Need teaching resources for the upcoming inauguration?

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The inauguration of a new president is always a historic event, one that teachers are eager to share with their students. If you’re looking for some resources to use with your classes, here are some suggestions. Please feel free to add additional resources that you have found in the comments section!

The National Education Association offers many Inauguration Day activities for students at all grade levels. The resources include a collection of inaugural addresses, a quiz, and a special online Library of Congress presentation with more than 40 photographs, manuscripts, campaign posters, letters, broadsides, and inaugural speeches representing 18 presidents.

C-Span Classroom has lesson plans, videos, and activity sheets. You can find a wealth of resources for students to help them understand events occurring on inauguration day and interpret the inaugural address that will be given by Joe Biden on January 20, 2021. Teachers can choose to have students view the inaugural address and use one of several viewing guides to analyze the speech. Activities and handouts include a note-taking chart, guiding questions, topical analysis, an evaluative rubric, and a BINGO game. Check it out!

Take a look at the resources offered by Education World. These materials are aimed at all grade levels. Includes letter-writing activities, examining photographs, vocabulary work sheets, comparing inaugural addresses, an inaugural firsts trivia hunt, and more.

Close Up Washington DC offers many virtual resources, particularly for middle school and high school students. Feel free to check it out.

Check out these resources for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

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The celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Monday, January 18, offers educators a really great opportunity to share the story of this great historical figure. Dr. King was much more than a civil rights leader. Among his many interests, he was also a passionate advocate of education and life-long learning, and an avid student of history who urged his fellow citizens to appreciate and gain a thorough understanding of history to avoid repeating it. He once said, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”

To aid classroom teachers with their MLK Day presentations, here are some instructional resources to consider for your use. Feel free to add more in the comments section below.

Scholastic. Biographical information, plays, memorable quotes, interactive timeline, book lists, lesson plans, reproducibles. Grade levels K-12. www.scholastic.com.

PBS. Resources to teach the life and impact of Martin Luther King. Videos, lesson plans, Civil Rights glossary, interactive timeline, personal narratives. Grades 7-12. www.pbs.org.

The History Channel. A wealth of materials about the Civil Rights leader can be found on the website, including biographical material, photo galleries, his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. See The History Channel.

The Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize Foundation offers a good biography for Martin Luther King at Nobel.

CA teacher Melissa Rojas earns a Staples “Thank a Teacher” Award

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California teacher Melissa Rojas is one of 20 educators nationwide who has earned a 2020 Staples “Thank a Teacher Award.” (Photo Credit: Fontana Herald News)

Congratulations go to Melissa Rojas, an English teacher at Fontana High School in Fontana, California. She is one of 20 educators that have been named a recipient of a 2020 Staples “Thank a Teacher” Award.

Melissa was singled out for the recognition because of her outstanding work with graduating seniors in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. She wanted to do something special for her students, who lost out on the two most memorable experiences of the their senior year: Prom and commencement. “Senior year is a crucial time for students,” Melissa asserted. “It broke my heart that my seniors couldn’t attend prom. I wanted to do what i could to let them know they are amazing kids who deserve to have great memories of their senior year,” she continued.

For their prom, Melissa contacted a local candy maker who prepared gifts of chocolate-dipped strawberries, some created to resemble a prom dress and others created to imitate a tuxedo. Then she spent the day with members of her family delivering the treats to the homes of her students. For their commencement, Melissa delivered gift bags containing personalized water bottles and inscribed with inspirational messages.

As part of the recognition from the Staples “Thank a Teacher” Program, Melissa will receive $5,000 to spend on supplies for her classroom. The office supplies store is happy to provide the cash awards to the recipients. “Staples knows that teachers will need our support more than ever — whether they’re teaching in the classroom, remotely or a combination of both,” remarked Mike Motz, Chief Executive Officer of Staples US Retail.

For more information about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link at the Daily Bulletin.

E. Alice Taylor: Educator, social reformer, and community organizer

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Educator, social reformer, and community organizer E. Alice Taylor of Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: African Americans in Boston)

I truly believe that teachers are among the most dedicated social reformers in any community. One such teacher is E. Alice Taylor, an educator and community organizer from Boston, Massachusetts.

Alice was born in 1892 in Alexander, Arkansas. She was a graduate of Arkansas Baptist College, earning her degree in 1913. At some point, she established her home in Boston.

In 1927, Alice founded a branch of Annie Malone’s Poro Beauty School and Beauty Shoppe in Boston. She managed the vocational school for 15 years, until the outbreak of World War II forced its closure. By then, the facility had grown to employ 15 teachers and to serve 150 students each year, and it had become one of New England’s largest minority-owned businesses.

In addition to her work as an educator, Alice founded and served as the president of the Professional Hairdressers Association of Massachusetts. She also served as an officer and a board member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for 50 years. She was a member of numerous community service organizations, including the League of Women for Community Service, the Charitable Health Association of Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Union of Women’s Clubs, and the Massachusetts Human Relations Committee.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away from natural causes on January 1, 1986, in Boston. She was 94 years old. To read more about E. Alice Taylor, see this link to African Americans in Boston.