Here's how to make the connection between reading and writing in your classroom. With examples from authors your students are already reading, you can show them how they, too, can be more specific, more descriptive, and better organized in all of their classroom writing.

Using just a handful of grammar terms (think phrases and clauses), students first learn how to build their sentences far beyond the old subject-verb-direct object pattern, which inevitably turns choppy and boring. Instead, their writing becomes vivid, elegant, and flowing, in both their creative writing and their narrative essays.

As they move into expository writing, they learn the power of the topic sentence, with a clear vision of how to expand that idea, through parallel structures or progressively more detailed evidence to prove their point. They write knowing what to do next, instead of staring blankly at the screen or chewing their pencil.

This is the writing textbook that delivers immediate and lasting improvement in student writing. Originally published as The Christensen Rhetoric Program, the approach has now been updated and expanded through the work of Donald Stewart, a veteran classroom teacher and frequent presenter in schools and national conferences.

Colors Beyond Clouds is a brutally honest, first-hand account of the life of the thoughtful, sensitive Shana, a girl diagnosed with high functioning autism, from her preschool years through the summer after her first year of high school.

This book is a narrative about navigating elementary, middle and high school life in a world of social media, lunchtime cafeteria tables, and popular-kid cliques. The author speaks candidly about her desire to connect with her peers, about her social awkwardness, which is a symptom of her autism, and about how it has affected her relationships.

Colors Beyond Clouds is a story about overcoming. We see through Shana's eyes how she discovers herself and her passions, and how that discovery process has helped her to find ways to connect with others. This powerful story is relatable to anyone who has experienced bullying, or who has felt uncomfortable in social situations, or who has just felt uncomfortably different.

Today's self-indulgent society is one in which satisfying one's desires at the expense of others prevails. This mindset is particularly common in areas of procreation such as abortion and various assisted reproductive technologies. Through a lens that combines Christianity, natural law, and scientific reason, this book discusses how the breakdown of man-woman marriage, biological connection, the destruction and disregard for human life, and the objectification and commodification of women and children manufactures trauma in not only adults, but in children. This trauma is evidenced by the stories of adult children who are victims of society's current cultural trends, as well as evidenced by the research of various psychologists, sociologists, and other professionals. For too long, adults have been asking children to conform to their ways of living, assuming children will just get over it, and children are now starting to speak out about the harms of their upbringings. It's essential to illuminate their voices, as these familial breakdowns have become so normal that we currently can't talk about any of their negative aspects with any degree of common sense.

Inauguration day was an unprecedented milestone for the Democratic underdog's remarkable journey. It opened a window to reveal the indelible marks that Chuck Fox left for us to see. It would become an unprecedented 4-year term, healing a beleaguered State and its jaded constituents. Fox's level of spirit, commitment, and unbridled temerity were what one could only hope to attain in a lifetime. Politicians come and go. They always promise the world. Not Chuck. He walked with distinction and steadfast resolve - he made a difference. On his quest in life, he touched many and was true to his word. I know that he touched me.

Fox's master craft was team building. And he assembled an unprecedented and formidable posse, tumbling a detestable despot in Harrisburg. True to his word, Fox ensured that the despot was held to account for his deceitful treachery and that a nefarious New Jersey crime family crumbled.

Fox's gubernatorial bid in a corrupted Commonwealth gave rise to consequences that none of us could have ever foreseen. This is his remarkable story.

Liam J. Finn

County Cork, Eire

My Old Sod

Robert Frost said:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation's greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us. - John F. Kennedy, Remarks at Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, October 26, 1963

WRITING AS A PERFORMING ART is written to encourage, motivate and inspire non-fiction writers of all ages. It celebrates why we write, why we must write, and reviews the strategies veteran writers employ. One of its aims is to cultivate the Inner Editor--to remind writers of the importance of editing, rewriting and polishing their work.

Author Tom Cronin earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University and has been an award- winning teacher at several universities. He is President Emeritus of Whitman College and McHugh Professor of American Institutions and Leadership Emeritus and former Interim President at Colorado College. He is the author of several prize-winning books, including the best-selling Government By The People and books on leadership, elections, state politics, the presidency and political novels. He is a regular columnist for Colorado newspapers and has written hundreds of public affairs articles for journals, magazines and newspapers ranging from TV Guide to Science and The New York Times Magazine.

Earlier in his career Cronin worked as an aide in the U.S. Congress, as a White House Fellow on the White House West Wing staff and as a consultant to cabinet members and governors. He was a researcher at the Brookings Institution, the Aspen Institute and the Hoover Institution.

The primary goal of WRITING AS A PERFORMING ART is to prepare writers to write compelling and convincing stories. Stories are what makes us human, and writers help us navigate the complexities of life. Writers help reveal our common human bonds. They let us know we not alone, and help us search for better possibilities.

Cronin's WRITING AS A PERFORMING ART is both a pep-talk and a rigorous guide for how writers can more effectively connect with their readers. It reviews standard practices yet encourages writers to write bravely, to bend the rules to make their points, and to provide the evidence to convince.

Writing matters. And what matters even more is the power of ideas. Just as leaders define, defend and promote important mutually shared values, writers help define and clarify critical choices--and what is true. Writing, Cronin emphasizes, is a grand opportunity to tell your story and our story--to tell the truth, advocate improvements, share creative ideas, and celebrate our capacity for compassion, gallantry, humanity and love. And to take it to the house.

Determine whether it is better for you to go gridless or modify your energy grid-based system

Design a floor plan utilizing the best passive and active energy options including deep porch overhangs for cooling

Find the right contractors to oversee the project and set up a contract

Select the right building materials, appliances, and lighting to maximize energy savings

Assess the pros and cons of wind and solar energy alternative-power systems including generator options

Create and operate your own private utility company for power generation, waste disposal and water collection for use with fire hydrants coupled to a 3000 gallon water storage tank and booster pump system that also irrigates orchard and provides backup water storage

Set up a maintenance schedule for your system including how to equalize the batteries

Anya Mowry was born in Siberia, Russia and was given the birth name Lavrentiva Anna Ulyvna. She was in and out of an orphanage from ages five to eleven and then was adopted by an American family and changed her legal name to Anya Mowry. Her life has always been a rough journey and because of this it has made her a stronger person. She writes about her life and hopes to reach millions of people who are in pain and help them learn how to love themselves and forgive those who have hurt them in the past.

Have you ever thought about narrating audiobooks? When Steve retired from acting, he thought that might be an interesting thing to do. Only problem was... he had no idea how to do it. He decided to look into it. With the help of people who knew a LOT more about it than he did, he learned how. Starting with a $25 snowball mic, he has now done 127 audiobooks and has a growing queue of future work. It's been a fun, diverse, interesting time. In this book he shares that journey as well as much of the info he's picked up along the way about how to do it. See what the inside of the audiobook world looks like and the steps necessary for you be a part of it.

The second part of the book concentrates primarily on how to navigate ACX, the most popular audiobook production site there is (owned by amazon). After having worked with them for a number of years, Steve has excellent suggestions and insight into how to use their format to better help the novice or the professional narrator.

It's the perfect place for the new narrator to get his or her feet wet, get some experience under their belts and get paid for it. As they get better and more accomplished, they can also move up in categories. This book shows you best how to navigate those waters and not make seemingly slight mistakes that could leave your career dead in the water.

It's an easy effective formate to work with if you know what you're doing. Read or listen to this book... and you will.

Sweet Girls,

Life is an incredible thing. You deserve to live a life full of self-love and confidence, secure in the knowledge that you are enough. But unfortunately, sometimes we feel as if we have to fit in and conform to others' expectations of beauty. If you believe you need to change who you are to be beautiful, then we must change the conversation about beauty culture. Believe me when I say, Sweet Girl, you are, without a doubt, enough.

Love,

H

Her Story is a proactive approach to preparing our girls for the cultural milestones they will encounter as they navigate the obstacle course known as puberty. With humor, personal narrative and historical perspective, Stark guides girls and their parents through the histories of makeup, hair-removal practices, fashion, bras, hair trends and even friendships. She breaks down these cultural mindsets in easy-to-read, understandable terms. She helps girls and parents understand that these practices should be options, not expectations.

Managing The 5 Most Challenging Childhood Behavioral Health Conditions Of Our Day: A New Look at Old Challenges for the Modern Parent, and How to Keep Them at Bay, by Dr. John Carosso, is a book dedicated to helping parents manage their child's problems with low self-esteem, dyslexia, autism, ADHD, and anxiety. These challenges have vexed parents for decades, but are more of an issue now than ever before. In that respect, in this day-and-age, children are expected to sit for extended periods of time, demonstrate advanced reading and writing skills, manage frustrations and failures while sustaining their self-esteem, and avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed. At the same time, rates of autism continue to rise and parents can be frustrated in attempting to manage the subsequent behavioral and social challenges. Dr. Carosso has been helping parents, for over 30 years, to feel comfortable and confident in effectively managing these challenges and he looks forward to helping you through his timely-written resource. May God bless you and your child as you read this book and implement the strategies and concepts.

Security Clearance Issues, Problems, Denials and Revocations

(If you have a security clearance with no issues, then you don't need this book. If, however, you are worried about any aspect of your security clearance, then you absolutely need this book )

Attorney Ronald C. Sykstus first started handling security clearance matters as a prosecutor in the United States Army. Subsequent to that, he defended active-duty soldiers and officers who were having their clearances revoked. He has continued his security clearance defense practice as a civilian lawyer since he left the United States Army with an honorable discharge. Ron is very aware of the importance of having a security clearance for obtaining meaningful and well-compensated employment, both within the government and in the private contracting industry. This book covers all aspects of the security clearance process. It is especially geared toward people who not only run into problems with their existing security clearance, but also for those who have concerns about getting a security clearance and making sure that their clearance or job is not jeopardized down the road. This book addresses people's concerns at all phases of the security clearance process, and it does so in a way that makes sense and is easy to understand. If you are about to be put in for a clearance and if you have any questions, worries or concerns at all about the process or your background, you would really do yourself a great favor by reading this book first, BEFORE YOU TAKE ANY STEPS TOWARDS YOUR CLEARANCE

Bankruptcy - We Wrote the Book on It
(The Real Story and Concerns People Have Based Upon Thousands of Cases our Lawyers Have Handled)

This book was written by attorney Ronald C Sykstus and the Bond and Botes team of lawyers who have over 150 years of collective bankruptcy experience. With offices currently located in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, the Bond and Botes team of lawyers have filed and successfully completed thousands and thousands of bankruptcy cases for their clients. Bankruptcy law is a complex and nuanced field of law that covers and overlaps with a lot of other legal areas. This book is an easy to read, common sense approach to bankruptcy and it attempts to answer the common questions and concerns of everyday people who find themselves struggling and overwhelmed by debt. This book addresses the issues that people have as it relates to credit, divorce, student loans, tax debt, lawsuits and collection harassment, among other topics. When people are unfortunately facing unsurmountable debt, they usually have two or three major areas of concern as it relates to their debts and their future. This book will undoubtedly address all of the concerns that people have and it will do so in a way that will make sense and be understandable.

Duncan MacLeod becomes embroiled in an adventure, which takes him to the Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuac n. Having purchased a rare set of ancient South American llama statues, Duncan is unaware of their ritual significance to an immortal Olmec, named Kawill, who intends to repeat a dark ritual, written on a codex in the Olmec language, and stop time, as the Aztecs understood it. Can Duncan stop this Immortal before time is up?

Written for people-younger to older-who want to reduce personal financial stress by better managing their personal finances. Based on 50 years of managing his household's finances, the CPA author, retired after 39 years, uses common language and avoids technical terms. The Basic Money Workbook provides practical examples to get stated immediately.

The Basic Money Workbook helps manage monthly spending by offering proven ways to track recurring and non-recurring monthly expenditures. Over time, these steps can reduce credit card debt.

Preparing a personal plan, or budget, is suggested as one way to decide if your spending is roughly in line with your priorities. If you are interested in where you stand financially, a simplified balance sheet example is suggested. Other benefits are described.

The Basic Money Workbook is not intended to provide investment advice. Instead, it provides and illustrates ways to be more comfortable with your monthly spending and income.

Technology advances are discussed as they may apply to the suggestions in the Basic Money Workbook.

For people already comfortable with their personal finances, this workbook may offer alternative ways to manage their personal finances. And it may help people be more aware of services their hired professional may be providing.

Eight childhood mates-connected through golf, friendship, and deep-seated lies-face their betrayals.

In small towns, there is always that group. The privileged kids-the ones who appear to have it all. But beneath the deep bond between the 'Master's Eight' lies deceit. On a beautiful Australian seaside, the Master's Eight gather once yearly for a round of golf. When a film production company gets wind of their tradition, cameras roll to create a documentary. Little did the filmmakers know the explosive and devastating secrets this production would reveal.

Through dark humour, the sins of parents and their influence on family dynamics bubble on and off the course. Delving into a world of children becoming adults, the Master's Eight must face emotional growth and, ultimately, enduring friendships despite the trauma buried for decades.

In Peter Dickson's debut fiction novel, find intoxicating mystery, wit, unforgettable characters, and a childhood alliance within the pages of The Embedded Lie, as you laugh until you cry.

Moments after giving birth to their first child, Lisa and Steve Brown are devastated to learn that even the doctors didn't know his prognosis, much less how to explain it to them. Their newborn son, Logan, looked profoundly different. What challenges would this young family face in the future? Twelve days later, they handed their newborn son over to surgeons for them to build and remodel his skull. Before the initial shock and grief wore off, they learned this would become the first of many surgeries and challenges they would endure.

Lisa D. Brown tells her family's riveting story that will take you through their journey of real life hardships, diagnoses, new family additions, bullying, acceptance, humor, and perseverance. This inspiring story offers hope and encouragement to others to face fear and find joy in life's journey.

We all perform as part of life's circus. What circus character are you emulating? Are you the controlling ringmaster, the people-pleasing go-fer, or the adventure-seeking lion tamer? Or, maybe you're one of the other six characters many of us imitate.

Learn the five needs that motivate our choices in life, and uncover how they play a part in your circus performance. Is it possible you're in the wrong act as you try to meet these needs?

Allow the secrets of the tightrope walker to provide the way of balance in the circus of life. Discover the decisions and practices that will provide more balance to your days as you learn to live more intentionally. Identify your unique God-given shape that allows you to prioritize and even say, No. Learn why rest is a vital part of a balanced life, and how to focus on what matters.

You are a unique person and your life can be lived with joy, purpose and, yes, even balance as you live out the principles that keep the tightrope walker up on the wire.

Diary of An Imprisoned Mind is an illustrated first-person narrative that depicts the hypothetical day of someone struggling with a dementia disorder. The reader is allowed to enter the fictional character's mind of confusion, questions, and delusions as she struggles to make sense of daily routines and her surroundings. The story's intent is to increase dementia awareness by relaying the sadness and despair which imprisons millions of individuals. The author and illustrator have directed all royalties, which would be due to them, to be paid to The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.

Jennifer Orsak resides in Holly Springs, North Carolina with her husband and son. She graduated from UNC-CH with a nursing degree. In addition to working in long term care, she has surveyed nursing homes for both the North Carolina and South Carolina state regulatory agencies. She has always been saddened by the plight of elderly individuals who cannot speak up for themselves and the fatigue of overwhelmed caregivers and staff. In recent years, her own mother was diagnosed with a dementia disorder, and Jennifer is working to increase awareness.

Amy Hurley lives in Spotsylvania, Virginia with her husband, two sons, and daughter. She graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Nutritional Science, and went on to become a Registered Dietitian. Amy has also worked in long term care as well as surveying nursing homes for the North Carolina state regulatory agency. Her grandmother and mother were diagnosed with Pick's Disease, a frontal lobe dementia. It has always been Amy's goal to help those that face the devastating effects of dementia.

Medicine Woman Awakening follows the unfolding change of direction in one life's path, initiated by an unexpected message from a surprising source, and guided by thoughtful awareness of events along the way.

After the ending of her marriage, Laura finds emotional healing and a re-focused direction through solitude, self-care, and meditation. A visit to a psychic provides life-changing information. A series of dreams informs her of her personal need for shamanic soul retrieval. As more of her own life essence returns through cumulative soul retrievals, Laura cultivates the emerging recognition of who she is and what her life more fully lived is to look like.

She answers a call to shamanism with service as her intention. In her practice of shamanic journeying, she encounters willing help and encouragement from higher beings. She effectively accesses higher wisdom and practical guidance for herself and for others, which propels her to continue her training.

New awareness of life's purpose brings about major shift in old paradigms. Gradually, her work expands to include writing, illustrating, and published authorship. An unanticipated upheaval provides the dare to move in the direction of her dreams, empowered by all that has occurred, and to become her future self...

Nic Pappas, a reporter with the Palatine Star newspaper, is assigned to cover a cold murder case known as The Brown's Chicken Massacre. Pappas meets, and falls in love with, Mary Jane Santos, who lost her brother, Roland, Jr., in the tragedy, tempting Pappas to violate the ethics of the reporter-source relationship. Believing the only way to end his dilemma is to solve the case, Pappas and Santos make a pledge to catch the killers.