Literacy Now

Millions of children in low-income neighborhoods don’t have books in their homes, missing out on the chance to develop crucial early literacy skills that affect their success in the classroom and in life. We Give Books, a digital reading initiative from the Pearson Foundation and the Penguin Group, is on a mission to change all that.

We Give Books makes it easy to help people enjoy reading together, at the same time providing books to those who may not have access to them. Anyone with access to the Internet can visit the site (www.wegivebooks.org) to read one of the free books available in its online library, and We Give Books donates a book to a leading literacy group on his or her behalf.

Now We Give Books has introduced a new initiative which takes that concept and adds a twist: Read for Our Schools is tied directly to Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign, which is presented in partnership with the Pearson Foundation. The annual Read for the Record campaign draws attention to the importance of early literacy by setting a new record for the most people reading the same book on the same day. Through Read for Our Schools, for each free book read online at www.wegivebooks.org between now and October 6, the Pearson Foundation will donate a copy of Llama Llama Red Pajama – this year’s official Read for the Record title. These donations will enable children who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to participate in the day’s events. Through We Give Books’ Read for Our Schools campaign, the foundation will donate 50,000 books to 150 participating school districts.

“I commend the We Give Books campaign for its creative approach in promoting the importance of reading in our children's lives,” said Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. “By making free online books available to families, and linking the use of that free material to this year's Read for the Record, we are engaging our children in the reading process in imaginative and compelling ways.” 

“Jumpstart’s Read for the Record shines a spotlight on our obligation to ensure that young people everywhere have an equal chance to succeed,” said Pearson Foundation President and CEO Mark Nieker. “We Give Books and Read for Our Schools add an important digital element that provides another way for people to show they care.”

Visit www.wegivebooks.org/readfortherecord to learn more and to register for this year’s Read for the Record.

We Give Books is a philanthropic program from the Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation that helps children become lifelong readers and givers. Together, Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation support literacy through programs that engage entire communities. Working around the world through programs like Booktime, We Give Books, and Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, Penguin and the Pearson Foundation have touched millions of lives in thousands of communities. To learn more about the We Give Books program and its nonprofit partners, go to we.givebooks.org. 

Jumpstart is a national early education organization that helps children develop the language and literacy skills they need for school, setting them on a path to close the achievement gap before it is too late. Read for the Record allows Americans to demand that all children receive the quality early education they deserve. For more information on Jumpstart and Read for the Record, visit www.jstart.org. 

The Pearson Foundation, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, extends Pearson’s commitment to education by partnering with leading nonprofit, civic, and business organizations to provide financial, organizational, and publishing assistance across the globe. The foundation aims to make a difference by sponsoring innovative educational programs and extending its educational expertise to help in classrooms and in local communities. More information on the Pearson Foundation can be found at www.pearsonfoundation.org.

by L. A. Henry and L. Zawilinski

 from literacy skill development, blogs are a great way for students to acquire and expand content knowledge in a variety of subjects (e.g. geography, science, history, culture). Finally, don’t forget to provide your students with lessons on Internet safety, digital citizenship, and netiquette to ensure respectful social interactions. 

Now that you know the basics of blogging, here are some resources to support your blogging journey: 

Click to play

ReadWriteThink.org Strategy Guides and Lessons

Teaching with Blogs
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-withblogs-30108.html

Online Safety
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/onine-safety- 30107.html

E-pals Around the World (Grades 6-8)
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/pals-around-world- 178.html

Weekly Writer’s Blogs: Building a Reflective Community of Support (Grades 9-12)
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/weekly-writerblogs= building-1113.html

Examples of Classroom Blogs

Travel Buddies/1st & 2nd Grade: Cultural Exchange between Kentucky, USA and Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil
http://tbteresiano1ano.blogspot.com/
http://tbteresiano2ano.blogspot.com/

Mrs. Yollis’ Classroom Blog: Third Graders Learning and Sharing Together
http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/

Huda Kaeen’s 8th Grade Blog in Makassed Saida, Lebanon
http://hblogging.edublogs.org

Blog Providers

Edublogs for Teachers and Students
http://www.edublogs.org

21 Classes Cooperative Learning
http://www.21classes.com

Landmarks Class Blogmeister
http://www.classblogmeister.com

ePals Global Community: Locate Classrooms around the World
http://www.epals.com/search/

Reference

1. Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking. The Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661. 

Laurie A. Henry is an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky, lauriehenry@ uky.edu. Lisa Zawilinski is a faculty member in the College of Education, Nursing, and Health Professions at University of Hartford, zawlinsk@ hartford.edu.

Based on a ReadWriteThink.org sponsored session at the 57th International Reading Association Annual Convention in Orlando, FL

 

by Dr. Judith A. Hayn 

SIGNAL is the International Reading Association's Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature; our mission is promoting the reading and use of young adult literature. We define adolescent and/or young adult literature (YAL) as books written specifically for adolescents, young adults, teens. These books have a young protagonist who deals with issues that other young people face, or might have to face. Additionally, adolescent literature is anything that young adults choose to read. Publishers have an impact when they select to market a book as YAL. 

An example of a book that was written for adults but has been marketed as young adult is The Dry Grass of August (2011). The year is 1954; Brown vs. Board of Education threatens to end an entrenched way of life in the segregated South. June Bentley Watts (Jubie) is 13 and growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina. In a week and a half of one summer, she develops from a sheltered, gawky adolescent into a young activist without completely understanding what happened. This transformation begins when Mama takes her three daughters, Stell, Jubie, Puddin’, and baby Davie to Pensacola to visit her younger brother Taylor. Mary, their black maid, accompanies them. Disaster looms from the first page of the novel, as tension and danger mount with every mile. The family has fled Daddy and his alcoholic rages as they have before; Jubie’s flashbacks reveal the developing discord at home that prompted the vacation. 

The author Anna Jean Mayhew grew up in Charlotte in the 50s, so the voices ring unflinchingly true with authentic regional color. Jubie is another compelling heroine, and older teens or mature younger readers will appreciate this book with its powerful message laced with historical accuracy. 

Dr. Judith A. Hayn is an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. 

This article is part of a series from the Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature (SIGNAL). 

by Karen Hildebrand 

by Thomas DeVere Wolsey, Ed. D., Walden University 

Finding appropriate books for children aged 3 to 13 that feature high-quality literature, many cultures, and multiple languages is a challenge for schools and libraries with limited budgets. However, the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) Foundation, a unique project begun by the University of Maryland in 2002, seeks to provide digital books that are inclusive of many cultures and in many languages. Most books in this digital collection can be read on standard Web browsers or in Java-enabled devices.  The site is easy to navigate and the text of the books can be enlarged. Young readers can quickly find picture books and chapter books by country of origin, language, genre, or suggested age-range.  The Foundation “…aspires to have every culture and language represented so that every child can know and appreciate the riches of children's literature from the world community (Mission page, ¶3). 

At present, the library has 4469 digital books in 55 different languages. Some books are available in multiple languages providing a great advantage to second language learners. Language maintenance is a critical goal in many school systems, and with ICDL, children (and adults) who have immigrated to another country may still access books in their home language, as well. One example is the digital book, Calling the Doves by Juan Felipe Herrera, a recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award (1995). In it, the author writes vibrantly of his childhood in a migrant family. With beautiful illustrations by Elly Simmons, readers learn how Herrera chose his road to becoming an author. Click the link to view the book, and as you do, consider how you could share this book, or another in the ICDL, with your students on a laptop, in a computer lab, or with the whole class using a digital projector or interactive whiteboard. 

Reference: 
Herrera, J. P. (1995). Calling the Doves. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press. Retrieved from http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/SaveBook?bookid=hrrclln_00030003&lang=English&ilang=English

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).