Personalizing
Literacy
• Supporting the
whole child
• Keeping instruction
personal in an
assessment-heavy
climate
• Honoring the
person in
personalization
September/October 2018
Volume 36, Issue 2
LITERACY TODAY
272191.080618
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Contents
LITERACY TODAY
Volume 36, Issue 2
September/October 2018
EDITORIAL STAFF
Managing Editor Colleen Patrice Clark
Editors Christina Lambert & Alina O’Donnell
ILA LEADERSHIP
Executive Director Marcie Craig Post
2018–2019 BOARD MEMBERS
Bernadette Dwyer, Dublin City University,
President; Kathy N. Headley, Clemson
University, Vice President; Douglas Fisher,
San Diego State University, Immediate Past
President; Juli-Anne Benjamin, Marion P.
Thomas Charter School; Wendy Carss,
University of Waikato; Beverley E. Harris,
Mico University College, University of the
West Indies; Kenneth Kunz, Middlesex Public
Schools; Stephanie Laird, Southeast Polk
Community School District; Susan Paasch,
Sauk Rapids Public School District; Stephen
Peters, Laurens County School District 55; Julia
Reynolds, Allendale Public Schools; Jennifer
Williams, Calliope Global Education Initiatives
ADVERTISING
For information, contact Megan Ferguson at
800.336.7323 x 417 or advertising@reading
.org. Acceptance of advertising does not imply
endorsement.
ABOUT US
Literacy Today is the bimonthly membership
magazine of the International Literacy
Association, a nonprofi t that strives to
empower educators, inspire students, and
encourage teachers with the resources they
need to make literacy accessible for all.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Literacy Today (ISSN 2411-7862, Print; 2411-
7900, Online) is included in the cost of ILA
membership. To join, visit literacyworldwide
.org. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,
DE 19714-8139, USA. CANADIAN GST:
Registration number R-129785523. Publications
Mail Agreement No. 40033039. Return
undeliverable Canadian addresses to PO Box
503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill,
ON, L4B 4R6.
CONTACT US
CUSTOMER SERVICE
800.336.7323
customerservice@reading.org
EDITORIAL
800.336.7323 x 446
literacytoday@reading.org
Write to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,
DE 19714-8139, USA.
MAILING LIST RENTALS
ILA rents mailing lists only to groups approved
by the Association. Members can have
their names removed from lists rented by
writing to ILA Customer Service or emailing
customerservice@reading.org.
© International Literacy Association
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
4
LIT BITS
6
ILA UPDATE
LITERACY LEADERSHIP
8
Children’s Rights to Read—And Our
Responsibilities to Protect Them
12
Connecting New Teachers With Classroom
Libraries
ILA 2018
14
The ILA18 Rewind
18
ILA 2018’s Literacy Leaders
FEATURES
24
Literacy and the Whole Child
30
Finding Balance: Keeping Instruction Personal
in an Assessment-Heavy Climate
THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM
34
Focusing on the Person in Personalization
36
Storytelling and Story Acting: An Assets-Based Literacy Practice
38
How to Make Oral Feedback More Personal
40
Diff erentiated Literacy for Gift ed and Creative Students
42
Using Text Structures to Improve Reading Comprehension
44
Leveraging Shared Message Boards to Make Vocabulary Stick
THE ILA NETWORK
46
How One ILA Chapter Used Community Partnerships to Create Powerful
STEAM Events
48
The Japan Reading Association Celebrates 60 Years
50
EVENTS
51
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
24
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
EDITOR’S
NOTE
hen we think about personalizing literacy
instruction, we often default to terms
such as differentiation, choice, and leveled
reading. But we know that what our
students need most goes beyond that.
Meeting the unique needs of each
individual child requires a new way of
thinking.
That’s why in this issue, we take a
more holistic approach to the idea of
personalization. By focusing on students’
academic and social–emotional needs,
we paint a more comprehensive picture
of what it truly means to meet students
where they are.
This means looking at everything
from the basic oral feedback and writing
instruction we offer to students on a daily
basis to examining the deeply rooted
notions we currently hold about culture,
compassion, and what it means to teach
the whole child.
Read on as we explore these important
topics. And if there’s something you’re doing
in your classroom to personalize instruction
and center the lives of your students
that you’d like to share with readers,
we’d love to hear from you. Email us at
literacytoday@reading.org or share with
us on Twitter by tagging @ILAToday and let
your voice—and your ideas!—be heard.
Warmly,
PERSONALIZING YOUR
TEACHING
2
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© 2018
ISBN 978-0-87207-379-1
Nonmembers: $28.15
Members: $22.50
Standards for the
Preparation of
Literacy Professionals
2017
INTERNATIONAL
LITERACY
ASSOCIATION
Developed by literacy experts across the United
States, Standards for the Preparation of Literacy
Professionals 2017 (Standards 2017) sets forth the
criteria for developing and evaluating preparation
programs for literacy professionals. These updated
standards focus on the knowledge, skills, and
dispositions necessary for effective educational
practice in a specific role and highlight contemporary
research and evidence-based practices in curriculum,
instruction, assessment, and leadership.
ORDER TODAY!
literacyworldwide.org/standardsbook
800.336.7323 (U.S. and Canada) | 302.731.1600 (all other countries)
Standards 2017 includes standards for
specialized literacy professionals,
classroom teachers, principals, teacher
educators, and literacy partners.
Members
SAVE
20%
4
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LIT BITS
ILA Announces
2018 Award Winners
ILA announced the winners of the Literacy Leaders
Awards, Research Awards and Grants, and the
Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Awards at
the ILA 2018 Conference in Austin, TX. Award
highlights include:
Nell K. Duke, a professor in literacy,
language, and culture and in the combined
program in education and psychology
at the University of Michigan, School of
Education, is the recipient of the William
S. Gray Citation of Merit, which recognizes
ILA members who have made outstanding
contributions to multiple facets of literacy
development—research, theory, practice,
and policy.
The Timothy and Cynthia Shanahan
Outstanding Dissertation Award, given
annually for a dissertation completed
in reading or literacy, was presented to
Elena E. Forzani, assistant professor in
literacy education at the Boston University
Wheelock College of Education and Human
Development.
More information can be found on page
18, and the full list of awards and recipients can
be found at literacyworldwide.org/about-us/
awards-grants.
Read Across
Jamaica Day
Pictured are students from
Frankfield Primary reciting
a poem on Read Across
Jamaica Day. Organized by
the Ministry of Education,
Youth, and Information,
students also participated in
read-aloud sessions, story
retelling, and word games
across the island.
Did you hear?
— ILA 2018 Edition
“Great teachers are not born.
Great teachers work to be
great teachers.” —Douglas
Fisher
“If we want our kids to be
readers, we have to lead by
example.” —Colby Sharp
“Reading allows us to see the
humanity in others who are
not like us.” —Marley Dias
“Read the change. Share the
change. Make the change.
Be the change.” —Kwame
Alexander
“If we are not doing equity,
we are not doing literacy.”
—Cornelius Minor
Literacy Glossary:
Now Live!
ILA’s new Literacy Glossary contains
300 fundamental terms critical to
discussions on literacy research
and instruction. A limited-edition
print version was given to ILA 2018
attendees, but you can access the
resource at literacyworldwide.org/
glossary to review terms and submit suggestions for
additions, edits, or updates.
LITERACY TODAY | September/October 2018 | literacyworldwide.org
Too Important to Miss
Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN,
led a dynamic panel at the ILA 2018
Conference on creating inclusive classroom
environments for LGBTQ students. The
panelists discussed the dangers of staying
silent, creating social–emotional benchmarks,
intersectional thinking, and more. If you
missed this powerful conversation, you can
read the recap at literacyworldwide.org/
ila2018-panel or watch the archived recording
on our Facebook page at facebook.com/
InternationalLiteracyAssociation/videos.
Where We Stand
The following literacy leadership briefs from
ILA are now available at literacyworldwide
.org/statements:
Improving Digital Practices for Literacy,
Learning, and Justice: More Than Just Tools,
published in July, explains how educators
can use digital resources to facilitate more
authentic and equity-driven forms of literacy
instruction that better prepare youth for
civic, academic, and vocational pathways
beyond schools.
Exploring the 2017 NAEP Reading Results:
Systemic Reforms Beat Simplistic Solutions,
published in August, unpacks the 2017 National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and
2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy
Study (PIRLS) results; addresses concerns that
reading scores of U.S. students have remained
flat for the past decade; and discusses systemic
approaches to improving reading
comprehension.
Beyond the Numbers:
Using Data for Instructional
Decision Making, coming in
October, discusses how data
can provide insights about
student learning by acting as
a portrait, a highlighter, and a
springboard.
Literacy Service
Learning Project
During the ILA 2018 Conference, the East Central-Eastern
Illinois University Reading Council, spearheaded by president-
elect Melissa Wheeler, partnered with the Texas Association
for Literacy Education to collect school supplies for Refugee
Services of Texas in Austin, a social service agency dedicated to
providing assistance to refugees and other displaced persons
fleeing persecution. Together, they collected and donated 35
backpacks filled with school supplies. Wheeler also organized
a read-aloud by two authors, Steven Layne and Samantha M.
Clark, during an ESL class at a nearby church. Attending children
received books donated by Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and
authors Janet Wong and Lori Oczkus.
“It was a truly beautiful experience,” says Wheeler. “I believe
that literacy is a powerful tool that can be used to bring about
social justice and equity in education, both here at home and
around the world.”
There is a simple truth: The right to read is a
basic, fundamental human right. And yet in 2017,
according to UNESCO, 750 million people around
the world lacked basic literacy skills. Two thirds of
these are female. One hundred million children
around the world do not complete elementary
school and so do not learn to read and write.
In the 21st century, we have not reached
education for all. We have not reached literacy
for all.
At the core of the mission of the International
Literacy Association (ILA) lies a belief that literacy
transforms people’s lives—by allowing them to
develop their potential, earn their livelihoods,
participate fully in their communities and society,
and enjoy the fullness that great literature and
continuous learning brings.
In 2018, the Board of Directors of ILA convened
a global task force charged with reviewing existing
literature pertaining to a child’s rights to read
with the goal of developing a global campaign to
ensure that every child receives these fundamental
rights. Our work yielded 10 rights that ILA believes
every child deserves.
The release of Children’s Rights to Read marks
the first part of a yearlong campaign focused
on ensuring that all young people, regardless of
geographic location, socioeconomic status, and
circumstance, are granted the right not only to
read but also to literacy.
As educators, we are responsible for delivering
on the promise of these rights. It is our duty to
enact them in our classrooms with every child and
to work proactively with others to ensure they are
realized in homes, communities, and government
policy.
I encourage you to consider what part you
play in these efforts. What are you doing? What
could you be doing? What will you change moving
forward?
The Right to Read
ILA UPDATE
This issue of Literacy Today has a special
focus on the Children’s Rights to Read campaign.
For someone who cannot read, these rights are
marks on a page or pixels on a screen. These
rights are just words on a poster unless we choose
to implement them in our classrooms, schools,
libraries, communities, and homes and to advocate
for them with politicians and policymakers.
UNESCO tells us that change is imperative for
a better society—for a better future. That change
starts with our children and with those of us to
whom their education is entrusted.
So please join us on our yearlong campaign
to enact these rights. Advocate for them with us.
In countries around the world, we see so many
examples of change beginning from the ground
up with ordinary people, quiet revolutions started
by ordinary people as changemakers. Be one of
them.
Bernadette Dwyer
ILA President of the Board
To read the 10 Children’s Rights to Read, visit
literacyworldwide.org/rightstoread. More information
can also be found on page 8.
READ MORE
6
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n the 21st century, education is a global indicator of health and wealth, though
access to quality education remains precarious for certain populations. Despite
progress, women and girls still face disproportionate and gender-based barriers to
education. Globally, girls of primary school age are more likely to be out of school
compared with boys, and two-thirds of illiterate adults in the world are women.
“The ability to read is the difference between inclusion in, and exclusion from,
society,” says Bernadette Dwyer, lecturer at Dublin City University in Ireland and
president of the Board of Directors of the International Literacy Association (ILA).
And yet, as we know, access to education is not protected in all corners of the
world. In fact, in June, a United States federal judge in Michigan handed down a
most disappointing ruling: literacy—though important—is not a fundamental
right.
The plaintiffs in Gary B. vs. Snyder, a group of low-income students of color
from the lowest-performing public schools in Detroit, argued that, due to low-
quality instruction and poor conditions of their schools, state education officials
had denied them even a “minimally adequate education.”
Dwyer and the Board of ILA, which had supported the plaintiffs in the case,
were dismayed by the ruling. “We must continue to work toward the goal of an
equitable education for all,” Dwyer said at the time of the decision. “Issues of
equity, equality of opportunity, quality of instruction, and social justice should
permeate all that we do to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn to
read.”
Literacy—the passport to all learning and a harbinger of social progress—is a
fundamental human right, ILA has long argued.
To that end, ILA convened a task force last year, chaired by Dwyer, to craft
Children’s Rights to Read—work that yielded 10 rights and a common language for
educators, policymakers, and literacy advocates of all types to protect and follow.
(This work can be found at literacyworldwide.org/rightstoread.)
“Society has the responsibility to nurture and grow children as readers—
children who can read, who do read, and who love to read,” says Dwyer, explaining
the purpose behind this important campaign.
In short, it is society’s responsibility to advocate for children, and by using a
framework such as the one that follows based on the rights, we can help ensure
that protecting these rights does indeed permeate all that we do.
Protect access and equity.
Globally, 617 million school-age children and youth across the world are reading at
below minimum proficiency levels. We are responsible for providing our students
with access to high-quality reading instruction and resources and for advocating
on their behalf to the individuals and institutions charged with equitably
protecting their right to read.
How do we make this happen?
Children’s rights to read—and our responsibilities to
protect them
BE THEIR
ADVOCATES
By Emily Chiariello
Emily Chiariello
(emily.chiariello@gmail.com)
is an anti-bias educator
and educational equity
consultant, working at the
intersection of culturally
responsive and academically
rigorous practices. She has
two decades of experience
as a classroom teacher,
professional developer,
curriculum designer, and
education writer.
LITERACY
LEADERSHIP
8
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