Digital Media and Youth Body Image

The nonprofit Children & Screens has distilled a lot of research about the impact of digital media usage on body image for kids and teens into a very digestible two-page handout. 

It has a succinct infographic on one side and a bunch of bullet points on these topics on page 2 - including citations to research.

• Content Matters
• The Role of Selfies, Filters, and Avatars 
• Interventions and Protections

Children and Screens points out that "social media use is closely linked to body dissatisfaction, restricted eating, and low self-esteem, especially during adolescence.[ This handout] distills the latest findings into clear takeaways for parents, educators, and policymakers."

They have more articles and resources about links between body image and screen use.

Children & Screens: The Institute of Digital Media and Child Development is a great source of well-researched and practical information about the impact of digital media on children

BPL Bookmobile at BMS in Sept. & Oct.

The Beverly Public Library Bookmobile will be here on these dates/times in Sept and Oct. I am VERY happy to help your students get public library cards, to set up a visit and tour of the public library as a walking field trip, or to help get materials for you or your students from the public library - in addition to materials from the BMS library as well of course!!

• Th 9/4 - 11:00-11:30 
• Wed 9/10 - 1:30-2:15
• Th 9/25 - 11:00-11:30
• Wed 10/1 - 1:30-2:15 (but this is an early release day)
• Th 10/16 - 11:00-11:30
• Wed 10/22 - 1:30-2:15

If I'm reading the schedules correctly...

Wednesday 1:30-2:15 stops are during

• Gr 5 - team time (until 2:08)
• Gr 6 - end of GA2 (until 1:38) and start of team time
• 7 Balch & Cabot - Team A block (until 2:08)
• 7 Hale - Team B block (until 2:08)
• Gr 8 - Team A block (until 2:08)

Thursday 11-11:30 stops are during

• Gr 5 end of GA & Recess
• Gr 6 lunch & start of team
• Gr 7 block A or B
• 8 Balch GA2, 8 Cabot RISE, 8 Hale A)

Google Translate Updates

Google Translate has a lot of updates and is shifting some of its strategy. Here's some info to help you get caught up. The big moves include a practice mode for language learners and a live translate mode to help with back and forth conversations.

Google Translate takes on Duolingo with new language learning tools - TechCrunch, August 26, 2025

New Practice option:

• new language practice feature for both beginners and advanced speakers
• To access practice feature, select the “practice” option in the Google Translate app then set skill level and goals.
• tracks users’ daily progress
• in beta right now 
• available first for English speakers practicing Spanish and French, as well as for Spanish, French, and Portuguese speakers practicing English.

New Live Translate option:

• introducing ability for users to have back-and-forth conversations with audio and on-screen translations in more than 70 languages 
• tap the “Live translate” option in the Translate app and then select the language you want to translate by simply speaking.

Read more from Google:

New AI-powered live translation and language learning tools in Google Translate - The Keyword (newsletter from Google), August 26, 2025

Attendance Trends

Article: Students Are Missing School at an Alarming Rate - NY Times 11/17/23

The article references analysis by Attendance Works and Everyone Graduates.

Math Puzzles for the Public

"The revised edition of the critically acclaimed 2000 book, Mathematical Puzzles—heralded as 'the best collection of mind-stretching teasers ever assembled' by celebrated computer scientist Donald Knuth—is now available free online on the mathematics department's website. The classic collection, which features puzzles from every continent, is designed for amateur mathematicians of any age, no calculus skills required."- from Research Buzz, Oct. 15, 2023

• Learn about the book
• Access the book online here

13 Free Google Slides Templates for Teachers

From Make Tech Easier via ResearchBuzz: 

13 Free Google Slides Templates for Teachers . "As an educator, you may want to use a visual tool but don’t have much time beyond lesson plans, grading, and lectures. If you’d like to create a presentation for your students or fellow staff members, this list includes several free Google Slides templates for teachers to get you started."

Letters About Literature Contest

The Letters about Literature contest opens on October 2 and will accept entries until January 18, 2024.

The Mass Center for the Book invites students from Grades 4 to 12 to read a literary work of their choice and write to its author explaining their personal connection to the theme, a character, or the author's viewpoint. There are cash prizes for those who place in the #1-#3 spots for each of 3 age categories and up to 7 honorable mentions. Most years there is an in-person celebration in spring which students who place well are invited to attend at the State House in Boston.

Letters will be accepted electronically in class/group sets by teachers, librarians, and writing centers or individually by students.


If you are interested in this contest for any/all of your students, here is more information. I am happy to support you or your students with this, please let me know if I can do anything!


All about LAL - read some 2023 winners, see guidelines, entry form, schedule an informational meeting, get teaching aids, etc.

Music about Safety for Kids

Believe it or not, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has released a collection of songs aimed at youth 13-24 about safety that are actually pretty catchy and not stupid. They are also in the public domain so you can download and post or whatever!


The whole EP is here on YouTube.
We're Safety Now Haven't We is a collection of songs created by USCPSC to teach young Americans (ages 13 to 24) how to avoid some of the most common hazards in their lives.

More info about each track or download MP3 here: We’re Safety Now Haven’t We

Protect Ya Noggin - about wearing a helmet - versions in English and in Spanish! Between 2013 and 2022, an average of 212,000 young people a year between the ages of 13 and 24 were injured in incidents related to bikes and similar vehicles.

Phone Away - about not walking/biking etc. while looking at. your phone. Between 2013 and 2022, an average of 5,100 young people a year between the ages of 13 and 24 went to the emergency room with injuries related to using phones while moving.

Se Pone Caliente (Spanish) - about smoke detectors
Between 2013 and 2022, an average of 7,200 young people a year between the ages of 13 and 24 went to the emergency room with injuries related to home fire incidents.

Going Off Like Fireworks - Between 2013 and 2022, an average of 3,200 young people a year between the ages of 13 and 24 went to the emergency room with firework-related injuries.

Off Road Adventure - Between 2013 and 2022, an average of 36,000 young people a year between the ages of 13 and 24 were injured in ATV-related incidents.

Beats To Relax / Be Safe To

Public Library card applications in translation

Some of your families may find this of interest.The library has just added library card applications in Albanian, French and Haitian Creole and they already had Portuguese, Spanish and French. These are fillable forms.

There is also an Arabic application available but only in printed form from the circ desk, although I'll ask if I can get a scan of it that we can share/print out.

Printable versions of library card applications: (English) (Portuguese) (Spanish) (Haitian) (Albanian) (French).

Your Hot Job from TFK

Your Hot Job is from Time For Kids

The About section says:
Our most critical mission is to show all young people that there is no single route to success, and that anything is possible. Your Job empowers kids to tap into their strengths and start exploring career opportunities relevant to the ever-changing future of work. The platform is free for all, thanks to funding provided by the PwC Charitable Foundation.

See more resources for educators and families

Here's the educator's guide

Citizen Science Opportunities and Projects

There are some interesting Citizen Science opportunities that could be a great fit for student civics projects that they may not have thought of.


CZ-Tip - Sign Up for Coastal Citizen Science
Community-based data collection helps fill gaps left by government, private, and nonprofit groups with limited funds to research, explore, and protect vast natural systems.

Community Science - Mass Audubon

Citizen Science - for teachers from UMass

Salem Sound Coastwatch Volunteer

9/11 - 22 years ago on Monday

If you are interested in marking the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 on Monday, here are some materials that may be of either personal interest or to use with students:

Plan Your Own Observance - from 9/11 Memorial and Museum

9/11 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience

Join students and teachers from around the world to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 by registering for the FREE 9/11 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience, formerly known as Anniversary in the Schools. View a film highlighting first-person accounts of the attacks and their aftermath and connect with Museum staff in real-time through an interactive live chat. The 30-minute program will be available on demand beginning Monday, September 11, 2023.

• Viewing Guide: Grade 3-5
• Viewing Guide: Grades 6-8

Read 2011 ten-year anniversary recollections shared by staff at Beverly Middle School. - this is viewable only by BPS staff

FDA: Talking about Vaping with Youth

Free resources from the FDA for teachers, students, and parents to learn more about the dangers of vaping nicotine.

Includes

• For teachers: lesson plans focused on the latest science-based vaping prevention information from FDA
• For students: the latest science-based materials on vaping prevention from FDA
• For parents: the most up-to-date, science-based resources on vaping prevention from FDA

Giving kids more independence may help anxiety

This piece really resonated with me: This Simple Fix Could Help Anxious Kids

Quote: "While there could be many reasons our kids are suffering, what if the problem was simply that kids are growing up so over-protected that they’re scared of the world? If so, the solution would be simple, too: Start letting them do more things on their own."

There's also a good video showing lots of kids who look about 4-6th grade

This is the website/program Let Grow mentioned in the piece

The "big kids" need reading help due to COVID disruptions

Children hit hardest by the pandemic are now the big kids at school. Many still need reading help.
Stuck with distance learning as they began grade school, the kids who are now finishing elementary school were the ones most disrupted by COVID, with alarming delays in their reading ability.

Some excerpts:

• "as this generation progresses, many will need extra reading support that schools are not as accustomed to providing for older students."
• Last year’s third-graders, the kids who were in kindergarten when the pandemic started, lost more ground in reading than kids in older grades and were slower to catch up. 
• an analysis of last year’s test scores by NWEA found that the average student would need the equivalent of 4.1 additional months of instruction to catch up to pre-COVID reading levels.
• Historically, phonics and help decoding words have gradually disappeared in the upper grades.
• Most English teachers at that level are no more prepared to teach a student to read than a math teacher would be,
• Lewis, of the NWEA, said the takeaway should not be that the COVID kids are beyond help. “The message has to be: We’re doing the right things. We’re just not doing enough of it,” she said. “And we need to amp up and certainly not take our foot off the gas pedal anytime soon.”

Mass. Gen Z politicians

Local Gen Z politicians pushing to become leaders of today (26 min., aired on WBUR's Radio Boston on August 23, 2023)

Inspirational radio show/podcast interviewing 3 18-20 year olds in Massachusetts who are either serving in or running for local office. The way they frame the need to be involved in and invested in their town's political could give students some powerful examples of how they can effect change in their own community.

• Omar Mohuddin, a 19-year-old Northeastern student running for mayor in Woburn
• Trey Fuccillo, a 20-year-old city council candidate for Marlborough’s 6th Ward
• Angus Abercrombie, a 19-year-old who currently serves as a Town Meeting member in Belmont.

Edutopia: 11 Books for School Leaders

11 Books To Refresh Your Leadership Library - Edutopia, August 18, 2023, By Paige Tutt

"We asked educators in our community to share the books that most profoundly influenced their leadership approach in recent years."

See the article for details on these book recommendations:

1. The First Days of School: How to Be An Effective Teacher by Harry and Rosemary Wong
2. Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
3. The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity by George Couros
4. Connecting Through Conversation: A Playbook for Talking with Students by Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns
5. Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
6. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
7. Street Data by Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan
8. Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms by Joe Feldman
9. The Assistant Principal 50: Critical Questions for Meaningful Leadership and Professional Growth by Baruti K. Kafele
10. Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff Division by Anthony Muhammad
11. Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Lynn Hammond

National Constitution Center educational materials

Constitution Center - Education - The National Constitution Center’s framework for learning integrates three main components: Historical Foundations through Storytelling; Constitutional Interpretation Skills; and Civil Dialogue and Reflection.

You can find classroom materials by constitutional topic.

Constitution Day is September 17.

Greater Good Science Center

Based at UC Berkeley, the Greater Good Science Center provides a bridge between the research community and the general public. The GGSC studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.

Greater Good Education Center "presents education professionals with practical, scientific insights that help them bring the science of a meaningful life into their lives, schools, and classrooms. It draws on disciplines such as social-emotional learning (SEL), mindfulness, character education, and related topics. Our goal is to help them better understand the roots of kind, helpful--or "prosocial"--behavior and emotional well-being, and how they can build those skills in themselves, their colleagues, and their students."

Teaching & Learning for the Greater Good is "An online course that puts the science of social-emotional learning & mindfulness into action in classrooms and schools." It costs $199.

Podcasts for Kids

14 podcasts to teach kids about history, identity, and current events (Mashable, 11 Aug 2023) has podcasts that are recommended by Common Sense Media and geared to kids mostly ages 9-14. Topics range from current events and news to issues about identity, multiculturalism (and in multiple languages!), history, culture and more.