Literacy

A class-action lawsuit alleges Lucy Calkins, Heinemann Publishing, and Fountas & Pinnell, among others, engaged in "deceptive and fraudulent marketing" that resulted in harm to students exposed to the whole language reading method and curricular products; registration is open for LibLearnx in January; auction offers rare items and experiences to benefit We Need Diverse Books; and more in News Bites.

Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, shares ways to teach vital media literacy skills without igniting controversy during a highly polarized election.

A college student finds connection through a love of reading while mentoring a New York City elementary school student with the Read Ahead literacy program.

Physical books that play narration can increase students' reading confidence. Parents also like the format as an alternative to digital devices.

As reading instruction swings toward phonics, librarians need to stay in the game with decodables. These suggestions, plus a sampling of publishers' offerings, will help.

Suggestions for curation, displays, word study activities, and more. 

Suggestions for teaching strategies, prompt-writing skills, and tools, plus an overview of those ethical questions. 

Readers had their say about "Dictionaries on the Chopping Block," the latest Scales on Censorship column, and more.

These books nurture literacy, empathy, and understanding.