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Wednesday Word of the Week: Tla’amin

Tla’amin (TLAH-ah-mihn) [Human Geography]noun. people and culture native to the coast of southwestern Canada. Tla’amin people say they have lived in British Columbia, Canada, “from time immemorial.” According to their traditions, they have always lived on the land and used its resources. Their place along the northwest coast has made the marine environment an especially important part of their culture. In the late 1800s, however, … Continue reading Wednesday Word of the Week: Tla’amin

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Classroom Ideas

April is National Poetry and National Humor Month!

2010-10-29_10080_people.JPG“Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower, but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down to day, nothing gold can stay.”  

That is the only bit of poetry I have ever been able to memorize.  It is a poem by Robert Frost titled “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” and I read it when I was in eighth grade in Mrs. Milton’s English class.  Why have I remembered it all of these years?  I really couldn’t say.  It might be because I read it as a passage in the book, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and I found it fitting and descriptive of the story at the time.  Plus, we spent weeks memorizing it and reciting those short eight lines of verse in class.  April is National Poetry and National Humor Month.  Today, let’s take a look at what poetry and laughter have to offer in educational settings.

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Classroom Ideas, Take Action

50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides–FREE Event!

Read below for information about an exciting event for middle and high school students celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides. National Geographic is supporting this initiative along with our partners in the Thinkfinity Consortium.

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From May until November 1961, more than 400 diverse and committed Americans rode south together on buses and trains, putting their bodies and freedom on the line to challenge the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial injustice and inequality in public transportation. The Freedom Rides changed the Civil Rights Movement and demonstrated the power of individual action to change the nation.

On Wednesday, February 9, 2011 (less than a week from today!), middle and high school students across the country will join together electronically for a National Youth Summit on the Freedom Rides and activism. Freedom Rides veterans Congressman John Lewis, D-GA, Diane Nash, Jim Zwerg, and Reverend James Lawson will share how they became involved in the Freedom Rides and how their lives were affected by them. They will join filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Freedom Riders) and scholar Raymond Arsenault to discuss the meaning of the Freedom Rides and the role of young people in shaping America’s past and future. 

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International Literacy Day

It’s International Literacy Day!

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This day of recognition is sponsored by the United Nations and the International Reading Association (IRA), a National Geographic Education partner and member of the Verizon Thinkfinity Consortium, and supported by many other leading organizations.

IRA suggests classrooms celebrate the day by participating in a readathon, kicking off a cross-grade reading buddy program, or making original books to share with others in the community. For additional ideas, download the IRA’s collection of ideas: Idea Starters! International Literacy Day Activities and Events.

Check out these other International Literacy Day resources for bibliophiles and beginning readers alike:

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