With so many awesome activities jam-packed into the IRA 2014 Conference it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, lost, or torn about where to go and what to attend. Well fret no longer! This year, for the first time ever, the IRA debuts IRA Central!
But what exactly is IRA Central? It’s your one-stop shop that combines the bookstore, membership area, IRA author signings, and sessions in the IRA Theater.
IRA Bookstore
The bookstore offers so many great deals you’ll never want to leave. When the bookstore opens at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, May 9, you can purchase select books at a discount and get the first crack at the official IRA merchandise. There’s also member pricing for everyone, meaning all regularly priced books will be sold at member price…20% off! If you don’t want to wait in line you can use Order Express which allows you to purchase books with FREE shipping and no sales tax.
Don’t forget to use your Bookstore Bucks! They are in the IRA Coupon Booklet and can be used at the Bookstore.
IRA Author Signings
The following IRA authors will be signing their latest books at IRA Central. Here is the book signing schedule:
Saturday, May 10
Sunday, May 11
Monday, May 12
IRA Theater
New this year! These IRA authors will present on topics from their recent and upcoming books in this unique theater built into IRA Central. Here is the IRA Theater schedule:
Saturday, May 10
- 10:00-11:00 a.m. – Timothy Rasinski, Valerie Ellery, Lori Oczkus, & Danny Brassell (The Art of Ending Your School Year Literacy Strong)
- 11:30-12:30 p.m. – Doug Buehl (Tracking Argumentation as Readers)
- 1:00-2:00 p.m. – Jennifer Scoggin (Reclaiming Your Happiness in the Classroom)
- 2:30-3:30 p.m. – Mark Weakland (Learning to Turbocharge the Basal: A True Story)
Sunday, May 11
- 10:00-11:00 a.m. – Jennifer L. Altieri (Creating Powerful Content Connections)
- 11:30-1:00 p.m. – Tony Stead & Sylvia Pantaleo, with Diane Barone & Marla Mallette (The Importance of Children's Literature - Authors of Articles Published in The Reading Teacher Share Ideas)
- 1:30-2:30 p.m. – Ruth Culham (Psst…Want to Become a Writing Thief?)
- 3:00-4:00 p.m. – Cathy A. Toll (Enduring Essentials of Literacy Coaching)
Monday, May 12
- Monday, May 12, 10:00-11:00 a.m. – Michelle J. Kelley & Nicki Clausen-Grace (Teaching Students to Effectively Read and Write Informational Texts)
IRA Membership
At IRA Central’s Membership area you can become a member or renew your membership during the conference for a chance to win the daily Golden Ticket, worth $100, that can be used towards your purchase at the IRA Bookstore. Discover IRA’s new benefit, IRA Bridges: Instructional Units for the Engaging Classroom and pick up samples of Reading Today and our peer-reviewed journals, The Reading Teacher, the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, and Reading Research Quarterly. Like what you see? Take a few steps to easily add a journal subscription to your membership. For each journal added, you’ll receive bonus Bookstore Bucks that can be used at the IRA Bookstore.
As if that’s not enough, you can also receive discounted member insurance programs at the Membership area on Saturday. Here you can learn more about IRA's Member Insurance programs, with savings on a range of plans, including professional liability insurance.
We’re thrilled to announce the new, streamlined IRA Central and hope you enjoy all of its benefits. Make sure that IRA Central is on your itinerary for IRA 2014!
Chelsea Simens is a strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.