September 2026 Edition

A new location for Teaching Ideas — Timely Topics!

The Teaching Ideas newsletter containing Timely Topics will now be prominently featured within the TeachingBooks Update!

In this newsletter, discover quick ideas to support literacy with featured "Timely Topics" themes. Explore related titles and connect to books with tailored activities using TeachingBooks resources.

Plan Your Library Programs with our Literary Calendar

The TeachingBooks Literary Calendar is a great tool to use for planning programs! Easily find the birthdays of your favorite authors and illustrators or incorporate book resources into cultural heritage months and national recognition days like Indigenous Peoples' Day (October 12) and Nikki Grimes' birthday (October 21). Click on any of the events in the calendar to access related titles and resources.

Find inspiration for themed displays or recommended reading lists
Plan programs around cultural events
Save time with curated content for social media and newsletters
Embed the Literary Calendar and other TeachingBooks widgets for immediate access to literary inspiration.

Have fun and let us know how you're using the Literary Calendar!

How to Get the Most out of Your TeachingBooks Account

TeachingBooks is for everyone in your community! Let's make access effortless and seamless for your students, faculty, and families. Join us and discover multiple ways to share resources about books and authors.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 1pm CT

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TeachingBooks Ideas for Secondary Classrooms

Explore TeachingBooks for prompts and resources to use in your middle and high school classrooms! From new ideas for classics to creating interactive spaces, you'll find plenty of ways to deepen your readers' connections to the books in your curriculum.

New Ideas for Old Classics

Link contemporary themes with classics texts using the Classics Reimagined teaching ideas.
Make connections with contemporary texts through NCTE's Refreshing the Canon series.
Encourage independent reading with Read Alike lists from that same series.
Bring classic words to life by finding read alouds on our Lit2Go reading list.
Use a 60-Second Recap to explore genre, theme, setting, and more for classic titles, and then have students create their own 60-second recap for another text.

Ready-to-Use Teaching Ideas

Browse new and archived Timely Topics for thematic connections for older readers.
Build interactive spaces by printing out One-A-Day Poetry Reflections and One-A-Day Name Reflections, then have students use their devices to scan and learn.
Analyze an author's purpose with prompts that link Meet-the-Author Recordings with discussion questions.
Have fun with Digital Escape Rooms for familiar titles like Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, and The Hobbit. Use the filters to narrow by grade range.

Explore TeachingBooks in Action

In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, TeachingBooks supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.