Literacy Now

The International Reading Association's Literacy and Social Responsibility Special Interest Group (SIG) awarded the first annual Social Justice Literature Awards at the International Reading Association’s 2013 conference in San Antonio, Texas. The Award was given to two books: The House on Dirty-Third Street by Jo S. Kittinger and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez for Best Picture Book and Summer on the Moon by Adrian Fogelin for Best Non-Picture Book.

The Literacy and Social Responsibility SIG created this award to highlight children’s and young adult literature that illustrates qualities of social justice. The award is the result of a year-long process of the SIG. This process included selecting co-chairs Carolyn Cook, Kenneth Fasching-Varner, and Aimee Rogers; developing criteria for evaluating nominated texts; reviewing all entries; and coming to a final decision. The main categories created were Picture Books and Non-Picture Books with the potential subcategories of poetry, narrative and nonfiction. The committee was supported by the generous mentoring of Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy, both of whom have experience with similar book awards.

The award committee selected the top 10% of the nominations received from publishers. In reviewing texts the committee considered two principles: recognition of the literary and artistic qualities of the text, as well as the reader response. With respect to literary and artistic qualities, texts were evaluated on how they fostered respect and understanding of diverse populations, promoted social responsibility (including equity, justice, and peace), presented social issues in their complexity, and addressed social responsibility towards individuals, communities, societies and/or the environment.  With respect to reader response, books were evaluated for the extent to which the text invites reflection and socially responsible action by the reader. Furthermore, in the reader response the committee judged how the text encourages the analysis of past injustices showing possible alternatives and/or challenges and how the text opens the reader’s imagination to other possibilities. Lastly, the committee considered the appeal of the text to the targeted readers.

Selected Picture Book

The House on Dirty-Third Street by Jo S. Kittinger and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez
Peachtree Publishers, 2012, 32 pp.
ISBN 978-1561456192
Age Range: 4-8

In The House on Dirty-Third Street, a mother and her daughter have just moved into a different house to get a new start. As a result of limited income, it is located in an uninviting neighborhood. They spend much time and energy cleaning the house and yard, but they are discouraged because there is so much work to be done. People appear to paint and repair the house. Through the help of the community the house soon lives up to the visions mom had when she bought it. The double-page illustrations pull the reader into the emotions of the story. The illustrations are rendered in dull colors which gradually brighten as things improve for the mother and daughter. The reader understands life as a single mom and sees the power of faith and a giving community.

Selected Non-picture Book

Summer on the Moon by Adrian Fogelin
Peachtree Publishers, 2012, 256 pp.
ISBN 978-1561456260
Age Range: 9-12

In Summer on the Moon, summer vacation is just beginning for Socko and his best friend Damien. The first problem is dealing with Rapp, the leader of the local gang and neighborhood bully. However the best the friends can do is to postpone, but not solve the problem of Rapp. The next problem comes when mom unexpectedly moves Socko away from this bad neighborhood to Moon Ridge Estates, a half-built housing development. Socko is lost without Damien and the comfort of his former neighborhood. He spends his time taking care of his grumpy great-grandfather, the General. With this new responsibility and his deepening understanding of the situation at Moon Ridge Estates, Socko discovers that it is not where one lives that determines one’s character, but rather one’s actions. In addition, the reader learns with Socko the power found in family and friends no matter where you live.

2014 Committee and Award

The Committee is currently taking nominations from publishers for the 2014 award. Please contact Carolyn (cook@msmary.edu), Kenny (varner@lsu.edu), or Aimee (aimeearogers@gmail.com) with book submissions or questions. The 2014 committee will consist of Sarah Harrison-Burns, Patricia Dean, Zanthia Smith, Denise Stuart, and Joyce Wheaton. Nominations for the 2015 committee are also being taken. The committee will proceed with members rotating off after a multi-year commitment.

As a supplement to her article about multimodal reading in the October/November 2013 issue of Reading Today, IRA President Maureen McLaughlin offers the following resources for literacy educators:

Eric Carle

Carle, E. (2006). The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories - DVD (2006). Roger McGough (Actor), Juliet Stevenson (Actor), Andrew Goff (Director) Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney. (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Mixed-Up Chameleon, and I See a Song)

Martin, M., & Carle, E. (2008).Brown Bear & Friends CD Audiobook CD – Audiobook, CD, Unabridged. Gwyneth Paltrow (Reader). New York, NY: Macmillan Young Listeners.

The Magic School Bus

The Magic School Bus: The Complete Series - DVD (2012) – 8 discs. Lily Tomlin (Actor), Daniel DeSanto (Actor), Larry Jacobs (Director), Charles E. Bastien (Director) – 52 episodes of the animated science-adventure series.

Magic School Bus Videos available from United Streaming – 20 titles – http://baucomes.wcpss.net/magicschoolbus/index

Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

Frost, R. (2005). Stopping by woods on a snowy evening. In E. Paschen (Ed.), Poetry speaks. .. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Mediafusion. (Frost reading this poem and others)

Frost, R. (2001). Stopping by woods on a snowy evening. New York, NY: Dutton Juvenile. (picture book)

Hamlet (1996)  

Barron, D. (Producer), & Branagh, K. (Director). (1996). Hamlet [Motion picture]. USA: Warner Bros. (film)

Grant, S. (2009). Classics illustrated #5: Hamlet (classics illustrated graphic novels). New York, NY: Papercutz. (graphic novel)

Shakespeare, W. (2005). Hamlet. New York, NY: BBC Audiobooks America.

Maureen McLaughlin is the president of the International Reading Association and the chair of the reading department and a professor at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania,mmclaughlin@esu.edu. She is the author of Guided Comprehension in Grades 3–8 (with Mary Beth Allen), Guided Comprehension in the Primary Grades (2nd ed.), and Guided Comprehension for English Learners, as well as a series of professional development books on the Common Core with Brenda J. Overturf.

This article is an addendum to an article from the October/November 2013 issue of Reading Today. IRA members can read the interactive digital version of the magazine here. Nonmembers: join today!

I was thrilled to discover that the 18th European Reading Conference was going to be hosted by the Swedish Council of the International Reading Association (IRA) and held in Jonkoping, Sweden. Visiting Sweden and learning more about how the world reads were two items on my must do list. As an added bonus, members of IRA’s Diversity Learning Committee, Wendy C. Kasten, Diana Sisson and I, presented on “Diversity in United States Teacher Education Programs in Literacy and Reading: A Nationwide Investigative Study” (Kasten, Sharma & Sisson, 2013).

Sisson, Kasten, and Sharma


Boat Tour


Sue Ann Sharma

In between fulfilling these aspirations, the conference itinerary included superb keynotes, new report findings, and rich conversations. Here are some impressions for anyone considering participating in an IRA affiliated conference in a distant country.

Exploring Jönköping

Jönköping is Sweden’s 9th most populated city. It is known for it matchstick industry 1845-1970 and home to ABBA’s group member, Agnetha Faltskog. When arriving via a three-hour train ride from Stockholm, the city can be spotted nestled against Lake Vättern, Sweden’s 2nd largest lake. The Sommarstället Munksjön’s boat ride is a must. Waiting to be explored are the many different shops from antique to hip. Taste an array of ethnic cuisine among the city’s 85 restaurants. The cuisine is indicative of the diversity in this university town, which has attracted 1500 students from over 65 countries. The food and people of Jönköping will capture your heart.

How the World Reads: New Challenges, New Literacies, Global Context

Mirroring the international students that attend Jönköping University, teachers and teacher educators from around the world gathered together to learn and have grand conversations about contextual issues related to 21st Century literacy practices. My fingers couldn’t keep up as I tried to capture every word of the variety of literacy aspects being addressed during the plenary sessions. Here’s a glimpse at both European and American context.

European Context

Insights gleaned from Digital Futures: Learning and Teaching Literacy in the Digital Age affirmed for me that teachers worldwide are meeting the challenges of new media literacies in many different ways. During this lecture, Jackie Marsh, from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, shared some unique ways in which children use virtual worlds. Examples included children selecting a bedtime story from QR codes on pajamas and the blurring of online/offline classroom investigations in which children retrieve information from QR codes placed on trees.

American Context

While sharing results from several online research projects, Donald Leu, from University of Connecticut, United States, helped us contextualize the social practices of literacy in a digital age using the dual level theory of new literacies (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, Castel, & Henry, 2013). The dual level theory of new literacies focuses on trends and patterns emerging from “Upper Case New Literacies,” based on common findings from localized and domain-specific “lower case new literacies” such as social interactions occurring with text messaging. The Digital Futures in Teacher Education Project and Online Research and Comprehension Assessment (ORAC) projects promote new insights in both theory and practices that prepare teachers and students for the future.

Creating Opportunities for International Collaboration

Literacy topics across nine strands framed the parallel sessions and verified for me common literacy challenges being addressed worldwide including “The Third Progress in International Literacy Study (PIRLS)” report which revealed information on international trends in reading achievement in fourth graders from 49 countries. In response to the adolescent reading difficulties made evident by the PISA studies, an international team formed to address the lack of reading instruction across the curriculum. This collaboration resulted in the European Comenius Project: “BaCuLIt” – Basic Curriculum for Teachers’ In-Service Training in Content Area Literacy in Secondary Schools.

International Teacher Educator Exchange

As Americans, we know our classrooms are becoming increasingly more diverse. However, I can now testify from the discussion with teacher educators from around the world, that this is the case worldwide. Ultimately, this conference heightened my curiosity about addressing the complexities teachers face when meeting the diverse needs of learners globally.

Final Thoughts

I loved the learning that took place during breaks and lunch. These informal interludes held their own charm. They provided time for thoughtful dialogue concerning teacher educational programs around the world while sipping tea with colleagues from countries such as Australia, Turkey, and Russia.

The European Reading Conference was an incredible experience.  I discovered    many admirable literacy practices.   Mark your calendar for the 19th European Reading Conference.  In 2015 this biennial will be held in Klagenfurt, Austria.

References

Leu, D. J. (2013, August). New literacies of online research and comprehension: Reading with a lens to the future as well as a lens to the past. Paper presented at the 18th European Reading Conference. Jönköping, Sweden. Retrieved from. http://www.slideshare.net/djleu/18th-european-conference-on-reading-scira-25083475.

Leu, D. J. (2013, August). Online reading comprehension assessment. Paper presented at the 18th European Reading Conference. Jönköping, Sweden. Retrieved from. http://www.orca.uconn.edu/

Marsh, J. (2013, August). Digital futures: learning and teaching literacy in a digital age. Paper presented at the 18th European Reading Conference. Jönköping, Sweden. Retrieved from. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/ed1jam/ecor-marsh

Marsh, J. (2013, August). Digital futures in teacher education.  Paper presented at the 18th European Reading Conference. Jönköping, Sweden. Retrieved from http://www.digitalfutures.org/.
Institute for German Language and Literature II, University of Cologne, Germany (2013). BaCuLit. Retrieved from http://www.alinet.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=50

International Development in European Committee of the International Reading Association (2013). 19th European Reading Conference. Retrieved from http://www.literacyeurope.org/meetings-conferences/european-conferences/

International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), 2011. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pirls/pirls2011.asp

Kasten, W. C., Sharma, S. A., Sisson, D. (2013, August). Diversity in United States teacher education programs in literacy and reading: A nationwide investigative study. Paper presented at the 18th European Reading Conference. Jönköping, Sweden.

Leu, D. J., Kinzer, C.K., Coiro, J., Castek, J., Henry, L.A. (2013). New literacies: A dual level theory of the changing nature of literacy, instruction, and assessment. In N. Unrau & D. Alvermann (Ed.s), Theoretical models and processes of reading (6th ed., pp. 1150-1181). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Sue Ann Sharma is a visiting assistant professor at Oakland University in Michigan, dr.sueann@gmail.com.

This article is an addendum to an article from the October/November 2013 issue of Reading Today. IRA members can read the interactive digital version of the magazine here. Nonmembers: join today!

Random House Children’s Books just announced that the prize package for the recipient of the 10th annual Magic Tree House Educator of the Year Award will include registration to the International Reading Association (IRA) 59th Annual Conference.

The coveted award is presented to an educator of Grades 1–4 who incorporates Magic Tree House books (both the fiction titles and nonfiction Fact Trackers) into the curriculum in an outstanding way. For over 20 years, Mary Pope Osborne’s bestselling and internationally beloved series about a brother and sister who travel through time has been trusted by educators for its ability to educate and entertain young readers.

Mary Pope Osborne


Natalie Pope Boyce

The grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the IRA Conference in New Orleans, May 9–12, 2014, to meet authors Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, and receive full access to the exhibits and programs plus a ticket to the Book & Author Luncheon where Osborne will make the keynote speech. The prize also includes two autographed sets of the entire Magic Tree House series, $500 worth of books from Random House Children’s Books, a $500 gift card for classroom supplies, and a Skype school visit with the authors.

Three runners-up will receive an autographed set of the Magic Tree House series and a $250 gift card for classroom supplies.

To be considered for the award, educators are asked to describe in 500 words or less how they use Magic Tree House books to meet objectives across the curriculum and address Common Core State Standards. They may also submit additional classroom materials that distinguish them.

Entries are accepted until January 15, 2014. The official entry form can be found at teachers.magictreehouse.com.

Lisa Nadel is the associate director of educational marketing at Random House Children's Books.

Photos by Elena Seibert.