ad
Calendar of Events
January 2024

National Slavery & Human Trafficking Awareness Month


January 15: MLK Day and the Day of Service

Signed into law in January 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday is a celebration of Dr. King’s contribution to the United States and to humankind. This American federal holiday is observed on the third Monday of each January, which is near King’s birthday, January 15, 1929.

NEW C-SPAN in the Classroom Podcast Episodes

Join us for Episode #5: Martin Luther King, Jr: Life and Legacy of the C-SPAN in the Classroom podcast. With the recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. this month, the team shares C-SPAN Classroom resources that reflect the life and legacy of this historic figure. Discover C-SPAN resources including eyewitness testimony, archival recordings, museum interviews, and contemporary commentary, among other resources to use in your classroom. Listen now at c-span.org/podcasts, on the free C-SPAN Now video app, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Be sure to also visit the Podcast Page on our Featured Resources Site for a selection of materials highlighted in the episode, including this small sample of what’s available to you and your students.


Literacy Week: January 22 - January 26, 2024

Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! is designed to raise awareness about the importance of reading and to inspire Florida's students and families to make reading part of their daily routines. Our Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! 2023 theme is Take a Deep Dive Into Literacy – Splash Into New Worlds!


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.

February 2024

Black History Month

Black History Month is officially celebrated in the month of February. However, throughout history, in every month, generations of African Americans struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society. The credible resources on this page will help teachers and students learn more about this rich history. Decades of not treating people with equality and respect spawned the civil rights movement. The Civil War ended in 1865. Yet it took black Americans many decades and a long difficult fight to get what Abraham Lincoln had intended them to have: equality. Learn more with the informational texts referenced.


Teen Dating Violence Month

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, which is a national effort to raise awareness about abuse in teen and 20-something relationships and promote programs that prevent it. According to the website love is respect, “Every February, young people and their loved ones join together across the country for a national effort to raise awareness about the issue of teen dating violence through Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. This annual, month-long push focuses on advocacy and education to stop dating abuse before it starts.


Presidents’ Day

Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. “Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called ‘Washington’s Birthday’ by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.” Although some states honor the birthday of Lincoln, it was never a federal holiday. (Sources: The History Channel and Encyclopedia Britannica)

March 2024

National Nutrition Month

National Nutrition Month® is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits. This year's theme, Celebrate a World of Flavors, embraces global cultures, cuisines and inclusivity, plus showcases the expertise of registered dietitian nutritionists.


Newspaper in Education Week

Newspaper in Education Week is commemorated and celebrated annually during the first full school week in March. Newspaper in Education (NIE) is an international program that encourages the use of the daily newspaper as a “living textbook” for students from primary through adult education levels. The Tampa Bay Times is pleased to commemorate Newspaper in Education Week 2022 and encourage students to read the newspaper daily in school and at home to enhance and enrich their lives.


Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society. Women’s History Month began as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week." Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as "Women’s History Week." In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month." Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”

April 2024

Poetry Month

National Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. Each year the month of April is set aside as National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poets and their craft. Various events are held throughout the month by the Academy of American Poets and other poetry organizations.


Read all about it: Front Page Breaking News!


Financial Literacy Month

The Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida created resources aligned to the Florida Financial Literacy Standards: Financial Investing, Saving, Using Credit, Earning Income, Protecting and Insuring, and Understand the fundamental concepts relevant to the institutions, structure, and functions of a national economy. Click here for the online materials.

In a partnership the Tampa Bay Times NIE and the Florida Press Educational Services, the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida created a blog that includes lesson ideas that use news texts (articles, videos, cartoons, images). CLICK ON the images below to access the texts and standards-based questions. (For more, check out the archives on the right side of the page).



It’s All About the Benjamins – Newspaper in Education supplement

Focus on Finance – Newspaper in Education supplement

Alcohol Awareness Month

Since 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) has sponsored Alcohol Awareness Month to “increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma and encourage local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.” This year’s theme is Changing Attitudes: It’s not a ‘rite of passage’.


Earth Day

According to the Earth Day Network, “Earth Day was a unified response to an environment in crisis — oil spills, smog, rivers so polluted they literally caught fire. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet.”

May 2024

Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. During this month the history and achievements of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) are recognized and celebrated. Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders make our nation more vibrant through diversity of cultures, languages and religions. There is no single story of the AANHPI experience, but rather a diversity of contributions that enrich America’s culture and society. The American story would be impossible without the strength, contributions, and legacies of AANHPIs who have helped build and unite this country in each successive generation. From laying railroad tracks, tilling fields, and starting businesses, to caring for our loved ones and honorably serving our Nation in uniform, AANHPI communities are deeply rooted in the history of the United States.


Law Day 2023

The 2023 Law Day theme is “Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility, and Collaboration.” Commemorated annually on May 1, Law Day is an opportunity to host or participate in discussions about law and its role in society.


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.

June 2024

Juneteenth (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.


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.”

September 2023

American Founders’ Month, Constitution Day and Celebrate Freedom Week

Florida observes American Founders’ Month, Constitution Day (Sept.17); Constitution Week: September 17 – 23 and Celebrate Freedom Week: Last full week in September. Section (s.) 683.1455, Florida Statutes (F.S.), designates the month of September as American Founders’ Month and s. 1003.421, F.S., recognizes the last full week of classes in September in public schools as Celebrate Freedom Week. During American Founders’ Month various groups, including public and private educational institutions, are urged to recognize and observe this occasion through appropriate programs, meetings, services or celebrations in which state, county and local governmental officials are invited to participate. Public schools are encouraged to coordinate instruction at all grade levels related to the nation’s founding principles of our nation.

Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: Celebrate Freedom
Center for Civic Education publication: We the People
Tampa Bay Times NIE publication: It’s All About the Benjamins
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
PBS News Hour: News for Students and Teacher Resources 7–12 Grade Level Founding Fathers

Learn more about the Founding Fathers:


Remembering September 11

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic events that took place in American on September 11, 2001. On that date, militants associated with the Islamist extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane was crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed during the attacks, including more than 400 police officers and firefighters and 246 passengers and crew on the four planes. This was the most deadly terrorist attack in U.S. history


National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Childhood Obesity Is a Major Public Health Problem:

  • Children with obesity are at higher risk for having other chronic health conditions and diseases, such as asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, and type 2 diabetes.
  • Children with obesity have more risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol than their normal weight peers.
  • Children with obesity can be bullied and teased more than their normal weight peers.
  • Children with obesity are more likely to suffer from social isolation, depression and lower self-esteem.
  • Children with obesity are more likely to have obesity as adults. This can lead to lifelong physical and mental health problems.

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15- October 15)

Hispanic Heritage Month, whose roots go back to 1968, 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 9.

October 2023

National Newspaper Week

Observance of National Newspaper Week takes place Oct. 1-7. This 84th annual National Newspaper Week is a recognition of the service of newspapers and their employees throughout the United States and Canada and is sponsored by Newspaper Association Managers.


Substance Abuse Prevention Month

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, 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.


Domestic Violence Awareness Month


National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is 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.

November 2023

Civic Education and Election Day

According to the Louis Frey Institute, research shows when students engage in simulated civic actions, they are prone to develop a positive political efficacy that contributes to lifelong engagement. Discussing Election Day is a perfect time to engage students in civic education. In addition, the local newspaper is a great teaching tool to engage your students in civics education. Engaged citizens participate in their communities by voting and practicing good citizenship.


Veterans Day Resources


National Native American Heritage Month


America Recycles Day – Nov. 15

America Recycles Day is November 15. Learn about the many recycling facilities, programs and events available to Tampa Bay residents with these NIE publications.

December 2023

Bill of Rights Day

Bill of Rights Day is celebrated annually on December 15. The Constitution might never have been ratified if the framers hadn't promised to add a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and contain many of today's Americans' most valued freedoms. The Bill of Rights guarantees civil rights and liberties such as freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the federal government to the people or the states. The original joint resolution proposing the Bill of Rights is on permanent display at the National Archives in Washington, DC.


Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, “was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan,” posted on the History Channel.

  • Log on to the digital edition of the Tampa Bay Times to see the actual front page from December 7, 1941.
  • Click here to see a PDF of the first three pages of the December 7, 1941 edition of the Times.
  • Click here for a transcript of the speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring war.
  • Discovery Education has a one to two-day lesson plan to teach students about the events at Pearl Harbor in December 1941 which includes an activity giving students an assignment is to write a news story about Pearl Harbor as though they were living at the time.
  • Scholastic also has lesson plans that focus on the events that led to the attack, read the accounts of eyewitnesses, and relive the day Pearl Harbor was bombed.

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day takes place on December 1 each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.