Students write and illustrate their own children's stories using the text from a Walt Whitman poem.
![Today is Walt Whitman's birthday.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/1048.jpg?h=d5d04e3b&itok=5qDQUJIW)
Today is Walt Whitman's birthday.
![Barbara Park, author of the Junie B. Jones series, was born on this day.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/1050_1.jpg?h=042dbf4a&itok=KQTnDWDA)
Grades
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Barbara Park, author of the Junie B. Jones series, was born on this day.
1 - 6
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students write their own "Junie B." stories, based on the Junie B. Jones series, after brainstorming issues they've experienced during the school year.
![The Statute of Anne, an influential copyright law, went into effect in 1710.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/1051_0.jpg?h=6f8e8448&itok=f8QbT83J)
Grades
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The Statute of Anne, an influential copyright law, went into effect in 1710.
6 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Student groups do web research, compile their information, and make a booklet on copyright rules for the class to use as a reference.
![Author Amy Tan was born today in 1952](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/1052.jpg?h=89c9f9a6&itok=KnAbpyS7)
Grades
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Author Amy Tan was born today in 1952
9 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students watch an excerpt of an interview with Tan and apply some of her principles to writing a story of their own.
![Roald Dahl was born on this day in 1916.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/1053_0.jpg?h=b4441652&itok=W6BdcXJ4)
Grades
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Roald Dahl was born on this day in 1916.
3 - 6
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students adapt a Roald Dahl story to picture book format and share their books and add them to the classroom library. Additionally, they compare a book version and film version of one of Dahl's works.
![Today is D.E.A.R. Day!](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/5_2.jpg?h=e3c2759a&itok=zK5ro1nu)
Grades
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Today is D.E.A.R. Day!
K - 12
Calendar Activity
| Holiday & School Celebration
April 12 is known as D.E.A.R Day! D.E.A.R. stands for "Drop Everything and Read," a national month-long celebration of reading designed to remind folks of all ages to make reading a priority activity in their lives.
![Poet Paul Laurence Dunbar was born today in 1872.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/11_3.jpg?h=1cdfc481&itok=aDWiYyqJ)
Grades
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Poet Paul Laurence Dunbar was born today in 1872.
8 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students read one of Dunbar's most famous poems and explore how critical excerpts shape their understanding.
![James Baldwin was born today in 1924.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/12_2.jpg?h=91c33477&itok=OwbOFwMM)
Grades
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James Baldwin was born today in 1924.
9 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students read and respond to an essay by Baldwin, commenting on the contemporary resonance of his ideas.
![Celebrate Louise Erdrich's birthday today.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/13_3.jpg?h=556e0257&itok=Sfw6XD9q)
Grades
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Celebrate Louise Erdrich's birthday today.
K - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students watch a short video about Erdrich's love of books and write their own memory piece.
![Sandra Cisneros was born today in 1954.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/21_2.jpg?h=34219f4c&itok=35VvGQzH)
Grades
|
Sandra Cisneros was born today in 1954.
6 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students choose a small aspect of their lives to develop into a story, poem, or brief essay inspired by Cisneros' work.
![Time Magazine launches its "Tom Swifty" contest today in 1963.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/30_2.jpg?h=a141e9ea&itok=JCj102AM)
Grades
|
Time Magazine launches its "Tom Swifty" contest today in 1963.
5 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students have fun with language by creating a special kind of pun with its origin in a literary source.
![Constitution Day is observed today in the U.S.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/31_2.jpg?h=5f62bdfc&itok=1KAd2vOy)
Grades
|
Constitution Day is observed today in the U.S.
6 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Students explore an annotated online version of the Constitution before sharing what they learned about one aspect of the document through the Trading Card interactive.
![Celebrate Mandela Day today.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/57.jpg?h=d3181be9&itok=qgXPfVYz)
Grades
|
Celebrate Mandela Day today.
4 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
After reading Kadir Nelson's Nelson Mandela, students explore the Mandela Day website before using an online tool to start working on a service project of their own.
![Jon Scieszka was born in 1954.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/67_0.jpg?h=0c5b457d&itok=SjbrXTvV)
Grades
|
Jon Scieszka was born in 1954.
K - 8
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students review Scieszka's tips for encouraging young people to read and then create their own, sharing ideas with adults in their community through a letter.
![United States Congress officially adopted the position of Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry in 1985.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/70.jpg?h=15c5cba9&itok=F1G1-Q0B)
Grades
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United States Congress officially adopted the position of Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry in 1985.
K - 12
Calendar Activity
| Literacy-Related Event
Students investigate the website of a past Poet Laureate's project and use it as a model to celebrate poetry that appeals most to them.
![Frederick Douglass began publication of <i>The North Star</i> today in 1847.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/71.jpg?h=0b884c22&itok=wOS8HTq2)
Grades
|
Frederick Douglass began publication of The North Star today in 1847.
9 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Students read and discuss an editorial written by Frederick Douglass and then write the opening editorial for a contemporary publication devoted to a social cause important to them.
![Sharon Draper was born on this day in 1952.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/73.jpg?h=a0a40aae&itok=iqW8GYvg)
Grades
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Sharon Draper was born on this day in 1952.
5 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students read a book from one of Draper's trilogies and then meet to discuss their book with students have read the other two books.
![Astronomer Annie Jump Cannon was born today.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/83.jpg?h=d64f78a1&itok=XSfhHgEb)
Grades
|
Astronomer Annie Jump Cannon was born today.
4 - 8
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Students research a constellation and share their learning using an interactive or mobile app.
![Author Matt de la Peña was born today.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/84.jpg?h=69189783&itok=Sj9S3WoJ)
Grades
|
Author Matt de la Peña was born today.
8 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students use an essay by de la Peña as a model for writing their own literacy autobiography.
![Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim was born today.](/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_350x350/public/85.jpg?h=c12e0b96&itok=yI6nyvvy)
Grades
|
Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim was born today.
4 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students examine the painting that inspired Sondheim's Pulitzer-prize winning musical and then create a story of their own based on image they choose.