At the beginning of a new school year, everyone is looking to be their best in the classroom — and that includes teachers! Here are just a few items from our Literacy and Learning Collection that can bring a fresh perspective to teachers. Summaries provided by the publishers.

Teaching reading fundamentals and strategies with social-emotional learning by Marjorie S. Schiering
This book provides six different strategies for teaching the fundamentals of reading with social-emotional learning in mind. With engaging lesson plans, there is a strategy for every learner, including the teaching of thinking with reciprocity among three phases, and recognizing feelings with distinguishing thinking from feelings, as well as their impact on teaching and learning. Memory and comprehension types are also given attention. Oral reading guidelines and silent reading directives are provided along with emphasis on differentiated instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. Awareness of how everything in the classroom is connected to social-emotional learning helps meet the needs of all learners.

The advocate educator’s handbook : creating schools where transgender and non-binary students thrive by Vanessa Ford, M.A.T., and Rebecca Kling
So often, the resources available to adults advocating for transgender students are boring, overly focused on abstract policy, don’t include the voices of transgender people, or don’t spend enough time on tangible and practical ways to improve the lives of trans kids. This book includes practical tools that readers can start using on day one, personal stories from its co-authors, input from both trans youth and trans adults, and model policies for teachers, school administrators, and public policymakers. There are ways to engage trans youth, and youth allies to ensure adults are advocating with youth, not simply for youth.

Shift teaching forward : advancing career skills to prepare tomorrow’s workforce by Kelly Cassaro with Dana Lee
How can teachers prepare students for academic success and the ever-changing job market? What are employers looking for in applicants, and how do we coach jobseekers to be ready on day one? In Shift Teaching Forward, author Kelly Pesce Cassaro gives educators the knowledge, insight, and practical advice they need to prime students for the social, emotional, and behavioral skills they need to thrive. Modern demands task educators to not focus not only on standards alignment and technical skills, but also on the soft skills that will make students excel academically and stand out as job candidates.

The new assistive tech : make learning awesome for all! by Christopher R. Bugaj.
School districts often struggle to develop consistent practices for meeting the needs of special education students. You’ll learn how embracing student-centered approaches like project-based learning and growth mindset help support students with disabilities. You’ll get guidance on how to plan and execute education experiences using technology centered around students’ individual needs. And you’ll discover how to effectively and consistently evaluate and select technology supports based on the specific needs of an individual student, while actively including the learner in the technology consideration process.

Bring history and civics to life : lessons & strategies to cultivate informed, empathetic citizens by Karalee Wong Nakatsuka and Laurel Aguilar-Kirchhoff.
This user-friendly guide will empower and equip teachers to take a fun, interactive approach to using technology to teach history and civics. Although all U.S. states have standards for the teaching of history, there’s a lack of consistency when it comes to teaching civics. How can educators better prepare their students to become engaged, informed and empathetic citizens? One way is by harnessing the power of digital learning to make history come alive for students, establishing a climate and culture that encourages students to be effective collaborators and lifelong learners who care about and contribute to society. With this book, two dynamic, award-winning educators draw clear connections between history, civics, community — and technology — in meaningful and actionable ways to deepen students’ understanding of democratic processes and civic engagement.

Resurgence : engaging with Indigenous narratives and cultural expressions in and beyond the classroom edited by Christine M’Lot and Katya Adamov Ferguson.
Resurgence is a powerful collection of Indigenous voices in poetic, artistic, and narrative texts to support teachers in bridging existing curricular plans with rich, living texts and expressions. Christine M’Lot and Katya Ferguson have made the decision to treat each submission as a “living text” that acts as a springboard for engagement with Indigenous voices and pedagogies that teachers can use with students of all ages (K-12). Each narrative, poem, or artistic expression provides a gift to teachers that evokes critical reflection of past and current teaching practices and inspires new quests and questions.

Ready-to-use resources for grit in the classroom : activities and mini-lessons for building passion and perseverance by Laila Y. Sanguras.
Ready-to-Use Resources for Grit in the Classroom provides tools to help teachers, students, and families understand and foster passionate, creative, and curious grit in all students. It can be difficult and time consuming to figure out how to develop grit in the classroom. This resource includes student activities and mini-lessons that can be completed in fewer than 10 minutes, with activities on topics from goal setting to re-examining failure to optimism. Interactive and engaging, this book challenges students to rethink failure, push past obstacles, and passionately pursue their interests. Featuring helpful teacher instructions, Ready-to-Use Resources for Grit in the Classroom is the perfect addition to any educator’s social-emotional learning library.