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Your Source for Online Curriculum Resources
January 2008
What's New & Topical
Science Is Sizzlin'
From the Fantastic to the Funny, a Book for Everyone
Breathing New Life into Old Favorites
Education Snippets
At Home with America's Kids
Housing Slump to Hit School Funding
Where in the World Are People UsingReading A–Z? Saving Teachers Everywhere Time & Effort
Favorite Sites for Teachers: Flashcards, Classifieds, and Thematic Activities
Classroom Tips for Teachers: Go Ahead, Write in These Books
Science Is Sizzlin'
We are proud to announce the newest member of the Learning A–Z family of websites for differentiated instruction—ScienceA-Z.com. Early reviewers say the comprehensive science units are just what they hoped for to meet the varied developmental needs of their students and meet science academic standards. Science A-Z books are written at multiple reading levels per unit and supported by lessons, science labs, experiments, projects, and worksheets. Try sample units from Science A–Z today. Order before back to school 2008, and we will automatically enter you in a drawing to win a color printer and a supply of paper and ink. The winner will be announced in this newsletter and on the Science A–Z website in September 2008.
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From the Fantastic to the Funny,Books for Everyone
Each month Reading A–Z adds new books and materials to the website. January's new books and lesson plans include leveled readers about the discovery of a Stone Age cave in France; prehistoric giant reptiles, insects, and other creatures that lived alongside dinosaurs; the makings of a perfect gift; outdoor winter fun; the life and death of King Tut; and two sisters who are swept away to the Rome of long ago.
The Reading A–Z comics collection also keeps growing, this month with School Days: The Dragon, about medieval horses that would rather be in class than toting around knights. And we have added to the popular "Monsters" series with Bonk, the Healthy Monster, who may not be so healthy after all, since he discovered the local candy store.
Cultural experiences, foreign countries, historic discoveries, and fantastic ideas, await your young readers with your Reading A–Z license. It is so easy and affordable to get instant access to Reading A–Z and all the Learning A-Z websites for differentiated instruction, there is simply no reason to do without thousands of high-quality books, lesson plans, and materials. If you have not already ordered, with all the new materials just added, now may be the time to purchase your license.
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Breathing New Life into Old Favorites
Every classroom has at least a few favorite classics on the shelves. But many teachers do not have time to plan lessons from scratch to use trade books to teach reading, so the great reads sit forgotten and dusty on bookshelves. Well, dust them off. Reading A–Z recently introduced trade book materials—lesson plans, worksheets, and activities—for many of the timeless favorites; books like "The Secret Garden," "The Wind in the Willows," "The Prince and the Pauper," and many more. Be sure to peruse the entire collection of trade book lessons and materials, just one of the many benefits of having a Reading A–Z license.
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At Home with America's Kids
"Just as we must focus on improving the time students spend in schools, as a society we need to help parents find ways to spend critical time with their children." So says Learning A–Z Vice President of Publishing Bob Holl in a recent blog article. Holl discusses recent studies showing what many educators already know—student success is only partly attributable to the level of learning in the classroom.
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Housing Slump to Hit School Funding
The housing market has significant impact on state revenues. Experts forecast the slowdown in the housing market will mean education funding shortfalls in 2008, especially as student populations continue to grow. Read more at Bob's Blog about this predicted quandary.
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Thank you for taking an interest in Reading A–Z! When you visited our website, you indicated that you'd like to receive monthly Reading A–Z newsletters and occasional updates about Learning A–Z websites. If you've changed your mind, you may change your newsletter preferences.
Keep on reading!
Sincerely,
Bob HollCo-Founder and Vice President of Publishing
Saving Teachers Everywhere Time & Effort
We hear from educators all over the world on a regular basis about how Reading A–Z is helping them and their students. So we wanted to share a few of their experiences with you here as you look for ways to finish the school year strong.
Some teachers feel the greatest value is having skill-specific resources. "These materials are so diverse that I don’t have difficulty finding a book to assist in teaching a specific strategy," says Nancy Fox, second-grade teacher from Richmond, Va.
Others appreciate most the wide range of levels and genres. Barbara Stuart of Naperville, Ill., uses Reading A–Z materials every day and feels that they are one of her best resources. "I love the content and leveling of the books," she says. Special needs teacher Julie Love from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, agrees, saying, "I teach in an inclusive setting serving students who are of cross-categorical status. Having access to all the leveled readers on Reading A–Z allows me to service all of my students, at any level, at the same time without significant time drain."
Yet others compliment the topical and timely aspects of the books. "I used your first tsunami book with my Grade Threes and Grade Fours. Then I used your second one after the Asian tsunami. It was great for comparing copyright dates, recent information, change of focus and information based on recent events," said Vivianne Fogarty, from Manitoba, Canada.
And let’s not forget the benefit to English language learners. Across the globe in China, Neil Appleby writes, "I use your materials on a daily basis with my ESL students here in Hong Kong."
The ability to find materials for ALL your students in one place, at one time, will more than pay for itself in the time and effort you save putting together lesson plans. As Julie Love says, "quality stories, worksheets, and comprehension tests—what more could you ask for?"
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Flashcards, Classifieds, and Thematic Activities
Want to find hundreds of the best websites for teachers? Sites for Teachers, a Learning A–Z sister website, provides a comprehensive list of Internet resources ranked by their popularity. Here are a few of our favorite sites:
StudyStackOnline flashcard program for multiple subjects
Time to TeachLinks to classifieds, lesson plan assistants, and educational software
Activity Idea PlaceResources arranged by winter and other topical themes
Many of the Sites for Teachers resources are free.
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Go Ahead, Write in These Books
Many of us were taught never to write in a book, so it might be a little difficult to wrap our minds around the concept of using Reading A–Z's printable books like workbooks, for reading and writing instruction. Since members can print as many books as they need—anytime, anywhere they have Internet access—they might as well take advantage of the multipurpose capabilities. Try having students:
• Underline certain vocabulary words, and write synonyms and antonyms above the words.
• Circle, in different colors, the parts of speech in a sentence.
• Label the main idea, significant details, topic sentences, problem/solution, etc.
• Highlight the five most important sentences.
If you have an idea for any of the Learning A–Z products, please write to: editor2@learninga-z.com.
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