The right book can bring a school community together. That's why we encourage whole-school reads. The book itself will offer a powerful theme, an inspiring character, or a memorable moment that can bring everyone together and help students and teachers strengthen their bond as a community. The process of reading and discussing the book as a school builds shared understanding, reference points, and memories. They even help open up difficult conversations. Even though this school year is winding down, consider how you can organize a whole-school read for next year by checking out these 10 easy steps!
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Topics:
Reading
Daylight hours are dwindling, and temperatures are cooler. What better time to hunker down inside and take a book break? Books can fulfill many human needs: increasing our knowledge, broadening our empathy, making us laugh, inspiring us, or entertaining us. The best books achieve several at once. Here are a few titles that we hope you find engaging and take you deeper into the themes, histories, and questions at the heart of Facing History and Ourselves.
Teachers, find suggested Facing History resources and tools that tie into each book recommendation to build upon and expand your lessons.
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Topics:
Books,
Reading,
Literature,
Reading List
Nothing says summer like sitting in the sun with a good book. Check out five summer reads, recommended by Tracy O'Brien, Facing History's Director of Library Services.
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Topics:
Books,
Reading,
Literature,
Summer,
Reading List
In January and February, Barnes & Noble Booksellers is partnering with Facing History and Ourselves to promote our resources for teaching To Kill A Mockingbird to educators across the United States. Facing History’s Senior Program Associate, Laura Tavares, reflects on why Mockingbird is more relevant today than at any time since it’s original publication at the dawn of the American Civil Rights Era.
Six months ago, Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman revealed a different side of the beloved Atticus Finch. Lovers of Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, were left confused as he is rendered a segregationist who clashes with his daughter over his racist beliefs. My colleagues and I saw this as an opportunity to explore Mockingbird even further. Since the book’s release, we immersed ourselves in this text to develop resources that can inform the way you read and teach Mockingbird in your classroom.
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Topics:
To Kill a Mockingbird,
Books,
English Language Arts,
Harper Lee,
Go Set a Watchman,
Reading,
Racism,
Reading List
Winter is a great time to slow down, indulge in eating hearty food and curl up with a book that can transport you to another world, all from the comfort of your couch. So go on an adventure this winter. Hit the library, stop by the independent bookstore on the corner, toss a few items in your AmazonSmile shopping cart (when you do, a portion of your purchase can go directly to Facing History), or start downloading to your e-reader. Hand-picked by Tracy O'Brien, Director of Facing History and Ourselves’ library, these titles are guaranteed to transport, challenge, and inspire readers of all ages.
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Topics:
To Kill a Mockingbird,
Books,
Facing History Resources,
Memoir,
Facing History and Ourselves,
Survivor Testimony,
Reading,
Reading List
Whether you’re on the beach or preparing your syllabus for fall, check out these nonfiction and fiction titles that have the Facing History and Ourselves Library staff excited for summer reading!
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Topics:
To Kill a Mockingbird,
Civil Rights Movement,
Books,
English Language Arts,
Poetry,
Armenian Genocide,
Race and Membership,
Holocaust,
Memoir,
Survivor Testimony,
History,
Reading,
Reading List
Stories matter. The stories we tell have the power to effect history. By sharing stories with students, we help them to see themselves as part of the human story, as individuals who can change the narrative by making positive choices and contributing to their communities and the world.
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Topics:
Civil Rights Movement,
Books,
English Language Arts,
Choosing to Participate,
Facing History Resources,
Immigration,
Identity,
Holocaust,
Memoir,
History,
Reading,
Reading List
