Literacy Now

This is the second installment of a three-part series highlighting the winners of the 2017 ILA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Awards, which honor newly published authors who show extraordinary promise in books for children and young adults. Young readers need books that provide a mirror in which they can see themselves as well as a window to understand the perspectives of others, especially those whose experiences differ from their own. In this series, award recipients Jeff Zentner, Aimee Bissonnette, and Reyna Grande share how their books may provide readers with “window and mirror experiences.” This week, Ally Hauptman and Michelle Hasty, chairs of ILA's Children's and Young Adult Book Award Committee, interview Grande.

The Distance Between Us is a poignant memoir about the author’s life before and after immigrating from Mexico to the United States as a young girl. Through her struggles to hold on to family—set within the frightening realities of illegal immigration—Grande gives readers a firsthand account of survival in search of the American Dream. The book is funny, sad, and at times heartbreaking, and driven by themes of perseverance, persistence, and hope. This is Grande’s first children’s book and, as a committee, we feel she is a strong new voice for middle-grade readers. This powerful book reflects the experiences of undocumented youth and invites nonimmigrant readers to glimpse into hardships unlike their own.

We were honored to interview Grande about how she sees The Distance Between Us being used in classrooms and how specific books, authors, and teachers influenced her journey.  

How do you see The Distance Between Us being used in classrooms to expand perspectives?

"I hope that my book provides a starting point for teachers and students to have powerful discussions about the human experience of migrating, the price that immigrants pay for a shot at the American Dream, and the push and pull factors of migration. Children are very perceptive, and I think we can teach them kindness and empathy, but most of all, teach them to respect and treat all human beings with dignity, regardless of where they come from. Most importantly, I want children to learn the complexities about immigration in a way where they understand that migrating isn't a crime, but rather, in most cases, an act of survival."

You did not see yourself in books until you were 19 years old. How did this shape you as a reader and what was the impact of reading Viramontes and Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street?

"I think about myself when I was a young girl, hungry for books that reflected my experiences. I never saw myself in books. I felt invisible. Voiceless. I felt that I didn't exist. I hope that by sharing my book with young people, especially readers of color, they can see themselves in literature and know that their story matters. I want them to know that their heartbreak and trauma, that their dreams and hopes, are important and they are not alone. It was a very powerful moment for me to open a book and see my own experiences reflected in the pages of that book. Those books told me, 'You exist. You matter.' Books by Chicana/Latina writers made my dream of being a writer feel more real. If they could do it, so could I."

How does this book help people understand the immigrant experience in this country? This is particularly relevant to what is happening with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program right now.

"I want more than DACA, which is a temporary program. You can't build a future on something temporary. What I want is the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, but unfortunately, to this day, it hasn't been passed. There are millions of young people who have experienced similar things I went through, made the same sacrifices, and suffered the same sorrows. These young immigrants are here in this country fighting for their right to remain, for a chance at the American Dream, to be accepted and included. I hope my book offers people insight into the plight of child immigrants and immigrant families in general, and that together we can advocate for an immigration system that treats immigrants with dignity and respect.

Above all, I hope we can come together as a country to finally do right by our young immigrants and give them the opportunity to legalize their status and tell them, 'Yes, you belong here.'  My book is about how immigration tore my family apart, and the price—not measured in dollars—that I paid for a shot at the American Dream. Year after year the price just keeps getting higher. I want the American Dream to remain within the reach of all young immigrants. For that to happen, we, as a country, need to support a comprehensive immigration reform that is humane and fair."

What is your advice for teachers who want to be a "Diana" for their students?

"You don't have to take your students home to change their lives—but please be aware of the challenges that your students might be facing and try to be as supportive as you can. A kind word, a kind gesture, goes a long way. Listen to them without judging. Give them a safe space where they can thrive. Your classroom could be the one place where they can escape the troubles at home and out in the world. And don't judge your students based on who they are, rather, see their potential—help them visualize who they can be and how far they can go.

If you were to talk to my teachers back in high school, none of them would have ever thought I would get this far in my life. I was the least likely to succeed. All it took was one teacher who believed in me and helped me believe in myself."

Ally Hauptman is the chair of the ILA Children's and Young Adult Book Award Committee and a professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.  

Michelle Hasty is the chair of the ILA Children's and Young Adult Book Award Committee and a professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. 

Hauptman and Zentner will copresent a session at the ILA 2018 Conference, July 20–July 23, in Austin, TX. Be the first to know the 2018 ILA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Awards winners, coupled with ideas from committee members for implementing these important texts in the classroom. For more information visit ilaconference.org.

In addition to her upcoming title, Writers Read Better: Nonfiction, M. Colleen Cruz is the author of several professional development texts, including The Unstoppable Writing Teacher, Independent Writing and A Quick Guide to Helping Struggling Writers, as well as the young adult novel Border Crossing, a Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Finalist. Cruz was a classroom teacher in general education and inclusive settings before joining the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project as director of innovation. She currently supports schools, teachers, and their students nationally and internationally as a literacy consultant.

As director of innovation for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, much of your work is focused on increasing access to literacy through digital devices and tools. What do you believe are some of the tallest barriers?

“I think one of the biggest obstacles is the notion of us, as educators, looking at the students and what’s going on with them as opposed to what obstacles we’re putting in their way. It’s looking at our classroom libraries and thinking not only about diverse books, but how do we make our libraries more inclusive? How do we make sure they are accessible to everyone—even to students we may not yet have in our classrooms? We want to be constantly inclusive of more voices and topics and interests, and make sure that we have audio books, visually supportive texts, and the like. We want to be sure that there are as few obstacles to learning as possible. I think sometimes we see an issue or a problem that shows up in our classrooms and we try to solve it as it comes up, but I’m definitely a fan of anticipating barriers before they come up and designing our instruction with access. Setting up our teaching to be inclusive of various learning needs, cultural backgrounds, economic experiences… It’s hard for me to not think of everything together. I’m a big intersectionality person; if there’s barrier for one there’s a barrier for all.

I’m someone of mixed race, who grew up in a working-class home and is not straight. I saw how many obstacles showed up in my own path growing up, and it’s sort of hard for me to forget about them. Or even to decide which obstacle was harder or not as hard as another. I know firsthand it isn’t about ‘I just need to have these people in my seats’ or ‘I just need to have these books on my shelf and then everything will be OK.’ It’s about actively making sure there is access to literacy. For every kid.”

Your sessions at the ILA 2018 Conference will focus on how the teaching of authentic writing with reading can help develop students’ reading comprehension. This is also the topic of your upcoming book, Writers Read Better: Nonfiction. What led you to write this book?

“This is something that I’ve been playing around with personally and professionally for years. There was a game I would play with my friends, where we would read newspaper headlines and then try to guess the lede. It was pretty obvious that anyone who wrote would do it really well—it’s the idea that when you make something, you’re a better consumer of it. If you’re a chef, you know food better. If you sew, you’ll understand fashion in a different way.

I never really thought about the instructional ramifications of this game until one day, a third grader was struggling with talking about structure in a nonfiction book she was reading. I looked around the classroom for something to help her, and I realized there were no reading charts to help with structure, but there were writing charts. I asked her to pull out the nonfiction book she was writing herself and to talk about the structure she used, and she was able to make the connection between her writing and the book she was reading. I started experimenting—if a kid was struggling with finding text evidence, I looked at the ways he used text evidence in his writing. As I started playing with this I found this whole body of research that I didn’t even know was out there—not just about how reading supports writing, but the other way around.”

What can attendees expect to walk away with?

“One of the things I’m emphasizing is how today, more than ever, educators are struggling with how we can get kids to be more critical as readers and not just passive receptacles of content. One of the ways to ensure our kids are wide awake and critical readers—and I think this goes to the notion of social justice as well—is first to teach kids how to find their own voice as writers and then to channel that know-how toward being more savvy when taking in content.

[Attendees] will walk away with new tools they can use to teach critical reading comprehension. My hope is that they’ll leave with new ideas for how reading comprehension and writing skills can be tools for supporting student voice and a source of power in the world. These are things they can use tomorrow—strategies, resources—things they can do in real classrooms with real kids, even if their resources are limited.”

What does it mean to be a changemaker?

“This is where I lean on one of my biggest mentors, Lucy Calkins. One of the things she has said is that she wants to be known as a 'star maker,' someone who makes someone else’s voice heard, someone who lifts other people up. Part of being a changemaker isn’t necessarily going out and doing one specific thing, but rather, opening up doors for other people. Allowing kids to see what they’re capable of, giving them the tools to make the changes they want to make. I’ve always been about students’ independence and agency—my goal is to put myself out of a job. To make them so independent and skilled that they don’t need me.”  

M. Colleen Cruz will be a featured speaker at the ILA 2018 Conference, July 20–July 23, in Austin, TX. To learn more, visit literacyworldwide.org/conference.

Alina O'Donnell is the communications strategist at ILA and the editor of Literacy Daily.

If anyone knows how to engage readers, it’s literacy experts and authors Kylene Beers and Bob Probst. Their latest book, Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters (Scholastic), is lauded not only for its techniques and strategies, but also for its humor and accessibility—no small feat for a professional development text. In fact, the book was such a hit at the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits that Scholastic sold out of copies halfway through day two. Thankfully, Beers and Probst will return to the stage at the ILA 2018 Conference as featured speakers to talk about why reading is our most important skill in the 21st century.

If you missed their session at ILA 2017 or simply need a refresher, here are seven quotes from Beers and Probst that made us stop, reflect, and think about reading in new ways.

1. Reading should be transformational

Beers and Probst believe that, “If the reader isn’t responsive, if she doesn’t let the text awaken emotion or inspire thoughts, then she can barely be said to be reading at all.” Their Book, Head, Heart (BHH) framework alerts readers to pay attention to the text, their thoughts about it, what they feel, and how they might have changed by reading it.

2. Give choice with direction

Beers and Probst acknowledge that, for students who do not see themselves as readers, personal choice may be overwhelming.

“Giving kids choice doesn’t mean that you just sit back and say, ‘Go pick a book.’ Giving kids choice means showing them what’s out there that they might really enjoy. So, what we would encourage you to do is to say ‘What is the structure I’ve set up in my classroom that helps kids make an informed choice? Am I providing book talks? Do I have a limited number of books on the chalkboard ledge? Do I have titles up in the room for kids to look at?’” says Beers. “I want to give kids choice, but I want to give that within limits, because when I’m learning about books and genre and topics, limits help me.”

3. Focused silent reading is key

In an interview with Education Week, Beers and Probst note that today’s students live in a time when “information and entertainment can come to us in ways that don't require we read.” Those who rely on “political pundits, television commentators, flashy salesmen, unscrupulous preachers, or corner-hawkers” relinquish control of meaning-making. Silent, independent reading invites self-reflection and unguided interpretation—providing the reader with full ownership over his or her response to the text.

4. Relevance reigns

The authors maintain that getting kids’ attention is about interest—but sustaining it is about relevance. Instead of striving to satisfy interest, which is often fleeting, Beers and Probst encourage educators to introduce texts using strategies that increase engagement and point out relevance, which is always personal. “When they discover the relevance, their energy for and attention to the task will soar,” the authors write in Disrupting Thinking.

5. Competence starts with confidence

In a video produced by Scholastic, Beers says, about disenfranchised readers, “If you want to improve his skills, or her skills, what you have to do is start by building that child’s confidence.” The authors maintain that the interdependence between skill and will is research-based.

6. Create understanding—don’t check for it

Research shows that most classroom conversations stem from monologic questions—those for which the teacher already has an answer. Beers and Probst encourage teachers and parents to instead talk with students about what they don’t understand, through dialogic questions that develop thinking. Compared with monologic questions, dialogic questions are viewed by children as "authentic" problem-solving opportunities, resulting in higher engagement; increased student-to-student interaction; more frequent use of complete sentences; stronger inferences; and improved test scores.

7. Nonfiction ≠ not false and not false ≠ not true

Many children—and adults—believe that if fiction is invented and imaginary, nonfiction must be real and true. Beers and Probst dispel this notion, asserting that, “nonfiction is that body of work that offers us information—and we have a job to decide if it is or is not true in our world.” The authors urge educators to present nonfiction as an exercise in critical thinking—an opportunity to assess the quality of statements offered, ask questions, and challenge preexisting beliefs.

For more insights, visit Scholastic’s “Ten Tips with Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst” YouTube series. Happy disrupting!

Kylene Beers and Bob Probst will present a session titled “Revising Reading” on July 22 during the ILA 2018 Conference in Austin, TX. For more information, visit ilaconference.org.

Alina O’Donnell is the communications strategist at ILA and the editor of Literacy Daily.

This is the first of a three-part series highlighting the winners of the 2017 ILA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Awards, which honor newly published authors who show extraordinary promise in books for children and young adults. Young readers need books that provide a mirror in which they can see themselves as well as a window to understand the perspectives of others, especially those whose experiences differ from their own. In this series, award recipients Jeff Zentner, Aimee Bissonnette, and Reyna Grande share how their books may provide readers with “window and mirror experiences.” First, Ally Hauptman and Michelle Hasty, chairs of ILA's Children's and Young Adult Book Award Committee, discuss Zentner's The Serpent King.

When we heard Donalyn Miller at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention describe stuffing Kleenex in her glasses while reading Jeff Zentner’s The Serpent King, we were in. Who doesn’t love a book that is so moving and suspenseful that you don’t want to move, even for a tissue? We fully trusted Miller’s recommendation to run—not walk—to get the book.

In lyrical language and pitch-perfect dialogue, Zentner tells the story of three friends, a group of outcasts in the small, fictional southern town of Forrestville, Tennessee. The book opens as the friends begin their senior year of high school, each contemplating their next steps. Music helps Dill fight the alternating guilt and rage that result from the blame his mother places on him for his father’s term in the state penitentiary. Lydia is fiery and opinionated, having virtually escaped the confines of Forrestville with her acclaimed fashion blog; however, she struggles with her own insecurities and integrity. Reading is an escape for Travis, who deals with an abusive father, enabling mother, and the loss of his older brother.

Major themes

Over pizza at the Farmer’s Market in Nashville, Tennessee, we discussed with Zentner the universal themes in The Serpent King, such as 

• Isolation. At the top of Zentner’s list was the feeling of being an outsider—not fitting in anywhere, as if there is a “vast, beautiful world, but none of it is for you.” Zentner said he made a conscious decision to tell the story of adolescents in a small, rural community, where “kids who were marginalized in a way.” His goal, he told us, was for the experience to be “resonant outside that specific milieu.” He said he’s surprised by how strongly young readers relate to these characters.
• Poverty and class. Zentner addresses class divisions through Lydia, Dill, and Travis’ varying post-graduation plans. Lydia plans to attend NYU in the fall, while Dill faces pressure from his mother to stay in Forrestville and help repay his family’s debt. Here, Zentner “wanted to show how Lydia uses the privilege she has been given to lift up Dill and Travis and make their lives better.”
• Mentall illness. Dill’s family is living in the shadow of his father—a disgraced minister who is currently imprisoned for the possession of child pornography. Zenter illustrate how mental illness has impacted Dill’s family. In a School Library Journal review, the author writes, “Zentner deals with Dill’s depression in an extremely thoughtful and positive way, providing a light and an example for younger readers who might also be struggling with this disease.”
• Religion. Faith is a recurring theme in The Serpent King. "It was important for me to put a book out there that had an honest struggle with faith," said Zentner. "It is not something you can just walk away from, it’s a lot thornier of an issue.”  
• Authenticity. One of the most compelling aspects of Zentner’s writing is his dialogue. When asked about his writing process, he said he lets the characters "sit in his head and have conversations with each other.” His writing shows a deep respect for young adults and a trust in their wisdom and capabilities. Zentner told us that he holds nothing back from his writing—no turns of phrase or words—because he knows his readers can handle it.

We hope Zentner will continue to not hold back—we want to hear more of his powerful stories.

Resources for classroom use

• Common Sense Media provides conversation prompts to help students navigate the book’s major themes.
• Andersen Press published a discussion and activity guide that includes creative exercises.
• A discussion guide produced by Random House includes pre- and post-reading questions and activities.

Ally Hauptman is the chair of the ILA Children's and Young Adult Book Award Committee and a professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.  

Michelle Hasty is the chair of the ILA Children's and Young Adult Book Award Committee and a professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. 

Hauptman and Zentner will copresent a session at the ILA 2018 Conference, July 20–July 23, in Austin, TX. Zentner will discuss the writing of The Serpent King and his second novel, Goodbye Days. Be the first to know the 2018 ILA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Awards winners, coupled with ideas from committee members for implementing these important texts in the classroom. For more information visit ilaconference.org.

As a literacy educator, I am always interested in new instructional ideas that promote learning for my scholars. I was excited to see that ILA had restarted regional conferences and even more excited when I received the ILA tweet notifying members that there was a chance to win a complimentary two-day registration for ILA West 2018, taking place in San Diego, my hometown.

I won! I went! And I would like to share just a few highlights of the experience.

Three strands, three keynoters, and a panel of children’s literature authors comprised the smorgasbord of learning opportunities across the two days. Although I could not attend everything, here are a few main takeaways, shared through my mind-maps and words.

In the Teachers and Coaches Strand, Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey spoke about the importance of creating and cultivating assessment-capable learners—students who can assess their own learning—through purposeful and intentional instruction. Based on John Hattie’s research on the factors that affect student achievement, assessment-capable learners demonstrate an effect size of 1.44, which is more than three times the learning effect size of .4—the expected growth for one year of education.

This session reminded me to evaluate my impact cycle to determine if I am encouraging my scholars to be aware of their current levels of understanding and then use their insights to identify their next learning steps, including deciding if they can proceed alone or if they need additional supports from me. It made me ask myself, Do my scholars know how to select the best tools to grow their learning? My scholars and I often talk about "moving from good to great" and say there is always room for growth. Because of this session, I want to empower my students to take charge of their own learning, to self-monitor, and to seek feedback.

As a reading specialist, I was especially excited to attend sessions in the Early Literacy Educators Strand. I appreciated the opportunities Diane Lapp, Kelly Johnson, Aida Rotell, Hilda Martinez, and Lisa Forehand provided through their discussion of close reading and their live demonstration of guided reading with first-grade readers. They encouraged everyone to watch students’ movements while reading and to use these insights to promote comprehension when working with both small and large group reading instruction. The Q&A session allowed participants to gain a deepened understanding of their own practices as they reflected on and compared instructional moves. A lively conversation ensued with participants feeling empowered to improve their teaching practices.

My coteachers and I discussed and left with an understanding of how to incorporate opportunities for guided reading and close reading during daily instruction, and how to use the assessment data to target areas for further instruction. Other highlights in the Early Literacy Educators Strand included Jan Hasbrouk’s discussion about the “goldilocks zone” of data collection and analysis; learning how to promote equitable instruction using culturally inclusive literature with Angie Zapata, Amy Seeley Flint, and their coleaders; practicing guided writing activities and strategies with Lori Oczkus; and learning about engaging comprehension and word study strategy with Hallie and Ruth Yopp.

The day also included three outstanding keynote presentations by Glenn Singleton, Val Pang, and Stephen Peters that expanded everyone’s understanding of equity and how to promote it during daily instruction.

An additional highlight was the opportunity to connect with and share equity-related ideas with other educators from across the country. These two days of professional development made me excited to start each new teaching day with the intent of putting into practice all of the new ideas I learned. I look forward to having a similar experience at the ILA 2018 Conference in Austin, TX, this July.

Amy Miles is an English teacher and teacher leader at Health Sciences Middle School in San Diego, CA. You can find her on Twitter @teacherinchucks.