`Gleaned from decades of practice, this is a harvest of wisdom, gathered from the intuition and invention of three gifted teachers. Their jargon-free collection of lessons will serve educators at all stages of professional development. Their suggestions restore human thought and communication to the educative process' - Frances Monteverde, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas

This book is designed primarily for K-6 teachers and administrators who wish to examine where they are and where they might go. Each chapter discusses the elements of good teaching in the content areas, providing real examples from real schools, followed by reflections and assessment tips. The format allows teachers to use single chapters to concentrate on a particular subject area, or to use the entire book as a professional development tool that can renew, re-energize, and reinvigorate teaching practices for individuals or for a school's faculty as a whole.
Using national standards as a framework, the authors focus on all of the major content areas, including mathematics, science, social studies, technology, and more. They address issues such as professional growth, and the many difficulties faced daily by teachers, while focusing on instructional strengths that emerge when thoughtful and curious teachers guide attentive and curious students. Teachers now have one clear Handbook that covers virtually all the curricular areas in grades K-6.