MAGIS

Recommended Reads
Baby Alfonso & Oyet Concepcion, GS Librarians

Posted Monday, 18-Oct-2004 2:16 PM

     The recently concluded quarterly test must have left you stressed and pressured. A break is necessary to regain strength for the academic work that lay ahead.

     To relax and unwind, treat yourself to a movie or a stroll in the mall. A spa or a haircut sounds good, too. Or just being at home and enjoying the company of family and friends is perfect to rejuvenate your tired body and weary mind. Then, there is also this leisurely activity known as "reading".

     Here are new titles, from the shelves of the GS LRC, that will inspire you and give you a fresh outlook when you go back to the hustle and bustle of school work. Recoup with reading! Take a break, grab a book!

From School Library Journal

     Grade 1-3-- This enjoyable time-travel fantasy is a successful beginning chapter book. Jack and his younger sister find a tree house filled with books. When he wishes he could really see the Pteranodon pictured in one of them, it appears at the window. The children have been transported back to the Cretaceous period. They begin to explore and are soon threatened by a Tyrannosaurus. The Pteranodon comes to their rescue, and they figure out enough about the magic that carried them back in time to be able to use it to return home. There is plenty of suspense and magic here, and enough dinosaur information to please science buffs. Characterization is sketchy and older children will find the plot predictable, but readers just past the easy-to-read stage will find it satisfying. It should attract those who devour Ruth Chew's books. --Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Illus. in black-and-white. "With an entertaining blend of fact, farce, and fantasy, Osborne tells the story of Jack and his sister, Annie, who take a trip in a magic tree house and land in a time 65 million years ago. They find dinosaurs and volcanoes and adventure. Veteran storyteller Osborne builds the power of reading into the story: it's the books in the tree house that give the kids the magic to travel and see far, far away."


Geronimo Stilton Series

     Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye is about 4 mice who go on an adventure to find treasure called the Emerald Eye.

     Geronimo Stilton is a spanking new series for 8-12 year olds, about the life of a madcap mouse reporter. Written by newspaper editor Geronimo himself, his tales of adventure take place in New Mouse City (there's a map for readers who don't know where this is) alongside the editorial staff of The Rodent's Gazette. The book includes stunning illustrations, a key of characters and bouncy, colorful copy.

The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone;

Lucinda's Secret; The Ironwood

Tree; The Wrath of Mulgrath

(Spiderwick Chronicle)

     With their evocative gothic-style pencil drawings and color illustrations, rhyming riddles, supernatural lore, and well-drawn characters, these books read like old-fashioned ripping yarns.

Book Description

     It all started with a mysterious letter left at a tiny bookstore for authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Its closing lines: "We just want people to know about this. The stuff that has happened to us could happen to anyone." Little could they imagine the remarkable adventure that awaited them as they followed Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace and a strange old book into a world filled with elves, goblins, dwarves, trolls, and a fantastical menagerie of other creatures. The oddest part is in entering that world, they didn't leave this one!

Batang Historyador Series

     The Batang Historyador Series features stories on the adventures, dreams, epiphanies of five Filipino children from these five significant eras in our history: Pre-Spanish, Spanish Occupation, American Occupation, Japanese Occupation, and Pre-Martial Law. Each story is a look into the conditions and rights of children in the said eras as well as a glimpse into our country's colorful past. More importantly, it is hoped that the lessons and values in these stories will help mold young readers into Filipinos with a deep sense of patriotism and a love for history.

Titles in the Series:

Si Diyawen, Noong Bago Dumating ang mga Espanyol

Si Segunda, Noong Panahon ng mga Espanyol

Si Pitong, Noong Panahon ng mga Hapon

Si Juanito, Noong Panahon ng mga Amerikano

Si Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas Militar

FOR TEACHERS

Magis : writings on faith, love, and love
edited by Quenna N. Lee-Chua

     Magis is a collection of writings on personal experiences of individuals who are part of the Ateneo community. In moments of sadness or joy, of loss or fulfillment, of desperation or exhilaration, the soul that searches for excellence shines through. Integral to this quest is not only the defining experience, but more so the reflection that comes after it. Magis will tug at your heart, comfort you, and inspire you.

What Every Teacher should know about Instructional Planning

by Donna Walker Tileston

The essential guide to lesson planning in the standards-based classroom!

     Use this clear-sighted guide to keep your focus on what your students need to know and be able to do. Based on state-of-the-art research, this guide will take you from pre-planning through reflection, evidence of learning, and teaching for transfer to real-life situations. Topics include:

• Pre-planning tools and backward design
• Using standards
• Building effective declarative objectives

     Other titles:

     What Every Teacher Should Know About…

     •  Effective Teaching Strategies

     •  Student Assessment

     •  Classroom management and Discipline

     •  Diverse Learners

     •  Learning, Memory, and the Brain

     •  Profession and Politics

     •  Special Learners

     •  Student Motivation

     •  Using Media and Technology

Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom
by Diane Heacox, Ed. D.

     In this timely, practical guide, Diane Heacox presents a menu of strategies for any teacher faced with a spectrum of student needs and styles. Some are quick and easy—differentiating discussions, creating tiered assignments. Others are more comprehensive—matrix plans for designing curriculum units, “one-sentence lesson plans” that encompass content, process skills, and evidence of learning. Individual chapters focus on evaluation in a differentiated classroom and how to manage both behavior and work tasks. Diane describes ways to get to know your students and recognize that all have strengths and limitations. Not every gifted student is always ready for higher-level thinking; not every child with learning differences is always incapable of succeeding in a “higher group.”

     Any curriculum can be differentiated—even a standard or mandated curriculum. Drawing on Bloom's Taxonomy, Gardner 's Multiple Intelligences, other experts in the field, and her own experience in the classroom, Diane explains how to differentiate instruction in a wide variety of scenarios to provide variety and challenge in how teachers teach and in how students learn. Templates and forms simplify planning; examples illustrate differentiation in many content areas. Recommended for all teachers committed to reaching and teaching all learners.

Leading the Learning School
by Colin Weatherley

     This book takes the principles of how to enhance learning, as established in many other books in this series, one step further. It applies these principles to staff, to staff development and finally to management and leadership. It seeks out, and applies, a coherence of approach to the whole learning community.

     Furthermore it explains how the American Critical Skills Program incorporates all the key principles of learning in a comprehensive, practical and outstandingly effective teaching programme, which can also be used to promote staff and organisational development.

     Required reading for anyone assisting in the process of school change, this book clarifies the potentially complex and confusing roles of facilitators and offers useful guidance and solutions. For ease of use, the book divides the facilitator's job into 12 roles, each represented in a different chapter. For each role, the author gives a description of the skills and tools needed for the role, instructions for using the tools, and scenarios of how the role is implemented in a school change situation.

www.skylightedu.com

Teaching pupils how to learn
research, practice and INSET resources
by Bill Lucas

     This publication combines the research findings from the first year of the Campaign for Learning co-ordinated Learning to Learn in Schools action research project with:  

• practical case studies of how some of the schools implemented Learning to Learn
• a fascinating summary of how the thinking behind the project evolved
• innovative 'discussion mats' for use by teachers wanting to introduce this thinking into their schools  

     The project has involved 24 schools, ranging from the early years to Key Stage 4, exploring the impact of using Learning to Learn approaches and teaching pupils how to learn on standards and motivation. In the event one of the most significant findings has been the impact on teacher morale of re-focussing on learning, making the publication a must for its 'discussion mats' alone for any school worried about teacher retention.

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Sources

WEBSITES

www.amazon.com

www.adarna.com.ph

www.freespirit.com

www.networkpress.co.uk

JOURNAL

New York Times Book Review

"Reading is the cornerstone of the information society"