My Article Out Now

I was thrilled and honored when Scholastic Parent and Child contacted me about reprinting my piece on Bedtime Stories for Big Kids.  This meant so much to me, because it is a piece that I truly believe in.  I cherish the moments reading aloud to my own "big kids," as well as my "big kid" students.
If you are at a Scholastic book fair, I hope you will pick up a free copy of this special edition, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Happy reading,
Christine

My Article Out Now!

No Foolin' - the April issue of Scholastic Parent and Child is out now.  Here is a sneak peek at my "Field Guide to Class Clowns."

Happy reading,
Christine

My Article Out Now

Read my article on lefties and learning in the March issue of Scholastic Parent and Child.  It is always exciting to see one of your own articles in print, but this one is especially thrilling for me.  While researching this article, I had the honor of communicating with Howard Gardner.  That's right, THE Howard Gardner who developed the theory of Multiple Intelligences.  He could not have been more professional, more gracious or more helpful.  I'm an even bigger fan now!

Happy reading,
Christine

Invisible

Sorry for the blog silence and invisibility.  I've been working on a couple of articles which have taken up my writing and blogging time. (More on those upon publication.) In the meantime, I couldn't have asked for a better return-to-blogging prompt than last night's debut of Hunter Hayes' new single, "Invisible."  What a perfect song and message for young people as we close out No-Name Calling Week. 



Happy reading and listening,
Christine

Why Teachers Should Read for Pleasure

My friend and mentor, Carol Varsalona sent me this interesting article on the importance of teachers reading to enhance their confidence in the classroom and their own personal well-being.  Check out other interesting teaching tidbits and facts on Carol's new blog, Beyond LiteracyLink.  You may even  want to hire her as a consultant to provide professional development to your faculty, but act fast.  Other school districts have already hired her and scooped up choice conference dates like Election Day!

Happy Reading,
Christine
Literacy Connections Blog

Be in My Next Article

Do you read aloud to your own children or students?  If so, I'd love to hear from you.  I'm currently researching read alouds for an upcoming article and your story could appear in a national magazine.  I'm especially interested in teachers or parents who continue the read aloud into upper elementary and middle school grades.  If you have a story you'd like to share, leave a comment here, or email me at
bookgirlblogger(at)gmail(dot)com.

Happy reading,
Christine
Literacy Connections Blog

Coliseum Lesson

Yesterday's Newsday contained this article on the two finalists for the redevelopment of the Nassau Coliseum.  If I were teaching summer school in Nassau County, I would use this informational text as a multi-day lesson for my students.  After a close read of the text, we would complete a compare/contrast activity, and culminate with a written argument in which students defend their choice of the better option for the county.  To launch debate, I might ask students if it is right to allow MSG to have such a vice grip on New York sports.  When it is so expensive for families to go see professional sports, should MSG be allowed to control this arena too?  What about the fact that the Ratner group brought the Islanders from Nassau to the Barclays Center?  When families want to see any New York sports, they will continue to have to do so at the terms (prices) set forth by very powerful companies.

Happy reading,
Christine
Literacy Connections Blog   

Help a Writer and Improve Education

I saw this on  an education writing blog:

NEED YOUR HELP ON AN ARTICLE

Hi all...this is a bit off topic, but whom better to reach out to than a group of educators?

I am working on an article for Teaching Tolerance. The article will look at how to effectively and appropriately  introduce and teach about slavery in K-5 classrooms. This topic emerges in  light of the February 2013 incident of a teacher having students re-enact a slave auction in the classroom. The article will look at how teachers might  be generally unprepared to address the topic and also how the common core  standards provide a narrow view of what the teaching of slavery should be.

This story looks at the particular challenges faced by early-grade teachers (e.g., misordered standards, adapting a difficult topic to be age-appropriate) and then offers implementable solutions to those challenges.


I am interested in learning from elementary school teachers how they deal with this topic in a sensitive, appropriate fashion, and would like to be able to chat with curriculum directors or state education department reps in places like Mississippi or Alabama, to learn more about strategy, approach...and also, if there are any model programs out there, great.

You can contact me at mi@micheleisrael.com.

Thanks ahead of time.

Michele

 

I hope you can help this writer.  Her contact info is above.

 

Happy reading,

Christine

Literacy Connections Blog