April is National Poetry Month! Occurring annually, from April 1-30, National Poetry Month was launched in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. The intent of National Poetry Month is to celebrate poets’ role in our culture and to reinforce the idea that poetry matters. 

Anis Mojgani is Oregon’s current Poet Laureate. Mojgani is a two-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam and winner of the International World Cup Poetry Slam. As Poet Laureate, Mojgani’s role is to serve as an ambassador of poetry across the state. Here’s Mojgani sharing a poem that was commissioned by the Oregon Parks Department in celebration of the Parks’ Centennial celebration (the celebration took place in 2022). 

ReadWriteThink has curated numerous lessons and resources to help educators celebrate National Poetry Month. Similarly, National Council of Teachers of English shares lessons and resources that feature some former US Poet Laureates as well as some young adult (YA) authors who write novels in verse. 

April is also School Library Month, and April 4 was School Librarians Day. Established by the American Association of School Librarians, this month-long celebration honors school librarians and school libraries. April 23-29 marks National Library Week, and this year’s theme is “There’s More to the Story.” You can find resources and more information from the American Library Association.

April 23 is not only William Shakespeare’s birthday, but it is also Talk Like Shakespeare Day. There are numerous lessons and resources available. 

Whether you’re building lessons around School Library Month, National Poetry Month, or Talk Like Shakespeare Day, may your weather be sunny, your lessons be engaging, and your impact be great!

New and Noteworthy

Addressing Challenged Materials in K-12 Education: Guidance to School Districts

In December 2018, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) first released “Guidance to School Districts: Addressing Challenged Materials in K-12 Education” and published an update in May 2019. Among other things, this 2023 update includes clarifications about the laws and rules that apply to instructional materials selection and an expanded section of recommendations for addressing challenged materials. The goal of this guidance is to help classroom teachers, school library staff, school administrators, and district leaders fulfill their important roles in maintaining a welcoming and enriching learning environment in the context of instructional materials. 

The document is located on ODE’s English Language Arts page, as well as on the Library and Media Education page.

ODE Announcements 

SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK ON RAISE UP OREGON: SECOND EDITION   

Help make sure the state’s plan for early childhood meets your needs! The second edition of Raise Up Oregon is open for public feedback. Your input can help shape the actions of government agencies and improve early learning and care in Oregon. This first draft of Raise Up Oregon, second edition, shares proposed goals, strategies, and objectives. We want to hear from families, professionals, and communities what they think are the most important priorities and if anything needs to be added or modified.  

Your voice matters!How can Oregon better serve young children and their families? Does this plan address your community’s priorities? Does this plan meet your needs, and the needs of your child? We want to hear from you! The deadline to share feedback is Friday, April 30 at 5 p.m. 

Any questions, please email Remy Watts, remy.watts@ode.oregon.gov

Research and Resources for Your Classroom

Multilingual/English Learner Resource Bank The Oregon Open Learning Team is pleased to announce that the Multilingual/English Learner Resource Bank is now available!  The Multilingual/English Learner Resource Bank was created to support HB 3499 (2015). This bill directed the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to create an online resource bank for sharing evidence-based, culturally responsive best and promising practices for serving multilingual/English Learner students and engaging their families.  During the 2021-22 school year, a cohort of Oregon educators worked on the “OER Development Grant: Supporting Students who are Emergent Bilingual” project. Together, they participated in professional learning and went through a process of developing, piloting, iterating, and evaluating lesson plans to contribute to the Oregon English Language Development group. At the end of the project, the final lesson plans were evaluated using the Oregon OER Quality Framework. The lessons that met this high quality standard are now featured as the first resources in the Multilingual/English Learner Resource Bank.  A big shout out to all of the grantees for their hard work on this project! We look forward to seeing this collection grow.

Achieve the Core Offers New Collection to Support Equitable Literacy Instruction

Student Achievement Partners launched the Supporting Equitable Literacy Instruction through Text Selection, Analysis, and Use collection on the Achieve the Core website.

Each and every student deserves equitable access and opportunity to develop their academic, linguistic, and cultural identities through grade-level, joyful, linguistically sustaining, and culturally responsive-sustaining learning experiences with texts. In this collection you will find a resource hub with tools, models, and professional learning, including: 

• text analysis tools,
• sample lesson plans,
• lesson guide templates, and
• educator reflections about engaging in this work.

LearningExpress Library and PrepSTEP Have AP Test Prep Materials LearningExpress offers a skill-building and test-preparation product, and it is available through OSLIS at no cost to the Oregon K-12 community. In the past, all users, whether K-12 or not, accessed the resources from the same platform: LearningExpress Library (LEL). However, the company now has separate platforms for various audiences. PrepSTEP for High Schools consolidates the resources from LearningExpress Library that are most relevant for high schoolers, and it is now the default platform on OSLIS. Among other things, PrepSTEP/LEL offers materials to help students prepare for AP exams. From the secondary “Find Information” page on OSLIS, click through these three steps: LearningExpress logo => Prepare for College center => Get Ready for AP Tests. This Google doc has information about which AP subjects are covered, registering for an account on PrepSTEP/LEL, assigning PrepSTEP content via an LMS, and more. Please let your students know about this resource. Questions? Contact your library staff or Jen Maurer (jennifer.maurer@slo.oregon.gov), School Library Consultant at the State Library of Oregon.

Library Corner

Native American Read-In

This family-centered virtual event, sponsored by the University of Washington, celebrates Native American heritage and promotes the importance of literacy and lifelong learning. The event will be held Sunday, April 16, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. Pacific and will feature:

• Angeline Boulley, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
• Cynthia Leitich Smith, Muscogee Creek Nation
• Tasha Spillett, Manitoba Metis Federation, descendant of Cumberland House First Nation and Opaskwayak First Nation
• Mandi Harris, Cherokee Nation
• Tony Duncan, Apache, Arikara, Hidatsa
• Violet Duncan, Plains Cree, Taino
• Cheryl A. Metoyer, Associate Professor Emerita at the University of Washington, Information School and Adjunct Associate Professor Emerita at the University of Washington, American Indian Studies Department
• Nicole Roessel Neidhardt, Diné (Navajo) of Kiiyaa'áanii clan on her mother’s side and a blend of European ancestry on her father’s side. 

Register Here

News Literacy Project Free Webinar Series

How to find news you can trust

Skills for seeking credible information

How can we determine whether sources are credible? The News Literacy Project is offering a free webinar series to help you successfully navigate the crowded and rapidly changing information landscape.

April 12, 19 and 26 | 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT. Register once to access all three sessions.

Library and Media Education Page Updates

ODE’s Library and Media Education page has been updated. It now includes Library Program Requirements, guidance on addressing challenged materials (reconsideration process), as well as numerous professional development and instructional resources.

Opportunities for Educators

Oregon Early Learning Conference

The goal of this conference is to serve PreK-2 programs in Oregon with presentations on cutting-edge research and best practices from educators throughout the state. Join teachers, coordinators, principals and other early learning professionals who have a common interest in developing effective early learning programs, inclusive curriculum, learning  environments,and teaching strategies .

The conference, held at the Embassy Suites Conference Center at the Portland Airport, is hosted by Oregon ASCD, and is a collaborative effort with Early Learning leaders from Oregon schools, ESDs, nonprofits and universities. Please consider attending the half-day pre-conference on April 18, the main conference day on April 19—or sign up for both days!

Event Webpage

Registration Link

Oregon Writing Project Summer Institute

The Oregon Writing Project’s Invitational Summer Institute provides a supportive environment for educators to explore their possibilities as writers, teachers and leaders. 

Check out Oregon Writing Project for more details.

Course Details:

Dates & Times: June 9-July 14, 2023

Location: TBD in the Portland Metro area

• Opening Workshop: Friday, June 9th, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
• Class Meetings: Saturday, June 10; Thursday-Friday, June 22-23; Monday-Friday, June 26-30; Wednesday-Friday, July 5-7, Monday-Friday, July 10-14, 2023, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Application Information

Applications are currently being accepted. The final application deadline is Friday, April 28th.

Online Application

With questions or for more information, contact Linda Christensen at lmc@lclark.edu.

Opportunities for Students

Jakob and Sala Kryszek Art and Writing Competition

Art and Writing Competition

The 2023 Jakob and Sala Kryszek Art and Writing Competition prompt has been released. Open to Oregon and Southwest Washington students in grades 6-12, the competition encourages students to evaluate history, foster an awareness of the Holocaust, and make relevant connections to their life. The two Grand Prize winners — one for art and the other for writing — will win a trip to Washington D.C. to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for themselves, a caretaker, and their teacher!

Prompt

Choose one of the following: listen to an oral history of an Oregon survivor of the Holocaust, read one of their memoirs or experience summaries, or listen to a speaker as part of a school program.

Select a specific word, phrase, or part of the survivor’s story that had an effect on you. Then create a piece of writing or visual artwork that represents why it is meaningful to you and how you will carry this into the future.

Submissions are due April 28, 2023. View competition webpage.

38th Annual Oregon Writing Festival for Students Portland State College of Education invites students grades 4-12 for a day-long celebration and practice of writing with the help of 150 teachers and professional writers. This year’s event will be held at Portland State College of Education on Saturday, May 6, from 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Students bring a sample of their best writing to read aloud, then review, in small groups. They participate in two writing workshops, and they listen to award-winning authors talk about their writing practice. Schools choose whom to send. The cost per student is $40, and schools must send a teacher for every 10 students.   Keynote speakers are Mike Lawrence, William Ritter, and Kylie Schachte. For more information or registration materials, write to Barbara Wiegele (bjwiegele@aol.com), or Rick Hardt (hardtu@pdx.edu). Find more information here

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