Learning Network: Our Summer Reading Contest, Mentor Text and Unit Plan

Independent reading and writing all summer ...

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story May 1, 2020

Dear Reader,

Every year since 2010 The Learning Network has invited teenagers around the world to add The New York Times to their summer reading lists, and so far over 60,000 have.

Participating in our Summer Reading Contest is easy: Every week, we invite students to choose an article, photo, video, podcast or graphic in The Times that has sparked their interest and to tell us why. At the end of the week, judges from the newsroom pick their favorite responses, and we publish them.

We provide students with plenty of links to free Times content for inspiration, but also remember that principals and teachers can register to get high school students free digital access to The Times through early July.

To support teachers and students, we just published two new contest-related resources, a unit plan and a mentor text feature, which highlight 14 teen-written responses as well as four steps for writing comments that are richer, more analytical and, well, just more fun to write (and read).

If you’re interested in learning more about our Summer Reading Contest, sign up for our free webinar on Wednesday, May 6, at 4 p.m. Eastern time. We hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Michael Gonchar and Katherine Schulten, Editors

ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS What’s Going On in This Graph? | May 6, 2020 How has the foreign-born share of the U. S. population changed over time? By The Learning Network student opinion What Do You Miss Most About Your Life Before the Pandemic? Are there moments of “normalcy” that you feel nostalgic for? Is there anything from life a few months ago that you took for granted? By Shannon Doyne weekly news quiz for students Weekly News Quiz for Students: States Reopen, N.F.L. Draft, a Fiftieth Anniversary How well did you follow the news this past week? How many of these 10 questions can you get right? Compiled by Jeremy Engle and John Otis student opinion What Are Your Hopes for Summer 2020? What Are Your Worries? As the coronavirus pandemic continues, how do you think this summer will be different from others? What are you still looking forward to doing this summer? What possible changes are you concerned about? By Nicole Daniels student opinion How Do You Connect With Your Parents? Are there shared interests or hobbies, such as sports, books, movies or games, that bring you closer together? By Nicole Daniels picture prompts I’m Sorry What story does this image inspire for you? By The Learning Network student opinion Is It OK to Laugh During Dark Times? Humor is one of the main coping mechanisms during periods of sickness, death and anxiety. Is it OK to make jokes in a pandemic? By Jeremy Engle picture prompts Ramadan in Isolation Coronavirus is transforming Ramadan this year. How has it affected the religious or spiritual traditions you or your community observe? By The Learning Network

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RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS mentor texts Writing Rich Reading Responses: Our Summer Contest Four key elements that can make a short response sing, with work from previous teenage winners as inspiration. By Katherine Schulten writing curriculum Unit 7: Independent Reading and Writing Honoring “voice and choice” all summer long, with help from our 10-week contest and many other Times and Learning Network resources. By The Learning Network current events conversation What Students Are Saying About ‘Life by the Numbers,’ Accents and Pandemic Protests Teenage comments in response to our recent writing prompts, and an invitation to join the ongoing conversation. By The Learning Network current events Lesson of the Day: ‘Now Virtual and in Video, Museum Websites Shake Off the Dust’ In this lesson, students will take a virtual field trip through some of the world’s greatest museums. By Jeremy Engle current events Lesson of the Day: ‘Black Americans Face Alarming Rates of Coronavirus Infection in Some States’ In this lesson, students will analyze data on race and the coronavirus and share their opinion on what should be done to prevent deaths in black and Latino communities. By Nicole Daniels current events Lesson of the Day: ‘Reopening Has Begun. No One Is Sure What Happens Next.’ In this lesson, students will explore the challenges that come with gradually restarting businesses and evaluate their state’s plan to address them. By Natalie Proulx current events Lesson of the Day: ‘New York and Boston Pigeons Don’t Mix’ In this lesson, students will consider geographic factors that may explain why the pigeons in one part of the East Coast are genetically different from the rest. By Shannon Doyne and Michael Gonchar current events Lesson of the Day: ‘Imagine Online School in a Language You Don’t Understand’ In this lesson, students will consider the challenges of remote learning when you don’t speak the same language as the teacher. As a Going Further option, they can research what their school district is doing to support English-language learners. By Nicole Daniels

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ELSEWHERE IN THE TIMES High School Seniors Are Making Yearbooks on Instagram The class of 2020 has given up prom, graduation and other rites, but they’re sharing memories and celebrating each other’s achievements online. By Taylor Lorenz Should the Virus Mean Straight A’s for Everyone? Schools nationwide are debating whether to issue grades to high school students during the coronavirus pandemic. By Dana Goldstein How Teachers Are Fighting to Make Meaningful Connections With Students Teachers and students are stressed. Here’s some things we learned talking with educators. ‘It Was Just Too Much’: How Remote Learning Is Breaking Parents For the adults in the house, trying to do their own jobs while helping children with class work has become one of the most trying aspects of the pandemic. By Elizabeth A. Harris Teachers of Special-Needs Students Struggle With Feelings of Helplessness Remote learning has proved challenging for students who need intensive one-on-one guidance. By Alina Tugend

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