Educators

In2Books is an evidence-based, curriculum-aligned eMentoring program. In2Books fosters reading, writing and critical thinking skills across the curriculum. Our curricula have been shown to significantly improve students' literacy skills and love of learning. In2Books promotes literacy across the curriculum by matching students with adult pen pals who read the same books and correspond online about the important issues in the books. The books are carefully selected to align with literacy, social studies and science standards. This learning experience is reinforced in the classroom with the study of the applicable genre, in-depth discussion and carefully designed curricula.

The In2Books Curricula

The In2Books curricula promote the skills, ambitions, and achievements of young people in grades 3-5 as they progress from grade to grade. The combination of our book selections, pen pal correspondence, genre study, and informal assessments helps students become successful readers, writers, and thinkers across the curriculum. They learn to become active citizens, able to express reasoned opinions orally and in writing. Click here to learn more about our academic advisory board and book selection committee.

In2Books Works! Results to Date

Two respected journals, The Reading Teacher and Phi Delta Kappan, reported recently on the positive effect In2Books has on student literacy and extensively discussed both the In2Books program and reasons why it produces these results.

See Research and Evaluation for more information.

Further analysis shows that:

• 9 out of 10 teachers report that their students’ achievement was positively impacted by In2Books (Reading Teacher, May 2007).


• 9 out of 10 teachers reported that their students liked the In2Books program (Reading Teacher, May 2007).

The In2Books Informed Reader Series

Each unit involves multiple readings of the book, discussions and other classroom activities, reading and analyses of pen pal letters, and writing responses to pen pals. During each unit, teachers receive practical suggestions about how to maximize student interest and subject matter understanding. Each unit culminates in the students expressing what they learned about the book and the subject in letters to their pen pals.

	The Introductory Unit: Understanding pen pals, letter writing, and building a classroom community. Unit One – Fiction: Exploring personal strengths, interests, and relationships with friends and families. Unit Two – Social Science: Understanding communities and how to contribute meaningfully in them. Unit Three – Biography: Understanding how choices people make affect their lives and learning about setting goals and pursuing dreams. Unit Four – Folktales: Understanding the universal commonalities among cultures and how to solve problems independently. Unit Five – Science: Understanding the world around us and how living things are interdependent.

Bridging the Gap

Research and experience have shown us what works in teaching reading, writing, and thinking. The In2Books curricula directly align with current No Child Left Behind legislation and emphasize higher-order thinking, reading, and writing in authentic literary contexts and subject matter study. It is consistent with best practices in literacy, children's literature, and cognitive development.

In2Books students have learned how to decode words. In2Books helps students become more thoughtful communicators. In addition to encouraging a love of learning, our curricula improve the reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing skills of students.