Got the Smartest Card Yet?
Encourage your students to explore the
many wonderful resources available at the library during National
Library Card
Sign-up Month, sponsored by the American Library Association. The calendar
entry on ReadWriteThink offers lesson plans, classroom activities
and
related Web sites. Explore the Teacher Resource Collection on the College
Research
Paper for resources to help college writers make the most of the
library on their campus and in their community.
For more resources, check out the Recommended
Reading Lists and Booklists for
a range of publications and materials appropriate for your student readers, including
suggestions for gender-balanced and multicultural texts.
Exploring Fact and Fiction
Take advantage of your time in the library
to explore the differences between fiction and nonfiction texts -- and the places
where the two blur. The ReadWriteThink lesson Looking
for the History in Historical
Fiction: An Epidemic for Reading invites students to compare the information
in the fictional texts that they read to the facts recorded in relevant nonfiction
books.
Subscribers to Voices from the Middle can read Harvey Daniel's "Expository
Text in Literature Circles" from
May
2002 issue, which explores the structural differences
between fiction and nonfiction and shares several key strategies for captivating
readers with nonfiction.
Carol Jago's Sandra
Cisneros in the Classroom: "Do not forget to reach" explores
ways to use both Cisneros's nonfiction and fiction as models for personal
writing. The introductory chapter to the book -- "Where
Life and Art Intersect" -- outlines specific activities that teachers
can use in their classrooms as they explore Cisneros's works. And don't forget
to connect your discussion to National
Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins
on September 15.
For additional books to explore, see the books honored by NCTE
Orbis Pictus Nonfiction
Award and share how the prize is awarded with your students. For an exciting
classroom activity, encourage students to locate qualifying books in your school
or classroom library and
write
a class nomination letter, following the instructions at the site.
Talking about Difficult Topics in the Classroom
As Patriot Day approaches,
the
NCTE
position
statement On
Teaching in a Time of Crisis reminds us that English language arts teachers
are well-situated to provide opportunities for students to interpret difficult
local,
national, and international
events. Subscribers to Voices from the Middle can read the December
2001 issue, which focuses on "Tributes:
From Authors, By Students, To Books" and includes a range of articles
that address how
to discuss and respond to difficult topics.
"Struggling
with the Meaning of Tolerance" from the Teaching
for a Tolerant World, Grades 9-12 offers suggestions to help students
imagine others and use
that knowledge to work toward acceptance and understanding. "A
Letter to My Children: Historical
Memory and the Silences of Childhood" from Teaching for a Tolerant
World,
Grades K-6 explains how we can talk about difficult issues with even our youngest
students.
Read Writing
and Healing: Toward an Informed Practice for ways to use writing activities in your classroom to address
and help bring resolution and acceptance to the difficult issues college students face. The
"Introduction" to the book explains many of the challenges that we, as teachers, face as we work with our students.
For additional ideas, consult A
Curriculum of Peace Selected Essays from English Journal, which attempts to answer the question “What can I do as a
teacher?” by providing a collection of eminently practical articles on
teaching for peace.
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