Literacy Links

International Reading Association’s website: www.reading.org
Http://Readwritethink.org provides educators and students access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction.
The following people have presented at ARA conferences and are available for workshops and inservices. Please contact them for fee schedules and availability.

Jennifer J. Stewart
www.jenniferjstewart.com
email: jennifer@jenniferjstewart.com
phone: 520/749-4519

Writing: Think of It as An Adventure!
Do you dare become a writer? I talk about inspiration, the journey to complete a novel, and how writing can take you to places you never dreamed of. I ended up halfway around the world, in Nepal! I tell my story and the amazing stories behind my books -- yes, Pippi Longstocking really did try to kill my daughter -- while weaving in humorous anecdotes and writing tips for authors in training. Children come away from my presentations with renewed excitement for reading and writing.

 

Larry Dane Brimner
PO Box 87257
Tucson, AZ 85754
ldb@brimner.com
www.brimner.com
Author of 150 books for children

TAKE A NOTION:
This is a high-energy presentation with strong group participation.  A former teacher, Larry adjusts the tone and content of each presentation to match the age group.  He will discuss the 5-step writing process as it relates to his own books through discussion, storytelling, and demonstration.  The presentation stems from three questions--Where do you find your ideas (notions)?  Do you get it right on the first try?  How can you tell when you do get it right?  Larry uses each of these elements to develop Take a Notion into a program that is empowering and reassuring.  (Note: Special discount for Arizona schools.)

 
Nancy B. Chalex, Ed.D.
Chalex Literacy Consulting
9852 E. Seven Palms Dr.
Scottsdale, AZ  85262
480-247-6750 (home/office)
480-292-2732 (cell)
 
Presentations include:

 
Charline Profiri
www.cprofiri or contact her at Profiric@aol.com

Ace AIMS Writing
Charline Profiri, a former teacher and children's author, offers an interactive presentation, Ace AIMS Writing, based on her five years experience scoring student's standardized test essays. She gives tips that lead to quality writing and improved test scores. Students have said: "Thanks for the awesome advice. I think we will get awesome scores on our AIMS test," 5th gd. student. "It was amazing, exciting, and you also made me giggle!" 3rd grade student.

Cynthia Elek
Contact Info: 480-899-1863 (phone w/ message)
Email: chelek@cox.net, chelek@juno.com

The Power of Chant: Using Rhythmic Text to Build Oral Fluency and Reading Comprehension
Description: Learn how to use text created by an author, modify or extend text to create new chant or create chant-from-scratch that will increase fluency in oral delivery and support understanding of characters and events in literature through a low-risk, ensemble experience that combines aural, oral, visual and kinesthetic learning.
 
Brooke Bessesen, award winning author-illustrator of Look Who Lives in the Desert! and author of Zachary Z. Packrat and His Amazing Collections

email: brooke@brookebessesen.com
phone: 480-860-0700

The Power of the Picture Book: 101 State Standards Made FUN!
This fast-paced, multi-media presentation shares new ways to probe educational subjects using trade picture books, including innovative curriculum for language arts and science (grades k-8). More information at www.brookebessesen.com/lectures.html

 

Alice Greine
303-221-5301  alice@thewritetools.net
6590 S. Vine St., Suite 108, Centennial, CO 80121

Closing the Achievement Gap in Writing: Practical Strategies that Work
This highly interactive session will provide teachers a hands-on approach for sentence building, prewriting organization, and paragraph writing. These strategies are compatible with the 6+1 Traits of Writing and have deliberate connections to reading. The goal of this workshop is to provide participants with strategies for writing expository/informational paragraphs. Participants will be able to differentiate instruction based on student needs and learning styles.

Active Reading Strategies That Work
Research tells us that struggling readers often need academic strengthening in three areas:  responding to text/literature, determining importance and summarizing. This interactive session will focus on practical, classroom proven strategies that help all students, including ELL, Title I, and Special Education become confident competent readers. Teachers implementing these strategies say, "This makes sense. Why didn't someone show me these strategies years ago?"

Nancy Bo Flood, Ph.D. author and educator
Flood Voice: 928 672 2359, Fax: 630-214-9956
PO 7397, Shonto,  AZ  86054  (USA)
wflood@hotmail.com
 
"Beyond Bows and Arrows, From the Outside In."
 When we teach about about a culture outside of our own, such as the different Native American cultures, it is a challenge to present information that goes beyond stereotypes and in ways that go beyond token inclusion.  The focus of this presentation was to explore ways - and books for children - that weave Native American history and cultures into all aspects of curriculum especially information about contemporary Native Americans.

 

Janette Rallison
 http://www.janetterallison.com/
http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/

Beyond the book report: how to encourage students to turn reading into meaningful writing.
Reading and writing go hand in hand.  Help kids get excited about both.  This is a class on creative writing, journal writing, and reading tips; along with alternatives to the traditional book report.
 
B. G. Hennessy
www.bghennessy.com

B. G. Hennessy, author of over thirty children’s books, participated in a group presentation titled: “ Five Minutes in the Mind of a Children’s Author”.

Hennessy spoke about where and how her book ideas evolve. More information about the author of the Corduroy lift-the flap books as well as the newly published CORDUROY LOST AND FOUND can be found at : www.bghennessy.com

 

Michelle Parker-Rock M.Ed.  Author, Educator, Advocate
Website: http://www.MichelleParker-Rock.com
E-mail: Michelle@MichelleParker-Rock.com
Phone and Fax: 480.342.7045
P. O. Box 26595
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255

Michelle Parker-Rock is the author of over a dozen books for young readers, including  
the Authors Kids Love Series, multicultural biographies based on live interviews of contemporary children’s book writers Alma Flor Ada, Joseph Bruchac, Bruce Coville, Christopher Paul Curtis, Sid Fleischman, Jack Gantos, Bruce Hale, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, and Linda Sue Park.

Michelle is also an award-winning reading and writing educator, the Recipient of the
Ninth Annual New Jersey Governor’s Award, a National Literacy Consultant, and the
Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in Arizona.
In addition, she is the Arizona Reading Association’s Advocacy and Legislative
Liaison to the International Reading Association. 

Michelle offers a variety of dynamic multimedia programs and presentations for schools,
libraries, and educational conferences, including writing workshops for all ages,
professional development seminars, and family literacy events. Please visit her
website for a complete listing.

Behind the Scenes: The Making of the Nonfiction Series Authors Kids Love.
For students, teachers, librarians, school administrators, and parents.
An informative and inspirational presentation about the development of this series
of multicultural biographies, offering stories-behind-the-stories of  
award-winning children’s authors and their books. Includes tips about doing research,
conducting interviews, and reading and writing informational text.

Let’s Collaborate! Creating a Theme-Based Classroom / School Magazine.
For students, teachers, librarians, school administrators, and parents.
A standards- evidence- and content-based hands-on multidisciplinary integrated
language arts project that incorporates different types of writing  
(e.g. essays, personal narrative, how-tos, reports,), and informational text
features (e.g. sidebars, photos, captions, TOC, index, charts, illustrations, graphics).
Curriculum-based. Appropriate for all grades and students, and great for involving parents.

Advocacy For Literacy Education: Why, What, Who, When, and How.
For teachers, librarians, administrators, parents, and AZ Reading Association Councils
Become a strong voice for literacy education, children, families, and professional
educators.  This presentation offers the information you need to get involved and make
a difference.

 

Barbara Gowan
P.O. Box 5674, Carefree, AZ, 85377
480-502-8697
www.BarbaraGowan.com

School author visits, family literacy nights, Build a Book Workshops and professional development seminars
 

C is for Creativity- a Writing Workshop for Teachers - In this 2 hour workshop, participants explore a variety of alphabet books from the simple text of A Apple Pie (ca 1886) to today’s sophisticated award winners and discover themes that cross the curriculum.  Using popular alphabet books as writing models, teachers learn how easy and fun it is to write ABC books.  Expository writing becomes a creative endeavor when students use the alphabet to organize their non-fiction work.  The writing process used to create G is for Grand Canyon - An Arizona Alphabet serves as an example.   Samples of student written alphabet books are shared.   Standard 2:  Writing in the Language Arts.

Math Lit 101- a Workshop for Teachers – In this 2 hour workshop, participants will survey a variety of children’s picture books as they relate to the math standards from Number Sense to Data Analysis to Measurement.  Math activities that complement Desert Digits – An Arizona Number book will be shared.

Kathleen Wong Bishop
www.fablesfromthefriends.com/Bishop
Art makes Reading FUN!
Award-winning illustrator Kathleen Wong Bishop delights students with her puppets and dead bugs.  As they laugh, children learn about the art of illustration, book publishing and fables with morals.