GAPS Libraries Resource Update

Ignite excitement and curiosity about science in your elementary classroom with OpenSciEd! These instructional materials are freely available for classroom use and support the K-5 Oregon Science Standards. The units are intentionally designed to integrate with ELA and mathematics and include guidance for supporting a range of learners.

Join us as we read our way across the USA! Log your minutes throughout March to help us reach our districtwide goal of 100,000 minutes read during the month of March; all readers will be automatically enrolled in the Read Across America challenge as soon as they log minutes in March. Read Across America minutes automatically count toward our year-long district goal of One Million Minutes by the end of the school year!

Keep reading, Greater Albany! All students and staff K-12 can participate. Support materials available below.

Hip Hop Public Health creates research-based educational resources by harnessing the power of music and culture to improve health in communities that are underserved. Expression is good for your health! Open Up, Level Up is a lesson for grades 3-5 that supports students in sharing their feelings as they discover the importance of opening up and strategies for asking for help.

Why we must teach students to make their thinking "visible"

Teaching students to make their thinking "visible" is critical as generative AI becomes more prevalent in classrooms, writes Kristina Peterson, an educator and author of "AI in the Writing Workshop: Finding the Write Balance." Encouraging students to 'chart' their writing process -- detailing when, where, and how they use AI -- moves teachers' focus from policing work to fostering deeper reflection on decision making, process and the development of literate thinkers. Practices such as reflective rubrics and process documentation help students see their own reasoning and choices as central to authentic literacy work. Read Peterson's full post here.

Full lesson plans for all five sessions of the Thinking With AI student workshop series, along with five interactive student-facing artifacts, one per session, built for direct use in the classroom. The lesson plans and the artifacts rest on the same conviction: AI does not reduce the thinking required for intellectual work. It relocates it. These materials are designed to make sure that thinking lands where it belongs, with students.

Civics Learning Project and University of Oregon Knight Law School are hosting the annual South Willamette Valley Law Day on May 15, 2026. The speaker lineup this year is an exciting group of civic leaders and legal experts discussing topics across the spectrum of local, state, and personal involvement in upholding the fundamentals of democracy.

According to a large-scale 2025 study of upper elementary math instruction, the use of precise mathematical terminology may matter more than we think. Math vocabulary alone isn’t a silver bullet—but research shows it’s linked to stronger academic achievement when paired with expert teaching practices.

Project Citizen is a civic education program for middle, secondary, and post-secondary students, as well as youth and adult groups. Its practical, first-hand approach promotes student interest and the ability to participate competently in state, local, and federal government. The curriculum actively engages people in the process of monitoring and influencing public policy. Participants work as a group to identify and study a problem in their community. Their final product is a portfolio that may be presented to other classes, groups, community organizations, or policymakers.

To empower elementary and middle school students for effective and responsible civic engagement, the Center for Civic Education and its partners developed a new set of lessons and teacher resources that integrate media literacy with hands-on engagement in public policy.

Celebrate student civic engagement! The Bill of Rights Institute's MyImpact Challenge is a national contest that highlights students ages 13-19 who are actively making a difference through service, volunteerism, or entrepreneurship in their communities. This is a fantastic opportunity to recognize and reward students who are already putting their civic values into action, whether they're organizing community service projects, volunteering with local organizations, or creating entrepreneurial solutions to community challenges. Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 3, 2026. Learn more and apply at billofrightsinstitute.org/my-impact-challenge!

Students explore the importance of a free press to democracy and reflect on challenges to freedom of the press and what role they themselves can play. This video from The News Literacy Project introduces the idea of investigative journalism as "democracy's watchdog." This site includes part two of this video and a Facing History lesson on the importance of a free press.

It’s spring and more students are walking and biking to school. Safe Routes to School provides no cost curriculum for teaching students walking and biking safety education. Find ODOT Safe Routes’ Jump Start Curriculum and Drill Guides as well as other curriculum resources from around the country.

• Pedestrian Curriculum
• Bicycle Curriculum

NYC’s core purpose is to provide opportunities for youth and young adults to learn, grow, and experience success. Our programs focus on education, challenge, community, leadership and empowerment, giving youth critical life skills and confidence. Northwest Youth Corps programs emphasize teamwork while promoting a solid work ethic and individual achievement. Young people leave Northwest Youth Corps knowing that they can overcome obstacles, solve problems, make friends, and attain their objectives in life. See summer opportunities here.

The National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp) is an all-expenses-paid residential honors program for two high school students from each state, Washington, DC, and participating international countries. NYSCamp is a residential science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) program designed to honor and challenge some of the nation’s rising leaders and provide them with opportunities to engage with STEAM professionals and participate in exciting outdoor activities. The science camp runs from July 11 - August 1, 2026.

Oregon is actively seeking delegates to represent our state;

please encourage your students to apply today!

• Reuters Middle East -- Fast, fact-focused wire reporting without heavy editorial framing.
• BBC News Middle East --- Clear, measured journalism with helpful explainers. Good for classroom-appropriate summaries.

What happens when people are giving? In this inquiry-based unit from iCivics, students will learn how they can practice generosity to help others. Using historical examples, they will analyze primary sources to discover how children showed generosity to help during the World Wars and investigate how over 100,000 people showed generosity to bring the Statue of Liberty to New York City.

GAPS staff and students have access to the following Spanish-language research resources:

• Informe Académico - Una coleccion de revistas hispanicas con textos completos.
• aulaPlaneta Banco de contenidos

Libro.fm offers FREE audiobooks to educators, and this month's selections are here.

ELEMENTARY RESOURCES | SECONDARY RESOURCES