Our Projects

Welcome! The grade levels and ages listed here are estimates, simply meant to guide you. You know your kids and students best—every reader grows at their own pace. Many books are wonderfully universal and work well across multiple age groups, and some titles remain a perfect fit for readers who may still be developing their skills, especially with a bit of guidance or support. And remember: nonfiction picture books can be powerful tools at any age—even in high school—as supplements, mentor texts, or just great stories worth encountering. Thank you for sharing books with young people, embracing beautifully diverse stories, and keeping the magic of reading alive.

Feel free to use and share any of the educator materials provided here—just kindly credit Room 228, and please note that none of our resources are permitted for resale. Read away!

An Educator’s Guide for Follow the Water by Ellen Cochrane

A captivating true story about a girl who fell out of a plane over the Amazon—and walked out of the jungle eleven days later. Complete with sidebars that explore and explain the science that allowed Juliane to survive her fall, the diversity of life in the Amazon jungle, the natural history of Peru and much more, Follow the Water is a powerful and unforgettable true story of survival against all odds. This guide provides educators and students with a framework to explore the natural environment and the depth of human resolve. Essential questions guide students through Juliane’s incredible journey, through the mystery, beauty, and challenges of the Amazon jungle, and will help them explore universal and highly relevant themes for young people. The interdisciplinary activities allow for student discovery and exploration. Students will engage with science, art, and language to enhance their understanding of the world around them, of how we are all interconnected, of causes and effects, of structure and function, and of stability and change in the natural world and in life and literature.

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Mini Unit for Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin’s The Bletchley Riddle

Clues, codes, and connections! New York Times best selling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin’s The Bletchley Riddle is a wild ride that incorporates mystery and history in a way that speaks to young people. The educational materials can be integrated seamlessly into teachers’ existing units. The mini-unit encompasses four lesson plans—two geared toward 5th–6th grades and two for 7th–8th grades. But each lesson plan can easily be adapted in language, vocabulary, number/complexity of tasks, and objectives to match your grade level. The lessons are academic and inclusive and are constructed so students can read, write, draw, listen, move, speak, and of course, decode! Worksheets have students playing investigators and code breakers to help solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Jakob and Lizzie’s mother. The Bletchley Riddle is teeming with cross-disciplinary topics, themes, and skill-building. Like we said: clues, codes, and connections galore!

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Educator Guide for Sara Weiss’ The Totally Awesome World of Caitlin Clark

Sara Weiss’ middle grade biography The Totally Awesome World of Caitlin Clark dives deep into Clark’s basketball journey and the history of the WNBA with high-action photographs and historical and factual blurbs. Weis doesn’t shy away from sometimes overlooked topics, including the challenges in women’s sports and the role race plays in sports, the media, and society. Whether you’re a basketball fanatic or you’ve never set foot on a court, this book and educator guide offer something for all. Readers will be celebrating hard work and the magic of a childhood dream! The educator guide has young people exploring elements of nonfiction texts, setting goals, and connecting the exciting world of basketball to the wonderful world of math.

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Educator Guide for Heather Murphy Capps’ The Rule of Three

Wyatt Cash has a three-part plan. Play travel ball in middle school. Letter on the high school varsity team. Play college ball at a Division One school. Step One: Make it through tryouts and earn a spot on the Tornadoes, where he faces intentional and unintentional snubs from peers and adults alike. There’s only one problem: Wyatt inherited a genetic trait from his dad that makes keeping his cool difficult. The more he learns about the past, the more Wyatt begins to question the rules he’s always followed to fit in. Will Wyatt be able to keep his stone cold facade and his personal dreams from going up in smoke? This educator’s guide creates opportunities for students to learn more about the historical events and injustices highlighted in The Rule of Three. The discussion questions and activities allow for text-to-self and text-to-real-world connections, making inferences, and practicing critical thinking skills.

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Educator Guide for Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s Middle Grade Novel The Night War

As seen in this middle grade novel, set at the border between freedom and fear in World War II France, teachers and students faced difficult choices in 1942 as Germany advanced their occupation of Europe through France; today, students and teachers face their own choices. This novel and this guide bring many important issues to the forefront and will help to facilitate essential discussions of themes, academic exploration, analysis of how history is constantly evolving, and text-to-self connections that encourage deeper understanding of characters, literature, students’ worlds, and themselves.

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