BOOKS FOR CHILDREN, EDUCATION, AND HOMESCHOOLING
Home of Barb's People Builders

Education is our business!
We supply the literature, workbooks, and teaching materials you need in all subjects, preschool through high school.

STUDY AND REFERENCE SKILLS

Basic Not Boring Study and Research, Middle Grades, Exercises by Joy Mackenzie. Incentive Publications, 1997. Books in this series present skills in a carefully researched sequence, and features exercises based on age-appropriate, high-interest themes. The goal is to make fundamental skills exciting and achievable. The exercises in these books can be used to introduce new skills, review previously taught material, assess skills and content, and encourage the use of higher order thinking skills.  Imogene Forte and Marjorie Frank developed the concept for this series. This book features a detective theme. Students investigate a tip left by an anonymous caller and follow an old map to find buried treasure while learning how to solve real-life research mysteries. Students will learn to listen for information; use a table of contents; use a variety of reference books; locate information in newspapers; interpret charts, tables, and diagrams; use the library; organize information to give a report; and outline and summarize information.   64 pages. Reproducible. For grades 6-8+. BTH-3431. $8.99-D

Developing Listening Skills, Intermediate, by Debra Housel. Teacher Created Materials, 160 pages. Listening skills are important for following directions and understanding concepts. They correlate closely with reading behaviors such as auditory memory and  reading with expression. Students who learn to be active listeners will usually also develop their reading comprehension skills as a byproduct. Helping students become better listeners who understand and remember what they hear and take adequate notes when appropriate isn't an easy task. But this book helps by offering a logical and sequential step-by-step process to help students in grades 3-5 recognize what information is important, take effective notes, and express their understanding in written responses.

Students begin with basic listening skill-building activities, learn to tell the difference between fact and opinion, and learn to recognize which key words signal that important information is to follow.  After these introductory activities, there are 12 different passages to read from four different genres: folktales, literature selections, magazine articles, and newspaper articles. These are read aloud by the teacher, and students respond to what they hear in writing. The passages progress in difficulty. Student response worksheets are reproducible for classroom use. BTH-469. $13.49-D

Dictionary Skills series from Steck-Vaughn. This reproducible series for grades 2-6 shows students how, when, and why to use the dictionary. Student-directed, hands-on activities help students understand why dictionaries are useful. Real-world application activities are designed for independent student completion include a definition, sample problem, and detailed instructions. Each book is 32 pages long. Available titles are below. Cover art is the same for all books except for title color and grade level. Books are $5.36-D each

Directions Connections: Interactive Games for the Classroom by Dorothy VanderJagt. Incentive Publications, 2006. This book has 8 complete classroom games. Laminate the colored game cards and cut them out. Students will enjoy actively practicing standards-based skills. The games can be stored in manila folders or plastic portfolios -- there's even a label for the folder included, as well as an answer key and reproducible pages to introduce the different kinds of directions used in the games. Game topics include The Importance of Following Directions; Nonverbal Directions; and Verbal Directions. 160 pages. For the Middle Grades 5-8.  BTH-3026. $17.96-D

Exam Intelligence: The Ultimate Resource for Improving Study Skills by Patrick Sherratt. Educational Impressions, 2007. For grades 7-12. This book is packed with all the information a student needs to learn to prepare for any kind of testing. It is divided into four sections: Preparation and Planning, How to Review, How to Retain, and How to Recall. Topics included are relaxation, understanding how the brain works, learning styles and methods, thinking styles, multiple intelligences, preparing a study environment, setting goals, time management, concentration, reading techniques, note taking, memory tools and training the memory, what to do the night before the exam, and how to actually tackle the exam when it's in front of you, and how to handle problems that occur during the exam, such as memory blocks. Can be used by individuals or by teachers of study skills. Reproducible. Clever and humorous graphics and eye-catching headers, outlines, and lists make the book user-friendly. 82 pages. BTH-3879. $13.46-D

 Famous People Puzzles: Exercises in Inference and Research by Carolyn Powell. This book contains scraps of imagined papers left by famous people. For grades 5-8. The students take these fragments and exercise their deductive reasoning skills as they try to flesh out their clues with research to find out who "wrote" the fragments. The subjects represent different areas of the world, periods of history, sexes, and occupations. All are individuals who have made their mark on the world. Each unit contains general information for the instructor, the personal mementos to be duplicated and given to students, a reproducible page for students to take notes on their research, a page where students can write a biography of their famous person, and a reference log form. Subjects covered are Louis Armstrong, Julius Caesar, Jacques Cousteau, Marie Curie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Nelson Mandela, Edson Arantes do Nascinento (Pelé), Georgia O'Keeffe, Sacagawea, William Shakespeare, and Harriet Tubman. 16 units and 61 pages in all. Reproducible for classroom use. BTH-155. $10.76-D

Investigator by Jan Wishau, produced by Dandy Lion Publications. For grades 4-7. If your students meet the challenge of research projects with dread rather than enthusiasm, it may be that they are overwhelmed by the task. With this step-by-step guide for completing and presenting an in-depth research project students will develop research skills as they gather information, organize their ideas, and communicate their information via an oral presentation and a written report. They will learn how to use:

• library resources
• select a research topic
• write a business letter
• write a biography
• conduct an interview
• take a survey
• make a speech.

The end result is not only a polished presentation of an individually selected topic of study but also research and presention skills they can use in future learning projects. This clear format fosters independent research and leads to successful projects every time. Cat. #DL-39. $8.06-D

Learn to Listen, Listen to Learn by Jennifer Loughton. Educational Impressions, 2007. This book is focused on teaching active listening as a language function: its processes, its importance in communication, its role in critical thinking and evaluation, and its relationship to speaking. Reproducible lessons are divided into three sections: Listening and Communicating, Ways of Listening, and Being a Better Listener. Included in the lessons are such things as motivation in learning to listen, levels of listening, critical listening, reflective listening, discerning the feelings behind words, and much more. Lesson material utilizes many types of materials and methods including conversations, diagrams, self-quizzes, answering questions, even Shakespeare quotes. Since answers are open-ended and will vary, there is no answer key.  Intended for grades 5-8 but could also be used with higher grades or even adults. 56 pages.
 BTH- 3878. $10.76-D

Note-Taking and Outlining by Steck-Vaughn. Part of the Middle School Collection series. Contains pretest followed by information on reference materials and using the library. This is followed by a unit on note-taking, including taking notes based on an interview. Students learn to take notes on what they read and on what they find on the Internet as they prepare to make written reports. Students also learn what to do with notes after they take them -- how to organize, summarize, paraphrase. Students are then given some passages to practice what they've learned about taking notes.

The second part of the book focuses on how to outline a topic, use supporting details in outline form, use footnotes and the appendix of a book, document sources, and write a bibliography. There is a posttest at the end of the book. 48 pages. For Junior High, or High School students in need of remediation. BTH-1004. $7.19-D

Painless Research Projects by Rebecca and James Elliott. Barron's 1998, 260 pages. Do you need to do a report that involves research? Do you not even know how to start? Then this book will show you how it can be done painlessly. The author will help you choose a topic, guide you through the library, show you how to interview experts for information, use the Internet, take good notes, write a rough draft, polish it, and turn it into a finished report. Along the way, you may discover that research can be as much fun as a treasure hunt. For grade eight and above. BTH-411. $8.06-D

Research and Reference by Steck-Vaughn. Part of the Middle School Collection series. Paper, reproducible, 49 pages with answers. Contains pretest followed by information on choosing and using various reference materials and finding what one needs in the library and on-line.  This section is followed by a posttest.  The next section begins with an Analysis Test and then teaches students how to write a research report. At the end they are asked write four brief research reports. For Junior High, or High School students in need of remediation. BTH-1005. $7.19-D

Study Skills series from Steck-Vaughn. These reproducible workbooks teach the skills and habits students need to succeed with class work, homework, and standardized tests. Activities address such essentials as following directions, using reference materials, learning the parts of a book, understanding literature, and improving reading comprehension.  These books are excellent  practice for standardized tests. 96 perforated pages with bound-in answer key. Available for grades 2-6. Use SV as a catalog number, the title (Study Skills) and the grade number when ordering. (Example: SV Study Skills, grade 3) Each book is $10.79-D

Using Information Resources, Steck-Vaughn, 2009.  Works to build students' confidence in using information resources independently and successfully, leading to improved reading comprehension, writing, and performance on standardized tests. Books in this series discuss the use of  almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, magazines, thesauruses, maps, graphs and Web sites, though not every book covers all of these. Includes Glossary and answers.  64 pages. Reproducible for classroom use. Available for grades 2 - 6.

      Using Information Resources Grade 2. Resources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, magazines, thesauruses, text features, maps and graphs, and Web sites. BTH-4656. $8.00-D

    Using Information Resources Grade 3. Works to build students' confidence in using information resources independently and successfully, leading to improved reading comprehension, writing, and performance on standardized tests. Resources include online catalogs, dictionaries, text features, maps, tables, visual diagrams, graphs, time lines, and Web sites.  BTH-4657. $8.00-D

    Using Information Resources Grade 4. Resources include almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, text features, tables, schedules, graphs, time lines, thesauruses, and Web sites. BTH-4658. $8.00-D

    Using Information Resources Grade 5. Resources include almanacs, news articles, brochures, advertisements, text features, charts, maps, diagrams, dictionaries, and Web sites. BTH-4659. $8.00-D

     Using Information Resources Grade 6. Resources include almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, magazines, electronic databases, text features, concept webs, outlines, circle graphs, and Web sites.  BTH-4660. $8.00-D

We're in the Pacific Time Zone
Our normal office hours when we answer the phone are 10: 30 AM - 4 PM Monday - Friday.
We answer email and ship at other times, but normally take Sundays off.
 You can fax your purchase orders to 805-237-8639, but it's good to follow up with a phone call in a couple of days to make sure we got it, if you did not receive a delivery confirmation email. Please include an email address with your purchase order in case we have questions and so we can send your delivery confirmation number to you.  You can also attach a signed purchase order to an email.

 We prefer you ask your questions about products and availability by e-mail (barbsbooks@sbcglobal.net), since that gives us more time to prepare a thoughtful answer and keeps us from playing phone tag. Please remember to put our email address in your address book if you have a spam filter or you won't ever get your answer unless you also leave a phone number. We cannot usually tell you immediately over the phone if a book is here. We have to walk two blocks to check the warehouse, so I usually have to call you back or email you anyway.  We do check our e-mail frequently throughout the day when we are at home. If we should be out, and you leave a message on our answering machine, we sometimes cannot hear the phone number clearly to return your call. Those are some reasons why we recommend you email us first. If you want us to call you, please leave your phone number and time zone.
When you do email us, please do not leave the subject blank or just say "Hi" or "Hello" as the subject. We delete those before opening because a lot of spam messages look like that. 
We have supplied a subject line in the link provided above that will guarantee your mail will be opened fast.
Or call (800)925-8587 (not before 10 AM or after 10 PM Pacific Time)
We receive a small commission from some links to third party sites with whom we have an affiliate relationship.

About Us / Upcoming Events
Back to Home Page / Privacy and Disclosure Statement (updated in December, 2011)
Articles / Catalog / Awards
Contact Information
Links to our Favorite Sites / Frequently Asked Questions