Great Musicians Series From Zeezok Publishing

Description

Originally written over fifty years ago, these were among the first biographies about composers written for children. The books read wonderfully, telling about the life of the composer from childhood through his adult years. Rich in detail and description, the large text is interesting and appealing. Black and white drawings accompany the story. Besides the terrific story and pictures, each book also holds many pages of actual sheet music so students can learn and play the music of that composer. Study guides are also available, and these slim books are extremely worthwhile. For each chapter of the biography, the study guide provides comprehension questions; points out desirable character qualities; and offers "tidbits of interest," more information about interesting points in the story. These tidbits often cover 2-4 pages, and they greatly enhance the text as they delve into more detail either about an event in the composer's life, an object mentioned in the text, or a widespread event which affected the composer's life. Companion CDs are also available. These enhanced CDs include MP3 audio files as well as printable sheet music of all of the music found in the books, and coloring pages for each chapter. Newly added are the Lapbooking CDs and Audio Books. Lapbooking CDs are designed to accompany the study guide and book (not a stand-alone product), and contain directions for a variety of activities, printable masters and photographs of finished projects. Activities range from a focus on music and musical instruments to a historical event that occurred during the studied musician's time period. Windows and Mac compatible, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader (download for free at www.get.adobe.com/reader/.) Please note the Lapbook CDs are copyrighted for home use only. Audio Books contain the text of the composer biography books along with audio selections of music referenced in the book. The books are approx. 120 pgs, and the study guides are approx. 30 pgs. ~ Melissa/Deanne

Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.