eSource: Free Teaching Guides
Select a product from the list below to view available teaching guides. Use the tags on left to filter the list.
First Step Nonfiction — Tools at Work
Vibrant color photographs and simple sentences introduce students to a variety of tools. Students will learn how these basic tools work while improving their reading skills. This series meets both physical science and reading standards. View →
First Step Nonfiction — Water
This simple series explores the world of water—from what it is and where it’s found to the process of freezing and melting, the water cycle, and how we use water. A simple diagram in the back of each book shows readers how information such as how much of the world’s… View →
First Step Nonfiction — Weather
This breezy series teaches basic weather concepts and builds readers’ observational skills. Additional back matter provides information about the types of clouds, the water cycle, the movement of the sun, how to tell the direction of the wind, and what snowflakes look like. View →
First Step Nonfiction — What Earth is Made Of
Students take a close look at four basic elements of our planet—gases, rocks, soil, and water—in this easy science series. The detailed photos provide opportunities to see, for example, several forms of water in nature or the parts of soil. Amazing trivia, such as the fact… View →
Food Is CATegorical ™
The Words Are CATegorical® cats are back, and they’re hungry for knowledge . . . about food! Brian P. Cleary provides a playful look at the food groups and physical activity. His zany rhymes and Martin Goneau’s comical cartoon cats introduce key concepts and give a wide… View →
Get Started with STEM
This vibrant, colorful science series brings STEM to life and gets your students thinking and working like scientists. Readers will get to ask and answer questions; make observations; collect, record, and analyze data; perform tests; use simple scientific… View →
Go Green (Early Bird Stories ™)
Ready to help planet Earth? These fun narratives feature diverse characters learning how to protect the environment. The inviting stories are punctuated with critical thinking and recall questions to get readers more involved with the stories. Photo-illustrated fast facts and a… View →
How to Build an Insect
See what the buzz is about in this fresh, fun look at insect anatomy. Let’s build an insect! In the pages of this book, you’ll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Written by entomologist Roberta… View →
Ice Cycle
Pancake ice, floebergs, glaciers, icicles . . . cold temperatures create an astonishing variety of ice forms! From Maria Gianferrari, award-winning author of Play Like an Animal!, comes a beautiful collaboration between verse and science. Brief… View →
Leaders Are Readers
The Leaders Are Readers series is designed to inspire early readers to discover joy in reading. These books support hands-on learning, feature relatable characters, and foster leadership development. View →
Let's Look at Animal Habitats (Pull Ahead Readers — Fiction)
Baby animals—fish, elephants, penguins and more—introduce young readers to the places they live in these delightful fiction stories. Charming illustrations draw in emergent readers while supportive text structures help them build literacy skills. View →
Let's Look at Animal Habitats (Pull Ahead Readers — Nonfiction)
Explore all the places that animals can live—under the desert sand, on top of polar ice, in a rainforest tree, on the ocean floor, and more. Emergent readers will build literacy skills with these instructionally leveled nonfiction texts. View →
Let's Look at Weather (Pull Ahead Readers — Fiction)
These endearing fiction stories show young readers what happens during different types of weather events. The carefully constructed texts—developed by guided reading experts—will build literacy skills in emergent readers. View →
Let's Look at Weather (Pull Ahead Readers — Nonfiction)
Fascinate beginning readers with these perfect introductions to observing all types of weather. Crisp photos support emergent readers as they learn vocabulary, make predictions, and navigate simple nonfiction texts. View →
Let's Make Observations (Early Bird Stories ™)
Entertaining, illustrated stories follow a set of diverse characters as they explore the world around them and make observations of nature. Each book features critical-thinking and recall questions to further reader engagement. View →
Libros Rayo — Conoce los grupos de animales (Lightning Bolt Books ® — Meet the Animal Groups)
These excellent Spanish resources explain the characteristics of the six main classes of the animal kingdom. Pair with the English editions for dual-language needs. View →
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Amazing Migrators
Follow the journeys of some of the animal kingdom’s most amazing migrators! See how they fly, swim, or run from summer locations to winter locations to find food, mate, have their young, and survive seasonal weather changes. Colorful photos and clear, lively text with plenty of kid View →
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Animal Close-Ups
These books bring life to a wide range of animals, from armadillos to sloths. In each title, young readers will discover the animal’s physical characteristics, habitat, behaviors, and life cycle. The conversational text prompts readers to answer questions, observe photos carefully, View →
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Animal Look-Alikes
These Lightning Bolt Books™ explain the difference between various animals that share some similarities, such as dolphins and porpoises. With vivid photos and a lively design, titles include curricular topic coverage of animal traits. Backmatter features a “Who Am… View →
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Animals in Danger
These fascinating titles introduce young readers to endangered and extinct animals from each of the six major animal groups and offer tips for protecting animals and our planet. View →
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Baby African Animals
This exciting series from Lightning Bolt Books™ gives young readers a look into the lives of adorable baby African animals. Captivating photographs and clear, lively text draw readers into learning key life science concepts. Each book covers the animal’s birth and… View →
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Baby Australian Animals
Each title in this informative series gives young readers a peek into the lives of the cutest baby animals down under. Vivid photos and clear, lively text cover life science curriculum concepts such as life cycle, animal behavior, and animals interacting with their habitat. View →
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Baby Farm Animals
Meet newborn farm animal babies in this cute and informative series. From appearance and eating habits to growth and behavior, life science basics are covered in these fun titles. Adorable images complement and illustrate key details in the clear, explanatory text, and chapter headings… View →
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Biome Explorers
Introduce primary readers to biomes around the world. Each book presents curricular concepts such as habitats and ecosystems in a way that early readers can understand. With descriptive text and striking photos of wildlife and terrain, this series takes readers on an adventure through… View →