Each month during the school year, FPES provides its member newspapers with educational resources for important holidays and observances.
September October November December January February March April May June
American Founders’ Month / Constitution Day (Sept. 17) / Celebrate Freedom Week (Sept. 26-30)
American Founders’ Month encourages Florida public schools to coordinate instruction at all grade levels related to the nation’s founders. Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. Celebrate Freedom Week commemorates the founding principles of our nation.
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Celebrate Freedom
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Democracy Reignited
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: All About the Benjamins
- Center for Civic Education publication: We the People
- NIE publication: Time Stone Series of American Heroes Benjamin Franklin & Teacher Guide
- Archives of Project Gutenberg: Original text of the Federalist Papers
- National Archives: Correspondence and Other Writings of Six Major Shapers of the United States
- National Archives: Lesson Plans: Teaching Six Big Ideas in the Constitution
- Library of Congress: The American Founders Online: An Annotated Guide to Their Papers and Publications
- PBS Learning Media: Alexander Hamilton | Lawyer, Writer, and Founding Father
- PBS Learning Media: Benjamin Franklin | Writer, Inventor, and Founding Father
- History Channel: Constitution Day Lesson
- NEA: Constitution Day, Grades 6-8
- PBS News Hour: News for Students and Teacher Resources 7–12 Grade Level Founding Fathers
September 11
This date marks the anniversary of the tragic events that took place in America on September 11, 2001.
- NIE publication: Remembering 911
- St. Petersburg Times 9/11 special section
- 9/11 Memorial and Museum
- Naval History and Heritage Command: The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks
- Federal Bureau of Investigation: 9/11 Investigation
- Library of Congress: Poetry of September 11
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
About 1 in 6 children in the United States has obesity. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month provides a chance to learn ways to promote healthy growth in children and prevent obesity.
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Get Connected to a Healthier You
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Balancing the Body and Mind
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Food Adventures
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Fuel Your Fitness
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Passport to Flavor
- Florida Press Educational Services NIE publication: Operation Nutrition
- PBS Learning Media: Childhood Obesity | the.News
National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15)
Hispanic Heritage Month begins each year on September 15, the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile and Belize also celebrate their independence days during this period and Columbus Day (Día de la Raza) is October 12.
- National Parks Service: American Latino Heritage Projects
- National Hispanic Heritage Month Resources
- EBSCO: Top Resources for National Hispanic Heritage Month
- National Endowment for the Humanities: Hispanic Heritage and History in the United States
- Smithsonian Institution Hispanic Resources
- Anti-Defamation League: 8 Ideas for Teaching National Hispanic Heritage Month
- PBS: Latino Americans
- NCTE: Hispanic Heritage Month begins today
National Newspaper Week (Oct. 1-7)
The theme of National Newspaper Week 2023 is: In Print. Online. For You.
- National Newspaper Week Teacher Guide 2023
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Journeys in Journalism – An Exploration of Photography
- Newspaper Association of America Foundation: Keep it Real
- Newspaper Association of America Foundation: A Good Read: Literacy Strategies With Newspapers
- American Press Institute: Introductory News Literacy
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Anatomy of the Tampa Bay Times
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast cancer is the second-most common kind of cancer in American women. About one in eight women born today in the United States will get breast cancer.
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Breast Cancer: Understanding your risk
- Tampa Bay Times NIE teacher guide: Breast Cancer Understanding your risk Activity Guide
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Understanding Your Body: Breast Health Education for Adolescents
- Tampa Bay Times NIE teacher guide: Understanding Your Body: Breast Health Education for Adolescents
National Substance Abuse Prevention Month / Red Ribbon Week
National Substance Abuse Prevention Month is an annual observance focused on raising the public awareness and encouraging communities to take action and get involved to prevent substance use. Each year families, communities, and organizations across the country come together to raise awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and the importance of investing in prevention.
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Plugged In
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Street Smart Prevention
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Wicked Garden
- Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Red Ribbon Week Toolkit
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Breaking the Cycle of Teen Dating Abuse
- Newspaper in Education Using the News activities
National Fire Prevention Month
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Fire Prevention
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Wildfire Safety
Florida Holocaust Education Week (Nov. 6-10)
Holocaust Education Week in Florida is held annually the second week in November which coincides with the anniversary of Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938.
- Florida Department of Education Holocaust Education Week
- Holocaust Remembrance Week NIE Teacher Guide
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Genocide in the 20th and 21st Centuries
- The Florida Holocaust Museum Resources for Educators
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Online Tools For Learning And Teaching
- A Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust
- Facing History and Ourselves
- USC Shoah Foundation
- Learning for Justice
Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
- NIE Special Report: Chronicles of Courage
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Floridians and War
- NIE publication: Our Veterans – Sharing Their Stories
- NIE publication: Our Veterans Our Stories
- National Education Association (NEA) Lessons
- PBS News Hour Lesson Plans
- History Channel
- THE VIETNAM WAR: A Ken Burns Film, PBS
Florida Recycles Week (Nov. 13-17)
National Native American Heritage Month
- Florida Archives Lesson Plans: The Florida Seminoles
- Seminole Tribe of Florida Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum Curriculum Materials
- The Seminole Tribune
- The Library of Congress: National American Indian Heritage Month
- National Congress of American Indians
- NCTE: November is National American Indian Heritage Month
- Project 562
- PBS Learning Media
- Florida Center for Instructional Technology at USF: Florida Then and Now
- National Endowment for the Humanities: Native American Cultures Across the U.S.
- The National Museum of the American Indian: Native Knowledge 360
- Florida Humanities: FORUM Magazine
Bill of Rights Day (Dec. 15)
- NIE publication: It’s Your Right
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Celebrate Freedom
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Democracy Reignited
- National Archives: Bill of Rights Day
- National Archives: The Bill of Rights
- Archives of Project Gutenberg: Original Text of the Bill of Rights
- Bill of Rights Institute
- Cornell University: Bill of Rights
- White House: The Constitution
Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Day of Service (Jan. 15)
This American federal holiday celebrating Dr. King’s contribution to the United States and to humankind is observed on the third Monday of each January.
- Newspaper in Education Use the News Lessons
- NIE publication: The Civil Rights Movement
- National Park Service publication: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Racial and Social Justice: A Curriculum for Empowerment
- National Park Service Lesson Plans and Teacher Guides
- Stanford University’s King Institute’s Liberation Curriculum
- PBS NewsHour lesson – “I Have a Dream” speech as visual text
- Center for Civic Education lesson – Martin Luther King Jr. and the Power of Words
- The King Center
- MLK Day: Corporation for National and Community Service
- Martin Luther King Jr. – Nobel Lecture
- Martin Luther King, Jr. – The History Channel
- Stanford University Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education Institute
- “I Have a Dream Speech” – The History Channel
- C-SPAN in the Classroom Podcast: Episode #5: Martin Luther King, Jr: Life and Legacy
- C-SPAN in the Classroom Lesson: Lesson: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail (7 Clips)
- C-SPAN in the Classroom Lesson: Lesson: Last Days of Martin Luther King, Jr. (3 Clips)
Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! (Jan. 22-26)
The Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! 2024 theme is “Believe in ‘Yourshelf’ – Building Resiliency through Reading.”
- Newspaper in Education Celebrate Literacy Week Teacher Guide
- Florida Department of Education Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!
- Tampa Bay Times Newspaper Fun with Raymond flash cards
- Keep it Real Teacher’s Guide
International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 27)
International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the millions of victims of the Nazi regime and promotes Holocaust education. The date marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the Nazi concentration and extermination camps, by Soviet troops in Poland on Jan. 27, 1945.
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Genocide in the 20th and 21st Centuries
- The Florida Holocaust Museum Resources for Educators
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Online Tools For Learning And Teaching
- A Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust
- Facing History and Ourselves
- USC Shoah Foundation
- Learning for Justice
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Florida is one of the top three human trafficking destinations in the United States.
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Human Trafficking: What Parents & Guardians Need to Know
- Newspaper in Education Human Trafficking Awareness Month Teacher Guide
- UNICEF Lesson Plans – Child Trafficking
- Homeland Security Blue Campaign pamphlet
- Polaris Project
- Florida Attorney General’s Office: You Can Stop It
- Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Office on Trafficking in Persons
- U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking
Florida Severe Weather Awareness Week (Feb. 5-9) / Statewide Tornado Drill (Feb. TBD)
- Florida Division of Emergency Management Florida Severe Weather Awareness Week
President’s Day (Feb. 19)
- Newspaper in Education Using the News activities
- NIE publication: Lincoln Bicentennial
- National Education Association Presidents’ Day activities K-5
- National Education Association Presidents’ Day activities 6-8
- National Education Association Presidents’ Day activities 9-12
- National Education Clearinghouse
- Center for Civic Education
Black History Month
- Newspaper in Education Black History Month Teacher Guide
- Celebrating Black History Month Teacher Guide and Student Activities
- Orange County Regional History Center Celebrating AFRICAN AMERICAN INVENTORS & INNOVATORS
- Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education publication: At the Crossroads of Freedom & Equality: Florida’s Journey from Separate toward Equal
- Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education publication: From The Scrub to The Twist
- Florida Memory Project: Images of Florida’s Black History
- Visit Florida: Where to Learn About Florida’s Black History
- Florida’s African-American History Resources from Florida Department of State Division of Library and Information Services
- Florida Black Heritage Trail
- The Florida Center for Instructional Technology: African-American Digital Content Collections
- Celebrating African American Heritage, Entrepreneurial Thinking, and Financial Wellness webinar resources, presented by the Stavros Center at USF, the Tampa Bay Times NIE program, funded by State Farm
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Breaking the Cycle of Teen Dating Abuse
- Newspaper in Education Using the News activities
- LoveisRespect Middle School Educator Toolkit
- LoveisRespect High School Educator Toolkit
- LoveisRespect website
- National Resource Center on Domestic Violence Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
- Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- State of Florida Domestic Violence Information
Read Across America Day (Mar. 2)
Each year, National Read Across America Day is celebrated on or near March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss.
Newspaper in Education Week (Mar. 4-8)
- Newspaper in Education Week Teacher Guide
- Keep it Real Teacher Guide
- Introductory News Literacy Teacher Guide
- A Good Read – Literacy Strategies With Newspapers
- Tampa Bay Times Newspaper Fun with Raymond! Elementary Language Arts activities
- Citizens Together: You and Your Newspaper
- A set of Nine Lesson Plans
- Journeys in Journalism: An Exploration of Photography
- Anatomy of the Tampa Bay Times
- Newspapers in Your Life: Media Literacy
- Newspapers in Your Life: In the Newsroom
Women’s History Month
- Women’s History Month NIE Teacher Guide
- Celebrating Women’s History Month Teacher Guide and Student Activities
- Florida Women’s Heritage Trail
- Women’s History Month, The Library of Congress
- Women’s History Month lessons, Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies
- Images of Women’s History in Florida, Florida Memory
- Florida Women’s Heritage Train, Florida Division of Historical Resources
- March is Women’s History Month, National Council of Teachers of English
- Women’s History Lesson Plans, Library of Congress
- National Women’s History Project
- The Florida Center for Instructional Technology
- National Women’s History Museum
- The History Channel: Women’s History
- Women’s History Month: A Collection of Teaching Resources from Scholastic
- National Endowment for the Humanities: Women’s History Month
- National Education Association: Women’s History Month for the Classroom
- PBS Learning Media: Women’s History Month
- PBS News Hour: Women’s History Month
- Facing History and Ourselves: Four Resources for Women’s History Month
National Nutrition Month
- National Nutrition Month Newspaper in Education Activities Guide
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Get Connected to a Healthier You
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Balancing the Body and Mind
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Food Adventures
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Fuel Your Fitness
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Passport to Flavor
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics National Nutrition Month materials
- National Nutrition Month – United States Department of Agriculture
- Healthy Eating Tips To Try This Month – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Earth Day (April 22)
- Earth Day NIE Teacher Guide
- Earth Day Toolkit
- NIE publication: A Student’s Guide to Climate Change
- NIE publication: Everglades – An American Treasure
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Springs: Florida’s Natural Wonders
- Earth Day Network
- History Channel
- United States Environmental Protection Agency
Financial Literacy Month
- Financial literacy resources from The Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: All About the Benjamins
- NIE publication: Focus on Finance
- Florida Council on Economic Education Financial Freedom workbook
National Poetry Month
- National Poetry Month 2020 NIE Teacher Guide
- Academy of American Poets
- National Council of Teachers of English
- Scholastic Teacher Activity Guide
Alcohol Awareness Month
- Alcohol Awareness Month 2020 NIE Teacher Guide
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
- National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving
- Hillsborough County Anti Drug Alliance
- Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention
- LiveFree! Pinellas
Law Day (May 1)
The Law Day 2024 theme is “Voices of Democracy.”
- Law Day Teacher Guide
- American Bar Association Law Day Portal
- New York News Publishers Association Law Day Portal
World Press Freedom Day (May 3)
May 3 is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to: celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 1-7)
Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) (May 5-6)
The internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
- Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Genocide in the 20th and 21st Centuries
- A Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust
- The Florida Holocaust Museum Resources for Educators
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Online Tools For Learning And Teaching
- A Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust
- Remembrance Day Calendar
- Facing History and Ourselves
- USC Shoah Foundation
- Learning for Justice
Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- AAPI Month NIE Teacher Guide 2022
- Standing Together for AAPI Heritage Month: Smithsonian Institute
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Library of Congress
- Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month Resources: ADL
- Asian American History Month: The History Channel
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Fun Facts: U.S. Census Bureau
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Teacher Guide: U.S. Census Bureau
- May is Asian American – Pacific Islander Heritage Month! U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: PBS
- Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month: National Park Service
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is in May! National Council of Teacher of English
- Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Your Classroom
- Teaching Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage: National Education Association
Juneteenth (June 19)
Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) commemorates the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday.
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture: The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth
- PBS Newshour Classroom Lesson Plan: History of Juneteenth and why it’s now a national holiday
- Learning for Justice: Teaching Juneteenth
- The History Channel: What is Juneteenth?
- ReadWriteThink.org: Celebrate Juneteenth! Classroom Activity
- Library of Congress: The Birth of Juneteenth; Voices of the Enslaved
- Library of Congress American Folklife Center: Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories (recordings of former slaves)
Civic Season (June 19 – July 4)
Civic Season unites our oldest federal holiday with our newest. July 4th commemorates the moment a new nation was born, based on ideals that each generation since has worked to bring to life: freedom, equality, justice and opportunity. Juneteenth, celebrated just a few weeks earlier, reminds us of the struggles and hard-won victories in our ongoing journey to form a “more perfect union.”