Begin by polling students. Ask how many of them are familiar with the following titles:

• Captain Underpants series
• A Wrinkle in Time
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• The Harry Potter series
• The Higher Power of Lucky
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
• In the Night Kitchen
• Bridge to Terabithia
• The Stupids series
• The Bluest Eye

After the poll is completed, ask students what they think those titles have in common. Answer: They are all censored or challenged books.

With the class, brainstorm reasons these books might have come under attack. (Be certain to have the answers for them, too. They are available from various sources, including the American Library Association's Frequently Challenged Books page.) Why do people object to books and try to have them banned? Are there books from which students should be sheltered? Identify the common reasons why books are challenged (language, sexual content, political incorrectness, religious content, and so forth).

In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, read a book about a teacher such as Thank You, Mr. Falker, Miss Nelson is Missing, or a Magic School Bus story with Ms. Frizzle. Why are the teachers in these stories special? Have a class discussion about some of your students' favorite teachers. Then have students try these follow-up activities:

• Compare a favorite teacher to a teacher from a book with the Interactive Venn Diagram.
• Write a letter to a favorite teacher using the Letter Generator.
• Create a character map of either Miss Nelson or another storybook teacher with the Story Mapping tool.
• Use the Essay Map to plan and write an essay on why they would or would not like to be a student in one of the storybook teachers' classrooms.
• Read and present another book about a special teacher. Older students may choose books like The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, or A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines.

Have students visit the Stories from the Veterans History Project site. Once there, ask students to choose one of the featured interviews to listen to, peruse the previous releases, or look at a list of collections to find more interviews that may be of interest to them. Students select an interview that interests them and take notes while listening to remember important facts and details about the veteran’s life. After listening to the interview, students complete one of the projects below to honor the veteran they researched:

• Create a timeline of the veteran’s life or time in the military.
   
• Using the story of the veteran’s life, create a picture book for younger children that tells the story of the veteran’s life or of the war in which he/she fought.
   
• Record the important facts and information from the veteran’s life using the Hero’s Journey interactive.
   
• Record a podcast that tells the veteran’s story.

Introduce students to the Chinese New Year by having them explore the Chinese zodiac. Begin the activity by having each student write five to eight adjectives or phrases that describe his or her personality traits. These should not be physical characteristics like hair color or height, but qualities such as "a good sense of humor," "honest," or "a risk-taker."

Then, have students look at the Chinese zodiac to find a description of the attibutes people would have if they were born in the same year they were. For younger students, try the Chinese Calendar, and for older students, try Chinese Horoscopes.

Once students have read their animal's attributes, have them explain how the animal does or does not seem to represent them. They should use specific examples from their own experiences to support what they say. For example, if the zodiac says that they have difficulty with authority, students should write about a time when they resisted (or did not resist) an authority figure.

Next, students can look through the other animal signs to see which one best represents them and write a persuasive piece describing why that sign fits them best.

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.

Have your students conduct research and write original works of nonfiction on topics of their choice. Students may wish to work collaboratively on this project as coauthors or author-illustrator teams.

• First, have students brainstorm possible topics individually or in small groups.
   
• After each student or team has selected a topic, have them conduct research using appropriate Orbis Pictus Award-winners, Internet resources, and other reference sources.
   
• Have students plan and write informational picture books, biographies, or other works of nonfiction. You may wish to have students create a Flip Book to help them organize their information.

The African American Read-In will again be celebrated for the entire month of February, beginning February 1 and ending on February 28 (or 29).

Schools, churches, libraries, bookstores, community and professional organizations, and interested citizens can make literacy a significant part of Black History Month by hosting and coordinating community Read-Ins.

Hosting a Read-In can be as simple as bringing together family and friends to share a book or as elaborate as arranging public readings and media presentations that feature professional African American writers.

To be counted as a participant, simply:

• Select books authored by African Americans;
• Conduct your Read-In(s) on the days designated; and
• Report your results by submitting the African American Read-In Host Report Card.

The winners of the Children's Choice book awards will be announced during National Book Week. Before the winners are announced, children across the nation will be able to vote for their favorites. Invite your students to show why their favorite finalist should win by designing a promotional book cover.

• First, have students read Children's Choice finalist books in their grade range. Younger students can read all five finalists, while older students may read fewer.
• Then, ask each student to select his or her favorite finalist and brainstorm reasons why it is so good. Encourage students to consider specific elements, such as characters or plot.
• Next, have students look at their brainstormed lists and select the ideas that could be depicted on the book cover. Challenge each student to design a book cover that will convince others that his or her favorite should win.
• Finally, have students use the Book Cover Creator to create their book covers. They can then display their book covers with the book in a classroom or school display or on a bulletin board.

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

Use the ReadWriteThink Stapleless Book tool to help your students celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.

• Print, copy, and distribute copies of the Stapleless Book Planning Sheet. Ask students to brainstorm what they would like to include in their books of poetry.
• Have younger students select a poem, and space the poem a line or two at a time across the pages. They can add illustrations after they have printed. Older students can select a collection of poems they enjoy to include in the book.
• Give students time to type their poem(s) into the Stapleless Book tool.
• Have students print and create their books. They will need scissors to complete this step.
• Encourage students to take their books of poetry with them throughout the day, sharing them with people they meet.
• If time permits, print and prepare multiple copies of their books and have students put them in unexpected places throughout the building!