The farm animals are bored until a big wind strikes the barnyard.

Now in its sixth edition, Striking a Balance clearly illustrates how to create a comprehensive early literacy program that places direct skills instruction within the context of rich and varied reading and writing experiences. Text discussions, dynamic activities, and valuable appendices provide a variety of effective instructional resources, selected based on research and teacher testimonials. The sixth edition incorporates recent updates to national and state standards, as well as expanded sections on working with English language learners and students with special needs, while maintaining the book’s essential features: classroom vignettes, discussion questions, field-based activities, a student website, and study guide. An essential resource for early literacy instructors, this textbook’s practical approach fundamentally demonstrates how children develop authentic literacy skills through a combination of direct strategy instruction and motivating contexts.

Set in the wider context of the project approach to learning, this book addresses the needs of both library media specialists and teachers in preschool, kindergarten, and primary grades. Educators who want to use stories and nonfiction to promote independent learning in young children will love this book. The reader will find practical hands-on activities where each sample lesson includes content, learning goals, and strategies for teaching and assessing learning. Librarians and teachers will learn not only how to guide young children through the research process, but also the important why to do this. These developmentally appropriate research lessons are ready to teach for grades preschool through second.

"While the rooster is gone, the pig, cow, sheep, and other farm animals attempt to rouse Farmer McPeeper with "cock-a-doodle SQUEAL," "cock-a-doodle MOO," and "cock-a-doodle BAAAA," with hilarious results"--

Defining both the Common Core Standards and the school librarian's role in their implementation, this book offers ready-to-use lesson plans and other tools for grades K–5 and identifies opportunities for collaborative teaching. As elementary schools in nearly all 50 states are faced with meeting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), school librarians need to understand the challenges and have lesson plans ready to help. This resource introduces the CCSS in English and mathematics to K–5 librarians and aides, helping them to understand the concepts, analyzing the impact on the school library, and providing lesson plans, resources, and other tools for implementation in integrated instruction with other curricula and collaborative teaching with other elementary teachers. Based upon the authors' own experiences in adopting the CCSS in their school, the included exemplar lesson plans and ideas are designed to support school librarians as they begin to collaborate with teachers in using the Common Core Standards in their daily classroom instruction. The book also discusses the opportunities for advocacy that result from the librarian's instrumental role in implementing the CCSS, both as a staff developer and a collaborative partner teacher.

A girl imagines the many wonderful ponies she will have when she grows up and thinks about how she will enjoy their company.

"Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!" by Herman Melville is a classic tale set in the 1850s. Melville's signature storytelling style shines through in this work, exploring themes of morality, ambition, and the complexities of human relationships. A must-read for fans of classic literature and those looking to immerse themselves in Melville's evocative world.