Central Skagit Library District

For those who have despaired of ever learning a foreign language, here, finally, is a book that will make the words stick. At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He did not learn them in school -- who does? -- rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources. In Fluent Forever Wyner reveals what he has discovered.

The television actress and mathematics guru author of Math Doesn't Suck presents a pre-algebra primer for seventh- to ninth-graders, in an accessible reference that shares time-saving tricks, real-world examples, and detailed practice problems.

'How the Word is Passed' is Clint Smith's revealing, contemporary portrait of America as a slave owning nation. Beginning in his own hometown of New Orleans, Smith leads the reader through an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks - those that are honest about the past and those that are not - that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nations collective history, and ourselves.

"The author points out ways in which recognizing sound and letter patterns makes spelling easier. Also important are recognition of diphthongs, silent letters, compound and abbreviated words, contractions, homophones, homographs, prefixes, suffixes, and base words. "Brain tickler" problems challenge students' imaginations and test their learning progress. Barron's popular "Painless Series" of study guides for middle school and high school students...

Presents a comprehensive introduction to the stories, events, and teachings of one hundred major passages of the Old and New Testaments, explaining their theological significance while offering profiles of important figures and locations.

"Written by a cognitive psychologist who has spent decades studying low we learn, Outsmart Your Brain is the definitive guide to help students master the skills of understanding material and retaining information. In clear, accessible prose, Dan Willingham lays out the techniques necessary for students at any stage to succeed and thrive when learning, studying, and taking exams. When studying, the tendency is to focus on the mental tasks that we control...

This is the story of Azar Nafisi's dream and of the nightmare that made it come true. For two years before she left Iran in 1997, Nafisi gathered seven young women at her house every Thursday morning to read and discuss forbidden works of Western literature. They were all former students whom she had taught at university. They were unaccustomed to being asked to speak their minds, but soon they began to open up and to speak more freely, not only about...

In kindergartens these days, children spend more time with math worksheets and phonics flashcards than building blocks and finger paint. Kindergarten is becoming more like the rest of school. In Lifelong Kindergarten, learning expert Mitchel Resnick argues for exactly the opposite: the rest of school (even the rest of life) should be more like kindergarten. To thrive in today's fast-changing world, people of all ages must learn to think and act creatively...

"At the end of the 19th century, everyone knew that people were defined by their race and sex and were fated by birth and biology to be more or less intelligent, able, nurturing, or warlike. But one rogue researcher looked at the data and decided everyone was wrong. Franz Boas was the very image of a mad scientist: a wild-haired immigrant with a thick German accent. By the 1920s he was also the foundational thinker and public face of a new school...

" The first half of this unique guide introduces rising players (0-800 Elo rating) to the four key areas to consider when playing chess--openings, endings, tactics, and strategy--and the second half builds upon these core skills for more experienced players (800-1300 Elo rating). Brimming with practical and easy-to-follow tips for improving your game, How to Win at Chess includes over 500 instructional gameplay illustrations to help you better visualize...