For Teachers

From the Classroom – Revolutionary War Reads

By on April 27, 2026   /   books, For Teachers, From the Classroom   /   Leave a comment

On July Fourth, 2026, the United States will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There has already been a number of events celebrating the 250th with many more to come. What better way to get your students engaged in learning about this time period than by reading some books!

Revolutionary War Texts

Each of the books below can stand alone or you might consider forming text sets around the books, their themes, their topics, etc. Many of these books already have teaching guides that accompany them for immediate use in the classroom as you finish off the year or as a great back-to-school reading in the fall.

cover of sophia's war with outline of character with a noose down the center of the cover

 

Award-winning Author Avi presents this story of treason, revenge, and thrilling real historical events. His website contains teaching resources, reading group guides, and much more. What’s interesting about this particular story is that it contains a British perspective concerning their occupation in the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

 


cover to Susanna's midnight ride featuring a girl on a horse at night with british army in the background

Almost five years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution hung in the balance. In late May 1781, General Cornwallis invaded City Point, VA, and quartered his army there. As 16-year-old Susanna Bolling served the British general and his officers dinner, she overheard their plans to capture General Lafayette and crush the American rebellion once and for all. Under the cover of darkness, she snuck out of her house through a secret underground tunnel and canoed downriver. Then she grabbed a neighbor’s horse and rode ten miles to warn Lafayette.  But would she make it back home by sunrise without detection?

Make sure you check out the author’s website to see other Revolutionary War books she has written!

 

 

 

cover of answer the cry for freedom featuring silhouettes of African Americans

This engaging book provides a chance for young readers to learn about the death-defying attempts of black Americans to gain the inalienable rights promised in the Declaration of Independence. By stepping into the shoes of thirteen men and women—stand-ins for the fifth of the population left out of most textbooks—readers can appreciate how the American Revolution rattled the chains of slavery and expanded the boundaries of freedom beyond the Founding Fathers’ intentions.

There is a wonderful teacher’s guide that accompanies this book on the author’s website. 

 

 

 

cover of history smasher's american revolution with paul revere on a horse

 

Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth behind the Revolutionary War with beloved educator/author Kate Messner. The fun mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels make this perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.

You might already be a fan of the History Smashers series and this one is no different. There are so many misconceptions about what really happened in 1776, and the endless facts in this book really helps clarify what really happened. Kate Messner has also been known to be available for author visits, both in-person and virtually.

 

What are your plans to celebration the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution? Leave your ideas in the comments below!

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Read-Alouds for Middle Grades: An Rx for Reading Success in Today’s Fast-Paced World

By on April 22, 2026   /   Articles, For Teachers   /   Leave a comment
Book turning pages

Read-alouds aren’t just for younger students! Research shows that reading aloud—even for just a few minutes a day—is just as effective for intermediate grades, middle schoolers, and even high schoolers.

Whether at home or during dedicated time in class, reading aloud to students demonstrates that reading is not merely a difficult task required for testing. It transforms book discussions into opportunities for students to open up about complex topics and signals the true importance of literacy. “Never underestimate the power of a well chosen read-aloud. Even students who swear they don’t like books can be drawn in by a great story,” says Kinla Nelson, a Georgia-based educator with twenty-five years of classroom teaching under her belt.

Book turning pages

Photo by Horia Varlan

Thirteen fabulous reasons why you should read aloud to your older students:

1. Unlock higher-level thinking.

 Students can often listen and comprehend at a higher level than they can read independently.

2. Let students escape into the story.

They can experience the magic of the narrative without the struggle of decoding text.

3. Bridge spoken and written language.

Read-alouds connect oral fluency with literacy skills.

4. Model fluent reading.

Show students how a reader’s voice gives meaning to words, demonstrating how punctuation, sentence structure, pauses, and inflection shape understanding.

5. Demonstrate expressive reading.

Bring characters’ emotional states to life through tone and pacing.

6. Build active listening skills.

Students learn to concentrate on both the sounds words make and their meanings simultaneously.

7. Grow vocabulary and correct pronunciation.

Hearing words in context reinforces proper usage and articulation.

8. Improve working memory.

As students make connections between different parts of the story, they flex their memory and retention muscles.

9. Boost comprehension.

Especially for struggling readers, listening allows them to focus on the story rather than getting bogged down by reading mechanics.

10. Build classroom community.

Shared experiences level the playing field between students of all reading levels. Listeners can ask questions and feel fully part of the story, just like any other reader.

11. Create memorable experiences.

A well-told story leaves a lasting impression on the listener. And this experience is something the whole class can share.

12. Decrease stress.

Numerous studies highlight the social and therapeutic benefits for both the listener and the reader. Through the phenomenon of “Narrative Transportation,” listeners can momentarily forget their surroundings.

13. Increase joy.

As Jim Trelease noted, “Every time we read aloud to a child, we send a ‘pleasure message’ to their brain.” This reaction is triggered by feelings of happiness and self-worth when someone takes the time to invest in our enjoyment.

Why Read-Alouds Are More Important Than Ever:

  • Attention is fragmenting. In an age where digital media pulls focus, read-alouds recenter collective attention, prompting students to pause, listen, and engage deeply with language.
  • Equity gaps are widening. Frequent adult read-alouds boost vocabulary for historically underserved learners and, when structured inclusively, help close those gaps.
  • Standards demand higher-order thinking. Interactive read-alouds naturally embed inquiry, inference, and synthesis, aligning with Common Core and Next Generation Science expectations.
  • Teacher workload is growing. Measurable gains can be achieved in just a few minutes without adding to grading loads.

Find an engaging, vocabulary-rich novel (bonus points for STEM ties!) and start your read-aloud program today.

Let us know in the comments below which books you’ve found particularly great for read-alouds for older students!

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The Jack-in-the-Box Writer

By on February 26, 2026   /   For Teachers, For Writers, Writing  

You turn the crank on the side of the colorful box once, then once again, and then wait. 

You turn it slower and slower, rapt in anticipation of that freaky clown’s surprise appearance when the lid springs open. With every turn, your heart beats faster, and your eyes get a little wider. The chime plays its tune, one slow note at a time, as you get closer and closer to the always surprising endgame, and then…

POP!

 

Cristian Bortes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, via Wikimedia Commons

Developing a story idea is similar to operating a jack-in-the-box. The writer cranks the handle by outlining, drafting, and doing the somewhat shocking writer’s task of actually writing. One word follows another, forming sentences and paragraphs representing the writer’s thoughts and vision. When the time is right, the breakthrough comes, and the story “pops”. The pieces begin to fall in place. The once-scary, freaky clown smiles at your accomplishment.

Creators must go through the process every time. Each new work needs the slow crank of the story’s jack-in-the-box to get through the process of creating a satisfying story from an idea. This is how creative development works. 

You work toward a goal. 

You grind it out day after day to what often seems to be no avail. 

You get frustrated. 

You despair. 

Sometimes, you quit and throw the whole draft across the room in the general direction of the freaky clown hiding in his little, brightly painted box. But to those who keep turning the handle of their story’s jack-in-the-box with grit and determination, success will come. 

Plus, it never hurts to bring in outside eyes to look at the raw story and see it with a fresh perspective. That’s where critique partners and beta readers can help turn the crank handle when one feels stuck. Help is a wonderful thing and, at the very least, builds a friendly support crew.

Find a way to keep cranking the handle by whatever means necessary. You will improve. The story will improve.

It is inevitable.

The story will be forever grateful. 

One of the most important things creators can do is to see the potential in an idea and do the work to help the idea achieve its full potential. Ideas are as numerous as pennies, but a story is a bar of gold. One needs to keep working, researching, and turning their cranks of improvement until their story springs upward and shows itself.

Because if you keep cranking the story handle, it will eventually “POP!” and show itself to you and the world.

Just ask the freaky clown! 

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