Literacy Now

As a supplement to her article about multimodal reading in the October/November 2013 issue of Reading Today, IRA President Maureen McLaughlin offers the following resources for literacy educators:

Eric Carle

Carle, E. (2006). The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories - DVD (2006). Roger McGough (Actor), Juliet Stevenson (Actor), Andrew Goff (Director) Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney. (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Mixed-Up Chameleon, and I See a Song)

Martin, M., & Carle, E. (2008).Brown Bear & Friends CD Audiobook CD – Audiobook, CD, Unabridged. Gwyneth Paltrow (Reader). New York, NY: Macmillan Young Listeners.

The Magic School Bus

The Magic School Bus: The Complete Series - DVD (2012) – 8 discs. Lily Tomlin (Actor), Daniel DeSanto (Actor), Larry Jacobs (Director), Charles E. Bastien (Director) – 52 episodes of the animated science-adventure series.

Magic School Bus Videos available from United Streaming – 20 titles – http://baucomes.wcpss.net/magicschoolbus/index

Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

Frost, R. (2005). Stopping by woods on a snowy evening. In E. Paschen (Ed.), Poetry speaks. .. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Mediafusion. (Frost reading this poem and others)

Frost, R. (2001). Stopping by woods on a snowy evening. New York, NY: Dutton Juvenile. (picture book)

Hamlet (1996)  

Barron, D. (Producer), & Branagh, K. (Director). (1996). Hamlet [Motion picture]. USA: Warner Bros. (film)

Grant, S. (2009). Classics illustrated #5: Hamlet (classics illustrated graphic novels). New York, NY: Papercutz. (graphic novel)

Shakespeare, W. (2005). Hamlet. New York, NY: BBC Audiobooks America.

Maureen McLaughlin is the president of the International Reading Association and the chair of the reading department and a professor at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania,mmclaughlin@esu.edu. She is the author of Guided Comprehension in Grades 3–8 (with Mary Beth Allen), Guided Comprehension in the Primary Grades (2nd ed.), and Guided Comprehension for English Learners, as well as a series of professional development books on the Common Core with Brenda J. Overturf.

This article is an addendum to an article from the October/November 2013 issue of Reading Today. IRA members can read the interactive digital version of the magazine here. Nonmembers: join today!

“Every School a Star” is just one successful projects formed through the union of Rotary International and the International Reading Association. Another is the Rotary International (RI)-International Reading Association (IRA)-Pearson Foundation Literacy Project Award given to two projects that successfully improved literacy in a specific community, including a $2,500 award. The only other stipulations (besides submitting the application by June 15, 2014) are that both an IRA council or affiliate and a Rotary Club are involved in the project.

“I don’t think many of our council members know that they can contact their local Rotarians and invite them out for coffee, or for a tour of a school,” says IRA Education Relations Specialist Margie Bell. “Rotary is generally very responsive to community needs and would like to be a part of the education community.”

The Guatemala Bookmaking project
was a 2012 award recipient 

Grant recipients will be notified on the first of July, 2014, and will be invited to obtain their award at IRA’s International Literacy Day in Washington, DC, in September 2014. It is worth noting the Pearson Foundation will kindly pay for the first night of lodgings for the winners in the contest.

Last year’s winners of this award were the Reading Rocks in Rockford and Guatemala Bookmaking. Reading Rocks sought to create a “Storybook Character Sidewalk Parade” by including a book fair and musicians. Guatemala Bookmaking, on the other hand, served 130 preschool through sixth grade Mayan children who spoke Cozal Ixil as their first language.

The Pearson Foundation

The Pearson Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on working with other businesses and institutions to find workable solutions to the educational disadvantages facing young people and adults across the globe. The Pearson Foundation seeks to increase literacy through programs such as “We Give Books” and the “New Learning Institute.” See www.pearsonfoundation.org for more information.

Rotary International

Rotary International is an organization interested in improving education and literacy and focused on promoting peace, preventing diseases, providing clean water and sanitation, enhancing maternal and child health, and helping communities develop. Rotary boasts over 1.2 million members and has been working to help education and communities for over 100 years. For more information, go to Rotary’s main page at www.rotary.org/en.

IRARI 

The IRA / Rotary International Partnership Special Interest Group (IRARI SIG) facilitates many Rotary-IRA partnerships and collaborative projects. The IRARI goals include creating ideas and projects to increase awareness of their joint projects in local and global communities. They also agree to lead sessions between the IRA and RI at their conferences. Learn more about IRARI at /irari.

Organizations Working Together

So by reaching out to other organizations and working alongside them, new friendships can be made and literacy can be enriched. The RI-IRA-Pearson Foundation Literacy Project Awards is a prime example of organizations and people working together for the sake of national and international literacy. 

For further information about the award and access to the application page, please consult the RI-IRA-Pearson Foundation Literacy Project Awards page.

Chelsea Miller is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

 

1993 IRA William S. Grey Citation of Merit Winner

October 4, 2013

Anthony Vito Manzo, Tony, age 73, died on Saturday, August 17, released at long last from the relentlessness of pancreatic cancer. Tony was born in 1940, son of Vito and Gerolema Manzo of Brooklyn, and grandson of Antonio and Francis Manzo, and Giuseppe and Vita Distefano, all of Castelvetrano, Sicily, and each of whom he held close in his heart for all of his life.

Dr. Manzo was Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. There he founded and directed the Center for Studies in Higher-Order Literacy and the Education Unit of a unique Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program. He was a groundbreaking scholar, distinguishing himself early with a 1969 dissertation that was published in article form in the same year and is still widely cited in journals and textbooks in the field. His remarkable subsequent productivity was honored by a 1993 selection to join an elite group of academicians as recipient of the International Reading Association’s William S. Gray Citation of Merit for lifetime research and publications that have “vastly improved the instructional dynamics of countless classrooms and inspired the work of other scholars and researchers.” The doctoral students he mentored over a thirty-year career have made significant contributions to the field and have, in turn, mentored others. Tony was well aware that his reach always exceeded his grasp, and he left with many projects on the drawing board. 

In family gatherings, at the handball club or other social occasions, Tony could always be counted on for amusing anecdotes or mind altering opinions about history, politics, psychology, society, or life in general. Tony is survived by his wife Ula, children Maria, Lisa, Anthony, and Byron, and grandchildren Kristin, Claire, Sophia, Max, Ivan, Alexander, Gianna, Francesca, Nicolo, and Tommy John.  He treasured them each, individually, and followed and guided their life paths with high expectations for their success and happiness.

A private family burial was held at Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest and a memorial service was held on Saturday, August 24 at O’Connor Mortuary, 25301 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills, California.

The International Reading Association (IRA) is pleased to announce our Board nominees for 2014-15.

2014 Slate for IRA Board of Directors:
Donald Bear, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Julie Coiro, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
Eric Cooper, National Urban Alliance, Syosset, New York
Lori DiGisi, Framingham Public Schools, Framingham, Massachusetts
Janice Dole, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Glenda Nugent, Private Consultant, Saint Peters, Missouri

2014 Slate for IRA Vice-President:
Diane Barone, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada
Brenda Overturf, Educational Consultant, Louisville, Kentucky

The election opens on December 16, 2013. The deadline to vote is 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Savings Time) on February 10, 2014. New Board members begin their terms at the IRA Annual Conference in May 2014.

IRA members who have provided IRA with a valid e-mail address and have opted to receive e-mails from IRA will receive your ballot by e-mail and can vote online. Visit the IRA member account page on Reading.org, e-mail customerservice@/, or call 1-800-336-READ to check and update your e-mail address.

IRA members who do not have valid e-mails or who have opted not to receive e-mails from IRA will receive paper ballots but will still have the opportunity to vote online.

More information about the nominees will be publicized on the Board Elections section of IRA's website and on Reading Today Online soon.

by Chelsea Miller

Looking for something to distinguish yourself and give you an excuse for a trip to New Orleans in May? Perhaps applying for an International Reading Association (IRA) award or grant will satisfy. Applicants should send materials by the due date to be reviewed by our committees. Those who are chosen will be recognized at the IRA 59th Annual Conference in New Orleans from May 9-12, 2014. There is a grant or award for almost anyone involved in the field of education; teachers, graduate students, authors… the list goes on and on. So to all of those bold enough to apply we wish you good luck!

Due October 1, 2013

• National Affiliate Conference Grant applications for IRA affiliates in countries that the World Bank classifies as “economically developing” who want to plan a national conference in fall 2013 or later 
• IRA Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award applications

Due October 31, 2013

• Advocacy Award applications for state and provincial councils’ educational policy and legislation projects
• Local Council Community Service Award for state and provincial councils’ outstanding service to their communities and literacy

Due November 1, 2013

• IRA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award applications for newly-published authors
• IRA Elva Knight Research Grant applications for research in literacy
• IRA Helen M. Robinson Grant applications to assist doctoral students at the early stages of dissertation research
• IRA Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship applications to support reading research by promising scholars
• IRA Steven A. Stahl Research Grant applications for graduate students who have at least three years of teaching experience and who are conducting classroom research
• IRA Teacher as Researcher Grant applications for classroom teachers who undertake action research inquiries about literacy and instruction

Due November 15, 2013

• IRA Award for Technology and Reading applications for educators of grades K-12 who are making an innovative contribution to the use of technology in education
• IRA Arbuthnot Award application for a college or university professor contributing to children’s and young adults’ literature.  
• Constance McCullough Award applications for use in international professional development activities outside North America
• IRA Erwin Zolt Curriculum Excellence Award applications to support exceptional design and execution of a curriculum unit based on In2Books and the Common Core State Standards
• IRA Esther Zolt Teacher Research Grant applications for a completed action research study about implementing In2Books
• IRA Esther Zolt Academic Research Grant applications for a completed research study on the effective classroom implementation of In2Books
• Exemplary Reading Program Award applications for state and provincial councils—visit the IRA website for more details and for the Exemplary Reading Program Chair for your state/province
• IRA Jerry Johns Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award applications or nominations
• IRA John Chorlton Manning Public School Service Award applications for college- or university-based teacher educators with a record of effective preparation of reading teachers/graduate students and who spend significant time working with public school teachers and their students in classrooms
• IRA Maryann Manning Outstanding Volunteer Service Award applications for four dedicated volunteers within North America and one dedicated volunteer outside of North America
• IRA Nila Banton Smith Award applications for outstanding leadership in translating theory and current research into practice
• IRA Short Story Award applications for authors
• IRA Regie Routman Teacher Recognition Grant applications for elementary classroom teachers of grades K–6 (ages 5–12)
• Special Service Award applications for unusual and distinguished service to IRA
• IRA/Weekly Reader Eleanor M. Johnson Award applications for an outstanding elementary classroom teacher of reading/language arts
• IRA William S. Gray Citation of Merit applications or nominations for a nationally or internationally known person for outstanding contributions to the field of reading

Please keep in mind many of the IRA awards and grants require applicants to be IRA members. Remember to read the application requirements carefully before submitting your materials. For a comprehensive list of awards and grants offered (including deadlines, specifications, and past recipients) please consult our awards and grants webpage.

Chelsea Miller is a strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.