Thematic Educator Guide: Teaching Civic Engagement

Written by Bridget Wilson The only sounds anyone can hear for the first fifteen minutes of class are fifth graders turning the pages of their self-selected books as they anticipate what will happen next. As soon as the timer goes off, sighs of disappointment echo through the room, followed by students’ desperate pleas: “Can we

As part of an inaugural commemoration of Juneteenth, the National Council of Teachers of English and Penguin Random House Education partnered to support celebrations held by The Black Caucus of NCTE, a leading advocacy group of Black English language arts educators and scholars, who played a pivotal role in the celebrations. Penguin Random House Education

The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event typically held once every four years. The Games were first held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and were most recently held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After a yearlong postponement, the 2021 Summer Olympics are

A few weeks ago Penguin Random House Education ventured out to Brooklyn, New York to hand deliver our new Classroom Libraries directly to P.S. 273 Wortman. The Brooklyn school reached out to us to help support their students’ literacy growth with Classroom Libraries earlier this summer. When we learned they had no way to move

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the freedom of the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas. The newly freed Black Americans observed Juneteenth as a celebration of freedom and

This summer unleash the power of discovery with the DKfindout! Elementary Science Pack. Whether you are looking for ways to incorporate STEM lessons and activities into your summer curriculum or searching for opportunities for your child to learn while inspiring their imagination, we’ve created books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the

Summer is the best time to spark and grow students’ love and joy for reading with exciting and adventurous books that will help them remember what’s fun about reading outside of the classroom. Reading culture is important to promote all year long, and summer is a crucial time to make sure kids keep reading and

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. First, President Bill Clinton declared June “Gay & Lesbian Pride Month” on June 2, 2000. In 2009, President Barack Obama declared June “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.” LGBTQ+ Pride events attract millions

On April 8th, the nation observes Days of Remembrance in an effort to remember the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust as well as honor survivors and pay tribute to liberators. To learn more about Days of Remembrance, click here.   What Was the Holocaust? Gail Herman traces the rise of Hitler and the Nazis,

March is Women’s History Month, which recognizes the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields. Beginning as “Women’s History Week,” a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California in 1978, the movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Find more on the

The American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter announced their 2021 literary award winners and honorees at its virtual annual meeting. Below you can find which Penguin Random House titles appropriate for Elementary School students were among the winners. To see which Middle School and High School titles were honored, click here. John Newbery Medal When You