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 Literacy Month 

Celebrating the Power of Communication

September is National Literacy Month, a celebration of all things reading and writing. This hub brings together trusted Britannica resources, activities, interactive media, and classroom-ready lesson plans to help educators spark curiosity, foster critical thinking, and highlight the history and importance of literacy and communication.

 

Young student holding a book open.

Children crowded around the teacher showing excitement in a classroom.

Bringing Early Literacy to Life

In early elementary classrooms, children are doing two important things at once: learning to read and learning about the world. So, how do we help them absorb information and transform it to knowledge? Our blog showcases how Britannica's new resources do just that in three steps: Read, Play, Connect.

 Featured Lesson Plans & Activities 

While exploring literacy, students can discuss the history of writing systems around the world, the importance of educational systems that cater to learners of all abilities, and the history and importance of communication. The following resources can help facilitate that learning, giving educators ready-to-use tools that spark meaningful discussions, inspire curiosity, and build critical thinkers.

Young student using a tablet with a Read icon in the corner.

Read, Play, Connect Strategies
(Grades PreK-2)

Get expert-written strategies to develop specific literacy skills, where students will read an engaging article, play an interactive, and connect their learnings with differentiated handouts.

Graphic of hands around a conversation bubble and some paper airplanes.

Messages That Matter: Creating Media with Purpose Lesson Mini
(Grades 6–12)

Students explore how media messages are created, shared, and interpreted and reflect on how media influences trust and audience response.

Student standing in front of a class with presentation materials in hand.

Presenting Information Lesson Mini
(Grades 3–5)

Students learn to deliver engaging oral presentations, focusing on audience engagement and confident delivery.

Graphic of a hand holding a piece of paper with other accent shapes.

Annotating Text Strategy
(Grades 3-12)

Reinforce active reading and comprehension—key components of literacy growth.

Hand-drawn symbols such as flowchart branches, arrows, circles, and more.

Visual Note-Taking Strategy
(Grades 3-12)

Combine art and literacy by representing ideas through imagery and key words.

Image showing multiple blank post-it notes.

Make It Stick! Strategy
(Grades 3-12)

Reinforce vocabulary and comprehension through review strategies that promote long-term retention.

Britannica flower icon.

Spotlight Resources

Looking for ready-to-use tools to spark student discussion? These curated In the News articles make it fun to highlight the power of stories and written language.

Egyptian drawing shown side by side with and without an example of a mistake fixed.

Fixing Mistakes in Ancient Egypt

Have you ever used white-out correction fluid to fix a written mistake? It turns out that ancient Egyptians did, too!

Photo of Mac Barnett.

 

A Friend to All Books

Author Mac Barnett was named the 2025–2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Photo of Storybook Maze holding a book and accompanied by a young person also holding a book.

The Story Lady

A librarian named Storybook Maze wants to make sure more kids have books to read.

 Video: Bill McKibben Talks Climate Change 

Environmentalist, journalist, and New York Times bestselling author Bill McKibben discusses the problem of climate change and what we can do about it.


 Media Literacy Resources 

Looking for more about digital and media literacy? Check out our e-book and more.

Image from the Media Literacy page with cover of e-Book.
The Britannica thistle icon.

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