Jessica Fries-Gaither 

In honor of Women's History month, here are two new picture book biographies to add to your reading list. One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World's Oldest University by M. O. Yuksel illustrated by Mariam Quraishi Harper (HarperCollins Children's Books), 2022 One Wish shares the life of Fatima al-Fihri, a Muslim woman born around 800 CE in Tunisia. Her family fled to Fez, Morocco when Fatima was a child, and she spent the rest of her life there. Fatima had an unquenchable thir

Yesterday (March 20, 2022) was the vernal equinox, the official beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Or as I should say, "astronomical spring." I recently learned that there is also a "meteorological spring," which follows the calendar and is based on the annual temperature cycle. For the Northern Hemisphere, meteorological spring runs from March 1 to May 31. I assume that climate change will affect the dates of the meteorological seasons at some point, while the a

Updated 3/21/22: Congratulations to Janelle Holland! She won a copy of Science Notebooks in Student-Centered Classrooms! Winner has been contacted by email. I'm thrilled to share that my latest book, Science Notebooks in Student-Centered Classrooms, is finally available from the NSTA Bookstore! 10 years in the making and four years in the actual writing and revising, this labor of love gives you a glimpse into my elementary science classroom and my students' actual science no

Recently, I brought back one of my all-time favorite lessons: an experiential learning activity about the incredible migration of the Arctic Tern. I conduct this activity with my second grade students as it perfectly blends our studies of habitats and adaptations (with a special focus on birds). First, some background knowledge. Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) The Arctic Tern is a small white and grey bird with a black head, red bill, and red legs. It makes the longest annual