Being Resourceful Part Two: Reliable Sources and C.R.A.A.P.

Evaluating resources, in any medium, is a critical thinking skill for information literacy, media literacy, or digital citizenship.  Of course, it is also part of educational state standards patterned after the Common Core.  They emphasize reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts. In a discussion of the key shifts in the standards, the … read more »

What About the Women?

I recently read an article with this question as it pertains to women’s roles in our National Park Service, and I began thinking about how this issue would be an excellent theme for many classrooms. Instead of just focusing on women’s history in March, what would happen if we raised this question throughout the year … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: Penzu

In the fall I had a chance to get reacquainted with Penzu. It’s a great tool for writing that allows you to create a free online journal. Individual entries can be public or private which allows you to share them in many ways. Using Penzu would be an excellent way to reflect or share your … read more »

Getting Started with Research

Now that most of us are well into the first quarter of the school year, many teachers have assigned students their first significant formal research assignment for the year. English teachers and school librarians love academic research or at least don’t dread it! Most teachers know they should be giving students an opportunity to work … read more »

Begin at the Beginning, Primary Sources

  “Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop. ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Although many of us have been in school for what seems like weeks, with the cool breezes of autumn, now is the time to think about school year … read more »