Literacy Now

International Literacy Association is thrilled to launch the Activity Kit for International Literacy Day 2015!

This year’s theme is “The Power of People: Start a Literacy Movement” and the kit is focused on collective action, the power of one to affect a world of many. We wanted to find a cultural example of this power and we were drawn to the rich history of the Philippines.

Over the last 35 years, the Philippine federal government has worked with church communities, private universities, non-governmental organizations and more to tackle illiteracy in the country. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), just 83.3% of Filipinos age 15 and over were literate. Current statistics show 95.2% of the same population is literate today. With such an impressive success through collective action, the Philippines seemed the an ideal focus for our ILD activity kit.

The Reading Association of the Philippines (RAP), led by president Ani Rosa Almario, was tireless in making this kit authentic, and the result is an engaging set of activities for students from ages 4–18 surrounding literature, games, food, and environment.

Drawing on the immense pool of Filipino talent, the ILD 2015 kit also includes a book list populated by Filipino authors and artists, statistics about the country, and a poster created by noted Filipino illustrator, Liza Flores.

No cultural or educational movement can be made without cooperation. For interactive international implementation of this year’s kit, ILA partnered with ePals, a site that provides global classroom connection tools.

While working on ILD activities, teachers and students can register at ePals, where millions of classrooms are already online. Register for a live virtual meeting or share classroom projects with other participants around the world.
While the kit is downloaded and used around the world, the Philippines will plan for their traditional celebration on International Literacy Day (September 8). With read-alouds, and sometimes a parade, the island nation always commemorates the holiday in high style.

“As with any special event, RAP has made it a point to always gather a lot of people to celebrate a single cause,” Almario said. “I know that ILD celebrations have always had students and teachers doing a fun run in some part of the country or one year when we asked a mayor to read to children from her town and it became a gigantic storytelling event.”

ILA is also encouraging participants to embrace a service project offered to complement the activity kit and theme by building a Little Free Library. With thousands of Little Free Libraries around the world, they can be found on the corner in England or on the back of a bike in the Philippines. By planting one in their own communities, students can make a lasting impression and result of ILD 2015. The kit for the service project includes tips, samples, and classroom integration for every aspect of the planning, construction, and installation of a Library.

Download the ILD 2015 kit today and start planning your celebration. Don’t forget to share your stories and photos via social media using the hashtag #ILD15.

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.

Speaking and listening go hand in hand in the classroom, but not without stumbling blocks. Our upcoming #ILAchat will focus on speaking and listening, including tips on how to integrate technology into the practice and how to overcome challenges like introverted students who are hesitant to raise their hands.

Karen Lirenman, a K–2 teacher in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, is an avid user of technology in the classroom. She engages her students globally by applying video conferencing, Twitter, and class blogs into an educational setting. She uses technological outlets to facilitate students’ discussions and to introduce them to tech skills.

As a Google Certified teacher and an Apple Distinguished Teacher, Karen views technology as immensely beneficial for students. She says, “Technology allows learners to add voice to their work. Through voice we can better hear student thinking, particularly for those students who have trouble expressing themselves in written word.”

“One of the challenges with speaking and listening is too many educators still feel only one person should talk at a time and the rest should listen. Far more learning takes place when something as simple as an entire class turns and talks, which allows all to speak at the same time.”

Karen discusses the importance of using technology to help student voice shine through and to enhance students’ speaking and listening capabilities. By harnessing technological tools such as tablets and laptops, students are able to show their knowledge through a variety of platforms.

Join @ILAToday on May 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Make sure to hashtag #ILAchat to keep the conversation going!

Morgan Ratner is ILA’s communications assistant.

The International Literacy Association has officially elected a new vice president and three Board of Director positions for the upcoming 2015-2018 term.

Beginning his term as vice president is William H. Teale, professor, University of Illinois at Chicago. Teale has served on the Board of Directors since 2011. In addition, he has worked with ILA in a number of ways focused on early literacy, as well as working on the Common Core State Standards Committee and as a co-department editor for The Reading Teacher. He’s a contributor to both RT and JAAL.

“Today’s literacy educators are adjusting to increasing globalization, digital changes to the nature of literacy and what needs to be taught in the classroom, and shifting community and governmental influences,” Teale said in his philosophy statement before this year’s election. “In realizing ILA’s strategic plan, my goal is to have ILA established as the world’s go-to thought leader on literacy—for teachers, for researchers, and for the public.”

Teale will assume the presidency of ILA’s Board of Directors in July 2016.

In addition to the new vice president, the board will also gain three officers. Their term runs from 2015–2018.

Gwynne Ash (@GwynneAsh)has previously been involved with ILA as a department editor for the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy and has worked on several committees, including the Children’s and Young Adult Book Award committee. A professor at Texas State University, Ash has been published in journals including Reading and Writing Quarterly and The Handbook of Reading Research. She believes that “effective professional development regards teachers as knowledgeable professionals,” and advocates for meaningful literacy policy. Ash is also a Jeopardy! champion.

As a reading specialist for Chesapeake Public Schools in Chesapeake, Virginia, Catherine Collier (@Wiseowlcathy) believes in “taking a stand for literacy throughout the world by providing teacher training, education and support to the highest degree.” Her blog, The W.I.S.E. Owl, is dedicated to literacy and emergent students. Collier has served as president of the Chesapeake Reading Council, as well as president of the Virginia State Reading Association. She is a regular contributor to Literacy Daily.

Rachel Karchmer-Klein (@RKarchmerklein) is an associate professor at the University of Delaware. As a former elementary school teacher and reading specialist, her research interests lie in practical applications of technology into the classroom. She’s published several articles on technology use in education and has previously been a member of the advisory board for ReadWriteThink.org and the editorial review board for The Reading Teacher. She believes in fostering collaborative relationships between stakeholders to ensure that educational policies can reflect the realities of the classroom.

The ILA extends its best wishes to the newly elected officers.

Morgan Ratner is ILA’s communication assistant.

Most of us know about the famous St. Louis Arch, “The Gateway to the West,” but that’s not all this Missouri city has to offer everyone who comes to the International Literacy Association 2015 Conference.

From restaurants to museums to haunted mansions, there is something for everyone in St. Louis. You can even do your best Judy Garland with a trolley tour!

For a basic rundown of what conference in St. Louis offers in entertainment, we have some suggestions:

• Check out the activity guide from the preconference issue of Reading Today.
• See the Explore St. Louis website the Convention and Visitors Commission made just for ILA Conference goers.
• Create your St. Louis tourism Pinterest board by repinning from ILA’s conference board.

With so much to do it may be hard to fit in everything between conference sessions and touring the exhibit hall. Maybe you can tack on a Missouri vacation afterwards!

The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. The days will be jam-packed with featured speakers, the revamped Teaching Edge series, and exciting general sessions. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. More than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.

Educators often talk about choice in the classroom and how it can make all the difference in encouraging lifelong readers. Having titles for every taste at hand can be hard, so as we kick off Children’s Book Week, let 12,500 students from around the United States help narrow down your offerings.

The Children’s Choices program, a joint venture of the International Literacy Association and the Children’s Book Council, launched in 1974 and this year offers 100 favorite titles narrowed from more than 600.

The top vote-getters in the Beginning Readers category (ages 5–8) are Duck, Duck, Moose! (Disney-Hyperion), Eva and Sadie and the Worst Haircut EVER! (HarperCollins), Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance (Candlewick), How to Babysit a Grandma (Knopf Books for Young Readers), and A Pet for Fly Guy (Orchard/Scholastic). Young readers (ages 8-10) favored Claude at the Beach (Peachtree), The Glorkian Warrior Delivers a Pizza (First Second), Happy Birthday, Babymouse (Random House Books for Young Readers), Kali’s Story: An Orphaned Polar Bear Rescue (Arbordale), and Sisters (Graphix). Advanced readers (ages 11–14) chose The Dumbest Idea Ever! (Graphix), Ice Dogs (HMH Books for Young Readers), Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods (Disney-Hyperion), The Return of Zita the Spacegirl (First Second), and Temple Run: Race Through Time to Unlock Secrets of Ancient Worlds (National Geographic Society)as their favorites.

Choices voting is broken down by U.S. regions and is run by team leaders who coordinate book distribution and voting by students. In addition to the children’s list for school-age kids, there is also a Teachers’ Choices list and a Young Adults’ Choices list—more children’s and YA books chosen by, you guessed it, teachers and teens.

ILA is looking for team leaders for all of its Choices programs (Children’s, Teachers’ and Young Adults’). For more information, contact ILA’s Executive office.