• Ask students to brainstorm all the ways that their families, school, and community have supported their love for reading—or have squelched their love for it.  Ask them to transform this list into a chart of Do’s and Don’ts advising the adults in their lives on how to nurture a love of reading in young people.
• Then share (in language appropriate for your students’ grade level) and discuss the components of Jon Scieszka’s platform as Ambassador for Young People’s Literature to motivate young readers:
  • Expand your definition of reading beyond fiction and novels. Lots of kids love to read non-fiction, humor, comic strips, magazines, illustrated stories, audio recordings, and websites. It’s all reading. It’s all a good way to become a reader.
  • Let kids choose reading that interests them. It may not be the reading you like, but making the choice is important to kids.
  • Be a good reading role model. Talk to your kids about how you choose what you read. Share your reading likes and dislikes. Let kids see you reading.
  • Try not to demonize TV, computer games, and new technologies. These media do compete for kids’ time, but they are not the “bad guy.” Help kids become media literate. Show them how different media tell stories in different ways.
  • Think global. Act local. There are all kinds of good people and worthy groups working to help kids read. Teachers, librarians, and booksellers are a wonderful resource. Ask them for book recommendations. Join a local literacy group.
    (from National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Library of Congress)
• Then ask students to compare their suggestions to Scieszka’s and to return to their list to make additions or changes.
• Finally, invite students to use the Letter Generator to write a letter to families, school staff, librarians, and community members sharing their ideas on how best to support young readers’ interest in books.

Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States (1997-2000), began the The Favorite Poem Project in which Americans of all ages named their favorite poem.  After listening to a few poems nominated and shared as part of that project (scroll down the page to the heading “The First Events” for the media files), invite students to read or re-visit poems and collections of poetry in your classroom library to select a favorite poem they wish to share.

Use or modify the guidelines from the Favorite Poem Community Forum to host a celebration in your own school or classroom.

After briefly sharing some background knowledge about Frederick Douglass, project or provide students copies with “Our Paper and Its Prospects,” the opening editorial from The North Star’s first edition.  Read the text aloud while students follow along, explaining to students that Douglass is following a publishing convention when he uses “we” to refer to himself.  Then lead a discussion around the text using questions such as

• What do you notice about the language and style of this piece?  Who is its likely audience?
• What does Douglass explain are his purposes in founding the paper?
• How does Douglass characterize the ways in which African American and white citizens can work toward the abolition of slavery?
• How does Douglass use elements of his life story to explain his motivations?
• How is this piece similar to or different from a modern editorial?

After discussing the editorial, have students brainstorm social issues they feel passionately about.  Then invite them to consider the needs of a modern audience and write an opening editorial for an imaginary publication devoted to the betterment of their cause.

American film and theater have many examples of musical works that have been adapted from a novel or other non-musical version. Explore the effects of music on a story by examining one example with your class.

• First, brainstorm a list of such works, which could include examples such as A Christmas Carol, Les Misérables, and numerous Disney films.
• Next, after reading a story, novel, or play (or viewing a non-musical version on film), have students view the musical version.
• Then, have students discuss the differences they observed between the two versions of the story. Were the characters, setting, and main events the same? In the musical version, what role did song lyrics play in telling the story? Do both versions seem equally dramatic (or funny, or sad, etc.)? Which version do students prefer? Why?
• Finally, have students select a text that you've read in class. They should imagine that they are a songwriter working on a musical adaptation of the story. They can work alone or in groups to write lyrics to one song. They can use the tune to a song they know or compose their own music. Students should be able to explain how this song would help tell the story and which character or characters sing the song. Students can perform their songs for the class or use the interactive CD/DVD Cover Creator to design a cover for the soundtrack. More tips are available for use with this tool.

Choose complementary Reading Rainbow selections to explore a topic using fiction and nonfiction.

For example, Ruth Heller's Chickens Aren't the Only Ones and Patricia Polacco's Rechenka's Eggs both explore the subject of animals that lay eggs. On the topic of dinosaurs, you'll find William Joyce's Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo and Aliki's Digging up Dinosaurs. After reading both books, your students can compare the selections using the interactive Venn Diagram.

Have students work individually or in small groups to write a poem, song, article, journal entry, or comic strip about the same topic. When all the pieces are completed, compile them in a book or create a bulletin board display.

Have your class work as a whole and in small groups to create a class "100th Day" book. First, have students break into small groups to brainstorm a list of possible topics for the book. Some possibilities include:

• 100 poems
• 100 ways to improve the Earth (our school, etc.)
• 100 people who changed history

Each group should nominate one idea to be considered by the whole class. Have the class vote on their favorite topic, brainstorm specific ideas, and then create a book based on this topic. Proudly display your book in your classroom or school library!

Observe Groundhog Day in your classroom with your own shadow-watching activity.

Begin by bringing in a stuffed animal to stand in as the "groundhog." Have students select a name–something catchy–such as "Fairview Fred" or "Springfield Sal." Then plan a Groundhog Day celebration by choosing a location on school grounds and inviting other classes to attend the event.

Model your celebration after the annual event in Punxsutawney by including a variety of activities such as a scavenger hunt, storytelling, and games. Punxsutawney residents always include music in their celebration. Invite your school's band or chorus to provide live entertainment. At a predetermined time, have your "groundhog" look for his shadow, and then make the official announcement.

Later, have students watch or listen to news reports describing what happens in Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day and compare it with their predictions. Then, watch the calendar to see if your forecast is accurate!

Chávez was able to accomplish a great deal in his lifetime, promoting the civil rights and improving the working conditions of migrant farm workers. Have your students name other leaders who, like Chávez, have used non-violent means to achieve their ends. Some examples could include Martin Luther King, Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, or Susan B. Anthony.

Then, have students work in small groups to research one of these civil rights leaders. Students should find information about the leader's philosophy, the social cause for which he or she was fighting, and some of the specific methods he or she used for peaceful protest. Next, have students work, in their groups, on a creative writing piece. Have students imagine how history might have been different if this person had never lived, or had held a different philosophy. Then ask them to write a short story (or alternately, a play or poem) about this imagined history.

The American Library Association Book, Print, and Media Awards for Children and Young Adults include:

• John Newbery Medal
• Randolph Caldecott Medal
• Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Awards
• Michael L. Printz Award
• Margaret A. Edwards Award
• Andrew Carnegie Medal
• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
• Pura Belpré Award
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award
• Schneider Family Book Award

Visit the ALA pages for each award. Select from the list above the award most relevant to your students' ages and interests. Have your students select a winning author or illustrator from the award set you have selected, and instruct them to complete one of these activities:

• Write or illustrate a story in your chosen author/illustrator's style.
• Conduct Internet research on your author/illustrator and then stage a mock interview based on your research.
• Present a book review of one of your chosen author/illustrator's "must-read" titles.

There are ways to bring snow to your students regardless of the weather outside your classroom. If you're fortunate enough to have a supply of snow outside your window, take a mini field trip outside with your students. Have them each hold a piece of black paper to "catch snowflakes" for inspection. Be sure to have magnifying glasses available so students can take an up-close look. Ask students to sketch some of the structures they observe and then compare their drawings to identify both similarities and differences among snowflakes.

If you're located in a warm winter climate, you can still offer a snowflake experience to your students. The SnowCrystals.com website offers a tutorial for Growing Your Own Snow Crystals. (Use caution as this experiment uses dry ice.) These homegrown snow crystals can be closely examined by students using magnifying glasses or microscopes.