RainTown Press’ teaching classics mission
RainTown Press is dedicated to encouraging young people to become active, lifelong readers and lovers of great literature. RainTown Teaching Classics aims to engage young people in classic titles and, in this way, perpetuate America’s great book tradition and reading culture. RainTown Teaching Classics are designed to partner with teachers to promote critical thinking in middle grade and high school students — avid and reluctant readers alike. With each title we endeavor to offer student readers an intimate reading experience by showing, in a new way, why that title has been become a classic. RainTown Teaching Classics strive to engage readers intellectually, emotionally, and imaginatively.
The development of RainTown teaching classics
When we first began thinking about the Teaching Classics and how to approach them, we determined each book needed to be a tool of engagement from cover to cover, that the reading experience needed to be adapted to the current generation. We tailored each of the titles in RainTown’s Teaching Classics to fit into what we believe today’s young readers expect out of their reading experience. They are complex thinkers. They are curious. And, they want to be engaged. With that in mind, RainTown’s Teaching Classics moved away from material that simply fed answers and information to readers—complex, curious people want to find answers themselves. We created material that offers direction and inspiration, but leaves it up to the reader to find the landmarks. From our covers, designed with the text’s themes in mind, to our recommendations of current titles that reflect some of the same issues and ideas, we mindfully kept our reader front and center.
Why RainTown teaching classics look the way they do
We adapted the design of the reading experience to better engage modern readers. We considered how today’s reader is connected via social media and consumes short bursts of information, whether from a Tweet or a text. Out of this idea we developed pull quotes and created extra content that provides dense, compacted information in short bursts. But we also created a book that can be used as a tool by developing vocabulary lists, collecting primary source material, and compiling historical references, all of which can be used for studying for tests like the SAT or creating interdisciplinary discussion topics on subjects like history, political science, and psychology.
What RainTown teaching classics offer teachers
RainTown is proud to offer content developed with middle grade and young adult readers as the primary inspiration. We are equally proud that our titles are designed with the art of teaching active reading in mind. And because we understand that teaching is an art, we are excited to have options for teachers to individualize extra content to best suit their teaching style and needs. These options include adding specific instructions, study questions, teacher lectures, and model essays. Any extra content will be included in the back matter of the chosen title. With teacher-provided content or without, RainTown Teaching Classics offer a unique venue to open dialogue with students. We wish you quality discussions with each Teaching Classics title.
General information
All additional content provided by RainTown Press has been researched and fact checked. RainTown Press is an independent publisher; we are not associated with or sponsored by any other corporations or their interests. We are committed to providing as unbiased content as possible. We believe that interpretation of the text should ultimately be performed by the individuals reading it.
To Order
Click on the link below to view the order form, and save it to your computer by clicking the image of the floppy disk, in the lower right hand corner of the screen. Fill out the order form, and send it to teachingclassics@raintownpress.com. For best results, please use Adobe Acrobat when filling out order form electronically. If you choose to use Preview or another program, the text space may auto adjust text size to fit.
CURRENTLY TAKING ORDERS FOR THE 2012-13 SCHOOL YEAR.
E-mail teachingclassics@raintownpress.com to request a call from a representative.
Selected Covers
