From School Library Journal
Volkman offers 12 "excursions," or lesson plans, designed to help secondary librarians steer their students through the research process. The first two lessons present basic reference books and include 70 sets of practice questions with answer keys. Excursion 3 introduces the term-paper process, with detailed instructions for a start-to-finish research project as well as sample research notes and finished papers. The remaining assignments build on this knowledge. Each lesson includes instructions, reproducibles, and a bibliography. These practical ideas will adapt easily to a specific grade, curriculum, or reference collection. The sailing metaphor wears a little thin (materials are "cargo," objectives are "destinations"), but this navigational aid will benefit any librarian struggling to stay afloat in a sea of research.
Debbie Johnson, Richardson West Junior High School, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Teachers who enjoy planning units around nonfiction will find this volume a good resource of well-developed ideas. Each of the 11 chapters focuses on a specific book and uses it as a springboard to many ideas and activities. For instance, the chapter on Gail Gibbons' Caves and Caverns (1993) develops around five themes: speleology, geology, inside the earth, bats and nocturnal animals, and safety and responsibility. The book suggests lists of materials needed and new vocabulary words to be learned; investigations to carry out before and after the book is read aloud; ideas for research and for presenting a "cave seminar" to parents. Sample letters to parents, a worksheet for research, a student evaluation sheet for the unit, and an annotated bibliography of supplemental titles add to the book's usefulness for primary-and middle-grade teachers. Carolyn Phelan
