presents an alternative “phoneme awareness” program and includes diagnostic tests and techniques to pinpoint learning deficiences.
Mental Health
Interventions for ADHD: Treatment in Developmental Context, by Phyllis Anne Teeter (The Guilford Press, 72 Spring St., New York, NY 10012; 360 pp., $40 hardcover). Takes a lifespan perspective on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dispelling the notion that it is only a disorder of childhood and encouraging clinicians to develop effective and appropriate interventions for preschoolers, school-age children, adolescents, and adults. The author reviews empirically and clinically based treatment interventions, such as psychopharmacology, behavior management, parent/teacher training, and self-management techniques.
KidStress: What It Is, How It Feels, How To Help, by Georgia Witkin (Viking, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014; 212 pp., $23.95 hardcover). Surveying 800 9- to 12-year-olds and their parents, the author, who directs the Stress Program at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, suggests that parents underestimate the level of children’s stress; how alone many children feel; how often children are afraid to talk to their parents; and how often children’s anxieties are real. The book also addresses the causes and symptoms of children’s stress.
Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medication for Kids, by Dr. Timothy E. Wilens (The Guilford Press, 72 Spring St., New York, NY 10012; 280 pp., $29.95 hardcover; $14.95 paperback). Attempts to anticipate and answer the questions parents may have when their child has a mental, emotional, or behavioral problem that could be treated with medication. The book addresses parents’ potential concerns when investigating what may be wrong with their child, and takes readers step by step through the processes of psychiatric evaluation and diagnosis, treatment decision, and long-term use of medications.
