“Here’s to strong women; may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.” Author Unknown As Women’s History Month draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the remarkable women we’ve learned about over the past few weeks. An engaging way for students to showcase their learning is to … read more »
The American Library Association recently announced the 2021 winners of the youth media award. In addition, many other book awards for K-12 books were recently announced. Award-winning books are always an excellent addition to school libraries and classrooms! It’s like having a ready-made, vetted buying list. Every year, the American Library Association honors outstanding books, … read more »
All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world. E. B. White Do you have a favorite children’s book? Perhaps you still remember your favorite book from childhood. My favorite was the Little House on the Prairie series. When this book collection became … read more »
Do you use trade books in your classroom? Research has proven the many benefits of using trade books for instruction. This article from Scholastic features literary successes achieved by providing students with a variety of diverse reading material. Everyone agrees that using a wide variety of reading materials is good practice. However, this provides some … read more »
This is my second post examining the argument Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath has been making about educational technology. In my first post—Let’s Talk About What the Research on K12 EdTech Actually Shows—I looked closely at the evidence behind his claims and what the peer-reviewed research actually says. This post asks a different question, and one … read more »
April marks National Poetry Month, established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to celebrate poetry’s significance in our lives. Poetry, one of humanity’s oldest art forms, preserves our stories and evolves alongside us. As a poetry enthusiast, I often hear from people who claim to “hate” poetry—and I always suggest they simply haven’t … read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »