This year’s Plugged-in Literacy Workshop with Dr. Janet Allen had the largest attendance yet, with three times the number of educators as years past coming from around the country to meet in Florida for professional development and collaboration. We enjoyed meeting each and every one of the attendees and hope to see you back next year! View photos from the event, which featured a school spotlight on Maine’s Caribou Middle School, at the Recorded Books K-12 Facebook page.

Through a three-step process that gradually releases responsibility for learning to students, struggling readers can improve comprehension, build vocabulary, and increase self-efficacy. Download the White Paper to find out more about implementing the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model.

The Educational Forum points out that students enter a significant transition when they begin fourth grade. They are no longer “learning to read,” but are “reading to learn.” During this transition, some students struggle with the new content area texts they are expected to read (2009).

Now, with Plugged-in to Nonfiction, you can intervene before your 4th- and 5th-grade students get left behind. This program contains lessons that teach effective strategies students can use to comprehend textbooks and other nonfiction across all content areas.

Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22, but it’s important for students to learn how to appreciate the environment around them each day of the year. THe first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Today, more than 175 countries participate in worldwide events to raise awareness and encourage environmental activism. To celebrate Earth Day, we’re giving away two audiobook excerpts for Horrible Science: Blood, Bones, and Body Bits from Level 1 and Extreme Pets! from Level 2. Read the full post to download and ENTER TO WIN! [ ... ]

We’ve teamed up with The Mailbox to offer free lesson plans and audio excerpts to Mailbox subscribers. (If you don’t already subscribe to The Mailbox, visit http://www.theeducationcenter.com/tec/ to sign up) Since February is Black History Month, we thought we’d feature some titles from Plugged-in to Nonfiction that profile some great people in Black History. Sign up for the newsletter to access lesson plans and download the accompanying audiobook excerpts to use as book hooks below.

We’re also giving away one copy of both the print book and audiobook for A Negro League Scrapbook! View the entire post to see how to win.

We’re excited to be sponsoring the latest edition of The Mailbox newsletter. Featured in the newsletter are activities and free audiobook excerpt downloads for three books from Plugged-in to Nonfiction Grades 4-5, Angry Animals, Abraham Lincoln, and On the Halfpipe with…Tony Hawk. Let us know if you use the activities in your classroom or share [...]

It’s October, and the school year is finally in full-swing. Now is a perfect time to introduce your students to the classics through high-interest Plugged-in titles that mirror classic works. To start the lessons off right, we’re giving away copies of three Plugged-in to Reading Level 3 titles on CD. Finn by Matthew Olshan, Dating Hamlet by Lisa Fiedler, and Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper are all great examples of the classic connections built into PITR Level 3. These modern retellings and reimaginings of Huckleberry Finn, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet will introduce students to the classics in a way that is relevant to them and accessible to all students. To enter the contest, view the full post.

Have you taught a banned book lately? If you’re a Plugged-in teacher, you may have! Janet Allen hand-picked all the titles for Plugged-in, and some of the high interest, high quality, award winning books she picked have actually been challenged or banned in the past. Banned Books Week is a great time to bring up the topic with your students.

The New York Times discusses how reading choice affects motivation in this article: “A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like”. Eighth grade teacher Lorrie McNeill shares her experiences from her first year of the reading workshop method, where “students choose their own books, discuss them individually with their teacher and one another, and keep detailed journals about their reading.” Sound familiar? It sounds a lot like Plugged-in to us!

Comics aren’t just about superheroes and supervillains these days (though there’s certainly nothing wrong with a superhero!). Plugged-in to Nonfiction actually features many comic books, graphic novels, and art-centered books that will get reluctant readers excited about books without sacrificing quality.