About this product: The New SAT: Critical Reading & Writing is developed by the same folks who brought you the award-winning Standard Deviants®, recommended by teachers and professors across the country. With humorous skits, graphics and an approachable format that simplify complex subjects, we give you strategies to maximize your time and score!
About this product: Writing Basics is a great DVD for anyone - students and non-students alike - who wants to write a terrific paper or polish his or her writing skills. This DVD will teach you everything from how to state and support a position, to collecting supporting information and writing a thesis statement. The Standard Deviants will help you become a better writer in no time!
About this product: This is a must-have program for every student preparing for the SAT. Last Minute SAT will help relieve the stress caused by this crucial exam and raise your SCORE! Getting a good score on the SAT is the key to getting into a good college. SAT Writing features easy-to-follow writing strategies and insight on the scoring procedure for the new essay section. This programming uses proven strategies to guide you through the writing process starting with outlining and identifying the topic sentence. All the writing basics are covered! By simplifying complex subjects and presenting the material with humorous skits, computer graphics and a fun, approachable format the Last Minute SAT students make even the most di cult process enjoyable!
About this product: This DVD is divided into two main sections of just over thirty minutes each. The first section covers the basics of story-writing, and although it is geared towards grade four and up, it is useful for anyone with a composition or report to write, or a story to tell.
Presented in cartoon format, the story-writer is a young girl, and her instructor an Italian pencil named Marko. We follow along as the girl writes a composition about her first camping trip, with Marko providing running advice and commentary.
As she writes, Marko pulls "tools" out of his toolbox to make the story better, and these are:
1. Arranger: putting your thoughts in order so as to capture the whole story in a logical and organized manner. Extraneous material that doesn't belong in the story is also edited out.
2. Hook: every story needs something to catch the reader's attention, and this includes specific actions, word pictures, interesting facts, conversations or questions.
3. Transitions: used to fill gaps in the storyline.
4. Colorful words: words used to emphasize the way things look, feel, smell, taste or sound.
5. Personification: giving human qualities to objects.
6. Dialogue: developing characters by having them speak to each other.
7. Simile: using words to say how different things may be similar.
8. Onomatopoeia: words pronounced like the sound they are describing.
9. Alliteration: words that begin with the same letter.
10. Lasting impressions: ways to end your story that will be remembered by your readers.
(Marko also discusses unclear pronouns and making sure that clear antecedents are used)
The second section deals with proofreading for capitalization, spelling, punctuation and double negatives, among others.
Also available on the DVD are printable posters covering the topics, and these are also available for downloading from markothepencil dot com in pdf or gif format.
I think that this is a very useful tool for helping children to improve their writing skills, and even my seven year old is now familiar with the terms "simile", "onomatopoeia" and "alliteration". Get this for a young, aspiring writer in your family, and leave a lasting impression.
About this product: This pioneering film illuminates the extraordinary experiences of American servicemen and women through their own powerful stories. Based on the acclaimed NEA-sponsored book of the same name, this eloquent and moving (Entertainment Weekly) film offers a profound look at the lives of those serving in America s armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Distinguished actors like Robert Duvall, Beau Bridges and Aaron Eckhart give voice to the poems, stories, essays, letters, and journal entries of people on the frontlines. Weaving these dramatic readings with interviews with their authors, OPERATION HOMECOMING transforms the written word into a living, breathing look at the human side of America s current military conflicts. An honest and intensely personal look at war through firsthand accounts, this groundbreaking documentary adds depth to individual experiences by looking at them within the context of the long and venerable tradition of war writing. By turns poetic, comic, and chilling (Variety), this film gives voice to those heroes who have served and wish to share their experiences with the world.
DVD Features: Deleted Interview Clips; Poetry Reading; Men in Black Illustrated Storyboard; Making of the Short Film Featurette; Theatrical Trailer; 5.1 Sound
Comparisons to Van Sant's Good Will Hunting are inevitable, but Finding Forrester is more honest and less prone to touchy-feely sentiment, as in the way Jamal and a private-school classmate (Anna Paquin) develop a mutual attraction that remains almost entirely unspoken. The film takes a conventional turn when Jamal must defend his integrity (with Forrester's help) in a writing contest judged by a skeptical teacher (F. Murray Abraham), but this ethical subplot is a credible catalyst for Forrester's most dramatic display of friendship. It's one of many fine moments for Connery and Brown (a screen natural), in a memorable film that transcends issues of race to embrace the joy of learning. --Jeff Shannon
About this product: The 3-disc set, The Standard Deviants English Pack contains:
The Standard Deviants - English Composition As with other Standard Deviants videos, this one begins with the warning that English Composition is meant to be used in conjunction with a class, not as a replacement. Well, for once, ignore them. Sure, nothing can replace an English comp class, and everyone should take one, but this video is probably the most valuable one you could watch before beginning your high school or college career. In fact, even for those in the real world, English Composition can help you brush up on your writing skills. Whether you need to write a lab report, a critical review, or a case study or summarize professional articles, this video gives you the know-how to write an effective paper from brainstorming through revision.
Nathan is your typical college freshman. Through confessional-style interviews, we learn of his traumas and achievements writing his first university assignment. From the moment his teacher gives him his assignment, we watch Nathan as he churns out--and rejects--a number of ideas. We share his satisfaction when he narrows his choices down. We share his pain at his not-great critique. We share his joy at his final rewrite. Okay, so maybe we're getting a little carried away--but using Nathan, humorous skits (including a genie who grants wishes), and clever graphics, the Standard Deviants cover characteristics of academic prose, getting started, collecting information, outlining, rough drafts, feedback, and lots of revision in a jocular way. Included with the tape is an insert that shows not only Nathan's assignment but the three versions of his paper, which incorporate the changes he's made. --Jenny Brown
The Standard Deviants - English Punctuation, Part 1 The rules of punctuation may not seem enjoyable or entertaining, but the Standard Deviants can at least help out in making the rules memorable with a cast of enthusiastic young performers who specialize in lighthearted but academically sound treatments of serious subjects. In The Untamed Worlds of English Punctuation, the troupe dons costumes (such as the uniform of a traffic cop) and hams it up while presenting lessons that begin by answering the basic question "What is punctuation?" The major "end marks" are then covered in a series of lessons that focus on the rules for employing periods, questions marks, and exclamation points. The uses of commas, semicolons, and colons are covered in a similarly lively manner, with useful tips, such as the "Furthermore Rule" to test the suitability of a semicolon. Following each set of lessons is a quiz that the student can take or skip, and the "Exclamation Exam," a comprehensive test covering all the material on the DVD, can be taken at the finish. There's only so much that can be done to make punctuation exciting, but the Standard Deviants do offer a multitude of offbeat examples. And fear not, the material included has all been approved by a serious academic panel. --Robert J. McNamara
The Standard Deviants - English Grammar, Part 1 English grammar is serious stuff, and there's only so much that can be done to make it entertaining. But the Standard Deviants, an energetic troupe of young performers whose specialty is making serious academic subjects engaging, happily dive into what they call "The Split-Infinitive World of English Grammar." The lessons on this DVD have been prepared by a panel of serious academics, but flashy graphics abound. And the performers do their best to liven up presentations of basic concepts. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech are explained with some offbeat examples (for instance, a film of a lizard is used to demonstrate why "gecko" is a common noun). While introducing a section on verbals, a young woman mentions that a "funky thing" verbs can do is function as other parts of speech. Eventually all parts of speech are covered, and basic sentence structures are introduced. At the end of each set of lessons a quiz is presented, which a student can either take or skip. After proceeding through all the lessons on this DVD (which contains about two hours worth of material), a student can take the "Gram Slam," a comprehensive exam. English grammar will never be a barrel of fun, but the Standard Deviants deserve credit for making this review course as engaging as the subject is ever likely to get. --Robert J. McNamara
About this product: Writing for Adult Learners presents a system to identify what professors want and organize the required material logically in a way professors expect to see it. Examples, templates and checklist are shared in the seminar. Further resources are suggested. The 2 DVDs are a training manual developed over Dr. Dew's 20+ years in higher education.
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
About this product: LEARN TO READ WITH PHONICS, VOLUME ONE: LETTERS AND WORDS Any child can quickly master the elements of successful reading with the use of Phonics. The Phonics technique is widely recognized by experts as one of the easiest and most effective ways of teaching the fundamentals of reading. With twenty-one years of experience behind her, Certified Reading Specialist Barbara Phipps knows how to make learning to read fun with a little help from her fuzzy friend Snoothy. Letters and Words Children are taught the basics of phonics such as letter recognition, correct writing instruction, short vowel sounds and "sounding-out" words. Learning happens best when it is fun, so Mrs. Phipps and Snoothy use delightful songs, stories, and finger games to entertain children while they are learning. Snoothy Played by JANE HALL Music and Lyrics Written and Performed by JANE HALL Produced and Directed by TOM KROUTIL A PKH PRODUCTION ?1991 Barbara Phipps Approximately 75 minutes Color
About this product: Story is the hardest thing to learn for most digital filmmakers these days since the technology has become so inexpensive and easy to use. How would you like to write a great script in about 24 hours while learning almost everything you need to know to tell brilliant visual stories for the rest of your life?
Part 15 of 19: Scene Reversals: Learn how to create individual scenes that really pop with suspense, surprises, shocks and emotions using 100's of scene reversal techniques.
Sections: 1. Exciting Scenes, 2. Scenes Reversals, 3. Case Study: History Of Violence, 4. Case Study: Finding Nemo, 5. 200+ Scene Reversal Ideas, 6. Not Giving Them What They Want
Based on the bestselling books "Maya 2 Character Animation" (1999 New Riders), and "Developing Digital Short Films" by Sherri Sheridan (2004 New Riders/ Peachpit/ Pearson). Part 15 of 19 from a 20-hour video workshop "Writing A Great Script Fast." This is the ultimate step-by-step story engine class for independent digital filmmakers and computer animators.
Covers the top 20 books on screenwriting, film and animation in easy to follow steps with 1000's of brainstorming ideas and story techniques learned along the way. Now being used as the main story class for structure in schools all over the world.
"This is a step-by-step guide to craft an award winning film without going bankrupt!" - Digital Dispatch News.
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
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