Ten independent learning packets help students acquire more than 150 high-caliber words and eliminate boring words, such as said, good, and went from their writing!

Synonym choices for the most commonly overused words.

Effective word choice is essential for clear and powerful writing. Enhancing word choice in writing requires a broad vocabulary and skills in selecting specific words that can increase the impact on readers. The more words you know, the better you can express yourself and engage readers in a meaningful way. Expand Vocabulary for Writing: 50 Overused Words and What to Say Instead will help you master many other ways to say overused words, such as big, easy, sad, think, and walk, so that your writing can be more exciting and colorful. The book includes four parts: Parts One and Two list 50 overused adjectives and verbs. Under each of these words (25 adjectives and 25 verbs), there is a list of more vivid ways to say the word, with a definition and an example sentence to demonstrate the usage of the word in a context. Part Three contains 23 worksheets of different types of practice to help you memorize meanings of those vivid words and know how to use them. Part Four assembles all the vocabulary into word tables, which can be used for a quick review.

Written by Timothy Rasinski, Nancy Padak, Rick M. Newton, and Evangeline Newton, this resource presents the most frequently encountered Latin prefixes in English, as well as introductory Greek prefixes. Each lesson provides content explanations, instructional guidelines, and student activities. ZIP file also includes suggestions for extension activities and assessment. This resource is correlated to the Common Core State Standards. 240pp.

You just read your manuscript and discovered that your characters nod like marionettes in every chapter. When they’re not nodding, they roll their eyes. Time to slash the Pinocchio strings. Transform your protagonists into believable personalities that your readers will learn to love. Or hate. Get in the driver’s seat, relax, and enjoy your journey — with Kathy Steinemann’s book as your GPS.

"Sáenz' poetic narrative will captivate readers from the first sentence to the last paragraph of this beautifully written novel. . . . It is also a celebration of life and a song of hope in celebration of family and friendship, one that will resonate loud and long with teens."—Kirkus Reviews "…There is never a question of either Sáenz’s own extraordinary capacity for caring and compassion or the authenticity of the experiences he records in this heartfelt account of healing and hope."—Booklist "Offering insight into [an adolescent's] addiction, dysfunction and mental illness, particularly in the wake of traumatic events, Sáenz's artful rendition of the healing process will not soon be forgotten."—Publishers Weekly "Sáenz weaves together [18-year-old] Zach's past, present, and changing disposition toward his future with stylistic grace and emotional insight. This is a powerful and edifying look into both a tortured psyche and the methods by which it can be healed."—School Library Journal Zach is eighteen. He is bright and articulate. He's also an alcoholic and in rehab instead of high school, but he doesn't remember how he got there. He's not sure he wants to remember. Something bad must have happened. Something really, really bad. Remembering sucks and being alive—well, what's up with that? I have it in my head that when we're born, God writes things down on our hearts. See, on some people's hearts he writes Happy and on some people's hearts he writes Sad and on some people's hearts he writes Crazy on some people's hearts he writes Genius and on some people's hearts he writes Angry and on some people's hearts he writes Winner and on some people's hearts he writes Loser. It's all like a game to him. Him. God. And it's all pretty much random. He takes out his pen and starts writing on our blank hearts. When it came to my turn, he wrote. I don't like God very much. Apparently he doesn't like me very much either. Sad Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a prolific novelist, poet, and author of children's books. Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, his first novel for young adults, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and a Young Adult Library Services Association Top Ten Books for Young Adults pick in 2005.

This billionaire’s got it bad, and that’s not good… The first O’Banyon Brothers novel from New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward writing as Jessica Bird. Originally published in 2007 as The Billionaire Next Door. Take-no-prisoners deal-maker Sean O’Banyon (aka SOB) eats Wall Street financiers for lunch. So why is he losing sleep over a sweet-faced nurse in old jeans and a too-big T-shirt? Maybe it’s those warm green eyes. Or the way she blushes when he gets personal. Maybe it’s the way she challenges everything he’s believed about himself for so long. There’s no denying they have serious chemistry. But sooner or later Lizzie will learn his deep, dark secrets. First, he has trust issues. Second, the whole family thing is not for him. And, last, he doesn’t do relationships—even if there’s something about Lizzie that makes him want everything he can’t have…