Welcome to the sixth edition of the new bimonthly children’s literacy and reading news round-up brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub. As Jen had mentioned in March, she and her husband Mheir were expecting their new Baby Bookworm to arrive this month. With Baby Bookworm now home, Jen is still enjoying the best of both worlds … as a mom and a reader. She periodically sneaks a peak at what’s going on in the Kidlitosphere … so just in case she’s reading, here’s what’s going on!
Roundups aren’t quite the same without Jen, so I was particularly tickled Sunday when I saw the @JensBookPage Tweet about the Coolest Bookstore, with a link to this Mercury News article about teacher Nan Caldwell and the bookstore run by her second graders. (thanks @Franki22 aka Franki Sibberson)

Events

With Father’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d round up some links where dads talk about reading with their kids. I WAS going to draw your attention to a cool MEME I discovered about dads, kids, and books a couple Fridays ago, but when I went back to find it I hadn’t saved it! [Hate when that happens.]

• Because we tend to think about here-and-now, you may have missed this March 2007 post about why dads should read to their children at Be a Good Dad. I love all of Good Dad’s points, but this one seems especially apropos for Father’s Day: “The physical closeness of story time and the cuddling are going to bring you closer to your kids. You will end up tickling them more often. You will end up hugging them more often. You will stroke their hair more often. That’s called bonding and your kids will love you for it.”
• As the great folks at Colorín Colorado point out, “there is nothing like reading a favorite story with Dad or Grandpa!” They even offer a Father’s Day booklist, with stories from a number of different cultures on their website. [They also have a new bilingual soccer booklist in honor of the World Cup.] [image credit: ArtFavor on OpenClipArt.org]

Summer is already here for some of us and just around the corner for the rest. There is a lot of chatter on the Web about the summer reading (link to my own post at Booklights). Why? Because we want the best for the kids in our lives, and reading can help them get there. Here are some spots to find some really great suggestions.

• At Lit for Kids you’ll find series recommendations for early readers. As the authors note: “Early readers can share their older siblings’ (and parents’) pleasure in immersing themselves in book worlds that continue through several stories.” You might also check out their recommendations for tweens and teens. (via The Big Fresh, Choice Literacy newsletter)
• Also from the Big Fresh – Keep Tweens and Teens reading all summer by hooking them on a new series. Ruth Shagoury at the Lit for Kids website shares a book list of favorite new Young Adult series
• Over at Reading Rockets check out 10 Weeks of Summer Reading Activities that gives families lots of ideas on preventing the summer slide.
• At Best Book I Have Not Read, Kristine shares a chart she found that explains what it takes for a reader to move up to the next level. As she points out, the take-away is that you can you can improve your ability just by reading a book. Her reading level chart is definitely worth a look … and could come in handy for kids who like to “compete” with themselves.

I don’t know about you, but I was shocked to learn (via Liz B @ Tea Cozy) that Ireland has just named its first Children’sLlaureate (Laureate na nÓg). The video is fabulous, and Siobhan Parkinson will grab you with any number of observations. I loved this one: My wish as laureate would be that every child in the country would have access to a nice, bright, warm, cheerful, comfortable library where they can go and find the books that are going to open their minds and bring them off to wonderful imaginary places. That sense of excitement and that sense of joy over books I want every child to talk about and not all children do get that.
First Book and the family of Cheerios cereals have teamed up with Jon Scieszka, author of Junkyard Fort and the former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, to help distribute 100,000 books to children in need across the country. By answering the trivia questions featured in the challenge, you can help select the states that will receive new books for local kids. Visit www.firstbook.org/scieszka today to be a part of the 100,000 Book Giveaway!
Here’s another Giveaway … From now until 24 September 2010, teachers can sign up at www.pictureliteracy.com for a chance to win a graphic novel prize package. The grand prize is a $1,000 package, second place is a $300 package, and two runner ups will each receive a $100 package. Each package comprises award-winning children’s graphic novels and titles designed to motivate reluctant readers. Every signup is an entry, so schools may enter multiple times. Learn more at PictureLiteracy.com.

Literacy Programs and Research

If you are rethinking your library (personal, school, classroom) or trying to deal with the bulging bookshelves and carpet of books, you might consider donating your gently used books to Kingston Springs Elementary School in Nashville, TN. As you may remember from Give a Book Help a School, Shelli Johannes’ post at Market My Words, this elementary – and many others – suffered unspeakable losses during the May 2010 floods.
According to this June 11, 2010 Angola Press announcement, nearly 5,000 citizens in Caxito (Northern Bengo Province) attended literacy lessons this year. “In 2009 8,460 people were enrolled, 4,014 of whom ended the academic year with good result, being 1,066 men and 2,948 women.” Pretty impressive.
The headline for a new (UK) National Literacy Trust study is that children as young as seven are more likely to own a mobile phone than a book. The meat of the article, though, points to other more valuable data. Ninety-three percent of the 17,000 students (ages 6 to 16) had books of their own AND believed that reading was important to succeed in life. For those who didn’t own books, only 80 percent saw reading as important to life success. Please do read Sarah Harris’ article in The UK Daily Mail, as she contrasts the NLT effort with recent US and Australian studies.
Kati Haycock’s quote about the impact of teachers on student success (2010 Literacy Trust study) has resurfaced (Bacon’s Rebellion 26 May 2010 and Newsweek March 2010) as the discussions of education funding start heating up. Here is the quote

The research shows that kids who have two, three, four strong teachers in a row will eventually excel, no matter what their background, while kids who have even two weak teachers in a row will never recover.

There is another interesting analysis of the teacher-student relationship in the recent edition of Science Centric. This time, the study looked at how a teachers’ confidence in their teaching abilities affected children’s learning progression in language and literacy skills. After 30 weeks …

• students whose teachers had high self-efficacy showed gains in one measure of early literary skills called print awareness, in which students were asked questions like ‘Show me just one letter on this page.’
• children only showed gains in vocabulary knowledge skills when they had a classroom that offered emotional support in addition to having a teacher with high self-efficacy.

Can a child be too young to learn to read? Sarah Ebner recently posed this question in an article for the Times (UK) Online. In Wales, children follow a play-based curriculum until they are seven. Because of the findings of a recent study (could not find it online), the debate about the impact of early schooling – particularly as it relates to learning to read – is heating up. As you might imagine, there are well-entrenched positions on both sides. This is a perfect article to read alongside a BBC broadcast (video) about why Finland’s schools get the best results.
The Metropolitan Nashville District school system decided that rather than try to force students to fit their model, they are changing their model to fit the students’ needs. After looking at a 72 percent graduation rate (2008), Superintendent Jesse Register went behind the numbers to see what was going on. What he found were English-language learners, young parents, or teens being raised by single parents; and most were working full or part time to help make ends meet. Last year, he established the Academy at Opry Hills, a nontraditional high school built around a modified structure that meets these kids’ needs in a way that keeps them in school through graduation. You can read more in Dakarai I. Aaarons’ article in Education Week.

Un-Wrapping Literacy

I sure could use your help coming up with a real title for this section (hint! hint!)
I love the 60 Second Parent channel on YouTube. Whatever the topic, the advice is not only practical, it is action-oriented. This video is about reading aloud with your child. Be sure to check out the kinds of things to read (hint: it’s more than just books).
Do you (or your kids) love Stanley Lambchop? Christianne shares the story (and photos) of Flat E at Little Page Turners. Flat E is a twist on the Flat Stanley stories by Jeff Brown that have been the basis of social studies projects for decades. Are you up for some new adventures? With summer here, I could totally see a Fractured Flat Stanley MEME. Are you in?

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Note: Book titles and cover images link to Amazon.com, with which the Reading Tub has an affiliate relationship. The Reading Tub may earn income from purchases through those links, though you are under no obligation to buy the book or use the link.

Welcome to the third edition of the new bimonthly children’s literacy and reading news round-up brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub. As Jen Robinson is currently on hiatus and enjoying her life as Mom, Carol Rasco (President of Reading is Fundamental), and Susan Stephenson (Book Chook and Literacy Lava) have joined me as contributors to the Roundups. Boy, I don’t know what I’d do without them! We have collected some great information on literacy events, research and literacy programs, and have a great video to close out the month.

Events

Speaking of Jen … The BESTEST event this month is that Jen and Mheir brought Baby Bookworm home from the hospital. Jen made the announcement on her Facebook page Wednesday. Yeah!

Voters in Ohio turned out in overwhelming support of their public libraries at primary ballot boxes 4 May, according to this article by the Ohio Library Council. There were 29 library levies on the ballot, and 25 were approved (18 were first-time requests). (via American Libraries Direct Online, 5 May 2010)

Last week Barnes & Noble announced the launch of its 2010 Summer Reading program featuring Scholastic’s bestselling multi-media adventure series The 39 Clues®. This is the 14th summer children in grades 1 to 6 can earn a free book just by reading eight books and turning in a completed journal sheet. The free program kicks off in Barnes & Noble stores across the country 25 May 2010 and continues through Labor Day (6 September). In addition to the in-store events, the BarnesandNoble.comwebsite will have summer reading blogs, games, and other activities. (via PR Business Wire)

Speaking of summer reading, Scholastic has announced that Word Girl is this year’s Summer Reading Ambassador. Scholastic is also partnering with Reading is Fundamental (RIF) for Give to RIF, a summer reading campaign that asks each of us to help put books in the hands of kids who need them the most. Scholastic is also making a donation of 50,000 books to RIF on behalf of those particpating in the Scholastic Summer Challenge. You can read a great interview with Carol Rasco at On Our Minds, a Scholastic blog.

And speaking of RIF … (do you see a pattern emerging?) Borden Milk is proud to join RIF in announcing “Elsie the Cow’s Reading Adventures” Art Contest. Borden and RIF have teamed up to promote the joy of reading for local children throughout Texas and Louisiana and to encourage families to fuel up for learning. Borden understands the importance of providing kids with essential nutrients to help develop sharp minds and is supporting education by donating books and reading materials to schools.

Don’t have a cow, but … Trevor Cairney is inviting us to build an International Top 200 for picture books and novels. From Trevor: “I hope to create separate lists for novels and picture books. I’d also like to have a more international flavour with the best books in the English speaking world, including the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.” It will be fun to see how this progresses … even if you can’t winnow your own list, do head over to Literacy, Families and Learning, Trevor’s post is chock full of links to lists of great books, including Elizabeth Bird’s Top 100 picture books and100 Top Children’s Novels polls, which are the inspiration for his effort.

Literacy Programs & Research

For three days in mid-April, 1700 volunteers visited 600 households to administer an educational assessment for children ages 6 to 16 to administer tests. In talking about the event, Richard Ssewakiryanga goes beyond the process to talk about the impact of the assessor’s presence on parental opinion. “Many of the community members reached are reflecting and thinking about the solutions of improving and contributing to the education of their children.” Assess Children’s Abilities at the Household Level is a fascinating piece, well worth two minutes of your time.

A recent study by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association concludes that by pointing to words as they read, parents and other caregivers can “greatly enhance” their children’s literacy development. The study was conducted in a classroom setting, but the practice of moving your finger along with the words will work just as nicely at bedtime, too. (via PRWeb.com)

In an article for Education Week, Catherine Gewertz summarizes the findings of a just-released federal study of supplemental reading programs. The research centered on three programs that are intended to improve students’ reading comprehension: Read for Real, created by Chapman University and Zaner-Boser; Project CRISS, developed by Creating Independence Through Student-Owned Strategies; and ReadAbout, a computer-based program by Scholastic Inc. Only ReadAbout actually improved students’ comprehension,but only with social studies texts and only when the teacher had a previous year’s experience with the program. Read the full article here.

Kristen McLean, Executive Director of the Association of Booksellers for Children, talks about eBooks, digital readings, and kids in The Kids are Alright!, a recent article for Publishing Perspectives. I would certainly like to believe her thoughts about literacy: “I believe that the drive to use new technologies is going to achieve what more than 150 years of public education could not: nearly 100% literacy.” (via @JeanetteMcLeod and @emmacunningham)

This via Wendie Old @ Wendie’s Wanderings. Over at Cynsations, Mari Mancusi had a great guest post that is the perfect complement to Kristen’s. In ‘Kids don’t read like they used to — and that’s a good thing, Mari is largely wearing her writer’s hat, offering ways to keep readers engaged with what you’re writing. But the idea that kids want more from their reading experience – and they are going online to find it so they can keep reading is spot on for literacy development. “readers don’t just want to hang out in your world, they want to contribute to it. Encourage them to create fan videos and put them up on YouTube. Or draw pictures and post them to DeviantArt.”

At Tidy Books, Ian draws on his personal experiences as the dad of an elementary student to talk about the impact parents can have on a new reader. Reading for Pleasure, Not by Pressure has some wonderful vignettes; the idea of the idea of using bedtime reading as a “treat” has given me some food for thought.

If that doesn’t give you pause, maybe this headline will: Too Much TV for Toddlers Means Trouble Later On. The study takes what we already know about immediate impact (time in front of TV = less reading, less physical activity) and goes one step further to look at longer-term impact. The researchers are clear that this type of study cannot evaluate cause-and-effect, but I can envision a PSA or two coming from it! (via Guardian, UK)

Just as the elections were getting underway in the United Kingdom, Valerie Strauss (The Answer Sheet, Washington Post blog) had an interview with Sarah Ebner, editor of School Gate, a blog on the website of The Times of London about how the elections could affect US school reform. Like politicians here, there is a lot of discussion directed toward ways to raise standardized test scores. The Conservatives are championing a model similar one here in the United States: charter schools, particularly the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) endorsed by President Obama. Read Sarah’s discussion here.

An analysis of Medicaid forms by the American Academy of Pediatrics concludes that 92% of the states’ application forms are written at a fifth-grade level or higher. This could have a significant impact on health coverage for kids. “Researchers found that the risk of a child getting dropped from coverage went up significantly with each grade level increase in the language used in the Medicaid renewal application.” In the US, 40 million adults cannot read material written at a fifth grade level. (via Science Daily)

Closing with the Positive …

Check out the headline in this UK Telegraph article: “Children credited with creating the first increase in library book borrowing for a decade.” In 2009, there was a 5 percent increase in the number of children’s books going home with families, with 95+ MILLION children’s books borrowed! there was also a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of visits to library websites. Very cool.

Volunteer USA has recently begun publishing a Weekly Reading Tip on its Facebook Fan Page so that “our friends with kids can help teach them to love learning in a fun way!” If you have a favorite reading tip, head over and share!

Mom2Amor made this video “A Love for Reading” in August 2007. It was new to me, and maybe it will be to some of you, as well. I’d highly recommend watching the video and then reading Plowmanator’s post with simple ideas for daily learning. There are eight ideas and the toughest one for me is the first … let their independence shine. [It's killing me to leave those dirty clothes all over the floor!]

Welcome to the first edition of the new bimonthly children’s literacy and reading news round-up brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub. As Jen had mentioned in March, she and her husband Mheir were expecting in June. Well, their new baby bookworm arrived last week, and Jen is enjoying the thrills of being a new mom for the near term.

Before Jen began her hiatus we talked about the roundups and tweaked our format. First, we will no longer regularly include a Grants and Donations section. Instead, we are going to focus on events that are unique, inspirational, or have national/global impact. We will rely on the monthly Roundup of New Resources to cover 21st Century Literacies, and our daily news updates to highlight other interesting information.

Because of the new format, our links to Nonfiction Monday and Poetry Friday hosts have lost their context. I have added a box with links to each of these popular events on the Book(re)Marks blog (our roundup archive) so that you will have ready access to the schedules at Picture Book of the Day and A Year of Reading, respectfully. To continue with our interest in closing with something positive, we’ll include some type of media presentation (most likely a video).

Last and certainly not least, Carol Rasco, President and CEO of Reading is Fundamental (RIF), and Susan Stephenson of the Book Chook and Literacy Lava volunteered to help with the Roundups during Jen’s hiatus. We are incredibly grateful and honored to have their energy and enthusiasm … so please stop by Rasco from RIF and Book Chook to welcome them aboard!

Events

Now that we’ve borrowed books from our library this week … What? You haven’t gone yet? What are you waiting for? You will need them next week, because it is National TV Turnoff Week (April 19-25). Each year, millions of families round the globe turn off their television sets and computer screens (except for work) and find an alternate form of entertainment. The Center for Screen Time Awareness, which sponsors the event, has a fact sheet with data about screen time and very young children.

Literacy Programs & Research

The Sixty Second Parent has a nice video about the benefits of reading to preschoolers. What I particularly liked about the video (aside from the fact that it’s short) is that it offers practical, everyday ideas you can use to engage kids with language … from reading cereal boxes to cutting pictures from magazines. (via @60secondparent)

The Center for Research and Reform at Johns Hopkins University recently released the findings of the first randomized-assignment study of bilingual education for English Language Learners. The question: which is better/stronger/more helpful (pick your word) – English immersion or native language-English. Some of the students were followed as many as five years. The study findings (PDF) suggest that both are equally effective. According to Robert E. Slavin, the center’s director, “The conclusion is that one way or another, kids work it out to about the same degree.” You can read more discussion in Mary Ann Zehr’s Education Week article or the study itself (link above).

In an essay at Content Caboodle, author Tina Turbin (Danny the Dragon series) explains a mom’s role as a valuable asset to society. Although she touches on the “usual stuff” (making PB&J sandwiches, chauffering, et al), Tina’s emphasis is on the role moms – and parents, really – play in their kids futures. “Studies are more than ever showing that what parents do now will affect their children’s future … More than that, parental involvement such as staying in tight communication with teachers, participating in school or extracurricular activities, and especially reading to your child are proven ways to ensure that children end up not only literate, but also to make more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. When you look at it, the income-earning potential of your child is determined by how often you help him with his math homework, go to those PTA meetings, and read to him before bed. Now that’s a lot of responsibility.” She takes this one step further by asking us to look at our impact on society as a whole, too. Definitely worth a read.

There is a fascinating study about the use of peer storytelling as a literacy tool at the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Portal. The study, presented as part of a conference on computer support for collaborative learning analyzes the interactions of preschool students with Sam, an “embodied conversational storyteller who tells stories in a developmentally advanced way.” Here is the key finding: “Storytelling in a context of peer collaboration provides a perfect place where children not only learn language skills important for literacy, but also learn to be critical listeners of others’ stories. Preliminary evaluation showed that by interacting with Sam, 5-year-old children’s stories more closely resembled Sam’s linguistically advanced stories with more quoted speech and temporal and spatial expressions. In addition, the children listened to Sam’s stories carefully, assisting her and giving suggestions on how to improve them. With Sam, children not only learned new linguistic behaviors that are important for literacy, but also to become critical listeners of other’s stories.” [note: Apparently this first came out in 2002, but it was new to me.]

That’s a Wrap …

Earlier this week we heard that Everybody Wins! DC’s Power Lunch program was going to be featured on NBC’s Nightly News With Brian Williams in the “Making A Difference” segment. Their segment was bumped for breaking news, and will come again soon. Instead, we’re going to close with talking about an event near and dear to our hearts: Operation TBD (Teen Book Drop).
Since 2008, Readergirlz (a literacy nonprofit) has sponsored this annual event that invites teens and Young Adult authors to leave a book in a public place. Each year, Operation TBD has donated 10,000 books to teen readers in need in pediatric hospitals around the country. This year, Operation TBD launches TODAY! Thursday, 15 April 2010. With Operation TBD 2008 Readergirlz partnered with YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association); for Operation TBD 2009, GuysLitWire became a partner; and this year If I Can Read I Can Do Anything has joined the team. This is a multi-faceted event, and this year, you can buy books from the TBD Wish Lists. Purchases go directly to two tribal school libraries. You’ll find everything you need – from bookplates to blog banners, a list of YA authors already committed to dropping a book, and much more at the readergirlz website. C’mon … there is nothing better you can do today! It’ll make you feel good all weekend long!

Thanks for your interest in literacy and reading. We would love your feedback on the new plan and revised categories … if there is something you particularly rely on us for, then PLEASE let us know and we’ll see what we can do to get it back into the mix.

Image Credit: No Television is a modified image from the Open ClipArt Library.

Happy Tuesday. Here in Central Virginia, March is going out just as noisy as when it arrived – windy and chilly. Good day to read a book (like I need an excuse!) Maybe it’s because we’re heading to spring break and I’m trying to get it “all” done this week, but I’ve collected some news of interest ….

The March Carnival of Children’s Literature is now available at The Miss Rumphius Effect.  Tricia has made it a true carnival (she’s even got a line from my favorite Oliver Twist song!)

Like the Mini Mizer Me? Thanks to Susan Stephenson for the writing with Avatars post and the link to Mini Mizer, where you can make a Lego(r) avatar of yourself. Bill spotted me working on this last night, and was “aghast” that I called it work.  But dear, this is literacy research … He said I need to change the hair.

Here’s something else to like: Anastasia Suen’s new blog Read to Me. Every Tuesday and Thursday she’ll post about baby, toddler, and preschool books. Think board books!

My thanks to Matt Ferraguto for his email about the ABC News story about Earl Phalen, the new CEO of Reach Out and Read. Phalen’s is a beautiful story on many levels, as a personal journey from abandonment to adoption and his “aha” moment in law school when he decided his life goal would be to help children. “I want to transform how children are educated … If you show a child that you care, you can absolutely change who they think they are and who they’ll become.”

Elizabeth Bird is now in the Top 10 of her Top 100 Children’s Novels … #10 was announced today: The Phantom Tollbooth. I loved this book … and it would seem to be a perfect candidate for reading by flashlight.  In her newest Tips for Growing Bookworms at Booklights this morning, Jen Robinson gave me a great idea for my Spring Break Survival Kit: some books, a flashlight, and a couple blankets. Oh, and throw away the clock! Why? Because kids love it when you let them stay up late, and the sensation of lights-out makes it fun. Get them hooked with “campfire reading” now, and who knows, they  may stay up late reading on their own.  What do you think of the idea … Jen would love your feedback on her post. [image credit: Flickr photo in the public gallery of 107666763081455739161]

If you are looking for a poll with more recent titles, the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) has put out a call for your favorite Young Adult books of the decade (1999 to 2009).  Learn more at Mitali’s Fire Escape, where you can also see her nominees for 1990 to 2000. The deadline is April 15, 2010 … tax day. Oh, the irony (for non US folks … it is tax day!)

Children’s Book Week celebrates children’s books and the love of reading. This year’s corresponding events will take place May 10-16, 2010. Voting opened March 15th for the books of the year. Have your kids pick their favorites from the finalists and vote! The categories include: Kindergarten to Second Grade, Third Grade to Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade and Teens. Voting ends on May 3rd. http://www.bookweekonline.com/voting (via Brimful Curiosities)

Abby of Abby(the)Librarian is hosting the  AudioSynced roundup for audiobooks. From her post: “Feel free to leave a comment to this post or send me an email at abbylibrarian @ gmail.com. Also, feel free to leave your post in the comments of Thursday’s roundup. Get the link to me by any means and I’ll include it!”

Speaking of Roundups, March got away form us, and we missed the window for our I Can Read carnival. We’ll pick back up in April, when Jennifer hosts at the Jean Little Library.

Welcome to this week’s children’s literacy and reading news round-up, brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub blog, is now available here. This week Jen Robinson and I have collected plenty of content for you about literacy & reading-related events; literacy and reading programs and research; and 21st century literacies.

As many regular readers know, Jen and I have been publishing literacy-related roundups for several years; first independently, then as a team. We are thrilled that interest in growing bookworms has grown so much and that there are so many voices talking about literacy. With so many avenues for information, studies reaffirming the core elements of learning to read, as well as changes in our own lives, we thought we would take a step back and transition the Roundup to a biweekly feature on Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub.

Events

“Everybody bunny needs a friend who is all ears.” Mrs. P! Just in time for Easter, Mrs. P. has a wonderful activity for you … bunny bookmarks! (PDF) What I love about them is that you don’t need to be Martha Stewart craft certified. Mrs. P. relies on the things most of us have at home: white paper, scissors, and a ruler; colored pens, pencils, markers, or paint ; and (if you’re a parent) pipe cleaners and googly eyes. To find some great book choices to pair with your new bookmark, check out Jennifer’s spring book suggestions at 5 Minutes for Books; Pam’s Thursday Three at Booklights; and Becky’s alternatives to candy at Young Readers.

By week’s end it will be April, and you know what that means … National Poetry Month. Jen had a full list of events in last week’s roundup, but we couldn’t resist posting Greg’s new 2010 button for 30 Poets/30 Days. Go grab a button for your blog. Kudos to Greg for being the lead item in this week’s Big Fresh, the Choice Literacy newsletter.

Literacy Programs & Research

Last week the National Reading Panel announced its thoughts about The Nation’s Report Card, a biennial assessment of test scores, as evaluated by the National Association of Educational Progress. In a nutshell, not much has changed for either 4th or 8th graders in the last year. Steven Paine, a governing board member explained: “What NAEP shows us over the past two decades is that in reading there have been only slight gains and no sustained trend of improvement.” Paine’s contrast with math (which has shown significant improvement in the last two test cycles) is particularly interesting.

Learning math is largely confined to math classrooms, and the subject is taught with cohesive, sequential curricula reflecting standards adopted by national math groups and echoed in textbooks. Reading comprehension, by contrast, is acquired across all courses, with “no similar cohesion or emphasis” on a clear reading curriculum, he said. Also, students’ reading-comprehension skills can be deeply influenced by what they do outside school.[emphasis authors]

And, in another troubling study released this week, Brian Toporek reports at Education Week that “A recent study led a Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor reveals troubling statistics for students who copy a large percentage of their homework from their peers, according to the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog.” For example: “students who copied more than 30 percent of their assignments were four times more likely to drop out of classes in the course of a two-semester sequence than their peers who completed homework legitimately.” A major cause of the copying is procrastination. [image credit: Mr. Stein's Cheating Cheaters stream on Flickr.]

Eric Robelen summarizes the findings of a recent gender analysis study in Boys Trail Girls in Reading for Education Week. Unlike the inflammatory article Cathy Miller references in her blog post, Robelen pulls specific data from the Center on Education Policy study. In some areas, gaps narrowed, but “based on changes in the average of test scores, the gaps between boys and girls in reading widened across all three grade levels [elementary, middle, and high school] as often as they narrowed.”

Before you get too down, though, head over Dakarai Aarons’ Education Week article about the rise in reading scores for big cities. Aarons links to Beating the Odds, an NAEP study, and explains “urban students showed progress on both sets of data [math and reading], in some cases outstripping the performance of other students in their own states and nationwide.”

Cassandra Barnette, president of the American Association of School Librarians and a school librarian at the Fayetteville High School (Arkansas) adds a helpful hint on how to turn around reading scores: “Students who performed at or above proficient were more likely to read for fun … and who is the most logical person to help them read for fun? Librarians.” You can read Lauren Barack’s full article in this week’s SLJ’s Extra Helping, a free online resource of the School Library Journal.

Jim Randolph is still an hour behind (gotta read TeacherNinja to get the reference), but he sent us to a Wall Street Journal article about the Joy of Wasting Time. The story’s main focus is on the (myth of ) multitasking, but as we think about kids and learning, there are some very valuable nuggets, like this one: “[multi-taskers are] suckers for irrelevancy—everything distracts them … they seem to like to be flooded with information … It’s almost like they prefer to scan the environment for new information rather than ponder what they have.”

At the 2010 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Scholastic CEO Dick Robinson “delivered a call-to-action to worldwide children’s book publishers, inviting them to join Scholastic in a campaign for global literacy for all children. ” More details are in this press release.

Guest contributor Dana B offers a personal story and a nice way to help you engage teens with books and still be a parent. In her 5 Minutes for Books post, Dana shares how she guided her pre-teens through books that were too violent or had mature content beyond their age. “Here is the key to my ability to say I don’t forbid, I discuss: I work to know my teenagers. I know their beliefs and opinions, and I trust that they have developed a filter of discernment that will only strengthen as they grow.”

21st Century Literacies

Kristen McLean has a great article at Pixie Stix Kids Pix about using books to help prepare kids for the digital future. For example: “adults need to get better at understanding and encouraging active engagement with media. In general we tend to lack understanding of exactly how sophisticated a learning tool a great children’s book can be. Asking questions about the story, looking for details in the illustrations, anticipating what might happen next–-these kinds of activities create great analytical skills and an empowered reader.”

At the ALSC blog Teresa Walls has so perfectly put together a description of the Web Site of the Month is I Was Wondering… A curious look at Women’s Adventures in Science, that I’m not even going to try to parse it. “The site, along with the books, is a project of the National Academy of Sciences. There are 10 biographies of contemporary scientists: a robot designer, a forensic anthropologist, a planetary astronomer, a physicist, a climate scientist, a planetary geologist, a sociologist, a neuropsychologist, a biomechanist, and a wildlife biologist. Not only does it offer games, a time line, and a teacher’s guide, but there is also an Ask It! section, an online community where you can ask questions, answer questions, and vote for questions to be answered by an expert.”

Wrapping Up …

Tricia Stohr-Hunt his hosting the final March 2010 Nonfiction Monday round-up at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Kate Coombs will have the first Poetry Friday of April at The Book Aunt.

As I mentioned above,beginning in April, Jen and I are moving the Children’s Literacy and Reading News Roundup to a bi-weekly format. We want to keep the content fresh and valuable, and believe that a few tweaks will help us do that. Jen will continue to have her Literacy ‘Lights at Booklights, highlighting parent-related content, as well as her Afternoon Visits. Likewise, if I see something fun, I will post a Daily Blurb. Both Jen and I will continue to post items to the News Between the Roundup widget and are still exploring the best way to get daily feeds of that information to the Book(re)Marks blog, our archive for children’s literacy and reading news, in ways that make sense for visitors.

Thanks for your interest in children’s literacy!

Welcome (back) to the weekly roundup of news, analysis, and ideas for raising readers. It’s nice to be back to our regularly scheduled programming … and Jen does not dissapoint! We may not have been publishing, but we were bookmarking, and Jen also had some chock-full Afternoon Visits. Yesterday’s Sunday Afternoon Visit is an excellent companion piece (or prequel – your choice) to today’s roundup at Jen Robinson’s Book Page.

updated to fix Jone’s name. Y gad! what a faux pas.

It’s almost April and you know that that means … National Poetry Month. Jen has the complete rundown this week so you can mark your calendars (and your to-do lists) now. If you think Share a Story was fun, wait ’til You see all the “30 in” activities … 30 Poets, 30 Days (Gotta Book), 30 Poetry Makers (Tricia Stohr-Hunt), poetry postcards (Jone MacCulloch), Poem in Your Pocket, and so much more .

For those in the Washington, DC metro area, you may be interested to know that the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, DC is hosting “Around the World with Sy Montgomery,” winner of the 2010 Nonfiction Award. The family-friendly event is 17 April 2010, at 2:00 P.M. To learn more, visit the Children’s Book Guild website.

Jen has some fascinating items about young readers and the classroom environment, but I admit that I found Eric Carle’s story about Bill Martin, Jr. incredibly heart-warming and hopeful. This dynamic, prolific author/illustrator team includes a writer who didn’t know how to read until he was 20 and an illustrator who says he had a learning disability. Wow! You just never know how reading will change your life … or when. Stop by Fuse #8 to see the video in Betsy’s Video Sunday post. It is worth every second of those 3 minutes.

Yesterday the Washington Post published the Spring Children’s Issue of Book World. I found it ironic that it is one of the thinnest editions, despite Stephen Lowman’s report that sales of juvenile books grew 6% in 2008 and held steady last year. What I LOVED about this issue, though, were …

• TWO pages dedicated to nonfiction books. Abby McGanneyNolan reviewed five nonfiction books for kids in “Between Earth and Sky, Present and Past” and Karen MacPherson has suggestions in “My Kid is Just Crazy about …“
• Karen also collaborated with Dave Burbank in an article that explains that “Comic Books are Good For You … Especially if You’re Just Learning to Read.”

Arturo Vargas describes the outcome of a parent-led discussion about promoting reading at home. In Parents Can Set the Evening Agenda (Statesman Journal), Vargas explains how one parent’s story about being “too tired” to make them turn off the television turned into a list of alternative ways to make that happen and get in more family reading time.  I liked the idea of engaging the kids in more of the up-front decision making.

Last but not least, as Jen mentioned yesterday in her Sunday Afternoon Visit, I am building a list of books that are reader-centric. The list is growing by leaps and bounds, thanks to the suggestions from readers … and a visit to my daughter’s school library this morning. As you might expect, I’m heavy on the picture books, so I was thrilled(!) when I found Bookworm Buddies (Pee Wee Scouts series) by Judy Delton and The Ink Drinker by Eric Sanvoisin in the school library this morning.

Anamaria is hosting today’s Nonfiction Monday round-up is at Books Together. Thanks for your interest in reading, literacy, and creating the next generation of bookworms!

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Bookcover images and titles take you to Amazon.com so you can learn more about the books. They also have Reading Tub affiliate codes embedded in them. Purchases made through these links can bring income to the Reading Tub. You are not obligated to purchase via these links.

Oh my goodness … I got so wrapped up in reading the posts at Jen Robinson’s Book Page today that I completely forgot that I hadn’t written a post here at the Tub.  Have you been by Jen’s yet today? If you’ve got a reader (or not); if you’re a reader (or not); or if your just looking for some ideas, the answer is waiting for you at Reading for the Future.

It has been an incredible week of sharing … personal stories and reading journeys’, triumphs and stumbling blocks; and literacy ideas for home, school, just about anywhere. I cannot put into words how thrilled I am to *see* so many new faces and to have found some new literacy passionistas. Thank you one and all!  So before I devolve into total gushiness, here is today’s lineup. Jen has things broken down very nicely, and I am (unabashedly) pasting them in here.

Addressing some fundamental questions

• Dawn Morris shares “Am I a failure if I don’t read with my kids?” at Moms Inspire Learning. Dawn says: “Parents are juggling so much these days, and they may not have the time, the patience, or the desire to read with their children. How can they prevent themselves from dropping the ball of literacy? Let me count the ways…”
• Mary Ann Scheuer shares “How do I help my child learn to love reading if I am not a great reader myself?” at Great Kid Books. Mary Ann says: “If you want your child to enjoy reading, start by making reading time and story telling pleasurable. Think back to your own childhood. What memories bring warmth and a feeling of connectedness?”
• Amy Watson will be sharing ”Help! My Reading Interests are Different from my Child’s” at Literacy Launchpad.

Managing expectations and reading levels

• Melissa shares “Kicking it Up a Notch: When Children are Stuck in a Reading Rut” at Book Nut. Based on her experience with her daughters, Melissa shares some ideas for getting kids who can read, but choose to spend their time doing other things, interested in books.
• Mary Lee Hahn shares “Trusting Your Child to Make It through His/ Her Current Reading Phase” at A Year of Reading. Mary Lee says: “As a parent, you will only live through your child’s fourth grade year one time. As a teacher, I’ve lived through fourth grade more than 20 times. Trust me when I tell you that in almost every case, your child will make it through “That Reading Phase.”"
• Kate Messner shares “The Trouble with Great Expectations: Should kids be pushed to read more difficult books?” at Kate’s Book Blog. Kate says: “If we respect kids as readers, they come to trust that they can count on us to offer them the right books at the right time. In my experience, that’s the best way to nurture kids to become passionate, lifelong readers.”
• Dawn Little shares “Resisting the Urge to Create a Reading Superstar” at Literacy Toolbox. Dawn says: “These days, moms should really have the title of “Supermom”.  Not only do we have to juggle work, kids, husband, and maybe a little time for ourselves, but we also feel the pressure to make sure our kids are ready to read, if not already reading, before they begin kindergarten…  As pressures mount on parents these days, resist the urge to create a reading superstar in just two simple steps!”

Keeping things fun and fresh

• Esme Raji Codell shares “After the Love Has Gone: Read-Aloud for the Young and the Restless” at Planet Esme. Esme says: “I am … riffing about that unthinkable time when your child doesn’t want you to read aloud any more. Maybe they are busy “tweenagers.” Maybe they think read-aloud is for babies. Maybe they want to do it themselves. Maybe there is a divergence of interests. Sniff-sniff! What to do? Here are some strategies to bring even the biggest or busiest kid back to the book.”
• Pam Coughlan shares “Reading is Boring (Sometimes)” at Mother Reader. Pam says: “So, reading to your kids. It can be a wonderful experience, a chance to slow down in the busy day and share something together. I dare say that often you will find it a nice thing to do. My point isn’t to tell you that reading to your kids is boring, but instead to give you permission to sometimes feel like reading to your kids is boring. Because when we as mothers set ourselves up to a certain expectation to how something Should Be, we can fail to work with How It Is. “
• Sarah shares “Let the Sillies Out: Reading to Babies and Young Children” at In Need of Chocolate. Sarah says: “when it comes time to read to your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or young friend, most adults feel ridiculous roaring like a giant or mooing like a cow.  How do we get over our embarrassment at making barnyard noises or pantomiming an elephant sneezing? I have some suggestions that may help you make small changes in how you read and lead you to eventually roar and yelp and baa and crawl around like the silliest of adults.”
• Joyce Grant shares “Getting Your Video-Kid Reading” at Getting Kids Reading. Joyce says: “Your child loves video games but isn’t a big reader? No problem. Here are some tips that will get your video-loving kid reading.” She follows with seven wide-ranging tips.
• Caroline Lennox shares “Princess Books? Give Me a Break!” at Learning Parade. Caroline says: “Encouraging my daughter to develop a love of reading has luckily not been too difficult for us; developing her reading interests beyond “Princess Books” has been the hurdle. You know the books we’re talking about here – the pink, the frilly, the ‘life is sweet’ type that sometimes offer a free tiara and the like.”

Thank you all for joining us this week. There is lots of new stuff still happening at the Share a Story-Shape a Future blog.  There is one more day of Writing about Reading, with three questions related to building a reading bond with kids. We have also opened the polls for the RIF Multicultural Books giveaway, the PicPocket Books giveaway is still open, and, in honor of “the future” (as in young readers) we have announced our Bedtime Stories giveaway.

Happy Monday! It’s March and spring is getting closer … yeah! This week’s children’s literacy and reading news round-up, brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub blog, is now available at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, the Reading Tub blog. This week Jen Robinson and I have collected plenty of content for you about literacy & reading-related events; literacy and reading programs and research; 21st century literacies; and grants, sponsorships & donations.

Next Monday, Share a Story-Shape a Future 2010 (aka Share a Story 2010, #sas2010 on Twitter) takes center stage. Jen and I are both heavily involved in the event, so we are taking a 2-week hiatus from the round-up.

Events

Well, we’re getting closer! The National “Read to Kids” campaign finished second in the education category in Change.org’s Ideas for Change in America competition. The Final Round opens today (March 1)  and ends Friday, March 11th at 5pm ET. The top 10 rated ideas (out of 60 finalists) will be presented to members of the Obama Administration and media at an event in DC. If you choose, you can help keep the focus on literacy by voting on this Everybody Wins!  Initiative. The voting link is the same as the first round http://www.change.org/ideas/view/launch_a_national_read_to_kids_campaign.

Each year, we celebrate  Theodor Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss’) birthday with Read Across America day. The National Education Association launched this event on March 2, 1998, now it a national event. From the NEA website: “Read Across America partners  Reading Rockets,Seussville, Read,Write, Think.org, and a to z teachers offer a terrific collection of resources. Think Read Across America is only for elementary students? Think again, adlit.org offers ideas and plans for high school and middle school.”

As part of the National Read Across America celebration, many schools are planning book and storytelling events as part of “Love to Read week.” As Heidi Eischeid (Fon Du Lac,MI) points out, “to be successful readers and students, children must be frequently exposed to a variety of literature both at home and at school because those experiences help them become well-rounded students.”

The folks at MrsP.com are celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a reading idea of their own. Mrs.P.com has worked with iTunes and is offering FREE downloads of the Grand Prize winners of  their first annual, kids’ writing contest! From an email: “We created a fun You-Tube video to acknowledge the “Be a Famous Writer” winners. The titles are bundled together and can be found at the iTunes Kids TV Store under “Mrs. P Presents”. Select “Pretty Princess and Funky Frog/Spattered Mud and Crushed Petals.” They will be available March 2, 2010 on iTunes and March 15th at MrsP.com (where everything is always free). When they are posted at the MrsP.com website, they will be by her chair under a “blue ribbon.”

The Wessel & Lieberman Booksellers blog recently posted about a fun book-related event. “In honor of 30th anniversary of their BILLY bookcase Ikea constructed an outdoor library, consisting of 30 bookcases, on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The BILLY is the best selling bookcase in history with over 40 million sold and 3 million a year still being produced. The one day event allowed beach goers to swap books or to buy them with the proceeds going to The Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation“. Click through to see photos. Thanks to Jenny Schwartzberg for the link.

March is here and April isn’t too far behind. So now would be a good time to check out the materials available for National Bookmobile Day, April 14, 2010. You’ll find everything from a fact sheet to bookmark and sticker ideas on the American Library Association (ALA) website. You can become a National Bookmobile Day fan on Facebook.

Literacy Programs & Research

Nancie Atwell’s article The Case for Literature (Education Week online, 8 February 2010), is a must-read for those interested in how the national “core curriculum” is coming along. It is filled with some fascinating data, and this conclusion “The irony—and tragedy—is that book reading, which profits a reader, an author, and a democratic society, is also the single activity that consistently relates to proficiency in reading, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.” Definitely worth clicking through to read. If you are an Education Week subscriber, you can also view an article that distills 30 years of studies on early literacy.

Continuing last week’s theme of the struggles of libraries to find books, The Denver Post has a perspective piece by Carol Eron Rizzoli about how schools are finding new ways to bring books to students. The article highlights a brand-new teacher disappointed to learn that her Detroit elementary school had no library, and what she did about the situation. Link via @RascoFromRIF. See also a lament about library cutbacks from The Book Chook.

School library cutbacks are clearly a global issue … In this week’s SLJ Extra Helping, the headline reads “British Government Says School Libraries Not Mandatory.”  The issue is not the value of the services media centers provide, but the need to ensure they are staffed with qualified staff. The government, for its part, does not support dictating that local money must be spent on specific library-related things (staff, books, etc.). Alan Gibbons has created Campaign for the Book, with a petition to PM Gordon Brown signed by more than 5,700 people. Gibbons says that while he agrees that “there has to be the freedom to make local decisions,” the government can set out specific principles and guidance and insist on minimum standards. “If this is not done with sufficient rigor, government is in danger of abdicating its responsibilities.”

Anna Batchelder, a Curriki international consultant, is doing comparative research about teacher use of attitudes toward technology in the classroom. One of the themes that continually arises in her research is the parent-teacher partnership. She talks more about the questions raised in her post at Curriki, and also links to “Parents as Partners” a class sponsored by Open University.

Along a similar line, author Gary Brannigan has openly published Chapter 5 (Evaluation) on his blog, Learning and Reading Disabilities. The chapter comes from Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds, a book he co-authored with Howard Margolis. The text does a great job of outlining the kinds of questions parents might consider asking, which is helpful not only to parents, but also to help teachers prepare an effective conference. (via @GaryBrannigan)

In a report for BBC News, Sarah Travers looks at the question “withe one child in every five leaves primary school here with poor standards of literacy and numeracy, could modern family lifestyles be partly to blame?” She also talks about Booktrust, a nonprofit that gives out free books and encourages families to read together. As soon as the video goes up, we’ll link it.

21st Century Literacies

At the Huffington Post, Ed Hamilton has an article you’ll love for its title: Revenge of the Literate: How Books Will Outlast TV. Hamilton goes beyond the “internet more popular than TV” argument to talk about how kids read differently than we did. “Though I was a reader as a teen, it was always a solitary pursuit. The idea of getting a group of my friends together to hang out in the bookstore would have struck me as wildly improbable, to say the least.” (via @FionaRobyn)

This year’s Teen Tech Week (March 7 to 13), a national event sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), focuses not on teaching teens how to use computers, laptops, and cell phones, but how to use them SAFELY. Students between the ages of 11 and 14 increase their media exposure to 11 hours and 53 minutes a day, versus 7 hours and 51 minutes for 8- to 10-year olds, according to YALSA. Lots of teens (64%) are creating online content, and 47 percent are posting images in shared spaces. “Understanding what that can mean later in their lives is key, especially as colleges occasionally do Google searches on their applicants, and employers can check out a party on Facebook.” Public and school libraries will hold workshops, online discussions, and other activities to bring more attention to teens and their digital knowledge. (via Laura Barack for SLJ’s Extra Helping)

Grants and Donations

The winner of the first Better World Books Readers’ Choice Literacy Grant is an innovative  program that uses therapy dogs to help improve kids reading, the Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) R.E.A.D. program. “The reading-challenged kids in the program often suffer from low self-esteem and view reading as a chore. But dogs don’t judge, so reading to them removes inhibitions and helps a child focus. It makes reading fun and creates a positive, memorable experience that stays with kids for a long time.” (via @BetterWorldBooks and @circlereader)

As we mentioned early last month, Target sponsored a Facebook campaign to help five charities would receive a portion of a $1 million donation to fund educational program. After more than 26,000 votes, the United Through Reading(r) Military Program garnered 22% of the vote and will receive $220,000. United Through Reading will use the money to help deployed parents stay connected with their families by creating DVDs of themselves reading a book.  The United Way, which works with literacy nonprofit First Book in 75 communities, “won” a grant of $90,000.  The United Way will use the money to help children enter school ready to learn, read proficiently by 4th grade, and graduate on time. There is a nice summary of the event and the winners on the First Book blog.

Our thanks to Jenny S for pointing us to the Capstone Publishers Press Release about a donation of  more than 3,400 bilingual books to Doctors for Orphans, a nonprofit that delivers aid to orphaned children in Latin America. The organization offers health, education, and literacy services.

Hope does, indeed, spring eternal for the New Hope Library in Northumberland, Ontario, Canada. An anonymous donor came forward to donate $500 and has challenged nine other library supporters (individuals, companies, neighborhoods, families) to match that donation. They’re calling it the Library Lovers Challenge, and it has energized the community. One library lover has donated $1,000! Read more in the Northumberland News (online).

This is our kind of event. In Boston (Jen’s old stomping ground), The Commonwealth Hotel hosted an event for ReadBoston, a nonprofit that promotes reading in the Boston area. About 65 kids ages 3 to 9 wore their pajamas for an evening of singing and reading with ReadBoston storytellers. The hotel matched the $10 suggested donation from each family. All proceeds were donated to ReadBoston’s Storymobile Program. The mission of ReadBoston is to ensure that every child in Boston can read at grade level by the end of the third grade. Programs reach children, from birth through age 8, in school, after school, during summer vacation and before they’re old enough to attend school. Boston is one of the first cities in the U.S. to launch a citywide endeavor to help children learn to read. (via Wickedlocal.com)

Wrapping Up …

The February Carnival of Children’s Literature is now available at Whispers of Dawn, author Sally Apokedak’s blog. My word, she has raised the bar quite high!

Today’s Nonfiction Monday round-up is at Simply Science. Shirley Smith Duke has the event already started with a review of Life-Size Zoo, a finalist for  the 2009-2010 Cybils (Nonfiction picture book category). Last week, Jone  Rush MacCullough hosted the Poetry Friday Roundup at Check it Out! This week, Danika is hosting at Teaching Books.   Thanks for your interest in children’s literacy!

In 1997, Cathy Puett Miller began her journey as The Literacy Ambassador®. As she explains in our interview, her mission hasn’t changed. She is still building bridges by connecting children and adults, parents and educators, in ways that will help everyone see literacy as a tool for life.

Cathy has written extensively about reading and literacy, both as an author and freelance writer. She draws on her library science degree from Florida State University as the foundation of her work. She has more than 13 years experience as an independent literacy consultant working with teachers, parents, librarians, and non-profit family-friendly organizations, she has conducted research initiatives and best practice studies in the areas of beginning reading instruction, emergent literacy and volunteer tutoring. In 2003, Cathy received the National Silver Award for Investigative Reporting from Parenting Publications of America. She is also listed in the What Works Clearinghouse Registry of Outcome Evaluators, US Dept of Education, and the Parent Involvement Matters List of Consultants. To see some of Cathy’s print and online articles, please visit the Reading Tub website.

In the interest of transparency, I want to let you know that Cathy is one of the Board Members for the Reading Tub.

RT: First, congratulations on your three new books: Powerful Picture Books, 180 Ideas for Promoting Content Literacy (eBook, Inspiring Teachers, 2009), Anytime Reading Readiness, and Before they Read(Maupin House, 2010). What did you see in your work as the Literacy Ambassador® that prompted you to write these books?

Cathy: Thank you, Terry, for the congratulations. I am so pleased to be able to share what I have learned with others through these additional avenues. And you are correct, I did see a great need in my interaction with research, families, and teachers which prompted me to write these books.

As I travel across the country and talk with teachers as well as parents, I realized that the gap between the worlds of the classroom and home, in many cases, was growing wider. Opportunities to collaborate when it comes to reading were being lost. There are many reasons for that. Perhaps the most common thing I hear is that families are intimidated by all the science involved in teaching reading today and they aren’t sure they have a place. Teachers, on the other hand, sometimes expect parents to understand what the educators have studied four, five, six or even seven years to learn. Teachers too can be so busy with their responsibilities that they don’t often take the time to acknowledge the literacy already in the home.

My goal with the two books published by Maupin House - Anytime Reading Readiness and Before They Read – is to start a revolution! I want to give both of these groups common ground on which to collaborate and communicate; to break down barriers of misunderstanding; and to share lots of fun, use-everyday ideas for promoting those early skills that make it easier for children to learn to read when the time is right.

With Powerful Picture Books, it was a bit different. I was listening to school librarians and teachers, two groups that often work together to find resources to support learning. Picture books are a great way to introduce basic information about a time in history, a real person, a scientific idea, etc. to students who don’t know much about a subject. Powerful Picture Books is an annotated list (one picture book for every day of the school year) that identifies ready tools to build essential background knowledge so important to higher levels of learning.

RT: Picking up on th at point, we have talked previously about the importance of parents reading with their children, even kids who can read for themselves. In your Powerful Picture Books eBook, you really hone that message. How do we get parents to see that picture books aren’t just for “little kids”?
Cathy: Just pick up a book like When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest. It is written about a complex subject (immigration) and has a reading level of about sixth grade. Another example is The Yellow House: Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin Side by Side, written by Susan Goldman Rubin, this time from the world of art.

Picture books 50 years ago were mostly very simple: limited text with stories that appealed to small children. The breadth of subject matter addressed and the complexity of the language used in today’s picture books, in contrast, covers a much broader span. Patricia Polacco’s new picture book January’s Sparrow very realistically deals with the issues surrounding the U.S. Civil War. I certainly would not recommend it for young readers.

Once older students (and teachers and parents involved with them) look at these types books, they find that they are actually very appropriate for middle and even high school as a tool for understanding simple concepts that can be built upon in more complex textbooks or multi-media. Reading these books first can help make the higher level materials more understandable.

RT: Several months ago, Pam Coughlan wrote a post at Booklights (the PBS Parents blog) encouraging parents not to play The Reading Game, a form of one-upsmanship that uses a child’s reading ability as a measure of worth. Would you have some suggestions on ways parents can respond (politely) to others who have challenged them to reveal their child’s reading ability?
Cathy: First of all, no one has the same reading level on each piece of text so it is an oversimplification for someone to use that as a primary measure of ability. We understand – and accept – that children walk and begin talking at different times, within a developmentally appropriate spectrum. Why don’t we do that with reading?

Some parents, too, may overemphasize the reading level of their child because they hear teachers referring to reading levels as a tool for evaluating the reading abilities of a child. The best schools, however, look at multiple measurements including fluency, ease of decoding, number of sight words recognized, comprehension, and others. The most important question to ask is “does my child understand what he reads? How efficiently does he do that? When he reaches a problem, does he know how to solve it to gain understanding?”

It is also important to remember that we are forever developing as readers. Although I have reached a level of competency, I’m certainly not the most accomplished reader I will ever be, even in my mid-50s. After the basic mechanics are understood, it takes continued practice to become proficient and continued exposure to maintain those skills.

RT: I realize this may be an impossible task, but if you were creating a box of 10 books – one for each year – to give to a new parent what would they be?
Cathy: Wow. There is actually no way I could do that nor would I want to. Part of the beauty of reading with your child is finding the right fits for the two (or more) of you. That said, for the years 0-3, think bright pictures, familiar story themes and topics, few words on each page to match the attention span of the individual child. also remember children are very tactile at that age so include a few books that are “mouth proof” like board books or plastic or bath toys. Workman has some new books called “Indestructibles” that are great for this age.

My books Anytime Reading Readiness and Before They Read contain extensive book lists for the ages 3-6 and part of the fun is exploring. Your own Reading Tub website is a great resource to search for “just right for you” books. As children enter school, the titles listed in Powerful Picture Books give you a good list of books to share and for children to read on their own as their skills grow. It lists a book for each day of the typical school year.

Once children move into chapter books, let the child take the lead. What is interesting to the individual becomes such an issue in terms of whether he or she will continue to be a reader, especially as the challenges and rigor of academic reading increases. Librarians and media specialists as well as the best teachers are also great resources for recommendations of books as is the American Library Association.

RT: The blurb about Before They Read at the Maupin House website suggests that the book is for educators and Anytime Reading Readiness is for parents. Is there much overlap in the messages? Would educators find Anytime Reading Readiness valuable; ditto parents and Before they Read?
Cathy: They were actually written at the same time to cover the same three big ideas: using conversations and oral language to build a foundation for reading; exploring books through reading aloud together; and playing with the sounds and patterns of the language in preparation for the commonly-used phonics instruction for beginning readers. Each idea gets plenty of attention in each book but Before They Read contains more references to research, more connections to what happens in the classroom, and, quite frankly, more “educationese/technical jargon.”

Anytime Reading Readiness is very parent friendly (reading in real life stuff) and is full of quick, easy, fun ideas that fit well into busy families’ lifestyles and schedules. What I recommend is that teachers and parents read their own book at the same time for maximum impact and reinforcement. The Anytime Reading Readiness is also a great guide for parent involvement specialists or Head Start Family Program Coordinators since many of the ideas can easily be taught even to families who do not speak English or read any language. This video about the game Rhymin’ Simon may help people see the crossover between the two “worlds.”

RT: I noticed in your bio that you are part of the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse Registry of Outcome Evaluators. What is an “outcome evaluator”? What do you look for in your assessments?
Cathy: The title “outcome evaluator” says it all. An Outcome Evaluator is an independent researcher who conducts evaluations of the effectiveness of educational interventions (projects, programs, curricula, initiatives). Such professionals can help schools, school districts, and educational program developers conduct research studies of the highest quality. Using rigorous research techniques, we look for evidence that a particular intervention is effective with a broad group of diverse learners. For example, I was part of a team that looked at using the We Both Read book series and/or other home reading materials to help new readers with fluency. [Study results here.] The more often the same results are found with different populations in different studies, the more strongly we can speak to the effectiveness of a certain approach. For instance, over time, repeated reading (reading a piece of text several times) has been shown to be effective in helping improve a reader’s fluency.

Another example from my own research is the effectiveness of certain types of at-home reading materials that use the research-based idea of paired or shared reading in improving reading skills of first graders. Th What I like most about being an outcome evaluator is what the information we discover means to the lives of children and families, educators, and schoold, learning more about reading.

RT: When you started your consulting work in 1997, where did you see it going back then? Has it achieved those goals?
Cathy: Terry, it has far exceeded them. I simply knew at that time that becoming a facilitator would help me reach more people with the message of the importance of reading and writing, listening and communicating, rather than the alternative of staying in a single school or community. The work has grown from a part-time sole proprietorship to a full-time national corporation. TLA has enabled me to travel nationwide, spreading the news that reading and writing are powerful, fun, and practical and that families have a critical role in their child’s “literacy loop.” I’ve been able to work with many organizations and schools as well as family-friendly nonprofits like United Way and the National Children’s Advocacy Center who are interested in literacy.

RT: When you think about where you will be as a consultant and literacy advocate five years from now, do you see yourself working more directly with parents and less with educators, vice versa, or neither?
Cathy: I love being in the middle. Although the market conditions and needs I see out there certainly will continue to drive the growth of TLA, I cannot see me leaving either community behind. Teachers need to understand what’s up with families; families need a parent-friendly translation and an advocate.

There are few educational consultants who are experts in both literacy and family engagement and I believe so strongly in the voice and impact of families on children’s literacy that TLA intends to remain connected to those areas. I also am one of the few who focuses on both preschool (emergent) and K-8 so I understand both sides of that very important transition from getting ready to read (which starts the first day of a child’s life) to reading in a conventional sense.

One of our missions with the two Maupin titles is to move from a monologue to more dialogue among teachers at different levels so that the growth of readers is consistent and each understands not only what their task is with readers at the age they teach but what comes before and after in instruction.

RT: How is 2010 shaping up for you? Do you have presentations and conferences on the horizon?
Cathy: Yes, TLA often books my presentations and conferences six to eight months out, and I love squeezing in more regional opportunities as time permits. Last year we were a part of the National Parents as Teachers Annual Convention, the SE Regional and International Reading Association conferences along with the IRA affiliate conferences for several states, and the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. We are looking forward to a variety of similar opportunities in the coming weeks and months.

We would love to hear from anyone involved in planning for literacy, educational, parenting or reading conferences or special events. TLA’s website www.readingisforeveryone.org lists a variety of topics available for various groups. I love to visit for several days and do several events in a city with different organizations when I come and that can make it more affordable as well.

RT: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Cathy: First a challenge; as teachers, as parents, as community people, let’s take the walls and barriers out of the way and celebrate anywhere that learning and literacy happens. Let’s commit ourselves to supporting our children together in a cooperative effort.

Secondly, Maupin has put together a special classroom packet at a discounted price (each includes two copies ofBefore They Read and 20 copies of Anytime Reading Readiness that are perfect for preschool or kindergarten classrooms. You can find out more about these by visiting www.maupinhouse.com or contacting us at TLA. We’ll be glad to tell you more about this special package.

Ways you can connect with Cathy Miller

Parent / Family blog
Preschool Teachers blog
K to 12 Teacher’s blog

Welcome to the weekly roundup of news, analysis, and ideas for raising readers. This week, Jen has covered it all with some great finds at Jen Robinson’s Book Page.  This week Jen Robinson and I have collected plenty of content for you about literacy & reading-related events; literacy and reading programs and research; 21st century literacies; and grants, sponsorships & donations.

Thankfully what originally was a threat of snow has turned to rain for today. There is something very surreal about hearing the birds singing about spring and staring at the snow-covered ground. But I digress …

In this week’s roundup, Jen has several articles about what budget cuts are doing to school and public libraries. In communities from coast to coast there are closures, layoffs, or potentially both. Raising our voices locally about the importance of these resources is critical, but we need to grab national attention, too. Both Jen and I have mentioned two ongoing efforts by Pepsi and Ideas for Change which allow US to vote for projects we believe should be funded. You need to vote your heart, but there are opportunities to be  part of a grassroots campaign that says teaching kids to read is critical.

• There are four days left to vote for Everybody Wins! idea of a National Read to Kids campaign in Ideas for Change in America. In Ideas for Change, “the 10 most popular ideas will be presented at an event in Washington, DC to relevant members of the Obama Administration, and Change.org will subsequently mobilize its full community to support a series of grassroots campaigns to turn each idea into reality.”
• There are six days of voting left in the Pepsi Refresh project. The Pepsi Foundation will grant $1.3M in various categories, including education. Here is the direct link to vote for Reach Out and Read’s Pepsi Refresh proposal to help 25,000 kids enter school more prepared.

At B.A. Bookworm this morning, Mindi has a great post about how to make the most of your child’s natural desire to repeat a favorite activity.  “We get the joy of playing the same games with our kids, singing the same familiar songs, and of course, we read the same books to our children time after time. Now, consistency has its place, however being consistent does not nurture a child’s curiosity or stimulate their problem solving abilities. So, its up to us as the adults, to ask questions that will help our children be innovative thinkers.”  Later in the article, she offers tips on ways you can make sure your child is actually reading a text rather than reciting it from memory.

Jen has packed not one, but TWO roundups with great stuff. Stop by to read the latest edition of Literacy ‘Lights at Booklights.  Jen’s first piece about a Q&A with Diane Frankenstein is the perfect extension of Mindi’s article about reading or memorizing.

Today’s Nonfiction Monday round-up is at Diane Chen’s School Library Journal blog, Practically Paradise.

Irene Latham had a full house (37!) for last week’s Poetry Friday Roundup at Live. Love. Explore! This week, Jone McCullough is hosting at Check It Out! Thanks for your continued interest in and support of children’s literacy.