Definition of Topic: Middle and high school teachers note that all too many adolescent students are less than proficient in reading and writing - the "twin pillars of literacy." Teaching such students to meet today's tougher educational standards can be a challenge. Emphasizing the important connections between comprehension, communication and learning, this book offers teachers in all content areas a structured approach for enabling students to strengthen their reading and writing competency - and thus boast their potential for academic success. Drawing on the author's extensive experience as a teacher and teacher trainer as well as on relevant theory and research, the book presents an arsenal of instructional strategies aimed at improving comprehension and written expression in all types of students. The approach is motivational as well as practical and features extensive tools and techniques for helping students overcome their reading and writing fears, persist in their practice, build on their success, and finally to share what they've learned. The book features many dozens of teacher-tested activities, lessons, and exercises that can be adapted in any classroom and is abundantly illustrated with examples of student work. Lessons involving literary as well as informational texts are included as are visualization and interpretive exercises aimed at appealing to the less verbally-oriented students. The book also provides extensive guidance and tools for helping students improve their vocabulary, grammar, spelling and other language skills as well as their ability to conduct research and access on-line resources. In addition, a special reference section of the book featuresextensivelistings of web-based instructional tools and curricular resources for teachers to use in planning lessons, activities and assignments. This book will serve as an indispensable resource for teachers seeking to build student skills in comprehension, communication, and learning. Selling Points: 1) Presents a proven instructional framework as well

Service-learning and Writing: Paving the Way for Literacy(ies) through Community Engagement discusses service-learning as a teaching and learning method and its integration with writing. The various authors, from different disciplines and institutions, present service-learning as a means of having students practice writing in real world settings, and they show how relationship-building and partnerships between higher education and diverse communities produce benefits for all involved - the students, faculty, administrators, and the communities themselves. This volume demonstrates how writing instruction and/or writing practice can complement community engagement and outreach at local, national, and international contexts. Through different cross-cultural contexts and academic disciplines, the various authors explore reflection, assessment, internalization, diversity, and multiple literacies and their importance when integrating service-learning in higher education and community literacy.

Tells the surprising story of how road construction helped to pave the way to the modern American state. Shows how the growing transportation needs of a steadily industrializing population changed political order from local to state and ultimately to federal governance.

Reconnecting Reading and Writing explores the ways in which reading can and should have a strong role in the teaching of writing in college. Reconnecting Reading and Writing draws on broad perspectives from history and international work to show how and why reading should be reunited with writing in college and high school classrooms. It presents an overview of relevant research on reading and how it can best be used to support and enhance writing instruction.

Literacy for Learning: A Handbook of Teaching Strategies for Middle and High School Teachers is a collection of proven, effective teaching strategies to promote content area literacy and help teachers incorporate literacy learning as a means of improving learning in all subject areas. The book presents a concise overview of content area literacy research and a rationale for teachers in all subject areas. Those who teach, or are about to teach, middle and high school students, will find a variety of engaging strategies for improving student comprehension and retention of content material. Numerous examples of how the strategies can be used across the curriculum are included. 122 strategies in all are included, plus tips and suggestions for their use. This valuable, handy, and easy-to-use resource contains strategies for teaching reading, writing, and vocabulary. Each section contains numerous strategies for use across the curriculum. An additional section focuses on ways to incorporate technology and multi-media resources into teaching to promote learning. Each strategy presented includes learning objectives, Common Core State Standards connections, a concise overview, and simple, easy-to-follow instructions for implementing the strategies. Teachers can pick up this book and immediately begin using the strategies in their own classrooms. With the implementation of Common Core State Standards, it will become more important than ever for every teacher to be a literacy teacher. This book should find widespread acceptance as a handy tool to help all teachers achieve this goal.

"Exciting ideas for teaching writing, editing, illustration and design. This practical resource also features author studies, a guide to author visits, fun ways to celebrate books and more" Cf. Our choice, 2000.

The Best Tool of the Millennium The seeds of Rybczynski's elegant and illuminating new book were sown by The New York Times, whose editors asked him to write an essay identifying "the best tool of the millennium." The award-winning author of Home, A Clearing in the Distance, and Now I Sit Me Down, Rybczynski once built a house using only hand tools. His intimate knowledge of the toolbox -- both its contents and its history -- serves him beautifully on his quest. One Good Turn is a story starring Archimedes, who invented the water screw and introduced the helix, and Leonardo, who sketched a machine for carving wood screws. It is a story of mechanical discovery and genius that takes readers from ancient Greece to car design in the age of American industry. Rybczynski writes an ode to the screw, without which there would be no telescope, no microscope -- in short, no enlightenment science. One of our finest cultural and architectural historians, Rybczynski renders a graceful, original, and engaging portrait of the tool that changed the course of civilization.

Fifty years ago, Richard L. "Dick" Nelson started his career with a small loader. He established his business in Princeton, Illinois, a small rural community with a current population of 7,600. today, he is the founder of Nelson Enterprises which includes Advanced Asphalt Company, TCI Manufacturing and Sales, Tri-Con Materials, Northwest Illinois Construction LLC, Pavement Maintenance Services, Inc., D&J Leasing and AAA Aviation LLC. Nelson Enterprises has achieved $1.5 billion in total sales, has worldwide patent recognition, employs approximately 300 people and rents 100 trucks a day during construction season. Dick is the son of Malcolm and Frances Nelson (both deceased) and was raised in Princeton with five siblings (three of whom are deceased). He is a graduate of Princeton High School and served in the Army. He and his wife, Judy, have three grown children, Leanne (Jeff) Martin, Laurie Wallace and Steve (Gina) Nelson. They also have four grandchildren, Nicole Martin, Kelsey Wallace, Colin and Audrey Nelson. Dick attributes much of his success to his "team" of talented and dedicated professionals. He has also achieved success and national awards because of his God given mechanical talent, hard work, determination and what he calls a "Bachelor of Common Sense Degree from Life University". Dick has contributed a multitude of volunteer service hours to the Princeton Park Board, United Way, Cub Scouts, Little League and St. Matthew's Church. His passion is flying. And to that end, he built his own helicopter. In honor of his 50th anniversary in business, an open house was held to recognize his "team" and business milestones. At this event, the Nelson family established an annual scholarship at Princeton High School for a senior student planning to attend a vocational school. Doug Oberhelman, CEO of Caterpillar, was also in attendance at the open house and announced that Caterpillar will match the Nelson family annual scholarship. This is a tribute to the Nelson family and Nelson Enterprises for service to the community, central Illinois and the State of Illinois.

Accessing up-to-date information about general and specific learning difficulties is made easy, with this indispensable reference book. Covering difficulties that relate to children, adolescents and adults, it includes: crucial legislation to keep practitioners 'in the know' useful addresses, telephone numbers and websites It also includes explanations of leaning difficulties including those less than well-known syndromes such as semantic pragmatic difficulties.

This text explores a number of different perspectives and theories on human learning and motivation. The author gives significant attention to different types of learning across the curriculum and examines effective types of teaching to facilitate different forms of learning. Detailed consideration is given to factors that contribute to common learning problems in school; and many practical suggestions are provided for preventing or overcoming some of these difficulties.