Recommended Website:
Teachers@Random
This website offers an amazing assortment of free, multi-media resources and ideas to help classroom teachers with Language Arts lesson plans that are themed around children’s books published by Random House. The ideas, activities and resources can be tweaked for use at home.
When you get to the site you’ll see the featured resources in the center of your screen. Because it’s back-to-school time you’ll find a free, printable educational planner. There is a printable chart of activities in language arts and math to celebrate the 100th day of school (or homeschool) in the 2008-2009 school year based upon Random House’s Step Into Reading series of books. (You can buy the books at the website, or just print out the list and find the books at your local library.) There are also suggested writing activities for middle schoolers based upon newly published Random House books. Don’t miss “Classroom Cast” featuring videos of children’s book authors reading excerpts from books and answering questions about how they wrote and/or illustrated them.
Use the Menu Tabs on the page to access:
- Preschool – Find a monthly preschool curriculum based upon Random House books. Many of the book titles come with free, downloadable educator’s guides.
- Picture Books – Learn about the latest editions in the Random House library of books and download classroom activity guides for various series. Get the free “Storyhours Kit” with book title recommendations, discussion and activity ideas, snack suggestions, reproducible activities, and reproducible Storyhour certificates. (Again, this can all be tweaked for use at home.)
- Grades K-3 – Preview the new books for this grade range and review the “Step Into Reading” program that provides book suggestions along with activities to enhance learning for beginning readers.
- Grades 4-5 – Explore the “Stepping Stones” early chapter book series that now have “genre buttons” to identify them for use in unit studies. Learn about the various book series for this grade range and access “Resources” that include printable educator’s guides.
- Grades 6-8 – This section features the “Yearling” series for young readers that includes 28 Newbery Award and Newbery-Honor winning titles in a variety of genres including adventure, humor, history, mystery, fantasy, and fiction. You can download the new “Yearling Educators Guide Bind-Up” with over 40 Educators Guides for classic Yearling titles. In addition, you can access “The Calendar and Author Study Guide” that include creative activities or discussion questions for various Yearling books.
- Grades 9-12 – High school students may enjoy the titles in the “Readers Circle” series. It includes a guide in every book that provides discussion questions and author interviews and biographies – perfect for a book club. Get guidelines on how to start a book group too.
In each of the above categories, you can sign up to receive a free online newsletter with information on new books and educational materials as they become available.
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