Theme
January 31 reading ideas
Finding reading ideas for this date…
Finding reading ideas for this date…
Find out what the first U.S. satellite helped scientists learn, read about Jackie Robinson’s life in baseball, and see how an artist uses printmaking to share ideas.
Special date
Explorer 1 launched on January 31, 1958, as the first U.S. satellite. Its instruments helped scientists identify radiation belts around Earth. Compare the questions this satellite helped answer with those later satellites were built to investigate.
6 reading resources
Use Space as related background or for comparison.
Explore this topic through Rockets & Spacecraft Reading Passages.
Open collectionRead about Explorer 1 and explain how its instruments helped scientists learn about Earth.
Read passageFind the main idea.
Read passageFind the main idea.
Read passageSpecial date
Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, and became a landmark figure in baseball history. Read about his career and identify the challenges and achievements emphasized in the biography.
Special date
Inspire Your Heart with Art Day is an informal January 31 observance about appreciating art and exploring how it makes us feel. Read about artists such as Posada, Munch, Matisse, and van Gogh, then describe one visual detail and the idea or feeling it conveys.
5 reading resources
Explore this topic through Edvard Munch: Painting the Colors of the Soul.
Read passageExplore this topic through Henri Matisse: The Artist Who Never Stopped Creating.
Read passageExplore this topic through The Swirling Skies of Vincent van Gogh.
Read passageExplain how key events shaped their work.
Read passageSpecial date
National Seed Swap Day is observed on the last Saturday of January. Explore community seed libraries and gardens, and share practical ideas for keeping seed exchanges organized.
2 reading resources
Explore this topic through The Great Seed Sifter.
Read passageUse How a Seed Begins to Grow as related background or for comparison.
Read passageYour topic. Your level.
Have another idea for today’s lesson? Let Pico create an AI-assisted passage with questions and an illustration. Choose the topic and reading level in the creator.
In The Race Beyond Earth, find the paragraph about Explorer 1 and name one thing scientists learned. Compare its mission with a later satellite in the day’s readings. For a different activity, pick a turning point in Jackie Robinson’s life or sketch an image that tells a story. When Seed Swap Day falls here, use the seed readings to make a plan for sharing seeds.
