2021 begins with new challenges but with a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The research and ideas presented here hopefully help you on days of feeling overwhelmed (turn on our live and recorded author presentations) and of enthusiasm (initiate a new literacy activity).
FOR EVERYONE
- National Day of Service on Monday, January 18. While difficult during COVID, maybe this is a day to clean out your book shelves (end book deserts) and donate used books or write letters to local long-term care residents. Research shows kindness can spread through a community.
- 2020 Reports: How are Vermont’s Young Children and Families?; NH’s Kids Count data (read the whole report); 2020 stats on reading, literacy, access; America After 3pm – need for afterschool care rising
- Ideas for a winter reading challenge
- Books to help adults talk to kids
- How to create an effective read aloud
- Find children’s books amid the pandemic
- Music podcasts for kids
- These 10 charts show how hard it is to be an educator now
- Getting students to ask questions and why it matters as more information comes from social media
- Authentic reader response activities
- Don’t forget handwriting as a literacy tool
- Lessons in Adolescence podcast
- Read Write Think, from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a collection of free literacy resources for parents and educators, including grade-specific literacy games and tools, activities and projects, tips, podcasts, and downloadable resources
- Library of Congress turns history into hip hop
- Tips for diversifying home/classroom collections
- How friendships motivate academic success
FOR TEACHERS
- New PBS Teacher Planning Kit for January-March
- Tips for getting students to revise their writing
- Why art field trips will still be important, for now, design a trip to the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design
- Strengthening school-family partnership
FOR LIBRARIANS
- Social-emotional learning activities for the library
- Family friendly digital escape rooms
- List of most useful topics for libraries in 2020
- Media Literacy and the library
- How students experience the library changing
FOR PARENTS
- Recommended books that engage the whole family and early chapter books for preschoolers
- Experts answer parents’ questions about teaching reading at home
- Winter fun checklist
- Easy ways to get your kids to read more (by age); use this dad’s reading resolution to make one of your own
- Encouraging your child’s writing
FOR EARLY EDUCATORS
- Early care crucial to recovery
- Important role of early education in kindergarten readiness
