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August 4, 2009

The first day of school evokes a jumble of feelings. With young children, questions arise about where they will spend their day and with whom, will they have friends? And while academic pressures weigh heavily on teens, they aren't immune to social anxiety, especially those issues that surround friendships and sexual identity. Lesson plans and the impact of the dreaded summer slide top the list of teacher concerns. Our August recommendations are sure to alleviate some of the apprehension that accompanies the summer-to-school transition. Share them with your students and colleagues.

Sincerely,

Daryl Grabarek,
Editor, Curriculum Connections
dgrabarek@reedbusiness.com

P.S. If you are a social studies teacher, take a look at Nick Glass's suggestions for incorporating online material into your curriculum and Jenny Brown's interview with Jim Murphy about his book on the Civil War battle that claimed 23,000 casualties.

Make These Curriculum Connections

  • Back-to-School Bonanza: Books for Reading Aloud
    This selection of kid-pleasing picture books is sure to calm first-day jitters and set the tone for a superlative school year. Whether children are feeling excited or anxious about the big day, there's something for everyone here, as the featured characters face common challenges with individuality and élan. Showcasing an appealing array of storytelling approaches and artistic styles, these lively tales treat familiar themes with originality and flair.

    Happy First Day!
    All over town, children are waking up, getting ready, and heading out to school, where the smiling principal welcomes them with a tower of scrumptious cupcakes; students, families, and educators join together to blow out a candle and wish everyone a Happy School Year! (Scholastic, 2008; K-Gr 2). Susan Milord's lively text and Mary Newell DePalma's charming acrylic artwork follow the varying experiences and outlooks of several kids, all of whom settle contentedly into their classroom by story's end. An author's note provides background on First Day celebrations and highlights the benefits of hosting a similar event in your community. more » » » 

Nick’s Picks: Selected Resources from TeachingBooks.net

  • Nick's Picks: Selected Resources from TeachingBooks.net
    I love how social studies and literature go hand-in-hand—revealing culture, values, and history through well-told stories. Add online interactive and primary source materials into the equation, and classroom units become even more exciting.

    In this month's column, I encourage you to bring authors into your classroom to add a personal dimension to social studies lessons. Autobiographical accounts, for example, can offer first-person perspectives on events under discussion. And authors who research and write about historical and cultural topics often reveal their methods and processes as they present their interpretations. more » » » 

Interview

  • Jim Murphy on the "Bloody Road to Freedom"
    Jim Murphy has explored the subject of the Civil War before in The Boys' War (Clarion, 1990) and The Long Road to Gettysburg (Clarion, 1992). So why write another book on the topic? After reading Stephen Sears's Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam (Ticknor & Fields, 1982), Murphy became fascinated with that historic, day-long conflict. "[I wanted to] see if I could put together a history of the battle, the politics of the nation at the time, and the personal differences between Abraham Lincoln and General George B. McClellan [who led Union forces at Antietam]," the author notes.

    That research turned into A Savage Thunder: Antietam and the Bloody Road to Freedom (S & S, 2009). "I didn't want to do a book about a battle, I wanted to do a book about the people in the battle," Murphy explains. Throughout the volume he incorporates first-person accounts—letters, diaries, primary documents—contributing to the sense of immediacy, which is Murphy's goal, "every time I start a book." more » » » 

What's New

  • Out and About: Gay Teens Live, Love, and Learn in Young Adult Fiction
    Few issues carry more significance for teens than sexual identity. Some gay teens embrace their orientation while others struggle with fear, denial, and shame. Family and friends ease the process with loving acceptance or stumble over their own prejudices. The gay adolescents in these recent young adult novels span this spectrum, wrestling with doubts and facing harassment. Their strong and candid voices spring from full-bodied characters, many of them created by authors who draw on personal experience. Perfect for use in gay/straight student alliances, these novels also beg to be invited into a surprising variety of classroom discussions where they will put a personal face on a charged subject. more » » » 

Professional Shelf

  • Grammar Rules (And So Does Spelling)
    If your students' first writing assignments show signs of the summer slide, take a look at this list of recent publications addressing grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary. In addition to inspiration, these indispensable books offer theory, lesson plans, text suggestions, grade-level guidelines, case studies, and examples of students' work. more » » » 



Back to school with Rosemary Wells

Tough Love: An Open Letter to Kids' Book Publishers


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