Cheetah Math

Cheetahs are very fast—and very shy. When two young cubs come to the nursery at the San Diego Zoo, the staff hopes they will help visitors learn more about the plight of cheetahs in the wild. Majani and Kubali are shy, but with the help of their dog buddies they become perfect animal ambassadors. In Cheetah Math, kids can learn all about division from these baby cheetahs and their canine friends. A Junior Library Guild Selection

Intended to support the national initiative to strengthen learning in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, this book helps librarians who work with youth in school and public libraries to build better collections and more effectively use these collections through readers' advisory and programming. A versatile and multi-faceted guide, Best STEM Resources for NextGen Scientists: The Essential Selection and User's Guide serves as a readers' advisory and collection development resource for youth services and school librarians seeking to bring STEM-related titles into their collections and introduce teachers and young readers to them. This book not only guides readers to hundreds of the best STEM-related titles—fiction and non-fiction printed materials as well as apps, DVDs, websites, and games—it also includes related activities or programming ideas to help promote the use of the collection to patrons or students in storytime, afterschool programs, or passive library programs. After a detailed discussion of the importance of STEM and the opportunities librarians have for involvement, the book lists and describes best STEM resources for young learners. Resources are organized according to the reading audiences for which they are intended, from toddlers through teens, and the book includes annotated lists of both fiction and nonfiction STEM titles as well as graphic novels, digital products, and online resources. In addition, the author offers a selection of professional readings for librarians and media specialists who wish to further expand their knowledge.

In this new book from popular consultant and bestselling author Dr. Nicki Newton, you’ll discover how to use Math Running Records to assess students’ basic fact fluency and increase student achievement. Like a GPS, Math Running Records pinpoint exactly where students are in their understanding of basic math facts and then outline the next steps toward comprehensive fluency. This practical book introduces a research-based framework to assess students’ thinking and move them toward becoming confident, proficient, flexible mathematicians with a robust sense of numbers. Topics include: Learning how often to administer Math Running Records and how to strategically introduce them into your existing curriculum; Analyzing, and interpreting Math Running Records for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; Using the data gathered from Math Running Records to implement evidence-based, research-driven instruction. Evaluating students’ speed, accuracy, flexibility, and efficiency to help them attain computational fluency; Each chapter offers a variety of charts and tools that you can use in the classroom immediately, and the strategies can easily be adapted for students at all levels of math fluency across grades K-8. Videos of sample running records are also available for download at https://guidedmath.wordpress.com/math-running-records-videos. Blackline masters are available on the Running Records Dropbox at https://bit.ly/3gnggIq

The work for this book began with a course I created and taught called Animal Behavior. I always knew that there was a strong magnetic bond between people and animals, but it wasn't until I began working on my curriculum that I truly found out how strong this bond really was. Millions of people, young and old, will visit zoos and aquariums each year. People stand in front of the animals, hypnotized by the every movement of the animal. People seemed to be looking not just at the animal, but almost as if they were looking inside these animals, wondering and questioning about the lives of some of our most distant animal relatives. In my classroom, I found the exact same kinds of responses. The discussions and questions of my students motivated me to share with you the lives and abilities of some of the most amazing living creatures in the world. People realize that humans are also animals, but the belief that we have superior intelligence and problem solving abilities makes us think we are far superior to all of the rest of our Animal World. As I began to learn more and lead my student discussions, I soon realized that maybe our intelligence was the only thing that we really did have in our superiority over the rest of our animal relatives. I began to look into the idea of comparing humans to animals in a wide variety of behaviors and activities, and soon a brand new window into the REAL world of animals began to open up. I soon realized that even the most "insignificant" animals in our world were really superstars when compared to humans. By using math, we are able to truly get a comparison of animals and how they relate to our own human abilities. As I began to create the problems and "do-the-math," it became very evident, that I began to get the responses that I had hoped for. I soon began to call these responses, the "Wow factor." A number of times, the teachers that have worked on the problems would actually go back and do the problems a second time because "there has to be a mistake" or "no way that this can be true." There were no mistakes and the math did not lie. The math allowed us to look at the animals in a totally different way. I hope that you too will be amazed and "wowed" by some of these amazing animals that we share our world with.

Two experts on education offer a rich and diverse selection of children's literature and teaching strategies for the K-8 mathematics classroom. Taking advantage of quality, motivating literature during mathematics instruction pays off, especially when teachers and media specialists work together to convey crucial mathematical concepts and standards. Mathematics in the K-8 Classroom and Library shows you how it's done. After an introduction to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics's (NCTM) Principles and Process Standards, each remaining chapter is devoted to an NCTM content standard. The book offers engaging, research-based strategies and booklists of specific titles that, together, can be used to increase student achievement. The strategies suggested here provide a hands-on, student-centered focus that allows students to make connections with prior learning, personal experiences, and good books. Both the recommended children's books and the activities will appeal even to reluctant readers and students for whom mathematics might be a challenge. Each chapter includes an extensive, annotated list of texts, dozens of hands-on activities, handouts, and writing prompts.

Learn how children’s literature can help K–5 students see the real-life applications of mathematical concepts. This user-friendly book shows how to use stories to engage students in building critical reasoning, abstract thinking, and communication skills, all while helping students understand the relevance of math in their everyday lives. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice, and offers examples of children’s literature that can be used to help students develop that practice. You’ll find out how to: Encourage students to persevere in solving mathematical problems and use multiple approaches to find the answer; Help students reason abstractly with the aid of concrete objects and visuals; Guide students in constructing arguments to explain their reasoning and engage in critical discussion with their peers; Teach students to recognize mathematical patterns and use them to solve problems efficiently; And more! The book offers activities for beginners as well as for more advanced problem solvers. Each chapter also provides guidance for ELLs and students with special needs, so no matter your classroom environment, you’ll be able to use these strategies to make math class more dynamic, engaging, and fun.

Compares different measurements of a cheetah's size and speed.

Educators who teach children’s literature at the college level as part of the pre-service experience seldom allocate enough space in the curriculum for nonfiction literature. This book recognizes the viability of nonfiction as a literary genre that demands critical analysis, celebrates storytelling in its varied forms, and invites teacher educators and pre-service teachers, our primary audience, to nurture a spirit of inquiry and skepticism in the classroom. It is an excellent resource for teacher educators looking for a variety of nonfiction texts to include in their literacy curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It also offers critical approaches through which students are encouraged to read these texts, and ideas for critical inquiry with young learners.

Based on extensive research on the features that make children's books appealing and appropriate, this valuable teacher resource offers guidance on selecting books, strategies for specific grade levels, suggestions for extension, and tips for assessment. This teacher-friendly book is organized around the major genres — traditional literature, picture books, nonfiction, poetry, and multicultural texts — that will inspire young readers. Throughout the book, teachers will find suggestions for using literature to implement shared reading, reading aloud, and response strategies with emergent, developing, and independent readers. This comprehensive book is rooted in the belief that educators must consider and offer a wide range of choice to ensure that students read "good" books. It argues that the choices children make about what they read should be governed by their interests and desire to learn; not by a grade or reading level.

Even the youngest readers and writers in today’s classrooms can benefit enormously from engagement with a wide range of traditional and nontraditional texts. This teacher-friendly handbook is packed with creative strategies for introducing K–3 students to fiction, poetry, and plays; informational texts; graphic novels; digital storytelling; Web-based and multimodal texts; hip-hop; advertisements; math problems; and many other types of texts. Prominent authorities explain the research base underlying the book’s 23 complete lessons and provide practical activities and assessments for promoting decoding, fluency, comprehension, and other key literacy skills. Snapshots of diverse classrooms bring the material to life; helpful reproducibles are included.