Literacy Now

In observance of International Literacy Day, Arkansas First Lady Ginger Beebe will join the Alex Foundation and the Arkansas Reading Association to help distribute over 1,000 books.

100 books will be donated both to Our House and Dorcas House for transitional children residents; 100 books will be donated to St. Francis House to establish a library for transitional families; and 400 books will be donated to both Dermott Elementary School library and to CB King Memorial School for special needs children.

Approximately 1,100 recycled and new reading books are made available through purchases made by the Alex Foundation, and 123 new books are made available by its partner, First Book.

Long before she was First Lady of Arkansas, Ginger Beebe volunteered by reading to children to promote literacy, raising awareness about mental-health issues, advocating for people with special needs, and supporting the arts. Her work with the homeless, both individually and through organizations such as Our House in Little Rock, demonstrates her caring spirit. She also works to create better working and living environments for those with special needs, most recently creating an audio tour of the herb garden at the Governor’s Mansion for use by blind and visually impaired visitors. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Women and Children First, and in 2011, she was honored as the organization’s Woman of the Year.

The Alex Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, offers academic scholarship assistance and educational resources for students attending two Arkansas Delta schools, Dermott and McGehee High Schools, as well as Parkview High School in Little Rock. The mission of the Alex Foundation is to engage, engender and enlighten students to pursue careers and entrepreneurial opportunities in architecture, art and mathematics through mentoring, strengthening their capacity, and supporting their educational attainment and continued advancement to meet domestic and global challenges. The Foundation’s efforts are collaborated through a multiple intelligence approach that includes cooperative learning, experiential learning, project-based learning and multidisciplinary learning.

by Clarissa Hardcastle

The Tennessee Reading Association (TRA) is pleased to announce that its annual conference, Literacy: The Core to Learning, will be held December 2-4, 2012, at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Over the past few years, annual conference attendance has steadily increased. In 2011, the conference had an attendance total of more than 600, and looks forward to the possibility of an even greater number of participants this year.

Because it values providing strong professional development for Tennessee teachers, TRA, along with TRA conference chair Angel Viera, announce that International Reading Association Past President Dr. Timothy Shanahan will be a keynote speaker. Vicki Gibson and Jan Hasbrouck will also serve as keynote speakers and share important information regarding the Common Core State Standards.

Annual Leadership Workshop

This summer, Randy Kincaid, the outgoing state coordinator who has served six years in this role, has once again made a leadership workshop possible for TRA through substantial donations and endless of hours of planning. He has made arrangements for the board and local council presidents to meet at a state park to learn more about the role of TRA across the state and how people can work together to make the TRA and local councils strong forces in Tennessee. In addition, Kincaid is bringing in Alan Sitomer to help members consider ways to integrate the common core standards across the curriculum. Jana Crosby, the incoming state coordinator, is looking forward to continuing the tradition of providing an annual TRA leadership workshop.

Tennessee Reading Association Website

To stay abreast of what is happening in TRA, please visit www.tnreads.org. Co-web designers Julie Baker and Jeremy Wendt have provided TRA with a professional and informative website that serves as a resource for TRA members, providing up to date information regarding current research and practices.

By the information posted on the website and the results of the four state meetings annual conference, one can see that TRA promotes literacy across the state and supports the standards set forth by the International Reading Association. Again, check out the website (www.tnreads.org) to attend the annual TRA conference in December.

Richard Peck autographs his book, A Teacher's Funeral, for Benita Bruster at the last TRA Conference. 

Jody Harris, Mollie Johnson, and Trudy Anderson served as student ambassadors at the 2011 TRA Conference—Literacy: Pass it on!

Clarissa Hardcastle is the strategic communications department intern at the International Reading Association.

The Russian students who created the first Choices reading lists program in Russia were so excited to hear that their story appeared on Reading Today Online that their teacher Elena Grashchenkova sent us an update and more photos. She includes news that they are expanding the program to twelve other Russian schools. The letter and classroom images are below.

Children interview the Director Karina Chernjakova

Teacher Elena Grashchenkova with students

Teachers Elena Grashchenkova and Svetlana Zajtseva

Teacher Oksana Hlopkova

A student tells the class about the good book

Students vote for books

Votes for the winning books

The poster about the Children’s Choices Reading List 2012

Presentation of the project at school

Thomas Jefferson High School reading specialist Patricia Gillespie was selected as the Iowa Reading Teacher of the Year by the Iowa Reading Association. She was honored last month at a banquet during the Iowa Reading Association Conference on the Iowa State University campus in Ames.

Gillespie has been teaching reading for more than 30 years and has taught every grade from kindergarten through graduate school. She currently teaches reading skills to about 65 students.

Gillespie served as the president and vice president of the Midlands of Iowa Reading Council and was a two-term zone director for the Iowa Reading Association. She has been a presenter at the local, state, regional, and international conferences.

Ten years ago, Gillespie began the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program at Thomas Jefferson High School. RIF named her Volunteer of the Year in 2011 and was awarded her the Anne Hazard Richardson RIF Volunteer of the Year Award. While the federal government ended funding for the RIF program at the high school for the 2011-12 school year, Gillespie hopes funding will resume for 2012-13.

Gillespie’s childhood experiences have given her a passion for teaching literacy. She admits teaching herself to read when she was 19 years old. While attending school and working with private tutors, she realized she had five learning disabilities.

“I figured it out through struggling. I have auditory discrimination problems,” Gillespie shares. “I think of where I was and where I am today. I share my story with my students. I want them to love reading. The more they read, the better they’ll get.”

She taught a gifted student years ago who had serious problems at home.

“I saw her nearly every day,” explains Gillespie. Seven years later, the student, “a graduating honor student, said I had made a difference in her life.”

Gillespie also remembered working with a young girl who had difficulties reading at even the most basic level. Gillespie heard from her 15 years later.

“She told me she was the first person in her family to graduate from high school,” Gillespie glows. “I’ll keep pushing. I’ll never give up. The kids keep me doing this. You never know the difference you might make,” Gillespie said.

The Secondary Reading Council of Florida (SRCFL) awarded its 2012 Teachers of the Year (Veteran and Novice) designations to veteran reading educator Clara Michelle McMillan Kirby of the Leon County School District and novice reading educator Jenny Craige of the Palm Beach County School District. Michelle is a reading coach at James R. Rickard High School under the administration of Dr. Michelle Gayle. Jenny works at Boynton Beach Community High School as a reading teacher for grades 11 and 12, under the administration of Karen Whetsell. The award was presented at the SRCFL Annual Conference held in Deerfield Beach on May 11 and 12. 

Jenny Craige of
Palm Beach County
School District

Clara Michelle
McMillan Kirby
of Leon County
School District

“These two recipients represent the overarching view that reading education for secondary students must be not only unique to their needs, but also recognize what these students bring to the literacy instructional table,” said SRCFL president Dr. Joyce Warner, who is Chair of the Reading and Literacy Studies Department at Barry University. 

Each recipient brings this unique perspective to her reading instruction. Mr. Kevin Smith of Just Read, Florida! said Michelle is a “collaborative practitioner who …corrals resources and leads the charge in impacting student performance.” Michelle is a “tireless change agent for secondary reading.” 

Of Ms Craige’s reading instructional style, her colleague, Rachelle Savitz, said, “Jenny shows a passion for reading, reads everywhere and all the time. She models her love of reading in so many ways and daily differentiates techniques and strategies for her students to address their varied needs and interests. ”

The Secondary Reading Council of Florida has been an affiliated charter of the International Reading Association since 1980. For more information about SRCFL, visit the website at www.srcfl.org.

International Reading Association Awards and Grants

Councils and Affiliates of the International Reading Association

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