Literacy Now

by Elizabeth Bleacher

Ruth Culham


Greg Tang


Stephen Layne


Debbie Diller


Cris Tovani


Lucy Calkins


Stephanie Harvey


Kelly Gallagher

With teaching trends shifting to accommodate new standards, staying up-to-date on current education expectations can be a challenge for educators. To help literacy teachers meet students’ needs, the International Reading Association has invited nine exceptional literacy professionals to speak at the 58th Annual Convention this April.

Symposium with Ruth Culham, Greg Tang, Steven Layne, and Danny Brassell

A panel consisting of Ruth Culham, Greg Tang, Steven Layne, and Danny Brassell will be sharing instructional teaching and learning strategies that are designed to help students meet state expectations in a session entitled Readin', Writin', and 'Rithmetic: Revisited Through the Common Core State Standards. The strategies will put a special emphasis on aiding students that struggle with reading, writing, and mathematics. The broad focus of the panel will help educators reach students across the curriculum and build strong connections between various subjects.

Culham is the author of over 40 teaching resources and the recipient of the 2011 Teacher’s Choice Award for her book Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School. Tang, primarily a math teacher and the author of The Grapes of Math, brings unique insight to the relationship between language arts and algebraic thinking skills. Layne, author of Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers (Stenhouse, 2009) and current IRA Board member, has been recognized as an exceptional educator by the Milken Foundation. Rounding out the panel is Brassell, author of Bringing Joy Back Into the Classroom, whose primary focus is igniting a passion for reading in early learners.

Individual Sessions with Debbie Diller, Cris Tovani, Lucy Calkins, Stephanie Harvey, and Kelly Gallagher

In addition to the symposium, five individual speakers will present sessions. The individual speakers include Debbie Diller, Cris Tovani, Lucy Calkins, Stephanie Harvey, and Kelly Gallagher. Though all the speakers will be addressing the opportunities and challenges surrounding the implementation of state standards, each speaker will bring the distinct perspectives of their personal experiences and research to the issue.

During her session Building Student Independence Through Meaningful Literacy Work Stations, Diller will talk about the benefits of independent learning. Tovani will address how teaching instruction must shift accommodate standards in her presentation Harnessing Literacy Instruction to Meet the Demands of the CCSS. Calkins, co-author of Pathways to the Common Core (Heinemann, 2012), will help educators you translate the CCSS into plans for teaching and for school reform, and Harvey analyses what the CCSS say about comprehension, understanding, and close reading. Gallagher will discuss Building Deeper Readers in the Age of the Common Core State Standards.

At a time when state standards have taken on a new emphasis, these speakers will be addressing the most talked about issues currently surrounding teaching in a practical and applicable way informed by years of research and personal experience.

Registration is open for the IRA 58th Annual Convention to be held on April 19-22, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. Visit www.iraconvention.org to register or for details on these and other speakers.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The popular Teaching Edge speaker series will return to IRA’s Annual Convention this year. This year’s speakers include six literacy professionals whose innovative research has both shaped and improved classroom practice on the national and international levels. These intensive speaker sessions take an extensive look at what students need to know now—and what literacy educators can do to ensure that each student reaches his or her potential.

Douglas Fisher


Nancy Frey


Irene Fountas


Gay Su Pinnell


Richard Allington


Ellin Oliver Keene

Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey

Frequent collaborators Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey return to Teaching Edge with a presentation that explores how to identify complex texts that meet the teaching expectations of the Common Core State Standards—a topic inspired by their best-selling Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading (co-authored with Diane Lapp).

Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell

Also returning to the speaker series are Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Attendees of their presentation will learn about a six-step inquiry process that can be used to help students learn genre distinctions and “thinkmarks” that students can apply to their independent reading.

Richard Allington

The final returning speaker, Richard Allington, presents What the Research Says About Teaching So That All Children are Reading on Grade Level. Allington’s session addresses issues that surround the early development of grade level reading and outlines the instructional support that is needed to overcome such issues.

Ellin Oliver Keene

In addition to the five returning speakers, Ellin Oliver Keene has been added to the 2013 Teaching Edge series. Keene’s presentation, Fostering Deeper Understanding With Student Discourse: Putting the Dimensions and Outcomes of Understanding to Work, discusses her research on natural conversation as a tool to enhance student understanding and achievement.

Though the IRA Annual Convention provides numerous opportunities for professional and personal development, the Teaching Edge speaker series is undoubtedly one of the most unique. The series provides an in-person opportunity to hear about the most contemporary theories of literacy from the very people that developed them. 

The IRA 58th Annual Convention will be held from April 19 to 22, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. Read more about this series and other convention events at www.iraconvention.org.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

Regie Routman


Marilyn Jerde


Sandra C.
Figueroa


Kathy Schmitt

Due to the popularity of the International Reading Association (IRA) Literacy and Leadership Institute in Saint Louis in September, Regie Routman has scheduled another two-day institute for January 28 and 29, 2013, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

At this institute, veteran teacher, literacy coach, and author Regie Routman and esteemed colleagues Marilyn Jerde, Sandra C. Figueroa, and Kathy Schmitt present inspirational and practical advice on applying exemplary literacy and leadership practices, aligning research-based professional development with implementation of the Common Core State Standards, developing shared beliefs, professional trust, and literacy-based Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), incorporating an optimal learning model ("I do it." "We do it." "You do it.") across the curriculum, reducing the number of students who need intervention, and tailoring attendees’ schools’ next steps.

The event promises to be intimate and intelligent professional development that can positively impact whole-school effectiveness, efficiency, and enjoyment. Principals, school and district leaders, classroom teachers, ELL and Title I teachers, literacy coaches, librarians, and literacy specialists serving grades K-8 are encouraged to attend.

The institute will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 28, and from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 29, at the Omni Charlotte Hotel at 132 East Trade Street in Charlotte, North Carolina. Attendees can take advantage of the special hotel rate by reserving a room before 5:00 p.m. EST on December 28.

Regie Routman has been an IRA member for 35 years. She contributes a regular column to IRA Members-Only and supports the IRA Regie Routman Teacher Recognition Grant. Read more about her and the other institute speakers on the Literacy and Leadership Institute speakers webpage.

More details and the registration form can be found on the Literacy and Leadership Institute webpage.

by Elizabeth Bleacher

Author/illustrator Mo Willems will be the speaker at the closing General Session at the International Reading Association’s 58th Annual Convention. Willems has been the recipient of multiple awards including the Caldecott Honor, Geisel Medal, Geisel Honor, and Carnegie Medal. The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?, which features his popular Pigeon character, was recently nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal in the United Kingdom.

Though he has published a multitude of picture books and early readers to great success, Willems is best known for his unique character Pigeon and the series of books that depict Pigeon’s various exploits. In fact, this April, the same month as IRA’s convention, the Pigeon will be celebrating his 10th birthday (and Willems marks the beginning of his children’s book career). In his session A Hippopotamus Wouldn't Fit On the Page and Other Reasons That Mo Willems Writes About Pigeons, Willems will share some insight on the creation and development of his beloved character.

Mo Willems spent a large part of his early career creating short films for Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, and others, winning him several writing Emmy Awards. His newest books include That Is Not a Good Idea! and Don't Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book! His other recent books Let’s Go for a Drive! and Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs are on the New York Times Bestseller List and Publishers Weekly’s Best Picture Books of 2012 List respectively.

In addition to his publications, a variety of event kits and teaching aids for Willems’ books can be found at Pigeon Presents, and a variety of online interactives for children are accessible at GoMo.

Find more information about Mo Willems and the other General Session speakers, at the International Reading Association’s Annual Convention website. You can also learn more about Willems’ body of work through his blog.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

San Antonio native Rick Riordan will be speaking at the International Reading Association’s 58th Annual Convention this April. Riordan, the author of the bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, will be speaking at Saturday’s opening General Session. Prior to garnering stardom in the realm of children’s literature, Riordan taught English and history for fifteen years. His extensive teaching background and writing experience gives him unique insight regarding the development of student literacy.

During his session Reading Myths and the Myths of Reading, Riordan will share how his combined interactions with his students, readers, and his sons helped him understand what it takes to turn children into strong, interested readers. Specifically, he will explore the enduring power of myths and why they appeal to even the most reluctant of readers.

In addition to the tools that will be shared at the speaker session, Riordan’s website boasts extensive teaching aids. The aids help teachers use his Percy Jackson series in the classroom. While the series deals with many important issues that could stimulate discussions, the books are also important because they feature a protagonist with ADHD and dyslexia. Teachers can use the novels to help students eliminate any misconceptions that they may have surrounding these conditions and empower students that share Percy’s reality.

Riordan’s current series, the Heroes of Olympus, brings a modern twist to traditional Greek mythology. Though the series has its own set of unique characters, fans of Riordan will be pleased to find some of their favorites from the Percy Jackson series have returned. The fourth book of the series, The House of Hades, is set to be released in October 2013.

More information about the speaker session can be found at the International Reading Association’s Annual Convention website and Riordan’s website offers more detailed descriptions of his books for children.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.