Teachers@Random

https://randomhouse.com/teachers

In looking for suitable reading materials for students, teachers often end up browsing through every available title found in libraries and bookstores. Being spoilt for choice, this can be rather time-consuming, especially when it comes to the uphill task of selecting appropriate texts that cater to our students’ level of understanding and interest.

This is the reason why Teachers@Random is useful when it comes to finding the books that we need. Teachers@Random is a literary site that recommends children’s book titles that can be used in classrooms as well as educator guides that are sorted and categorised by different criteria such as title, theme, grade, discipline and time period.

Click on the title link and you’ll find a list of reading materials arranged by alphabetical order. Selecting one of the four grade levels then links you to a list of recommended book titles appropriate for the grade level of your choice.

A plus point about this website is its search by theme catalogue, which includes 133 themes such as contemporary issues/social problems, history and social studies, and character education. You can also easily find books related to your teaching interests through the search by discipline function.

Apart from the many titles it offers, this website also provides links to the biographies of some popular authors. Teachers who want to inspire their students to be writers or conduct literary discussions on writers and their works can benefit from this. The latest information on children’s literature can also be found under the website’s resources, which has links to professional sites like the American Library Association and the Children’s Book Council.

This site will never leave you short of teaching ideas because it is filled with useful resources, related links and suggested classroom activities that are creatively designed to pique students’ interests and trigger critical thinking. Here, you can find ways to help your students write their own stories, or create their own Reader’s Circle with their friends using the site’s kids resources.

However, while the website can help in your quest for the right reading materials, it has its limitations too. As students have different learning abilities, there is never a “one size fits all” solution in finding the right books for class. Thus, teachers have to carefully consider whether the reading materials are comprehensible or if the suggested activities are suitable for your particular class.

I especially recommend this website for teachers with busy schedules who are unable to squeeze in time for visits to the libraries or local bookstores. Efficient and user-friendly, this website comes in handy if you ever run out of creative ideas to engage students in interactive literary discussions. And with so many titles to choose from, you will always be able to find good and suitable reading materials for your students.