When students read classic and contemporary texts together, they use high-level thinking to determine similarities and differences in style, structure, and essential truths. Paired texts provide relevance and open entry points to new ideas and cultures. This guide pairs the following books: This Is My America and To Kill a Mockingbird Lessons in Chemistry and

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,

The COVID-19 global pandemic heightened issues around mental health as adolescents found themselves anxious and isolated from their peers and other systems of support. Educators today are increasingly aware that their impact extends beyond the classroom, and they know that teaching with a whole-child approach is critical if they want their students to succeed both

Public policy experts have been warning for decades that political polarization is leading our nation away from its patriotic ideals and toward the very real dangers of autocracy and nationalism. Contributing factors include the fall of traditional newspaper readership and the rise of social media platforms, which have resulted in a distrust of politicians and

Comics hold a special place in the literary landscape of schools, but as a form or medium, comics don’t often get a lot of teacher approval. In fact, some research has found that teachers are afraid they won’t be taken seriously if they use comics in their classes. But, here’s the thing: teachers who have

A 2019 publication from the National Education Association calls anxiety “the mental health tsunami” of the teenage years. That same year, a Pew survey revealed over seventy percent of teens believe anxiety and depression to be a “major problem” among friends and classmates. Possible causes are numerous, including social media, standardized testing, and the pressure

Educating our students about climate change can literally change the future. According to a 2020 article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, educating young people about climate change could result in them making choices to decrease greenhouse gases, reduce pollution, and increase Green programs. While science class is a natural place to address

According to a recent study commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) and reported by The Guardian, nearly 25% of young adults in America either believe the Holocaust is a myth, think it has been exaggerated, or are not sure. These findings are particularly alarming given that the number of