School Textbook Publishers

So, it’s September 1, is everyone back to school? Funny how school starting dates vary so much depending on where you are. Here our kids go back in about the third week of August, while some states have passed laws that school cannot start until September 1. Anyway, I imagine most everyone is back of very close to it.

Here at Kendall Hunt, September 1 and the beginning of school mark the beginning of a new year for us too. This year we’re pretty excited about some things. We’re going to be offering a host of new digital learning opportunities in the PreK-12 area. As all school textbook publishers work to keep pace with technology, Kendall Hunt Publishing is no different. Most schools are moving toward using an online science curriculum or an online math curriculum, and we’ll be right there with the tool you need.

So, watch this space as we move through the school year, we’ll be rolling out all kinds of new and exciting learning tool!

That first day of school isn’t far away now, is it? My son starts 5^th grade this Fall, which, due to a very crowded elementary school, is the first year of middle school in our town. While he’s pretty excited, I’m of course suffering from, “Ack, my baby’s going to middle school, where has the time gone?” syndrome.

All this talk about middle school got me looking in depth at Kendall Hunt Publishing’s middle school offerings this week. We talk a lot about high school science textbooks and elementary education books, but we don’t talk all that much about middle school. But have you checked out our new Math Innovations program? It’s amazing. It develops mathematical habits of mind, teaching students to think like mathematicians. It improves the reasoning and critical thinking skills that are crucial to success in the 21^st century.

Math Innovations offers textbooks, but is also a robust online math curriculum with an array of technology options to enhance and supplement the text. Three grade levels and five units per grade allows for customized alignment to state and district standards. Check it out when you have a chance!!

As you float in the pool or sink the ball on the 8^th hole, I’m sure the upcoming school year seems far off. But I have to ask this question, more out of curiosity than anything else: What do you do in the summer to prepare for the new school year? Is there a rhythm to your summer? If you’re a teacher of gifted students, my guess is preparing lesson plans for gifted and talented is at the top of your priority list. How about those of you who teach inquiry based science? Do you spend hours sitting on your deck pouring over physical science textbooks as you soak up the rays? Wait, I forgot, we’re not supposed to soak up the rays anymore, sorry.

No doubt that school is never far from your minds. Here at Kendall Hunt Publishing summer is actually our busiest time. It’s when we finalize all our new and revised titles, and begin filling orders from school districts and college bookstores around the country. There’s a rhythm to the summer here, starts out quietly enough then builds to a frenzy by the end of August. It’s kind of comforting. Not as comforting, mind you, as the rhythm of my hammock swinging back and forth between my two big maple trees, but hey, we take what we can get, right?

In my last post I introduced you to the amazing work the Second and Seven Foundation is doing to promote literacy. We usually talk about high school chemistry textbooks and gifted education books here, but none of that matters if students lack basic literacy skills. That's why 2nd and 7 is Tackling Illiteracy.

Throughout each school year, 2nd and 7 visits schools and gives books to second grade students. In the 2008-2009 school year alone they provided their books to approximately 4,000 students in 53 schools in Central Ohio, as well as nearly 12,000 more children across the country. That's 16,000 second graders who received a brand new book of their own from 2nd and 7!

And it's not just any books they're giving out. 2nd and 7 has developed a series of age appropriate books for second graders. Right now the Foundation has three books available: The Hog Mollies and The Pickle Pie Party, The Hog Mollies and The Rocky Relay Race, and The Hog Mollies and the Zooming Zackle Zoit. Each book focuses on a new adventure of the Hog Mollies, Hoppy, Sprout, Harley and Duke, fun little characters that work together as a team to tackle challenges that they face. With humor, engaging storylines and beautiful, full color illustrations, children are drawn right into the story, never even realizing that they are improving their literacy skills with each word. Each of the three books is available in paperback or hard cover from Kendall Hunt Publishing. Click here to go to Kendall Hunt's Hog Mollies page and order yours today! All proceeds benefit the 2nd and 7 Foundation's efforts in Tackling Illiteracy. Once you see these books for yourself, you'll want to get one for every child in your life!

Don't forget to visit 2nd and 7's website and see how you can support their efforts!

You can also follow 2nd and 7 on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/2nd-7-Foundation/105340035060.
 

I know that we usually talk about accelerated learning resources, elementary school textbooks, or high school science textbooks, but I thought we’d take a short break today so I can introduce to one of Kendall Hunt Publishing's author groups, the Second and Seven Foundation.

The 2^nd and 7 Foundation is all about literacy. It was founded by three former Ohio State University student-athletes: Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell, and Ryan Miller. They were standouts on The OSU football team and decided that they wanted to give back to the greater Columbus, Ohio community once their playing days there were over. They started out by conducting a football camp in the summer of 2000, the proceeds of which were used to purchase books for second grade students in seven Central Ohio elementary schools (that’s where the name, 2^nd and 7 came from), in an effort to tackle illiteracy. As its founders passion for promoting literacy has grown, so has the foundation.

2^nd and 7 Foundation’s Tackle Illiteracy program now includes reading to second graders in classrooms all over the country, and provides each of the children in those classrooms with a book to take home. The foundation targets schools with economically disadvantaged kids and communities where its founders feel they can make the biggest impact. The Ohio State University, the University of Toledo, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and the University of North Carolina have all been involved in reaching out to the community through this program, by allowing student-athletes to participate in the readings.

In my next post I’ll tell you about the foundation’s books, how many they have distributed and how you can get them for yourself. But for now, check out their website and the great work they’re doing and please consider supporting their efforts!

As a follow-up to the fun and learning Kendall Hunt Publishing employees were a part of on the inaugural National Lab Day, there’s something I really want to get off my chest. Yes, Kendall Hunt is an educational publishing company, we sell educational materials and solutions. Books for gifted students, high school chemistry textbooks, teacher edition textbooks, online learning solutions, and more…we make it, and yep, we want to sell it.

But as I saw my fellow employees participate in and react to their National Lab Day experiences, it made me feel really good. Because for us, it really is about the kids. It’s about them learning, and growing, and, eventually, making the world a better place. And we know we can influence that, we can help them along the way, we can make a difference for them. We’ll never be a giant monolithic publisher who sells more high school biology books that everyone else combined. But we don’t want to be that. We want to help teachers, real classroom teachers, from kindergarten through college, find the best solution for their students.

I think it’s just that we care about the kids, we believe in what we do, and we hope to make a difference. It’s what keeps each of us going every day. As loyal readers, I just thought you might like to know what drives us.

What did you do for National Lab Day? As Charley pointed out in his stint as guest blogger here the other day, Kendall Hunt Publishing took a leading role in supporting National Lab Day by volunteering in local classrooms. By all accounts, it was a big success. But we want it to be a bigger success next year.

Sure, there is some method to our madness, we have a whole bunch of inquiry based science products, from elementary school science textbooks to high school biology textbooks and everything in between, but beyond that, we really believe in the value and importance of inquiry based science. There’s nothing like getting kids “doing” science to help them learn. This is what’s behind our strong support of National Lab Day.

So start planning right now for next year. Here are some places you can find more information and plenty of ideas of how to get your students doing science:

• National Lab Day website www.nationallabday.org (Read the success stories and follow NLD on Twitter)
• Read the White House press release on NLD
• Read the Dept. of Education press advisory on NLD
• Read the Scientific American article on NLD
• National Science Foundation launches website in support of NLD

And watch for a story about Kendall Hunt Publishing’s participation in National Lab Day on the NLD website…we submitted our NLD “success story” to them, so hopefully they’ll feature us soon!

Wednesday, May 12 marked the first annual National Lab Day, a nationwide initiative to build local communities of support that will foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students, and educators and bring discovery-based science experiences to students in grades K-12. Our guest blogger today is Charley Cook, Kendall Hunt’s vice president of Pre-K – 12 publishing. 
Charley writes:

As a strong supporter of National Lab Day, Kendall Hunt Publishing and its employees decided to recognize the inaugural event by spending time in classrooms working with students on hands-on science activities. Kendall Hunt is known for publishing research-based, NSF-funded, and inquiry-based science programs, so National Lab Day was a perfect opportunity for us to step to the forefront and lend a hand.

I had the opportunity to join fellow KH employees Joe Haverland, Pam Roth, and Wayne Schnier at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Dubuque, IA, where we conducted hands-on science activities with their 1^st and 4^th grade classrooms.  Joe facilitated a Physical Science activity focusing on Equilibrium and Center of Gravity, which challenged the 4^th grade students to work in groups to try to figure out a way to balance eight nails on the head of one nail. The students worked in pairs, which promoted teamwork that is critical to the inquiry process. It was great to walk around the classroom and hear students collaborating and sharing ideas. Although they were only 4^th grade students, the problem-solving skills they exhibited are those they need to have to not only cope, but also be competitive as they advance through school and enter the working world. The students did a great job and by the end of the exercise, each group was successful in balancing all of the nails.

Wayne and Pam were in a “stickier” situation when they worked with the first graders on the “Gloop” activity from the BSCS TRACKS Investigating Properties Kit. Gloop is a mixture of glue, starch and borax that is sealed in a plastic container to keep moist and somewhat hardened that was made the day before the activity. Wayne and Pam made up 10 bags of Gloop for teams of two students to share. Before the students could open the bag, they had to guess what ingredients were in the gloop. That exercise provided an entertaining and informative classroom conversation. Next, the students were allowed to open the bag and then listed the properties of what was contained in gloop. They also tried to come up with ideas on how gloop could be used if it was manufactured for the public. The kids were having a great time with this activity. It is clear that the gloop itself adds to the excitement, but it makes science fun for kids and as you can imagine, they use all of their senses for this experiment.

For Kendall Hunt, National Lab Day was a big success. I was proud of the fact that our employees volunteered to spend time in these classrooms to help students experience science in a hands-on way and gain problem-solving skills that will last a lifetime. As a nation, we are learning how important science is if our country and its citizens are going to remain competitive in the future. At Kendall Hunt, we want to make Lab Day an everyday event for all students, and we are eager to play a role in their success.

To learn more about National Lab Day and how you can bring hands-on learning activities to classrooms in your community, click here. To learn about Kendall Hunt’s elementary school science textbooks and high school science textbooks, visit kendallhunt.com. 

Getting Ready -- Prepares individuals for the teacher job search by making the most of the student teaching experience.  It includes insider advise on multiple topics, 100 things employers will ask about you, and maintaining a professional web presence.

Getting There -- Teaches the essential tools of the teacher job search including résumés, cover letters, interview portfolios, and tips on where to find jobs.

Getting Hired -- Provides strategic interview responses, knowledge of various interview settings, common interview questions and sure-fire tips to make you stand out above the rest with a knock'em dead interview.

Each book comes with individual access to the Getting Hired Companion Website, which contains a plethora of resources, including: ePlanner Activities: Templates for résumé/letter writing, philosophy statements, common interview questions and topics, and success planning.

Interview Portfolio: Build an Interview Portfolio that can easily become an ePortfolio showcasing standards-based teaching abilities, as well as a tremendous interview preparation tool. The 10 Interview Portfolio templates comprise a powerful self-promotion and interview success tool.

Videos: Watch sample interviews for all levels of instruction, listen in as employers give job seeking advice, and key interview questions and topics.

This book can be used for student teaching courses through college or universities, or to support a job search for an individual in the education field. So if you can't decide what to get your son or daughter who is beginning their student teaching, the student who has helped you create lesson plans for your gifted and talented students for the past three months, or the friend who will be student teaching in the Fall, check out Getting Hired on the Kendall Hunt Publishing website: http://www.kendallhunt.com/gettinghired. 

I've read several articles this week about online and e-books for the K-12 market. The current Texas governor recently stated that he doesn't see any reason for Texas to have printed books in four years. That's a pretty big statement in support of online learning.

What do you think about taking elementary education books, secondary school textbooks and the like and putting them in the digital world? At Kendall Hunt Publishing, we're big fans of digital learning for PreK-12. Let's face it, many printed textbooks are dated the minute they come off the press. School textbook publishers face this issue all the time. But if your "books" are online, especially if they're in a learning portal that can be continually updated, students can learn about the latest discovery in science without waiting for the next printing of their high school science textbook. That's only one of the many benefits to digital learning.

Do your schools use all printed material? Or a combination of print and digital?

I know we generally talk about high school science textbooks or accelerated learning resources, but I thought a momentary change of topic to something affecting so many of today’s students would be appropriate. Did you watch the first episode of Jamie Oliver’s new show about childhood obesity? It was a real eye opener, and quite alarming, especially in light of all the educational cuts that have been announced in the past few weeks. If you’re a teacher, I don’t have to tell you that specials are the first things to go, music, art, P.E., sadly on the chopping block in so many districts.

This all reminded me of GYMB4, the affordable and easy-to-implement classroom video workout program designed and tested specifically for Pre-K and elementary school students as young as 3 years old and up through all elementary school grades. GYMB4 (short for “Get Yourself Moving Before Learning”) workouts are fun, and at just 5 to 10 minutes long, they are easily incorporated into any classroom routine. The exercises are all age-appropriate (PreK-6) and no special equipment or extra floor space is required.


Teachers across the country are using the videos in their classrooms. They have told us that their students are calmer, more attentive, and better able to stay on task since they’ve started using GYMB4. I guess this makes sense since scientists have linked physical activity with brain function. (Seems like I should get up and move now!) Click this squirming button to the left to see the video introduction to GYMB4.

Anyway, check out their blog, you’ll learn all kinds of things about GYMB4 and getting kids moving. The GYMB4 website also offers video samples and more information. And you can purchase the videos on the Kendall Hunt Publishing website. Check it out and get moving!!
 

I don’t travel much for work, and I’m okay with that at this point in my life, but I live vicariously through those who do travel far and wide for Kendall Hunt Publishing. Most recently, last week, in fact, we had a pack of KH staffers in the City of Brotherly Love for the NSTA National Convention. I understand our booth had tons of traffic and our inquiry based science workshops were quite popular.

The people staffing our booth said the interest in inquiry based science products, not just high school physics textbooks or high school biology textbooks, but in engaging, hands-on programs was really high and they were quite excited about it. Did you go? Did you stop to see my road-tripping colleagues? Tell me about it!

Volunteers, university students, scientists, engineers, other STEM professionals and, more broadly, members of the community are working together with educators and students to bring discovery-based science experiences to students in grades K-12."

There will be a nationwide celebration of this in early May with activities across the country. If you click on the "Projects" tab, you'll find that projects are posted from literally one end of the country to the other: Alaska to Florida, and California to Virginia. What a great way to encourage inquiry based science and the use of elementary school science textbooks, middle and high school chemistry and physics textbooks that use that learning model!

Kendall Hunt supports National Lab Day, so don't forget to check out all our inquiry based science programs! I'll keep you posted on what's coming up in the May celebration!
 

Remember, when you were a student? Didn’t you always wonder what was behind those mysterious doors labeled “Faculty Lounge?” I did. Well, Kendall Hunt Publishing now has a slightly different version of the faculty lounge. It’s where we’re putting all sorts of goodies on sale. And as we continue to build the lounge, you’ll not only find everything from elementary school textbooks to high school science textbooks on sale, you’ll find articles about our different specialties, including inquiry based science and talented and gifted resources.

Check it out here when you have a chance!

I guess it’s not THAT big a sale, but we do have some special pricing on classroom combo packs for our BSCS Science Track and Insights, our elementary school science textbooks and programs. Most classroom packs include a teacher’s guide, some student books, sometimes a lab kit; it varies by program and module. You can find them here: http://www.kendallhunt.com/insights and here: http://www.kendallhunt.com/tracks. Check them out and save some money!

NSTA’s NCSE (National Science Teachers Association’s National Conference on Science Education is getting closer! NSTA events always offer great opportunities for those of us in science text book publishing to share our outstanding inquiry based science programs. The NCSE is no exception. Whether it’s a high school biology textbook, a high school physics textbook, teacher edition textbooks, or any other science resource, we’ll be there ready to share our best work. See you there!
 

I’m wondering about the differences in public school textbooks versus those used in private and parochial schools. Do most private schools use different elementary school textbooks, or high school science textbooks than the surrounding public schools? 

This is something we’re talking about a lot here at Kendall Hunt as we’re expanding our offerings for private and parochial schools. It’s a good point, what’s the added value to paying for private school if the textbooks are the same? Of course I know there are other reasons people send their children to private school: religious considerations, class size, special classes, and many others; but wouldn’t it be an even greater incentive to tell parents, “Yes, we have a curriculum we designed ourselves, around the educational philosophy of our school.

KH has been publishing Pathways, a reading program used in Seventh Day Adventist schools, for several years now, and we will soon be publishing an elementary school science program to accompany it. We’re working on several other exciting projects too, so if you have a chance, take a look at our private & parochial school offerings!
 

Well, Kendall Hunt Publishing is for sure! And we’re taking some of our top authors, including Kelly Deters, author of Kendall Hunt Chemistry! So if you want to learn more about inquiry based science, any of our high school science textbooks and programs, or perhaps you’re interesting in discussing science textbook publishing with one of our reps, stop by and see us at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, March 18-21. And find out all about the special events planned by checking our convention schedule here.

If you have begun looking at elementary school science textbooks, many publishers create programs which have the illusion of inquiry in an effort to meet NSES. Few truly understand that inquiry is more than providing a hands-on activity. Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS) developed the 5e learning cycle, found in most of its Prek-12 curriculum, in an effort to prove student the opportunity to learn science through true inquiry.  

The 5e learning cycle is an instructional design model that defines a learning sequence based on the on the experiential learning philosophy of John Dewey and the  experiential learning cycle proposed by David Kolb. Attributed to Roger Bybee of BSCS , the model presents a framework for constructivist learning theories and can be effectively used in teaching science.

The model

Engage

Here the task is introduced. Connections to past learning and experience can be invoked. A demonstration of an event, the presentation of a phenomenon or problem or asking pointed questions can be used to focus the learners' attention on the tasks that will follow. The goal is to spark their interest and involvement.

Explore

Learners should take part in activities that allow them to work with materials that give them a 'hands on' experience of the phenomena being observed. Simulations or models whose parameter can be manipulated by learners, so that they can build relevant experiences of the phenomena, can be provided. Questioning, sharing and communication with other learners should be encouraged during this stage. The teacher facilitates the process.

Explain

The focus at this stage is on analysis. The learner is encouraged to put observations, questions, hypotheses and experiences from the previous stages into language. Communication between learners and learner groups can spur the process. The instructor may choose to introduce explanations, definitions, mediate discussions or simply facilitate by helping learners find the words needed.

Elaborate/Extend

Using the understanding gained in the previous stages, now learners should be encouraged build and expand upon it. Inferences, deductions, and hypotheses can be applied to similar or real-world situations. Varied examples and applications of concepts learned strengthen mental models and provide further insight and understanding.

Evaluate

Evaluation should be ongoing and should occur at all stages, in order to determine that learning objectives have been met and misconceptions avoided. Any number of rubrics, checklists, interviews, observation or other evaluation tools can be used. If interest in a particular aspect or concept is shown, further inquiry should be encouraged and a new cycle can begin that builds upon the previous one. Inquiries may branch off and inspire new cycles, repeating the process in a spiraling fractal of interrelated concepts, where instruction is both structured and yet open to investigation.