Book Description

Pre-schoolers love trains, their whistles, chugging and motion. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Surprising
You would think that this video would be a bore...basically it goes through the alphabet listing various train-related words, and explaining a little bit about each one. But it's fun to see the American scenery rolling by, and there is something quaint about the whole production. The most interesting part is that my three and a half year old son LOVES it, and at the moment it has become his most-requested video. He's learned a lot about trains, expanded his vocabulary, and is probably getting some phonics in there as well (although I would quibble with some of the words like, G is for...generations. ???)

Can't get enough of the Alphabet Train!
I also rented this from the Library and ended up having to buy it for my train obsessed 2 1/2 year old son. It has surpassed the Thomas series as his favorite video -- that says it all. His twin sister (who's only train tolerant) enjoys it too and they're both learning the alphabet!

Great Video!
My two year old is a train nut, and has watched this movie daily since we purchased it. He's even telling me about what he's learned any time we're near a train or a railroad! He's also recognising more words when he sees them. I highly recommend it.

AWESOME!!!
I rented this video from the library and now I will be buying it for my two year old. He has watched it nonstop since I brought it home. This is really a great video, not only do the kids the learn the alphabet but they learn all kinds of information about trains. It is well narrated with comments from real children and lots of great information and encouragement from the narator. What I think I like best is there is no sillyness to this video. Perfect for all those little train buffs out there!!!

The best of this type of train video
If you are looking for a realistic train video for your young train loving kids, I'd get this one, and believe me, I've tried most all of them! This video is really professionally done, very educational, has great train footage, and really includes a great deal of train information for kids, as well as important safety information. My husband and I both watched it with great interest, and the kids (ages 5 and 2) loved it. ... Read more

Description

Video taped this year, this is an actual Carol Gray Social Stories Workshop. In this three hour presentation, Carol explains the genesis for her concept and leads the audience through exercises where they can write their own social stories. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Must See For Anyone Working With Autism Spectrum Students
I just finished watching Carol Gray's video and can't wait to share it with the rest of my staff. I work as a school psychologist in two elementary schools. Each school has students in general education classrooms who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Not only does Carol give specific guidelines for writing social stories that help explain the social 'secrets' to these students, she does an excellent job of giving the viewer information and perspectives to help understand these students better. I recommend this video to anyone who has been given the opportunity to work with these students! ... Read more

Amazon.com

As with other Standard Deviants videos, this one begins with the warning that English Composition is meant to be used in conjunction with a class, not as a replacement. Well, for once, ignore them. Sure, nothing can replace an English comp class, and everyone should take one, but this video is probably the most valuable one you could watch before beginning your high school or college career. In fact, even for those in the real world, English Composition can help you brush up on your writing skills. Whether you need to write a lab report, a critical review, or a case study or summarize professional articles, this video gives you the know-how to write an effective paper from brainstorming through revision.

Nathan is your typical college freshman. Through confessional-style interviews, we learn of his traumas and achievements writing his first university assignment. From the moment his teacher gives him his assignment, we watch Nathan as he churns out--and rejects--a number of ideas. We share his satisfaction when he narrows his choices down. We share his pain at his not-great critique. We share his joy at his final rewrite. Okay, so maybe we're getting a little carried away--but using Nathan, humorous skits (including a genie who grants wishes), and clever graphics, the Standard Deviants cover characteristics of academic prose, getting started, collecting information, outlining, rough drafts, feedback, and lots of revision in a jocular way. Included with the tape is an insert that shows not only Nathan's assignment, but the three versions of his paper, which incorporate the changes he's made. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Tries too hard to be funny
This video is disappointing. It tries too hard to be funny, and only ends up being annoying, because the points that the humor is trying to make are all pretty obvious. The time taken by the (rather juvenile) visual jokes would have been better spent in elaborating some of the more useful ideas that the program presents. Alternatively, the program could have been about half an hour shorter, which would have made it better focused.

Not one of the SD's best efforts.

In Between The Corny Humor Is Some Good Information
This Standard Deviant's English Composition Video is most definitely a mixed bag. Some good information is provided to help high school and college students express themselves better. Many good points do exist illustrating thesis statements, supporting paragraphs, proper use of quotations, and transitional sentences among other things. However there are two very notable drawbacks.

One is that the humor is way overdone. The purpose of this video is to educate young minds on writing properly as opposed to jamming as many cutesy sight gags into the video as possible. Although a few of these gags are a bit clever, the over use of humor is quite distracting from the task at hand especially when the narrators switch in rapid fire motion in synch with these special effects.

The other issue is that this video is way too long at two hours and six minutes. Many of the ideas illustrated are indeed important. However, the video tries to do a bit too much and its sometimes hard to determine which is most important. This video definitely must be viewed in small doses and in multiple viewings to determine the key points and then retain them. This is a slightly annoying task but certainly worthy of the effort. In spite of all the details, much of the information has some relevance.

Again, this video most certainly passes the test. However, there are some flaws which can hamper its overall effectiveness.

Where's Elmo?
I teach a Composition II course offered through a local university to personnel at a nearby military installation. My students are generally non-traditional, and many of them had the first composition course years ago. I thought this video would provide them with a good refresher.

Just a few minutes into my first viewing, I began to worry. As the bubbly narrator chirps about English Composition, cartoon characters dash across the screen to the "BOING" and "CRASH" of Saturday morning sound effects. Squeaky-voiced puppets occassionaly appear to yelp some unintelligble point about writing, or something. The actual information is great, but I found myself cringing as we cut away to yet another hopelessly lame bit of comic relief. The humor in Sesame Street is much more sophisticated than this. After two-plus hours of slide whistles and bad jokes, I had to have an aspirin. Still, I decided to try it on my students.

Oh, how they wished they'd brought some rotten vegetables to class that day. Not one of the muscles in the human face required for smiling even twitched in my entire class for an hour. There was, however, a great deal of moaning, head shaking and eye rolling. I think one student began to drool a bit, and another did not blink for over twenty minutes. Imagine Hee-Haw without the laugh track, then think of something less funny. It was agonizing, and I doubt I will show them the remainder of the video.

If the dumb comic bits were edited out, this program would run about 90 minutes, and would be a great refresher for my students. As it is, the helpful information is dumbed-down by the overdone fluff. I have seen other Standard Deviants videos on Shakespeare's plays, and they were not so inane. Perhaps a class of traditional college Freshmen would react more positivly to this video. My older students were insulted.

Too hip for its own good?
As impressive as this program is in its combining integrity with entertainment, it did not get good reviews when I test-drove selections from it for a class of college freshmen. The information--about constructing a thesis, organizing and revising a paper, citing sources correctly--is exactly what most students need. And it's presented with lots of arresting visual dynamics, fast-paced actions, inside humor (from Citizen Kane to Dan Quayle). But my students sensed that they were being talked down to, that a truly complex and laborious exercise was being misrepresented as a mere "snap." They saw more Sesame Street than MTV in the presentation and therefore rejected it. All teachers and parents have likely experienced such paradoxical reactions from young people when you invade their "unique, pop-culture territory." They may actually prefer that you maintain your stodgy role--it gives them greater security about their own. This video, therefore, is likely to trigger defensive reactions such as those I witnessed, giving Holden Caulfieds every opportunity to label a well-intended presentation as "phony."

In conclusion, the video might be useful at high school levels or for adults welcoming a change of pace in their approach to learning. Or perhaps advanced college students who are "truly" sophisticated would be able to extract the wheat while getting a chuckle at the chaff.

Great video for beginners and/or review
I use this video in entry level composition courses I teach soley to traditional students, as well as those I teach soley to adult/returning student (non-traditional) groups. It plays well to both audiences, despite the 'MTV-generation' demeanor of the Deviants. (Perhaps this is because many adult students have children of their own who resemble the 'stars'?)

In any case, this is the only video I have seen which makes the process seem accessible and allays fears, as well as teaches the basics. I recommend it without hestiation to anyone interested in English Comp. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Phonics videos
I work withthe Adult Basic Education program at my local Community college. We are in need of videos that help adults learn the phonetic approach to reading. All the available videos are child oriented. With the age of technology, why can't we have the same educational material produced for the adult with adult level animation,etc. I need something with larger print, also.

We have learning disabled students returning to schoool and their needs are still the same as when they quit school. The media is not there for us to help and yet I feel something has to be out there and I don't know about it nor does my supervisor.

We are using workbooks but the printed page causes the same frustrations to the pupil as they had in school. I use my training in learning disabilities, but it, too, is limited with some students. I have a very open-minded supervisor and she will cooperate with any ideas suggested. Do you have any suggestions?

Sincerely, Marilyn Guthrie

Not as good as it looks....
beefor me start, i only speak. now i write two. foniks is work for me!

Captivating for the young ones
While I nearly fell asleep after 10 minutes, I can testify that at least one 7 year old that I know has been watching these over and over and has shown some improvement in letter recognition, reading and 'writing'. The tapes seem to be very good. There are 5 tapes X 5 lessons X 15 minutes each. The 'witness' above runs through a whole tape at a time without losing interest. Wow! Definitely worth the money.

Excellent teaching tool for young children!
"Learn to Read with Phonics" is actually a series of five 75 minute videos, all of which are included in the purchase price listed. The 75 minutes are subdivided into five 15 minute lessons. After each, the child/parent can choose to turn off the tape or go on to the next lesson. The series covers phonics, sight words and counting. At four years old, my child knew her letters and their sounds, but not how to put them together. After the third video, she could sound words like "banana." I found the quality of the set and costumes to be rather amateur. However, don't be put off by this! The content is excellent. My child was mesmerized by the tapes and learned a great deal. I highly recommend them.

A must have tool for teaching reading and writing
This is an excellent video for teaching phonic sounds and for teaching writing. This video will talk directly to the children and will hold their interest. Children quickly learn to write the alphabet and the basics of phonics for a good foundation for reading. ... Read more

Description

ABC Pronunciary, an American English pronunciation dictionary, teaches the sounds of the alphabet in a logical and clear manner.Vowels, consonants, digraphs, blends and silent letters are presented with simplicity.A full description of the mouth formation, with word examples, is given for each sound.Practice sentences are included for reinforcement.This English-learning material is aimed at beginning-to-intermediate students, but it can benefit all who wish to improve their speaking abilities.In a group setting (a class), among friends or through self-study, ABC Pronunciary provides the tools for learning effective communication. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very Helpful Pronunciary
This is a great product and helped me so much!!!!!!

it is clear
It gives a good understanding of sounds.

Helpful phonics
This book helped me teach my students phonics very clearly. They really loved the talking mouth. A very good bargain, this set is quite useful for pronunciation of American English. ... Read more

Description

This dynamic video demonstrates powerful instructional strategies in K-5 classrooms for teaching: the core content curriculum, guided reading, phonics and word study, read aloud, modeled writing, guided writing, and hands-on literacy activities for independent work. These engaging and creative strategies and techniques will provide teachers with the know-how for implementing the components of an effective literacy program. Also demonstrated at different grade levels are the supports and instructional scaffolds to accelerate below-grade level readers & writers. ... Read more

Book Description

The essay is a crucial factor in the college admission process.This entertaining presentation reveals everything needed to write awinning essay. Learn how to make your essay a powerful "selling tool"that will significantly improve your chance of acceptance to the bestcollege.A step-by-step guide that makes writing the college admissionessay a stress-free experience, including: How the essay will beevaluated...What the colleges are looking for...How to select the besttopics, and avoid the ones that don't work...How to make the style ofthe essay interesting and appealing...How to write the kind of essaythat stands out from the crowd. ... Read more

Book Description

The Writing for Publication video is designed to accompany The Online Magazine Article Writing Workshop and features interviews with Car and Driver's Editor-in-Chief Csaba Csere, award winning environmental writer and Michigan State University Professor Jim Detjen, and Publisher Len Fulton, who will help guide you through the necessary steps to getting your articles published.

Host Erik Bean will help you search for the writer within, recognize who will purchase your unique brand of writing, help shape it toward its intended audience, and will demonstrate how to submit it for publication, the most rewarding aspect of the entire writing process.

This new book or the VHS video (ISBN 0966516508) can be used independently or in tandem.Neither is part of an expandable educational series. Additional Website articles, writing samples and other writing links are available and you are encouraged to seek them out.On the other hand, if one only relied on reading this book, he or she would obtain enough information to begin and/or maintain a flourishing freelance writing career.

Writing for Publication also includes a website password to the "Participant Lounge". The Lounge offers a variety of writing tools to help improve one's writing. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Must have it if you want to get published
This book demonstrated to me how to get published in a clear, concise and simple way. It is a great tool which I use often. For such little cost, it is money well spent. Two thumbs up to this book.

Jigs Parikh
Jkparikh@hotmail.com

Only Writing for Publication Video of its' Kind
A step-by-step and motivating presentation on the business of getting magazine articles published. Jim Detjen, award winning environmental writer and Csaba Csere, Car and Driver Magazine editor, do a superb job contributing their expertise on the subjects of interviewing, critiquing, and querying.

I have been published many times. However, I found Erik Bean's Writing for Publication Video to be an excellent refresher. Online access provided with the video yields a variety of tools that have helped me research, write, and market my materials proficiently.

What's more, this video is a must for any writing or journalism classroom. Students will thank their instructor for allowing them to see it!

A Clear and Concise Road to Publication!
Loved it! A simple, clear and concise road to publication. Best of all, unlike traditional static books that can become out-dated, this one provides new information via The Online Magazine Article Writing Workshop web site.

More than another over-bloated book about feature writing.
I was leery after my first read through this short book. However, when I applied the techniques discussed and viewed the additional updated online material inside the website, I found the support I needed to come up with my first salable article to a regional (Kansas City) sports rag, Playground Magazine. I also was able to locate a local writing group that eventually helped critique my work. It was refreshing to find a resource (book and website) bent on the business of getting published.

Book not worthwhile as stand-alone text
I bought this book last week here on Amazon after reading the other glowing reviews. I must warn other potential purchasers that as a stand-alone text, this book is incomplete. Perhaps in the accompanying video more details and examples are offered, but I'm skeptical. The book simply records the 1997 speeches given at a Community Education and Recreation presentation at Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The book offers one sample query letter by the author and another (with revision) by a different writer. The author's own examples of reminder and withdrawal letters (pp. 65, 67) both contain serious grammatical errors ["On February 15, I had submitting the article..."]. "I had submitted," perhaps? The bottom line? This book contains 6 pages of semi-useful information and 80 pages of fluff. Do we really want to read four sample jokes that we can use to loosen up our subjects before photographing them? Or that lithium batteries last a long time? I really didn't buy this book to learn that auto-rewind and auto-load cameras are convenient.

I found no information in this book that was not also easily found by surfing the net, reading sites from publishers or J-Schools at many US institutions. It's a slick, but shallow, video-book-workshop package from the former marketing professional. ... Read more

Description

How people first used symbols to represent ideas, objects, and sounds is explored in two parts: (1) the development of writing and (2) the first alphabets. ... Read more

Description

When you're turning in a writing assignment, do you feel like you're offering it up to some horrible monster obsessed with which squiggly goes where? Well fear no longer. Welcome to The Untamed World of English Punctuation, Part 1, part of the Standard Deviants educational video line.Let the Deviants help you conquer the comma, practice the period, and defeat the dash by taking you step-by-step through the rules governing these marks and many more.Includes such topics as: periods, question marks, exclamation points, commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, abbreviations, end punctuation, sarcasm and irony, interrupting expressions, interjections, prepositional phrases ... Read more

Description

As a writer, your goal should be to express yourself clearly, correctly, and interestingly.  This can be achieved when you acquire the skills that are discussed in this helpful video.  Learn about the eleven principles that will have a positive impact on your writing assignments. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Do NOT buy this exceptionally lame tape set!
This series is very poor. The content is slow, and boring -- even for small children. But it is not only the content that is bad. The tape reproduction quality is totally unacceptable. Even the labels look like the tapes have been sitting in a trash heap in the sun 5-6 years. The sound quality is also so poor that several sounds cannot be distinguished. What is the point of a phonics tape when a child (or parent) cannot understand the sounds presented due to VERY poor sound quality?

I live in Beijing and could buy 10th generation pirated tapes with better sound/picture quality one any streetcorner. I have emailed amazon.com to request they stop selling this trash as if it were a commercially produced tape series worth the price of shipping. ... Read more