Education | Page 22 of 39

He Named Me Malala, well crafted film with details you think you know

He Named Me Malala is the story of Malala, the young girl that was shot by the Taliban for speaking out about the rights of girls to go to school. That is the story that the public knows-and every bit of that is true. In the documentary He Named Me Malala, airing commercial free on National Geographic Channel, Monday, February 29 at 8PM ET we learn the details about her life prior to the attack, her recovery, home life and her desire to get every girl (in the world) into the class room.

This documentary is can’t-turn-away gripping. Part of that is accomplished by the content of the story, in addition to the way that the film was created.

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The Summer Academy Camps at UGA, real fun for middle and high students

We were compensated for this post. All thoughts are our own and education rocks. Fractals are not something that Jim Henson created in the 80’s. Our 6 year old just started learning about fractals. I’ve been calling a fractal a Rorschach Test for ages, so his kindergarten teacher just taught me something too. Summer camp has come a long way since I was a kid also. Now summer camps teach real skills that kids can apply to subjects they’re curious about or things that they want to become; a great example of these are the Summer Academy Camps at UGA.

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They Had A Dream, black American history for YA

Jules Archer is apparently quite the force in non-fiction books for young people. During his lifetime he published over 70 books. We read Jungle Fighters recently and loved it. The way that Archer presented the story of defending New Guinea was approachable and one that young readers could latch onto. With They Had A Dream he writes about four influential leaders of the civil rights movement. Frederick Douglas, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X are written about in this engaging and accessible book.

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Reading Reconsidered, literacy instruction for teachers and parents

I’m a teacher. Once you’ve worked as a teacher you’re always a teacher. When my wife and I became parents we immediately started reading to our children. We also did the other parenting tropes like playing classical music, labeling key things in the house and saying Jumanji to make the dirty diapers disappear. Unfortunately that last one never did work. It’s in the vein of my prior profession that I wanted to read Reading Reconsidered.

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Jungle Fighters is first hand WW II history for tweens and up

Non-fiction can be a tough subject for younger readers to grasp. The subject matter may not be interesting, the text could be written in a way that doesn’t appeal to them or the content requires background information in order to comprehend what they’re reading. Originally published in 1985, Jungle Fighters: A Firsthand Account of the Forgotten New Guinea Campaign by Jules Archer is a great book for ages 12 and up because it deals with the a complex and brutal time in history in a way that young readers can digest.

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Fantastic Fugitives makes non-fiction reading fun for tweens

As an adult I went through a big phase of reading non-fiction books. However, young readers, specifically children have a much harder time reading non-fiction. They’re perceived as wonky, humorless texts that lame teachers make them read so that they can learn about people they’ll promptly forget about. An added hurdle for young readers is that non-fiction requires context, as well as, a basic knowledge of history to fully comprehend, enjoy and hopefully learn something.

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Little Elliot, Big Family-great reading for 8 and under

When Mike Curato introduced young readers to Elliot in Little Elliot, Big City it felt good. It’s the kind of book that parents could read multiple times to children before bed time, has art with a timeless feel and a story that any age can relate to. The pink and blue polka dot elephant is back in Little Elliot, Big Family with an even more entertaining story and art that fills the pages with diverse, classic art.

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Be A Friend, a relatable lesson for kids of all ages

For us the best children’s books manage to make us smile from the cover. Be A Friend by Salina Yoon gets that (and many other things) right throughout the entire book. It has a boy dressed as a mime giving a young girl an imaginary flower. The image makes you smile and the happy vibes continue in this book that’s great for kids 3-7, but in reality any age can pick it up and learn something from it.

Dennis is the mime in Be A Friend. He’s a bit different, as anyone who is a mime would be; a little shy at times, but has fun in his own particular way. We see his friends have fun playing in a tree, while he has fun pretending to be a tree.

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