Book Description

Snap-Apart Question Cards That Build Comprehension & Spark Great Discussions About Character, Plot, Setting, Theme, & More
Great for Literature Circles! Build Reading Comprehension!
Instantly stimulate meaningful discussions, reinforce story elements, and get kids really talking and thinking about what they've read. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great source for teachers
Want to stir up discussion after a reading selection? This is a great book to do so. When teaching literary elements such as analysis of character, story plot, setting, etc...this book provides cards to promote discussion in group settings or students can sit at their desks and work independently. This is also a great way to motivate your students into a lessson. I recommend this book to any teacher who would like to spruce their reading lessons up. This book also has very creative prompts that students can relate to. ... Read more

Book Description

Multiple Options for Achieving a Single Goal

With its combination of composition segments, grammar lessons, literature models, and hands-on practice exercises, Writer's Choice initiates, expands, and executes what it takes to make your students willing, proficient writers. ... Read more

Book Description

Thirty popular expressions such as "straight from the horse's mouth" and "white elephant" are amusingly explained and illustrated. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A+ for Foreign People
I've recommended this book for people, who want to improve the writing skill. I found this book very helpful for foreign people. The book contains the basic ideas and good examples.

A Must Read Book on Grammar!
This book is a masterpiece that everyone, student or adult, shouild read. It clearly illustrates the fundamentals of good writing and conveys complex ideas in an understandable way. Mr. Terban has clearly written the best grammar book on the market and every classroom should have a copy. Plus, it is a very useful tool for highschool student studying for the SAT's or SAT2's in writing. I highly advise anyone who wishes to improve his or her grammar to pick up a copy.

A must for students of grammar
This is a wonderful reference for both children and adults alike. In fact, I am ordering 6 copies for my classroom so that my students can have an easily understood, well written guide to use as they muddle through all of the eccentricities of English Grammar. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Easy Grammar for 20 years!!
I have been teaching in a private school for 20 years. I have been using this workbook since the beginning. It still holds up as the most solid workbook for language arts skills. My original teacher's edition is falling apart, but continues to be my most used workbook. Its approach is simple and straight-forward. It is easy for the students to understand and provides logical sequence of language arts skills. The children enjoy working from this book better than any of the other various publishers I use. I have used these practice pages for fourth graders through high school students. It is what the title says: Easy Grammar.

From a Homeschool Mom
This book approaches teaching parts of speech and grammar by first introducing the preposition and prepositional phrase. Once the student can identify and eliminate the prepositional phrases in a sentence, determining the subject, verb and other parts of speech is then made much easier. I have found that going through this book with my children has helped improve my understanding of this complex subject.

Preparing perfect writers in your classroom
Are you a language arts teacher? Do you want to be sure that you are teaching grammar, tenses, punctuation properly? Do you ever have questions about parts of speech, clauses? Methodically using this book will ensure that you are teaching the necessary conventions to enrich your students' writing. It is a book every intermediate teacher needs in his/her professional library. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Time to learn your grammar!
These books are so good at helping kids learn the parts of speech. They give so many clear examples of sentences, with the specific part of speech in a different color so everyone will notice it. I used these in a classroom during english class and they all loved it. A+ to this book!

its a picture book!
I just got this book and had ordered it for a learning disabled 11 year-old as a Homeschool resource. Its a picture-book, and I had thought it was a "workbook" somehow.. still its helpful! Its OK for understanding this part of Grammer and creative to introduce children to Verbs. ... Read more

Book Description

Offering a lighthearted look at language, this book shows, rather than explains, the concept of nouns. Young readers are introduced to basic word groups through rhyming verse and illustrations of comical cartoon cats. Brimming with lively examples, this book proves that it's fun to learn grammar! Nouns are printed in color for easy identification, and the playful rhymes and illustrations combine to bring key words into focus. A word-search game at the end encourages readers to apply what they've learned. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

All Primary Teachers Could Use This!
As a teacher of third graders, I've used this book and "Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What is an Adjective" to teach and delight my students, and to take some of the tedium out of parts of speech. Within a day or so of introducing these books, all 27 of my group knew the difference between the major parts of speech. We found out that Mr. Cleary has a website, and I printed out some word-building worksheets off it for free, and a took away a couple of suggestions on how integrate teaching nouns with a fun art project, called the noun quilt, in which each letter of the alphabet has a noun, as in B, BOOT, C, CAT and the students draw the item and eventually it becomes this big old paper quilt full of nouns. His publisher assures me that TO ROOT, TO TOOT, TO PARACHUTE: WHAT IS A VERB? will be in soon, and it's a no-brainer that I'll get that as well.

A Mink, A Fink, A Skating Rink: What is a Noun?
Funny, silly, but slyly (if that's a word) educational, A Mink A Fink A Skating Rink: What is a Noun? will do for grammar what "Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue in Fourteen-hundred ninety-two" did for social studies. Kids can't help but remember which part of speech a word is because of the clever rhymes. My second graders find the illustrations wonderful as well. Cleary's first series includes great teaching tools like "Jamaica Sandwich?", which is really a 4th-5th grade combination Geography/English lesson.

A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink : What Is a Noun?
This is an exciting, well illustrated, fun book to read! This book is one of the favorite picks in my third grade classroom. The students enjoy reading the story over and over again. Thumbs up for the fabulous idea of teaching language through exciting stories! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Time to learn your grammar!
These books are so good at helping kids learn the parts of speech. They give so many clear examples of sentences, with the specific part of speech in a different color so everyone will notice it. I used these in a classroom during english class and they all loved it. A+ to this book!

They've done it again!!
Can the topic of adverbs be colorful, interesting....dare I say it? Fun? Apparently Brian P. Cleary and his innovative cat-loving illustrator Brian Gable think so! Not only does Cleary explain this difficult part of speech to grade schoolers with a rhyming, lively verse, my college sophomore is not above consulting this WORDS ARE CATEGORICAL series for the lessons within. You've done it again, Brian and Brian!

Also recommended: A Mink, a fink, a skating rink: What is a Noun? Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What is an Adjective To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What is a Verb? Under, Over, By the Clover: What is a Preposition? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

prentice hall grammar and compositon
I recently signed my son up for a out of school class called a "correspondece" course, and he seems to be having trouble in it. I was wondering if you guys could find the teachers edition with the answers in it because we all know I sure don't know them. Jk Anyways thanks. My email is playdoe70@netscape.net ... Read more

Book Description

Multiple Options for Achieving a Single Goal

With its combination of composition segments, grammar lessons, literature models, and hands-on practice exercises, Writer's Choice initiates, expands, and executes what it takes to make your students willing, proficient writers.

Book Description

Glencoe's exclusive Grammar and Composition Handbooks provide full coverage of the writing process with practice exercises for grammar, usage, and mechanics. Part 1, Ready Reference, includes a glossary of words, terms, and concepts vital to the student writer, as well as a usage glossary and lists of common abbreviations. Part 2, Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics, offers clear explanations, examples, and practice exercises. In Part 3, Composition, the writing process is covered, including modes of writing, business writing, and research paper writing emphasizing MLA style. Part 4, Resources, increases student access to and understanding of print and electronic resource tools. It includes detailed information on how to use the library, dictionaries and encyclopedias, and guidance on electronic research online and on CD-ROM. Glencoe's Grammar and Composition Handbooks are correlated to Writer's Choice and to the Glencoe Grammar and Language Workbooks! Each grade level specific handbook is accompanied by a helpful Teacher Guide that will give you the support to use the Glencoe Grammar and Composition Handbooks to their fullest potential!

Book Description

I had a long list of things I wanted to find in a first grammar and composition text.

I wanted material that would concentrate on the writing process without burdening the young child. I wanted a text that would draw the child into writing. I wanted a text that would lay a foundation for good composition skills, skills that could be applied in all learning situations. With eleven children to care for, I wanted something simple and fun to work with, both for me and my children.

When I found this book, I knew I had found the book I wanted to use.

Originally published in 1900, it uses wonderful pictures to stimulate the child's imagination and lead him or her into writing. The grammar introduced includes those things necessary to the writing task. There are memorization assignments, oral compositions, written compositions and practice exercises.

I use this book for a second grade English text, but it is also very useful as a first course for older, reluctant writers. No teacher's edition is necessary; everything you need is in the student text. We hope you enjoy it as we have. -Cyndy Shearer ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wow, what a book.
I agree with all the positive comments. The approach here is not a copy of other workbooks. There are stories to create, poems to read and memorize, and generally learn English in a lovely, thoughtful way, just as the author suggests in the title. I used it with my son who is nine. His handwriting was poor, and he hates writing of any sort. The unique little lessons in this book are so different that he never realized that we were doing "English". The book offers a holistic way of helping a child and I am glad to have purchased it.

This Is A Beautiful Book but...
It's not your normal text/workbook. You have to really be willing to take your time in order to get the most out of it. After several trials and errors, I can now appreciate why it works so well.

At first glance, I wanted to toss this for something more "structured" and "self-directed". I couldn't figure out how a child was supposed to learn anything by using this book. It is devoid of the normal jargon found in most workbooks. And what was up with the pictures? How can I ask my child to analyze a picture and call THAT a "grammar" lesson? What were they suppose to be learning from THAT? Weren't they suppose to be studying nouns and predicates and doing daily drills and such? But, alas, good things come to those who...slow down!

This book makes heavy use of narration (the child telling back a story in his/her own words), or "oral composition". If this is a foreign concept to you then delay this purchase and buy books by Dr. Ruth Beechick and/or anything about Charlotte Mason and her philosophy. You need to understand narration and why it works so effectively. If you are not sold on this approach, then don't buy this book. If you are familiar with the works of these two pioneers of "natural learning", and you feel comfortable with this approach, then this may be a great grammar/composition book to use with your 2nd - 4th Grader. Jessie Wise and Susan Bauer mention narration in _The Well Trained Mind_ , but they don't expound on it the way Beechick and Mason do.

The beauty of this book is in its simplicity. It causes a child to think deep and answer thoroughly; hence the title. This is not a book to rush through. Every page, every lesson is to be savored, and chewed thoroughly like a good meal. I realized this after changing my homeschool program into one that is more relaxed and focused on the joy of everyday learning. This book causes you to slow down and think. Think REAL hard. You may or may not want to put that much time into a grammar/composition program.

Having said that, I must say that I agree with some of the complaints mentioned here, but it took a second purchase (after selling my first copy) to force me to look at it more closely. I wouldn't exactly call this a self-directed, independent program. You have to like working closely with your child. You have to be willing to work slowly and thoughtfully. If that's not your style, then don't buy this book! Also, remember that some kids read better than they write. This book encompasses a lot of writing exercises, but they can be done orally.

My 8 year-old daughter and I loved working through this together. It was a struggle for me to slow down the pace and enjoy it, but I realized that she needed this time with me so I forced myself to stay cool and slow down. It was tough, but worth it. That relaxed pace has spilled over to other areas of our homeschool and I have found it really works well for us.

Hope that helps. Enjoy this one (if you can!)

Cris

My least favorite homeschooling book
As a previous reviewer mentioned, there are many specific science questions in this book for which you need to know the answers and will have to do some advance research. If you want to combine unorganized science topics with your grammar lessons, this book will be great for you. I already have another organized science program I am using, so I find this irritating. I would prefer a grammar program that would concentrate on the grammar/language aspects.

Two of the four poems that are to be memorized seem too lengthy to be appropriate material for a 7-year old. One is a 21-line poem, and another is a 24-line poem from Coleridge. We are already memorizing Bible verses each week, so I just skipped those.

The majority of the lessons in this book offer one exercise to practice the concept, so if your child has some difficulty with grammar, you will probably have to make your own worksheets to make sure they've learned the concept.

This is the only homeschooling book we've used this year that has been disappointing.

Be aware
I love this book, but I almost gave it 4 stars just to draw attention to my review. We have been using this book for only a week in our homeschool, but we have had to interrupt our grammar lessons several times to do research before we could practice the day's grammar lesson. One exercise told us to "Write a statement telling where the sun rises."--this required a little instruction about the rising/setting sun. Another day, we were to respond to these questions: "How often do we have a new moon?" and "Where have you seen the new moon at sunset?" I had no idea, so we ran to the encyclopedia. If this bothers you, just be aware that you may want to look ahead at lessons to see if you should "do a little research." Otherwise, I love this book!

An Essential Book for Your Library
I was refered to this book by "The Well Trained Mind". I am not homeschooling, but supplimenting. This book is a great overall start to teaching your child about the english language. It covers all areas incluing compostion, sentance structure, dictation and has a handy list of grammer rules. Is great for first to third grade or even could be adapted for kindergarten use. ... Read more

Book Description

With humor, style, and succinct, admirable precision, Heller summarizes everything most people will ever need to know about this particular area of grammarA treasure. --Kirkus Reviews Its lush, exuberant, full-color artwork will grab kids' attention, even if they're sitting at the back of the classroom. --Booklist Her subject, made interesting by a rhyming text andbrilliantly colored picture, will appeal to everyone. -- Horn Book.Q&A - Ruth Heller - A Paperstar Profile How did you become interested in writing books for children?I loved reading to my own children, and when they started school, I became the P.T.A. librarychairman. I was the one who got to pick and choose and spend a nice fat budget for the elementary school library. I feel as though I've been surrounded by children's books for years. I suppose this and my strong art background are what prompted my trying to write.What is the biggest influence in your style of writing, and how has it changed since you first began?Hillaire Belloc, Gilbert and Sullivan, Edward Lear--I grew up reading all of them. I love their rhythm, and I loved reading Dr. Seuss to my children. No question, these were my influences. I think I've become wordier, not quite as minimal and succinct as I used to be.What made you decide to write a series on the parts of speech?Take a peek at the back end paper of the hardcover edition of A Cache of Jewels. You'll see that Icommitted myself, in print, to writing a book for each part of speech. Here I am, ten years later, thankfully completing the very last book in this series. It will be publishedin 1998.Do you begin with the words or pictures when you are developing a book? How does the second part come together?The first step is to decide what I am going to say on each page. Then I can begin to visualize my illustrations. The words dictate what the illustration will be, but that still gives me many options. Sometimes the two come together easily, sometimes not. If not, I pursue new research material until something clicks. Did you learn anything new about the parts of speech while writing these books?I learned many things I had forgotten, and some new information and rules that I had never known.I also learned that the textbooks that I used for research were difficult to understand and somewhat boring, and that I am guilty of frequent misuse of the English language.How do you choose the images in your book? An art teacher once told me to fall in love with whatever I was drawing. So I choose images thatI love: candy, ice cream, butterflies, sea creatures, carousels, jewels, etc. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beautfully illustrated and well-written
This is a book that teaches children about adjectives in the English language. It goes beyond the obvious in adjectives to cover the demonstrative and possessive adjectives in our language. A must have for foreign language teachers who wish to sneak in some English grammar in a cute, fun way, elementary school teachers, English teachers teaching the parts of speech, parents wanting to educate their children in a fun way! ... Read more

Book Description

What could be better for kids in the backseat on those long car trips? Highlighting some of America’s most popular travel destinations, Summer Fun Mad Libs Junior is perfect for those long road trips. ... Read more

Book Description

With humor, style, and succinct, admirable precision, Heller summarizes everything most people will ever need to know about this particular area of grammarA treasure. --Kirkus Reviews Its lush, exuberant, full-color artwork will grab kids' attention, even if they're sitting at the back of the classroom. --Booklist Her subject, made interesting by a rhyming text andbrilliantly colored picture, will appeal to everyone. -- Horn BookQ&A - Ruth Heller - A Paperstar ProfileHow did you become interested in writing books for children?I loved reading to my own children, and when they started school, I became the P.T.A. librarychairman. I was the one who got to pick and choose and spend a nice fat budget for the elementary school library. I feel as though I've been surrounded by children's books for years. I suppose this and my strong art background are what prompted my trying to write.What is the biggest influence in your style of writing, and how has it changed since you first began?Hillaire Belloc, Gilbert and Sullivan, Edward Lear--I grew up reading all of them. I love their rhythm, and I loved reading Dr. Seuss to my children. No question, these were my influences. I think I've become wordier, not quite as minimal and succinct as I used to be.What made you decide to write a series on the parts of speech?Take a peek at the back end paper of the hardcover edition of A Cache of Jewels. You'll see that Icommitted myself, in print, to writing a book for each part of speech. Here I am, ten years later, thankfully completing the very last book in this series. It will be publishedin 1998.Do you begin with the words or pictures when you are developing a book? How does the second part come together?The first step is to decide what I am going to say on each page. Then I can begin to visualize my illustrations. The words dictate what the illustration will be, but that still gives me many options. Sometimes the two come together easily, sometimes not. If not, I pursue new research material until something clicks. Did you learn anything new about the parts of speech while writing these books?I learned many things I had forgotten, and some new information and rules that I had never known.I also learned that the textbooks that I used for research were difficult to understand and somewhat boring, and that I am guilty of frequent misuse of the English language.How do you choose the images in your book? An art teacher once told me to fall in love with whatever I was drawing. So I choose images thatI love: candy, ice cream, butterflies, sea creatures, carousels, jewels, etc. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good Information, but a Tad Tedious
I ordered this book along with Brian Cleary's "A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink" and found the two to be quite different in both content and style. I thought a review might help someone else choosing between the two.

I don't know who assigned the reading level as is currently is shown, but to say this book is for ages 4 through 8 is misleading. This may be accurate if only reading ability is being considered, but where content is concerned I think it is more than the average four or five year-old needs or wants to know. As I pre-read this book, even my eyes started to glaze over. It is a LOT of information for a short book. Including abstract nouns and concrete nouns in addition to the common, proper, and compound nouns is probably okay for the younger kids and great for the older ones. But how to make different types of nouns plural giving examples of when to add "es", how to handle a "y", changing an "f" or "fe" to "v", and words that end in "o" (which gave three examples, one for adding "s", one for "es", and then one for doing it either way) seemed like more of a spelling lesson to me, and could quickly turn to information overload.

If you are looking for something to add the learning of nouns at a more in-depth level and for the higher end of this age bracket, this could be a nice compliment. But for the younger kids of four, five, and six, I would recommend opting for "A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink". It keeps it much simpler, and the illustration and text are funner, even a little silly.

Homeschool mom in Michigan
I truly enjoyed reading this book to my kids. The rhythm and rhyming was enjoyable as was the silliness added to the pages.

I learned from the book and feel that having the series as part of our school room would be to our advantage.

WOW !!! What a way to learn , I Love it!
I just happened to find these and so happy they are Great! Beautiful illustrations that the kids love, and learn from as well, in a format that keeps them interested. Even helped me remember things that I'd forgotten over time. ... Read more

Book Description

Nobody knows silly better than we do. And with Super Silly Mad Libs Junior, younger readers are introduced to the crazy world of Mad Libs. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Time to learn your grammar!
These books are so good at helping kids learn the parts of speech. They give so many clear examples of sentences, with the specific part of speech in a different color so everyone will notice it. I used these in a classroom during english class and they all loved it. A+ to this book!

Takes the pain out of grammar!
Kudos to Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable for their terrific book about Prepositions! My nine year-old learned all about the function of this difficult part of speech in the few minutes it took for us to sail through the funny, rhyming text. The illustrated cat-like characters are bright and colorful, and the prepositions themselves are highlighted to make thme easier to identify. Reminds me a little of the schoolhouse rock show from my childhood!

My Students finally know this part of speech!
I teach 4th grade in a suburban school system where the kids are pretty bright, but prepositions have always been a little sticky for this age group. Brian P. Cleary's new book, UNDER, OVER BY THE CLOVER: What is a Preposition, is a class favorite, and also a favorite of mine because it takes on a kind of tricky part of speech and leaves my kids smiling. I liked his other books about nouns and verbs and adjectives also! This clarifies the preposition's role in our language, and is funny and catchy to boot! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Time to learn your grammar!
These books are so good at helping kids learn the parts of speech. They give so many clear examples of sentences, with the specific part of speech in a different color so everyone will notice it. I used these in a classroom during english class and they all loved it. A+ to this book!

All Primary Teachers Could Use This Book!
As a teacher of third graders, I've used this book and "A MINK, A FINK, A SKATING RINK: WHAT IS A NOUN?" to teach and delight my students, and to take some of the tedium out of parts of speech. Within a day or so of introducing these books, all 27 of my group knew the difference between the major parts of speech. We found out that Mr. Cleary has a website, and I printed out some word-building worksheets off it for free, and a took away a couple of suggestions on how integrate teaching nouns with a fun art project, called the noun quilt, in which each letter of the alphabet has a noun, as in B, BOOT, C, CAT and the students draw the item and eventually it becomes this big old paper quilt full of nouns. His publisher assures me that TO ROOT, TO TOOT, TO PARACHUTE: WHAT IS A VERB? will be in soon, and it's a no-brainer that I'll get that as well.

Hairy, Scary is anything but Ordinary!
This is a great book. It's a neat tool to teach with, and also an interesting trip through the world of adjectives. I think Brian P. Cleary may well be on his way to that rarefied place in children's literature occupied by those manic, witty rhymers Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. I like how the adjectives are colored to stand out more, and how the book uses language and words that stretch the young reader and never talks down to them. I originally got hooked on the pun series he did with Rick Dupre (illustrator) a few years back, which includes "It Looks a Lot Like Reindeer," and was delighted to see that he's not neglecting the first, second and third graders! Educational, but really hip and a lot of fun, I just loved it and can't wait to buy A Mink, a Fink, A Skating Rink: What is a Noun?

A delight to read aloud, perfect for homeschooling!
Young readers four through six will enjoy Brian Clary's whimsical book, cleverly illustrated by Jenya Prosmitsky, as Hairy, Scary, Ordinary shows what an adjective is. The adjectives are printed in color for easy identification while the playful rhymes and illustrations combine to highlight key words. Hairy, Scary, Ordinary is a delight to read aloud and perfect for homeschooling as well as classroom reading program activity supplementation.

Hairy, Scary, Ordinary : What Is an Adjective?
This book by Brian Cleary is a delightful book live with pictures and relatability to children. They love the illustrations, enjoy listening to the story and then reading it over and over again by themselves. In my third grade classroom, this has been one of the favorites. Brain Cleary's other book (A Mink A Fink A Skating Rink, What is a Noun?) is equally liked and incredible. Thumbs up to two great books that teach content while engaging students in exciting reading! ... Read more