Skating to Spelling Success

May 1, 2010
Gr 2-4-These books follow a similar format with sportscaster Buzz Star reporting on an event and using it to illustrate appropriate rules, e.g., "Sentences" includes fragments, run-on sentences, and word order, then types of sentences such as statement and question. In each section, the tip is boxed, and the text of the story uses bold or color to show that axiom. The cartoon illustrations show multicultural children and adults; they are mediocre in style and design. The stories are awkward to read, forced and didactic. Each one concludes with a one-page summary of the rules and an activity, e.g., copying the sentences and underlining the subject and predicate. These titles are obviously meant for teachers to use in conjunction with writing-skills lessons, but they're not likely to circulate by choice with children or hold their interest."Sharon R. Pearce, Longfellow Elementary School, Oak Park, IL"

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