Classroom

Teachers in search of an entertaining nonfiction author study need look no further than Meghan McCarthy. Not only does this author/illustrator have a knack for choosing compelling events and subjects to write about, but her accessible books, injected with humor and wit, cover a wide range of curricular areas.

The new Next Generation Science Standards, released last April, are performance standards, created to demonstrate not merely what students will know, but what students will know how to do. They have been written with direct connections to the Common Core. Here is a sample lesson working within both sets of standards.

Like all youngsters, kids learning to read benefit from exposure to high-quality titles that blend well-written narratives with eye-catching illustrations. Formatted to support the needs of emergent readers, this year's crop of offerings also capture the interest and imaginations of their audience with enticing subject matter and stirring storytelling.

Medical experimentation, conflict resolution, disappearing honeybees, and dinosaurs are just some of the topics that make our list of nonfiction titles publishing this month that you'll want to share with students and teachers.

Thursday, October 24th, 2013, 2:00-3:00 PM ET Everybody’s talking Common Core. And there’s lots of buzz about the increased focus on nonfiction. But wait, don’t let your eyes glaze over! At National Geographic, we think nonfiction is fun. So get ready for an entertaining discussion about how kids can have fun learning as we cover such informative topics as…What is reading anyway? What makes nonfiction authentic? How can nonfiction engage kids, inspire critical thinking, and spark their curiosity about the world? Archive is now available!

Not only did the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy send a shock wave through the country, it was the first time the public watched on-air television coverage of an historic event as it unfolded. Fifty years later, today's students can learn about the president's life, death, and legacy through a number of quality books and online resources.

Interest is the engine of intellectual achievement—it’s what drives us to keep learning, keep trying. But how does one generate it in oneself or others? Expanding on her keynote message at the SLJ summit, author Annie Murphy Paul offers three practical ways to use information gaps to stimulate curiosity.

Although the U.S. federal shutdown means many important government websites—such as those for the Library of Congress and NASA—have gone completely dark this week, the nonprofit Internet Archive is making those sites available to the public through archived captures, the organization has announced on its blog.

Join the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) November 21-24 in Boston for its 2013 Annual Convention! “(Re) Inventing the Future of English” is the theme for the event, which will offer teachers, librarians, administrators, curriculum coordinators, teacher educators, literacy coaches, reading specialists, and others more than 700 sessions, The topics range from general sessions featuring popular speakers and special presentations with well-known authors to sessions by classroom educators and full-day workshops that allow more in-depth exploration of a topic.