|By Gale Staff| Come December, elementary students are bubbling over with excitement in anticipation of their treasured winter celebrations. With a classroom of high-spirited children on their hands, elementary educators often find themselves in need of strategies to harness that effervescent energy for culturally inclusive literacy and social studies lessons. The challenge, of course, is … Read more
| By Gale Staff | Observed every November 10, UNESCO established World Science Day in 2001 to celebrate the spirit of scientific progress and accomplishment. World Science Day can inspire lesson plans and encourage educators and students to take a closer look at the impact of science in our everyday lives. For educators, World Science … Read more
|By Gale Staff | As fall transitions into the holiday season, students begin dreaming of winter break and spending time with loved ones. You can take this opportunity to spark discussions about Thanksgiving to connect students’ impatience for the holidays with lessons about how the traditions we take for granted came to be. To get … Read more
|By Gale Staff| Benjamin Banneker was born free in 1731 on a small tobacco farm in Maryland. Although his classroom education lasted only a short time, he continued learning on his own, relying on borrowed books and his diligence in observation to cultivate a lifelong study of mathematics and science. At a time when many … Read more
| By Gale Staff | Imagine receiving an alert on your phone that an earthquake has occurred hundreds of miles away from your home—so far, that you couldn’t feel it yourself, but now a tsunami may be heading toward your town. How would you respond? What immediate steps would you take to reach safety? World … Read more
Each generation has its iconic touchstones, creations that capture something in the zeitgeist, that speak to their audience in a way that both reflects and shapes the culture. Every once in a while, one of those will resonate with the next generation and even the next, although often what speaks to the younger audience will … Read more
In less than three decades, a handful of companies have grown from dorm-room startups and garage projects into institutions that rival governments in wealth and influence. Tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have embedded themselves in the infrastructure of modern life to a point where it’s difficult to imagine a world without … Read more
On October 20, 2025, the first glow of Diwali—also called Deepavali, from the Sanskrit for “row of lamps”—will flicker to life in homes from Mumbai to Melbourne, and Madurai to Minneapolis. The festival usually falls on the new moon in Kartika, the Hindu lunar month corresponding to October or November in the Gregorian calendar. The … Read more
Why can’t we have everything we want? It’s a simple question, and probably one you’ve heard from your own students. Why can’t they buy both snacks? Why can’t recess last all afternoon? Behind those everyday frustrations lies scarcity, or the fact that there are always more wants and needs than there are resources to meet … Read more
A sudden clap of thunder, rain hammering the windows, a gust of wind that makes the whole building creak. This kind of spectacle, equal parts thrilling and unsettling, captures students’ attention instantly. Teachers can leverage that fascination as an opening to explain what’s happening and why, using age-appropriate content that celebrates curiosity without increasing concern. … Read more