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Poet and Writer of Books for Children

About Me

A veteran classroom teacher and Language Development Resource Teacher, I wrote educational materials on assignment for many years. Now, I am concentrating on picture books and middle-grade fiction as well as art and photography. 

 

My current project introduces an important math concept in a playful way. It's my first foray into illustration.

In 2001 I wrote copy for Level D of SRA McGraw-Hill's "All-Star Word Studies" series. I also wrote the teacher's edition for that level.

Next, I adapted twenty-eight licensed-character stories for "Disney's Parent and Child Read Together Series." These special early readers were later gathered into thematic anthologies.

During the next two decades, I created dozens of classroom activity books and texts for games on assignment. My publishers included McGraw-Hill, Milliken, Frank Schaffer, Instructional Fair. Edupress, Evan-Moor, School Specialty, Mark Twain Media, Linworth Learning, Highsmith, Learning Wrap-Ups, Carson-Dellosa, and Hameray.

From Edupress

Exploring Nonfiction Grade 5 and Grade 6

Engaging, full-color cards will open doors for exploring nonfiction text!

Each card features a leveled, high-interest nonfiction text in a short, easy-to-digest format
The 24 cards in each pack are divided among 5 text structures: Descriptive, Sequence, Cause/Effect, Problem/Solution and Compare/Contrast
The back of each card features comprehension questions, text-based writing prompts and vocabulary activities, all aligned to Common Core Standards
Each question and activity has the corresponding standards labeled next to it so teachers can assess areas of difficulty
Teachers guide offers tips on teaching text structures and explains how to use the cards individually, in small groups, and in whole-class instruction. Answer key included. 24 cards, 8" x 10"

The card featured on the cover of this set discusses John Otto's role in the creation of the Colorado National Monument. This subject was especially enjoyable to research and write because my husband and I live in the area. We hike the trails and drive along the rim every chance we get. (The photo on the card is Monument Valley, another beautiful location in the Southwest USA.)

Other subjects in this set include the British history and the English Language, potential vs kinetic Energy, Braille, tides of the Bay of Fundy, solar vs lunar eclipses, the Red and Black lands of Egypt, Pasteurization, Salk, penicillin, El Nino, Mesopotamia, Yellowstone's wolves, alpine vs desert biomes, galaxies vs nebulas, Meteor Crater, the Grand Canyon, grizzly bears, igneous rocks, the redwoods, code talkers, Mark Twain, Mendel's peas, and Mount Rushmore.

Common Core Language Arts Workouts Grade 6, Grade 7, and Grade 8

The Common Core Language Arts Workouts: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language Skills Practice series for grades six through eight is designed to help teachers and parents meet the challenges set forth by the Common Core State Standards. Filled with skills practice, critical thinking tasks, and creative exercises, some are practice exercises, while others pose creative or analytical challenges. These workouts make great warm-up or assessment exercises. They can be used to set the stage and teach the content covered by the standards or to assess what students have learned after the content has been taught. Mark Twain Media Publishing Company specializes in providing captivating, supplemental books and decorative resources to complement middle- and upper-grade classrooms. Designed by leading educators, the product line covers a range of subjects including mathematics, sciences, language arts, social studies, history, government, fine arts, and character.

Reinforce critical reading skills with a diverse range of classroom activities!

Each skill available in two reading levels for differentiation
Detailed teacher instruction pages
Leveled reading passages and reproducible activities
Individual, small-group and whole-class activities
Skills and reading levels correspond to our best-selling Reading Comprehension Practice Cards and Learning Well® game titles
48 pp., 8-1/2" x 11"

Centered around Common Core State Standards, Common Core: Complex Issues in Text is designed to help students read both fiction and nonfiction with a critical eye, develop reasoned opinions, and defend ideas with specific examples. Practice pages, student charts, graphic organizers, research challenges, discussion starters, writing prompts, games, group activities, and recommended reading lists enable students to practice: uncovering the author’s purpose; spotting propaganda and bias in nonfiction; sorting credible from unreliable narrators in fiction; seeing one event from multiple points of view; building arguments for informal debates; and using inference and connotation to discover underlying meanings.

This book is filled with fascinating stories, from the night a shy young woman's play changed Broadway to the day the most successful talk show host in history got her start. Find out about the stage actor who once earned letters in four college sports--and who won academic honors, too. Follow the triumphs and disappointments of some of the most famous black entertainers in our nation's history. Rediscover great personalities who have been forgotten. And learn about how the roles of black performers both changed with and helped changed American society.

Black History Month Instructional Accents

Illustrate social studies units with photographs and illustrations of influential Black Americans or spark research and writing activities with important black history events. Two different sets. 24 cards each.

Three Easy-Read Biographies from Hameray!

The Hameray Biography Series is specifically written to meet the needs of reluctant readers in grades 3-8 while matching social studies curriculum. The books are written for students reading at least two levels below their grade. The interest level is for all readers, thanks to the collection's fascinating and relevant content. Providing highly inspirational stories of courageous individuals, the series highlights the lives of people from different cultures, backgrounds and time periods.

Henry Ford made America's most popular automobile for its time. As a businessman, he changed the face of American industry. By introducing assembly lines and paying his workers fair wages, Henry Ford changed how America worked, and how they got to work! But his greatest achievement was building a car almost everyone could own. Starting with his Model T, he really helped put the world on wheels.

Dr. Jane Goodall is one of the world's most famous scientists, having studied chimpanzees in Africa for over 50 years. Her discoveries have transformed the way we think about these fascinating creatures. Throughout the course of her life, she has tirelessly worked to raise awareness about wild animals in Africa, and the people who are trying to save them. Read about her heartwarming work, and how she has become a hero to millions of animal-lovers around the world.

The most famous woman pilot in history, Amelia Earhart is known as much for her mysterious disappearance than her flight career. She was the first woman to fly non-stop across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, by herself. But it was Amelia's last flight that gets the most attention. She completed most of her flight around the world before her plane disappeared. What happened to Amelia Earhart?