Classroom & Curricula

The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies has introduced a program to encourage research, discovery and creative collaboration with project-based learning. Smithsonian Quests awards online digital badges to students (and teachers!) upon completion of their activities. The projects are aimed at students of various grade levels, and can be done as part of classroom lessons or independently.

It may start this way: you’ve just finished the first lunch period, and because of today's snow, there are massive amounts of students in your library—and a surprising number of them are on task. You’re just now welcoming a social studies class that's here to work on a research project and use the laptop cart and many of your book club students are bursting through the door excitedly.

What's publishing this month? Biographies, poetry, and more!

Michaela MacColl is a history scholar drawn to strong female characters, both historical and literary. Her latest novel, Nobody's Secret, features the poet Emily Dickinson, on the trail of a murderer.

Tackling the subject of refugees from war-ravaged nations who find an outlet in playing soccer, Maria Padian's Out of Nowhere and Warren St. John's Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town explore the devastating pasts and impoverished situations of these athletes, as well as the bigotry they encounter in their new homes.

Vibrant illustrations, illuminating representations of basic math concepts, and dynamic storytelling add up to offerings that entertain as they educate.

Inquiry and nonfiction are closely related and books that explore the work of scientists can be ideal mentor texts as students develop skills that are essential for learning.

Join Mary Ehrenworth, the Deputy Director at the Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, Columbia University, and co-author of Pathways to the Common Core, as she explores creating a school culture of reading, the challenges and methods for getting just-right books into kids' hands, increasing nonfiction engagement, and building structures for clubs and parent involvement through the central core of a school’s reading life— the library. Archive now available!

Recent statistics from the CDC reveal that 1 in 88 children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent titles for students, teachers, and families, broaden our understanding of individual needs, and highlight the enormous potential for achievement for children and teens on the spectrum.