Author: Darshell Silva

Darshell Silva is a school librarian in Providence, RI, and a per-course faculty member at the University of Rhode Island. Darshell is passionate about maker education. She began working with the K-12 team at The Source for Learning in 2018.

Students and Nonfiction: A Winning Combination!

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Nonfiction reading has something for everyone! Even your most reluctant readers will find a nonfiction book about a topic they are interested in. Reading nonfiction can help students learn about and make connections to their world and history, think critically about topics, learn new vocabulary, increase comprehension, motivate further reading about their own interests, and … read more »

Get Ahead of Summer Reading!

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It’s that time of the year! Time to think about summer reading and helping our students stave off the summer slide. Students that don’t read during the summer stand to lose between 25–30% of their school-year learning. Reading over the summer encourages lifelong reading, helps children improve and maintain reading skills, increases children’s knowledge base, … read more »

Happy 223rd Birthday, Library of Congress!

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April 24th is the 223rd birthday of the Library of Congress! The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library and an agency of the legislative branch of the U.S. government. It serves as the main research arm of the U.S. Congress, is recognized as the national library of the United States, and is the … read more »

Celebrate World Poetry Day!

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World Poetry Day is held every year on March 21. World Poetry Day was adopted by UNESCO in 1999 “to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increase the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.” It is a day for people worldwide to appreciate poetry from around the world and bring people together around … read more »

Maker Education Nurtures Ideas

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March is International Ideas Month! Idea generation is an important skill for students. Maker education and design thinking (both aspects of making) nurture ideas in students! Students of any age can participate in making through short challenges, projects, or built-in maker opportunities—all of which allow students to generate ideas.  If you would like to introduce … read more »

Maker Education in Your Classroom

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What is maker education? In maker education, “students imagine, design, and create projects that align the content of learning with hands-on application” (Makered.org). Maker education was born from the maker movement, which believes that we are all “makers” and can be creators—not just consumers—of things. Makerspaces are specific spaces in schools, libraries, and community organizations … read more »

Bring NaNoWriMo to Your Classroom!

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What is NaNoWriMo?!? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month! Taking place every November since 1999, it is a challenge to would-be writers of all ages, including students. The adult challenge is to begin a novel on November 1 and have a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. The young writers’ version challenges … read more »

Media Literacy Week 2022

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Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2022 starts October 24 and ends October 31! The United States celebrates from October 24 to October 28. According to Media Literacy Now, Media Literacy is the ability to: Decode media messages (including the systems in which they exist). Assess the influence of those messages on thoughts, feelings, and … read more »

Promote the International Week of Deaf People in your School Library

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September 19th–25th is the International Week of Deaf People, an annual initiative to foster awareness and support of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The 2022 theme is Building Inclusive Communities for All. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD), an affiliate of the World Federation of the Deaf, promotes the International Week of Deaf People … read more »

Celebrate Navajo Code Talkers!

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August 14th was National Navajo Code Talkers day! Celebrate the Navajo Code Talkers in your classroom this month or prepare lessons ahead of Native American Heritage Month in November. The Navajo Code Talkers are an interesting and engaging topic for students of all ages. Books and primary sources are a great way to hook students … read more »