Education Libraries - Special Libraries Association
Education Libraries - Special Libraries Association
Education Libraries - Special Libraries Association
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Prereading Exercises, we learn that the exercises<br />
“provide readers with a chance to think about what they<br />
are about to read. Key elements in effective prereading<br />
exercises focus on purpose (why they are reading), text<br />
format (how the passage is organized), and prior<br />
knowledge (what they already know about the topic)” (p.<br />
1).<br />
Chapter Two, Exploring Fiction, recommends classroom<br />
exercises that build on the relationship between readers<br />
and characters. “Once readers establish a reason to care<br />
about a character, they are willing to invest some time<br />
and emotion in a shred journey,” eager to see how the<br />
plot unfolds (p. 28).<br />
Chapter Three, Exploring Nonfiction, explains how<br />
becoming familiar with expository text structures—<br />
description, sequence, comparison, cause and effect, and<br />
problem and solution—“enhances readers’ chance of<br />
being able to comprehend the authors’ message” (p. 55).<br />
The importance of understanding alternate methods<br />
authors use to convey information, such as charts and<br />
graphs, is addressed in the exercises. The need to<br />
consider reading behaviors suited to learning about<br />
ideas, concepts, and opinions is also covered.<br />
Readers Responses (Chapter Four) provides<br />
opportunities for students to “share their perspectives<br />
about the text by participating in some form of<br />
postreading activity” (p. 79). It helps teachers provide<br />
meaningful evaluation beyond test examination.<br />
Exercises in this chapter focus on creating alternative<br />
endings or linking the story to personal experiences.<br />
Chapter Five, Note-Taking Strategies for Students,<br />
shows how the Cornell Note Taking System “coupled<br />
with effective listening behaviors and solid study habits,<br />
form the basis of a successful school career.” Exercises<br />
in this chapter “will help students become proficient note<br />
takers” during lectures (p. 106).<br />
Building and Reinforcing Student Vocabulary (Chapter<br />
Six) equips students with strategies for acquiring new<br />
words “as they become necessary for daily life…<br />
through a study of word origins or by grouping the<br />
words into categories based on definition or function”<br />
(p. 122). The author suggests how games and puzzles<br />
can be used to reinforce vocabularies.<br />
Chapter Seven, Exploring Research Resources,<br />
recommends that teachers “determine beforehand how<br />
much (or little) students know about how to navigate”<br />
the World Wide Internet (p. 141). To illustrate gaps in<br />
practical knowledge, Ms. Groeber uses the example of<br />
students who know how to get directions by using<br />
Mapquest, for instance, “but cannot identify the capital<br />
city of a state or country” (p 142). The activities<br />
presented in this chapter will help students in middle<br />
school and high school connect their use of the Internet<br />
with subject projects.<br />
Chapter Eight, Improving Study and Test-Taking Skills,<br />
recommends pretesting and stresses the importance of<br />
taking good notes, as well as using other study aids. It is<br />
a fitting conclusion to a practical volume that should be<br />
given to all teachers.<br />
Barbie E. Keiser is a information resources<br />
management consultant located in the metro-<br />
Washington, DC, area. Email: barbieelene@att.net<br />
No Challenge Left<br />
Behind:<br />
Transforming<br />
American <strong>Education</strong><br />
Through Heart and<br />
Soul—Reviewed by<br />
Rachel Wadham.<br />
Houston, P. D. (2008).<br />
No Challenge Left<br />
Behind: Transforming<br />
American <strong>Education</strong><br />
Through Heart and<br />
Soul. Thousand Oaks,<br />
CA: Corwin Press.<br />
ISBN: 978-1-4129-<br />
6862-1. $28.95.<br />
No Challenge Left Behind: Transforming American<br />
<strong>Education</strong> Through Heart and Soul is a collection of<br />
previously published essays by former school<br />
superintendent and executive director of the American<br />
<strong>Association</strong> of School Administrators, Paul D. Houston.<br />
While all the essays are relatively short, most under<br />
three pages, they each pack a punch with challenging<br />
thought provoking ideas coupled with great storytelling.<br />
The book is divided into four sections. In section one the<br />
essays focus on the basic building blocks of leadership.<br />
Sensible advice in this section ranges from ways to find<br />
your own voice to ways to connect with others. The<br />
second section focuses on the role of superintendents in<br />
schools and the educational process. While the advice<br />
here is mainly intended for a specific kind of leader, the<br />
fundamental truths and ideas will be widely applicable to<br />
<strong>Education</strong> <strong>Libraries</strong>, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 53