Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1081161
E D U C A T O R S C E L E B R A T E R E A D I N G and literacy all year long, but especially on Read Across America Day, this year on Friday, March 1. Choose a book to read to your students (such as Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai, one of NEA's book selections for elementary students), and invite special guests to help, like local police officers, firefighters, or even the mayor. Get more ideas at NEA's readacrossamerica.org, and while you're there, check out the cool new digital calendar with book suggestions for every month of the year. #readacrossamerica C T A ' S C A L I F O R N I A R E A D S (cta.org/californiareads) has recommendations for books for all grade levels throughout the year, such as So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth's Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt (grades 3-5). The book traces Sojourner Truth's life from a painful childhood as a slave in the early 1800s through her remarkable emancipation to her leadership in the movement for rights for both women and African Americans. In The First Rule of Punk, by Celia C. Pérez (grades 6-8), 12-year-old Malu loves rock music, skateboarding and zines. She's a misfit at her new school until she forms a band with a group of similar kids — which immediately causes waves with the administration and at home. But the first rule of punk is to be yourself, and Malu does exactly that. #californiareads Read Across America! Develop Yourself B O T H N E W A N D veteran teachers will find something inspiring and eminently useful at CTA's Good Teaching Conference South, March 22-24 in Garden Grove. How can you resist peer- and expert-led workshops and presentations with titles such as "There Is No Suck in Science" and "Are You Playing With a Full Deck?" Best practices and cutting-edge thinking boost your teaching, refresh your brain, and hone your professional edge. Register at ctago.org. #CTAGTC 10 cta.org In the Know N E W S & N O T E S