Kids commenting on books they like are at this site.
They all like this one:S.E. Hinton The Outsiders
Here's another review of Darkness:
I read Darkness, Tell Us by Richard Laymon. Keith, Angela, Lana, Doris, Howard, and Glen, college kids, at a party decided to fool aroung with an Ouija board. It was just a game, right. However, they started getting messages from a spirit named Butler. After Butler told them about a hidden treasure, they decided to go after it. However, what they found wasn't what they expected. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was extremely excited. I never new what was going to happen next. In addition, once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. Richard Laymon did a great job of creating suspense throughout the novel. I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults as well as both males and females. However, I would not recommend this book to anybody who dislikes supernatural novels because there are several creepy sections of it. All in all, I feel that Darkness, Tell Us is an extremely exciting and excellent book.
Hi, I haven't read many good books but I am interested in reading more. I liked Catcher in the Rye and I'm going to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Can you give me any suggestions or do you know of any other books like these??? Thanx
Here are some favorite authors on this site.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Literacy Project from Google
A resource for teachers, literacy organizations and anyone interested in reading and education, created in collaboration with LitCam, Google, and UNESCO’s Institute for Lifelong Learning.
In honor of World Book Day, check out some innovative projects from our partners.
Find books, articles and videos about literacy, or start your own literacy or reading group!
Literacy news
- "Comic Book Literacy" to be screened at San Diego Comic-Con - Examiner.com
- Comprehensive National Literacy Directory Now Available Online and over the Phone - Victoria Times Colonist
- Zimbabwe leads in Africa literacy race - Daily Nation
- Financial literacy can be fun (really) - The Free Lance-Star
- Literacy program receives $12000 from United Way - Albany Herald On-line
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Henry Jenkins on Transmedia Education for Teachers
Transmedia Education: the 7 Principles Revisited
Last week, I participated in one of the ongoing series of webinars for teachers which is being conducted by our Project New Media Literacies team. The series emerges from an Early Adopters Network we are developing with educators in New Hampshire to drill down on the skills we identified in our white paper for the MacArthur Foundation and to think through how teachers in all school subjects and at all levels can draw on them to change how they support the learning of their students. Vanessa Vartabedian is the coordinator who has been running this series. Each month, they focus on a different skill. This month's focus was on Transmedia Navigation. The webinars are open to any and all participants and are drawing educators from all over the world. The webinars are also available after the fact via podcast. The Transmedia Navigation discussion involved not only some remarks by me but als o a conversation with Clement Chau from Tufts University and Mark Warshaw from the Alchemists who has developed transmedia content for Smallville, Heroes, and Melrose Place, among other properties.
"Our Ning site is where our community of educators are exchanging ideas and trying out resources. You simply need to sign-up and fill out a short profile to access the schedule of upcoming webinars, as well as links to the archived recordings for previous webinars."
The focus of transmedia navigation offered me a chance to think a bit more deeply about what it might mean for us to produce transmedia education and I thought I would share some of those insights with you.
Continue reading Transmedia Education: the 7 Principles Revisited.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sydney Returns
Hi everyone,
I'm back after two months abroad. It was great getting a new rhythm, new places, new projects. I hope my fresh eyes will be happily seeing you all soon...like next session.
Now for assessment, moving on, joining forces, keeping this going... I hope everyone has enjoyed their experience and wants to continue. Everyone is doing such great jobs, and I know we are all sort of whistling in the dark, getting to know how to operate this new machinery, how to get to children, to relate and move the relationship on toward reading...
Reading what is most interesting is how to get to reading.
It took me a lot of motivation, to learn what that picture of The Girl in the Chicken Coop was doing in that wild ocean. Who was she and what was happening to her awoke me to the world of reading and storytelling and it was thanks to L. Frank Baum and the Oz books that I got going.
Who has read Narnia? Would Gabriella like Narnia? First read it and then see the movie, not the opposite way around, because then they can compare the movie to what they had imagined it to be in their head when they read the book. That's a good summer read and then to cap it with the movie would be great. Doesn't matter who reads to whom, it's good to start something new and different.
We should all see the film Chain Camera. Let's get those cheap little Kodaks for everyone to use and then to share...and perhaps to write about later...Mentors and Mentees will both benefit from that summer exercise.
And LALIFF is coming up! We get to go on the Red Carpet, and we get to be a part of the film literacy project.
And other tutorial, mentorial, educational groups are approaching us, perhaps there are other ways to grow this project...we take care of a particular age group - those who the school system is about to forget about, those who might drop out as a result of neglect and go on to prison instead of to college.
In Carcera o In College? Which will it be? Now is the time these young folks make their decisions, now is the time for us to be there. Incarcerated or incollegeiated? En carcera o en collegio? Let's opt for the latter!
Happy 4th of July! Here's to Freedom and Independence!
See you soon!
I'm back after two months abroad. It was great getting a new rhythm, new places, new projects. I hope my fresh eyes will be happily seeing you all soon...like next session.
Now for assessment, moving on, joining forces, keeping this going... I hope everyone has enjoyed their experience and wants to continue. Everyone is doing such great jobs, and I know we are all sort of whistling in the dark, getting to know how to operate this new machinery, how to get to children, to relate and move the relationship on toward reading...
Reading what is most interesting is how to get to reading.
It took me a lot of motivation, to learn what that picture of The Girl in the Chicken Coop was doing in that wild ocean. Who was she and what was happening to her awoke me to the world of reading and storytelling and it was thanks to L. Frank Baum and the Oz books that I got going.
Who has read Narnia? Would Gabriella like Narnia? First read it and then see the movie, not the opposite way around, because then they can compare the movie to what they had imagined it to be in their head when they read the book. That's a good summer read and then to cap it with the movie would be great. Doesn't matter who reads to whom, it's good to start something new and different.
We should all see the film Chain Camera. Let's get those cheap little Kodaks for everyone to use and then to share...and perhaps to write about later...Mentors and Mentees will both benefit from that summer exercise.
And LALIFF is coming up! We get to go on the Red Carpet, and we get to be a part of the film literacy project.
And other tutorial, mentorial, educational groups are approaching us, perhaps there are other ways to grow this project...we take care of a particular age group - those who the school system is about to forget about, those who might drop out as a result of neglect and go on to prison instead of to college.
In Carcera o In College? Which will it be? Now is the time these young folks make their decisions, now is the time for us to be there. Incarcerated or incollegeiated? En carcera o en collegio? Let's opt for the latter!
Happy 4th of July! Here's to Freedom and Independence!
See you soon!
Kansas City Closing Half of its Schools
Monday, Jun. 14, 2010
Final Bell: Kansas City's Effort to Save Its Schools
Westport High is a magnificent old building, all brick and fine masonry, set high on a hill in the heart of town. It's more than 100 years old, just a few blocks from where Ernest Hemingway lived before he went off to drive ambulances in the Great War. So one might expect an angry roar against its inclusion in a plan to close nearly half of Kansas City's 57 public schools this summer. Instead the vibe is more, What took you so long?
After years of foot-dragging, infighting and wild spending sprees, Kansas City is finally making a last-gasp attempt to save its school district by abruptly cutting it by half. School districts all over the country are wrestling with problems in urban centers, but Kansas City's plan has caught national attention because of its scope. With the exception of New Orleans, forced to start from scratch with its schools after Hurricane Katrina, Kansas City superintendent John Covington's plan to close 26 schools at once and dump 700 of the district's 3,000 employees, including nearly 300 teachers, is considered the most drastic "rightsizing" out there. "Hail Mary — that is a very good way to describe this," says Covington. (See pictures of a diverse group of American teens.)
The situation in New Orleans "was created by a natural disaster. Kansas City is due to a human-made disaster," says Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, a public-school advocacy group. There are many factors to blame — white flight, forced desegregation, teachers' strikes, revolving-door leadership. (Covington is the 26th superintendent in 40 years.) Money hasn't been the problem. In 1985, a federal judge ordered the state to pony up $2 billion to address decades of unconstitutional treatment of black children. The district blew the money on a six-lane indoor track, an Olympic-size swimming pool and a mock court complete with judge's chambers and a jury deliberation room. "They recruited Russians to teach fencing!" Covington marvels. Meanwhile kids weren't proficient in the basics — and still aren't. At a majority of the schools, fewer than one-quarter of the students were proficient in math and English last year. On any given day, the buildings are half empty. Kansas City had some 75,000 public-school students in the 1960s. Today it has about 17,000. (See pictures of a public boarding school.)
Covington, a former principal and teacher, hit town a year ago with the task of figuring out how to cut $50 million in spending and avoid bankruptcy. Within days he put teachers, principals and the bloated administration on notice. "We're not an employment agency. We are a school district," he says. Covington is not about half measures. The district's downtown headquarters will be sold off, and the reduced staff will move elsewhere. Principals had to reapply for their positions. Low-performing teachers must prove they deserve to keep their jobs. Surprisingly, the teachers' union is on board. "Everyone is tired," Covington says of the union's partnership. "We are just tired."
Jennings says Covington's plan is overdue. Cities like Boston, Chicago and Washington already downsized to better serve the schools that remain open. Kansas City and Detroit, he says, are bringing up the rear: "Don't be too depressed about Kansas City. Some of the most exciting things happen when people ... are willing to try new things. As bleak as it is, that's where you find the seeds of improvement."
Across town, McCoy Elementary is also closing. The school was built in 1914; it has termite damage and a warped gym floor, and it needs other repairs. So it's on Covington's list. "They say that's what the goal is — to make the rest of the schools better, but I don't know," says Valeria Jackson, a single mom who moved to this hollowed-out but relatively quiet neighborhood to be down the street from McCoy. Now her three elementary-age kids will have to ride a bus to another school. "If they board up this building, what's that going to do to the neighborhood?" Still, there's one place that would definitely be on her to-close list: Westport, where she attended high school. "That place was so dark," she says. "Schools need to have light."
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Literacy Project Update
Hello everyone:
I just wanted to update you on the latest Literacy Project session. The meeting started out with an ice cream social in honor of two of our students graduation from middle school. El Centro supplied a nice assortment of ice cream and toppings, and the kids had a great time. Congratulations to the students A and G who worked so hard to achieve this goal. We are very proud of you, and hope to support you in your next educational goal....High School!
As we have some new mentors and students, we went around the table and everyone introduced themselves and said how they became involved with the project. The mentors have been encouraged to go to other rooms in El Centro to interact in a one-to-one with their students, and to minimize the feeling of being in a classroom. We want the Literacy Project to be a fun program as well as educational, and also want to ensure that the students receive individual attention that is becoming more difficult with the budget cutbacks.
Our new mentor, Doug Witkins, was at his first meeting and worked with one of our favorite students. The student is very fond of soccer, but his least favorite subject in school is history. Doug suggested that he view history like a game of soccer with the countries similar to teams vying for the same territories. When studying history, the student can identify the countries' motives for winning, and figure out how they could win. Thank you Doug! We are so happy you are part of our project, and we look forward to continue working with you.
Our dear mentor, Sydney Levine, is in Moscow but sends her love and support and will be home soon. When Sydney returns, we hope to plan for the summer activities so we can begin discussion of suggestions for projects, and present when Sydney returns. The following are some of the activities that have been suggested:
1. Movie Night with a Question & Answer period following the movie.
2. Film Project: Students select a book to adapt to a screenplay and then film the story. The students self select as director, producer, actors, production crew. It provides a nice group project for the students to analyze the book, and to work with one another. However, we will need cameras and equipment for this project.
3. Students write stories or poems that we collect for a book that we can produce for our students and their parents.
4. The Latino International Film Festival will be August 19-25, and I will have our students as well as all the El Centro students invited to a special day at the festival with a film screening. Transportation will need to be provided by El Centro.
Please send me and Carla any suggestions that you might have. Once again, I thank the El Centro staff, the mentors and the students for making The Literacy Project possible.
Luisa Crespo
I just wanted to update you on the latest Literacy Project session. The meeting started out with an ice cream social in honor of two of our students graduation from middle school. El Centro supplied a nice assortment of ice cream and toppings, and the kids had a great time. Congratulations to the students A and G who worked so hard to achieve this goal. We are very proud of you, and hope to support you in your next educational goal....High School!
As we have some new mentors and students, we went around the table and everyone introduced themselves and said how they became involved with the project. The mentors have been encouraged to go to other rooms in El Centro to interact in a one-to-one with their students, and to minimize the feeling of being in a classroom. We want the Literacy Project to be a fun program as well as educational, and also want to ensure that the students receive individual attention that is becoming more difficult with the budget cutbacks.
Our new mentor, Doug Witkins, was at his first meeting and worked with one of our favorite students. The student is very fond of soccer, but his least favorite subject in school is history. Doug suggested that he view history like a game of soccer with the countries similar to teams vying for the same territories. When studying history, the student can identify the countries' motives for winning, and figure out how they could win. Thank you Doug! We are so happy you are part of our project, and we look forward to continue working with you.
The Project is heading into the summer months so we want to continue the program but with more activities to engage the students creatively. We will be looking at lists of books that are suggested curriculum in the reader. Also, a selection of movies for presentation will be helpful for creating a forum for the students to discuss their perceptions, and to write about them in their journals. Mentors are welcome to suggest other projects that might be imaginative ways of motivating the students to read and write during the school break.
Our dear mentor, Sydney Levine, is in Moscow but sends her love and support and will be home soon. When Sydney returns, we hope to plan for the summer activities so we can begin discussion of suggestions for projects, and present when Sydney returns. The following are some of the activities that have been suggested:
1. Movie Night with a Question & Answer period following the movie.
2. Film Project: Students select a book to adapt to a screenplay and then film the story. The students self select as director, producer, actors, production crew. It provides a nice group project for the students to analyze the book, and to work with one another. However, we will need cameras and equipment for this project.
3. Students write stories or poems that we collect for a book that we can produce for our students and their parents.
4. The Latino International Film Festival will be August 19-25, and I will have our students as well as all the El Centro students invited to a special day at the festival with a film screening. Transportation will need to be provided by El Centro.
Please send me and Carla any suggestions that you might have. Once again, I thank the El Centro staff, the mentors and the students for making The Literacy Project possible.
Luisa Crespo
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Literacy Project Update June 2010
Dear everyone:
I apologize for not keeping up-to-date with the blog, and I promise to do better in the future. We have been meeting regularly since the last posting although Sydney, our great mentor, has been in Europe (I will share her photos of her travels in a separate blog). We miss you Sydney!
We have added three new mentors, Valmiki Reyes, Monica Chuo and Doug Witkins, and are so happy to welcome them to the program. Some of the parents have indicated that their children show progress in their courses. Even more importantly, the students are happy to see their mentors who have become special friends. It is also overwhelmingly the case that the students have enriched us all with their personal stories, and their sincere charm.
The student at Virgil M.S. has had a wonderful victory in his coursework thanks to his mentor, Cookie Fischer, and of course, the wonderful staff at Virgil. Thank you Cookie!
Christina Davila who works with the Los Angeles Film Festival provided vouchers for movie passes to the movies being presented as part of this year's Film Festival. The vouchers were distributed at the session on Wednesday, June 9, so if you were absent please ask the Program Director Carlos Martinez for a voucher. Thank you Christina, and good luck with your festival work!
Carla and Carlos are in the process of organizing a movie night for our program so we are looking forward to the selection of movie. Information on the date and time will be forthcoming, but it most likely will be planned for a Friday following the cooking class.
I hope that everyone feels our enormous gratitude for your participation. All the mentors, students, program staff have made The Literacy Project a positive force in my life and I hope that it has proven to be a fulfilling experience for you as well!
Hasta la proxima!
Luisa Crespo
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