Submit an Article to the MRA Primer!!

Please consider submitting a manuscript to the next issue of the MRA Primer. The topic is Disciplinary Literacy, and we encourage you to submit articles relevant to adolescents!

Manuscript Submission Guidelines 

Deadline: March 1, 2017

The Primer welcomes original contributions on all facets of reading, language arts, and literacy education. Guidelines are as follows:

• Manuscripts are limited to no more than 6,000 words including references and other material (tables, charts, etc.) 
• Manuscripts should be double-spaced in 12 point font and should be saved as Microsoft Word documents 
• Manuscripts should be prepared according to the style specified by the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) style manual 

Each manuscript should include a cover sheet containing (a) the manuscript title, (b) the author’s name, affiliation, position, preferred mailing address, email address, telephone number(s), and fax number. No identifying information should appear elsewhere in the manuscript.

Submit a manuscript to Jo Ann Thompson: jothompson25@comcast.net by March 1, 2017.

Adolescent Literacy Resources from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Adolescent Literacy (link to the full issue here)

DESE writes the following in their latest issue of Teachers' Top 3:  Readers have asked for resources related to literacy and adolescent literacy in particular. Here are a few suggestions that might be helpful: On ESE's humanities web page, you'll find links to the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read and Poetry Out Loud; the National Writing Project and its local counterparts in Boston, Buzzards Bay, and Western Massachusetts; and the Massachusetts Reading Association. The National Council of Teachers of English has a web page devoted to high school. ASCD's "Educational Leadership" publication frequently focuses on literacy, and one edition included this article on "Supporting Older Students' Reading." AdLit.org offers multimedia resources. If you're looking for a book to keep on hand, one staff member recommends "Strategies That Work," by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis. Have a favorite adolescent literacy resource or suggestion? Please share it on Twitter with the hashtag #top3fromESE!

Secondary Reading Interest Group of the ILA

Get the latest information and resources from the Secondary Reading Interest Group of the International Literacy Association via our newsletter here.

Mass Reading Association Conference

See the updated brochure at http://massreading.org/conference/.

Request for Participants to Participate in Secondary Literacy Research

Hello,

My name is Rachelle Savitz, and I am currently working on my doctorate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, under the direction of Dr. Richard Allington.  My national dissertation study focuses on teachers’ perspectives of the RTI implementation and confidence of the implementation at their schools.  My target audience is anyone that is currently working at the secondary level (grades 6 – 12) with either Tier 1 (General Education classroom) or Tier 2 and Tier 3 literacy intervention.  This survey will take around 10 minutes to complete.  The findings from this survey will allow for discussion to take place from teachers’ points of view regarding their own confidence, and confidence in their school’s implementation of RTI.  

Survey Link: https://utk.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8J5BG4mkVA1FwCV 

If you would like to provide additional information, please feel free to contact me at rsavitz@vols.utk.edu or 352-215-2454.

Kind regards,

Rachelle Savitz
Graduate Assistant
Literacy Studies
University of Tennessee

Top Ten Books to Give to Adolescent Boys Who Say They “Hate Reading”

Top Ten Books to Give to Adolescent Boys Who Say They “Hate Reading”

By Oona Marie Abrams

Three years ago, I welcomed the ritual of ten minutes of daily independent reading into my 12th grade classroom. Of course, I was nervous at the beginning. After reading Penny Kittle’s Book Love, I wondered how on earth it would be possible for me to read enough titles to make good recommendations to my students, particularly the young men. So I got down to work reading books that were out of my comfort zone, and now when guys who come into my classes saying they hate to read, I almost always recommend one of the following. Note that after each description I put a recommended read-next book. This is because I predict they will devour the first one, and I like to challenge them while they’re open to new titles. That challenge might be to read a longer or more complex text. Or it might be to continue reading or extend upon their studies on the topic of the book they’ve just finished. That depends on the reader.

See her suggestions at The Nerdy Book Club

Boxers and Saints Global Online Discussion Group

CREATE AN ADOLESCENT LITERACY BOOK GROUP IN YOUR SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY using Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel, Boxers and Saints http://www.primarysource.org/for-teachers/webinars/global-read-china-boxers--saints

Sign up for a global online discussion with the author, the current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, on January 10 from 7:00-8:15. 

More info on Primary Source's website www.primarysource.org