Recently I was working with a group of elementary and classroom teachers in Florida. I was tasked with helping them incorporate effective instruction with primary sources around the topic of Reconstruction. Of course, I wanted to focus one activity on… Read More ›
May is Jewish American Heritage and Asian American & Pacific Islander Month. Both these cultures contain vibrant histories. Unfortunately, something else they have in common lately is an increase in hate crimes against them. It’s more important than ever to read… Read More ›
After writing for the KQ blog for a few years, I am lucky enough to speak with educators about their own pairings of picture books and primary sources. Recently, Amanda Jones, a fellow KQ blogger and amazing school librarian in… Read More ›
Since it came out earlier this year, many people have read Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper’s Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. I waited. The Tulsa race massacre was something I had recently learned about. How could what I knew… Read More ›
Maybe I’m a sucker for a good lighthouse story after sitting on the 2019 Caldecott Committee where Sophie Blackall won for Hello Lighthouse. But more likely, I’m drawn to an intriguing story. That was what I found when I opened… Read More ›
In August, my school offered a school-wide professional development about Mind Brain Education (MBE) from The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL). The purpose of this professional development was to identify best teaching practices that are grounded in research. … Read More ›
One of my favorite units with my first-grade students is the Long Ago and Today unit. Students compare and contrast several aspects of culture and civilization in the U.S. from today and different moments in history. Technology, communication, and transportation… Read More ›
Occasionally a historically based picture book slips by me. Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices was one such books. But then the author, Lindsay Metcalf, spoke at our state conference. When she shared her book, one librarian after… Read More ›
Often when students learn about large topics like the Civil War, teachers work to help students see the human side of the event. It can personalize an abstract larger-than-life event, given an entry point to put themselves in someone else’s… Read More ›
There are several broad topics in elementary, middle, and high school that may lead to student research. When those happen, I’m a supporter of students being able to select an aspect of the topic they research. That choice can be… Read More ›