Published: November 1, 1998

Teaching Tools

Following is a list of free or inexpensive resources that teachers can order.

Money.
Neal S. Godfrey's Ultimate Kids' Money Book looks at the history of money and its use throughout the world. With colorful pictures, charts, and graphs, the book is intended to help parents and children ages 8-12 understand money and economic principles. The author explains various concepts, including how banks keep track of depositors' money, and discusses the relative risk of several investments. Cost: $18. For more information, contact: Simon and Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

Computers.
Cybersearch, by John A. Butler, is designed to help students, writers, and researchers make full use of the Internet. It provides information on modern methods of electronic searching while emphasizing the importance of libraries and librarians. Cost: $12.95. For more information, contact: Penguin Books, Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014; (212) 366-2272; fax (212) 366-2952.

Careers.
The Career Ideas for Kids book series, by Diane Lindsey Reeves, includes information on careers in art, science, computers, sports, and writing. Each volume features a "Take a Trip!" chapter intended to familiarize readers with various jobs and workplaces as well as with the education needed to pursue different careers. The books also include activities, listings, resources, and profiles to help readers identify potential careers. Cost: $12.95. Contact: Facts on File, Customer Service, (800) 322-8755; fax (800) 678-3633.

Drunk Driving.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving provides booklets to students of all ages with information about underage drinking and impaired driving. The three versions of the publication--"On Track" for elementary schoolers, "Right Track" for middle schoolers, and "Inside Track" for high schoolers--include age-specific activities, statistics, articles, and celebrity interviews. Cost: $15 for a set of 40. Contact: Programs Department, MADD National Office, 511 E. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 700, Irving, TX 75062; (214) 744-6233, ext. 242; www.madd.org.

African American Role Models.
John Wiley and Sons Inc. announces the publication of Jim Haskins' Black Stars, a collection of biographies of prominent African Americans, past and present. Two of the books, African American Inventors and African American Entrepreneurs, organize the biographies chronologically, covering three centuries. Timelines, bibliographies, pictures, and glossary words accompany the text, which is intended for ages 10-14. Cost: $19.95 per book. For more information, contact: John Wiley and Sons Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158-0012; (212) 225-5945; fax (212) 850-6088.

Theater.
Timothy Mason's Ten Plays for Children, From the Repertory of The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, edited by Marisa Smith, brings together Mason's adaptations of classics like Treasure Island, Beauty and the Beast, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Tom Sawyer. Full text is provided as well as suggestions for amateur and school-group performances. Cost: $19.95. For more information, contact: Smith and Kraus Inc., P.O. Box 127, Lyme, NH 03768; (800) 225-5945.

Paper.
The Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry offers Paper Clips, a 25-slide kit about the history of paper, papermaking, industry careers, and recycling. Cost: $28. The association also offers "Earth Answers," a series of pamphlets designed for grades K-12. The series includes: "What's in a Tree?"; "How Much Paper Can Be Made From a Tree?"; and "Why Recycle?" Cost: $25 for 100 copies. For more information, contact: Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, Public Outreach, P.O. Box 105113, Atlanta, GA 30348-5113; (800) 291-3145.

Arts.
The John F. Kennedy Center's education program has published "Giving Cues: Recommended Guidelines for Writing and Designing Performance Materials for Young People." The booklet, by John Carr and Lynne Silverstein, provides guidelines for the writing and planning of performance materials in music, dance, and theater. The publication includes suggested performances and student learning activities, offers advice about audience roles and responsibilities, and lists resources for students and teachers. Cost: $25. For more information, contact: Barbara Shepard, Kennedy Center Education Department, Washington, DC 20566; (202) 416-8816.

Internet.
The Internet Resource Directory for K-12 Teachers and Librarians, by Elizabeth Miller, is available through Libraries Unlimited. The book discusses free Internet educational resources on topics such as personal safety, careers, and home economics. Cost: $25. Contact: Libraries Unlimited, (800) 237-6124, ext. 1; www.lu.com.

Weather.
The six-volume Dangerous Weather, by Michael Allaby, offers students a basic introduction to meteorology, climatology, and aspects of environmental science. Each book features a scientific explanation of weather phenomena, including hurricanes, droughts, blizzards, floods, and tornadoes. Cost: $24.95 each. Contact: Facts on File, 11 Penn Plaza, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10001-2006; (800) 322-8755; fax (800) 678-3633.

Kids' Magazine.
Appleseeds is a new magazine for students in grades 2-4 from Cobblestone Publishing Co. A one-year subscription includes nine issues with articles, interviews, stories, photographs, original illustrations, activities, and games that aim to develop reading, math, vocabulary, science, and geography skills. The theme list for 1998-99 includes topics such as "The Children of Ancient Egypt," "Welcome to Washington, D.C.," and "Amazing Weather." Cost: $26.95. Contact: Cobblestone Publishing Co., 30 Grove St., Peterborough, NH 03458; (800) 821-0115; e-mail custsvc@cobblestone.mv.com; www.cobblestonepub.com.

Learning Skills.
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory publishes booklets for parents, students, and teachers. Three of the booklets are geared toward parents of either preschoolers, elementary, or middle school students and suggest out-of-school activities to help build skills in communication, studying, research, and thinking. A booklet for high schoolers offers strategies designed to help build learning skills, and one for educators provides research-based recommendations for activities that can build students' skills. Cost: $8 each; the set of five is available for $27. For more information, contact: NWREL Document Reproduction Service, 101 S.W. Main St., Suite 500, Portland, OR 97204-3297; (503) 275-9519 or (800) 547-6339, ext. 519; fax (503) 275-0458.

Internet.
Joanne Troutner has written World Desk: The Classroom Internet Guide. Each chapter includes activities, discussion starters, teacher notes, and reproducible student activity sheets and ends with a discussion of a long-term interdisciplinary project, such as creating a Web page or a hypothetical travel brochure for another planet. Cost: $29. For more information, contact: Learning in Motion, 500 Seabright Ave., Suite 105, Santa Cruz, CA 95062-3481; (800) 560-5670; e-mail HelpDesk@learn.motion.com.

Videos.
More than 1,700 videotapes available on a free-to-keep or free-loan basis are listed in the new 1998-99 Educators Guide to Free Videotapes. The guide, which is indexed by title, subject, and source, provides complete descriptions of the videos. Cost: $32.95. For more information, contact: Educators Progress Service Inc., 214 Center St., Randolph, WI 53956; (800) 951-4469 custsvc@cobblestone.mv.com; www.cobblestonepub.com.

Vol. 10, Issue 3, Pages 62-63

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