I read a lot online, and carry my laptop with me to the breakfast table, on airplanes, and out to the back patio. Most of my blogs are inspired by articles I’ve read online. But there is a time and place for paper and ink.

In my June blog on summer reading, I referenced an Internet article by outgoing International Reading Association President Linda B. Gambrell. She added a postscript to the article, and recommended a book for the teachers’ own summer reading, People of the Book, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. While the thought of “curling up with a good book” doesn’t sound particularly manly to me, I must confess to the act. This novel tells the stories of the people who have been involved with a rare and beautiful medieval manuscript over its long and mysterious history. The clues to the book’s guardians and whereabouts are contained in and insect wing, a wine stain, salt crystals and white hair.

The paper-and-ink story about a book got me thinking about why paper-and-ink-books will always have a place in my life. I may carry my laptops religiously, but I also have a book on my night table, in my backpack, or by the pool. I don’t need to worry about a power supply or damaging a hard book, but the appeal is more than that. I like the feel of pages, the measure of how much I’ve read versus how much I have got left to go. I’m part of a generation that grew up reading books. I find that I tend to read periodicals and newspapers online, but when it comes to a book, I want just that: paper-and-ink pages.

We’re adding more and more tech options to our Learning A-Z offerings, such as the projectable books at Reading A-Z because both educators and young people are very much at home on the computer these days. But no matter how high-tech we go, one delivery option for our books will likely always be a good old-fashioned hard copy book.

It is one of the key reasons we strive to make an affordable collection of books available for teachers to download, print and assemble for their students; so they, too, an learn to enjoy the pleasure one can derive from getting lost in a good story or acquiring knowledge of their world.

A small remote fishing village in Madroñal, Nicaragua, has seven dedicated teachers, a few hardworking volunteers, and even a little schoolhouse for its 200 or so hardworking students. But what’s a school without books?

That’s what Sue-Ellen Wortzel, founder of the Teaching and Learning Initiative for Central America (TALICA), asked herself before she contacted Reading A-Z last spring to request books for her foundation’s work. I was intrigued with the idea of providing Internet-delivered books to a location as remote as Madroñal. If Sue-Ellen could make it work, we were certainly willing to make the Reading A-Z’s resources available.

Madroñal, located on Lake Nicaragua’s Isla de Ometepe, is not an easy destination. On a good day, it takes a long choppy, ferry ride and a rough two-mile hike to get to village.

“During the two-mile hike with my backpack full of pre-made books and my laptop, I wondered how the teachers would like the materials, said Wortzel. “I wondered how they might choose to use them, and how I might guide them.” Since there was no Internet service nearby, the dedicated volunteer had obtained special permission to download some books, including Spanish versions, to CDs.

“I came with my computer, paper, toner, and many books that had been pre-downloaded on CDs,” she said. “Nelly, a third-grade teacher, brought her printer to school in her backpack. We were ready.” Six of the seven teachers had little or no computer experience, so Wortzel began by teaching them how to use the computer mouse. Then the eager group headed off to print out and assemble the books. But something important was missing.

“We all arrived to realize the school did not have an accessible outlet. Electricity was in the building, but there was nowhere to plug in the printer,” explained Wortzel. “I could not believe it. I had thought of all the ‘hard’ details, but it had never dawned on any of us the school didn’t have an outlet!” One of the teachers asked a neighbor if the group could stretch extension cords and use an outlet in the home. At last, each teacher was printing books.

“Teachers and students face challenges such as these all the time in nations south of the border,” said Wortzel, adding, “the basic resources we have in U.S. schools are simply not here.” The work TALICA and organizations like it do in developing nations is critical to our vision of ensuring every teacher and every student who needs books has access to Reading A-Z. Wortzel will return to Madroñal in November with more books, and more ideas about integrating Reading A-Z materials into the school’s reading instruction. I am looking forward to her next report and sharing it with Blog readers.

I am troubled every time I read news reports about how far American students lag behind their international counterparts in the sciences. Science is more important than ever in today’s global competitive environment, and too many of our young people are unable to hold their own.

There have been many changes to the art of teaching science in the last few decades. State standards have been updated, more time is being allotted to teach science, and schools are more aware of the ways that science trains young minds to think through problems and follow through methodically to a specific outcome. An understanding of brain-based learning, the use of problem-based learning, and other innovations have helped us shape lessons that are more likely to reach all students. Advances in technology have provided exciting opportunities for teachers and students alike. But engaging students is key.

Students who are bored or lost are not going to learn—they must be engaged in the learning. Engaging students is just as important today as it was 35 years ago when I was teaching science.  Hands-on demonstrations can be a good way to engage students. When teaching about the sun, earth, and moon, for example, I would call on three students to come to the front of the room and tell one person to represent the sun, another the earth, and the third one the moon. I’d arm the sun with a flashlight, instruct the moon to walk around the earth, and the earth to twirl slowly while walking around the sun. It made it easy to teach about night and day as well as the phases of the moon. From what teachers today tell me, this simple example is still in use today. Why? Because it engages students, and it is effective.

I just finished reading a thoughtful and informative report on effective science instruction put out by the Center on Instruction for the U.S. Department of Education. Whether you teach science or another subject, this is a good read for the specific examples it gives of teachers successfully engaging their students in learning. The completed report lists key characteristics of effective science instruction as well as specific examples from the fieldwork.,

Among the key characteristics is importance of engaging students in scientific inquiry, encouraging students to come up with their own theories with supporting evidence, using prior knowledge, and being able to make sense out of a conclusion. Each characteristic is justified with research and backed up with classroom examples.

Perhaps even more exciting, the center sent a host of trained observers into classrooms across the country to watch teachers in the classroom. They reported on the lessons, whether the teacher used effective instruction, and analyzed the lesson’s success (or lack thereof). The report also offers two helpful, sample lessons on the laws of motion, one reflecting reform-oriented instruction and the other traditional instruction—both valid, according to the report.

We strive—at each of Learning A-Z’s websites—to help teachers by offering effective strategies and teaching tips such as those listed in this report.  I feel strongly that every subject is an opportunity to improve literacy and shape students for an increasingly competitive world. This is why we’ve just launched our newest website: Science A-Z. It is packed with engaging grade-appropriate, leveled science lessons that also reinforce literacy. I’m pretty proud of the results, and I invite you to try a free science unit lesson.

The new writing portion of the SATs may be controversial, but it is a good predictor of just how well a freshman will do in college, according to multiple studies.

In fact, researchers at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, who analyzed data from separate studies conducted by the College Board and the University of California, report that with each 100-point increase in SAT writing scores, first-year students earn GPAs that are, on average, .07 points higher, and 18 points higher in freshman English classes, and they earn .54 more credit hours.

Good writing is key to literacy. And literacy is like the amino acid of education: It is the building block upon which all other studies are possible. That link between literacy and writing and writing and success is why we at Learning A-Z developed the Writing A-Z leveled writing program, because all students deserve to be clear and effective communicators.