Boost your school's regents average where it's slumping: The reference tables questions.

Make the reference tables accessible to all your students with these easily-digestible, teen-friendly guides.

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    What's inside?

  • Step-by-step instructions in clear, teen-friendly terms explaining how to read each one of the charts on the Earth Science and Chemistry reference tables.
  • Important instructions on how to answer the regents questions (like not to write ° F on the station model, and although Table G works with 100g of water, the regents might ask about 50g or 200g and how students should handle that).
  • Notes on keyword recognition - so students know when to use a reference table even if it's not explicitly mentioned in the exam.
  • Sample regents questions on each of the tables at the end of each section, along with answers and brief explanations.
  • A table listing hundreds of further practice questions by date of appearance and reference table used.

21,454 students in over 100 schools across New York State
are currently using the
Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides!

"I order new class sets at the start of every school year."

“Ms. Finkel's resources are great. Not only are the tables clearly and precisely explained, but there are plenty of practice questions on each table for students to attempt. "I order new class sets of both books at the start of every school year. We allow the students to keep their own copies and write all over them. The feedback from the teachers has always been extremely positive; they find the books very useful.” - Ms. Petra Frantova, Assistant Principal of Harry S. Truman High School; Bronx, NY.

NYSTL Approved

Find the guides on ShopDOE.

Are you from outside NYC?
Get them with purchase orders via your state funding.

Order your class set now
Check out an Earth Science sample!
Unearthing the Reference Tables
Check out a Chemistry sample!
Bonding with the Reference Tables

devices

Going Digital?

Both guides are available as ebooks.
  • Straight-forward online reader (It will take you and your students minutes to figure out how to use it.)
  • Note-taking area (Your students can type quick summaries, explanations and points they want to return to later.)
  • Bookmarks (No frustrating flipping or wondering "Where did we leave off last time?")
  • Highlighting (Your students can color-code words or phrases for added clarity.)
  • Zoom function and screen reader (Students with visual or auditory challenges can adjust the experience to suit them.)
"The Unearthing the Reference Tables ebook is incredibly helpful for all students, especially special education and ELL students. "If you click on a word that you don't know, it allows you to have the website read it for you. You can also look up the definition of the word on Google directly from the website, or you can look it up via Wikipedia. "Everything is explained in detail with more emphasis on the charts that are more commonly used on the regents." - Youstina Rafla, Special Education Teacher; The High School for Health Professions & Human Services; NY, New York
I want to help my students succeed!
Check out an Earth Science sample!
Unearthing the Reference Tables
Check out a Chemistry sample!
Bonding with the Reference Tables

How do the guides also help special education students?

Scant Surprises

Literal learners are often thrown by the different ways reference tables questions present themselves on the test. The guides present multiple ways students can be tested on the same material. Literal learners who study with the guides will have far fewer surprises.

Just One Job

Unlike most textbooks which focus on the reference tables in a general way and then move on to other material, the guides are exclusively focused on one task: making the reference tables crystal-clear for your students.

Bite-sized Bits

The tables are broken down into tiny bite-sized bits and step-by-step instructions. Your students will finally be able to process the reference tables one small piece of information at a time.

Teen Talk

Figuring out the reference tables is hard enough for a special-ed student. The LAST thing they need are explanations with difficult words that they don't understand. The guides are written in teen-friendly, conversational English, making the reference tables easier to comprehend, not harder.

Eliminate Errors

Important notes are inserted, pointing out where the chart is presented differently from the way students are used to seeing it. For example: Your students are accustomed to finding 0° longitude in the center of world maps. In the reference tables, 0° longitude is not in the center of the world maps depicting ocean currents and tectonic plates.

Practice Plenty

There are plenty of practice questions, presenting the information in a myriad of different formats. You won't have to search your way through past papers to locate the questions you need. And if you still need more questions for practice, there is a handy chart listing hundreds of questions sorted by reference table and date they appeared in the regents, so you know right away where to find them.

Invaluable Aid

Unearthing the Reference Tables is an invaluable aid in deciphering the Earth Science reference tables - a key part in doing well on the New York State Earth Science regents.”
- Ms. Fay Lipson, Earth Science teacher; BY High School of Spring Valley, NY

Couldn't Have Succeeded Without

"Without Bonding with the Reference Tables, I would not have understood the tables well enough to get good marks on the questions that use them." - Molly Finley, Chemistry student; Vichna K. High School; Brooklyn, NY
Order your class set now!
Check out an Earth Science sample!
Unearthing the Reference Tables
Check out a Chemistry sample!
Bonding with the Reference Tables

Have a classroom full of high-achievers?

Even teachers with students who are high achievers report that the Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides significantly improve their classes by shifting the focus from teacher-centric to student-centric learning: "Although I've taught for many years, can teach use of the reference tables successfully, and my students are high-performers, I have still found Ms. Finkel's books extremely valuable. "Before we used them, my teaching of the reference tables would be very teacher-centric. I'd model the questions and explain how to dissect them. But now, my students are far more independent. They learn to navigate and explain the tables with far less spoon-feeding from me. "The Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides are student-friendly resources that help to build skill and capacity to answer the reference tables questions." - Mr. Lourdiny Exume, Robert H. Goddard High School of Communications Arts and Technology; Queens, NY

As a science teacher myself, I hated watching my students fail because they got the reference tables questions wrong.

Hi, I'm Yocheved Finkel 👋

Several years ago, a month before the regents, I was stuck in a car for the nine hour drive between New York and Toronto. It was almost June, so I decided to start putting together a review booklet for my students. I had noticed on tests that, for some reason, many of my students tended to get reference tables-based questions wrong. It seemed such a pity - the answers were right there in front of them during the test! So, I took out my laptop and my Earth Science reference tables and began to work on a reference tables guide. I typed... and typed… and typed. I had originally intended to make a brief, 4-5 page booklet. But I did not realize just how much there was to explain on each table until I got down to it. Three hours and 4 tables later, my laptop died. When I arrived back home, I finished the task I had begun. I named it Unearthing the Reference Tables. I sold thousands of copies across New York State over a short period of time! The terrific feedback from teachers and their requests of "the same for Chemistry!" encouraged me to create the Chemistry reference tables guide. I called it Bonding with the Reference Tables. This is how the Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides were born.



Join the Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides revolution!
Check out an Earth Science sample!
Unearthing the Reference Tables
Check out a Chemistry sample!
Bonding with the Reference Tables

Frequently Asked Questions

The beauty of the Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides is that they are written in conversational English. No complicated, sophisticated, break-your-teeth-over-it scientific jargon that your students struggle to follow. No long-winded, never-ending explanations that put your students to sleep. Teens love it. They are grateful to find a book that is easy to use, with neat icons, bullet points and words they don't have to look up in a dictionary.

The Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides can be incorporated into a great station activity. What's more, once kids see how easy it is to read, they find themselves hooked and relish using a resource that they don't have to sweat to understand.

The Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides save class time. The hours that you spend modeling questions and answers, answering frantically waving hands, and explaining and re-explaining to non-mathematically-inclined kids is halved when using this resource. Suddenly, they can figure things out for themselves.

Great news! The Clear & Simple Reference Tables Guides are NYSTL-approved. That means that they can be accessed on ShopDOE or (if you are not located in NYC) via state funding.

Every table is introduced with a background based off the course content.

Up to 50% of every Earth Science regents and up to 60% of every Chemistry regents is composed of reference tables based questions.
And 85% of Earth science and Chemistry teachers recently surveyed claim that on average, over one third of their students fail these questions.
This means that proficiency in what essentially graph reading can spell the difference between failing the regents (with scores of 50%) and acing the regents (with scores of 85-90%)!

We'll be so happy to answer it! Just email us at [email protected], and we will reply promptly.
“This book offers clear explanations and targeted practice for each table, chart, and diagram in the reference tables... "The design is professional and aesthetically pleasing, and the writing style is very accessible to teens. "I've ordered this book for all my students and plan on implementing it in my Earth Science classes this school year. "It's a wonderful resource and I highly recommend it.” - Ms. Gitty Pultman; Earth Science teacher; Brooklyn, NY
Email Yocheved Now!
Check out an Earth Science sample!
Unearthing the Reference Tables
Check out a Chemistry sample!
Bonding with the Reference Tables

Don't want to wait until you receive your copy through NYSTL funding? Want to flip through a hard copy tomorrow? Purchase a single book on amazon.com, to see how helpful it will be for your students. Unearthing the Reference Tables Bonding with the Reference Tables
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