In the United States, February is Black (African-American) History Month, a time when many teachers tailor lessons to feature the contributions of African-Americans. Since the oral tradition is significant in African-American history, and since oral language skill is one of the English Language Arts and Common Core Core Standards for ELA many are expected to [...]

End of the School Year – PICTURE BOOKS…Why not? In many schools, May is the winding down month of the school year.  Depending on where you are in the country, you may be assigning your final big project for which your students will demonstrate the breadth and depth of learning for the school year. You [...]

In the United States, March is Women’s History Month. You’ll find the 2013 National Women’s History Month Theme: Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics can be inspiring and enlightening for both male and female students. What an opportune time to feature the writing of females and to encourage [...]

    The holiday season, for many, extends from November through February.  Families will be celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa and the New Year. Writing about holidays is a wonderful way to share cultures in words, pictures, and music.  Yes, holidays also can be an emotionally difficult time for your students.  So, being sensitive to these [...]

Orbis Pictus Award by National Council of Teachers of English for best Non-Fiction Picture Books – See First Place, Honor, and Recommended Titles for 2011. First Place:  Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan illustrated by Brian Floca (Roaring Brook Press) Honor Books Birmingham Sunday by Larry Dane Brimner (Calkins Creek) [...]