What to Look (Out) For If You Are Purchasing Instructional Materials for English I-IV

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Stack of instructional materials; male student writing while in notebook while leaning on the stack of books.

Learning List recently completed reviews of the instructional materials submitted for state adoption in Texas for the following courses: English I-IV, Practical Writing, Reading, Journalism, English Learner Language Arts (ELLA), and College Readiness and Study Skills (CRSS).

We reviewed materials from eleven publishers for English I-IV, two publishers each for Journalism, College Readiness and Study Skills, and Practical Writing Skills, and one publisher each for Reading and ELLA (middle school). All reviews are published on the Learning List.com.

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New Product: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Into Literature for High School ELA (CCSS)

Into Literature

Are your teachers ready for new ELA materials for high school?  Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Into Literature.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Into Literature is a comprehensive literacy program that supports English language arts instruction for grades 9 through 12. Content is available in print and digital formats. Instruction develops students’ reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking skills with learning activities that provide numerous opportunities and structures for effective group and partner work.

Into Literature integrates reading and writing instruction. The program provides an abundance of high-quality, thought provoking reading selections.  Text sets for each unit correlate to numerous themes and topics. Formal writing instruction occurs at the end of units and generally serves as a culminating task.

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New Curriculum Review: Edmentum’s High School Science

Edmentum Logo

Are you looking for a fully digital product for high school science? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Edmentum’s high school science courses.

Edmentum’s High School Science is a comprehensive high school science program. Learning List recently reviewed the material for high school biology, chemistry, and physics. The goal of the courses is to provide rigorous, relevant instruction  through interactive, media-rich content. 

Edmentum provides a comprehensive digital experience with a learning management system (LMS) that is easy to navigate and encourages students to monitor their own progress through progress reports, portfolios, and self-evaluation.

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New Product Review: Edgenuity Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, and Physics

[Source: Edgenuity]
Learning List recently reviewed Edgenuity’s Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, and Physics courses. These video-based courses address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and are appropriate for blended learning and/or self-paced instruction. However, teacher involvement improves rigor and increases the likelihood of student success.

A guiding question, such as “What is the relationship between hypotheses, theories, and laws?” forms the basis of each lesson. A variety of teachers provide instruction in short video lectures, supported by notes, demonstrations, guided practice, and brief checks for understanding. Some lessons include activities such as using Gizmos to explore Mystery Powder Analysis. Each lesson concludes with a teacher-led review, practice activities, and a short quiz. Each unit ends with a multiple-choice test. [Read more. . . ]

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New Product Review: Edgenuity Texas Algebraic Reasoning

Algebraic ReasoningEdgenuity provides a comprehensive, online course that supports instruction in Texas high school Algebraic Reasoning courses. Content addresses the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and is appropriate for blended learning and/or self-paced instructional environments. Video-based lessons focus on developing students’ understanding of algebraic concepts and the applications of algebra in solving real-world problems.

Algebraic Reasoning deepens students’ understanding of a variety of functions (e.g., polynomial, rational, logarithmic) and introduces advanced concepts in algebra, such as matrices and their applications. Students learn to interpret, analyze, compare, contrast, and connect functions in both mathematical and real-world solutions. Instruction addresses the use of models to solve real world problems. Content is organized in ten units that are made up of lessons that address specific concepts (e.g., function inverses, Cramer’s Rule). [Read More…]

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New Product Review: Savvas Stats in Your World

Learning List has reviewed Savvas’s Stats in Your World, which is a comprehensive product that supports instruction in high school statistics courses. Content is available in print and eBook formats and includes a variety of resources housed in Savvas’s “MyStatLab™” online platform. Instruction emphasizes the use of real-world data to introduce statistical concepts, develop statistical analysis skills, and enable students to “think statistically.”

Stats in Your World’s examples focus on real-world problems and applications of statistics that will be familiar to college-bound students (e.g., random assignment of students to dorms) and each chapter contains a discussion of common errors made in analyzing statistical data and interpreting results. [Read more…]

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New Product Review: Savvas Elementary Statistics: Picturing the World

Learning List has reviewed Savvas’s Elementary Statistics: Picturing the World, which is a comprehensive product that supports instruction in high school statistics courses. Content is available in print and eBook formats and includes a variety of resources housed in Savvas’s “MyLab™” online platform. Instruction is algebra-based and emphasizes the importance of statistics in real-world contexts and the practical applications of skills.Statistics

Elementary Statistics begins with a preface that describes the course’s resources, including those found in MyStatLab and a short “How to Study Statistics” feature that provides a set of study strategies. MyStatLab contains an “Orientation” and “Getting Ready for Statistics” activities that are not included in the text. Elementary Statistics text-based content is organized in four parts: (1) Descriptive Statistics, (2) Probability and Probability Distributions, (3) Statistical Inference, and (4) More Statistical Inference. [Read More…]

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New Product Review: Savvas Using & Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach

Learning List has reviewed Savvas’s Using & Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach. This comprehensive product supports instruction in Texas’ Advanced Quantitative Reasoning (AQR) high school courses. Content is available in print and eBook formats and includes a variety of resources housed in Savvas’s “MyLab™ Math” online platform. Instruction emphasizes the importance of quantitative reasoning skills in real-world contexts and the practical applications of skills. calculator and papers

Using & Understanding Mathematics begins with a Prologue that discusses how knowledge of mathematics is important in life and careers and seeks to dispel negative attitudes about mathematics (e.g., “Math is irrelevant to my life.”). Core content is presented in twelve chapters that address the relevance of mathematics in everyday contexts. Some chapter titles include “Managing Money,” “Modeling Our World,” and “Mathematics and Politics.” [Read More…]

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New Product Review: Ramsey Education Foundations in Personal Finance: High School Edition

The Lampo Group Ramsey

Learning List recently reviewed Ramsey Education’s Foundations in Personal Finance: High School Edition, which was submitted for state adoption in Texas in response to the Texas Education Agency’s Proclamation 2019 call for high school Personal Financial Literacy products aligned to the new PFL Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Foundations in Personal Finance: High School Edition is a comprehensive resource to support instruction in Texas high school PFL courses. Content is available in print and online formats. The program integrates videos featuring financial experts with text-based content. Instruction addresses avoiding debt, budgeting effectively, investing, and giving.

Foundations in Personal Finance includes a direct instruction videos in which a financial expert explains some aspect of personal finance (e.g., “Basic Rules of Investing”). Most videos are developed specifically for the course, and some feature the authors speaking to an audience of students about the importance of money management. Print-based resources roughly correspond to Ramsey Education’s Foundations in Personal Finance online course (i.e., the two versions are not identical), and both versions incorporate videos. The print version includes a student workbook that accompanies the videos. The workbook cues students when to watch the video and includes pages with fill-in-the blank sentences that students complete while they watch. After the video, students respond to content in prompts for short journal entries (e.g., “If you were giving advice to a friend, what would you say are the most important things to know about investing?”). 

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New Product Review: Decker & Associates Real Life Personal Finance

Decker and Associates Finance

Learning List recently reviewed Decker & Associates’ Real Life Personal Finance (RLPF), which was submitted for state adoption in Texas in response to the Texas Education Agency’s Proclamation 2019 call for high school Personal Financial Literacy products aligned to the new PFL Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). RLPF is a comprehensive resource that supports instruction in Texas high school Personal Financial Literacy courses. Content is available online. Resources support independent study and are appropriate for students in self-paced and credit recovery learning environments. Instruction emphasizes the importance of post-secondary education in achieving career goals.

RLPF is aspirational in tone. Instruction asks a student to consider the lifestyle they would like in the future, the earnings needed to support that lifestyle, and how current decisions may affect their ability to achieve their goals. Instruction helps students identify career interests and addresses the importance of post-secondary education in pursuing career choices. [Read more…]

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