Lesson planning

The return of the bestselling Chromebook guide on the market

Chromebook For Dummies, Third Edition, is your easy-to-follow guide to the low-cost alternative to a traditional laptop. This beginner’s manual walks you through setting up your Chromebook, transitioning from using a traditional computer, and customizing the system to fit your needs. In case you’re wondering, the Chromebook can be used for anything you’d normally do online―checking email, browsing websites, watching videos. This book takes you through all of it, giving you the latest updates on new Chromebook hardware and software features. Navigate apps, apply advanced settings and features, and turn to this guide time and again as you customize and optimize your Chromebook’s performance.

• Get all the basics on using your Chromebook, in easy-to-follow Dummies style
• Set up and start using your Chromebook with ease
• Learn about the latest features in the Chrome operating system
• Discover the benefits of Chromebook versus traditional laptops

New and novice Chromebook users will love this approachable intro to Google’s little portable computer.

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Must-know techniques and resources for maximizing your accuracy and speed

Interested in becoming a copyeditor or proofreader? Want to know more about what each job entails? This friendly guide helps you position yourself for success. Polish your skills, build a winning résumé and land the job you’ve always wanted. Books, magazines, Web sites, corporate documents – find out how to improve any type of publication and make yourself indispensable to writers, editors, and your boss.

• Balance between style and rules
• Master the art of the query
• Use proofreader symbols
• Edit and proof electronic documents
• Build a solid freelancing career

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Sometimes it seems like there are as many definitions of poetry as there are poems. Coleridge defined poetry as “the best words in the best order.” St. Augustine called it “the Devil’s wine.” For Shelley, poetry was “the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds.” But no matter how you define it, poetry has exercised a hold upon the hearts and minds of people for more than five millennia. That’s because for the attentive reader, poetry has the power to send chills shooting down the spine and lightning bolts flashing in the brain ― to throw open the doors of perception and hone our sensibilities to a scalpel’s edge.

Poetry For Dummies is a great guide to reading and writing poems, not only for beginners, but for anyone interested in verse.  From Homer to Basho, Chaucer to Rumi, Shelley to Ginsberg, it introduces you to poetry’s greatest practitioners. It arms you with the tools you need to understand and appreciate poetry in all its forms, and to explore your own talent as a poet. Discover how to:

• Understand poetic language and forms
• Interpret poems
• Get a handle on poetry through the ages
• Find poetry readings near you
• Write your own poems
• Shop your work around to publishers

Don’t know the difference between an iamb and a trochee? Worry not, this friendly guide demystifies the jargon, and it covers a lot more ground besides, including:

• Understanding subject, tone, narrative; and poetic language
• Mastering the three steps to interpretation
• Facing the challenges of older poetry
• Exploring 5,000 years of verse, from Mesopotamia to the global village
• Writing open-form poetry
• Working with traditional forms of verse
• Writing exercises for aspiring poets
• Getting published

From Sappho to Clark Coolidge, and just about everyone in between, Poetry For Dummies puts you in touch with the greats of modern and ancient poetry. Need guidance on composing a ghazal, a tanka, a sestina, or a psalm? This is the book for you.

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Learning a new language is a fun and challenging feat for students at every level. Perfect for those just starting out or returning to German after some time away, German Essentials For Dummies focuses on core concepts taught (and tested on!) in a typical introductory German course. From adjectives and adverbs to understanding tenses and asking questions, you’ll skip the suffering and score high marks at exam time with the help of German Essentials For Dummies.

Designed for students (and parents) who want the key concepts and a few examples―without the review, ramp-up, and anecdotal content―German Essentials For Dummies is a perfect solution for exam-cramming, homework help, and reference.

• Focuses on everything from grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciations to verb forms and tenses
• Perfect for a refresher or a quick reference
• Aids you in writing assignments, tests, and conversational German

If you have some knowledge of German and want to polish your skills, German Essentials For Dummies focuses on just the core concepts you need to communicate effectively.

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Learn to speak Japanese

Japanese language enrollment is up by 27.5 percent since 2006, making it the sixth most popular language studied on college campuses. Whether studying for school, business, or travel, Japanese For Dummies provides complete coverage of all Japanese language essentials including grammar, usage, and vocabulary.

Complete with free conversational audio tracks online, this handy book offers everything you need to learn the Japanese language to get ahead in class or on a trip to Japan. In no time, you’ll make sense of the language well enough to communicate with native speakers!

• Includes expanded coverage of grammar, verb conjugations, and pronunciations
• Provides a refreshed mini-dictionary with even more essential vocabulary
• Offers useful exercises and practice opportunities 
• Helps you learn to speak conversational Japanese with ease

Whether for work, school, or fun, Japanese For Dummies is the fast and easy way to add this language to your skillset!

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Memoir writing is a growing phenomenon, and not just by celebrities and politicians. Everyone has a story to tell, and Memoir Writing For Dummies provides hopeful writers with the tools they need to share their life stories with the world and become published authors.

With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions―along with helpful tips and advice on how to get published―Memoir Writing For Dummies shows you how to put pen to paper and hone the craft of writing a truly compelling memoir. You’ll get advice on how to explore your memories, map out your story, perfect your plot, setting, character, and dialogue, and so much more.

• Includes tips on getting over writer’s block
• Guides you through every step of the writing and editing processes
• Covers the best ways to market a finished memoir

Packed with proven tips and writing tricks of the trade, Memoir Writing For Dummies gives you everything you need to ensure your life story is never forgotten.

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So you want to write a novel? Great! That’s a worthy goal, no matter what your reason. But don’t settle for just writing a novel. Aim high. Write a novel that you intend to sell to a publisher. Writing Fiction for Dummies is a complete guide designed to coach you every step along the path from beginning writer to royalty-earning author. Here are some things you’ll learn in Writing Fiction for Dummies:

• Strategic Planning: Pinpoint where you are on the roadmap to publication; discover what every reader desperately wants from a story; home in on a marketable category; choose from among the four most common creative styles; and learn the self-management methods of professional writers.
• Writing Powerful Fiction: Construct a story world that rings true; create believable, unpredictable characters; build a strong plot with all six layers of complexity of a modern novel; and infuse it all with a strong theme.
• Self-Editing Your Novel: Psychoanalyze your characters to bring them fully to life; edit your story structure from the top down; fix broken scenes; and polish your action and dialogue.
• Finding An Agent and Getting Published: Write a query letter, a synopsis, and a proposal; pitch your work to agents and editors without fear.

Writing Fiction For Dummies takes you from being a writer to being an author. It can happen―if you have the talent and persistence to do what you need to do.

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Learning a new language is a fun and challenging feat for students at every level. Perfect for those just starting out or returning to Spanish after time away, Spanish Essentials For Dummies focuses on core concepts taught (and tested on!) in a typical introductory Spanish course. From adjectives and adverbs to understanding tenses and asking questions, students will skip the suffering and score high marks at exam time with the help of Spanish Essentials For Dummies. This guide is also a perfect reference for parents who need to review critical Spanish concepts as they help students with homework assignments, as well as for adult learners headed back to the classroom who just want to be brush up on the core concepts.

The Essentials For Dummies Series
Dummies is proud to present our new series, The Essentials For Dummies. Now students who are prepping for exams, preparing to study new material, or who just need a refresher can have a concise, easy-to-understand review guide that covers an entire course by concentrating solely on the most important concepts. From algebra and chemistry to grammar and Spanish, our expert authors focus on the skills students most need to succeed in a subject.

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Online answers as well as a selection of free supporting downloads are available from the Schofield & Sims website.

First Mental Arithmetic provides rich and varied practice to develop pupils’ essential maths skills at Key Stage 1 and prepare them for all aspects of the national tests.

Structured according to ability rather than age, the series allows children to work at their own pace, building confidence and fluency. Two Entry Tests are available in the First Mental Arithmetic Teacher’s Guide and on the Schofield & Sims website, enabling teachers, parents and tutors to select the appropriate book for each child.

First Mental Arithmetic 2 is aimed at pupils in Year 1 and covers the key subject areas of number, measurement and geometry, including addition, subtraction, telling the time, 3-D shapes, number bonds and word problems. The book includes:

• 11 double-spread sessions, each presented in a unique three-part format comprising: questions using pictures or simplified language; questions using relevant mathematical vocabulary and symbols; word problems or questions that test understanding of mathematical concepts
• regular Check-up Tests to identify gaps in understanding
• a Language of Maths glossary at the start of each book to help develop children’s number vocabulary.

  A separate accompanying answer book, First Mental Arithmetic 2 Answers (ISBN 9780721711706), contains answers to all the questions, making marking simple.

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A kid-friendly and rigorous new way to teach young readers the fundamentals of computer science

In Computer Science for Kids: A Storytelling Approach, AWS Head of Academic Advocacy and Google Developer Expert Dr. Jen Looper delivers a colorful, fun, and exciting demonstration for young readers who want to learn the basics of computer science. Using a variety of technologies, the book covers the elements of computer science in concise detail and illustrates how to build projects to learn foundational concepts behind the technology powering the internet.

In the book, you’ll find projects to build using both basic and emerging technologies―like SQL, game development, storytelling software, and 3D augmented reality―as well as:

• Chapter projects aligned to K-12 curriculum standards for grades 6-8 and a GitHub repo featuring open-source projects
• Lesson plans for teachers
• An online space for classrooms to showcase and discuss their work

An easy-to-follow and kid-friendly new resource for technology-curious middle school students, Computer Science for Kids is the fun and interesting web development resource that classroom teachers, parents, and homeschooling families have been waiting for.

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