Looking for Blackbeard's Treasure

April 1, 2013

Gr 3-4-These comprehensive CCSS resources have an appealing layout and attractive photos, charts, maps, diagrams, and illustrations. The texts are a busy mix of language arts and math; each volume contains an engaging story line and information that will draw in readers. For example, Mummies combines directions about division with facts about embalming. Every book begins with "iMath Ideas," which introduce a concept, pose a math problem, and provides strategies for getting the answer. The strategies are reiterated at the end of the book. Questions throughout encourage student engagement. Also of interest are a "Discover Activity" and an informational section that connects the discussion to science, history, or art. Each book ends with a "What Comes Next" page that gives ideas for expanding on the concepts learned and an "Additional Notes" section that provides answers to the various problems. Do not expect intense computational practice; the casual approach may work well with reluctant math students.

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.