The Four-Cornered Falcon: Essays on the Interior West and the Natural Scene (Creating the North American Landscape)

Book Description

A harrowing, subterranean Into Thin Air, BEYOND THE DEEP is the perilous odyssey of the cavers who explored the Mt. Everest of the undergroundthe Huautla.The Huautla in Mexico is the deepest cave in the Western Hemisphere, possibly the world. Shafts reach skyscraper-depths, caverns are stadium-sized, and sudden floods can drown divers in an instant. With a two-decade obsession, William Stone and his 44-member team entered the sinkhole at Sotano de San Augustin. The first camp settled 2,328 feet below ground in a cavern where headlamps couldnt even illuminate the walls and ceiling. The second camp teeter-ed precariously above an underground canyon where two subterranean rivers collided. But beyond that lay the unknown territorya flooded corridor that had blocked all previous comers, claimed a divers life, and drove the rest of the team back. Except for William Stone and Barbara am Ende, who forged on for 18 more days, with no hope of rescue, to set the record for the deepest cave dive in the Western Hemisphere.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome story...flawed presentation.......2005-12-23

I still recommend this book highly. The story of these explorers is simply amazing. As someone who is very very claustrophobic (my worst fear is being stuck in some confined space), I have to be an "armchair" explorer, and this book makes you confront these fears. In the end it's very rewarding.

The book's only flaw is the "reconstructed" dialogue. I don't know who recommended the author(s) adopt this format, because it is really awkward in places. The narrative of, say, a Jon Krakauer book or a Simon Winchester book is much, much more effective than a lot of the bogus, even boring dialogue that comes across here. There are a lot of characters the author(s) and the readers have to deal with, so perhaps giving most of them "voices" was thought of as the best way to do it, but after a while it gets a little tiring and actually disrupts the build-up of the action.

Still, it's an awesome story of exploration and what drives us to keep pushing the limits.

The willys!.......2004-11-01

I'm a scuba diver. I have also done a lot of spelunking in my late teens and early 20's. I never really considered combining the 2. It just didn't cross my mind.

Now I never will.

There were so many times in this book that I simply got the willies. (Did I spell that right?) It became more frightening that some of the horror I've read.

It also (in my humble opinion) addresses one of the greatest downfalls of some explorers; Not taking into consideration one's mortality.

While I doubt I'll ever willingly mix traditional scuba diving with spelunking I may consider it if I had access to the re-breathers this team used.

This book is NOT for the claustrophobic.

I Really Wanted to Like This Book..........2003-10-15

I really wanted to like this book but I found myself struggling to finish it. No doubt, the experience itself was immeasurably exciting / interesting, but the book was, well, kind of boring.

It could have easily been half the length and not lost much, and as another reviewer indicated, I never really got a feel for what is so great about crawling though caves. I'm sure it IS great, at least to those who are as into it as these people are, but I didn't get why or how from the book. I also found the third-person writing style a bit contrived, somehow.

If you DID like this book, I would highly recommend 'The Last Dive' which is in a similar vein but I found very exciting and extremely well written.

DIVING INTO DISASTER.......2003-07-20

Fascinating book about the ultimate 'adventure' junkies-- who explore the world's most treacherous cave in Mexico. An amazing crew of people. What's so unusual is that these are divers-- deep see divers, not just guys and gals who go down into the cave on ropes or climb rocks. They call themselves CAVERS -- details make the true-life adventure come alive. What's disturbing though is that lives were lost on this expedition and the authors tend to gloss over those lost in their quest for the ultimate experiences. Cinematic and even outrageous tale of diving into disaster.

What Drives Divers To Descend To Unbelievable Depths?.......2003-04-21

What is it that drives cave explorers to descend to unbelievable depths, as if they were involved in an international game of subterranean chess?

Perhaps the clues are to be found within the pages of a book entitled Beyond The Deep that chronicles the breathtaking 1994 San Agustin Expedition as told from the perspective of Bill Stone and Barbara am Ende.
Much of the information was gleaned from their logbooks, diaries, and recollections, as well as from dozens of interviews conducted by their co-author Monte Paulsen.

In 1977, 1979 and 1981 cave divers were unsuccessful in exploring the San Agustin sump or the underground tunnel that was flooded entirely with water. This sump is the deepest point in a cave known as Sistema Huautla, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Many of the difficulties were the result of using traditional equipment as well as the inability to effectively transport the supplies and gear necessary to accomplish this incredible feat.

In 1994 international exploring expert Bill Stone completed the constructing of an closed cycle life support system or as he termed it a "rebreather." This piece of apparatus was called the Mk-ll.

This would permit the cavers and divers to explore the San Agustin Sump far longer than anyone was able to accomplish in the past.

It was Stone's contention that the problem was primarily a technological challenge. Once this was overcome, the rest would fall into place.

The next step entailed the meticulous organization of the various components of the team.
There was expedition leader Stone, six dive team members, 35 support team participants and 5 members of the photo team.

These individuals wanted to "place their own boot where no one hand before." According to Stone, "every member had made enormous personal sacrifices in the pursuit of this elusive grail. They'd left family behind for a third of a year; had trained relentlessly for two years just to get there; had gone deeply into debt; and were subjecting themselves daily to physical hardships."

Why do it? Perhaps Stone sums it up when he asserts, "after so many years of struggle, he'd found the route, the secret doorway to the gaping, unexplored beyond."

One of the shortcomings of the book is the extensive use of technical jargon. The authors did indicate in the introduction that they have substituted common words for technical jargon wherever possible.

Book Description

The definitive reference for reading and literacy from kindergarten through college

This comprehensive fifth edition of a bestselling classic offers an unparalleled source of timely, practical information on all aspects of reading instruction. Ready for immediate use, it offers over 190 up-to-date lists for developing instructional materials and lesson planning. The book is organized into 15 convenient sections full of practical examples, key words, teaching ideas, and activities that can be used as is or adapted to meet students’ diverse needs. New topical areas include: ideas for non-narrative reading; word walls; graphic organizer and concept development software; new literacies, such as ’zines, Internet terms, emoticons, e-mail, and chat; as well as weekly writing prompts.

Edward Bernard Fry, PhD (Laguna Beach, CA), is Professor Emeritus of Education at Rutgers University and internationally renowned inventor of his eponymous Readability Graph. Jacqueline E. Kress, EdD (Elizabeth, NJ), is Dean of Education at New York Institute of Technology.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful addition to any home/school library.......2007-07-11

We use this book with our students in school regularly. I bought a copy for my home. All four of my children (ages 10 - 17) refer to it time and again. It is a must for a home library. I keep it right next to the dictionary and thesaurus.

Indispensable resource for teachers of reading!.......2007-06-30

The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists is a wonderful resource for teachers, especially in helping develop instructional materials and lesson plans for grades K-12 & even for adult literacy. There are lists covering phonics, useful words, vocabulary, subject words, literature, writing, instruction, comprehension & study skills, assessment, spelling, the internet,ESL/language, word play, abbreviations/symbols/signs, and references. This is a highly practical and comprehensive resource for teachers of reading, but is also suitable for parents & students, and anyone interested in the subject matter. I would also recommend Jim Burke's Reading Reminders:Tools, Tips, and Techniques as a companion to this.

Great for anyone who teaches reading!.......2007-06-24

I love this book! It has any list related to reading that you can imagine!
Need to "beef up" your reading instruction?
This is the book for you!

A Must Have.......2007-01-12

Is your time worth money? If the answer is ,"Yes," well, do I have a book for you. The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists, is well worth every penny you'll spend. It's a valuable resource for all teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, and students. From locating lists of word families to sesquipedalians; this book has it all. It is a great time saver. I highly recommend this book. If in doubt, buy it ... you'll be glad you did.

2 Thumbs up and a MUST have for teachers.......2007-01-12

As a first year Reading and English teacher, I use this book almost daily. There are activities, strategies, ideas, writing prompts, and plenty of reference/trivia information. This book is packed full of bell activity material and five-minute fillers. I HIGHLY recommend it!

The Writing Teacher's Book of Lists with Ready-to-Use Activities and Worksheets , 2nd Edition

Average customer rating:

An effective tool for teaching writing, BUT...
great teaching tool
Practical & Easy to Use
I used this book very little in my writing classes
Very Practical and Useable Resource

The Writing Teacher's Book of Lists with Ready-to-Use Activities and Worksheets , 2nd Edition
Gary Robert Muschla
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0787970808

Book Description

This is the second edition of the unique information source and timesaver for English and language arts teachers. The Writing Teacher’s Book of Lists with Ready-to-Use Activities and Worksheets includes 90 useful lists for developing instructional materials and planning lessons for elementary and secondary students. In addition, the book includes innovative activities and reproducible black line masters that help students to improve their writing skills, word usage, and vocabulary. For quick access and easy use, all of these lists and activities are organized into seven sections and individually printed in a format that can be photocopied as many times as required for individual or group instruction. This handy resource is filled with helpful lists, activities, teaching suggestions, and reproducible worksheets.

Customer Reviews:

An effective tool for teaching writing, BUT..........2007-06-30

The Writing Teacher's Book of Lists is a useful resource for teachers of writing, but it is more technical and perhaps better suited to beginning teachers who might appreciate the 90 useful lists for developing instructional materials, activities, teaching suggestions etc. I would recommend using this book together with another effective book on teaching writing titled, "Writing Process Activities Kit: 75 Ready-to-use Lessons & Worksheets for Grades 7-12".

great teaching tool.......2007-06-27

I found the information in this book to be very helpful in my classroom. There are great lessons on all different types of writing. They are very easy to follow and adaptable for different grade levels. Very useable.

Practical & Easy to Use.......2007-06-01

Great Resource!!! Very practical, easy to use, great independent work!

I used this book very little in my writing classes.......2001-07-02

I bought this book as a 3rd year math teacher delighted, but nervous, about facing the prospect of teaching two sections of 6th grade English. I can't say that it turned out to be a particularly useful tool - for me.

New teachers might consider purchasing this book if they are both (a) somewhat nervous about the "technical" level of their own skills and (b) intent upon giving those technical elements a significant role in their writing classes. For both of these, its variety of exemplary lists of grammatical forms and genres and the like may be useful to both teacher and, in photocopy, to students.

If, like me, you intend to focus more on writing, writing, and more writing, and to surround that extensive writing with process/context emphasis such as comes from peer-peer editing or writing response groups, the book will be less useful. I found that once students had created an extensive variety of written work and branched into a wide range of genres, each required a very personal approach from me when we worked together. The occasional listing of, e.g., sight-sound words was handy; but, frankly, the student's individual work usually suggested alternatives and choices to both of us in conference.

If you are a new writing teacher, don't just buy this book, as I realize I did, out of insecurity before your first teaching day! After all, it can be brought to your doorstep in a jiffy once you decide, in the midst of teaching, that you would really use it.

Very Practical and Useable Resource.......2000-08-02

This book was very helpful to me as a beginning teacher. I highly reccomend it to anyone who teaches writing for any subject.

The Literature Teacher's Book Of Lists (J-B Ed: Book of Lists)

Average customer rating:

Worthwhile and interesting but buyer beware!
Literature:A Starting Point
A good reference material

The Literature Teacher's Book Of Lists (J-B Ed: Book of Lists)
Judie L. H. Strouf
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0787975508

Book Description

This second edition of the popular Literature Teacher's Book of Lists has been thoroughly revised and contains updated information and exciting new lists. This unique information source and time-saver for literature teachers includes 254 useful lists for developing instructional materials and planning lessons for middle school, secondary, and college students. Some of the lists supply teacher background; others are reproducibles for student use; many give new twists to studied topics.

Customer Reviews:

Worthwhile and interesting but buyer beware!.......2003-12-06

I don't teach literature and am not am not an academic, but a reasonably well-read individual could a.) take issue with many of these lists, and b.) find errors in the book. So caveat emptor. For example:

1. The Trojan Horse is listed on pg. 17 as being covered in The Iliad and The Aeneid. So far as I recollect, there is zero mention of the Trojan Horse incident in the Iliad. That, fellow readers, comes briefly in the Odyssey, and yes... much, much later, in the Aeneid.

2. Incorrect info, probably typos, on the Androcles and the Lion fable.

3. Explaining Deconstructionism as 'reaction against the structuralism amd its anti-humanistic, ostentatious over-analysis of literature as a basis for judging its value". Thanks, now explain what the heck that means.

4. Page 44 list of Major Literary Critics excludes H.L. Mencken and Harold Bloom and Malcolm Cowley? Come on.

5. Page 93. Eliot's Four Quartets is classified as an 'epic'? So is Brecht's play, Mother Courage? Epic?

6. Page 123. Yet again, the literati can't figure out that Fitzgerald's second novel is just The Beautiful and Damned, not "and THE Damned." Typo? Come on. Know your stuff. On Page 130 a Jean Auel novel is mistitled too.

7. Speaking of Fitzgerald, he's listed as an American Novel Master (he published 4 novels) but not as an American Short Story Master (he published over 150 short stories). He was better known for his short stories. By the way, where is Don DeLillo? Not on American novel masters at all!

8. Western Masters: Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour and Larry McMurtry are in there, but not Cormac McCarthy?

9. And a crowning complaint... Major Poets from Other Lands is the category. Nowhere listed is GOETHE!!! The greatest or among the top 3 greatest European, if not Western or World poets ever!!! Arthur Rimbaud, the 19 year old Frenchman, author of a couple score poems is there. Holderlin and Heine are there for pete's sake. No Goethe? Its hard to the lists seriously after an oversight of that magnitude.

Other than all that. On balance, its a great way to spend time if you love literature. Cool lists. For teachers, its good I suppose. Just realize some errors and oversights...some small, some HUGE.

Literature:A Starting Point.......2003-10-26

Americans seem fascinated by a top ten list of any category, so it is no surprise that someone has put together a top ten list for literature. Jodie Strouf in her THE LITERATURE TEACHER'S BOOK OF LISTS has attempted to encapsulate the broad swath of human endeavour that we call literature. Though the title suggests that the target audience is limited to teachers of literature, clearly anyone with even a modicum of interest in things literary can benefit. Strouf's chapter headings tell a great deal about how she organizes the rather bulky spectrum that most well-educated readers already know. Typical headers include (1) Literature: An Introduction (2)Books For All Ages (3)Genres For All Tastes (4)Poetry (5)Drama (6)Themes (7) Literary Periods (8)Potpourri (9) Endings & References. The value of Strouf's text is considerable in that many general readers would like to have a handy one page reference that gives a plot summary of a dozen words or less for all of Shakespeare's plays. Or perhaps you might need to know which famous works have been banned as being overly salacious (The 1969 version of the AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY puts in a surprise appearance). Or even which novels have physical disabilities as an underlying theme.

As I read this list of lists, I could see that there is nearly an infinity of uses for it. A high school teacher might use it to plan a curriculum of guided reading. A college teacher could photocopy relevant categories of minutiae that correspond with an undergraduate course in Lit 101. The well-educated layman could even derive pleasure in finding a tidy order in the disorder of written ideas that stretches back to antiquity. There are not many reference books that one could read as opposed to look up some arcane point. THE LITERATURE TEACHER'S BOOK OF LISTS is one such treasured example.

A good reference material.......2000-03-24

This book was not quite what I was looking for, which was a jumping off point to find books to become well-read for college because it was so overwhelming and there are so many books, but once I became used to it, it was much easier to use and has helped me in my reading search.

Average customer rating:

The New Reading Teacher's Book of Lists
Edward B. Fry , Jacqueline K. Polk , and Dona Fountoukidis
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 013615543X

Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (Books for You)

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Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High (Books for You)

Manufacturer: Natl Council of Teachers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0814103723

High Interest Easy Reading: A Booklist for Junior and Senior High School Students (High Interest Easy Reading)

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High Interest Easy Reading: A Booklist for Junior and Senior High School Students (High Interest Easy Reading)

Manufacturer: National Council of Teachers of English
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Binding: Paperback

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High Interest Easy Reading: An Annotated Booklist for Middle School and Senior High School (High Interest Easy Reading)

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High Interest Easy Reading: An Annotated Booklist for Middle School and Senior High School (High Interest Easy Reading)

Manufacturer: National Council of Teachers of English
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ASIN: 0814120989

Adventuring With Books: A Booklist for Pre-K-Grade 6 (Adventuring With Books)

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Adventuring With Books: A Booklist for Pre-K-Grade 6 (Adventuring With Books)

Manufacturer: National Council of Teachers of English
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Binding: Paperback

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Books for You: A Booklist for Senior High Students (Books for You)

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Books for You: A Booklist for Senior High Students (Books for You)

Manufacturer: National Council of Teachers of English
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Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High Students: 1995 (Books for You)

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Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High Students: 1995 (Books for You)

Manufacturer: National Council of Teachers of English
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0814103677

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