AdLit News Headlines

High school journalists asked Chicago Public School students how Pedro Martinez could fix Chicago schools. This is what they found out.

During the middle school years, our children are discovering who they are as individuals, but also forming opinions about the world around them. It’s a lot to digest. Your child may already have an array of classic books to consult as they’re growing up, but if you’re looking to offer some diversity to their at-home library and their world view, we have the perfect list of inclusive young adult books they won’t want to put down.

As 2021 winds down, so do popular trilogies by four YA authors: Roshani Chokshi, Mackenzi Lee, Natasha Ngan, and Kiersten White. We asked each of them about the origin of their series, the writing experience throughout, and what comes next.

Research shows that typical highlighting may hinder learning. Here are three highlighting strategies that actually work.

Whether you’re looking to branch out into the literary category for the first time or simply want a new read to hunt for in your favorite section of the bookstore, this list of must-read YA titles is for you.

Exploring prospective majors and deciding between campuses is a significant part of the student experience; one that can be quite daunting for families who deal with language barriers. This past week East Hall High School hosted its first-ever Latino College Night to provide information on college admissions and campus life to Spanish-speaking and bilingual families. 

Watch as curriculum designer Betsy Potash explains hexagonal thinking, an activity designed to get kids thinking critically, making novel connections, debating, and providing evidence to support their reasoning—by visually connecting a series of ideas written on paper or digital hexagons around a theme. This simple, flexible activity gets students collaborating to make connections between key themes—in any unit you are teaching.

Biographies and memoirs get to the heart of subjects’ lives and are often a gateway for readers who aren’t naturally drawn to nonfiction. They offer windows into others’ experiences and mirrors of one’s own experiences, and as Dr. Rudine Sim Bishop posits, these titles provide sliding doors that teens can step through—entryways into lives that have often gone unsung and untold.

Nearly half of teens said the pandemic had a negative impact on their academics. Five young people give  some insights into how the pandemic affected their academics — and the things they learned outside of the classroom.

Exploring the mysteries of the planet and the beings that may exist beyond our comprehension is what anchors Darcie Little Badger’s acclaimed young-adult fiction. Her new YA book, ‘A Snake Falls to Earth’, to be published Nov. 23, was long-listed for this year’s National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. And like her debut, Elatsoe, which was published to fanfare in 2020, Little Badger’s new genre-bending narrative draws on her heritage and the tradition of story-telling that has informed her worldview.

Teachers at Logan High School are taking an innovative path to help improve the selection of engaging and current reading materials in their classrooms by introducing students to a classic and interactive whodunit mystery.

A lot of conversations on social media about underrated YA books are packed with title recommendations that have either hit the bestseller list — sometimes numerous times — or have been on major award lists — sometimes multiple lists. It’s hard to truly find gems that are underrated when what constitutes that qualifier isn’t quantified. 

High school English has a heavy emphasis on reading classic literature but as Dumbledore reminds us in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” So much of what makes reading for fun fun is getting to choose what to read. Innovative Memphis educators are using that idea to inspire a new generation of literary scholars.

New materials can leave kids in the fog. Here are five metacognitive questions they can use to find their way and become more independent learners.

A middle school English as a Second Language teacher reflects on what her students have taught her about learning a new language.

High school counselor Dylan Ohara has watched a troubling pattern emerge as students settle into the school year. After spending most of their time at home for a year and a half, many kids simply don’t know how to act around their peers. “The social drama is just so incredibly amplified beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

Gary Paulsen, author of the middle school staple “Hatchet,” died Oct. 13 at 82. Teachers and librarians in Los Angeles and beyond were saddened by the news but expressed deep gratitude to a man whose inspiring, plot-driven stories captivated readers young and old. 

Research examining the effects of a 2004 Florida law requiring middle school students scoring below proficiency levels on a state exam in either math or English to complete two courses the next year — one grade-level class and one remedial class — in the same subject, suggests adolescents who take remedial classes are better prepared for academic success in high school and college. 

Cafe Momentum layers multiple forms of support; education, basic supplies and real-world skills. They are key to staying out of the justice system but hard for many youth to find at home.

A focus on belonging, creativity, and metacognition is helping one school lead students away from superficial learning.

Middle school students build literacy skills and explore who they are growing to be in an independent reading unit centered on the theme of identity.

Push students past simple recall into deeper thought and engagement by adding this short follow-up question to your repertoire.

How do you devise high school SEL lessons that don’t feel preachy and align with adolescents’ cognitive and psychological development. Read to find out!

Seven years after students from a small, suburban Rhode Island high school successfully advocated for the adoption of financial literacy standards, state lawmakers have made proficiency in personal finance a requirement for high school graduation, beginning with the class of 2024.

Educators can take the initiative to provide safe and welcoming spaces in their classrooms and school community.

Even before the pandemic upended school, test scores in both reading and math declined for 13-year-old students, the first drop registered in a half century in testing meant to measure student proficiency over time.

High school teachers focus on what they learned from pandemic instruction to support students’ learning in the classroom this year.

Listen as Thomas and Adeyemi discuss their journeys as authors and the importance of diverse voices in Young Adult Literature.

For socially marginalized girls, access to second chances during adolescence, such as the opportunity to reenter education or gain technical skills, can play a key role in fostering well-being and improving life outcomes for them and their families.

Experts and educators have many suggestions to help children understand what they read.

Think middle grade readers aren’t brave enough handle creepy stories? Clearly you haven’t been around enough middle graders lately. Kids love to get scared. Here are nine truly terrifying books for fearless middle grade readers. And yes, adults are going to love (and be afraid of) these books too!

Ariana Grande, Maroon 5 and others have pitched in to help adolescents obtain free, mental health care. 

Catcher in the Rye’s meaning has remained a part of literary discussions and education programs since its publication in 1951 because its themes are still relevant even for modern students. Take a look at a few of the lessons this novel teaches.

Educators need to consider the context, the content, and the individual child when deciding how much screen time kids should have.

Documents that a whistle-blower provided to The Wall Street Journal showed that Instagram made body-image issues worse for one in three teenage girls. Those findings are not surprising to many young women.

What are some good adult reading possibilities for teens? A longtime children’s and teen librarian offers a wide selection of mystery, romance, nonfiction and science fiction selected by fellow librarians and teens.

Researchers at The University of Miami will use an Institute of Education Sciences grant to study the effects of an intensive reading program for middle school students with or at-risk for reading disabilities.

A climate of disinformation in students’ homes lives is making it harder to teach critical thinking.

The NY Times invites students (age 11-19) to choose an issue or question in science, technology, engineering, math or health, then write an engaging 500-word explanation. Contest Dates: Feb. 2 to March 9, 2022.

Hundreds of students, parents and residents in York County, Pa., protested limits on books told from the perspective of gay, Black and Latino children.

Assignments that align with standards and hone students’ critical thinking skills can boost their engagement in learning.

Rather than buying into the false assumption that high-achieving kids will do fine on their own, we need to do a better job of making sure that all high achievers, including those from low-income backgrounds, get the education they deserve.

Teachers can support students in developing skills that allow them to effectively evaluate content from a variety of media sources.

An online petition to reinstate slavery that made its rounds at a high school in Kansas City this month is the latest in a series of incidents sparking outrage from parents and students who say race-related controversies at the school are an all-too-common occurrence.

In America, around 17 million children are battling hunger. An entrepreneur has teamed with rap star Gunna to open a free grocery store inside his old middle school in Georgia to try to begin to change that.

Students missed homecoming, field trips and classes, while also handling anxiety and economic precarity. Now, they must leap into the future, with the school’s help.

Monica Zepeda is a triple threat of the literary variety. She is a teen librarian at the Beverly Hills Public Library in Los Angeles County, a debut young adult author, and an award-winning screenwriter. Her first YA novel, Boys of the Beast, won the Lee & Low 2019 New Visions Award for new authors of color, and will be published in February 2022. Zepeda spoke with PW about her role as teen librarian, and the journey she took while crafting Boys of the Beast.

More and more kids are talking openly about their mental health and while that may feel alarming, it’s actually a good sign that young people are confiding in adults. Now that in-person learning is back in session in most parts of the country, many school systems are trying to meet the overwhelming mental health needs of students. 

Listen in as Kacen Callender talks about the pressure to make characters from marginalized backgrounds “good,” and the fun you can have when you ignore some of that pressure.

As Halloween creeps up, these five audio dramas deliver chills and thrills. 

Teacher collaboration across disciplines provides middle school students with work that reinforces learning and develops their research and writing skills.

If the ultimate goal of K–12 education is to offer equitable access to high-quality curricula leading to greater college access and success, policymakers need to rethink their approach to AP and look beyond it.

The open letter by Martin Luther King Jr. is an excellent resource for teaching persuasive writing and much more.

The middle grade graphic novel boom of the past several years has publishers looking at new ways to tell old stories, and two trends have emerged: faithful adaptations of backlist books, particularly series, along with imaginative reinventions of classics in the public domain.

Listen to twin brothers from rural Arkansas who reflect on their path to college in the midst of the pandemic.

Grade inflation is awful. Giving students higher grades than they earned rewards them with grades they don’t deserve and makes them think they know more than they do. Right? Maybe not.

Listen as Jason Reynolds, an award-winning author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, speaks with Manoush Zomorodi about reaching kids through stories that let them feel understood.

‘Black Boy Joy’ brings together 17 stories of positivity. Kwame Mbalia came up with the idea for his book during the summer of 2020 protests. He wanted to show that Black boys’ lives aren’t only about the “bad stuff, the trauma” often shown in the media. 

Executive dysfunction is perhaps the most visible and debilitating symptom of ADHD for middle school students, many of whom would benefit from a 504 Plan with thoughtful accommodations. Here, learn how to pursue the most appropriate supports for your teen.

As we go back to school, many students of color are hurting and want to be heard