FOR-PD Literacy Blog

Congratulations to Lincoln Elementary and Leadership Academy West, both in Palm Beach County, for receiving an A school grade. These two schools, who previously received an F grade, worked throughout the summer and school year to improve, and their hard work paid off.

One of our FOR-PD graduates, Anita Blue, is a reading teacher at Lincoln Elementary. Once again, congratulations to all faculty, administration, staff, and students for turning these schools into an “A”! Way to go!

FOR-PD has just posted a new audio interview from Dr. Gerald Campano, assistant professor in Language Education at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. A former classroom teacher, his research and teaching interests focus on practitioner inquiry, (im)migrant identities in the context of schooling, and new literacies.

Below you will find a key question from the interview.

If you would like to listen to or view the rest of the interview questions, please visit: http://www.forpd.ucf.edu/resources/campano.html

Q: In your book, Immigrant Students and Literacy, you reflect on the importance of culturally responsive teaching. What does this mean and how can teachers successfully incorporate into the K-12 classroom?

A: There are many scholars including Geneva Gay, Gloria Ladson-Billings and Sonja Nieto who have written deeply and eloquently about cultural responsive teaching. I might begin by honoring the famous words of the intellectual and writer from Martinique, Aime Cesaire, who recently passed away. He said, “No race has a monopoly on beauty or intelligence or strength.” If we truly begin with this premise, and I do, then we can view the robust diversity of many 21st century classrooms, not as the problem as it is too often framed, but as an incredible and mutually edifying opportunity – an opportunity to learn about one another, ourselves, and our shared world and collective wellbeing. These opportunities can only be realized however if we as educators build literacy curricula that honors our student’s rich experiences, cultural legacies, and their potential to learn from others. It happens when we look at our students, their families and communities as deep intellectual resources. This can and should happen at any point across the educational trajectory. I have taught first, fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, twelfth grades, undergraduate and graduate students. A culturally responsive and engaged pedagogy is valuable for all students in any learning context.

On April 4, 2008, the UCF College of Education hosted the 10th Annual Literacy Symposium, which was co-sponsored by FOR-PD. Over 500 educators throughout the state attended this event with at least 40 concurrent sessions to choose from.

Dr. Douglas Fisher’s presentation, Comprehension is More than Strategies: Reading and Thinking Across Content Areas, and Mr. Edward Bloor’s presentation, Young Adult Literature, are now available for viewing at http://www.education.ucf.edu/litsymposium/gallery.cfm.

Thank you to all of those who participated in this event and we look forward to seeing you at next year’s Literacy Symposium!

From FAME Website: Governor Charlie Crist extends his sincere wishes for the observance of School Library Media Month, April 2008. Each year our school districts and Florida citizens celebrate this month to showcase the programs, services, and resources provided by school library media centers. This celebratory month provides opportunities across the state to highlight school library media contributions for improving the quality of education.

Findings from research studies conducted in nineteen states, including the Florida statewide library media study entitled, Making the Grade: The Status of School Library Media Centers in the Sunshine State and How They Contribute to Student Achievement, report that school library media programs make a measurable difference in assisting students function successfully in school, preparing them for lifelong learning and enhancing their reading enjoyment. Additionally, it is appropriate that this month, which recognizes school library media services in Florida, also coincides with National Library Week that highlights the impact of all types of libraries on the nation’s citizens.

Click here to read the proclamation.

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month (NPM) brings together publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools, and poets to celebrate poetry and its place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

The goals of National Poetry Month are to:

• Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets
• Introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry
• Bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways
• Make poetry a more important part of the school curriculum
• Increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media
• Encourage increased publication, distribution, and sales of poetry books
• Increase public and private philanthropic support for poets and poetry

Looking for some ideas on how to integrate poetry into your instruction? Check out the following resources.

• FOR-PD Reading Strategy of the Month: Poetry
• Astronomy Poetry: Combining Poetry With the Content Areas
• Practical Poetry: A Nonstandard Approach to Meeting Content-Area Standards
• Poem in Your Pocket
• Read*Write*Think: Poetry
• Scholastic Poetry Page

New FOR-PD Audio Interview with Dr. Douglas Fisher Now Available

Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., is a Professor of Language and Literacy Education in the Department of Teacher Education at San Diego State University, the Co-Director for the Center for the Advancement of Reading at the California State University Chancellor’s office, and a classroom teacher at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He is the recipient of an International Reading Association Celebrate Literacy Award, the Farmer award for excellence in writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as a Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education.

He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, differentiated instruction, and curriculum design as well as books, such as Creating Literacy-rich Schools for Adolescents (with Gay Ivey), Improving Adolescent Literacy: Strategies at Work (with Nancy Frey) and Teaching English Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach (with Carol Rothenberg). He has taught a variety of courses in SDSU’s teacher-credentialing program as well as graduate-level courses on English language development and literacy. An early intervention specialist and language development specialist, he has taught high school English, writing, and literacy development to public school students.
Listen to and/or read this interview via the FOR-PD website at http://forpd.ucf.edu/resources/fisher.html

We’d love to hear from you on your thoughts about the interview and your experience using the words of Dr. Fisher. Please click on the “leave a comment” word bubble below.

Do you know a teacher or administrator who would like to take FOR-PD course this summer? FOR-PD has opened registration for the summer 2008 sections today, March 3 and will close registration on April 14 at 5PM EST. The spring course will begin on May 12 and end on August 18.

Please have those interested visit our registration page, http://forpd.ucf.edu/register/register.html, for more information.

From “The Core: News from the Florida Department of Education“: The State Board of Education (SBE) recently approved the revised Science Sunshine State Standards (SSS). Based on leading national and international science standards, the revised Science SSS incorporate the latest scientific research, concepts, and techniques that form the educational foundation for students to compete in the global economy of the future. District science curriculum will be aligned to the revised standards beginning in the 2008-09 school year and the Science Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) will begin testing students on the material in 2012.

Dear Colleagues:

At this time we would like to invite you to the 10th Annual College of Education Literacy Symposium being held on April 4, 2008. This event attracts an average of 500 educators from across the state. We hope that you mark that date on your calendar and also share it with your students. Admission is free but we require that attendees register. We welcome proposals from teachers, college faculty, and college students. We hope that you can join us.

Our theme this year focuses on “Literacy for Now and Beyond: Celebration, Inspiration, and Innovation.” Location: The UCF College of Education (Gymnasium). Come join us for a day of learning focused on celebrating literacy, learning more about reading in the content areas, technology and literacy, motivating students to read and learn from quality literature, improving literacy, and preparing our students for the future! This is a free professional day for all elementary and secondary educators, including literacy coaches, library media specialists, reading specialists, and administrators.

For more information on the event, please see: http://education.ucf.edu/litsymposium

For a flyer, please see: http://education.ucf.edu/litsymposium/docs/flyer.pdf

For registration information, please see: http://education.ucf.edu/litsymposium/register.cfm

For proposal submission, please see: http://education.ucf.edu/litsymposium/proposal.cfm

(Proposals must be completed online and turned in by March 15, 2008, by 12 PM EST)

Our morning keynote speaker will be Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Dr. Fisher is a Professor of Language and Literacy Education in the Department of Teacher Education at San Diego State University, the Co-Director for the Center for the Advancement of Reading at the California State University Chancellor’s office, and a classroom teacher at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He is the recipient of an International Reading Association Celebrate Literacy Award, the Farmer award for excellence in writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as a Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education. He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, differentiated instruction, and curriculum design as well as books, such as Creating Literacy-rich Schools for Adolescents (with Gay Ivey), Improving Adolescent Literacy: Strategies at Work (with Nancy Frey) and Teaching English Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach (with Carol Rothenberg).

Our afternoon keynote speaker will be Edward Bloor. Mr. Bloor is the author of five critically acclaimed young adult novels: Tangerine, Crusader, Story Time, London Calling, and Taken. He was a middle school teacher in Broward County, Florida, and a high school teacher in Brevard County, Florida, before joining Harcourt School publishers, where he is an executive editor. His newest novel, Memory Lane, will be published by Random House in 2009.

For more information, please contact Vicky Zygouris-Coe (vzygouri@mail.ucf.edu). Thank you for your support.

Regards,
Vicky Zygouris-Coe, Ph.D.
University of Central Florida
Department of Teaching & Learning Principles

In celebration of National D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Day, Reading Rockets is collecting questions for famous author, Beverly Cleary. Mrs. Cleary is the author of such favorites as Ramona, Dear Mr. Henshaw, and Runaway Ralph. Reading Rockets will select the best questions for Mrs. Cleary to answer and then post her respones in an audio interview that will be available on April 12.

You have until February 29 to send your question. If your question is selected to be answered, HarperCollins Children’s Books will send you a set of Beverly Cleary titles! Click here to submit your question.

Looking for ideas on how to increase independent reading in your classroom? Check out the ideas from our FOR-PD Literacy Newsletter.

• What Is Indepedent Reading?
• Matched Text: Right Book, Right Time
• Book Pass: Exposing Students to Text
• Resources