Apart from the textbooks that students use in school, Science Partner: A Complete Guide to Lower Block Science plays a significant role as a resource book for them. Topics under each theme (Diversity, Systems, Cycles, Energy and Interactions) are covered in detail based on the latest primary science syllabus for primary 3 and 4. The language used in this book is simple and easy to understand so that students can easily and effectively learn and understand the concepts of science. A variety of examples and illustrations are found within each topic to generate the interest of the students. In addition, four different types of pictorial icons are used in the book. They point out to students to pay attention to the important information that is given. Example - provide examples and explanations. Alert - bring to students’ attention a concept, term or information that they need to fully and consciously understand. This has been added because it is found that many students have a common misconception of an idea, term or concept in science and it should be rectified. Extra - indicate that more information on the topic is given so that students can increase their knowledge of the subject matter. Experiment - indicate to students the relevant experiments that need to be conducted so as to build knowledge and understanding of a concept. Important points are listed out at the end of each topic under a titled box ‘What I Have Learnt In This Chapter’ for quick and easy reference before the examinations. Students will find that this resource book helps make studying science an enjoyable journey for them. It is hoped that through this book, a student’s learning of science concepts is further enhanced and his interest level in science is increased.

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

If you're a librarian charged with collecting curriculum materials and children's literature to support the Common Core State Standards, then this book—the only one that offers explicit advice on collection development in curriculum collections—is for you. While there are many publications on the Common Core for school librarians and K–12 educators, no such literature exists for curriculum librarians at the post-secondary level. This book fills that gap, standing alone as a guide to collection development for curriculum librarians independent of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The book provides instruction and guidance to curriculum librarians who acquire and manage collections so you can develop a collection based on best practices. The book begins with a primer on the CCSS and how curriculum librarians can support them. Discussion of the Standards is then woven through chapters, arranged by content area, that share research-based practices in curriculum development and instruction to guide you in curriculum selection. Material types covered include games, textbooks, children's literature, primary sources, counseling, and nonfiction. Additional chapters cover the management of curriculum collections, testing collections, and instruction and reference, as well as how to support and collect for special needs learners. Current practices in collection development for curriculum materials librarians are also reviewed. The book closes with a discussion of the future of curriculum materials.

Most scientists and researchers aren’t prepared to talk to the press or to policymakers—or to deal with backlash. Many researchers have the horror stories to prove it. What’s clear, according to Nancy Baron, is that scientists, journalists and public policymakers come from different cultures. They follow different sets of rules, pursue different goals, and speak their own language. To effectively reach journalists and public officials, scientists need to learn new skills and rules of engagement. No matter what your specialty, the keys to success are clear thinking, knowing what you want to say, understanding your audience, and using everyday language to get your main points across. In this practical and entertaining guide to communicating science, Baron explains how to engage your audience and explain why a particular finding matters. She explores how to ace your interview, promote a paper, enter the political fray, and use new media to connect with your audience. The book includes advice from journalists, decision makers, new media experts, bloggers and some of the thousands of scientists who have participated in her communication workshops. Many of the researchers she has worked with have gone on to become well-known spokespeople for science-related issues. Baron and her protégées describe the risks and rewards of “speaking up,” how to deal with criticism, and the link between communications and leadership. The final chapter, ‘Leading the Way’ offers guidance to scientists who want to become agents of change and make your science matter. Whether you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned veteran looking to hone your skills, Escape From the Ivory Tower can help make your science understood, appreciated and perhaps acted upon.

Educational reform often brings changes which are superficial at best and artificial at worst.