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    In the Exhibit Hall at the 2012 Annual Convention

     | Apr 23, 2012

    You’ll want to hit the ground running the moment you arrive at the 2012 IRA Annual Convention in Chicago. There will be a vast array of tools and services on the exhibit floor to sharpen your literacy teaching techniques and invigorate your learning experience.

    Convention Exhibit Hall

    Get your start in the IRA Bookstore, stocking publications to expand your mind, T-shirts and other IRA gear to show your pride, and refreshments to keep you on the move. Here’s a quick overview of some other services so you know what’s what. 

    Technology Row

    New for 2012 is a little haven we call Technology Row, featuring cuttingedge tools for use in literacy education. Participating exhibitors include Logical Choice, School Improvement Network, Wiley-Blackwell, and AWE Digital Learning Solutions. Technology Row is located right next to the IRA Bookstore. Technology Row exhibitors include: 

    • Logical Choice: A leader in advancing technology for the classroom and campus into the next century. 
    • School Improvement Network: Helping teachers with a suite of on-demand products designed for their professional development.
    • Wiley-Blackwell: Publisher of awardwinning encyclopedias, books, scholarly journals (including IRA’s The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, and Reading Research Quarterly), and online resources.
    • AWE Digital Learning Solutions: Creating digital learning solutions for classrooms, afterschool programs, libraries, and media centers that help children “learn how to learn.”

    Non-Profit Row

    IRA council and affiliate representatives along with our partners in the literacy world will be on hand to answer your questions and share their latest efforts to improve, promote, and advance literacy education. Non-Profit Row is next to Technology Row and the IRA Bookstore.

    21st Century Classroom

    Want to get a peek at the classroom of the not-so-distant future? Scholastic is sponsoring a comprehensive training center to help you connect with the students of today and tomorrow in Booth 1014. You’ll get expert insights on making an impact with technology and learn how to plug it all in to your classroom. Renowned educational leaders including Tim Rasinski and Ted Hasselbring will be on hand with tips, tricks, and techniques.

    IRA WebStation

    Need a computer bigger than the one you carry in your pocket? We’ve provided two WebStations with fast, trouble-free connection enabling you to check email, like us on Facebook, or print your boarding passes for the return flight home. You’ll find one at McCormick Place West Hall F2 and the other in the common area adjacent to the General Session.


    More about the IRA Annual Convention

    There's Still Time to Exhibit at the Annual Convention!

    Register for the Annual Convention

    You’ll want to hit the ground running the moment you arrive at the 2012 IRA Annual Convention in Chicago. There will be a vast array of tools and services on the exhibit floor to sharpen your literacy teaching techniques and invigorate your...Read More
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    Get to Know the 2012 Annual Convention Authors: Deborah Ellis

     | Apr 20, 2012

    Deborah Ellis has written many influential books based on the stories of children dealing with war, disease, poverty, and injustice. This Canadian author of The Breadwinner, Parvama's Journey, and Looking for X participates in the International Authors Panel with Patricia McCormick on Tuesday, May 1, at the IRA Annual Convention. She shares details of her beginnings, inspirations, and future work in this interview with Reading Today

    Deborah EllisReading Today: What got you interested in writing books for children and/or young adults?

    Deborah Ellis: I fell into writing for children by accident. In the late 1990s, Groundwood Books held a competition for folks who had never published a middle-grade novel before. As an unpublished writer, I entered every contest that came along, so I wrote something and sent it off. The book I wrote--Looking for X--didn't win, but Groudwood still published it. Around that time I was getting involved with solidarity work for women in Afghanistan, and was over in the Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan listening to the stories of survivors of the Taliban. I heard a lot of the kids' stories, and decided to write The Breadwinner, which Groundwood also--bravely--published. And that has led to more opportunities.

    RT: Which of your books do you consider your best and why?    

    DE: This is a difficult question to answer. In terms of the most important, the best ones are the books of interviews I've done with kids affected by war, AIDS, and injustice. Having them talk directly about their lives is more valuable than anything I could write. In terms of fiction, No Safe Place (about kids from different parts of the world seeking a home) presented a challenge in that I'm still learning how to write from multiple points of view without making a big mess or driving my editor (the long-suffering Shelley Tanaka) bonkers.

    RT: What can attendees at IRA Chicago expect to hear from you?

    DE: My new book is a collection of interviews I did with children in Kabul last year. They talked about how their lives have changed--and not--since the fall of the Taliban. I'll share some of their stories. I'll also talk about the two books that came out last fall. One, No Ordinary Day, is about kids affected by leprosy in India. The other, True Blue, is a small town murder mystery that tests the friendship and character of two teenaged girls. But I'll also go off on tangents about war, choices, and hope. 

    For more information about the 2012 IRA Annual Convention in Chicago from April 29 to May 2, visit www.iraconvention.org.

     

    Deborah Ellis Will Be There…Will You?

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    Deborah Ellis has written many influential books based on the stories of children dealing with war, disease, poverty, and injustice. This Canadian author of The Breadwinner, Parvama's Journey, and Looking for X participates in the International...Read More
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    Get to Know the 2012 Annual Convention Authors: Sneed Collard

     | Apr 19, 2012

    Nature and science author Sneed B. Collard III is part of the Nonfiction Author Panel on Tuesday, May 1 at the IRA Annual Convention. He discusses the transition from marine biologist to author as well as how the field of publishing nonfiction is changing in this interview with Reading Today

    Sneed B. Collard IIIReading Today: What got you interested in writing books for children and/or young adults?

    Sneed Collard: By the time I finished my marine biology degree at U.C. Berkeley, I’d come to the realization that there were already enough scientists to “save the world.” There weren’t, however, enough people communicating the vast knowledge scientists had accumulated. I first felt motivated to write science as a way to educate people about the sheer wonder of our planet, and how we needed to change our activities to protect it. I thought that children were the logical place to start. Children, after all, exude curiosity and they naturally understand the importance of protecting what’s around us. When I began writing, though, I also discovered that I just loved the writing process, and that my writing voice was very much compatible with young audiences of all ages. Although I do frequently write for adults, my real passion is conveying information and telling stories to younger readers, whether they are just cracking their first books or pursuing the throes of teenaged interests.

    RT: What do consider your best book to date and why?

    SC: A tough question because I’ve written so many types of books and for so many ages. As far as my older/middle-grade science, I’d say The Prairie Builders and Monteverde—Science and Scientists in a Costa Rican Cloud Forest. Both of these broke new ground in presenting original information to children, and I think my passion for the topics comes through. As far as my younger science books, I’d have to go with Wings, which not only features some of my best prose, but spectacular art from Robin Brickman. As for my novels, I’d have to say Double Eagle and my newest mystery Hangman’s Gold. I especially enjoyed the research for these two thrillers, spending many days on Dauphin Island, Alabama and in the Montana ghost town of Bannack, where the books take place.

    RT: What can attendees at IRA Chicago expect to hear from you?

    SC: In my panel with Jim Murphy, I plan to focus on two main topics. One is the background story and process I use to create some of my newest non-fiction books including “Lizards”, Global Warming, and The World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. I’ll place special emphasis on how the nature of a topic influences my research strategy for the book. The second theme I plan to explore is how the changing publishing climate is impacting the quality and availability of non-fiction children’s books, how authors are responding, and what that might mean for the future.

    Learn more about Collard on this website and on the Charlesbridge website and on his . For more information about the 2012 IRA Annual Convention in Chicago from April 29 to May 2, visit www.iraconvention.org.

    Sneed Collard Will Be There…Will You?

    Convention Register Button



    Nature and science author Sneed B. Collard III is part of the Nonfiction Author Panel on Tuesday, May 1 at the IRA Annual Convention. He discusses the transition from marine biologist to author as well as how the field of publishing nonfiction is...Read More
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    Get to Know the 2012 Annual Convention Authors: Leslie Margolis

     | Apr 19, 2012

    Leslie Margolis, author of the Maggie Brooklyn Mystery series and the Annabelle Unleashed series as well as many more books for children and young adults, is part of the Reluctant Readers Panel on Monday, April 30 at the IRA Annual Convention. She shares her passion for reading and writing in this interview with Reading Today. 

    Leslie MargolisReading Today: What got you interested in writing books for children and young adults? 

    Leslie Margolis: I fell in love with reading at a young age. From the moment I could read, I had a true passion for children's literature. Writing for kids, in my experience, is absolutely a calling. I feel incredibly lucky to have the career I do. 

    RT: What do consider your best book to date and why?

    LM: Yes, I have a favorite novel, and it's a secret.

    RT: What can attendees at IRA Chicago expect to hear from you?

    LM: I've already been speaking to kids, teachers, and librarians about reluctant readers, and I look forward to discussing my findings.

    Visit www.lesliemargolis.com for more information about Margolis, her books, other writing, author visits, and her six-toed genius dog Aunt Blanche. For more information about the 2012 IRA Annual Convention in Chicago from April 29 to May 2, visit www.iraconvention.org

    Leslie Margolis Will Be There…Will You?

    Convention Register Button



    Leslie Margolis, author of the Maggie Brooklyn Mystery series and the Annabelle Unleashed series as well as many more books for children and young adults, is part of the Reluctant Readers Panel on Monday, April 30 at the IRA Annual Convention. She...Read More
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    Get to Know the 2012 Annual Convention Authors: Brent Crawford

     | Apr 18, 2012

    The author of Carter Finally Gets It and Carter's Big Break as well an actor who's appeared on Sex and the City and more, Brent Crawford is part of the Reluctant Readers Panel at the IRA Annual Convention on Monday, April 30. Admittedly a reluctant reader himself, Crawford shares with Reading Today the sister's push that got him into writing. 

    Brent CrawfordReading Today: What got you interested in writing books for young adults?  

    Brent Crawford: My sister is a reading specialist in Kansas City. She pointed out how few books are written for boys and added that, "You and your dumb-ass friends from high school were some of the most entertaining humans I've ever been around!" So she suggested that I try to flesh out a novel. If you know my sister, you know that "suggestions" are "orders" and you'd better friggin' DO IT!!! 

    RT: What do consider your best book to date and why?

    BC: Carter Finally Gets It is my first novel and it was kind of written just for fun... I understand how to write a little bit better now, but who cares? I want to get back to the fun! 

    RT: What can attendees at IRA Chicago expect to hear from you?

    BC: I'm on the Reluctant Reader Panel... not because I'm an author, but because I am an actual "reluctant reader!" I honestly didn't start reading until after college... WHAT?! I always try to share how much reading has enriched my life and strategies that have helped me prioritize reading into my daily life. I also hope to talk about my next book and how I'm trying to merge the traditional narrative with the smallest amount of graphic novel ju-ju, so I can hook boys with visuals that keep them in engaged in the story, without "telling" their minds exactly what to see. I hope someone in the audience says, "That is stupid, and this is why!" 

    Visit Crawford's website at http://www.brent-crawford.com/blog/About_Me.html to learn more about his books, his acting career, battling ADD with a healthy lifestyle, his favorite jeans, and banana-seat bicylcing. Also see Engage for his In Other Words post entitled "Controversy vs. Cool in Teen Literature." For more information about the 2012 IRA Annual Convention in Chicago from April 29 to May 2, visit www.iraconvention.org

     

    Brent Crawford Will Be There…Will You?

    Convention Register Button




    The author of Carter Finally Gets It and Carter's Big Break as well an actor who's appeared on Sex and the City and more, Brent Crawford is part of the Reluctant Readers Panel at the IRA Annual Convention on Monday, April 30. Admittedly a...Read More
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