Transformations in Stories and Arguments explores essential questions, such as "How does the development of a character build the reader's understanding? How do the actions of others change the world? How do words and images impact our thinking?" This unit, developed by Vanderbilt University's Programs for Talented Youth, is aligned to the Common Core State Standards and features accelerated content, creative products, differentiated tasks, engaging activities, and the use of in-depth analysis models to develop sophisticated skills in the language arts. Through the lens of transformation, students will examine narrative and persuasive elements essential to the analysis of short stories, advertisements, visual art, scientific argumentation, and their own writing. Students will discover transformations in themselves and their written work as they craft and revise narrative and persuasive pieces, realizing their own voice in the process. Ideal for gifted classrooms or gifted pull-out groups, the unit features stories by Dan Santat, Fiona Roberton, Jannell Cannon, Christopher Myers, Maurice Sendak, Daniel Manus Pinkwater, Jane Yolen, and Patricia Polacco; poetry by Carl Sandburg; sculptures by Arturo Di Modica and Kristen Visbal; a viewing of Pixar's short film Lou and a variety of commercials; and engaging short nonfiction readings. Winner of the 2015 NAGC Curriculum Studies Award Grades 2-4

Peak Performance Table Tennis comprehensively covers game aspects needed for peak performance and provides action steps for athletes to ensure they perform at their peak when it matters most. This book contains cutting-edge sports science, curated specifically for table tennis athletes. It dives deep into sports nutrition, supplementation, training methodologies, advanced recovery tactics, injury prevention, psychological and emotional skills training, motor learning, and more.

Melee Live is a print magazine of poetry, politics and art which also has a substantial online presence. Melee Live is the descendant of Melee magazine, which quickly got the attention of the international poetry community in 2007. Melee Live. No.1. Winter 2011. THE MFA SCHOOL: A call for submissions was sent to every MFA writing program in the country requesting one poem only from any student currently enrolled. We received over 200 submissions (via email) from 57 writing programs. Five poems were selected from five poets to be included in this issue. One story was solicited to provide some balance. This issue also contains commentary and an editor's note which addresses the question of what it means to be an American poet. What it means to be in The MFA School. IN THE MFA SCHOOL ISSUE: Kaj Anderson-Bauer, J. R. Bouchard, Jen Coleman, Kevin Finn, Jess Quinlan, Todd B. Stevens. Ed Sanders also provides a comment on The MFA School. Melee Live is published three times a year, in conjunction with Melee Live Monthly: a new pocket-sized monthly magazine which includes one poet, one story and one essay or one translation in each monthly issue. Melee Live and Melee Live Monthly are published by USPOCO BOOKS, the publishing division of us poetry company. S U B M I S S I O N S Melee Live Monthly: Submissions are read year round. A response is only guaranteed if the work is accepted. We make no claims about "simultaneous submissions." Submit your work wherever you want, silly After three weeks, if you have not heard from our staff, you may inquire (via one email) on the status of a submitted work. Send all submissions (five to ten pages of poetry, one story or one essay) to [email protected]. Include current month, genre and writer's last name in the subject line. Submissions may also be considered for publication @ ManuFacturedArtists.com, a blog of the arts. Do not include "contributor's notes" or bios, for we do not publish them. Melee Live: Most issues are themed. In un-themed issues, submissions are solicited. Melee Live has no open reading period. If submitting a relevant work for a themed issue, send your submission, in any format, to [email protected]. We only accept email submissions. THE NEW ROTATING EDITORSHIP: Each volume of Melee Live includes three issues published over one calendar year, Januaryish, Aprilish and Septemberish. Editorial duties will be passed on each year (method to be determined by current editor), including full creative control of the magazine for all three issues of the volume. The magazine may be housed anywhere in the US, provided certain guidelines are met in documenting all agreements/contracts for a given volume. For more information on the rotating editorship (or to apply for the editor position for Volume 2), email the editors at [email protected]. Visit us in the Live Connection at uspoco.com and ManuFacturedArtsits.com.