New Resource Library Materials
We never stop looking for great new materials for the STEP=UP Resource Library. In the Spring of 2006 alone, we added tons of new books, kits and supplies, all based on recommendations from expert teachers and professors in the field.
Remember though that these materials are only useful if you use them! Stop by the library today to see the full range of materials available for checkout.
Here's just a small sampling of some of the new items we've added to the library this year:
Criss Cross (Novel, Grade 6-9)
The author of the popular All Alone in the Universe (HarperCollins, 1999) returns with another character study involving those moments that occur in everyone's life–moments when a decision is made that sends a person along one path instead of another. Debbie, who wishes that something would happen so she'll be a different person, and Hector, who feels he is unfinished, narrate most of the novel. Both are 14 years old. Hector is a fabulous character with a wry humor and an appealing sense of self-awareness. A secondary story involving Debbie's locket that goes missing in the beginning of the tale and is passed around by a number of characters emphasizes the theme of the book. The descriptive, measured writing includes poems, prose, haiku, and question-and-answer formats. There is a great deal of humor in this gentle story about a group of childhood friends facing the crossroads of life and how they wish to live it. Young teens will certainly relate to the self-consciousnesses and uncertainty of all of the characters, each of whom is straining toward clarity and awareness. The book is profusely illustrated with Perkins's amusing drawings and some photographs.
Insects Activity Tub
Students witness the incredible metamorphosis of beetles firsthand, watch a real ant colony in action & more!
Just open up our activity-filled tubs to introduce 8 exciting science topics - across the curriculum! Each tub comes with everything you need to explore a different concept in-depth, including 40 easy-to-use cards featuring fun, cross-curricular activities based on national science standards. Students create their own constellations, go on a rock scavenger hunt, keep a weather journal, test the pull of gravity and much more! The tubs come packed with tons of props for hands-on discovery ... plus, you get write & wipe experiment charts, a set of super-involving writing prompts and an engaging paperback book that explores concepts even further!
Picture Dictionaries
American Heritage Children's Dictionary
Over 37,000 definitions, color photos ... and a super-simple format! Hardcover dictionary comes complete with thesaurus. 856 pages long.
American Heritage First Dictionary
Accessible hardcover dictionary features 1,800 clear and simple definitions, helpful illustrations, sample sentences and more. 377 pages long.
American Heritage Student Thesaurus
To become better readers and writers, students need a resource that meets their needs. With more than 70,000 synonyms, this handy reference is up to the task! Plus, each entry uses the target word in a sentence to reinforce its specific meaning. Hardcover; 378 pages.
American Heritage Student Dictionary
Packed with over 65,000 entries geared towards higher-level students - with helpful word histories, photos and biographical entries. Hardcover; 1,068 pages.
Targets standards in these areas:
- Using references to get information & edit writing
- Using a dictionary to learn unknown words
- Multiple-meaning words
- Using information from illustrations and charts
- Informational writing
Bud, Not Buddy (Novel, Ages 8 to 12)
"It's funny how ideas are, in a lot of ways they're just like seeds. Both of them start real, real small and then... woop, zoop, sloop... before you can say Jack Robinson, they've gone and grown a lot bigger than you ever thought they could." So figures scrappy 10-year-old philosopher Bud--"not Buddy"--Caldwell, an orphan on the run from abusive foster homes and Hoovervilles in 1930s Michigan. And the idea that's planted itself in his head is that Herman E. Calloway, standup-bass player for the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, is his father.
Guided only by a flier for one of Calloway's shows--a small, blue poster that had mysteriously upset his mother shortly before she died--Bud sets off to track down his supposed dad, a man he's never laid eyes on. And, being 10, Bud-not-Buddy gets into all sorts of trouble along the way, barely escaping a monster-infested woodshed, stealing a vampire's car, and even getting tricked into "busting slob with a real live girl."
Christopher Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, once again exhibits his skill for capturing the language and feel of an era and creates an authentic, touching, often hilarious voice in little Bud. (Ages 8 to 12)
The Many Faces of Masks (Non-fiction, Grade 5)
This highly readable book is sure to appeal to a wide range of students. Targeted at a grade 5 reading level.
Literacy Kits, Books and Puzzles
Sight-Word Sentence Builder Kit
Reinforce 100 common sight-words and develop sentence building skills with our easy-to-use activity kit that gets the whole class involved! Our kit features 100 word cards and 100 rebus-style sentence strips-including 50 strips that only focus on sight-words, plus 50 higher-level strips that also introduce simple CVC words. Just place the strips you want students to practice into your pocket chart, then kids add word cards to complete each sentence-developing their sight-word vocabulary and building reading fluency as they go! The entire kit comes in a handy storage box with clearly labeled tabbed dividers, so it's easy to find the materials you need and put them away.
Targets standards in these areas:
- Using high frequency words in sentences
- Reading simple text with fluency
Phonics Flip Books
Our easy-to-use flip books each focus on a specific phonics sound, from long and short vowels to blends and digraphs. Students just flip the pages to create 7-8 simple words that share the same sound and build reading and decoding skills as they go! Each book measures 2 3/4" x 6 1/4".
Targets standards in these areas:
- Phoneme substitution
- Decoding
- Regular spelling patterns
Reading Skills Puzzles
Our irresistible puzzles are a great way to build essential reading skills! Each set gives kids lots of fun, hands-on practice with a different skill, and includes 26-30 chunky, 2-piece puzzles with cute picture clues & a simple, self-correcting design.
Targets standards in these areas:
- Letter-sound correspondence
- Compound words
- Blending sounds
Build-A-Story Flip Book
The perfect addition to any writing center, our easy-to-use flip book gives students a fun, hands-on way to create their own stories! It features cute, illustrated cards for each essential story element-including characters, settings, events and conclusions. Children just flip through the cards to choose the elements for their story ... then fill in the details on their own! Spiral-bound book includes 20 flip cards for each story element; 4 3/4" x 8 3/4" tall.
Targets standards in these areas:
- Creating narrative text
- Identifying & selecting story elements
- Writing complete sentences
- Using context clues & visual prompts
Kira-Kira (Novel, Ages 11 to 14)
In Cynthia Kadohata's lively, lovely, funny and sad novel -- winner of the 2005 Newbery Medal -- the Japanese-American Takeshima family moves from Iowa to Georgia in the 1950s when Katie, the narrator, is just in kindergarten. Though her parents endure grueling conditions and impossible hours in the non-unionized poultry plant and hatchery where they work, they somehow manage to create a loving, stable home for their three children: Lynn, Katie, and Sammy. Katie's trust in, and admiration for, her older sister Lynn never falters, even when her sisterly advice doesn't seem to make sense. Lynn teaches her about everything from how the sky, the ocean, and people's eyes are special to the injustice of racial prejudice. The two girls dream of buying a house for the family someday and even save $100 in candy money: "Our other favorite book was Silas Marner. We were quite capitalistic and liked the idea of Silas keeping all that gold underneath the floorboards." When Lynn develops lymphoma, it's heartbreaking, but through the course of her worsening illness, Katie does her best to remember Lynn's "kira-kira" (glittery, shining) outlook on life. Small moments shine the brightest in this poignant story; told beautifully and lyrically in Katie's fresh, honest voice. (Ages 11 to 14)
Four Square Writing Methods (Grades 1-9)
Teach writing skills using this innovative new approach that has been proven to work in classrooms just like yours. The Four Square (4 Square Writing) method can be used with all forms of writing and will fit any reading or language arts program. This step-by-step approach is built around a simple graphic organizer that first shows students how to collect ideas and then helps them use those ideas to create clear and polished prose. Open-ended reproducibles make the technique accessible to writers of all ability ranges. Also great for content area writing.
