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Guest Post: Ranger Rick’s Reading Adventures
Photo by Teacher Created Resources
Somewhere in the heart of Deep Green Wood, Ranger Rick and his friends are jumping up and down, celebrating the recent release of a nature-themed reading, writing, and science program. Very soon, we expect many teachers and students to be doing the same. Ranger Rick’s Reading Adventures, a collaboration between the National Wildlife Federation and Blue Star Education (a division of Teacher Created Resources), uses a collection of compelling nonfiction student books as a springboard for an entire reading, writing, and science curriculum.
We at Blue Star Education knew that a partnership with the National Wildlife Federation would be a perfect match. By combining Blue Star Education’s experience developing quality classroom curriculum with the National Wildlife Federation’s vast resources, knowledge of the natural world, emphasis on education, and the organization’s beloved wildlife ambassador, Ranger Rick, we are certain that these kits will be embraced by educators and will enrich students’ knowledge and appreciation of the wild world around them. Many of us at Blue Star Education and Teacher Created Resources have fond memories of reading Ranger Rick magazine when we were kids and know that it continues to inspire and educate with its award-winning content.
Working together, Ranger Rick’s Reading Adventures was created with national reading, writing, and science standards in mind, and is available in three kits (levels A, B, C) that correspond to grade bands 2–3, 3–4, and 4–5, respectively. Each kit includes a variety of fun and engaging nonfiction student readers, packed full of photographs and interesting facts about animals and ecosystems from around the world. Also included are a series of fiction and nonfiction Adventure Cards that follow Ranger Rick and his pals as they head out on many exciting adventures. Younger students will love reading and acting out Readers’ Theater scripts, while older students may prefer adding dialogue to Ranger Rick comic strips. Each kit includes multiple opportunities for assessment, as well as a Teacher Resource book filled with step-by-step reading, writing, and science lessons and student activity sheets for every unit.
Teacher Created Resources has also developed a line of Ranger Rick themed decorative products to keep students engaged with the characters and give them a sense of classroom community.
In addition to its impact in the classroom, we have designed Ranger Rick’s Reading Adventures to encourage students to unplug, get outside, and explore all that nature has to offer (after completing their homework, of course!). For additional research about the fruits of this partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, please visit www.BlueStarEducation.com or www.teachercreated.com.
Mary Smith, a classroom teacher and Primary Learning Coordinator from Southern California, is the founder of Teacher Created Resources. Mary turned her love of teaching and passion for creating engaging lessons into one of the most recognizable and trusted names in educational publishing. Her goal was to make practical, easy-to-use resources that would be fun to teach, student-friendly, and educationally sound.
Today, Teacher Created Resources publishes thousands of products that are distributed all over the world. After more than 40 years, Mary still loves working with her team to create products that have become favorites for students, teachers, and parents.
