In honor of NCTE's National Day on Writing, tune in to hear about the growing number of books featuring teens who write.
Teens as Writers
New and Noteworthy Books for Teens
Tune in to hear book talks on some of the best titles published in 2009-titles that will keep teens reading once summer is over.
A Conversation with Matt de la Peña
Tune in to hear Matt discuss some of the thinking behind his newest novel, We Were Here.
Connecting with the Classics
Tune in to hear about recent titles that retell or reinvent classic stories, others that reimagine the lives of classic authors, and still others that invoke classic texts in contemporary storylines.
Introducing the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award
Learn more about the five finalists for the first annual Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award.
Celebrate National Library Week!
Students learn more about libraries as part of National Library Week.
Today is D.E.A.R. Day!
April 12 is known as D.E.A.R Day! D.E.A.R. stands for "Drop Everything and Read," a national month-long celebration of reading designed to remind folks of all ages to make reading a priority activity in their lives.
Sandra Cisneros was born today in 1954.
Students choose a small aspect of their lives to develop into a story, poem, or brief essay inspired by Cisneros' work.
Time Magazine launches its "Tom Swifty" contest today in 1963.
Students have fun with language by creating a special kind of pun with its origin in a literary source.
Frederick Douglass began publication of The North Star today in 1847.
Students read and discuss an editorial written by Frederick Douglass and then write the opening editorial for a contemporary publication devoted to a social cause important to them.
LeVar Burton, longtime host of Reading Rainbow, was born in 1957.
After reading two complementary Reading Rainbow selections, students compare the selections using the Venn Diagram and write a comparison essay.
Celebrate the 100th day of school!
As a class, students work in small groups to create a "100th Day" book.
César Chávez was born on this day in 1927.
Students work in small groups to research a civil rights leader and do a creative writing piece, followed by a short story, with their group.
Today, the American Library Association announces its annual book award winners.
Students research different awards given by the ALA and do an activity based on one of the awards.
William Carlos Williams was born in 1883.
Students write imitation poems, review grammatical structures, and use the ReadWriteThink Printing Press or Stapleless Book to publish their finished work.
Telling My Story: Make a Bio-Cube
Let children explore an interesting subject—themselves. An online tool will teach them to summarize and organize information as they write.
Write Theme Poems
Use shape and theme poems, or poems that look like the things they describe, as a fun way to introduce children to poetry.
Write a Recipe
Use recipes to help children practice reading and writing step-by-step instructions. Have them sample the results to see how they did.
Create Trading Cards for Favorite Characters
Use the online Trading Card Creator tool to have children make cards describing their favorite characters from the books on their reading list.
Learn About Staying Safe
Share a fun book about staying safe and then talk about real-life safety issues before writing a letter to someone in your community who can help.