Teacher Guides

While I was teaching, I had the opportunity to work with a number of publishers and curriculum developers for a variety of teacher guides and books. 
In addition to the resources below, I have also developed weather based science kits for teachers.
My fascination with weather and time spent as a weathercaster led to work developing curriculum with The Weather Channel.

I hope you have as much fun with the lessons as I have.

Earth Science: Writing Styles Photo Prompts (Grades 4+)

Students will develop a deeper understanding of core science topics through reading and writing exercises that make connections to real life.  As they explore a variety of topics and writing styles, students' writing and higher-level thinking skills improve.  Student writing samples provide an authentic assessment of topic comprehension.

•  Students maximize learning by reading, writing, and reflecting on core science topics
•  Each card features a high-interest photograph, an informational paragraph, and two writing prompts
•  Prompts cover four different writing styles: expository, descriptive, narrative, persuasive
•  Great for centers, test practice, individual and group writing activities, and classroom discussions

32 cards, Published by Highsmith Inc.
Order # EP3703

Earth Works: Teacher Guide  (Grades 3-6)

Learn about the many landforms on earth and the forces that affect their changing shapes.  This guide helps to create easy-to-manage science class units by providing:

• Science background information
• Teaching tips and management suggestions
• Strong assessment features including ongoing and pre- and post-Cluster assessments
• Blackline masters for Student Activity Guides and journals

Co-authored, this guide is written as an enhancement to the Earth Works Science in a Nutshell Cluster Kit which is a thematic science unit that includes materials and activities.

240 pages,  Published by Delta Education
ISBN 0-87504-390-9

Evan Moor Skill Sharpeners Series: Geography, Grades 3 - 6

Skill Sharpeners: Geography engages your child in exploring the world while learning important map skills and geography concepts. The cross-curricular activities integrate the most current geography standards.

Each geography topic includes nonfiction reading selections, comprehension questions, vocabulary practice, writing prompts, and authentic activities that bring the concepts to life. These activities invite your child to be creative while using higher-order thinking skills.
 
The reading selections and activities take students beyond basic geographic understandings and into unique ecosystems, biomes, places and regions, histories, cultures, and social movements within our world. Students make personal connections to their learning by completing expository and creative writing activities as well as hands-on geography projects. Each book includes an answer key.

Grade 3 Activity Book - concepts covered include:

• Tornadoes
• Earthquakes
• Famous mountains
• Rivers
• Volcanoes
• Deserts
• Cultures
• World travel
• Native American history
• Unique water formations
• Early exploration

Grade 4 Activity Book - concepts covered include:

• Earth from space
• Early explorers
• National parks
• Antarctica
• Amazon
• Glaciers
• Rainforests
• Ancient Greece
• Roman waterways
• Time zones
• Large water systems
• Protecting the environment
• Future of Earth’s water

Grade 5 Activity Book - concepts covered include:

History Pockets: Explorers of North America (Grades 4-6)
Learning® Magazine Teachers Choice Award 2004

Bring history alive as students make interactive projects- exploring mysteries of the past.  With History Pockets students are engaged in discovery, while creating portfolios for assessment and display.

96 pages,  Published by Evan-Moor
ISBN 1-55799-905-8

Life Science: Writing Styles Photo Prompts (Grades 4+)

Students will develop a deeper understanding of core science topics through reading and writing exercises that make connections to real life.  As they explore a variety of topics and writing styles, students' writing and higher-level thinking skills improve.  Student writing samples provide an authentic assessment of topic comprehension.

•  Students maximize learning by reading, writing, and reflecting on core science topics
•  Each card features a high-interest photograph, an informational paragraph, and two writing prompts
•  Prompts cover four different writing styles: expository, descriptive, narrative, persuasive
•  Great for centers, test practice, individual and group writing activities, and classroom discussions

32 cards, Published by Highsmith Inc.
Order # EP3701

National Parks Projects

Let National Parks Projects guide your students on a scenic adventure!  As students begin their tours of research and exploration, they'll gain the knowledge and expertise that qualifies them to become national park "rangers" for a day.  Using an integrated approach  that encompasses all curriculum areas, students prepare posters, charts, maps, speeches, debates, and displays to highlight their findings.  Students will be buzzing with enthusiasm as they creatively design ranger stations to feature their knowledge at a national parks fair.  From the ornate underworld of Carlsbad Caverns to the massive icy glaciers of Mount Rainier, students will be enchanted by the scenic wonders of our national parks, appreciate the delicate ecosystems, and gain fresh awareness of environmental issues and concerns.  Don't miss the adventure!  Pack your bags and join this exploration of natural wonder and beauty.

160 pages,  Published by Fearon Teacher Aids
ISBN 0853-934-4

Nonfiction Reading Practice Grade 5

Nonfiction Reading Practice contains 20 units that provide practice with nonfiction reading and comprehension.  The unique format helps the teacher to better accommodate the varied reading levels within the classroom.  Each unit presents three articles on the same topic.  The articles progress in difficulty from easiest to hardest.  The level is shown on the student pages through the use of icons.  Each unit contains a teacher resource page listing suggested vocabulary to introduce.  Each unit also contains a visual aid suitable for reproduction as an overhead transparency. Each article is followed by a reproducible test page to assess comprehension and vocabulary.

The 20 units include topics from the following subject areas:

• social studies

• science

• health and safety

• mathematics

• arts

• biographies

177 pages,  Published by Evan-Moor
ISBN 1-55799-944-9

Physical Science: Writing Styles Photo Prompts (Grades 4+)

Students will develop a deeper understanding of core science topics through reading and writing exercises that make connections to real life.  As they explore a variety of topics and writing styles, students' writing and higher-level thinking skills improve.  Student writing samples provide an authentic assessment of topic comprehension.

•  Students maximize learning by reading, writing, and reflecting on core science topics
•  Each card features a high-interest photograph, an informational paragraph, and two writing prompts
•  Prompts cover four different writing styles: expository, descriptive, narrative, persuasive
•  Great for centers, test practice, individual and group writing activities, and classroom discussions

32 cards, Published by Highsmith Inc.
Order # EP3705

Water World: Teacher Guide  (Grades 3-6)

Learn about the Earth's water, what lives in water, its properties, and its cyclical characteristics. This guide helps to create easy-to-manage science class units by providing:

• Science background information
• Teaching tips and management suggestions
• Strong assessment features including ongoing and pre- and post-Cluster assessments
• Blackline masters for Student Activity Guides and journals

Co-authored, this guide is written as an enhancement to the Water World Science in a Nutshell Cluster Kit which is a thematic science unit that includes materials and activities.

240 pages,  Published by Delta Education
ISBN 1-58356-350-4

The Weather Report: Lesson Plans, Worksheets, and Experiments

Teach your class the hows and whys of the weather- and also teach them elementary physics and geography along the way.  Through more than 80 reproducible worksheets (with answer keys) and dozens of experiments, your students will learn how to read thermometers and barometers, why humid days feel so hot, how to identify different clouds, and much more.

159 pages,  Published by Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories
ISBN 0-8224-7511-1

•      How weather changes from day to day and over the seasons

•      How to describe weather conditions in measurable quantities

•      How water circulates through Earth’s atmosphere

•      How clouds directly affect weather

•      How climate is affected by Earth’s features

•      How local weather conditions can be used to forecast weather

80 pages,  Published by Evan-Moor
ISBN 1-55799-832-9

The World's Best Places: New Ways to Explore Diverse Cultures and Environments

Now you can foster an appreciation of the world's diverse cultures and environments at the same time that you teach science and social studies. The World's Best Places offers an intriguing alternative to traditional upper elementary and middle school lesson plans, using thirty-two of the world's most popular natural national parks as a springboard for activities.

The activities in this book are divided into chapters that deal with particular topics of study: wildlife, plantlife, geography, and geology. The book can be easily organized around your own curriculum and is as flexible as you want to make it. You can explore the volcanic activity of a particular park to support a science unit on geology; or examine the effect of human activity on the environment to complement a social studies inquiry. Step-by-step instructions illustrate how the activities can be implemented to teach a range of other topics including:

* glaciers * endangered species * indigenous cultures * forest preservation and destruction * ecosystems * biological diversity * and much more.

In short, The World's Best Places will help you lead your students from curiosity to experience, from questions to knowledge, and from information to grand classroom displays.

114 pages,  Published by Heinemann
ISBN 0-325-00003-4