BY CHRISTINA GUERRERO
IF YOU HAVE a child in the sixth, seventh
or eighth grade who is struggling or could
use some help with math or other school
subjects, you’ll be delighted to learn about
the Big Fat Notebook study guidebooks for
middle school students. The series, which
includes math, science, American history,
world history and English language arts,
was written by adults who aced the subjects as students in middle school. Then
the books are double-checked by national
and state Teacher of the Year award-winning teachers before publication.
“I would have loved for my students to
have access to this book,” says Ouida
Newton, ;;;; Arkansas Teacher of the
Year, who retired last year after ;; years of
teaching. “The material is appropriate for
middle school students and is presented in
a way that students can use the book them-
selves to work through areas where they
are having difficulty.”
At ;; years old, Altair Peterson, who
had just finished teaching her second year
of high school math, was selected to write
the notebook for math, which is one of her
favorite subjects.
“I was always good at math, but math is
hard and often took a lot of work and
patience,” says Peterson, no w an architect,
who has degrees in mathematics and
architecture. “I liked my students to know
that you don’t have to get it right away to be
good at it.”
Using national and state standards as
a reference, Peterson organized the skills
and concepts presented in the book after
researching the best and most innovative
practices in how to teach them. She also
drew upon her own experience in the class-
room to preempt possible confusion.
“The book covers a wide breadth of topics and presents and assesses the material
in so many different ways, I think there is
something in it for everyone,” she says.
“I highly recommend the book to people
after middle school and
even adults. It is a great
refresher and a great way
to practice numeracy
skills. The explanations
are clear, concise and pre-
sented with informative
graphics. Plus it is fun!”
Newton, who review-
ed the math book, tested
the information by work-
ing through every
problem, checking ex-
planations to see if the
processes were correct
and mathematically
sound. She wanted to make sure they
would serve students well as they pro-
gressed through high school, so she
removed habits that would be detrimental
to their future understanding of algebra
and geometry. She also evaluated every
detail of how the material was presented,
down to the font, to make sure it would be
clear, easy to understand and something
all students would be able to follow.
“I believe the ease of understanding
will attract students,” says Newton.
“Some students are intimidated by new
math material and do not feel comfort-
able asking questions in class. This book
will allow them to ‘ask questions’ when
they are having trouble and find the
answers to their questions in a clear,
easy-to-understand way.”
Each subject presents critical ideas
highlighted in neon colors, explains defi-
nitions, illuminates tricky concepts in
marker doodles, uses mnemonics for
memorable shortcuts, recaps with quizzes
and contains experiments for students to
try at home. Newton says many students
do not have an adult who can assist them
when they have problems completing their
homework after school, but the books can
help fill the void for parents looking for
ways to help their child.
She says, “The Big Fat Notebook [series]
gives parents access to an at-home tutor
without having to worry about schedules or
extra expense.” C
THECOSTCOCONNECTION
The Big Fat Notebook series, which
includes math, science, American history,
world history and English language arts, is
available in warehouses. Item #1085620.
Middle school
teaching aids are
packed with info
SPECIAL SECTION
BACK TO SCHOOL
of high school math, was selected to write
sound. She wanted to make sure they
would serve students well as they pro-
gressed through high school, so she
removed habits that would be detrimental
to their future understanding of algebra
and geometry. She also evaluated every
detail of how the material was presented,
Big fat tutors
COURTESY OF WORKMAN PUBLISHING
Neon highlights, marker
doodles, mnemonics,
recaps, quizzes and
experiments highlight
critical ideas and illuminate tricky concepts
to help students grasp
the covered subjects.
