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literacyworldwide.org | May/June 2020 | LITERACY TODAY
LIT BITS
ILA’s Choices Reading Lists Are Out!
ILA Awards Deadline Extended
The application deadline for ILA’s educator awards and grants has
been extended to June 1, 2020. ILA awards and grants recognize
excellence and showcase best practices in literacy research, instruction,
and advocacy. Each year, recipients include district and school
administrators, graduate students, authors, teachers, technology
specialists, and more—celebrating achievements across a wide range of
backgrounds, disciplines, and areas of expertise. The full list of awards
and grants can be found at literacyworldwide.org/about-us/awards-
grants.
From left to right, ILA’s Marcie Craig Post, Bernadette
Dwyer, and Kathy N. Headley, award-winner Yi-Jui
Chen, and Cynthia and Timothy Shanahan
Reading lists foster excitement for book lovers of all ages. ILA’s annual Choices reading lists—released on
May 1—are no exception. With new titles voted on by students and teachers themselves, even the pickiest of
readers can find a book that catches their eye among the wealth of options across the three lists: Children’s
Choices, Young Adults’ Choices, and Teachers’ Choices.
Children’s Choices
Thousands of students contributed their voice to create this list of nearly 100 fiction
and nonfiction titles, which are split into three age groups: beginning readers, young
readers, and advanced readers. The list, cosponsored by the Children’s Book Council,
is designed as much for teachers, librarians, and families as it is for students. Reading
at a young age requires adult support and encouragement, and this list provides a
solid place to begin encouraging a love of reading.
Young Adults’ Choices
With all the required textbook reading for school, engaging older students in reading
for fun can sometimes be difficult. However, this list of 30 books, cosponsored by
the Children’s Book Council and voted on by thousands of teens, makes carving time
out of a student’s busy schedule easier, thanks to the award-winning titles, diverse
themes, and subject matter that today’s young adults relate to and value.
Teachers’ Choices
In creating this list, educators have the unique opportunity to identify the
titles that they determined will encourage young people to read and that will
contribute to learning across the curriculum. The list of 30 books, split into
titles for primary readers, intermediate readers, and advanced readers, also
appeals to families and caregivers who are looking for new books to hook their
children and middle grade readers.
Download all three reading lists at literacyworldwide.org/choices.