September 28, 2023 · current events
From Top 13 most challenged books of 2022 (infographic) – Reader Updated Banned Books Week is next week (October 1-7, 2023). As you can see from the infographic above, censorship continues to increase. I read about new books being banned or challenged almost everyday. Often they are books I love and have used in my classroom. Apart from supporting and celebrating librarians and libraries (as we advocated in our Banned Books Week 2022 post!), it’s hard to know what to do. Penguin Random House shares some resources and ideas for activism and advocacy here. For Banned Books Week in schools, we have some ideas below as well. Attend this free webinar from the Illinois Library Association on October 2nd to learn about their important work and what you can do. Request a Free RIGHT TO READ KIT from Rally for the Right to Read . Participate in Let Freedom Read Day . This year is the first time
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November 17, 2022 · curriculum
It’s November! We made it through most of the Fall and the election! Thanksgiving (and a break!) is around the corner, so sharing some reminders and activities. Here are some from the past: Thanksgiving & Native American Heritage Month Resources & Reminders . Always center Native American perspectives however you address Thanksgiving in your classroom (and in general). For example, you and your students could look at the Native Land map to see whose land you're on and emphasize that they are still here. You could research the tribe whose land you are on and find out about where they are living now. Also, show students the table depicting original tribal names and note that many tribal names were changed by white settlers. Learn about land acknowledgements by watching Land Acknowledgement | Molly of Denali . (Sidenote, Molly of Denali is a great example of representation, own voices, and
ThanksgivinggratitudegratefulNative American studiesNative American Heritage Month
May 1, 2022 · national month
Happy May! Teachers (and students!), you are so close to the end of the school year. Before the school year ends, it is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! This year, more than ever, it is important to uplift and share AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) voices as w e are facing a huge increase in hate crimes and anti-Asian sentiment . The Library of Congress hosts this site with lots of teacher resources, both historical and current . Another helpful resource is Standing Together from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center which addresses the need to stand together against rising racism, hate, and violence. This site also provides facts and resources . Newsela has a lot of articles and text sets that would work for AAPI Heritage Month depending on what you want to focus on. Also, make sure you look at a map! It’s always helpful to talk about what “Asian” actually means,
Asian American Heritage Monthrepresentationbooksbook recommendationspicture books
November 2, 2021 · book review
Image credit: Goodreads.com I just finished From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks and this book has so much potential for classroom use! It is a delightful read and a wonderful middle grade novel to share with kids in many ways. The main character is having both friend and family drama which will be so relatable to many upper elementary students and middle schoolers. Also, she loves to bake and wants to be a pastry chef so the descriptions of cupcakes alone will pull some students in. I’ve always loved books that included letters between characters, and Zoe (the main character) exchanges letters with her biological father, Marcus, who is in prison. Many students (and adults) don’t hear any humanizing stories about people who are incarcerated or the toll our massive incarceration rates has on families and children. Zoe’s father, Marcus, says he is innocent, and Zoe talks to her
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September 5, 2018 · Uncategorized
Hi everyone-- Gabby here writing to you from Oregon! While one of us gearing up for another great year leading the classroom, the other one of us is actually getting ready to be a student again... (cue the student-esque excitement annnd cue the whining about homework... well, hopefully I’ve outgrown that!). When I wasn’t packing or convincing cats that it’s fun to fly on planes to their new home, I have been doing my best read some soon to be released middle grade and YA lit. I have been loving the ARC (advanced reader copy) life. Here are a few of the recently released or soon to be released (!!) notable reads from the summer. Hopefully, you haven’t spent your whole classroom budget (like we did last year!) and you’ve got room to add a few of these to your shiny classroom library to kick off the year right! Picture books- This cover is so fabulous we won't even try to make it smaller!
literacybook reviewbooksread aloudnew books