Written by Kimberly N. Parker, PhD. assistant director of the Shady Hill Teacher Training Center (MA), and Tricia Ebarvia, teacher and department chair at Conestoga High School (PA), and co-chair at the Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy. Kim and Tricia are cofounders of #DisruptTexts (disrupttexts.org/) Ongoing events have led many of us to reexamine

Every time you listen to an audio book and you’re loving it, someone is reading aloud to you. And all the time you’re listening, your imagination creates pictures of settings, characters, and people. Often, you’ll find yourself stepping into a beloved character’s shoes and living life in the past, present or future. Read alouds capture

As the summer comes to a close and the COVID crisis still reeling its ugly head, we contemplate what the new school year will look like and how teachers, students and families will prepare. Whether you’re introducing a blended learning strategy or going fully remote, this school year will bring both challenges and opportunities. One

As Penguin Random House, we recognize that our company and our industry can and must do better. We have taken the past week to reflect and listen, and to further identify how we can impact meaningful and lasting change in our company and in our society. Here is our plan of action:    

Dear Educator, Elementary school teachers often organize reading instruction around guided reading groups, and groups read books that meet the instructional needs of members. However, like most of you in middle and high school, I have used one novel, biography, or informational text for an entire class. And, in doing so, I soon realized that

My fourth-grade daughter and I are big fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda and his groundbreaking musical Hamilton. So last week – yet another week under the stay-at-home orders – I found particular relevance in the lyrics in which the ensemble sings, “The world turned upside down”. Right now, the world has turned upside down, as schools

#tomyteacher, the week-long nationwide campaign honoring America’s teachers undertaken by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and Penguin Random House Education, is so successful it is being extended another two weeks. Originally timed for Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8), it now will run until Monday, May 25, in partnership with the licensed literary-themed apparel

Reluctant readers in your classroom? If your classroom is anything like mine you’ll have students reading at various levels. I’ve come to realize that whether students struggle with reading or not, kids love to have a choice in what they read! It seems almost cruel to force a student to read a book that they

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4–8, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), America’s most comprehensive literacy organization, in partnership with Penguin Random House (PRH) Education, the apparel and accessories company Out of Print, celebrated for their licensed literary-themed products, and Hot Chalk, a fast-rising online education company, is excited to present

Dear Parents and Teachers, When you extend the reading of poems and fairy tales beyond those in this blog, you increase the amount of listening and reading children do. It’s easy. For the Mother Goose Group, put into a search engine Ba Ba Black Sheep, One Two Buckle My Shoe, Jack and Jill, and Hot

Dear Teacher, Mysteries appeal to students’ analytical minds as they bond with the protagonist-detective to solve the crime or series of crimes. A good mystery writer tries to trick readers by throwing red herrings into the plot. A red herring takes readers on a detour of misleading clues to confuse them about which suspect is

To assist educational institutions temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 emergency, Penguin Random House has implemented a number of policy changes to facilitate access to our books during this time. Educators needing additional support outside the resources outlined below, a free digital copy for instructor use*, or have any other questions, please write to us at K12Education@edu.penguinrandomhouse.com   Click here