Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle

Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

Home > Reading Topics A-Z > Top 10 Resources on Back to School for Teachers

• 
• 
• 

Our weekly picks

Top 10 Resources on Back to School for Teachers

Get ready for a great school year. Discover ideas for planning a sparkling back-to-school night, creating a literacy-rich classroom that is welcoming to all students, establishing an effective 90-minute reading block, building parent engagement, and more.

1. Bright Ideas for Back-to-School Night... and Beyond
   Back-to-school night is an important annual ritual — a wonderful opportunity for parents and teachers to meet, connect, and share their vision for the school year. We've gathered up the very best resources to help you make the most of back-to-school night — and set the stage for a year of learning and growth.
2. 10 Tips for Special Education Teachers
   Our top 10 back-to-school tips for special education teachers emphasize communication, organization, and a focus on student success.
3. Literacy-Rich Environments
   Learn the "why" and "how" of creating a language- and literacy-rich classroom, especially for kids with special needs.
4. The 90-Minute Reading Block
   Research shows that students need at least 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction per day in order for sufficient student reading development. Here's a chart that shows how to set up an effective 90-minute reading block.
5. Creating a Welcoming Classroom for English Language Learners
   Your ELL students are adjusting to new ways of saying and doing things. As their teacher, you are an important bridge to this unknown culture and school system. Here are things you can do to help make your students' transitions as smooth as possible.
6. Creating a Classroom Library
   Teacher Mandy Gregory shares her ideas (and photos from her own classroom) for acquiring reading materials, organizing and labeling the shelves, and making the space cozy and inviting for young readers.
7. Arranging Your Classroom
   As a teacher, setting up your classroom is one of the most exciting parts of August! Where should the classroom library go? Where should the teacher desk go? How should the student desks be arranged?
8. Parent Involvement Checklist
   Does your school do a good job of reaching out to parents? Use this checklist to evaluate and improve parent-school partnerships.
9. Weekly Classroom Newsletter Template
   Parents love to know what's going on in their child's classroom, and a weekly newsletter is a great way to keep the communication going. Reading Rockets offers a ready-to-use, editable newsletter template complete with extra graphics and more than 50 reading tips.
10. Growing Readers Newsletter
    Subscribe to these free one-page articles for parents on topics ranging from building background knowledge to helping your kids succeed in school. Ideal for sharing with your families. (In English and Spanish)

See all back-to-school resources >