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The Director's Corner

Dear Participants, Facilitators, and Newsletter Subscribers:

Happy New Year! I would like to welcome our spring 2007 participants. We are excited that you have joined us and wish you success. For some of you this may be your first online course and for others you may have taken several courses online. Please know that your facilitator, our staff, and our help desk are here to help make your experience successful and enlightening. We want you to succeed!!

Our online literacy facilitators will be guiding you through this experience.  They are teachers, administrators, and literacy coaches just like you. They work daily in schools around the state ensuring that students receive quality education. While their effectiveness is highly correlated to your success, there is no guarantee. You have the responsibility of making sure you are successful in this online endeavor. I encourage you to take the time to get to know the course tools and the course structure. Every lesson contains the same features: online instructional content, links to internet resources, interactive online games, online instructional videos, online discussions, online quizzes, and an online Literacy Log. Just like understanding textbook features helps our students, understanding how the FOR-PD course is structured will help you efficiently navigate the course and will contribute highly to your success.

You have joined a wonderful community of learners. FOR-PD and its facilitators have worked hard to develop an online learning community. We have learned that a sense of online community does not just occur, but must be developed and nurtured. The discussion board is the life blood of the FOR-PD course. It is where participants not only post their lesson discussions, but where they interact with their peers. I challenge you to go beyond just posting your assignments and moving on. Develop a conversation on a topic covered in that lesson. Ask questions that you want answered. Maybe you have a classroom issue you would like help solving. The more discussion that is created about topics that interest you, the richer your online experience will become.

Finally, it is important that you follow the posted course schedule. Assignment due dates are posted on the course calendar. Assignments for each lesson include an online Literacy Log, a discussion, and a quiz. Assignments for the week are due by Saturday at 11:55 PM EST. As teachers, you lead an extremely busy life; both professional and personal commitments can interfere with completion of coursework. Think ahead and plan your work for the week. One of our facilitators suggested the following work completion schedule to her participants.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday - Spend an hour each evening reading the lesson content; go to the end of the lesson and understand the discussion assignment and its rubric; work on the literacy log each evening; and take the lesson quiz (make sure you review the quiz feedback). Wednesday and Thursday - Put your thoughts together, email or talk to colleagues about the assignment, as this is where the most growth happens; respond to others on the discussion board; submit your literacy log; and retake the quiz if you have not scored a 16 or higher. Friday and Saturday - Compose your discussion entry and post it to the appropriate discussion area. Make sure you have completed the literacy log and passed the lesson quiz.

Thank you for participating in the FOR-PD Project. Please feel free to contact us with questions and feedback about the FOR-PD course and your experience. Thank you for all you do to help all students succeed in literacy. You may reach us at forpd@mail.ucf.edu and/or 1-866-207-7296.

Best wishes and continued success,

Catherine Glass
Director, FOR-PD

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Reading Endorsement Professional Development OnLine Course for Competency One

In the continued effort to provide teachers with high quality reading endorsement professional development, the Just Read, Florida! Office has announced the availability of 1,000 free registrations for the competency one online course entitled Foundations of Language and Cognition (FOLAC) offered through North East Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC). Additional information about the FOLAC training, including training goals and objectives, assignment schedule, and technical requirements, is available online at http://www.nefec.org/dl/folac/.

Because there are a number of non-reading endorsed middle and high school educators teaching reading classes this year who are considered out of field, the Just Read, Florida office has developed a hierarchy of priority for the complimentary FOLAC slots.

• Teachers who are currently teaching reading courses in grades 6-12 during the 2006-2007 school year and are required to earn the reading endorsement have first priority.
• Teachers who, in all probability, will be teaching reading courses in grades 6-12 during the 2007-2008 school year and are required to complete their reading endorsement have second priority.
• Reading coaches have third priority.
• Principals have fourth priority.

Teachers may register online for the complimentary slots beginning January 15, 2007, at 7:00 AM (EST) at http://www.nefec.org/dl/folac/. Registrations will not be accepted before this date and time, but registration will remain open until all slots are filled.

For more information you may download and review the following Florida Department of Education Memorandum available at http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-4174/comp1memo.pdf

 

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Hazardous Weather Awareness Week

Just Read, Florida!, in partnership with the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management and several other emergency management partners, is conducting a statewide short essay contest aimed at high school students as part of the 2007 Hazardous Weather Awareness Week, February 12 through 16.

9th-12th graders in all school districts are invited to participate in the contest. The seven winners and their teacher, selected from each of the seven emergency management areas in the state, will win cash prizes and weather radios. Awards will be presented during the annual award ceremony held in Tallahassee’s Capitol Rotunda on Monday, February 12, 2007.

One of the goals of Hazardous Weather Awareness Week is to promote a culture of preparedness throughout all grade levels. The essay contest is part of an annual public awareness campaign that includes distribution of the "Florida Hazardous Weather Guide" to middle school classrooms, children's books in elementary school classrooms, and a poster contest for fourth and fifth graders. Also a part of the campaign is the statewide "Tornado Drill" to be conducted by the Florida offices of the National Weather Service.

For more information, resources and a complete list of contest rules and requirements, deadlines and much, much more, please click on the respective bullets below.

• High School Essay Contest (Rules, Guidelines, Prizes and Sponsors)
• 4th & 5th Grade Poster Contest (Rules, Guidelines, Prizes and Sponsors)
• Teacher Planning (Hazardous Weather Readers and their Teacher Planning Guides, the Hazardous Weather Awareness Guide and its Student Activity Guide are available here for download).
• Downloads (weather storybooks and weather bullies characters available here for download)
• Games

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The Eighteenth National African American Read-In

The Eighteenth National African American Read-In will be held Sunday, February 4, 2007 and Monday, February 5, 2007, for schools across our nation. Sponsored by the Black Caucus of National Council of Teachers of English and by National Council of Teachers of English, schools, churches, libraries, bookstores, community and professional organizations are urged to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month by hosting and coordinating Read-Ins in their communities. The goal is to make the celebration of African American literacy a traditional part of Black History Month activities.

You can print the PDF version of the African American Read-In Packet by clicking the link below.

African American Read-In Packet

Selected Black Caucus Recommended Booklist

Selected Black Caucus Recommended Booklist -- New Releases

Supplemental List for Young Children and Young Adults

Supplemental List for Young Children and Young Adults -- New Releases

 

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K-12 Comprehensive Reading Plan Requirements - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Florida Legislature, as recommended by Governor Bush and the State Board of Education, took action to make reading a permanent priority and to ensure that reading is funded annually as a part of the public school funding formula. Established in the 2006 law within section 1011.62 Florida Statutes, fundage in the amount of $111.8 million for the 2006-2007 school year was awarded.

In order to receive this reading funding, districts had to write a K-12 Comprehensive Research-Based Reading Plan. The Florida Department of Education's Just Read, Florida! office recently sent out a memorandum to futher clarify the requirements for the K-12 Reading Plan. Included are questions and answers on selected issues such as assessment and the role of the reading/literacy coach. This document attempts to pull together a collection of questions and concerns.

To view this document please download the following PDF located at:
http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-4148/compfaq_att1.pdf

 

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ALSC Announces Exceptional Web Sites for Children

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, is pleased to announce the Web sites added in 2006 to Great Web Sites for Kids (www.ala.org/greatsites). Its Web resource contains hundreds of links to commendable Web sites for children.

Great Web Sites for Kids (GWS) features links to valuable Web sites of interest to children, organized by subject headings such as animals; literature and languages; sciences; the arts; and history and biography. The Great Web Sites for Kids Committee maintains and updates the site.

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Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, Just Read, Florida! is highlighting African American literature for all ages. There are appropriate selections and resources for K-12 students, adults and educators. Visit http://www.justreadflorida.com/BHM.asp for appropriate age group to see the list of books for that age group.

The Governor's Office has also published the website,"Remembering the Past Celebrating the Future" on the Myflorida web page to celebrate Black History Month. Visit this site, http://www.floridablackhistory.com/myflorida/governorsoffice/black_history/index.html, for more information on February Events, a Black History Quiz, and many other activities.

Gender, learning, and literacy has once again become a hot topic. Many researchers feel that learning and literacy development is different when considering the gender of the student. This month, for our In Focus section of the Literacy Newsletter, we'll be taking a closer look at how looking at gender and gender roles can lead to an enhancement of learning for boys and girls.

Please feel free to contact us with questions or feedback on this section of the Literacy Newsletter. You may reach us at forpd@mail.ucf.edu or 1-866-207-7296.

 

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Learning and Gender

One need not hold a doctorate in neuroscience to know that the male and female brains are dramatically unique.  Now that same knowledge is being applied in the educational world, with new research suggesting that gender differences in terms learning can greatly affect the outcome of student test scores, discipline referrals, and overall academic performance.  Current educational trends are shifting toward a more controversial method of teaching students, one that rejects the idea of teaching to the individual and rather embraces the idea of tailoring instruction to meet the diverse needs of males and females in the classroom.  As one educator points out, “We were all told long ago that every child should be taught as an individual so gender didn’t matter- but it really matters! Knowing about it has completely changed the way I teach, and the success my students are having.”  School boards across the country are catching on, and developing new gender initiatives that are aimed at closing the achievement gaps and improving overall education for students.  As more educators begin to rely upon gender-friendly instructional theory to guide their practice, student achievement and success in school will skyrocket.

But no theory is accepted without empirical data to corroborate the hypothesis.  So what evidence is there to support a gender learning theory?  Most gender training used by school districts rely on data obtained through brain research.  Brain scans reveal that on the average, girls exhibit more blood flow and activity in the verbal and sensorial centers in the brain, as well has have more neural connections between the verbal centers and sensorial and emotive centers.  This has major implications for academic performance.  On the average, girls are writing more words, including more sensory details in their writing, and adding more emotive details than are boys.  It’s with these “details” that the true gender gaps lie.  However, girls tend to fall behind in complex math skills where instructional methods rely solely on abstract formulations.  Math problems must contain words, essay components, or more verbal elements if girls are to overcome this gap. 

There are also significant gender differences in terms of classroom behavior. Not surprisingly, boys tend to exhibit more restless, fidgety behaviors than girls.  Depleted serotonin levels in the brain are implicated.  In addition, the male brain naturally gravitates toward a state of “rest”, thus making boys more likely to “zone out” during the school day.  Classroom instructional methods that allow boys (and girls) to physically move about while they are learning can help keep the brain engaged.

Males and females show different reactions to competition as well.  Males tend to learn better when some degree of competition is involved.  Girls typically spend less time engaging in this type of competitive learning, but can still benefit from this natural learning tool.  Research has shown that when teachers incorporate competitive learning into the curriculum, males and females challenge each other to learn better.

Overall, research in the area of gender learning has indicated that training educators in male and female learning differences can have a “profound and positive” effect on academic performance and school behavior.

Reference:

Gurian, M. (2006). Learning and gender. National School Boards Association. Retrieved January 6, 2007, from http://www.nsba.org/site/doc.asp?TRACKID=&VID=2&CID=1234&DID=39519

 

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Resources

There have been many changes in educational landscape with regard to gender. Once, men outnumbered women on college campuses across the nation but now only make up about 44% of students. Boys that are ages 5-12 are 60% more likely to repeat a grade level and are 33% more likely to drop out of high school. That is not to say that girls do not also have their own gender issues including gender stereotypes and academic concerns regarding subject matter and retention.

As a way to support all learners, it is suggested that teachers:

• identify patterns in their own reading choices and those made for students by others
• address students' thoughts and ideas about reading and how they think of themselves as readers
• recognize the many kinds of reading and literacies
• create a classroom library that has a selection of books that entices both boys and girls
• evaluate texts systematically and teach your students how to do the same

The following resources will provide you with ideas and strategies to use with your students in order to increase their love and interest in reading and literacy.

Reading, Writing, and Gender
Instructional Strategies and Classroom Activities that Work for Boys and Girls
Goldberg and Roswell offers specific strategies for assisting both genders in literacy development.

Guys Read
http://www.guysread.com/
Offers a list of books recommended by the webmaster, children's author Jon Sczieska, and others suggested by visitors to the website.

Best Riot Grrrrl Reads
http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/riot.htm
Okay, you've graduated past teen romances and Anne of Green Gables is so over with! So what's next? How about some books that show girls standing up for themselves, kicking butt, and taking no prisoners? It's time to take back the power with these girls-rule reads!

Boys Read: Considering Courage in Novels
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=997
The novels and activities in this lesson encourage boys to examine the notion of courage and how courage can be demonstrated in everyday actions.

Boys Will Be...The Unique Reading and Development Needs of Boys in Libraries
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/forlibrarians/serviceboys/boybooks.htm
Favorite titles for boys of all ages, interests, and reading levels.

Girls Read: Online Literature Circles
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=970
Multicultural literature with strong female protagonists serves as the focus for e-mail exchanges and classroom discussions in this lesson.

Books for Boys
http://www.lfpl.org/teenpages/booklists/boys.htm
Looking for books a young adult male would enjoy? Try these.

Florida Media Quarterly (FMQ)
http://www.floridamedia.org/fmq/pdfs/FMQWinter2006.pdf
See article inside, "Chick-Lit Goes Nonfiction" by Brooks Spencer

Boy Meet Books
http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/boys.htm
Check out this site for some great reads for young adult books.

Boys, girls and literacy
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Database/boys/index.html
A website with a range of viewpoints on boys’ attitudes to reading as well as girls’ attitudes.

Beyond the Image: Adolescent Girls, Reading, and Social Reality
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/nwsa_journal/v012/12.1hubler.html
Angela E. Hubler discusses how the feminist criticism of fiction for young readers must move beyond a focus on images to examine the way in which fiction allows readers to map social structure.

Boys and Literacy K-6
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/yrk12focusareas/gendered/boyslitk6.php
This site offers ideas for a place to go where schools and parents can work together from a common understanding about the gender issues involved in literacy.

Me Read? No, Way! A Practical Guide to Improving Boys' Literacy Skills
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/brochure/meread/meread.pdf
A practical guide to improving boys' literacy skills.

If Your Boy Won’t Read
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1543
Suggestions for a boy who won’t read. Parental modeling is still best.

January's Reading Strategy of the Month focuses on using etymologies in instruction to improve vocabulary development and increase comprehension.

Try this strategy in your classroom and then email us and tell us how it worked (forpd@mail.ucf.edu). Also, don't forget to share the strategy with your colleagues.

Each month we feature an effective reading strategy, explain the rationale behind the strategy, give directions on how to use the strategy with students, present ideas for adapting the strategy to different content areas, present ideas for assessing the strategy, and of course provide a printable PDF version of the strategy. Check out our Reading Strategy Archive to see past Reading Strategies of the Month.

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Books for Students

The new year brings many opportunities to read some great new books. Try these out and let us know what you think by emailing us at forpd@mail.ucf.edu,

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Professional Book Recommendations

 

Engaging EVERY Learner
Edited by: Alan M. Blankstein, Robert W. Cole, and Paul D. Houston

Book Description: This concise volume offers educational leaders key concepts and strategies for framing discussions about closing the equity gap and ensuring high achievement for all learners.

As the first volume in The Soul of Educational Leadership series, this unique collection presents:

• Pedro Noguera and Alan Blankstein on essential questions and themes
• Randall and Delores Lindsey on culturally proficient equity audits
• Antoinette Mitchell on the knowledge base for teaching diverse learners in big-city schools
• Stephen Peters on how to capture, inspire, and teach every learner
• Thomas Guskey on rethinking the work of Benjamin S. Bloom
• Karen Pittman and Merita Irby on readiness for college, work, and life
• Alan Boyle on helping failing schools to turn around
• Richard Farson on the paradoxes of risk, challenge, failure, and innovation

Pioneering educators and series editors Alan M. Blankstein, Robert W. Cole, and Paul D. Houston offer thought-provoking ideas applicable to all schools, districts, and learning communities, and include a complete index for browsing and easy reference.

Interactive Read-Alouds, Grades K-1: Linking Standards, Fluency, and Comprehension
by Linda Hoyt

From the Publisher: Read-aloud time is much treasured in most elementary classrooms as teachers share children’s classics with their young readers. Linda Hoyt's Interactive Read-Alouds will help you make the most of read-aloud time by showing you creative ways to use popular children’s literature to teach standards, fluency, and comprehension. Combining award-winning text and engaging conversations with reflective thinking, Linda’s lessons will add drama to your literacy block and will teach your young readers strategies they will use across the curriculum.

Interactive Read-Alouds includes the following components:

• Interactive Read-Alouds (book of lessons) contains standards-based lessons designed around children’s classics with Share the Reading strategies and Readers Theater Scripts.
• The Teacher’s Guide outlines the thinking behind Interactive Read-Alouds and describes how to apply the strategies in your classroom.
• An Interactive Read-Alouds CD-ROM provides all of the shared text and Readers Theater Scripts in an easily accessible PDF format.

Key Features

• Each lesson's concise Lesson Plan models an interactive read-aloud followed by an end of story reflection and strategies for sharing, extending, and assessing the learning. Plus, a test-style assessment option familiarizes students with the type of literature analysis required on standardized tests.
• A regular Share the Reading feature provides a shared text to reinforce the lesson’s teaching in a type treatment that is easy to read and in a reproducible format that is easy to photocopy.
• Every lesson includes a Readers Theater Script that introduces drama into a reading curriculum in a way that allows students of varying reading abilities to interact with different types of text and each other.

Making Creative Schedules Work in Middle and High Schools

By Elliot Y. Merenbloom and Barbara A. Kalina

From the Publisher: Use creative scheduling strategies to improve student-teacher relationships and promote more positive learning experiences!

Today's schools are responding to the pressing need for positive student-teacher relationships that promote successful learning and prevent dropouts and violence. To meet this challenge, many secondary schools are reorganizing around smaller schools or "houses" and structuring longer blocks of learning time.

Authors Elliot Y. Merenbloom and Barbara A. Kalina provide a step-by-step process for leaders and school teams focused on restructuring to promote more meaningful interaction between teachers and students. Through troubleshooting know-how, short real-life case stories, and detailed decision-making and planning charts, this roll-up-your-sleeves working handbook:

• Offers a thorough presentation of restructuring options with advantages and disadvantages of multiple models
• Walks leaders and teams through the decision-making and solution-building processes
• Presents instructional formats and strategies that maximize the benefits of restructured schedules
• Discusses how to prepare and communicate with students and parents about changes

This practical, user-friendly book helps teachers, school leaders, curriculum developers, and administrators fashion a vision that nurtures positive learning experiences and strengthens student achievement.

 

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Literacy Coaches' Corner

5 Keys Points to Building a Supportive Program

In the Winter 2007 volume of JSD, the Journal of the National Staff Development Council, Jim Knight, a research associate at the University of Kansas, offers readers ideas on how to support school based collaboration. He discussed his concerns that while school-based coaching has become more well-known, that it may be implemented too simplistically and without the understanding about the complexity of change (Knight, 2007). He suggests the need to consider five points to building a quality coaching program. These include:

 

1. Top-Down and Bottom-Up--Partnerships are extremely important for the success of any coaching program. Coaches and teachers must consider themselves, and each other, equal partners in the process. Teachers should have choice of what and how they learn, as well as be respected for their thoughts. Both a top-down and bottom-up approach should be considered and balanced. Having only a top-down approach to coaching will cause teachers to resent the mandated instruction. Having only a bottom-up approach is also not a solid alternative. Teachers given complete freedom on partcipating often choose not to participate at all. Using a balance of both approaches is highly recommended.
   
2. Easy and Powerful--In order for teachers to abandon a strategy they are familiar with, the coach must demonstrate and support practice with a strategy that is both easeir and more powerful than the current strategy.
   
3. Self-Organizing and Highly Organized--Coaches that work with an open mind and a without a structured approach are more likely to succeed. Understanding that initial encounters with teachers need to be highly effective and looking at a coach's primary task as "spreading a healthy virus" are key to creating a successful program. Getting the word out about your good work via emails, newsletters, bulletin boards, and word-of-mouth are important steps to creating that healthy virus of "what works" and how you can help (Knight, 2007, p.28).
   
4. Ambitious and Humble--Successful coaches are a combination of ambition and humility. Coaches should be ambitious for the school where they work, but not for themselves. They should not be overly pushy, but be willing to help without pressure.
   
5. Engaged and Detached--Effective coaches care about their students and teachers and should strive to create a relationship with teachers that is based on caring. It is also important for coaches to see themsevles as the leader and realize that sometimes they will have to challenge others' ideas and thinking.

Knight, J. (2007, Winter). 5 key points to building a coaching program. Journal of Staff Development, 28(1), 26-31.

 

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Text Set

As described in the February 2006 FOR-PD Reading Strategy of the Month, text sets can be considered a collection of books related to a common element, topic, theme, or type of text. They provide readers with a medley of text and other materials including non-fiction, websites, photos, pictures, primary source documents, and fiction. All will support the growing need for students to obtain quality information from a variety of sources.

This month begins a collobration between FOR-PD and two factilitators who also happen to be media specialists. Nancy Case and Jean Salamon will be sharing with us some excellent books to use within your own class text sets. Below is a sampling of texts to use in the elementary-high school classroom on the topics of "Race Relations." Remember, before making any book or resource available, be sure to check out if it is appropriate for your students.

FOR-PD is looking for ideas for future text sets. If you have an idea, please feel free to email us at forpd@mail.ucf.edu.

"Race Relations" Text Set

Books and Resources for Elementary Students Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco. A story of intergenerational, interracial friendship and creativity. Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold. Gr. K-2. Summer evenings spent atop her Harlem rooftop inspire eight-year-old Cassie Lightfoot to imagine herself flying high above the city, righting all wrongs. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges.  As a first-grader, she integrated an all-white school in New Orleans. Zora Neale Hurston, Writer and Storyteller by Patricia McKissack. Traces life of the Harlem Renaissance writer and folklorist. The Friendship by Mildred Taylor. Four children witness a confrontation between an elderly African American man and a white storekeeper in rural Mississippi in the 1930s. When Marian Sang:  The True Recital of Marian Anderson: The Voice of aCentury by Pam Munoz Ryan.  Marian Anderson sang with her eyes closed but opened the eyes of others to the need to abolish segregation and prejudice.  Martins Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport  This picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brings his life and the profound nature of his message to young children through his own words. Freedom School, yes! by Amy Littlesugar.  This story is about a young girl named Jolie who lived during the Civil Rights Era. Her town's battle to educate their children is a touching story that emphasizes the value of education. Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles. This story conveys the experience of racial prejudice by focusing on two boys and their life experiences. Going North by Janice Harrington.  A heartwarming story which shows how a young black girl’s views change as she moves North from Alabama. Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester. Mr. Lester shares his own story as he explores what makes each of us special. Bein’ With You This Way by W. Nikola-Lisa, A poem about human differences and similarities. (A young girl leads a cumulative rap about individual differences.) Mary McLeod Bethune : a great teacher by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack.  Traces the life and achievements of the black educator who fought bigotry and racial injustice and sought equality for blacks in the areas of education and political rights. Yo! Yes? by Chris Rashka.  Two lonely characters, one black and one white, meet on the street and become friends. Crossing Jordan by Andrea Fogelin.  Twelve-year-old Cass meets her new African-American neighbor, Jemmie, and despite their families' prejudices, they build a strong friendship around their mutual talent for running and a pact to read Jane Eyre. Cool as Ice by Matt Christopher and Paul Mantell.  Two friends try to prove that size and race do not matter when playing hockey or any other sport. Education of Mary, a Little Miss of Color, 1832 by Mary Rinaldi.  In 1832, Prudence Crandall begins admitting black girls to her exclusive Connecticut school. Fishing Day by Andrea Davis Pinkney. When Reenie and her mother, who are African Americans, go fishing, Reenie decides to share the secret of their success with their needy white neighbors. Under Our Skin by Debbie Holsclaw Birdseye and Tom Birdseye ; photographs by Robert Crum. Six young people discuss their feelings about their own ethnic backgrounds and about their experiences with people of different races. The Well: David's Story by Mildred D. Taylor. In Mississippi in the early 1900s, ten-year-old David Logan's family generously shares their well water with both white and African-American neighbors in an atmosphere of potential racial violence. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. An African-American family living in the South during the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand. Princess of the Press: The story of Ida B. Wells-Barnett by Angela Shelf Medearis. A biography of the journalist, newspaper owner, and suffragette who campaigned for civil rights and founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Leon’s Story by Leon Tillage. The son of a North Carolina sharecropper recalls the hard times faced by his family and other African Americans in the first half of the twentieth century and the changes that the civil rights movement helped bring about. The Story of Ruby Brigdes by Robert Coles. For months six-year-old Ruby Bridges must confront the hostility of white parents when she becomes the first African American girl to integrate Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in 1960. Run Away Home by Pat McKissack. In 1886 in Alabama, an eleven-year-old African-American girl and her family befriend and give refuge to a runaway Apache boy. The Gold Cadillac by Mildred D. Taylor. Two black girls living in the North are proud of their family's beautiful new Cadillac until they take it on a visit to the South and encounter racial prejudice for the first time.

Books and Resources for Middle School Students Just Like Martin by Ossie Davis. Gr. 4 and up. In 1963 Alabama, Stone has met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and wants to be a preacher, but his father sees nonviolence as cowardly and refuses to embrace it. The Watsons Go To Birmingham -- 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. A hilarious, touching, and tragic novel about civil rights and the impact of violence on one black family. Red-Tail Angels; The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, New York by McKissack, Pat and McKissack, Frederick: Walker & Co., 1995. A Best Book For YAs 1996. Award winning account. Maizon at Blue Hill by Jacqueline Woodson. One of five African-American students at a private girls' school, Maizon feels misplaced and lonely as she tries to fit in. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Gr. 6-8. The first in a series of stories about an African-American family living in rural Mississippi during the Depression, told from the point of view of their eldest daughter, Cassie. Let The Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred Taylor.  Gives an understanding of what it was like to be black in the South in the 1930's. The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marion Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman. The author captures the audiences eager anticipation, describes the controversy sparked by the refusal of some to allow Anderson to appear at Constitution Hall, and mentions the significance of the concert at Constitution Hall. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and Margo Lundell.  Surrounded by federal marshals, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first black student ever at the all-white William Frantz Public School in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 14, 1960. Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack.  As they describe the goings-on during the weeks before Christmas as well as the actual rituals of the day, the McKissacks carefully and convincingly delineate the discrepancies between the two milieux-from the physical settings to the people's differing appreciations of the holiday's riches. Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyen.  A young black girl struggles to fulfill her papa's dream of a better future for their family in the southwestern town where, in 1910, they are the only blacks. The American Civil Rights Movement:  The African-American Struggle forEquality by Linda Jacobs Altman.  Traces the African-American struggle for equality from slavery to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and beyond. Ida B. Wells-Barnett:  Mother of the Civil Rights Movement by Dennis and Judith Fradin.  Born a slave, she went on to become a schoolteacher, probation officer, journalist, and activist who fought for the right of black women to vote, helped to create the NAACP, and almost single-handedly halted the horrific practice of lynching. Iggie's House by Judy Blume. When an African American family with three children moves into the white neighborhood, eleven-year-old Winnie learns the difference between being a good neighbor and being a good friend. The Jacket by Andrew Clements.  After a false accusation and scuffle, Phil and Daniel end up in the principal's office. Because of this incident, Phil realizes for the first time that he has prejudices. Jefferson’s children: The Story of one American Family by Shannon Lanier and Jane Feldman. This is the story of the Jefferson and bi-racial Hemings families, and their efforts to be recognized and united as proud descendants of this great American genius. The Land by Mildred Taylor. Living in the South in the not-so-distant past, the Logans are the only black family to own farmland, while most of their black neighbors are sharecroppers on white-owned land. Lost Goat Lane by Rosa Jordan.  Two families--one white, one black--living near one another in rural Florida overcome their suspicions of each other and find ways to work together, with the help of their children and a few goats. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.  An orphaned adolescent boy with a legendary talent for running goes on a journey of self-discovery learning about racism and what it means to belong. Dangerous Skies by Susanne Fisher Staples.  Hypocrisy and prejudice twist events in such a way as to implicate two children, one from a prominent white family and the other an African-American, in a murder. Waiting For the Rain: a novel of South Africa by Sheila Gordon. Chronicles nine years in the lives of two South African youths--one black, one white--as their friendship ends in a violent confrontation between student and soldier. African Americans Struggle for Equality by Anna Wilson. Text and photographs identify discrimination and discuss the struggle of African-Americans for equality in education, employment, and other areas of life. Free at Last: A history of the Civil Rights Movement and Those Who died in the Struggle by Sara Bullard. An illustrated history of the Civil Rights movement, including a timeline and profiles of forty people who gave their lives in the movement. Hate Groups by Sharon Elaine Thompson. Presents an overview of groups, past and present, formed to promote hatred of and violence against targeted minorities, and explores ways to foster understanding and peaceful coexistence. The Los Angeles Riots: America's Cities in Crisis by John Salak. Surveys the background and causes of urban unrest in America and describes the 1992 riots in Los Angeles and their aftermath. Freedom rides: Journey for Justice by James Haskins. Discusses the history of segregation in the United States, explaining how the Freedom Rides played a part in the civil rights movement.

Books and Resources for High School Students Hurry Freedom:  African Americans in Gold Rush California by Jerry Stanley.  More than just a look at life in Gold Rush California, Stanley's brief, fascinating account provides a microcosmic look at the early African-American experience that will most likely have a profound effect on readers. Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.  When Lily's black nanny insults a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote in the 1960s, Lily and Rosaleen flee and are taken in by three bee-keeping sisters. Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes.  The teen characters in this novel share poetry that is alike in it’s sense of isolation and yearning to belong. Whether their poems...are in rap, free verse, or conscious rhyme, these kids surprise one another in part with how much they are the same. Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson.  On a visit to her grandmother Ola, who is dying of cancer in her house in the desert, fourteen-year-old Emmie hears many stories about the past and her family history. The Road to Memphis by Mildred Taylor.  In 1941 a black youth, sadistically teased by two white boys in rural Mississippi, severely injures one of them with a tire iron and enlists Cassie's help in trying to flee the state. A Free Black Girl before the Civil War: The diary of Charlotte Forten, 1854.  The diary of a sixteen-year-old free African-American who lived in Massachusetts in 1854 records her schooling, participation in the antislavery movement, and concern for an arrested fugitive slave. Freedom’s Children: Young civil rights activists tell their own stories by Ellen Levine.  Southern African-Americans who were young and involved in the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s describe their experiences. The Jim Crow Laws and Racism in American History by David Fremon.  Traces the struggles of African Americans from the end of slavery through the period of Jim Crow segregation in the South, to the civil rights movement and legal equality. Mississippi trial, 1955 by Cris Crowe. In Mississippi in 1955, a sixteen-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfather over issues surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old African-American from Chicago. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  Scout Finch, the young daughter of a local attorney in the Deep South during the 1930s, tells of her father's defense of an African-American man charged with the rape of a white girl. Wolf Whistle: A Novel by Lewis Nordan.  A fictitious account of a young African American boy who is killed after whistling at a white women in Mississippi and the two men who are acquitted of the murder. So What is Tolerance Anyway? By John LaMachia.  Examines the importance of practicing tolerance for others, the causes and effects of prejudice and discrimination, and the problems that may occur when people are intolerant. Danger Zone by David Klass.  Basketball, racism, and international terrorism combine in this story of an international high school basketball player's confrontation of fear. Francie by Karen English.  When the sixteen-year-old boy whom she tutors in reading is accused of attempting to murder a white man, Francie gets herself in serious trouble for her efforts at friendship. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg. This is the story of special friendships in the south and a racial incident at it’s climax. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.  Maya Angelou recounts a youth filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy, and finally hard-won independence. I Shall Not Be Moved by Maya Angelou. A collection of poetry describing the pain and triumph of being black and telling of history and heartbreak and love. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Earnest Gaines.  Eloquently covers the story of the Black Experience--from the Civil War to the civil rights movement--all told from the memories of a fictional 110-year old slave. A Jar of Dreams by Uchida Yoshika.  A young girl grows up in a closely-knit Japanese American family in California during a time of great prejudice. Finding My Voice by Marie Lee.  As she tries to enjoy her senior year and choose which college she will attend, Korean American Ellen Sung must deal with the prejudice of some of her classmates and pressure from her parents to get good grades. Letters to America; Contemporary American Poetry on Race, edited by Jim Daniels.  A collection of poems that explore the issues surrounding race relations in American society, told from the experience of Black, Native American, Asian, Arabic, Hispanic, and white cultures. Black and White by Paul Volponi.  Two star high school basketball players, one black and one white, experience the justice system differently after committing a crime together and getting caught. Stones of Mourning Creek by Diane Les Bequets.  In Alabama in the 1960s, fourteen-year-old Francie develops a controversial and dangerous friendship with a "colored girl" her own age. Passage to India by E.M. Forster. A classic account of the clash of cultures in British India after the turn of the century revealing the menace lurking just under the surface of ordinary misunderstanding. The Civil Rights Movement: An Eyewitness History by Sanford Wexler. Uses speeches, articles, and other writings of those involved to trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States, primarily from 1954 to 1965.

Videos and DVDs Maniac Magee, Aims Multimedia - An orphaned adolescent boy with a legendary talent for running goes on a journey of self-discovery learning about racism and what it means to belong. Teaching Tolerance, Weston Woods. Contains three stories that illustrate tolerance. Follow the Drinking Gourd, Great Plains Nebraska, Reading Rainbow Series;  Lavar Burton introduces the audience to the history, heroes and stories of the Underground Railroad. Ruby Bridges, Disney Educational Productions. Features the true story of six-year-old Ruby Bridges, one of the first black students to integrate public elementary schools in New Orleans. Middle. Selma, Lord Selma, Disney Educational Productions. Explains how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders created a non-violent movement and advanced the fight for equality in Selma, Alabama. Lower grades through middle. Race, Discovery Channel School. Explores race and the biases and prejudices we all hold. Middle and upper grades.

Web Sites African American Writers – Online E-texts http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/afroonline.htm African-American websites, Diversity and Ethnic Studies http://www.public.iastate.edu/~savega/afr_amer.htm Teaching Tolerence http://www.teachingtolerance.org Amistad America http://www.amistadamerica.org/

Nancy Case is married with two children and two grandchildren. She is currently the Media Supervisor for Alachua County Schools and a professional storyteller. She has previously worked as a middle school media specialist for many years in both Pasco and Alachua counties. She is proud of her role in story telling and was a former president of the Florida Storytelling Association. She has facilitated sixteen FOR-PD classes to date and loves to read, travel, and create stories for telling.

Jean Salamon has been in the education field for 32 years. She has had experience as a Kindergarten teacher, second grade teacher, third grade teacher, and as a Parent Involvement/Learning Resource Specialist for the Title 1 program. She has been the Educational Library Media Specialist for the past 7 years at Astatula Elementary School for the Arts in Lake County, Florida and is Nationally Board Certified in Library Media PreK-Young Adult. She has been facilitating FOR-PD since Jan. 2003. She also teaches Early Literacy classes for UCF at the South Lake Campus in Clermont. She lives with her husband (also a teacher) in Tavares, FL. She has two daughters and two granddaughters. In her spare time she likes to spend time with her family, read, walk, and go out to eat.

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Feeling frustrated? Can't figure it out? Don't forget the FOR-PD Help Desk is available. Help Desk hours are:

Monday through Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM EST and 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM EST
Saturday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM EST

The phone number is 1-866-863-READ (7323) toll free, Florida calls only. For non-Florida calls only 407-249-4702. Technical support is also available through AOL Instant Messenger, screen name "forpdhelp."

If you need technical support beyond that which your facilitator or school technology coordinator can offer, please contact the FOR-PD Technical Support Help Desk. Please fill out the Tech Help Form or call the Help Desk. Describe your problem as completely as possible, leave your name and return phone number, and someone will get back to you.

Chat Live with the Help Desk using the Chatango feature on our website. http://www.forpd.ucf.edu/about/technicalsupport.html.

Don't forget to check out the Tutorials and Troubleshooting Guide. Both of these resources provide a wealth of information on the tools used in the course and specific technology problems past participants have had along with solutions to these problems.

Pop-up blockers continue to be a popular issue the Help Desk deals with. If you have a pop-up blocker on your web browser, you will not be able to access the quizzes and other tools in the course. To disable your pop-up blocker follow these directions:

Disable Pop-Up Blocking programs

• Move your mouse to the lower right-hand corner of your screen near the time
• Scroll your mouse over the icons listed to the left of the time
• If you notice any of the icons refer to Pop-Ups, right-click on them and click "Disable" or "Exit." Please note that Norton Internet Securities and McAfee Firewall need to be disabled as well.

FOR-PD Spring Course	January 22-April 30, 2007
Florida Educational Technology Corporation (FETC) Orlando, FL Orange County Convention Center's South Complex	January 23-26, 2007
22nd Annual Language Arts Classic Panama City, FL Gulf Coast Community College	January 27, 2007
Technology, Reading & Learning Diversity "Implementing Instructional Change to Enrich Every Learning Experience" San Francisco, CA Hyatt Regency San Francisco in Embarcadero Center	February 1-3, 2007
2007 National Reading Recovery & K-6 Classroom Literacy Conference "Championing Children Through Literacy and Literature" Columbus, Ohio	February 3-6, 2007
Happy 10th Anniversary NEA’s Read Across America!	March 2, 2007
2007 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Annual Conference and Exhibit Show "Valuing the Whole Child" Anaheim, California Anaheim Convention Center	March 17-19, 2007
2007 Secondary Reading Council Conference "SURF, SUN, SAND, AND STORIES" Daytona Beach, Florida The Plaza & Spa Resort	April 20-21, 2007
52nd Annual Convention International Reading Association "Literacy Without Boundaries" Toronto, Canada	May 13-17, 2007
28th Annual National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) Atlanta, Georgia	June 24-27

 

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