Students listen to Holiday's song "Strange Fruit" and identify powerful and descriptive images for a mini-lesson on tone and about the lynchings in the South during this time.
Jazz and blues singer Billie Holiday was born in 1915.
Author Lois Duncan was born on this date in 1934.
Mysteries are shared with students for them to solve and brainstorm the attributes of a good mystery. Small groups then compose short mysteries using the Mystery Cube.
April is National Poetry Month!
Students are assigned to be "poets of the day" and are provided several models to create, illustrate, and present their different poems to the class.
Hans Christian Andersen was born on this date in 1805.
Students write a brief summary of one of Andersen's stories, and then read the original story and compare the two versions of the tale with the Venn Diagram tool.
It's Winter in the Northern Hemisphere!
Students brainstorm words or images that they associate with winter, select and read a picture book about winter, and compare the two using the interactive Venn Diagram.
A Christmas Carol was the first book transmitted over radio!
Students write a script for A Christmas Carol on a level that primary students can read and perform. Older students record the performance and create a website to showcase photographs.
The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773.
Students create a political cartoon for the Boston Tea Party and use the interactive Comic Creator to publish them.
Dr. Christian Barnard performed the first human heart transplant.
Students talk about the causes of heart disease and the role that diet and exercise play. Then, students find healthy dessert recipes and vote on one dessert to make in class.
Author Eve Bunting was born in Ireland in 1928.
Students listen to a news article about the LA race riots and then read Smoky Night to discuss how a younger observer might be affected by these events and their perceptions.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805.
Students look at Kenneth Holder's paintings of the Lewis and Clark trail and transform their notes into a descriptive paragraph as if they were a member of the expedition.
Artist Pablo Picasso was born on this day in 1881.
Students view a Picasso piece, write their impressions, and share. Students can create their own Picasso-style art using the interactive Picassohead.
Dictionary author Noah Webster was born in 1758.
Students play a variation of the game Balderdash to practice vocabulary.
Ursula K. LeGuin was born on this day in 1929.
Students examine realistic and non-realistic elements of a familiar fantasy story of their choice.
The Post 9/11 Landscape
Hear how graphic novels place the events of 9/11 in historical context, how war stories put a human face on the costs of military conflict, and how YA novels imagine roles that teens can play in working for a better world.
Making Sense of Series Books in Young Adult Literature
This episode offers insight into different kinds of series books followed by recommendations of truly memorable series and companion books that will hook teen readers and stand the test of time.
Books Worth Owning
In this episode, you'll hear about those qualities along with a wide range of great new titles including adventure books, historical fiction, coming of age books, and story collections.
A Conversation with John Green
Tune in to hear John discuss why he writes for teens, what he believes readers can gain from their English classes, and some of the thinking behind his newest book, Paper Towns.
Celebrating the NCTE African American Read-In
Tune in for recommendations of both old and new titles by distinguished African American authors who write for teens.
A Guide to Teen Book Awards
This episode will introduce you to the newest winning titles as well as to ways of thinking about book awards as tools for navigating the world of books for teens.
A Conversation with Laurie Halse Anderson
In this episode, Laurie Halse Anderson talks about her newest book, Wintergirls.