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    Engaging Middle and Secondary Learners

    By ILA Staff
     | Mar 15, 2016

    shutterstock_106222655_x300Preconference Institutes are a popular ramp-up to the ILA 2016 Conference. This year, we’ll spotlight each of the 15 all-day presentations designed to take a close look into the hottest topics in literacy (other installments will be linked at the bottom of this post). This week, we look at Boosting Secondary-Level Engagement & Comprehension.

    Institute 03: Who’s Doing the Work? Teaching for Transfer Across Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, Guided Reading, and Independent Reading

    This Preconference Institute will explore the connections between read-aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading, as well as “next generation” lessons for each context. Additionally, research will investigate mind-set, student engagement, text level, and teacher language to evaluate when they do (and do not) help students develop efficient processes and enthusiasm for reading.

    Attendees will make the most of hands-on formats, with just two brief, formal presentations before jumping into a series of breakout sessions to collaborate with colleagues in small groups to process and apply content. Short video demonstrations will bridge the gap between learning the reading strategies and preparing to take those lessons back to the classroom.

    Institute 06: Supporting Adolescents to Meet the Literacy Challenges of the 21st Century

    Gain a better understanding of the current demands of 21st-century literacy and practical, research-based strategies to prepare adolescent learners to meet them in this Preconference Institute. Interactive keynote presentations and breakout sessions facilitated by experienced researchers and practitioners will provide opportunities to collaborate, explore the latest research, and connect the research to effective practice.

    The coupling of the theory and research will be followed by opportunities to learn about and design classroom applications in smaller groups. Participants will leave with solid understandings of three topics: Meeting the Literacy Demands of the 21st-Century, Supporting Struggling Adolescent Readers, and Engaging Adolescents with Reading and Writing. Participants can follow a single topic all day or choose breakout sessions across strands.

    This Preconference Institute is a joint effort of the Adolescent Literacy Committee of ILA and the Secondary Reading Interest Group, each of which will bring diverse and valuable experience to codesign and present this topic.

    Institute 13: Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy and Collaboration Across Disciplines

    The CCSS makes literacy everyone’s responsibility, which is both a daunting challenge and a valuable opportunity. This Preconference Institute shows participants how to use resources like CommonLit to find engaging informational texts, offers two practical models for using informational text to enhance literacy and engagement (participants will use one model to begin developing a unit), and suggests strategies for collaboration with colleagues across disciplines.

    Models and resources will be presented through multimedia presentations and hands-on activities.

    Breakout sessions with individual and small-group coaching from the presenters will address a number of classroom issues including identifying challenges, opportunities, and strategies for collaborating with colleagues in other disciplines; using online resources to find high-quality, engaging informational texts that are deeply and meaningfully connected to their existing literary or content-area curriculum; and drafting meaningful essential questions that invite students to think about what they read and to make connections with other texts and relevant content-area knowledge. 


    Preconference Institutes are an additional cost to conference registration and run simultaneously Friday, July 8. Find out more about the sessions here before they’re sold out.

    The ILA 2016 Conference & Exhibits will be July 9–11 in Boston, MA, with more than 6,000 attendees eager to cultivate new teaching practices. With over 300 sessions, including several new additions to the schedule, and the popular Preconference Institutes, the weekend is sure to be a memorable one. Register today for the conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.

     
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    Tap Into a Wealth of Experts With ILA Featured Speakers

    By Nicole Lund
     | Mar 10, 2016

    ThinkstockPhotos-91459390_x300To see some of the leading influencers in literacy, look no further than the International Literacy Association 2016 Conference & Exhibits cadre of Featured Speakers. Among them are authors, researchers, bloggers, and consultants, but all 10 began their careers in the classroom and speak to educators from a place of experience. From tips on focused lesson planning to explanations on the latest educational research, these speakers will cover a lot of ground on a variety of topics and should not be missed.

    Join us at “From Literacy to Connected Literacy—Strategies to Engage All Learners,” led by Pernille Ripp on Saturday, July 9. This session will focus on five ways educators can reimagine literacy in their classrooms: student voice, student choice, global collaboration, authentic audience, and meaningful technology integration.

    Ripp is a seventh-grade English teacher in Wisconsin. She founded the Global Read Aloud, a global reading project that has connected more than 1,000,000 students internationally through the joint reading of a selected book. She is an avid user of technology in the classroom and runs a popular teaching blog to connect to educators around the world. She is the author of two books, Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower Your Students (Routledge) and Empowered Schools, Empowered Students: Creating Connected and Invested Learners (Corwin).

    Teaching Practices and Instructional Strategies That Position Students Closer to Reading and Writing Excellence,” will be led by Kelly Gallagher. Gallagher is an award-winning expert in literacy education with a 30-year career as a teacher, author, and consultant. He has been active in several key literacy programs, including as the president of ILA’s Secondary Reading Group. His most recent book, In the Best Interest of Students: Staying True to What Works in the ELA Classroom (Stenhouse), was published last year.

    In “The Power of Focus: From Instruction to Independence,” led by Debbie Diller, you’ll learn about the best ways to keep students focused and engaged throughout the school day, building off of state standards and applying specific classroom needs to valuable lesson plans will close out Saturday.

    Diller is an educator, author, and national literacy consultant. Over the span of her 40-year career, Diller has taught in the classroom, trained teachers in schools across North America, and spoken at numerous conferences. She has published several books, including her most recent, Growing Independent Learners: From Literacy Standards to Stations, K-3(Stenhouse).

    Start your Sunday, July 10 with “Forging Relationships in New and Known Lands: Your Role as a Reading Ambassador,” a session led by Donalyn Miller and John Schumacher.

    Miller is a middle school language arts and social studies teacher who is a major contributor to the Nerdy Book Club. Her latest book, Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits, is a collection of responses from adult readers that Miller uses to teach sustainable reading habits to students. One of Miller’s partners in crime in the Nerdy Book Club, Schumacher is a K–5 teacher-librarian who maintains the popular blog, Mr. Schu Reads. He’s a proponent of using book trailers and tailoring book choices to individual students.

    Gravity Goldberg, a popular contributor to Literacy Daily, will lead “Using Mindsets and Moves to Develop Truly Independent Readers."

    Goldberg is an educational consultant who works in classrooms across the United States from prekindergarten to college. She specializes in literacy, special education, curriculum, assessment, and learning with technology. A dynamic speaker, Goldberg is widely published, has received numerous teaching awards, and is the coauthor of the book Conferring With Readers: Supporting Each Student’s Growth and Independence.

    Afterward, join John Hattie for “The Visible Student,” a session centered on Hattie’s groundbreaking book Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement (Routledge). During his session, learn what it means for students to become visible learners and play a key role in the learning process, gathering knowledge accumulated through years of research and analysis.

    Hattie is one of the world’s most influential education researchers. His work has been published by numerous publications, and his Visible Learning follow-up, Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning (Routledge), is hugely successful in the education field. Hattie is currently the director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

    For a walk on the wild side Monday, July 11, don’t miss when Ruth Culham shares how “The Writing Thief Goes on a Reading Rampage."

    Culham is president of The Culham Writing Company and writing department editor for ILA’s journal The Reading Teacher. A former teacher and winner of the English Teacher of the Year award in Montana, Culham has written several books about teaching students how to write, including The Writing Thief: Using Mentor Texts to Teach the Craft of Writing.

    After Culham, Stephen Peters, a favorite from last year’s Closing General Session, will present “Creating Conditions to Succeed Against the Odds."

    Peters is the CEO of The Peters Group, a national education consulting company, after a lengthy career in the classroom starting as a teacher and ending as director of secondary education. He is the founder of the nationally recognized Gentlemen’s and Ladies Club programs, which work with at-risk honors students throughout the United States. He is the author of a number of books, including the award-winning Choosing to Believe: Creating a Framework for School Success

    Cornelius Minor closes out this year’s Featured Speaker series with “New Literacies for the Leaders of New Movements."

    Minor is a staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York. He spent years teaching in middle schools in the Bronx and Brooklyn and now works with teachers and leaders across the globe to support literacy reform. He is a coauthor of Units of Study in Argument, Information, and Narrative Writing, Grade 8.

    The ILA 2016 Conference will be July 9–11 in Boston, MA, with more than 6,000 attendees eager to cultivate new teaching practices. With over 300 sessions, including several new additions to the schedule, and the popular Preconference Institutes on July 8, the weekend is sure to be a memorable one. Learn more about what’s coming up at this summer’s conference. Register today for the conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.

    Nicole Lund is ILA’s communications intern.

     
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    Bringing Early Learner Literacy Into Focus

    By ILA Staff
     | Mar 08, 2016

    Preconference Institutes are a popular ramp-up to the ILA 2016 Conference. This year, we’ll spotlight each 1 of the 15 all-day presentations designed to take a close look into the hottest topics in literacy (other installments will be linked at the bottom of this post). This week, we look at Nurturing and Cultivating Literacy in Early Learners.

    ThinkstockPhotos-166407558_x300Institute 05: Preparing Our Early Learners: Research and Strategies for Pre-K–3 Literacy Instruction

    Although research clearly shows how important language and literacy is for young children, there has been no shortage of studies surrounding best strategies. This Preconference Institute is grounded in focused information and effective, practical language and literacy lesson examples for primary classroom teachers working with academically, culturally, and linguistically diverse populations of early learners.

    The day will be chock-full of information from top educators and researchers with three keynote addresses and three breakouts with four sets of sessions, a workshop in each session, and time for reflection to close out the day. During workshops, there will be both presentation and discussion.

    Institute 14: Reading Comprehension and Cultural-Linguistic Diversity: Pre-K–3

    Literacy is about not only absorbing information, but also understanding. This Preconference Institute will explore primary-level reading comprehension for all elementary students. Learn the essential elements of a comprehensive comprehension program for young children and gain research-based practices to use in both classroom and intervention settings.

    General instructional issues in this Preconference Institute will include vocabulary, interventions, and technology in addition to considerations for students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

    This Preconference Institute will include two keynote addresses and a number of breakout sessions including Multidimensional Read-Alouds, Using Technology to Enhance Comprehension, and Reading to Write Argumentative Texts with ELs. A final session will put the content into context by synthesizing a set of principles and the manner with which to apply those principles.

    Preconference Institutes are an additional cost to conference registration and run simultaneously Friday, July 8. Find out more about the sessions here before they’re sold out.

    The ILA 2016 Conference & Exhibits will be July 9–11 in Boston, MA, with more than 6,000 attendees eager to cultivate new teaching practices. With over 300 sessions, including several new additions to the schedule, and the popular Preconference Institutes, the weekend is sure to be a memorable one. Register today for the conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.

     
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    #ILAchat: Goal Setting and Targeted Instruction

    By Nicole Lund
     | Mar 04, 2016

    Tweet_chat_image_3-2016_proof2The relationship between guided teaching and allowing students to learn on their own is a balancing act for any educator. After all, students need to acquire skills that they can use on their own for the rest of their lives.

    Targeted instruction brings into focus what students understand and teaches them according to their ability levels, rather than strictly adhering to what they are expected to know on the basis of their grade level.

    Targeted instruction also makes goal setting in instruction vital in the classroom, especially for literacy teaching. Educators have a great responsibility to ensure that students know how to set goals for themselves and maintain the focus to achieve them. This task can be daunting, but luckily educator and author Jennifer Serravallo knows how to make this process as smooth as possible.

    Join Serravallo March 10 at 8 p.m. for the next #ILAchat on Twitter for her insight into goal setting and targeted instruction in the classroom.

    Serravallo is a teacher and literacy consultant with experience in developing literacy instruction for schools. She has written 11 books on the subject of reading and writing instruction; her newest, The Reading Strategies Book (Heinemann), describes 300 strategies for developing skilled readers.

    She will also present twice on Saturday, July 9 at the ILA 2016 Conference & Exhibits in Boston, MA. First she will present “Assessing and Teaching Whole Book Comprehension With Independent Reading: Fiction and Nonfiction,” followed by “Building Literacy Classrooms of Agency, Independence, and Joy.”

    Follow #ILAchat and @ILAtoday at 8 p.m. March 10 to join the conversation about literacy goal setting in the classroom.

    Nicole Lund is ILA’s communications intern.

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    Literature Luncheon Author Interviews Reveal Fun Facts and Inspiration

    By April Hall
     | Mar 01, 2016

    The Literature Luncheons at ILA 2016 will offer twice the inspiration, twice the star power.

    At each event, there will be a pair of award-winning children’s authors—as opposed to the one-author format of years’ past. There will still be luncheons for the Primary, Mid-Level, and YA categories, meaning six authors will be featured in total.

    The new format lent itself well to an idea for this year’s feature: Let each author be the interviewer and quiz his or her  luncheon partner. With three questions each, their curiosities ranged from the fantastic to the practical. Some even showed what fans they are of their peer’s work.

    First up, the early grade authors. Veteran writer Tomie dePaola has more than 40 years’ experience and 200 books under his belt—such as the popular Strega Nona series. When he and author/poet Nikki Grimes (author of works such as Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony and the Dyamonde Daniel series) asked each other about their careers, they discussed how their passions are about more than literature. DePaola explores his spirituality in many of his works, while Grimes explores her faith in people’s ability to rise above racism.

    LT335_dePaola Photo Credit Julie MarisSemelTomie dePaola: In your essay, “Lessons From Charleston,” I was especially taken with “as a seedling, hatred can be uprooted early on.” Can you give us at least one practical thing we can do to “uproot hatred,” especially in our books?

    Nikki Grimes: As creatives, the matter-of-fact inclusion of diverse characters in our books itself does much to poke holes in the notion of “the other” as inherently bad, or scary, or strange, or worthy of hatred. In words and images, we can do much to dislodge the seeds of racism and hatred planted in the hearts and minds of the young. The letters I receive from readers of all races tell me so. As for all adults who act as gatekeepers of literature, we can choose to make such books available to all of our children. Where better to introduce a child to the multiplicity of races and cultures in our world—and to our common humanity—than between the pages of a book?

    NG: You’ve published a considerable amount of religious titles over the years. How has your faith informed your art and not just in these books, but in general?

    TD: From my early childhood, I loved the stories of the Holy Family and the saints. Those stories read like the best fairy tales and legends. And, when I graduated from the art school at Pratt Institute in 1956, the book world wasn’t quite “ready” for me. So, I concentrated on liturgical art doing murals, Christmas cards, vestments, church decorations, and other “sacred art.” It was the way to express my “interior” life as well as my “artistic” one. Eventually, when I began to do books, one of my editors, Margery Cuyler at Holiday House, encouraged me to explore my spiritual side in children’s books. That began it. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be able to express all parts of myself in everything I do.

    TD: Among the wonderful things on your website is the “gallery” of your paintings. Have you ever considered (or wanted) to illustrate one of your own books? Or a book by another author?

    NG: I have considered illustrating a book of my own, but I haven’t yet hit upon just the right subject. I do ponder the possibility of, one day, doing cover art for books by other authors.  Perhaps I’ll get the chance, one of these days. Mind you, the very idea scares me!

    Nikki GrimesNG: It’s 2016 now, and your journey in children’s books began in 1965. How has the industry changed, and how has your work, or your approach to your work, changed over all these years?

    TD: Technology in the printing process, especially in reproduction of illustrations, is certainly one of the biggest changes in the children’s book industry, from my point of view. No artist has to do pre-separated, limited color work anymore. Everything is full color, or as the young folks call it: CMYK.

    Also, I understand that 40% of illustration is done digitally. I don’t use the computer to create any work. I still use paper, paints, pencils, and brushes. So, I have to admit that I approach my work with the same enthusiasm, trepidation, and amazement (when I finish) as I always have.

    When I started out in 1964, my agent signed me up for lots of different types of projects. “To get your name out there, dear,” she said. As I became better known, I think I became more selective. But it didn’t get any easier as time went by. And it still doesn’t, and I still feel the responsibility to do my very best for children.

    NG: With 200-plus books published, thus far, your range is broad, from The Folklore of Love and Courtship to The Badger and The Magic Fan. What, in particular, attracts you to a project? What makes you say “yes” to one manuscript rather than another?

    TD: In 1986, I signed an exclusive contract with the Putnam Publishing Group, which meant I would be illustrating fewer manuscripts by others and more by myself. The one thing that didn’t change was what attracted me to any project, and that is a good idea/good story, one that immediately captures my attention and triggers images in my head. The “story” is key—the foundation that the illustrations will stand on.

    TD: [Assuming] that you remember your dreams, what age are you in your dreams?

    NG: That’s a great question, but I rarely remember my dreams. When I do, I’m a young adult.

    For the Mid-Level Literature Luncheon, Rachel Renée Russell, of Dork Diaries fame, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of both the Lunch Lady and the Platypus Police Squad series, will be on deck. When they meet in Boston, Krosoczka will be on a mission from his 7-year-old daughter that only Russell will be able to make possible.

    LT335_RussellRachel Renée Russell: What goals have you yet to accomplish as a writer and illustrator?

    Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Well, I have yet to get my kid’s copies of the Dork Diaries books signed by the author! I missed you at the National Book Festival, so this whole ILA thing is just a rouse to get to you! In all seriousness, the first Dork Diaries was the first long-form book that my kid
    read cover to cover independently. I’m lucky enough to hear similar stories from parents about the Lunch Lady books, and now that I am a parent myself I truly know how monumental those accomplishments are. So my yet-to-be-accomplished goal? Live long enough to meet these readers of ours when they grow up. I want to shake the hand of an author or illustrator who has an old, beat-up childhood copy of Lunch Lady on his or her bookshelf.

    JJK: If you could have Nikki Maxwell [Dork Diaries’ main protagonist] travel into the world of another book, where would you send her?

    RRR: Being a fan of fantasy novels, I would gladly send Nikki Maxwell into the enchanted halls of Harry Potter’s school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I can imagine her hanging out with Harry and Ron in Gryffindor House and being BFFs with Hermione. And, instead of dealing with mean girl MacKenzie and the CCPs, her arch-nemeses would be Lord Voldemort and Draco Malfoy.

    RRR: You just stumbled upon a magical remote control for time. If you could “Pause,” “Fast-Forward” or “Rewind” your life, which would you do and why?

    JJK: I’m on an art deadline now, so that means that I am barely taking any time off. So I think right now I’d fast-forward to just after I hand in the art and then quickly hit pause! I have two daughters, ages 7 and 4, and I love spending time with them. They hang out in my studio while I’m working, but I’m looking forward to pausing time to give them my full attention.

    RRR: What are your three favorite books that you have read and why?

    JJK: I’ll always go back to Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle as the gold standard of great children’s literature. I remember so clearly how that book inspired my imagination when I was a kid. I still have my childhood copy! And I recently found my childhood book report on Ms. Cleary’s work. When I hold that childhood copy in my hands, I remember the escape portal the book offered me. Whenever life around me was chaotic, I could always escape to the world held within the pages of that book. But wait. You asked for three books? OK, I have two more for you—Runaway Ralph and Ralph S. Mouse!

    LT335_Krosoczka_credit_Derek_FowlesJJK: What is the dorkiest thing you’ve done since Dork Diaries have been published?

    RRR: I was invited to an author signing at a local bookstore. I arrived to a room full of smiling kids waiting in line to have their books autographed. After saying hello, I started to set up the author table and unpack all of my boxes filled with Dork Diaries swag such as posters, stickers, and bookmarks. I wondered why everyone was staring and whispering because usually I get a much more enthusiastic greeting from my fans. When one kid looked really worried and exclaimed, “OMG! I think I brought the wrong book!” I suddenly realized that none of the kids had Dork Diaries books. In fact, my event was the next day and I had actually crashed a fellow author’s book signing! I’m such a dork!

    JJK: What were the best words of wisdom offered to you by one of your teachers?

    RRR: Both my fifth- and sixth-grade teachers in the Lakeshore School District in Michigan encouraged me to write. My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Eggers, let me write a play for my fifth-grade class that was presented on stage with costumes and props for our entire school. My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Reitz-Schultz, always enjoyed reading my stories. She told me I was a talented writer and I should consider being an author. To this day I am grateful for their encouragement and words of wisdom.

    Young adult authors John Corey Whaley (author of Noggin, a Choices pick and National Book Award finalist last year) and April Henry, author of teenager thrillers such as The Body in the Woods, have a lot in common. First, their writing process; next, a struggle with anxiety; and, finally, at least for this interview, a love of Star Trek.

    LT335_WhaleyJohn Corey Whaley: What comes first for you—the idea or the characters?

    April Henry: For me, it’s always the idea, and it’s almost always based on a news story. Shock Point; Torched; Girl, Stolen; The Night She Disappeared; Body in the Woods; Blood Will Tell; and my newest book, The Girl I Used to Be (it publishes May 3) were all inspired by real-life events. Only The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die was made up, and even for that, I did a lot of research into bioweapons and fugue state amnesia. Getting things right is really important to me.

    AH: The main character in your new book, Highly Illogical Behavior, is both a fan of Star Trek and a person who suffers panic attacks. (I can relate to both of those things.) Do you share any traits with Solomon?

    JCW: All of the above. Haha. Highly Illogical Behavior was how I needed to
    come to terms with my anxiety and I somehow managed to fit in Star Trek: The Next Generation, my favorite TV show as a pre-teen, and what more can I say? Solomon is very much like his creator, but also very, very different. Which, for me, is always a fun part of the experience of writing something so personal—the challenge of figuring out how to discover more about myself or humanity through this fictional alter ego of sorts.

    JCW: Can you name a book that changed your life? Or one you thought would and didn’t?

    AH: This isn’t a teen book, but while my friend LK Madigan (who wrote the Morris-award winning Flash Burnout) was dying from pancreatic cancer, I read A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Not only did the book bounce around in time and points of view, it was written in first, second, and third person—and even partly in PowerPoint slides.

    AH: I’m going to steal your question and ask: What comes first for you—the idea or the characters?

    JCW: I think the idea comes first and then, almost immediately, there’s at least one character to carry the weight of that idea for the story—so far three out of three seem to be eerily similar to myself, but, you know, who’s counting?

    JCW: As a mystery writer, do you solve your own puzzles before you complete a novel or does it happen during the writing process?

    AH: When you are writing a thriller, you can often start by putting your characters in a terrible situation and then throwing even more problems at them. But in mysteries, if you don’t know the solution when you start, you are going to be doing a ton of rewriting. I always know what the truth is before I begin writing a mystery.

    LT335_HenryAH: Speaking of ideas, the central concept of your books certainly can’t be accused of being cookie cutter. Your books can’t be pigeonholed. How do those ideas come to you? A news story? Your mind wandering?

    JCW: First—thank you. That’s very kind and I’ll take it! Second—I’m not always sure. Actually, I’m seldom sure where my ideas come from. But my editor and I discuss this a lot—the nature of creativity and ideas—and how maybe just maybe an artist/writer, etc., tells the story that the world around them—the cultural zeitgeist per se—leads them subconsciously to tell. And that’s why, I believe, people find the right story for the right time with some of our works—because they were looking for it without maybe even knowing it. I’m being very esoteric so thank you for indulging. And, also, lots of my mind wandering.

    The ILA 2016 Conference will be July 9–11 in Boston, MA, with more than 6,000 attendees eager to cultivate new teaching practices. There will be more than 300 sessions, including several new additions to the schedule, and the popular Preconference Institutes on July 8, the weekend is sure to be a memorable one.

    Learn more about what’s coming up at this summer’s conference. Register today for the conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.

    April Hall is editor of Literacy Daily. A journalist for about 20 years, she has specialized in education, writing and editing for newspapers, websites, and magazines.

    A version of this article originally appeared in the March/April 2016 issue of Literacy Today, ILA’s member magazine.

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