by John J. Fulford ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
A slim but highly effective guide for teaching the convoluted spellings of English words.
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An author offers a manual for instructors and parents on the best ways to teach students to navigate English spelling.
“Spelling is the unloved stepchild of the English language,” writes Fulford (The Complete Guide to English Spelling Rules, 2012, etc.) in the preface to this spelling guide. “Students hate to study it, teachers are frustrated when they teach it.” With this volume, the author attempts to make the subject a little less of a slog by building his text around the spelling rules that underlie most (though not all) words in the English language. Fulford believes that students learn better when they are offered the how and why of things rather than being forced to accept them without question. These spelling rules provide the how and why of “the various sounds of E,” the QU (plus vowel) combo, and the so-called “Annoying Spellings,” with topics like “Silent First Letters,” “The GH Words,” and “Confusing Homophones.” After a quick but thorough introductory section outlining the history of spelling and how he came to his methods, the author delivers chapters on each of the sounds that compose English words. The chapters present the rule (or rules) relevant to that sound followed by several long lists of spelling words that feature it. For “Combinations Using C,” for example, there are lists for when CH sounds like CH, like K, and like SH. The author occasionally supplies helpful notes to teachers on the difficulty of the concepts and at what stage of the learning process they should be introduced. Fulford writes in calm, practiced prose that communicates his ideas with clarity. His organization system greatly simplifies spelling, making it seem like something anyone could teach without much trouble. The book feels comprehensive at only 123 pages (and most of that just lists of words). Even highly literate readers should find useful rules that they never knew existed (such as how to predict whether a word ends in ABLE or IBLE). Fulford’s goal is to demystify spelling so that it feels less intimidating to both teachers and students, and on that count he has surely succeeded.
A slim but highly effective guide for teaching the convoluted spellings of English words.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-0-9963799-2-2
Page Count: 123
Publisher: Astoria Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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