As educators and schools transition to emergency remote teaching, we all know that so much of what makes for effective teaching can’t be fully replicated online with the limitations of social distance and city lockdowns. While we may have district mandates and community expectations to provide standards- and skills-based instruction, we also hope this is a chance for all of us–teachers, administrators, and teacher educators–to re-think what meaningful, engaging learning really involves.
Our experiences with remote learning, so far, have highlighted for us how key social interactions are in the learning process. What our children miss the most are the sustained interactions with their classmates and their teachers. As we ‘carry on’ under these extreme circumstances, sharing books together can be a way of connecting and of comforting one another.
Celebrate National Poetry Month with students from home with a variety of teaching and learning ideas that focus on reading, writing, and sharing poems as a source of comfort and joy.
Whether you are a K-12 teacher trying to support students online or a parent, grandparent, or family or community member trying to support learning for a range of students and ages during this period of disruption, we hope you can find these resources interesting and engaging, and these simple protocols helpful.
What a challenging and confusing time this is. All of us are juggling the demands of taking care of our families, our students, and ourselves. We’re worried about what’s happening hour-to-hour while trying to remain positive and optimistic when we’re with the young people within our care. Rather than create a traditional entry for this week, we decided to curate some of the amazing resources that schools, libraries, companies, and organizations have been making available during this time of crisis.
What does America stand for? In Strong Voices: Fifteen American Speeches Worth Knowing, award-winning author Tonya Bolden researched and curated the words from distinguished addresses across America’s history to provide an answer.
2020 Caldecott Honor Book, Going Down Home with Daddy, and 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrated Honor Book, Sulwe, remind young readers that they are worthy of love and belonging. Both books invite various ways to celebrate ourselves, our families, our communities, and our histories.
“There are two sides to every story.” This well known phrase appears on the cover of Australian authors Kate & Jol Temple’s unusual picture book along with the image of two seals, presumably a child and caregiver duo. An initial read of this book prompts expressions of concern for this pair as they travel away from their storm ravaged home only to be met with the words, “There’s no room on our rock,” when they seek shelter. The text is reverse poetry and read from back to front, it offers an entirely different reading experience.
Winner of the 2020 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, Dancing Hands tells the extraordinary tale of a young Venezuelan girl whose musical talents helped people find respite amidst the tumult of life.
As the 2020 picturebook winner of the APALA Award for Literature, Queen of Physics is a rich source of teaching ideas and invitations for your ELA, social studies, and STEM curricula.
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