Inside the ELA Classroom

In 2015, Tony Keefer and Scott Jones decided to take their classroom versions of March Book Madness to the rest of the world. Now students, classrooms and libraries from as close as down the hall to as far away as Kuala Lumpur participate in March Book Madness.

What?

March Book Madness is an online bracket-style tournament that matches books in one-on-one "games." The games will be decided by a simple vote on a Google Form (the forms do not collect any personal data). You can have students vote individually or you can have a class vote. After each round of voting the bracket will be updated and the next round of voting will begin.

It is March! How exciting that spring is on the horizon and 4th quarter has just begun. This means that Georgia Milestones testing will be here before we know it. Teachers have worked extremely hard to get to this point in the school year with so many standards to cover. As we move forward with instruction, there is a need for students to pause, reflect, and review.

Use the excitement of March to make learning interactive and fun. Determine what skills to review and grab some energy off the court.

Vocabulary Lesson Plan: March Madness Bracket Battle (Grades 2-12)

Classroom Debate Lesson Plan: March Madness (Grades 5+)

AP Lit March Madness - a journey to determine the best work of literature read all year. Brackets are made, seeding committees are formed, and each day a section of the bracket is [revealed]. The works of literature are back in students’ hands so that they can vote on which is the superior work. It’s all subjective—and that’s what makes it so spectacular. Students are ready and willing to defend their cherished reads. The student who loved The Grapes of Wrath may be crestfallen when it is upset by Shelley’s “Ozymandias.” Some will argue that Dickinson’s “There Is No Frigate Like a Book” should go all the way, knocking out heavyweights like Tennyson’s “Ulysses” and Orwell’s 1984. Tally the votes and watch the students debate with impassioned voices. March Madness is a window through which you can see what your students learned, what they valued, and what they’re willing to argue for.

Copied from Edutopia

Annually, NCTE hosts a March Madness Poetry Tournament.

For teachers with Learning A-Z accounts, find units on March Madness in Reading A-Z.

Lesson Plans for Informational Reading - High School

March Madness: A Slew of March Resources (PreK-K, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12)

March Madness

Overview | How can the sports tournament bracket concept be applied to academic questions? How can competition enliven debate over perennial topics in your curriculum? In this lesson, students use the March Madness bracket structure to decide a question in their field of study, holding a research- and debate-based “tournament” to determine the “winners” of each round, until a final “winner” is declared. Along the way, they write essays about the last two topics standing, use the bracket to organize debates, and, perhaps, share their thoughts on N.C.A.A. tournament basketball.

By Shannon Doyne & Katherine Schulten (March, 2010)

The Learning Network

All teachers are encouraged to respond to instructional resources surveys so evaluate the ELA resources. This is the opportunity to share thoughts, comments, and concerns. Please follow the appropriate link for grade level surveys published thus far.

Kindergarten

Recipe for Reading

Ready Reading

Elementary Teacher survey

Middle Grades Teacher survey (Smokey Road teachers only)

Learning A-Z (Raz Plus, Vocabulary A-Z, Science A-Z, the ELL Edition, Writing A-Z)

All Grade Level Teachers

The recognition started out as a single day in 1908 in New York City when thousands of women marched for better labor laws, conditions, and the right to vote. A year later on February 28, a group gathered again in Manhattan for the first International Woman's Day.

The idea spread to Europe and in March of 1910, Clara Zetkin introduced the idea at the International Conference of Women in Copenhagen. ONe hundred women representing 17 countries attended the conference and areed. International Women's Day was formally honored on March 8, 1911 by Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland.

The holiday was not recognized or celebrated in the United States until 1975. The United Nations officially began sponsoring International Woman's Day on March 8th.

In February 1980, then President Jimmy Carter declared in a Presidential Proclamation that the week of March 8th was officially National Women's History Week. Congressional support followed. As a result, the country-wide recognition continued to grow in state schools, governments and organizations. By 1986, 14 states had labeled the third month of the year as Women's History Month.

There is an annual theme for Women's History Month. The 2021's theme: Valiant women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced.

Women’s History Month 2021 will take place from Monday, March 1-Wednesday, March 31, 2021. International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women, took place for the first time on March 8, 1911.

This exploration doesn’t have to be limited to historical literature. Examine grade appropriate contemporary work such as No Truth without Ruth: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Kathleen Krull, Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman by Borden & Kroeger, Friends of Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass by Suzanne Slade, Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl by Tonya Bolden, Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women by Cheryl Harness, Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee by Marissa Moss, Sonia Sotomaya: A Judge Grows in the Bronx by Jonah Winter, A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Suzanne Slade.

1. Plant something to honor Kate Sessions.

Celebrate Kate Sessions, the hero of The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever, by decorating pots and planting flowers, herbs, or these adorable grass heads. This project can also be used to discuss other eco-conscious women, like Rachel Carson or Wangari Maathai. Take it a step further by incorporating a science lesson and discussing what plants need to grow and survive.

SOURCE: KidLit and Homemade Gifts Made Easy

2. Make an astronaut helmet to celebrate Sally Ride.

Celebrate Sally Ride, the first woman in space, by crafting this astronaut helmet from recyclable materials. Have students add their own unique touches to the final product and encourage them to think about what they might find on a mission to outer space.

SOURCE: Woo! Jr.

3. Watch the Makers Documentary.

4. Learn about women poets. (April is National Poetry Month!)

Emily Dickinson

Maya Angelou

Sylvia Plath (secondary students)

Amanda Gorman (youngest inaugural poet)

Tracy K. Smith (2017 U.S. poet laureate)

Patricia Lockwood (lives in Savannah)

Sandra Day O'Connor, Associate Justice, was born in El Paso, Texas, March 26, 1930.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice, was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 15, 1933

Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice, was born in Bronx, New York, June 25, 1954.

Ellen Ochoa, first Hispanic-American Female astronaut.

Ruby Bridges, at age six advanced the cause of civil rights as the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the south.

Claudette Colvin, as a teen refused to give up her seat (nine months before Rosa Parks).

32 Inspiring Books for Women's History Month

Famous Women Poets and Poetry

NEA, Read Across American provides a calendar for each month. The theme for March: Cultivate Compassion.

Books and stories provide points of access for understanding other people's lives.

Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers participate by bringing together kids, teens, and books. Dr. Seuss’s Birthday is a nationwide reading celebration that takes place annually on March 2 — Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

• Use various books and online resources to complete an author study. Learn about the man behind Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel. Where and when was he born? What was he like as a child? Where did he get his story ideas?
• Send Dr. Seuss a birthday card.
• Write a poem in Dr. Seuss's honor.
• Compare and contrast Dr. Seuss books.
• Using various Dr. Seuss books, have students create a new endings.
• Have a costume party...students dress as their favorite Dr. Seuss character.
• Depending on the age of your students, create custom story frames to help them write their own version of the story.

March 1 - Share a Smile Day

March 2 - Dr. Seuss (born in 1904)

March 2 - Read Across America Day

March 3 - National Anthem Day

March 6 - Oreo Cookies (sold for the first time in 1912)

March 8 - Daylight Savings Time Begins

March 9 - Barbie's Birthday (1959)

March 10 - Abolitionist Harriet Tubman Day

March 11 - Rev. Ralph David Abernathy (born 1926)

March 11 - Johnny Appleseed Day

Lorraine Hansberry's 'A Raisin in the Sun' opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in NYC

March 12 - Girl Scout Day

March 12 - Anniversary of death of Anne Frank (1945)

March 17 - Rubber Band Invented

March 20 - First Day of Spring

March 20 - Lois Lowry (born 1937)

March 20th - Big Bird's birthday (Sesame Street character)

March 21 - First ever Tweet made on Twitter (2006)

March 21 - World Poetry Day

March 23 - Garrett Morgan (born 1877) - stellar inventor

March 30 - Pencil with Eraser patented (1858)

Celebrating Black History ...Video interviews with authors and illustrations

Watch Reading Rockets' interviews with celebrated Black children's book authors and illustrators, and children's literature historian, Leonard Marcus, who talks about the history of multicultural children's books in the U.S. from the 1960s onward.

• Tonya Bolden
  
• Ashley Bryan
• Rudine Sims Bishop
• Nikki Giovanni
  
• Nikki Grimes
• Patricia and Frederick McKissack
  
• Jewell Parker Rhodes
  
• Carole Boston Weatherford
  
• Rita Williams-Garcia
• Jacqueline Woodson

Join me in saluting the CCSS Scoring Team for participating in the process to select the District Winners for the 2020-2021 Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition.

Ms. Kim Robertson, Moreland Elementary

Ms. Ashley Akers, Moreland Elementary

Ms. Faith Wheeler, Poplar Road Elementary

Ms. Ashley Mol, White Oak

Ms. Angie Markham, Evans Middle

Ms. Deborah Mack, Arnall Middle

Ms. Adriana Cantwell, Lee Middle

Ms. Angela Rembert, Madras Middle

Dr. Angela Herring, Smokey Road Middle

Ms. Sheila Chaves, Madras Middle

Mr. Joshua Johnson, Newnan High

Follow this link to see the 2021 District Winners of the Young Georgia Authors Competition.

10 Writing Prompts for Women's History Month

Women's History Month Writing Prompts: 50 Ideas

Although writing can be scary, it is important for students to write about their learning. The learning process isn't complete until the learners share their thinking with others. Writing is a way for students to review their own learning, organize their thinking, and evaluate how well they understand what has been taught

There are many reasons for asking students to write:

• To clarify their thinking about what they've learned.
• To think deeply and clearly about the subject.
• To communicate what they have learned.
• To explore, extend, and cement ideas.
• To record learning.
• To evaluate the learning process.
• To explain ideas.
• To apply what's been learned to new situations and problems.
• to evaluate what they have learned.
• To organize new information.
• To make connections between what they know and what they are learning.
• To build confidence about their knowledge of the subject

1. How would you describe a smile for someone who has never seen one?
2. What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? Why?
3. The Oreo cookie was first sold in March? Describe a new cookie that you will release during March 2021.
4. Write a story where Harriet Tubman and Anne Frank were the main characters.
5. Create a conversation between Harriet Tubman and Anne Frank.
6. What would happen if you wake up and your brother/sister is stretchy like a rubber band?
7. Pick a character from a book or story you read. What is your character's favorite type of music? Why?
8. If your best friend is a book character - who is it? Why is this character your friend? What are your adventures for today.
9. When was the last time you were sick? What happened that day?
10. Would you rather be a bird or a turtle? Why?
11. Write a story about the day that EVERYTHING you touched turned green.
12. What would happen if you could pick one day to do-over. What would be the day? Why?
13. What are the sights, sounds, and smells of spring?
14. If you could live in any state, which one would you choose and why?
15. You are the creator of a new zoo. What animals would you like to have in your zoo? Why?
16. This can be done in THREE different days. Write a story with three different endings.

The 2021 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships are $50,000 awards given to honor poets of literary merit appointed to serve in civic positions and to enable them to undertake meaningful, impactful, and innovative projects that engage their fellow residents, including youth, with poetry, helping to address issues important to their communities.

The Academy of American Poets is accepting applications for the 2021 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships from December 17, 2020 until February 23, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Eligibility & Guidelines

Submit

This competition invites students to use their creativity to make a difference for our planet. As the creators share on their website, “Our contest is a call for young artists, thinkers, and activists who are concerned about the future of our human and natural communities to use their creative voices to explore, express, and advocate for issues related to climate change and our oceans.” Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes.

WATER RISING

The 2021 Ocean Awareness Contest theme is WATER RISING. Your submission(s) should respond to one of the following prompts:

1. PROMPT 1: Global warming affects the water cycle, fueling extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts. Warming seas are also contributing to sea level rise around the world. Whether too much or too little, water is the primary way we will feel the effects of climate change. How do you feel the effects of climate change where you live? How will this change within your lifetime?
2. PROMPT 2: We are all interconnected through water. What does it mean to be up- or downstream from one another? Where does your water come from, and what is the journey it takes to get to you?
3. PROMPT 3: Though water is a basic human right, more than 1 billion people do not have access to clean and safe water worldwide. Access to clean water is increasingly threatened by pollution, privatization, and climate change, but these threats do not impact us all equally. Water contamination and environmental injustice overwhelmingly affect Indigenous communities, people of color, and the poor. How is water a lens through which we can understand and fight for justice? Consider water as a mirror of our society—it reflects back to us who we are. What do you see in the mirror?
4. PROMPT 4: Clean water is not only necessary to sustain human communities, but all life on Earth. There are many movements rising up to protect water and all those who depend on it. Who has historically led these movements? Who (and what–for example, policies) are our water protectors?
5. PROMPT 5: Think about the role that water plays in your life, and how that ripples out to connections in your community, society, and the world. What memories do you have of water? What is your water story?

Age Groups: Ages 11–14 (Jr. Division); Ages 15–18 (Sr. Division)

Contest deadline: June 14, 2021

Contact Dr. Paula Baker with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

~Nelson Mandela

Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.

~Anatole France

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.

~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Website: https://curriculum.cowetaschools.org/
Phone: 770-254-2810
Twitter: @PBakerEducates