Today's students need to be able to do more than score well on tests-they must be creative thinkers and problem solvers. The tools in this book will help teachers and parents start students on the path to becoming innovative, successful individuals in the 21st century workforce. The children in classrooms today will soon become adult members of society: they will need to apply divergent thinking skills to be effective in all aspects of their lives, regardless of their specific occupation. How well your students meet complicated challenges and take advantage of the opportunities before them decades down the road will depend largely upon the kind of thinking they are trained and encouraged to do today. This book provides a game plan for busy librarians and teachers to develop their students' abilities to arrive at new ideas by utilizing children's books at hand. Following an introduction in which the author defines divergent thinking, discusses its characteristics, and establishes its vital importance, chapters dedicated to types of literature for children such as fantasy, poetry, and non-fiction present specific titles and relevant activities geared to fostering divergent thinking in young minds. Parents will find the recommendations of the kinds of books to read with their children and explanations of how to engage their children in conversations that will help their creative thinking skills extremely beneficial. The book also includes a case study of a fourth-grade class that applied the principles of divergent thinking to imagine innovative designs and come up with new ideas while studying a social studies/science unit on ecology. Demonstrates how to use children's literature specifically to foster divergent thinking in students in school and at home Provides specific suggestions for activities and example projects relevant to individual books as well as to entire teaching units Supplies bibliographies of hundreds of recently published children's books recommended for children of different age levels Cites research findings that underscore the vital importance of divergent thinking in today's world and its importance to the business community

This book provides a wealth of read-aloud titles and related activities that provide busy teachers with the tools to help students in grades K-12 become successful writers. Teachers can always benefit from new techniques that allow them to teach writing in a more engaging and enjoyable manner, and a resource that identifies a plethora of excellent children's books that help students become successful writers would also be helpful. Books That Teach Kids to Write introduces busy educators to the finest in children's literature in all genres, appropriate for readers in grades K through 12; and provides effective ideas for using those books to stimulate and improve student writing. This book discusses language use and other critical components of good writing, showcasing the children's books and specific activities that can help both primary and secondary school students. Included reproducibles for the writing exercises make lesson planning simple, while the sheer number of titles discussed and the extensive bibliographies provided minimize the time teachers must spend researching books to use with their students. An appendix includes more writing instruction resources, such as children's books, websites, and professional texts. Includes 14 reproducible sheets that help students practice the skills described in the book Provides extensive bibliographies and references to all the nearly 400 books discussed Contains an index that enables teachers to readily access different topics Presents quotes and advice from 25 experts in the field

The author's aim is to help those working with children to develop in them a knowledge of and enthusiasm for fine art by telling stories that connect to a particular kind of art or artist. Art in Story focuses on art of the ancient world, of the East and Africa, of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Chapters consider the European Masters, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, art of America and Mexico, and computer art. This revision of the bestselling book, Art in Story, published by Linnett Professional Publications in 1997, is aimed at teachers, parents home-schooling their children, and parents and grandparents of young elementary-age children. It would also be an excellent supplementary textbook for arts education methods classes. The author's aim is to help those working with children to develop in them a knowledge of and enthusiasm for fine art by telling stories that connect to a particular kind of art or artist. Art in Story focuses on art of the ancient world, of the East and Africa, of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Chapters consider the European Masters, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, art of America and Mexico, and computer art. Each chapter has background information for the teacher, a story completely written out as it is meant to be told, suggestions for viewing art, a journal writing activity, an art activity related to the type of art being studied, connections to other topics of study, suggestions for drama possibilities, and an extensive bibliography of adult reference as well as children's books and other materials. This new edition presents new chapters on Middle Eastern art and revisions of all other material. The bibliography updates have been extensive. Grades K-6.