Read aloud or project this quote from Sandra Cisneros:

The older I get, the more I'm conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn't it?

Invite students to select a "tiny little thing" from their lives—an encounter with a stranger, a small object, a physical feature of a loved one, a fragment of remembered dialogue—and freewrite about its significance to their lives. Then read aloud a vignette such as "Hairs"/"Pelitos" (also available as a standalone picture book) and discuss how Cisneros takes something small and finds significance in it. Give students time to write, share, and revise to take up what they learned from hearing Cisneros' writing. Let students choose a form for their writing: narrative prose, poetry, or essay.

Students tend to know little more about Labor Day than it's a day off of work and school. Encourage them to learn more about the American labor movement by giving them time to research one of the figures from the list below. In paris or small groups, they can locate print and Web based resources about their lives and contributions to labor reform. Groups can use the Biocube Interactive to organize and share what they learn.

• Jane Addams
• Sarah Bagley
• César Chávez
• Samuel Gompers
• Dolores Huerta
• Mary Harris Jones
• John L. Lewis
• Lucy Randolph Mason
• Luisa Moreno
• Leonora O’Reilly
• Albert and Lucy Parsons
• Franics Perkins
• Esther Peterson
• A. Philip Randolph
• Walter Reuther
• Rosina Tucker

• Share some examples of Tom Swifties and ask students to notice what they have in common. Literary examples include Charles Dickens' "'You find it Very Large?' said Mr. Podsnap, spaciously," work well, but everyday examples such as "'I need to milk the cows now,' Tom uddered" or "'I dropped my toothpaste,' Tom said, crest-fallen" might give students more to work with.
• Together, generate a list of principles about what makes Tom Swifties work. Importantly, the way in which a speaker says something comments on or relates to what was said in a humorous way. Often the dialogue tag has multiple meanings; single-word or phrase-length dialogue tags work equally well; and product names (such as Cheer or Clue) offer potential for punning as well.
• Let students meet in small groups to generate some Tom Swifties of their own. After the have had time to develop and polish a few, have a contest of your own to celebrate the best examples.

Help students deepen their understanding of one aspect of The U.S. Constitution by asking them to explore The Interactive Constitution. From the section on the articles, students can choose from among the Preamble, the branches of government, and more. Alternately, they can explore each of the twenty-seven Amendments (currently the first fifteen amendments are fully developed). Each section provides a common interpretation followed by Constitutional scholars’ discussion of a debatable issue.

Let pairs or small groups choose what they will learn about. After they read and discuss the entry, direct them to the Trading Card Creator, where they will select the Abstract Concept template. After they complete their Card, have groups present informally to share what they have learned.

Familiarize students with Mandela's life and legacy by reading aloud Kadir Nelson's Coretta Scott King Honor book, Nelson Mandela.  Share the illustrations and stop frequently for questions and discussion of Mandela's early life, determination to change social conditions in apartheid-era South Africa, and eventual presidency.  Fill in any gaps with resources from the biographical websites below.

Then explain the purpose and mission of Mandela Day before inspiring students to brainstorm their call to social action by sharing the Take Action page from the Mandela Day website.  There, students will see examples of service projecs around the key themes of awareness building, food security, literacy and education, service and volunteerism, and shelter and infrastructure.

Invite students, as a class or in small groups, to determine a project they can undertake, using resources such as the Letter Generator, Printing Press, and Persuasion Map to plan and publicize their contribution to a more just world.

• Ask students to brainstorm all the ways that their families, school, and community have supported their love for reading—or have squelched their love for it.  Ask them to transform this list into a chart of Do’s and Don’ts advising the adults in their lives on how to nurture a love of reading in young people.
• Then share (in language appropriate for your students’ grade level) and discuss the components of Jon Scieszka’s platform as Ambassador for Young People’s Literature to motivate young readers:
  • Expand your definition of reading beyond fiction and novels. Lots of kids love to read non-fiction, humor, comic strips, magazines, illustrated stories, audio recordings, and websites. It’s all reading. It’s all a good way to become a reader.
  • Let kids choose reading that interests them. It may not be the reading you like, but making the choice is important to kids.
  • Be a good reading role model. Talk to your kids about how you choose what you read. Share your reading likes and dislikes. Let kids see you reading.
  • Try not to demonize TV, computer games, and new technologies. These media do compete for kids’ time, but they are not the “bad guy.” Help kids become media literate. Show them how different media tell stories in different ways.
  • Think global. Act local. There are all kinds of good people and worthy groups working to help kids read. Teachers, librarians, and booksellers are a wonderful resource. Ask them for book recommendations. Join a local literacy group.
    (from National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Library of Congress)
• Then ask students to compare their suggestions to Scieszka’s and to return to their list to make additions or changes.
• Finally, invite students to use the Letter Generator to write a letter to families, school staff, librarians, and community members sharing their ideas on how best to support young readers’ interest in books.

Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States (1997-2000), began the The Favorite Poem Project in which Americans of all ages named their favorite poem.  After listening to a few poems nominated and shared as part of that project (scroll down the page to the heading “The First Events” for the media files), invite students to read or re-visit poems and collections of poetry in your classroom library to select a favorite poem they wish to share.

Use or modify the guidelines from the Favorite Poem Community Forum to host a celebration in your own school or classroom.

After briefly sharing some background knowledge about Frederick Douglass, project or provide students copies with “Our Paper and Its Prospects,” the opening editorial from The North Star’s first edition.  Read the text aloud while students follow along, explaining to students that Douglass is following a publishing convention when he uses “we” to refer to himself.  Then lead a discussion around the text using questions such as

• What do you notice about the language and style of this piece?  Who is its likely audience?
• What does Douglass explain are his purposes in founding the paper?
• How does Douglass characterize the ways in which African American and white citizens can work toward the abolition of slavery?
• How does Douglass use elements of his life story to explain his motivations?
• How is this piece similar to or different from a modern editorial?

After discussing the editorial, have students brainstorm social issues they feel passionately about.  Then invite them to consider the needs of a modern audience and write an opening editorial for an imaginary publication devoted to the betterment of their cause.

Among Sharon Draper’s most popular books are the Hazelwood Trilogy (Tears of a Tiger, Forged by Fire, Darkness before Dawn) and the Jericho Trilogy (The Battle of Jericho, November Blues, Just Another Hero). Obtain copies of the books and preview each title on a classroom projector (each page contains an overview and summary; some contain audio previews as well).

Give students time to choose a book and then form literature circles around each title.  After individual book groups have finished, form new groups that bring the books from each trilogy together to discuss how the books relate to an build on one another.

After sharing one or more of the winning, honored, or recommended titles as a classroom read-aloud, invite students write and illustrate their own story in which someone learned how to be more compassionate or to feel empathy for those who are different from themselves.

Allow students to decide to tell a story from their own lives or to create characters and imagined situations that would inspire others to be more compassionate.  Share tools such as the Story Map and Cube Creator to help students plan and generate ideas.  Arrange for a time for students to share their stories with classmates or with younger students.