Category: Reading

President’s Day: Discovering Lincoln and Washington Through Biography

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President’s Day is a national holiday in the United States, celebrated on the third Monday of February. It honors two of the most respected leaders in American history: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both were born in February and are remembered for their strong leadership and lasting impact on the country.

George Washington was the first president of the United States. He led the American army to victory in the Revolutionary War and helped create the new government. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president. He led the country during the Civil War and worked to end slavery. His famous speech, the Gettysburg Address, is still studied today.

George Washington 1732-1799
Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865

Reading biographies is a great way to learn about these presidents. For English learners, books like Who Was George Washington? (ISBN-139780448448923) and Who Was Abraham Lincoln? (ISBN-139780606040068) are excellent choices. These books use simple language and include helpful illustrations and timelines. They show how each man grew up, faced challenges, and became a leader.

Biographies help us understand history and the values of honesty, courage, and service. They also improve reading skills and vocabulary. On President’s Day, take time to explore the lives of Washington and Lincoln. Their stories can inspire us to be better citizens and lifelong learners.

📚 Tip: Try reading with a friend or writing a short summary after each chapter. It’s a fun way to practice English and learn about American history!

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Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day: A Message of Hope and Equality

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Every January, people in the United States honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, a time when many Americans fought for equal rights for all people—no matter their skin color.

Vocabulary:

  • Equality – the state of being equal, especially in rights and opportunities
  • Justice – fairness in the way people are treated
  • Peaceful protest – showing disagreement without violence
  • Civil rights – the rights of citizens to freedom and equality

Dr. King believed in peaceful protest. He gave powerful speeches, including the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, where he spoke about a future where children of all races could live and learn together in harmony. His words inspired millions and continue to give hope today.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is more than just a holiday. It’s a day to remember the importance of justice, kindness, and respect. Many people celebrate by volunteering in their communities, helping others, and learning more about history.

📝 Try This:
Write a short paragraph about a dream you have for a better world. Use words like “peace,” “respect,” and “hope.”

Dr. King’s dream was big—but he showed us that change begins with one voice. What will your voice say today?

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It’s holiday time!

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Winter Holidays Around the World

Winter is a special season. The days are shorter, the nights are longer, and in many places, it is cold and snowy. Around the world, people celebrate different winter holidays with family, friends, food, and traditions. Let’s look at some of the most popular winter holidays.

Christmas

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th in many countries. People decorate a Christmas tree, hang lights, and give gifts. Families often eat a big meal together. In some traditions, children wait for Santa Claus to bring presents. Popular Christmas colors are red, green, and gold.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that usually happens in December. It lasts for eight nights. Families light a special candleholder called a menorah. They eat foods fried in oil, like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts). Children often play with a small toy called a dreidel.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is celebrated in the United States from December 26th to January 1st. It honors African traditions and culture. Families light candles in a holder called a kinara. Each day represents a different value, such as unity, creativity, or faith. Music, dancing, and storytelling are also part of Kwanzaa.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day

All around the world, people celebrate the New Year on December 31st and January 1st. Many people stay up until midnight to welcome the new year. Fireworks, parties, and special foods are common. People also make resolutions—promises to themselves about things they want to do in the new year.

Vocabulary to Remember

  • Tradition – something people do again and again over many years
  • Celebrate – to enjoy a holiday or special event
  • Candle – a stick of wax with fire at the top for light
  • Meal – food eaten together at one time
  • Resolution – a plan or promise for the future

✨ Winter holidays bring light, joy, and warmth during the cold season. Even though traditions are different, the message is often the same: spending time with loved ones and sharing happiness.

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The Treasure That Is the NYPL

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The Rose Reading Room, photo by Max Touhey

Field trip!

We encourage you to visit and get to know the New York Public Library. There is so much to learn, and the library is the place to do exactly that!

Nearest to University Settlement is the Seward Park Library. This building opened in 1909 and is at the eastern edge of Seward Park.

Seward Park Library

192 East Broadway

NYC, NY 10002

https://maps.app.goo.gl/DcPUYMmihfPkb6P26

Did you know?

— The New York Public Library features more than 6 million items in its circulating collections. You can find everything from books, e-books, and audiobooks to music and movies.

— The Library has a free e-reader app, SimplyE, that you can download and then read e-books on your mobile device.

— Explore local museums & attractions with Culture Pass! If you have a library card from the Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, or New York Public Library (serving the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island), you can reserve free passes to 100+ cultural institutions across NYC.

— You can print documents at the Library from your mobile device. Black and white printing is available for 20 cents per page.

— NYPL offers free internet access. With your library card, you can reserve a computer to use at almost any location.

— NYPL is better than Google! Ask questions and chat with the expert staff in real time, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. https://www.nypl.org/get-help/contact-us/chat

— In the summer months, many NYPL locations are official “Cooling Centers.” Some of these are even pet-friendly!

— Many locations have free yoga (in Spanish), film screenings, as well as sewing and craft groups.

Get your library card now!

If you’re 13 years old or older and live, work, or attend school in New York State, you can apply for a free library card right now using this online card application—then visit your nearest NYPL location to receive your physical NYPL card. A physical library card is your key to checking out physical books and materials, signing up for Culture Pass, and more.

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History of Indigenous Peoples’ Day: today, October 13, 2025.

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VOCABULARY

Indigenous – adj., of or relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a place

Disrupt – v., to throw into disorder

Recognize – v., to admit that something exists

Hurtful – adj., causing pain, especially emotional

Glorified – v., to make something seem great

Colonial – adj., relating to people settling in a new place, often belonging to someone else

Oppression – n., cruel or unjust use of authority or power

Trauma – n., a psychological state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or injury

Erased – v., to wipe out, to make something disappear

Self-sufficient – adj. to be able to take care of oneself

Sustain – v., to keep up, to supply nourishment

Movement – n, series of acts working toward a desired end

History of Indigenous Peoples’ Day: today, October 13, 2025.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in 1977 as an idea expressed at a UN conference on discrimination.  In 1990, South Dakota was the first state to recognize the day.

In 1992, protests and demonstrations disrupted planned Columbus Day celebrations in San Francisco and Santa Cruz. People began referring to that day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, to celebrate the rich culture and the lives of the Native American people. Soon, those cities also recognized the holiday.

For the Native Americans, Columbus Day was always hurtful as it glorified the violent past of 500 years of colonial torture and oppression by European explorers like Columbus. Indigenous Peoples’ Day draws attention to the pain, trauma, and broken promises that were erased by the celebration of Columbus Day. Before his arrival, the indigenous folk were successful self-sufficient communities that sustained life for thousands of years.

Year by year, the movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day spreads to more and more states, towns, and cities across the United States of America.*

*https://nationaltoday.com/indigenous-peoples-day/

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LIGHT INTO DARKNESS – WINTER HOLIDAYS

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VOCABULARY PREVIEW

chilly – adj., cold
winter solstice – n., when the North Pole of the earth is farthest from the sun, the shortest day of the year
glittering – adj., sparkling, shiny
lavish – adj., fancy, elaborate
signify – v., to stand for something, to symbolize
struggles – n., difficulties
Stonehenge – n.place, a site of huge, ancient, carefully-arranged stones in England
doldrums – n., sad and bored feelings
renewal – n., newness, rebirth

The last months of the year bring winter, and winter brings cold and darkness. The days are short and the nights are long and chilly.

BUT – we are lucky that winter also brings holidays for almost everyone! Diwali, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, and winter solstice celebrations all bring warm cheer and shared joy. These holidays have different meanings for different cultures, but they all share one thing:

LIGHT!

The winter holidays begin with Diwali, celebrated by Hindus the world over, usually in November. It is a five-day-long party. A festival of lights and happiness, it falls on the darkest night of the year in the Hindu month of Kartik.

People celebrate Diwali by lighting their homes and streets with candles, dressing up in new clothes, exchanging gifts, and eating traditional food.

Source: https://blog.asaptickets.com/

Christmas comes with candles, lights, and glittering tinsel. A shining star is an important part of any Christmas story. In America, people decorate their homes with lights, inside and out. Some of the lighting displays are lavish! Dyker Heights, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, is well-known for its Christmas lights. Map to Dyker Heights: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nKRPh96XcMsy7nAg6 Go take a look!

Houses in Dyker Heights

Sources: https://mommypoppins.com/ and https://www.viator.com/

Kwanzaa has a tradition of lighting the kinara, a candleholder for 7 candles. One is lit each night for a week, and the different colors of the candles signify Africa and its peoples’ struggles and hopes. “Kinara” means “candleholder” in Swahili.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/18/kwanzaa-2020-when-and-how-black-families-celebrate-virtually/6540958002/

Hannukah celebrations include the lighting of a menorah, an eight-branched candleholder. Jews light Hannukah candles to remember victory in ancient battles, and the miracles that happened in those times.

Finally, the actual solstice, which takes place on December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, has been a special time of celebration since the Stone Age. This was a significant and dramatic moment in the year for many cultures. Because it was the darkest night of all, there are monuments and traditions that revolve around bringing light into this darkness.

Sunset at  Stonehenge in England during the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

No matter how you celebrate the solstice, use it as a way to replace winter doldrums with a sense of renewal. The winter solstice may signify the day the sun rises lowest in the sky, but it’s also the day before we start growing closer to days of more light.

https://www.sparksaba.com/family-resources

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Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life

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“Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” – George Eliot

Vocabulary Preview:

  • Meaningful – adj., when something is important to you
  • Significant – adj., important, big
  • Deceased – adj., something or someone who is not alive
  • Reunion – n., a time when many people get together
  • Altar – n., platform or table used as a center of worship
  • Ancestors – n., pl., your relatives who lived before you
  • Skeleton – n., the bones of a human or an animal
  • Wacky – adj., silly, crazy

A beautiful and meaningful holiday for many Catholics, the “Day of the Dead” serves as a significant way to honor the deceased. The holiday, which is celebrated mostly in Mexico on November 1 and 2, is like a family reunion—except dead ancestors are the guests of honor. Day of the Dead is a joyful time that helps people remember the deceased and celebrate their memory.

First, people set up a candlelit altar in their homes so spirits can find their way back to their relatives. The altar also offers some of the favorite foods of the deceased—just in case they get hungry. Items that were important to the ancestors when they were alive, such as a favorite book or musical instrument, are placed on the altar as well. Then it’s off to the graveyard for a big party. Families bring a huge feast to eat while they clean tombstones, sing songs, and talk to their ancestors. Parents might even introduce a baby to a grandparent who died before the baby was born.

And don’t forget the skeletons. During Day of the Dead, life-size papier-mâché skeletons and miniature plastic or clay skeletons are everywhere. Why? Mexicans honor their ancestors on Day of the Dead, but they’re also reminding themselves that death is just a part of life. Hanging out with skeletons reminds people that one day they will be skeletons—but not for a very long time!

The skeletons are posed doing all sorts of wacky things, such as playing guitar, taking a bath, or making tortillas. Apparently people aren’t the only ones who get to have fun on Day of the Dead!

Source: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

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