Instructional Materials Reviewed

New Product Review: Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Texas

September 6, 2022November 21, 2018

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Texas is a comprehensive handwriting product for students in grades K-5. Content is available in print and digital formats. Instruction emphasizes legibility and the real-world applications of handwriting. Lessons integrate content from other subject areas, including language arts and social studies. A Spanish-language version of the full K-5 product—La escritura—is also available from Zaner-Bloser. Learning List has reviewed La escritura.

At each grade level, Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Texas begins with a “Getting Started” unit that introduces handwriting concepts (e.g., stroke, spacing, posture) and program resources (e.g., QR Codes/tutorials). Getting Started includes a pretest and, where appropriate, a review of previously learned skills. The second and third units at each grade level address the formation of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and the use of letters and numbers in the writing of words, sentences, and compositions. The fourth and final unit at each grade is titled “Using What You Have Learned” and focuses on the real-world applications of handwriting. Cursive is introduced in grade 2. [Read more…]

New Product Review: Perfection Learning’s Benson Handwriting with Reading and Language Arts

August 12, 2022November 19, 2018

Perfection Learning’s Benson Handwriting with Reading and Language Arts is a comprehensive handwriting product for students in grades K-5. Core content is available in print format and includes software-based and online resources. This review is of print materials only. Handwriting instruction emphasizes fluency and legibility. Students learn to print in grades K and 1, and to use cursive in grades 2 and 3. At grades 4 and 5, students apply handwriting skills in tasks related to English language arts and reading (ELAR). Learning List also reviewed Benson Escritura, the Spanish-language version of Benson Handwriting.

Benson Handwriting organizes content in grades K-3 in units that group letters based on the strokes used to form the letters. For example, in grades K and 1, the printed letters L, I, T, and F are grouped in a unit because they begin with same pencil stroke. Students transition from print to cursive in grade 2. Workbooks at grades 4 and 5 revisit handwriting basics (e.g., letter and number formation), but most instruction is delivered in lessons that address ELAR/SLAR content such as root words, subject/verb agreement, and approaches to text structure (e.g., compare/contrast). [Read more…]

New Product Review: InterEthnic Alphabet Harbor/Harbor Friends Series

July 24, 2022November 14, 2018

InterEthnic’s Alphabet Harbor/Harbor Friends Series is a comprehensive handwriting product for grades K-5. Content is available in print format. Grades K and 1 address printing. Grades 2-5 develop cursive writing skills. Instruction emphasizes the connection between written letters and their sounds. Letters are personified as “Harbor Friends” or “Harbor Pals” using clipart images of children and animals (e.g., Zany Z).

At each grade level, the Harbor Friends handwriting series presents content in a consumable “Student Workbook.” At grades K and 1, instruction is organized in terms of the alphabet. At grades 2-5, lessons are organized in terms of letters with the same shape in their initial strokes. For example, lower-case letters that begin with a “short swoop up” (r, s, j, and p) are taught in the same section. Across grades each letter is represented by a “Harbor Friend” or “Harbor Pal” (i.e., a clipart image of a boy, girl, or animal) and a poem that describes the letter’s formation. Where appropriate, letter sounds and letter identification are integrated with handwriting instruction. [Read more…]

New Product Review: Savvas Words Their Way: Word Study In Action Developmental Model

August 12, 2022November 12, 2018

Savvas’s Words Their Way (WTW): Word Study In Action Developmental Model is a supplemental product that supports reading and language arts instruction in grades K-5. Content is available in print and digital formats. Learning List recently reviewed WTW’s print and CD-ROM/DVD resources. The program uses the word study instructional model to teach phonics, spelling, word recognition, and vocabulary skills.

WTW organizes content in terms of five spelling stages: (1) Emergent-Early Letter Name, (2) Letter Name, (3) Within Word Patterns, (4) Syllables and Affixes, and (5) Derivational Relations. Across stages, instruction is centered on sorting words. That is, students learn to group words according to a set of categories that facilitate comparing and contrasting. For example, students learn to sort words or pictures by concept (e.g., fruit not a fruit), sounds (e.g., beginning sounds), letter recognition, word families (e.g., mixed vowels), and roots (e.g., Greek vs. Latin). [Read more…]

New Product Review: Learning Without Tears Handwriting Without Tears (English and Spanish)

August 12, 2022November 7, 2018

Learning Without Tears’ Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) is a comprehensive handwriting product for grades K-5. Core content is available in print format. Digital teaching resources also are available. This review is of print resources only. Instruction focuses on printing skills in grades K-1 and cursive writing in grades 2-5. HWT is available in English and Spanish and includes developmentally appropriate visual, tactile, auditory, and kinesthetic activities that build handwriting skills.

Instruction is provided in 15-minute periods that fit easily into classroom routines. Content is cross-curricular and contains connections to other subject areas, particularly reading and writing. Teacher’s guides provide comprehensive guidance in teaching handwriting instruction and include detailed lesson plans. HWT’s Handwriting Interactive Teaching Tool (HITT) is available separately from the publisher and contains a variety of digital tools. [Read more…]

New Product Review: Edmentum’s Courseware High School English

August 12, 2022November 5, 2018

Edmentum’s Courseware™ is an online program that supports instruction in self-paced, remediation, and credit recovery programs. Courseware provides comprehensive instruction in each of the core subjects, as well as in other content areas (e.g., world languages). Learning List recently reviewed Courseware’s sequence of high school English courses. Instruction is provided online and includes printable materials.

At each grade level, content is presented in two semester-long courses, and each semester is made up of three units. Each unit begins with a pre-test that assesses students’ mastery of learning objectives. Based on pre-test results, teachers may exempt students from some or all of the unit’s lessons or use results to provide targeted remediation. [Read more…]

New Curriculum Review: Savvas Texas myView Literacy

August 22, 2022October 31, 2018

Learning List recently reviewed Savvas’s Texas myView Literacy, submitted for state adoption in Texas. Texas myView Literacy is a comprehensive English language arts and reading product for grades K-5 available in print and digital formats. This review is of online materials only. Instruction is organized using sets of mini-lessons that facilitate flexible instructional planning and a variety of instructional models.

Across grades, myView Literacy is organized in five 6-week units. Each unit addresses a cross-curricular theme focused on an essential question. For example, a grade 4 unit titled “Diversity” integrates social studies topics and asks: “How can we reach new understandings through exploring diversity?”

Each unit features a “Spotlight” genre that is the focus of instruction (e.g., informational texts) and includes works from additional genres. Across units, instruction provides a balance of authentic literary and informational texts. Students learn to read different types of content, such as maps, infographics, and timelines. [Read more…]

New Product Review: Savvas’s myPerspectives Texas

July 21, 2022October 29, 2018

Learning List recently reviewed Savvas’s myPerspectives Texas, which was submitted for state adoption in Texas in response to the Texas Education Agency’s Proclamation 2019 call for K-8 English language arts and reading (ELAR) products aligned to the new ELAR Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). myPerspectives Texas is a comprehensive product that supports English language arts instruction in grades 6-12. Learning List reviewed resources for grades 6-8. Content is available in print and online formats and facilitates instruction in blended learning environments.

myPerspectives Texas is a student-centered program that develops close reading skills and students’ ability to communicate effectively in written and spoken formats. At each grade level, content is organized in five 6-week thematic units (e.g., “Facing Adversity”). As its title suggests, myPerspectives explores authors’ points-of-view and helps students develop their own perspectives. Units present a balance of literary and informational texts and a variety of genres from a range of time periods. Readings have diverse authorship and represent protagonists and themes that reflect a variety of experiences, support inclusion, and facilitate understanding. Instruction provides opportunities for students to respond to non-print texts, such as videos, radio plays, and television interviews. [Read more…]

New Product Review: McGraw Hill Texas Wonders

August 12, 2022October 24, 2018

Learning List recently reviewed McGraw Hill’s Texas Wonders, which was submitted for state adoption in Texas in response to the Texas Education Agency’s Proclamation 2019 call for K-8 English language arts and reading (ELAR) products aligned to the new ELAR Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Texas Wonders is a comprehensive reading and language arts program for students in grades K-5. Materials are available in print and digital formats. At each grade level, instruction incorporates a balance of literary and informational texts to build close reading, analytic writing, and speaking and listening skills. Wonders also emphasizes the development of social and emotional learning.

Across grades, Wonders is structured to “Teach the Whole Child.” Instruction emphasizes the habits of learning (e.g., thinking critically, solving problems), social and emotional skills, and a positive classroom culture. At each grade level, Texas Wonders student resources include a “Reading/Writing Companion” and a “Practice Book.” The Reading/Writing Companion is at the center of instruction. The Companion addresses close reading skills, collaborative conversations, analytic writing, and foundational skills (e.g., phonics). Instruction focuses on the reading and rereading of authentic literary and informational texts for specific purposes, and the use of textual evidence to support conclusions and opinions in spoken and written communication. Students learn to discuss what they read and to produce written products that use textual evidence to support a particular view or response. [Read more…]

New Product Review: Istation

August 12, 2022October 22, 2018

Learning List recently reviewed Istation, which was submitted for state adoption in Texas in response to the Texas Education Agency’s Proclamation 2019 call for K-8 English language arts and reading (ELAR) and Spanish language arts (SLAR) products aligned to the new ELAR and SLAR Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Istation is a supplemental reading and writing program for grades PK-8. Content is available in English and Spanish. Instruction is presented digitally and includes printable resources. The adaptive program identifies and addresses gaps in student learning and supports intervention at each Response to Intervention (RtI) tier. Across grades, the program develops vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and word analysis skills.

Istation provides personalized, adaptive instruction in specific reading skills. Students complete the “Istation Indicator of Progress” (ISIP) at the beginning of the year and each month thereafter. Animated characters provide directions for ISIP tasks and examples of how to enter responses. ISIP is available in English and Spanish. Based on ISIP results, the program prescribes specific learning activities and the usage time needed to address individual student learning gaps. As students move along individualized learning paths, instruction adapts, providing more or less challenging content based on student progress. [Read more…]

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