Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Enacted on October 28, 1992 as public law, its purpose is to honor the achievements of Asian/Pacific Americans and to recognize their contributions to the United States. For more information, go here.

Get Caught Reading Month. Consider setting up a "Get Caught Reading" corner this month. For more information about this literacy campaign, go here.

National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month. Over 70 million people in the United States have asthma and/or allergies. For more information, go here.

National Bike Month. For more information, visit the official website here. May 12-16, 2008 is Bike to Work Week.

National Mental Health Month. For more information, go here.

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Celebrated since 1983, the nation has observed National Physical Fitness and Sports Month during May. For more information, go here.

Older Americans Month. For more information, go here.

May Day. Celebrated since ancient times, May Day is still commemorated around the world. Traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include crowning a May Queen and dancing around a Maypole.

Mother Goose Day. Purpose: To re-appreciate the old nursery rhymes. Motto: "Either alone or in sharing, read childhood nursery favorites and feel the warmth of Mother Goose's embrace."

For more information, activities, fingerplays, recipes, and more, go to the Mother Goose Society.

National Day of Prayer. Go here for more information.

National Postcard Week. May 1-7. Encourage your students to correspond with friends or family via postcards. Go here for a printable friendship postcard.

Save the Rhino Day. The total population of all rhinos is 12,500. For more information go to S.O.S. Rhino.

U-2 Spy Plane Shot Down. Anniversary. On May 1, 1960, a U.S. spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Russia. Powers was "exchanged" in 1962 for a captured Soviet spy and returned to the U.S. For documents (with photos), go here.

Hudson Bay Company Chartered. On this day in 1670, King Charles II of England granted a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company. The Company was made up of French explorers and fur traders. For more information, go here.

Space Day. Since its launch in 1997, the Space Day educational initiative, which takes place on the first Thursday of each May, has evolved into a massive grassroots effort dedicated to the extraordinary achievements, benefits, and opportunities in the exploration and use of space. For more information go here.

Mavis Jukes. Birthday. Born on this day in 1947, Jukes is the author of books for children and teens. She wrote the Newbery Honor book Like Jake and Me. To read an interview with Jukes, go here.

Niccolo Machiavelli. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 3, 1469; Died June 22, 1527. Machiavelli, an Italian writer and statesmen, is known as the father of modern political theory. For more information, go here.

Be Kind to Animals Weeks. May 4-10. For more information go here.

Doug Cushman. Birthday. Born May 4, 1953. Children's book author and illustrator. Visit his website here.

Horace Mann. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 4, 1796; Died August 2, 1859. Considered by many to be the father of American public school education. For a brief biography visit PBS Online: Only a Teacher. You may also wish to visit PBS School: The Story of American Education.

International Reading Association's Annual National Convention. May 4-8. Go here for more information.

National Teacher Appreciation Week. May 4-10. Established in 1984 by the National PTA®. Celebrated during the first full week in May "to honor the dedicated men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating our children."

Don Wood. Birthday. Born May 4, 1945. Wood is a children's book illustrator. He collaborated with Audrey Wood on the classic, The Napping House. For a brief biography, go here.  

Nellie Bly. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 5, 1864; Died January 22, 1922. Nellie Bly was the pen name of Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, a pioneer woman journalist. Be sure to visit PBS: Around the World in 72 Days. Recommended books:

It Can't Be Done Nelly Bly! A Reporter's Race Around the World by Nancy Butcher. Grades: 3-6.
Nellie Bly: Daredevil Reporter by Charles Fredeen. Grades: 4-8.


Cinco de Mayo. Commemorates the 1862 victory by outnumbered Mexican forces over French soldiers. Go here for a webquest (appropriate for grades 2-3). Go here for more information.

Leo Lionni. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 5, 1910; Died October 11, 1999. Lionni was a children's book author and illustrator. He wrote Frederick, among others. Go here for a brief biography. For lesson plans and resources using Lionni's books, go here.

J. Patrick Lewis. Birthday. Born May 5, 1942. Lewis is a poet and children's book author. Visit his website here.

Karl Marx. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 15, 1818; Died March 14, 1883. Marx was a German philosopher, political economist, and often referred to as the father of communism. Go here for more information.

John T. Scopes Arrested. On this day in 1925, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching Darwinism in a Tennessee public school. For more information, go here.

Todd Strasser. Birthday. Born May 5, 1950. Strasser is a children's book author. Visit his website here.

Ted Lewin. Birthday. Born May 6, 1935. Lewin is a children's book illustrator. For a brief biography, go here.

Barbara McClintock. Birthday. Born May 6, 1955. McClintock is a children's book illustrator. For a brief biography, go here.

Kristine O'Connell George. Birthday. Born May 6, 1954. George is a poet and children's book author. She wrote Hummingbird Nest among others. Visit her website here.

Hindenburg Disaster. Anniversary. The Hindenburg burst into flames on May 6, 1937 while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 people. A German passenger airship, it was the largest dirigible ever built. For more information, go here.

National Nurses Week. May 6-12. For more information, go here.

National Teacher Day. Originated 1953. Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge wanted to designate a day that would honor teachers. She wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt who then persuaded Congress to proclaim the first Tuesday of the first full week in May as National Teacher Day. For more information, go here.

Johannes Brahms. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 7, 1833; Died April 3, 1897. Brahms was a German composer in the Romantic era. For more information, go here.

Robert Browning. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 7, 1812; Died December 12, 1889. Browning was an English poet and playwright best known for his dramatic monologues. For more information, go here.

Nonny Hogrogian. Birthday. Born May 7, 1932. Hogrogian is a children's book author and illustrator. She won the Caldecott Medal in 1972 for One Fine Day.

Lusitania Sinks. On this day in 1915 off the coast of Ireland, the British ocean liner Lusitania sank after being torpedoed by a German submarine. Of the 1,959 people on board, 1,198 drowned.

For more information, go here.

National School Nurse Day. For more information, go here.

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 7, 1840; Died November 6, 1893. Tchaikovsky composed such classics as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. For more information, go here.

Edward Gibbon. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 8, 1737; Died January 16, 1794. Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his work The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Milton Meltzer. Birthday. Born May 8, 1915. Meltzer is a highly regarded author of children's non-fiction. For more information, go here.

Harry S. Truman. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 8, 1884; Died December 26, 1972. Truman was the 33rd president of the United State (1945-1953). For a brief biography, go here.

V-E Day, World War II. Anniversary. On May 8, 1945, the Germans unconditionally surrendered. Both Britain and the United States celebrate this day as Victory in Europe Day.

Richard Adams. Birthday. Born May 9, 1920. Adams is a children's book author. He is perhaps best known for Watership Down.

J.M. Barrie. Anniversary of birth. Born May 9, 1860; Died June 19, 1937. Barrie was a children's book author best known for Peter Pan. For more information, go here.

Eleanor Estes. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 9, 1906; Died July 15, 1988. Estes was a children's book author. She won the Newbery Medal in 1952 for Ginger Pye.

Caroline B. Cooney. Birthday. Born May 10, 1947. Cooney is a children's book author. She wrote The Face on the Milk Carton among others. For a brief biography and interview, go here.

Christopher Paul Curtis. Birthday. Born May 10, 1954. Curtis is a children's book author. His book, Bud, Not Buddy won the Newbery Award in 2000. Visit his website here. The following are links to lesson plans based on Curtis's books:

Bud, Not Buddy
Appalachian State University: Literature Circles Unit. Grade: 5
galeschools: Teacher's Guide. 24-page PDF. Grades: 5-7.
Reading to Kids: Bud, Not Buddy. Grades: 5-7.
William and Mary Navigator. Grades: 5-7.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
Maribel Garza-Castro: Multicultural Literature Activity. Grades: 5-7.
Novelinks: Unit Plan. Grades: 5-7.
Random House: Teacher's Guide. Grades: 5-7.

"Gold Spike" Anniversary. On this day in 1869 in Promontory, Utah, California Governor Leland Stanford struck the ceremonial "golden spike" that joined the Union Pacific Railroad (coming from the east) and Central Pacific Railroad (coming from the west), thus completing the nation's first transcontinental railway.

Nazi Book Burnings. On this day in 1933 near the University of Berlin, university students set fire to more than 20,000 books. Works by Albert Einstein, Freud, Proust, Marx, and others were burned. The Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, stated in a speech to the crowd: "My fellow students, German men and women, the era of exaggerated Jewish intellectualism is now at an end. The triumph of the German revolution has cleared a path for the German way . . .." For more information and to see film footage of the event, including Goebbels' speech, visit the Holocaust Encyclopedia website.

Minnesota Admitted to Union. On this day in 1858, Minnesota was admitted to the Union as the 32nd state. For more information, go here.

Mother's Day. The idea originated with Anna Jarvis of Pennsylvania. First observed in 1907. Today, by Presidential Proclamation, it is observed on the second Sunday in May.

Looking for Mother's Day Printables? Try these. (You will need Adobe Reader to view and print them. Go here for a free copy if you do not have one—it's fast and easy! )
	A "Dear Mother" note with blank lines. PDF file.		A "Dear Mother" letter with blank lines. PDF file.		"Happy Mother's Day" coloring page. PDF file.

National Police Week. May 11-17. For more information, go here.

National Transportation Week. May 11-17. By Presidential Proclamation, it has been celebrated since 1960. For more information, go here.

Peter Sis. Birthday. Born May 11, 1949. Sis is a children's book author. He wrote The Starry Messenger among others. Visit his website here.

Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Birthday. Born May 11, 1927. Snyder is an award-winning children's book author perhaps best known for The Egypt Game. Visit her website here.

Bike-to-Work Week. May 12-16. For more information, go here.

Edward Lear. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 12, 1812; Died January 29, 1888. Lear was a children's book author. He wrote The Owl and the Pussycat. For more information, go here.

Farley Mowat. Birthday. Born May 12, 1921. Mowat is a children's book author. For more information, go here.

Florence Nightingale. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 12, 1820; Died August 13, 1910. Nightingale was a pioneer of nursing. For a brief biography, visit The Florence Nightingale Museum.

Limerick Day. Celebrated on this day in honor of one of its champion, Edward Lear. Limericks date from the early 1700s. The following are links to lesson plans and activities:

LearnNC: Positively Poetry, Writing Limericks Grade: 3.
EDSITEment: Edward Lear, Limericks, and Nonsense: There Once Was . . . Grades: 3-5.
Readinga-z: Limerick Lesson Plan. Grades: 3-6.
Schoollink: Lear, Limericks, and Literature. Grades: 9-12.

National Stuttering Awareness Week. May 12-18. For more information, go here.

First Permanent English Settlement in America. Colonists from Blackwell, England arrived at Jamestown, Virginia on this day in 1607.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park Established. On this day in 1930, Carlsbad Caverns was designated a National Park. For more information, go here.

Eoin Colfer. Birthday. Born May 14, 1965. Colfer is a children's book author. He is best known the the Artemis Fowl series. Visit the author's website here.

Gabriel D. Fahrenheit. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 14, 1686; Died September 16, 1736. Fahrenheit was a German physicist born in Danzig, Poland. He devised the Fahrenheit scale of temperature recording. The freezing point of water on this scale is 32 degrees and the boiling point of water is 212 degrees. For information on how a thermometer works go here.

Jamestown, Virginia. Founding. May 14, 1607. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the New World. For more information, go here.

Lewis and Clark Expedition. Anniversary. The expedition began on May 14, 1804. For more information, go here.

George Selden. Birthday. Born May 14, 1929; December, 1989. Selden was a children's book author. He wrote The Cricket in Times Square. For a brief biography, go here.

Smallpox Vaccine Discovered. Discovered May 14, 1796 by William Jenner. For a brief profile of Jenner, go here. For more information on the vaccine, visit the CDC website.

L. Frank Baum. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 15, 1856; Died May 6, 1919. Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz. For an article about Baum's life, visit the Literary Traveler website.

Norma Fox Mazer. Birthday. Born May 15, 1931. Mazer is a children's book author. She wrote Goodnight, Mamam. For a brief biography and interview, go here.

Paul Zindel. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 15, 1936; Died March 27, 2003. Zindel was a children's book author and Pulitzer Prize winner. He wrote The Pigman and Me. For activities and lesson plans, go here. Be sure to visit the author's website.

Caroline Arnold. Birthday. Born May 16, 1944. Arnold is a prolific children's book author. Visit the author's website.

Biographers Day. Celebrate by having students research a famous (or not-so-famous) person. Visit the following sites for ideas and lesson plans:

Biographies
Infoplease Biography Almanac. 30,000+ biographies.
Time: 100 People Who Shape Our World.

Lesson Plans
read-write-think: Biographies: Creating Timelines of a Life. Grades: 3-5
The Biography Maker. Takes students through each step of writing a biography. Grades: 4-6.
Scholastic: Biography Writer's Workshop. Grades: 4-8.
A&E Biography Project: Teaching with Biography®. Grades: 6-12.
New York Times Biography Lesson Plans. Grades: 6-12.

Bruce Coville. Birthday. Born May 16, 1950. Coville is a children's book author. Visit the author's website.

Brown v. Board of Education Decision. On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that segregation of public schools was "inherently unequal" and violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which guarantees all citizens "equal protection of the laws." Go here for more information.

Eloise Greenfield. Birthday. Born May 17, 1929. Greenfield is a children's book author. For a brief biography, go here.

National Safe Boating Week. May 17-23. Go here for more information.

Gary Paulsen. Birthday. Born May 17, 1939. Children's book author. Wrote Hatchet among others. For more information, go here.

Tom Feelings. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 19, 1933; Died August 25, 2003. Feelings was a children's book author. He wrote The Middle Passage among others. For more information, go here.

Lindbergh Flight. Anniversary. On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew his plane, named the Spirit of St. Louis, on the first solo trans-Atlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France. For more information, visit the Charles Lindbergh site.

Mary Pope Osborne. Birthday. Born May 20, 1949. Osborne is a children's book author. She writes the Magic Tree House book series. For more information, go here.

American Red Cross Founded. Founded on May 21, 1881 with Clara Barton as its first president. For more information, go here.

Armed Forces Day. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration was a result of the unification of the Armed Forces under one department—the Department of Defense.

Crater Lake National Park Established. On this day in 1902, Crater Lake and some surrounding land was designated a National Park. It is one of the world's deepest lakes.

For more information, go here.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 22, 1859; Died July 7, 1930. Coyle is the creator of Sherlock Holmes. His first story, A Study in Scarlet, was published in 1887. For more information, go here.

Arnold Lobel. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 22, 1933; Died December 4, 1987. Lobel was a children's book author and illustrator. He wrote Frog and Toad among others. Lobel won the Caldecott Medal in 1981 for Fables. For more information, go here.

Richard Wilhelm Wagner. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 22, 1813; Died February 13, 1883. Wagner was a German conductor and composer of operas (music dramas). He is perhaps best known for the "Ride of the Valkyries." You may download and listen to the music here.

Margaret Wise Brown. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 23, 1910; Died November 13, 1952. Brown wrote Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, both classics. For more information, go here.

Susan Cooper. Birthday. Born May 23, 1935. Cooper is a children's book author. She won the Newbery Award in 1976 for The Grey King. For more information, visit her webpage.

Scott O'Dell. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 23, 1898; Died October 15, 1989. O'Dell was a children's book author. He won the Newbery Medal in 1961 for Island of the Blue Dolphins.

South Carolina Admitted to Union. On this day in 1788, South Carolina was admitted to the Union as the 8th state. For more information, go here.

World Turtle Day. For more information, go here.

Brooklyn Bridge Opened. On this day in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River opened. The bridge connects the cities of Brooklyn and New York. For more information, go here.

First Telegraph Message. On this day in 1844, Samuel Morse transmitted the first telegraph message. It read, "What hath God wrought?"

Arthur. Anniversary of First Publication. Published on May 25, 1976, Arthur is a popular children's book series. Made into a television show, it won the Emmy Award. Arthur is the creation of Marc Brown. For more information, go here.

Constitutional Convention Begins. On this day in 1787, delegates from all states (except Rhode Island) met at the Pennsylvania State House for the Constitutional Convention. For more information, go here.

Recommended book: Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz.

National Missing Children's Day. Go here for more information.

Golden Gate Bridge Opened. On this day in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge opened to vehicular traffic. At the time it opened it was one of the world's largest single-span suspension bridges.

Sierra Club Founded. John Muir founded the Sierra Club on this day in 1892. For more information, go here.

Jim Thorpe. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 28, 1888; Died March 28, 1953. Thorpe, a Native American, won both the pentathlon and decathlon events at 1912 Olympic Games. For more information, go here.

Brock Cole. Birthday. Born May 29, 1938. Cole is a children's book author and illustrator. He wrote and illustrated Buttons among others. For a brief biography, go here.

Patrick Henry. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 29, 1736; Died June 6, 1799. Henry, a leader in the American Revolution, uttered the famous words: "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death." For more information, go here. The following are links to lesson plans:

read-write-think: Battling for Liberty. Grades: 6-8.
EDSITEment: Voices of the American Revolution. Grades: 9-12.

First Ascent of Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and his guide, Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa, reached the summit of Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain which stands at 29,035 feet. For more information, go here.

Wisconsin Admitted to Union. On this day in 1848, Wisconsin was admitted to the Union as the 30th state. For more information, go here.

American Daily Newspaper First Published. May 30, 1783. The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper published in America.

Joan of Arc Feast Day. Joan, a young French peasant, led the French army to victory at Orléans during the Hundred Years War. She was later captured and eventually burned at the stake for heresy. For more information go here. For a lesson plan appropriate for grades 9-12, visit: EDSITEment: Witnesses to Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War. While there are many books available about Joan of Arc, one we especially recommend is:

Joan of Arc
Author: Diane Stanley
Pages: 48
Publisher/Date: HarperTrophy/ Reprint edition, 2002
ISBN: 0064437485
Age Levels: 9-12
For more information, visit the publisher's page.

Will Hillenbrand. Birthday. Born May 31, 1960. Children's book author and illustrator. Visit his website here.

Johnstown Flood. Anniversary. On May 31, 1889 the Connemaugh River Dam burst, flooding nearby Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing over 2,200 people. For more information, go here.

Walt Whitman. Anniversary of Birth. Born May 31, 1819; Died March 26, 1892. Whitman was a poet and journalist. Published in 1855, the now-classic Leaves of Grass is his most famous work. Recommended book: Poetry For Young People: Walt Whitman by Jonathan Levin and Jim Burke. For more information about Whitman, visit the Walt Whitman Archive. For a list of websites which explore Whitman, go to the Classroom Electric. The following are links to lesson plans:

EDSITEment: Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy. Grades: 9-12.
Georgia Learning Connections: "I Hear America Singing." Grades: 9-12.
The Learning Page: Historical Voices, Poetic Visions. Grades: 10-12.