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 »


Celebrate the Signing of the Civil Rights Act

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On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act that banned discrimination in public places, provided for integrating schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. It was the most comprehensive civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. Teach your students about the Civil Rights Act! The Civil Rights Movement is a … read more »


Teach Your Students to be Global Digital Citizens!

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What is a Global digital citizen? According to Lee Watanabe-Crockett, “A Global Digital Citizen is a responsible, ethical citizen, leveraging technology to foster community on a global scale through connection and compassion.” Global digital citizenship embodies 5 tenets: personal responsibility, global citizenship, digital citizenship, altruistic service, and environmental stewardship. The internet has amazing potential to … read more »


68th Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education

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This year marks the 68th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education, in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the separate but equal doctrine in American public schools. It is important to remember that many actions predicated this ruling, starting with the first school desegregation suit in 1848. Teaching Brown … read more »


Tips for Navigating Book Challenges

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The challenging of books based on their content has a long history, but they have been a major news story this school year. The challenges are coming from a variety of sources—parents, school committees, politicians, community groups, and others. There are a variety of reasons for the discussion, but what do you do when books … read more »