New Thematic Educator Guides: Teaching Nature

Educators have raised concerns about students’ growing disconnection from the natural world as academic pressures and screen-based learning increases. Coined by Richard Louv as “nature-deficit disorder,” this loss of direct contact with nature has meaningful implications for students’ health, learning, and long-term environmental stewardship. Integrating nature writing and outdoor experiences into the classroom offers a

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New Thematic Educator Guides: Teaching Women’s History

In recent years, educators have emphasized the importance of teaching women’s history as a way to address historical silences and confront contemporary challenges to gender equity. Despite being told that “girls can be anything,” students still encounter women appearing as exceptions rather than central figures shaping history and society. In the urgency of this moment,

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New Thematic Educator Guides: Teaching Nonfiction

In 2023, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) published its “Position Statement on the Role of Nonfiction Literature (K–12)”. In it, they explain that while nonfiction is a gateway to literacy and a preferred genre for many students, it has been traditionally underrepresented in classrooms. Highlighting the genre’s role in addressing scientific knowledge,

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New Thematic Educator Guides: Teaching Media Literacy

The COVID-19 global pandemic forever changed the way humans interact with information and with each other. Social media saved us from disconnection, but it also provided an opportunity for the dissemination of disinformation, the rise of polarization, and the distrust of traditional news media. Amidst concerns over children’s mental health and internet communication, many state

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New Thematic Educator Guides: Teaching Poetry

Poetic voice, according to former U.S. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, is an “artistic choice,” and in her 2019 TED-Ed Talk, she compelled students to “speak up.” The immense popularity of poetry slams, open mic nights, and other spoken word poetry events attests to the power of poetry to provide a platform for social commentary,

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