Top Themed Book Lists for October

Change Is In the Air (Grades PreK-4)
Fall is here! Soon, the days will become shorter, and trees will change their color. You can sense each of these changes as you read about playing in leaves or watch an apple tree bear fruit. You might even feel a winter chill as you read a poem.[Readingrockets.org]

Fall Fun & Halloween Thrills (Grades K-5)
Welcome Halloween with these engaging stories about fall, spooky characters, and eerie happenings. Ideal read-aloud choices for October.

Ten Books for Halloween (Grades PreK-4)
Halloween is made for ghost stories, pumpkin stories, witch stories, monster stories, and more. From the slightly spooky to the simply silly, these recommended read-alouds are guaranteed Halloween hits. [Readingrockets.org]

Spooky & Mysterious Twists (Grades 6-8)
Go with the flow of Halloween month by featuring these suspenseful books in your classroom library or language arts curriculum. All the mystery and magic will keep pages turning and book discussions high-spirited.

Ten Out-of-This-World Space Books (Grades 1-4)
Whether you're reading stories about aliens or learning facts about the planets, your young astronauts will be transported to another world! [Readingrockets.org]

Encounters with Explorers (Grades 3-7)
Discuss point of view with your students after reading about Christopher Columbus' arrival in America through the eyes of a young Taino Indian boy. Your students will gain a new perspective on the early explorers.

Teen Read Week Is October 12-18 (Grades 7-10)
Motivate teens to read with these high-interest novels. They will develop an appetite for more after reading Suzanne Collins' new novel, The Hunger Games. In this Public Service Announcement video for Teen Read Week, American Idol contender Blake Lewis encourages teens to bite into their favorite books.

Top 5 New Teaching Resources for October

The Homework Dilemma
The debate around the usefulness of homework to advance student learning has been raging for many years. Our Teacher Advisors share their thoughts and strategies for making homework meaningful and relevant to their students' learning.

Rick Riordan, Scholastic.com's Author of the Month
Watch our video interview to learn about his new adventure series The 39 Clues, and then continue the conversation by asking your questions on the Message Board. Rick Riordan himself will join us in October to answer some of your questions!

Celebrate NASA's 50th Anniversary on October 1
Get students excited about exploring the space frontier with new slideshows, an interactive timeline, and a Web Hunt.

Fire Prevention Week Is October 5-11
Join Sparky the Fire Dog on a campaign to prevent home fires. Help Sparky make sure the White House is fire-safe.

Global Climate Change Explained
An American Museum of Natural History scientist shares his cutting-edge research. Extend the learning with a slideshow, student articles, and a video interview with Ed Mathez, a geologist and curator of a new exhibition at the Museum called Climate Change: The Threat to Life & A New Energy Future.

First-Ever Kids Gorilla Summit Live Tomorrow

Tune in at 10 a.m. EST for the Gorilla Summit broadcast live from Scholastic headquarters in New York City.

Find out what's been happening behind-the-scenes in preparation of this event. [Ink Splot 26]

Watch the video of Craig Hatkoff's trip to Rwanda to help save the planet's endangered mountain gorillas.

Visit our Teacher Advisors

The first few weeks of school are usually a whirlwind. Meeting new students and parents and establishing classroom routines are exhausting work after the long summer break. At the end of the day, you wonder where you'll find the energy for tomorrow's activities.

Peek inside our Teacher Advisors' classrooms for inspiration and strategies to super-charge your teaching.

A Day in San Diego with Teacher Advisor Patty Blome
While on vacation, Naomi observed Patty at work with at-risk teens in her READ 180 classroom. Patty's passion and energy inspired her students to write honestly about the challenges they face. [Inside Naomi and Alexandra's Kindergarten Classroom]

First Grade Classroom Management Wrap-Up
Jennifer’s wrap up includes descriptions about whole class consequences, time-out recess, stickers, sad sticks, incentive charts, nice notes, red notes, and what’s inside the treasure box. [Inside Jennifer's 1st Grade Classroom]

A Blended Approach to Reading and Writing Conferences
A self-appointed reading/writing physician, Angela shares her prescription for blending reading and writing conferences. [Inside Angela's 4th Grade Classroom]

Teaching Vocabulary Can Be Comical
Sandra discusses how a colleague uses newspaper comic strips to get students reading and learning new vocabulary. [Inside Sandra's Middle School Classroom]

Know Your Teacher Persona
Teachers need to find their persona and accentuate it for maximum effect on their students and to stay relevant in their lives. [Inside Patty's High School Classroom]

Top Ten Lessons This Week

Getting to know your students and establishing classroom rules are top priorities in the first few weeks of school.

Here are the top ten lessons that teachers are looking at this week to help students settle into the new school year:

1. The All About Me Poster (Grades 1-2)
2. Getting to Know You (Grades 6-8)
3. Writing an Autobiography (Grades 9-12)
4. People in My Neighborhood (Grades 1-3)
5. Introducing the Classroom Economy (Grades 3-5)
6. The Constitution in Today's America (Grades 5-8)
7. Pre-Write: Creating a Life Map (Grades 9-12)
8. The Relatives Came: A Family Read-Along (Grades 3-5)
9. Outlining Main Ideas and Details (Grades 6-8)
10. Voting and the Constitution (Grades 5-8)