Literacy Now

Studies indicate that as many as 1 in 5 students have dyslexia and related learning disabilities. With a number that high, it is likely that every teacher will have one or more students with dyslexia in his or her classroom. Helping these students to learn and succeed requires at least some basic knowledge about dyslexia. Thursday’s #ILAchat will cover what dyslexia is and how to help, in addition to providing an understanding of the most effective accommodations for those who struggle with reading and spelling.

Kelli Sandman-Hurley is the cofounder of the Dyslexia Training Institute (DTI), where she provides professional development for education professionals in the area of interventions for students with dyslexia. Sandman-Hurley has a doctorate in literacy and a specialization in reading and dyslexia. She and her team at DTI also provide one-on-one reading and spelling therapy at their centers in San Diego, California.

Learning Ally is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that supports students with dyslexia and other reading-based disabilities such as blindness and visual impairment. The organization provides the world’s largest library of accessible human-narrated audiobooks for students with disabilities, along with extensive community support for parents and professional training for teachers. 

Join @ILAToday on Thursday, October 8 at 8 p.m. ET. Remember to hashtag #ILAchat to keep the conversation rolling.

International Literacy Day is over, but reports are streaming in from all over the world about how schools celebrated and continue to celebrate.

This year,  in the International Literacy Day Activity Kit we spotlighted The Philippines with activities framed around the history and culture of the country. Not only is the Philippines a very active affiliate, but its people have shown great strides in improving literacy rates to 97.5% literate over the last 30 years.

Students, educators, and elected officials all got in on the ILD fun with singing, dancing, and read-alouds. There were also dozens of Little Free Libraries launched that day alone as a ILA-suggested ILD service project.

Arlene B. Arcillas, mayor of Santa Rosa, Laguna, visited five schools on ILD, participating in Little Free Library ribbon cuttings at all of them and taking the time to read to hundreds of students during the course of the day. The different events also included singing and dancing, and distribution of new backpacks to students.

In Hyderabad, India, there was an assembly in the morning at Oakridge International School, followed by two activities during the day. Alfaaz involved “expression through writing” and Cuentos was “story reading sessions in mother tongue.”

In the U.S., The Episcopal School of Dallas called on Filipino natives from the community to share the country’s culture in the classroom. Students also used the ILA Activity Kit to reinforce lessons.

“We learned about modes of transportation and saw a jeepney and video from the Google Tour,” said Allison Hogan, a primer teacher at the school. “Later in the day, students drew a tricycle on an iPad and made a tricycle using wooden wheels, pipe cleaners and straws. [It was] a great STEAM activity.”

Just one day into the school year, Central Jamaica Reading Association (CJRA) set out to celebrate ILD inside and outside of the classroom. Read-alouds were held by parents, community leaders, and educators. CJRA led the construction and launch of a Little Free Library and affiliate representatives went to the Pediatric Ward of the Mandeville Regional Hospital to distribute reading and writing materials to patients.

In Illinois, at least three Little Free Libraries were opened. The Illinois Reading Council (IRC) built two in one day at the state library, one of which was planted outside of their office in Normal, IL. They were, appropriately, filled with books from IRC’s Illinois Reads program. Maria Schlup, a reading specialist at an elementary school in Palatine, IL, spearheaded the creation of the first Little Free Library in her community, but the plan is to make several more for area parks and schools.

Finally, at ILA headquarters in Newark, DE, we held a ribbon cutting for our own Little Free Library. With materials, books, and labor donated by staff, the library itself cost ILA nothing to construct or plant. A ribbon cutting was held on ILD which featured local and state legislators and the reading of a proclamation from Delaware Gov. Jack A. Markell naming Sept. 8, 2015, Literacy Day in the state.

Keep the movement going! Download the free activity kit today or build your own Little Free Library, then share your photos and stories with mailto:social@reading.org.

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.

Incorporating reading aloud into a child’s daily routine has a profound impact on literary development. It not only stimulates language skills, but also builds memory and motivation. That’s why this month we’re previewing Global Read Aloud 2015 (GRA) with founder Pernille Ripp, during the next #ILAchat on September 10. 

Ripp is an author, a dedicated seventh-grade teacher, the cofounder of EdCamp MadWI, and, as she will discuss during our upcoming chat, the creative mind behind GRA. From its inception in 2010, this growing literacy initiative has united more than 500,000 students in 60 countries. Over social media and in correspondence, Ripp has inspired teachers to join her literacy campaign. She has recently developed a creative community through Edmodo, encouraging teachers to also collaborate and network during GRA.

GRA uses a list of specific books and encourages participants to follow a weekly schedule from October 5 through November 13. With a range of books suitable for kindergartners or college students, GRA celebrates a diverse readership and reminds participants that GRA is about the connections you make, not the complexity of the novel.

Empowered Schools, Empowered Students: Creating Connected and Invested Learners(Corwin) and Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower Your Students (Corwin),as well as her blog, Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension.

Join @ILAToday on September 10 at 8 p.m. ET. Remember to hashtag #ILAchat and #GRA15 to keep the dialogue going!

Alexandra Baruch is ILA’s communications intern.

As part of ILA’s We Love Graphic Novels Week (August 10–14), this month’s #ILAchat will give educators an arsenal of ideas on how to get graphic novels into the hands of their students to motivate them to read.

Nick Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher) will be on hand to share his thoughts on the value of graphic novels and how to best incorporate them into the classroom. The chat will offer suggestions for how to convince skeptical parents and administrators and how to address the art in graphic novels.

Provenzano, an award-winning teacher and technology curriculum specialist at Grosse Pointe Public Schools, has gained a following of thousands of educators through his popular blog The Nerdy Teacher, an educational technology blog that focuses on integrating technology into the classroom. He is the organizer of TEDxGrossePointeSouthHS, one of the few high school–organized TEDx events in the United States, and he hosts his own iTunes podcast, #NerdyCast, where educators talk about teaching, learning, and pop culture.

In #NerdyCast installment “Graphic Novels (Comics) = Literature,” Provenzano talks about the importance of graphic novels in the classroom: “I’ve been an advocate for graphic novels in the classroom, comic books, whatever you want to call them, but there’s always been this pushback—a roll of the eyes from people that still think that comic, or graphic novels, are just those thinks kids read under the covers at night.”

Provenzano said he uses graphic novels to help his students better grasp lessons from more traditional texts. Images paired with concise text help to reiterate what the students have already learned and are especially helpful for visual learners.

“You need to find what’s best for your students based on what’s out there,” he said. “That’s true whether it’s a traditional novel, textbook, or even a graphic novel. Not everything is for everyone.”

Provenzano challenges teachers and librarians to look at incorporating graphic novels in the curriculum in the same way they would incorporate traditional texts.

Join @ILAToday on August 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Make sure to follow and use the hashtag #ILAchat to keep the conversation going!

Olivia Duke is ILA’s communications intern.

The International Literacy Association 2015 Conference in St. Louis, MO, is now a piece of history. A whirlwind of sessions, networking, meetings, and learning was crammed into the three days of July 18-21 (plus the bonus preconference institutes on Friday).

Curious what you missed? Get a small taste of what conference was all about here to start planning for next year in Boston (July 8-11) or make note of what your schedule didn’t allow this time around.

Some events are linked to full-length stories already published on Literacy Daily.

Friday

Preconference Institutes: America’s Convention Center was abuzz with the earlybirds who spent a full day in deep-dive sessions on some of the hottest topics in literacy. The ILA Central Friday Sale was a hit, and new items, including ILA T-shirts, went like hotcakes. Only a handful of the newly designed T-shirts were left when lines started to form for the Opening General Session Saturday morning and were gone by lunchtime.

Saturday

First-Timers Coffee: About 150 first-time conference-goers gathered on the second floor atrium prior to Opening General Session to talk to fellow newbies and ILA staffers about topics ranging from St. Louis attractions to the basics of ILA Membership.

Opening General Session: In addition to ILA leaders welcoming thousands of literacy advocates to St. Louis, the city welcomed the conference by declaring July 18 Literacy Day. Social entrepreneur and activist Shiza Shahid was the first inspiring keynote speaker, encouraging the audience to find one cause to dive deeply into and make a difference in. Retired basketball star and businessman Shaquille O’Neal gave the second keynote, praising the work of teachers and touting the importance of dreaming big, whether as a child or adult. The conference launch ended as it began with energetic tunes.

Exhibit Hall Opening: As is tradition, a huge queue formed before Opening General Session even began. When the floodgates opened, thousands poured into the Exhibit Hall to learn about new programs and collect books and swag. “It’s huge,” Monica Hogue from Tuscaloosa County, AL, said of the hall. “I really didn’t think it was going to be this big when I signed up.”

William Joyce: The founder of Moonbot Studios, who has earned an Emmy, an Oscar, and numerous accolades for writing, shared during the conference’s first Author Luncheon how he came to be an author and how his first book written some 45 years ago has found a new life in an updated version.

Author Meetup: The inaugural offering of the Author Meetup sold-out quickly before the roster of authors were even announced. Crowds lined up to chat with some of their favorite authors (including T.A. Barron, Candace Fleming, Jenny Han, Christian Robinson, Cindy L. Rodriguez, Ruta Sepetys, Andrew Smith, and Mark Teague), and collect a bag full of books and autographs.

Teacher Preparation Panel: ILA convened a panel of experts to take on the topic of teacher preparation. Keynote speakers and panelists reviewed recent research and how to proceed in improving not only educator training, but how teachers are certified across the country.

Literacy Night at the Ballpark: Hundreds of ILA attendees made their way to  Busch Stadium to see the St. Louis Cardinals take on the New York Mets. ILA’s Associate Executive Director Stephen Sye threw out the first pitch before the Cardinals trounced the Mets 12–2.

Notable Sessions and Speakers: Nell Duke and Lynn Bigelman offered a Teaching Edge session on project-based learning; authors Ruth Culham, Lester Laminack, and Kate Messner taught educators how to be writing thieves. Feature speakers included Meenoo Rami, Stephanie Harvey, and Steven Layne.

Sunday

Meg Cabot: The wildly popular author of The Princess Diaries series was the guest of honor at Sunday’s Author Luncheon. She shared her advice for how to “embrace your inner princess.”

Meet the Editors: The editors of every ILA publishing platform met with lots of hungry writers to give advice on the best venue for their ideas and run down requirements, whether for Literacy Daily or Reading Research Quarterly.

Book Awards: The 2015 Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Awards were presented to some of the best work published in 2014. Vince Vawter and Liesl Shurtliff were also on hand to share their personal stories of how they overcame the challenges of writing and getting published.

ILA Awards: Steven Layne hosted ILA’s annual awards program with a host of guest presenters. This year the ceremony also included some Council awards.

Notable Sessions and Speakers: (Newly) Past President Jill Lewis-Spector and Julie Ramsay held an informal session at the Age of Literacy exhibit about advocacy. Lori Oczkus and Timothy Rasinski paired up for a Teaching Edge session on close reading workouts. Donalyn Miller and Penny Kittle presented a Teaching Edge on how to foster “readerly” lives. In addition, Chris Lehman, Jennifer Serravallo, and Pam Allyn were featured on Sunday.

Monday

Closing General Session: School turnaround leader and author Stephen G. Peters delivered the first of the session’s keynotes by talking to attendees about the challenges that face today’s teachers and how to combat them. In a change of format, Academy Award-winning actress and author Octavia Spencer spent her time being interviewed by ILA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post and local incoming ninth-grade students Dale Chesson and Kiara Crawford. The actress then stayed on stage nearly an hour signing books for eager fans.

Nick Bruel: The author of the Bad Kitty series shared some turning points in his life, from the time he was first encouraged to draw as a child, to the moment he saw an autistic child smile widely for the first time reading a book he coauthored with Bruel.

Farewell: In the early afternoon, attendees made their way out of the convention center, many with their luggage ready to head home with all the knowledge they collected over the long weekend as exhibitors packed up their booths.

Reflecting upon ILA 2015, Natalie Stephenson, a teacher from Maryland, said teachers normally have very little time in the day-to-day to network or learn from peers, making the ILA Conference an especially valuable experience

“I’m really loving ILA,” Stephenson said. “I feel renewed, re-energized and excited. You feel empowered. I feel more support than ever coming to ILA.”

See you at the ILA 2016 Conference in Boston!

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.