5 Reasons to use Graphic Novels in Your Classroom

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on March 8, 2010
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Stone, a Great Graphic Novel for Your Classroom

by author David Alexander Robertson and artist Scott B. Henderson

Page 6, Stone

Page 6, Stone

Stone, book 1 of 4 in the 7 Generations series, is the first graphic novel published by HighWater Press, an imprint of Portage & Main Press. Graphic novel is a term used by librarians and educators to identify a specific publishing format - a book written and illustrated in the style of a comic book. Graphic novels are quickly becoming a compelling genre for use in the classroom.

Here are 5 reasons why the graphic novel is right for your classroom.

Reason 1
Graphic novels engage students and motivate them to read.

Reason 2
Graphic novels are popular with boys and struggling readers - students who are often difficult to reach.

Reason 3
The format helps to improve reading comprehension for many students who struggle, because the illustrations provide contextual clues that enrich meaning and support understanding.

Reason 4
Graphic novels generally have rich, complex plots and narrative structures that can satisfy all readers.

Reason 5
Reading graphic novels help students develop the critical skills necessary to read more challenging texts.

To purchase a copy of Stone*, please visit www.pandmpress.com.

*available for purchase March 21, 2010

5 Tips for Teaching Phonemic Awareness

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kirsten
on March 4, 2010
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From A Feast of Rhyme, Rhythm, and Song: Developing Phonemic Awareness Through Music

by Nancy Lee Cecil and Carol W. McCormick

Song Page 115

Song Page 115

Authors Nancy Lee Cecil and Carol W. McCormick have created this book for all children but specifically for children who are unaware of the subtleties of the sounds in the speech stream, or who do not realize that sounds represent letters in words. The many useful ideas and activities in this book prepare children for the introduction of letter and sound correspondences.

Below are just 5 of the many helpful ideas you can use in your classroom.

Tip 1: Phonemic awareness is basically oral in nature and is most appealing to and memorable for children when embedded in meaningful, interactive games and activities.

Tip 2: Phonemic awareness lessons should last no more than 30 minutes in length daily.

Tip 3: Songs, with their rhyme, rhythm, and repetition, are particularly potent pathways to language competence and literacy for children who have special language needs, or for whom English is an additional language.

Tip 4: Children appear better able to capture and gain control over larger units of sound before smaller units of sound. Therefore, with younger children, such a preschoolers, or older children who have little sensitivity to the sound structure of the English language, focus initially on whole words and sounds in general.

Tip 5: Syllables are acoustically and articulatorily distinct in the flow of oral language, making them easier to identify and distinguish than individual letter sounds, or phonemes. Therefore, syllables should be among the earliest phonemic awareness subskills introduced to children.

To purchase a copy of A Feast of Rhyme, Rhythm, and Song please visit www.pandmpress.com.

5 Tips for Teaching Art

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kirsten
on March 3, 2010
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From Teaching Art: A Complete Guide for the Classroom

Noni Brynjolson, age 10

Noni Brynjolson, age 10

by Rhian Brynjolson

Author and artist Rhian Brynjolson believes that you do not have to be an artist to teach art. However, she does believe that a positive attitude toward trying art exercises will affect how your students respond to art. In her new book, Teaching Art, she includes many suggestions for helping you successfully teach art lessons.

Listed below are just 5 of the many helpful tips Rhian discusses in the book.

Tip 1: Ensure the theme or subject of an art lesson has relevance to the curriculum and is of interest to your students.

Tip 2: Careful preparation of materials is a key to successful art lessons.

Tip 3: View and discuss quality visuals to demonstrate a concept, medium, or technique.

Tip 4: Demonstrate the technique being taught. This is important because visual learners may have difficulty following oral or written instructions.

Tip 5: Start small when introducing a new technique, subject, or approach. It is better to discover problems on a postcard-sized painting than on a wall mural.

To purchase a copy of Teaching Art: A Complete Guide for the Classroom, please visit www.pandmpress.com.

New from Rhian Brynjolson

Published
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kirsten
on February 9, 2010
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For All Teachers

For Your Curriculum

For Your Curriculum

Teaching Art is written for classroom teachers, art education specialists, childcare workers, artists working in schools, parents who home-school their children, and school administrators. It can also be used as a university textbook for Education students. The book provides a framework for teaching art in a way that is integrated with regular classroom practice and mindful of current art curriculum outcomes. Although the book focuses on art for primary and middle-school students from pre-school to grade eight, Teaching Art is also useful to art specialists at the high-school level who are looking for new strategies or project ideas to add to their established secondary programs.

Posted on the P&M Press website is the table of contents, the introduction, and a sample lesson for this new title. Download the pdf by clicking on Teaching Art Sample Lesson.

Also on the P&M Press website is the View Inside feature. This feature allows you to view selected pages from the book. Please follow this link to Teaching Art and click on the Online Preview button.

From Kathleen Gregory

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kirsten
on February 9, 2010
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In this video, Kathleen Gregory describes how the Voices of Experience series for grades K–3 and grades 4–8 is a helpful resource for new teachers, teachers new to a grade level, teachers wanting great ideas to invigorate their classroom practice, and teacher mentors.

Join Joni Bowman at Reading for the Love of It!

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kirsten
on February 8, 2010
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Joni Bowman

Visit with author Joni Bowman during the Reading for the Love of It Conference. She will be available at the P&M Press booth during the event. As author of Kindergarten Plus! and co-author of the Hands-On Science and Technology, Hands-On Social Studies, and Hands-On Mathematics programs, she is committed to providing active and engaging learning experiences for students. Come and meet this remarkable P&M Press author.

Reading for the Love of It Language Arts Conference

Thursday & Friday, February 11th & 12th

Sheraton Centre, 123 Queen St. W.

Toronto, Ontario

The Reading for the Love of It Conference

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kirsten
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Join Us in Toronto, Ontario

Feb. 11th & 12

Feb. 11th & 12

The 34th Annual Language Arts Conference Reading for the Love of It is Feb. 11th & 12th, 2010. P&M Press will be showing materials at this conference. Please visit us at our booth to browse through our many educational titles, meet Joni Bowman the author of Kindergarten Plus!, or place an order. We are offering Free Shipping on all orders placed at the conference. Our booth is located in the exhibit area at the Sheraton Centre, 123 Queen Street West.

New from Nancy Lee Cecil and Carol W. McCormick

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kirsten
on February 8, 2010
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For Grades PreK–1

Now Available!

Now Available!

In A Feast of Rhyme, Rhythm, and Song, the authors present an interactive and engaging approach to teaching phonemic awareness – an essential foundation for later reading success.  This book is for all children but specifically for children who are unaware of the subtleties of the sounds in the speech stream, or who do not realize that sounds represent letters in words. Authors Nancy Lee Cecil and Carol W. McCormick believe that children who have experienced the joyful phonemic awareness and music activities contained in A Feast of Rhyme, Rhythm, and Song will be primed and ready for the next step in the remarkable journey of learning to read.

Posted on the P&M Press website is a sample lesson for this new title. Download the pdf by clicking on A Feast of Rhyme Sample Pages.

To place an order, please call toll free at 1-800-667-9673 or order online at www.pandmpress.com.

A Video with Shelley S. Peterson

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kirsten
on February 3, 2010
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In this video, Shelley S. Peterson shares how her new book, Books, Media & the Internet: Children’s Literature for Today’s Classrooms, will help teachers engage young people with text, both in print and on screen.

A Video with Faye Brownlie and Leyton Schnellert

Published
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kirsten
on January 29, 2010
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In this video, Faye and Leyton share their thoughts on how their new book, It’s All About Thinking: Collaboration to Support All Learners, can be an important tool for all teachers.