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Reference & Learning Aids

A lot of education is filling in gaps. Even more is simple fact-memorization, the primary building block leading to the ability to regurgitate ideas, analyze them, and form original ones. Either way, there often isn't a better solution than stuffing names, dates, and figures in kids' heads until they can recall them at will. They hate this, generally, but it's a necessary evil.

In no way as unpleasant, but just as educational, is something most kids love to do: getting comfy with a big compendium of knowledge and turning each page, learning little tidbits about history, the world around them, how their body works, or who's been in outer space until they've had enough and go outside to hunt trolls or dig up buried treasure.

The best word to describe such books is one that every college student learns to dread: reference. If you don't get an F on your paper because you wrote it two hours before class, you definitely will because you forgot to cite your references. It's important to remember, however, that the enemy isn't reference; the enemy (for lack of a better term) is a system that places more value on following arbitrary guidelines than presenting and commenting on thoughts and information.

We're here to put the RAD back in reference. And memorization—there's nothing that says learning the times tables has to be boring. It often is, but usually only because we look at it as a chore, and not a privilege or exciting activity. This attitude often starts with parents: we didn't like math in school, so we kind of groan along with our kids whenever the ol' numbers chart comes out. If we get excited instead, our children are likely to do the same.

Below you'll find a long list of books crammed with facts. Some of them aren't important facts (usually the most fun), some of them are essential; we're not sure where the distinction should or does lie all the time, so we'll leave you to sort that out for yourselves. We would simply encourage, whether you're teaching the tens chart in math, or adding nuance to a study of the Old West by reading a short bio of female outlaw Belle Prater, that you approach "just the facts" with as much joy and anticipation as you'd like to see your children exhibit.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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107 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 9th grade (Ages 14-15), New Books & Materials
50 States Flipper
from Christopher Lee Publications
for 5th-Adult
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$7.96
American Heritage Dictionary
by Houghton Mifflin Company
5th edition from Dell Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$10.99
American Heritage Student Thesaurus
by Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries
Reprint from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-12th grade
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$18.99
American History to 1865 - CD Set
by R. J. Rushdoony
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for 9th-12th grade
in History Conferences & Lectures (Location: HISRF-CONF)
$99.00
Anatomicum
Welcome to the Museum
by Jennifer Z. Paxton; illustrated by Katy Wiedemann
from Big Picture Press
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Arboretum
Welcome to the Museum
by Tony Kirkham, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Art of Fiction
by John Gardner
from Vintage Classics
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of World History
2nd edition from Oxford University
for 7th-Adult
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$49.95
Bible Study
by Kathleen Buswell Nielson
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$11.00
Blended Structure and Style in Composition
by James B. Webster
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
Writing Curriculum for 2nd-12th grade
in IEW Resources (Location: WRI-IEWRES)
$35.00
Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
by Jane Straus with Lester Kaufman & Tom Stern
11th edition from Jossey-Bass
for 6th-Adult
$13.56 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
by Lester Kaufman and Jane Straus
12th edition from Jossey-Bass
for 6th-Adult
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$20.00
Botanicum
Welcome to the Museum
by Kathy Willis; illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-12th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Complete Rhyming Dictionary
from Dell Publishing
for 1st-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Birds
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$16.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Earth and Sky
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$15.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians, Invertebrates
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$16.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Insects
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$18.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Introduction
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$11.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Mammals, Flowerless Plants
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Trees, Garden Flowers
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Wildflowers, Weeds, Crops
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Concise Roget's International Thesaurus
by Barbara Ann Kipfer
7th edition from HarperTrophy
for 7th-12th grade
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$7.99
Deluxe Then and Now Bible Maps
by Rose Publishing
New & Expanded Edition from Rose Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$34.99
Do's and Don'ts of Yesteryear
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 5th-9th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$12.95
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
by Lynne Truss
from Gotham Books
Grammar Reference for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$11.00 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Elements
by Theodore Gray
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 9th-12th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$35.00
Elements
by Theodore Gray
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 9th-12th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$19.99
Elements of Style
by William Strunk & E. B. White
4th edition from Allyn and Bacon
Writing Handbook for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99
Elements of Style (Illustrated)
by E.B. White, William Strunk Jr.
from Penguin Books
for 7th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$18.00
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
by Mark Dunn
Reprint from Anchor Books
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.71
Facts Plus
by Susan C. Anthony
from Instructional Resources Company
for 9th-adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$19.95
First Book in American History
by Edward Eggleston
2nd edition from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-9th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$16.95
For You They Signed
by Marilyn Boyer
All-in-One Edition from Master Books
for 7th-9th grade
in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$39.19
Frontier Living
by Edwin Tunis
from Lyons Press
Historical Reference for 7th-10th grade
Newbery Honor Book 1962
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$19.95
Fungarium
Welcome to the Museum
by Esther Gaya (and other contributors), illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Guides to History Plus
by Kathryn Stout
from Design-A-Study
for All grades
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$14.00 $6.00 (2 in stock)
History of the World
by Plantagent Somerset Fry
from DK Publishing
for 5th-9th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
$39.99
How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week
by Dominic O'Brien
from Duncan Baird
for 9th-Adult
in Research & Study Skills (Location: REF-STUDY)
$12.95
How to Write Irresistible Query Letters
by Lisa Collier Cool
from Writer's Digest
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$12.95
Human Anatomy in Full Color
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 4th-12th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$10.95
Insectarium
by Emily Carter and Dave Goulson
from Big Picture Press
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Journey through the Bible
by V. Gilbert Beers
from Veritas Press
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Dictionaries & Handbooks (Location: XBI-DICT)
$35.00
King Alfred's English
by Laurie J. White
from Shorter Word Press
for 7th-12th grade
in History of Books & Language (Location: HISV-BOOK)
$15.60
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia
3rd edition from Kingfisher
for 4th-10th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$34.99
MapTrek - Atlas
by Terri Johnson
from Master Books
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$34.39
MapTrek - Outlines
by Terri Johnson
from Master Books
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$34.39
MapTrek - US Edition CD-ROM
from Knowledge Quest
for 1st-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$19.95
Medieval World: An Illustrated Atlas
by John M. Thompson
from National Geographic
for 9th-Adult
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$40.00 $28.00 (1 in stock)
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Thesaurus
2nd Ed from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$22.95
Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$6.99
Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
New from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$8.50
Merriam-Webster Thesaurus OSI
from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$6.50
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
11th edition from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$24.95
Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary
by Merriam-Webster
2nd edition from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$17.95
Molecules
by Theodore Gray
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 9th-12th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$29.99
Molecules
by Theodore Gray
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 9th-12th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$19.99
Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study
by Starr Meade
from Crossway Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Bible Curriculum (Location: BIB-MISC)
$79.99
Oceanarium
Welcome to the Museum
by Loveday Trinick, illustrated by Teagan White
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Our Mother Tongue
by Nancy Wilson
2nd edition from Canon Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Grammar Curriculum (Location: GRA-MISC)
$23.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations
by John Haywood
from Penguin Putnam
for 9th-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$25.00
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece
by Robert Morkot
from Penguin Putnam
Atlas/Greek History Reference for 9th-12th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$18.00 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome
by Chris Scarre
from Penguin Putnam
Roman History Reference for 9th-12th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$22.00
Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings
by John Haywood
from Penguin Putnam
Atlas/Historical Reference for 9th-12th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$23.00
Planetarium
Welcome to the Museum
by Raman Prinja, illustrated by Chris Wormell
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Profiles of Integrity #1: 1775-1781
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #2: 1804-1865
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #3: 1872-1919
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #4: 1920-1945
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #1: July 9, 1755–June 17, 1775
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #2: December 11775–December 1777
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #3: December 1777–October 1780
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #4: January 1781–February 1832
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail
by Theodore Roosevelt
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Gilded Age & Progressive Era (1877-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$18.95
Roget's International Thesaurus
by Barbara Ann Kipfer
7th edition from Collins
for 7th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$22.95
Rose Book of Bible Charts 2
by Rose Publishing
from Rose Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$34.99
Rose Book of Bible Charts 3
by Rose Publishing
from Rose Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$34.99
Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps & Time Lines
by Rose Publishing
from Rose Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$34.99 $20.00 (1 in stock)
Rose Guide to the Tabernacle
by Rose Publishing
from Rose Publishing
for 7th-10th grade
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$29.99
Rose Guide to the Temple
from Rose Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$34.99
Science Scope
by Kathryn Stout
from Design-A-Study
for All grades
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$15.00
Smithsonian Handbook of Horses
Dorling Kindersley Handbooks
by Elwyn H. Edwards
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-12th grade
in Horses & Ponies (Location: SCI-MAMHOR)
$25.00
Someday You'll Write
by Elizabeth Yates
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
Non-fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$5.00 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Student Science Dictionary
by Vali Tamm, ed.
New Updated from Houghton Mifflin
for 8th-12th grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$18.95
Student's Guide to U.S. History
by Wilfred M. McClay
from Intercollegiate Studies Institute
for 9th-12th grade
$8.00
Synonym Finder
by Jerome Irving Rodale
from Rodale Press
for 7th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$25.56
Taking the Old Testament Challenge
by Judson Poling
from Zondervan
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$12.99 $6.50 (1 in stock)
Trivium Tables: Rhetoric
from Classical Conversations
for 7th-12th grade
in Classical Conversations (Location: CUR-CC)
$14.40 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Uncovering the Logic of English
by Denise Eide
2nd Edition from Logic of English, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$14.99
Under God - Teacher's Resource Booklet
by William C. Hendricks
7th edition from Mott Media
for 8th-10th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$19.99
United States Maps
by Amy Pak
from Home School in the Woods
for All Ages
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$19.95 $14.00 (2 in stock)
United States Time Line 1600-1990
by Paul & Paula Carlson
from Creation's Child
for 6th-10th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.50
Unveiling the Kings of Israel
by David Down
from Master Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
$27.99
Unwrapping the Pharaohs
by John Ashton & David Down
from Master Books
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$27.99 $16.00 (1 in stock)
Way Things Work
by David Macaulay & Neil Ardley
5th edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-10th grade
in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW)
$35.00
Word Write Now
by Loranna Schwacofer
3rd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in IEW Resources (Location: WRI-IEWRES)
$35.00 $22.00 (1 in stock)
Wordsmithy
by Douglas Wilson
1st edition from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.00
World History Map Activities
by Marvin Scott
Rev Upd from Walch Publishing
for 7th-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$26.00 $15.00 (3 in stock)
World's Great Speeches
by Lewis Copeland, Lawrence Lamm & Stephen McKenna (editors)
4th edition from Dover Publications
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
$21.95
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