Literacy Now

by Elizabeth Bleacher

IRA’s author luncheons provide a unique chance to hear from popular authors while sharing a friendly meal with colleagues. The IRA 58th Annual Convention features ticketed luncheons with Jane O’Connor (Fancy Nancy series) on April 20; Newbery Honor winner Joan Bauer on April 21, and author/illustrator Chris Soentpiet on April 22.

Jane O’Connor

Jane O’Connor, a native New Yorker, addresses the need for varied and creative literature at the primary reading level during the Primary Literacy Luncheon from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. O’Connor is the author of the Fancy Nancy (HarperCollins) series of well-loved books about a dramatic little girl with a love for outrageous fashion and fancy words. A number of the Fancy Nancy books have spent time in the No. 1 spot on the New York Times best-sellers list, but Nancy’s success hasn’t kept O’Connor writing strictly for early readers. The follow-up to her well-received adult novel, Dangerous Admissions (Harper/Avon), will be available in April 2013.

Joan Bauer

Adolescent literature takes center stage when Joan Bauer talks about the importance of hope and humor in teen novels at the Young Adult Literature Luncheon on Sunday, April 21, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. Bauer’s writing career had an unconventional start when she penned her first YA novel in an attempt to help herself recover from a serious car accident. Aside from the Newbery Honor Medal, Bauer has also been the recipient of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for her book, Rules of the Road (G.P. Putnam's Sons). Her latest novel, Almost Home (Viking Juvenile), was released in September 2012.

Chris Soentpiet

Author/illustrator Chris Soentpiet speaks at the Book and Author Luncheon on Monday,  April 22, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Recipient of the Society of Illustrator's top prize for his historical picture book Peacebound Trains (Sandpiper) and Parents Magazine's Best Book of the Year for Something Beautiful (Doubleday Books for Young Readers), Soentpiet has also been awarded IRA’s Children’s Book Award three times for his works More Than Anything Else (Orchard Books), Molly Bannaky (Sandpiper), and Coolies (Philomel). Soentpiet’s work transcends boarders with overarching themes about people, history, and culture.

The IRA 58th Annual Convention will be held in San Antonio, Texas, from April 19 to 22, 2013. Register and reserve your tickets for the luncheons on www.iraconvention.org or by calling 888-294-9167 (U.S. and Canada) or 415-979-2278. Since the tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, those interested in attending should secure their tickets as soon as possible.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

 

 

 

 

by Elizabeth Bleacher

With teaching trends shifting to accommodate new standards, staying up-to-date on current education expectations can be a challenge for educators. To help literacy teachers meet students’ needs, the International Reading Association has invited nine exceptional literacy professionals to speak at the 58th Annual Convention this April.

Symposium with Ruth Culham, Greg Tang, Steven Layne, and Danny Brassell

A panel consisting of Ruth Culham, Greg Tang, Steven Layne, and Danny Brassell will be sharing instructional teaching and learning strategies that are designed to help students meet state expectations in a session entitled Readin', Writin', and 'Rithmetic: Revisited Through the Common Core State Standards. The strategies will put a special emphasis on aiding students that struggle with reading, writing, and mathematics. The broad focus of the panel will help educators reach students across the curriculum and build strong connections between various subjects.

Culham is the author of over 40 teaching resources and the recipient of the 2011 Teacher’s Choice Award for her book Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School. Tang, primarily a math teacher and the author of The Grapes of Math, brings unique insight to the relationship between language arts and algebraic thinking skills. Layne, author of Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers (Stenhouse, 2009) and current IRA Board member, has been recognized as an exceptional educator by the Milken Foundation. Rounding out the panel is Brassell, author of Bringing Joy Back Into the Classroom, whose primary focus is igniting a passion for reading in early learners.

Individual Sessions with Debbie Diller, Cris Tovani, Lucy Calkins, Stephanie Harvey, and Kelly Gallagher

In addition to the symposium, five individual speakers will present sessions. The individual speakers include Debbie Diller, Cris Tovani, Lucy Calkins, Stephanie Harvey, and Kelly Gallagher. Though all the speakers will be addressing the opportunities and challenges surrounding the implementation of state standards, each speaker will bring the distinct perspectives of their personal experiences and research to the issue.

During her session Building Student Independence Through Meaningful Literacy Work Stations, Diller will talk about the benefits of independent learning. Tovani will address how teaching instruction must shift accommodate standards in her presentation Harnessing Literacy Instruction to Meet the Demands of the CCSS. Calkins, co-author of Pathways to the Common Core (Heinemann, 2012), will help educators you translate the CCSS into plans for teaching and for school reform, and Harvey analyses what the CCSS say about comprehension, understanding, and close reading. Gallagher will discuss Building Deeper Readers in the Age of the Common Core State Standards.

At a time when state standards have taken on a new emphasis, these speakers will be addressing the most talked about issues currently surrounding teaching in a practical and applicable way informed by years of research and personal experience.

Registration is open for the IRA 58th Annual Convention to be held on April 19-22, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. Visit www.iraconvention.org to register or for details on these and other speakers.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

 

 

The International Reading Association is looking for five new members for the IRA Teacher Advisory Panel, also known as TAP.

TAP members advise the IRA Board of Directors about classroom literacy issues in the field. In the past, TAP members have served on IRA Task Forces, written articles about classroom issues for Reading Today, presented at the annual conference, and provided guidance on a number of items for board discussion. TAP members serve a three year term and perform most of their duties through conference calls and electronic mail.

TAP members receive conference registration, airfare, and hotel accommodations up to US$1000 to attend a half day information/training session at the IRA Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas. International TAP members may apply for additional travel subsidy. 

For the 2013-2016 term of service, TAP members will be appointed from each of the following regions:

1. Canada
2. East – Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont
3. Rocky Mountain – Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming
4. Southeast – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia
5. Southwest – Arizona, Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

In addition to the regions listed above, TAP includes members representing regions outside North America., Great Lakes, West, Plains, as well as a United States at Large member. These members will complete their terms in 2014 (West and International) and 2015 (Great Lakes, Plains, International, U.S. at Large). Potential applicants who reside in one of these regions are encouraged to look for a call for applications for TAP in 2014 or 2015.

For this panel, a “teacher” is defined as a regular classroom teacher who spends 100% of his/her time in Pre-kindergarten -12th grade classrooms or a site-based teacher such as reading specialist, teacher librarian, literacy coach, or reading recovery teacher. TAP members must also: 

• Have been a classroom teacher for a minimum of 3 years.
• Have been an IRA member for a minimum of 3 years.
• Be a member of and be active in a local, state, or provincial council or in an international affiliate and have a recommendation from that council or affiliate.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to literacy improvement as evidenced by involvement at a school, community, state, national, or international level.
• Be knowledgeable about classroom literacy issues and have shown classroom teacher leadership.

Candidates representing diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, and age, are encouraged to apply.

Interested teachers may apply using the TAP online application form. The deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST on January 9, 2013. More information is available on the TAP webpage.

Teacher Advisory Panel at 2012 IRA Annual Convention

 

 

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The popular Teaching Edge speaker series will return to IRA’s Annual Convention this year. This year’s speakers include six literacy professionals whose innovative research has both shaped and improved classroom practice on the national and international levels. These intensive speaker sessions take an extensive look at what students need to know now—and what literacy educators can do to ensure that each student reaches his or her potential.

Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey

Frequent collaborators Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey return to Teaching Edge with a presentation that explores how to identify complex texts that meet the teaching expectations of the Common Core State Standards—a topic inspired by their best-selling Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading (co-authored with Diane Lapp).

Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell

Also returning to the speaker series are Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Attendees of their presentation will learn about a six-step inquiry process that can be used to help students learn genre distinctions and “thinkmarks” that students can apply to their independent reading.

Richard Allington

The final returning speaker, Richard Allington, presents What the Research Says About Teaching So That All Children are Reading on Grade Level. Allington’s session addresses issues that surround the early development of grade level reading and outlines the instructional support that is needed to overcome such issues.

Ellin Oliver Keene

In addition to the five returning speakers, Ellin Oliver Keene has been added to the 2013 Teaching Edge series. Keene’s presentation, Fostering Deeper Understanding With Student Discourse: Putting the Dimensions and Outcomes of Understanding to Work, discusses her research on natural conversation as a tool to enhance student understanding and achievement.

Though the IRA Annual Convention provides numerous opportunities for professional and personal development, the Teaching Edge speaker series is undoubtedly one of the most unique. The series provides an in-person opportunity to hear about the most contemporary theories of literacy from the very people that developed them. 

The IRA 58th Annual Convention will be held from April 19 to 22, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. Read more about this series and other convention events at www.iraconvention.org.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

 

 

 

Due to the popularity of the International Reading Association (IRA) Literacy and Leadership Institute in Saint Louis in September, Regie Routman has scheduled another two-day institute for January 28 and 29, 2013, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

At this institute, veteran teacher, literacy coach, and author Regie Routman and esteemed colleagues Marilyn Jerde, Sandra C. Figueroa, and Kathy Schmitt present inspirational and practical advice on applying exemplary literacy and leadership practices, aligning research-based professional development with implementation of the Common Core State Standards, developing shared beliefs, professional trust, and literacy-based Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), incorporating an optimal learning model ("I do it." "We do it." "You do it.") across the curriculum, reducing the number of students who need intervention, and tailoring attendees’ schools’ next steps.

The event promises to be intimate and intelligent professional development that can positively impact whole-school effectiveness, efficiency, and enjoyment. Principals, school and district leaders, classroom teachers, ELL and Title I teachers, literacy coaches, librarians, and literacy specialists serving grades K-8 are encouraged to attend.

The institute will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 28, and from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 29, at the Omni Charlotte Hotel at 132 East Trade Street in Charlotte, North Carolina. Attendees can take advantage of the special hotel rate by reserving a room before 5:00 p.m. EST on December 28.

Regie Routman has been an IRA member for 35 years. She contributes a regular column to IRA Members-Only and supports the IRA Regie Routman Teacher Recognition Grant. Read more about her and the other institute speakers on the Literacy and Leadership Institute speakers webpage.

More details and the registration form can be found on the Literacy and Leadership Institute webpage.