READING DIVERSE BOOKS HELPS STUDENTS BUILD SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS

“In order to be effective, SEL must be equitable. In other words, it must be supportive, affirming, and beneficial for students of all cultures, backgrounds, and identities.”
Wallace Foundation

Each week we explore inclusive books and lessons that align with specific competencies using the CASEL Five. Last week we explored books and lessons that focus on SELF-AWARENESS. This week we look at books and activities that highlight: SOCIAL-AWARENESS–the ability to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Many parents are concerned about setbacks in early literacy during the last two years of interrupted schooling. We’ve partnered with LightSail Education to provide all of our digital content – eBooks, audiobooks, eBooks with audio, and Lerner Interactive Books – through their Reading at Home platform. Read on to find out more about this tool that families can use to improve their child’s reading level in three months or less!

“If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the school library would be close to empty.”
― Judy Blume

Every year, there are dozens of challenges to literary works. If you are a student, educator, parent, author or librarian battling a censorship controversy, below are some resources for guidance:

When students learn about slavery in the United States, they often learn about the Underground Railroad and figures such as Harriet Tubman and Abraham Lincoln. But who and what are being left of these teachings? In the upcoming series American Slavery and the Fight for Freedom from Read Woke™ Books, readers will be introduced to events and figures that they may not be familiar with.

The Wild West may be a little wilder than you think. For thousands of years, jaguars roamed portions of Arizona, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana, and sometimes ventured into Colorado, Oklahoma, Virginia, and North Carolina. But today, jaguars are mostly absent from the United States. American Jaguar: Big Cats, Biogeography, and Human Borders by wildlife biologist Elizabeth Webb takes a deep dive into the jaguar’s current predicament and highlights the work of field scientists searching for ways to restore their populations.