Turning the Page Together: How National Library Week Strengthens School Communities

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , ,
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National Library Week is more than a date on the calendar—it’s an open invitation to build a culture of reading, curiosity, and community that lasts well beyond seven days. Sponsored annually by the American Library Association (ALA) and typically held during the second week of April, National Library Week overlaps with School Library Month. Each … read more »

Literacy as a Shared Responsibility: Supporting Reading Across Content Areas

Author: Erin Mulvany-Mankowski | Posted:
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“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” —Frederick Douglass Educators will agree that literacy (the ability to read and write) is the cornerstone of learning. Literacy opens the world and allows one to be a lifelong learner. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) summarizes it well: “Literacy empowers and … read more »

Teaching Healthy Tech Habits That Stick in the Classroom

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Digital Citizenship | Tags: , ,
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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” —Will Durant, summarizing Aristotle If you’ve ever looked out at your classroom and felt like you were competing with a dozen glowing rectangles for your students’ attention, you are in good company. We’ve all been there: a student nodding along … read more »

Every Suitcase Tells a Story: Teaching Immigration, Identity, and Belonging

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
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If you’ve ever held a well-worn suitcase—one with scuffs, scratches, maybe even a frayed handle—you know it carries more than just belongings. Suitcases hold stories. Memories. Hope. And for millions of immigrants who arrived through Ellis Island after it opened on January 1, 1892, that suitcase represented the bridge between the lives they left behind … read more »

Stepping Into History: Thinking Routines and Margaret Peterson Haddix

Author: Ruth Okoye | Posted:
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What if the best way to help students understand history — and the issues we’re still grappling with today — was to hand them a novel and ask them to try on someone else’s life? That’s exactly what Margaret Peterson Haddix had in mind when she wrote Uprising. In a video conversation about the book, … read more »

The Power of Two: Why Librarian-Teacher Collaboration is the Ultimate Classroom Hack

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application, Library Media | Tags: , ,
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You’re staring at a new unit plan, trying to figure out how to weave in media literacy, find credible primary sources, and keep thirty different students engaged—all while hitting your state standards. It feels like a solo mountain climb. But here’s the thing: you aren’t alone on that mountain. Just down the hall—or perhaps right … read more »

AI Literacy Starts Here: Practical Classroom Approaches for Middle School

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Digital Citizenship, Media Literacy | Tags: , ,
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Middle school students are shifting from passive consumers of technology to active, engaged digital citizens. They’re building their perspectives, experimenting with social media, and discovering the power of their voices. Teaching AI literacy means more than showing them how to write prompts — it means demystifying the technology and pulling back the curtain so students … read more »

Every Voice Matters: Using Inquiry to Bring All Learners Into the Conversation

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
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How often does this happen in your classroom? You pose a thought-provoking question, and before you even finish the sentence, the same two or three hands are already straining toward the ceiling. In the front row, you have Lexie, who thrives on the quick-fire rhythm of a live discussion. But in the back corner, there’s … read more »

Fairy Tales, Fables, and Myths, Oh My!

Author: Erin Mulvany-Mankowski | Posted:
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“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”—Albert Einstein February is full of love, pride, historical connection, celebration, and the annual observation of a precognitive weather-forecasting rodent—but it’s also the birth month of a storytelling legend. Whilem Carl … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: Adobe Podcast – Part 2

Author: Melissa Henning | Posted:
Categories: Tech Tool of the Month | Tags: , , , 1 Comment

In Part 1 of this blog, we introduced you to Adobe Podcast and discussed how to use the SAMR Model and the Triple E Framework with Adobe Podcast in your instruction. Today’s post offers detailed instructions for using this resource and shares classroom ideas that support all student learners.  Adobe Podcast’s free version offers a … read more »