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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

See the navigation options to the left for helpful categories that will answer many of your questions. Some of the answers to questions below will link to other sections within this Support Area.

Top Ten FAQs

  1. What is TeachingBooks.net?
  2. How do I sign in to TeachingBooks.net?
  3. Who is TeachingBooks.net for?
  4. How much does a license to TeachingBooks.net cost?
  5. How do I place an order for TeachingBooks.net?
  6. How does access to TeachingBooks.net work?
  7. What is a TeachingBooks.net profile?
  8. How do I create a profile?
  9. How do I schedule a live webinar training for my staff?
  10. What's new on TeachingBooks.net?

What is TeachingBooks.net?

TeachingBooks.net is an online database of thousands of multimedia resources you can use to explore children's and young adult books and their authors.

We provide immediate access to useful materials and exciting programs (short movies, audio book readings, book discussion guides, and more) that add a multimedia dimension to reading in the classroom, library, and home.

Use TeachingBooks.net to look up any favorite author—from David Macaulay to J.K. Rowling, from Dr. Seuss to Shakespeare—or any title (fiction or nonfiction). You instantly get online teaching / learning resources about that author or specific book.

These resources are also perfect for lesson planning, author studies, and Professional Development to support the many ways books can be integrated into all subject areas in the K–12 curriculum.

TeachingBooks.net is now in more than 26,000 schools coast-to-coast and around the world, helping to nurture a love of reading and books.

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How do I sign in to TeachingBooks.net?

To sign in to TeachingBooks.net, you can visit:

/home

In the top right corner of your screen, you will notice a "Sign In" link. (If you see "Sign Out" instead, you are already signed in.)

You can access your TeachingBooks.net license by entering your email address or by entering a username/password. If you've signed in to TeachingBooks.net using a particular email address in the past, you can simply enter your email address and click "Submit."

You'll know you're signed in when you see "Sign Out" in the upper right corner of any screen on TeachingBooks.net.

If you encounter any difficulties signing in, please call our staff at (800) 596-0710. Or, email us, and we'll do our best to help you get signed in within minutes.

If you do not already have a TeachingBooks.net license, start a free trial.

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Who is TeachingBooks.net for?

TeachingBooks.net is for any education or reading environment that uses K–12 books: preK–12 schools and districts, universities and teacher training institutions, public libraries, education consortiums, and homeschool communities.

A license gives unlimited campus and remote access to everyone in your institution or educational community—every teacher, librarian, staff member, curriculum specialist, professor/instructor, student, family, and patron. We want all boundaries of access broken down to equalize the opportunity for everyone to experience these multimedia author and book connections.

Home access, by the way, makes TeachingBooks.net ideal for at-home study projects and school/home community-building efforts. Flyers and bookmarks with access passwords, already translated into numerous languages, help non-English speaking families know about this reading resource available to their children.

Share & Promote your TeachingBooks.net access.

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How much does a license to TeachingBooks.net cost?

Pricing for:

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How do I place an order for TeachingBooks.net?

Pricing / Order Form

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How does access to TeachingBooks.net work?

Access works in several ways for TeachingBooks.net paid licenses.

IP authentication
For most license types, we can set up IP authentication—whereby our computer server recognizes the external IP address of your computer and knows that it's a part of license XYZ. We then automatically sign you in, without the need for a password.

Username and password
When IP authentication is not in place, or when you wish to use TeachingBooks.net from home or any place other than your institution, you may sign in using the username and password for your license. This same username and password combination is for all users under the license, and you are encouraged to share it throughout your educational community.

TeachingBooks.net profile (email address)
Users are invited to individually create a profile (under the umbrella of their institution's license). Users who have created a profile may sign in by using only their email address.

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What is a TeachingBooks.net profile?

Create a profile to get more out of your TeachingBooks.net experience, including:

  • Eye-on-the-Web updates: You'll receive personalized reports every month with new TeachingBooks.net resources just for you.
  • Access to the TeachingBooks.net Professional Development Training Module: Take this course and discover how easy and fun it can be to add authors and multimedia into reading activities—and potentially earn CE credit, too.
  • Easy sign-in: You can sign in to TeachingBooks.net using just your email address, from any location.

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How do I create a profile?

Create a profile

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How do I schedule a live webinar training for my staff?

You can schedule a live webinar training online here, or by faxing in this Webinar Scheduling Form.

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What's new on TeachingBooks.net?

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FAQs About Resources

Does TeachingBooks.net have full-length book readings?

While most of the book readings on TeachingBooks.net are audio excerpts of a book, we do have many books being read in their entirety. To access the full-length book readings on TeachingBooks.net:

  • From the Advanced Search page, select "Readings of Complete Books, Stories, or Poems" under "Special Collections", and hit "Go."

    or

  • From the Browse the Collection page, click on the link to "Readings of Complete Books, Stories, or Poems" under "Special Collections."

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Does TeachingBooks.net have resources for a specific age group?

TeachingBooks.net has resources on books and authors relevant for all ages, grades PreK to 12. The resources are grouped into four overlapping age ranges:

  • PreKindergarten to grade 2
  • Grades 1-5
  • Grades 4-8
  • Grades 7-12

To identify the resources that match your specific grade level interest, conduct a search from the Advanced Search page.

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Does TeachingBooks.net have resources for a specific curricular area?

TeachingBooks.net has resources on books and authors relevant for all curricular areas. Some classrooms that may not traditionally use trade books (like physical education, math, science, health, art, and music) can find relevant resources on TeachingBooks.net. To identify the resources that match your specific curricular areas of interest, conduct a search from the Advanced Search page.

Note: TeachingBooks.net is designed to help you find resources about specific titles, authors, and illustrators. Thus, the curricular areas are general.

To find strategies for integrating books and resources into specific curricular areas, see the Curricular Uses page.

To help you find resources about specific subject areas of study, we've integrated Library of Congress headers and BISAC area subject codes into the TeachingBooks.net database. Use the "Subjects" radio button on the Advanced Search page to find materials for a specific subject (e.g., weather, baseball, adoption).

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Does TeachingBooks.net have resources in languages other than English?

Yes. Most notable are the Spanish-language resources. TeachingBooks also offers many French resources, as well as resources in (or about books written in) Chinese, Hmong, Ojibwe, Passamaquoddy, Russian, and O'odham. To find foreign-language resources, as well as English resources about bilingual and foreign-language books/authors:

  • From the Advanced Search page, select "Foreign-language Resources" under "Special Collections", and hit "Go."

    or

  • From the Browse the Collection page, click on the link to "Foreign-language Resources" under "Special Collections."

Note: TeachingBooks.net strives to include resources in non-English languages. If you know of quality online resources we could include, please contact us.

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Does TeachingBooks.net have a blog?

Yes. The TeachingBooks.net Blog offers strategies for using featured resources, insights from the authors we talk to, and helpful hints from the staff at TeachingBooks.net.

Read the blog

Subscribe by RSS to receive all posts

Subscribe by email to only receive articles that match your specific grade levels and curricular areas of interest (part of our Eye-on-the-Web service).

The TeachingBooks.net Blog is one of several Web 2.0 tools on TeachingBooks.net.

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Does TeachingBooks.net have resources about illustrators?

Yes. TeachingBooks.net uses the term "author" to signify author or illustrator.

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What are TeachingBooks Meet-the-Author Movies?

Meet authors and illustrators—anytime—in TeachingBooks.net original movies that illuminate the creative process, inspiration, and stories behind award-winning books.

  • Let everyone learn directly from the author when reading the book
  • See and hear authors and illustrators at work in their own studios
  • Virtually host award-winning book creators in your library or classroom, anytime
  • Projectable and edited especially for library and classroom use
  • Exclusively on TeachingBooks.net

Browse Meet-the-Author Movies now

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What are TeachingBooks In-depth Written Interviews?

Get an in-depth look at the craft, books, and personal histories of award-winning authors and illustrators in TeachingBooks.net original full-length written interviews.

  • Ideal for author studies, book reports, and other student research
  • Discover fascinating details to enhance the teaching of a book
  • Printable PDF files that may be freely copied and distributed for educational purposes
  • Exclusively on TeachingBooks.net

Browse In-depth Written Interviews now

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What are TeachingBooks Meet-the-Author Book Readings?

Connect instantly with the books you're reading by listening to authors and illustrators as they reflect on the inspiration, purpose, craft, and background behind a well-received book.

  • Find out what inspired the author to write the book
  • Hear rhythm, pacing, and tone the way the author imagined them
  • Listen to illustrators explain their craft—and see an internal image, too
  • Introduce a book by letting readers learn directly from the author
  • Edited for brevity and focused content for classroom and library use
  • Exclusively on TeachingBooks.net

Browse Meet-the-Author Book Readings now

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What are TeachingBooks Guest Blog Posts?

Learn about the writing and illustration process directly from popular book creators in these reflections about book projects, challenges of writing, research, and illustration, childhood experiences, and more.

  • Primary source opportunities for students to learn about the book-making process
  • Get first-hand details about "the author's purpose"
  • Read a new author or illustrator post every month
  • Written exclusively for TeachingBooks.net

Browse Guest Blog Posts now

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What are TeachingBooks Audio Name Pronunciations?

Personalize reading with these one-minute audio recordings of authors and illustrators pronouncing and telling stories about their names.

  • Learn the correct pronunciation for names you didn't know how to say
  • Discover historical and cultural details about authors' names
  • Over a thousand "Hello" recordings—and more added weekly
  • Exclusively on TeachingBooks.net

Browse Audio Name Pronunciations now

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What are Author Interviews?

Learn from authors and illustrators about their own work, ideas, and lives in these quality multimedia interviews.

  • Ideal for author studies, research, book reports, and lesson planning
  • Vetted for educational value
  • Choose from thousands of interviews
  • Video, audio, and written formats
  • Ready-to-use to save you time

Browse Author Interviews now

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What are Book Guides & Lesson Plans?

Find lesson plans, discussion questions, novel units, reader's theater scripts, and other instructional support for the books you're reading in any K–12 classroom.

  • Ready-to-use and vetted for quality to save you time
  • Stimulate discussions about the books you're teaching
  • Use for book clubs and to prompt conversation about books at home
  • Choose from thousands of guides for both fiction and nonfiction
  • Great for new educators and teachers-in-training

Browse Book Guides & Lesson Plans now

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What are Book Readings?

Introduce books to your classroom or library with a video or audio performance.

  • Let students hear the rhythm, pacing, and dramatic tone of a book
  • Engage English language learners and struggling readers
  • Performed by authors, professional actors, and others
  • Ready-to-use and vetted for quality to save you time

Browse Book Readings now

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What are Book Trailers?

Ignite students' interest in both current and classic titles with these video book trailers that bring books fully to life.

  • Generate excitement and curiosity for the books you're reading now
  • Ideal for visual learners
  • Links to hundreds of trailers
  • Ready-to-use and vetted for quality to save you time

Browse Book Trailers now

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What are Author Personal Websites & Blogs?

Find out what authors and illustrators want you to know about themselves and their work by visiting their personal websites and blogs.

  • Get timely and unique information about current and future projects, personal perspectives, and more
  • Great for author and book research
  • Thousands of links, authoritatively vetted to save you time

Browse Author Personal Websites & Blogs now

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What are Book Websites?

Learn more about popular books, book series, and their authors by visiting these official websites.

  • Explore games and activities based on books and characters
  • Find timely information about author events, upcoming titles, and more
  • Links vetted for quality
  • Produced by the authors, publishers, and other authoritative sources

Browse Book Websites now

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What are Movie & TV Adaptation Websites?

Generate excitement about books with these websites promoting film adaptations of popular and classic titles.

  • Expand conversations about books with insights from movie and TV adaptations
  • Explore games and activities that bring the book's story to life
  • Links vetted for quality

Browse Movie & TV Adaptation Websites now

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What are Apps for Books?

Enjoy learning about this new medium for interacting with books on mobile devices.

  • Sample the apps for popular books
  • See how apps support a diversity of interests, learning styles, and literacy levels
  • Explore gaming activities that bring the book's story to life

Browse Apps for Books now

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What are Booklists?

In one place, TeachingBooks.net provides all of our instructional materials (lesson plans, Meet-the-Author interviews, author websites, video book trailers, and more) aligned to the books and authors on any reading list you're using:

  • ELA Common Core Standards exemplars
  • Your state's reading lists
  • National book award lists, such as the Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, TD Canadian, and many others
  • Favorite elementary school book series
  • Popular theme-based lists
  • Summer reading lists
  • Your own reading lists, such as book club titles and syllabi

Browse Booklists now

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The authors and illustrators that TeachingBooks.net chooses to interview and record are carefully selected so that our site offers a variety of book creators to meet online. The criteria include:

  • Grade-level appropriateness
  • Potential or actual use of the author's books in classrooms
  • Demographic diversity
  • Subject-area expertise

As a small business based in Madison, Wisconsin, we plan the original productions we make each year with much thought.

At the same time, we continuously direct teachers to useful resources that already exist on the Internet. All of the resources to which TeachingBooks.net links are vetted first to ensure that they help educators and students think about books and book creators in new ways.

TeachingBooks.net's Collection Development Policy exists to ensure consistency and professionalism in our online collection of resources.

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How can I cite TeachingBooks.net original resources?

Citation rules vary, particularly for electronic source materials. Here are two examples for citing TeachingBooks.net's original resources, which include: Meet-the-Author Movies, In-depth Written Interviews, Meet-the-Author Book Readings, Guest Blog Posts, and Audio Name Pronunciations.

MLA Citation:

"TeachingBooks Meet-the-Author Movie: Christopher Paul Curtis." TeachingBooks.net. TeachingBooks.net, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
("Title of Webpage or Resource." Name of Full Website.net. Author of page, publish-date-if-available [or n.d..]. Web. Date accessed in DD Mon. YYYY format.)

APA Citation:

TeachingBooks in-depth written interview: Christopher Paul Curtis. (n.d.). Retrieved from /interview.cgi?id=782.
(Title of the original resource, only first word capitalized. (n.d. or date as YYYY or Mon. DD, YYYY). Retrieved from [URL].)

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Other FAQs

What are the technical requirements of TeachingBooks.net?

TeachingBooks.net is designed and tested to function properly with the following software. Supported versions of each product are available for free from our Test Your Computer page.

TeachingBooks.net supports each of the following:

Operating Systems:

  • Mac OS 9.1 and higher
  • Windows 98 and higher

Internet Browsers for the Mac:

  • Safari 1.0 and higher
  • Firefox 1.0 and higher
  • Google Chrome 1.0

Internet Browsers for the PC:

  • Internet Explorer 7.0 and higher
  • Firefox 1.0 and higher
  • Google Chrome 1.0

Multimedia Software:

  • Flash 7.0 and higher to watch the TeachingBooks.net Meet-the-Author Movies (videos and slideshows)
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 and higher to view any PDF documents

Additional Software:

TeachingBooks.net contains links to thousands of relevant websites and resources, each of which control their own software requirements. For example, some external links require Windows Media Player, while others require QuickTime. You should be able to find links for downloading such additional software on these sites. As a reminder about TeachingBooks.net's Linking Policy, such sites are not under the control of TeachingBooks.net, and TeachingBooks.net is not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or any information, content, products, or services accessible from such sites.

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How do I best set up my license to TeachingBooks.net?

Manage Your License or Trial

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What if I forgot the email address I use to sign in to TeachingBooks.net?

If you forget the email address you used when signing in, you can send a note to accounts@teachingbooks.net. Include all the information you can about the account, including any parts of the email address that you recall, and we will try to help. You also received this information in your "Welcome to TeachingBooks.net" email that was sent to you upon subscribing. Also, you can call the TeachingBooks.net office: (800) 596-0710.

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How do I change my email newsletter subscriptions?

Set Newsletter Subscriptions

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