Other Resources

Standards Serve as 'Blueprint' for 'Literacy Coaches'

American middle and high schools are increasingly using "literacy coaches" who help and support content area teachers "who may not be confident in their knowledge of effective reading instruction," according to the International Reading Association (IRA).

In response to this trend, the IRA in collaboration with other groups has developed Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches, which is available online. IRA describes it as "a blueprint not only for literacy coaches themselves, but for policymakers, school and district administrators, and teacher educators, in the hope that it will help support and develop coaching in ways that will most benefit adolescent learners."

The document was prepared by IRA with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and in collaboration with the National Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Science Teachers Association, and National Council for the Social Studies. December 2005

Governors Target Adolescent Literacy

A report from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), Reading to Achieve: A Governor's Guide to Adolescent Literacy  (PDF, 48 pgs)
lays out the compelling case of why we should care about adolescent literacy, and it describes five strategies that governors and states should pursue to improve adolescent literacy. It also describes resources for adolescent literacy initiatives, gives examples of promising state and local adolescent literacy practices, lists contacts for more information on promising practices, and identifies potential funding sources for these kinds of programs. 2005.

Site Offers Help to Spanish-Speaking Parents

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), Reading Rockets, a multi-media initiative of PBS station WETA in the Washington, D.C. area, is launching ¡Colorín Colorado!, the first major Web site created specifically for Spanish-speaking parents to help their children learn to read.

The site also includes downloadable resources for teachers and librarians to reproduce and distribute to parents in their own communities.  "Colorín Colorado can empower parents and other educators with the tools that they need to help children become successful readers," says Reading Rockets research director Latrice Seals.  "This site provides information on how parents can use stories, discussions, songs, rhymes and games in either Spanish or English to increase literacy in children."

Read and Rise Offers Parents Practical Tips on Reading 

Read and Rise is a resource guide that offers research-based information and practical tips to help parents, family, and caregivers engage children from infancy to age nine in reading and literacy-building activities.

The guide is divided by age and grade. Each section includes:

• An Introduction, where you will find brief, research-based information on the common literacy behaviors by age and grade.
• A list of Milestones, important literacy goals that your child should be able to achieve at each age and by the end of each grade.
• Try This!, ideas and activities that can help you help your child gain the skills needed to become a successful reader.
• And Book Nook, which presents five basic features to look for when choosing books for your child.

Reading Rockets Promotes Children's Literacy

The Reading Rockets Web site  is a national service of public television station WETA in Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to offer information about teaching students to read and supports to those children who struggle to read. Reading Rockets is a PBS series that promotes and encourages children’s literacy.

Postings related to local and national topics on reading are updated daily. You may e-mail the reading rockets site with questions and suggestions.

There is a newsletter that you can register to receive at school or home. Interviews with authors, issues for teachers, summer reading lists, and a wide-range of activities and information for the educator are posted and updated regularly.

National Geographic Has Something for All Ages

The National Geographic Society's Web site focuses on geography, environment, social studies, and science. This site's usefulness is underscored by recent studies that report that U. S. students do less well on informational reading assessments than on narration reading assessments (PIRLS, 2002), (NAEP, 2000).

Also, research supports the notion that English language learner students are better able to learn to read with informational text that is factual and concrete versus stories that hold many interpretations of feelings, cultural implications, and multiple meanings of the vocabulary. (Gibbons, 2002).

The National Geographic Society site is chock full of useful items for motivating and encouraging readers of all ages. It features maps, photos, newsletters, books, magazines, and travel and excursion ideas.

The National Geographic Society Web site has a wide range of instructional materials and resources for educators. There are two new series of leveled texts with science and social studies topics for both the primary grades and the intermediate grades.

Development is underway to continue to offer materials for reading/language arts instruction that meet the demands of state and local standards that emphasizes informational reading instruction. Professional development resources are included to help guide the training of educators on the infusion of informational reading and writing into content area instruction.

Find Out What the Experts Say

Teachers and researchers offer advice on reading in "What Do the Experts Say? Helping Children Learn to Read" by Rona Flippo. The book can help those seeking ideas and rationales for reading programs and instruction. It includes a thorough and well-balanced presentation of the basic arguments that have fired the phonics versus whole language controversy. The book can be purchased by going to publisher Heinemann's Web site and typing "What Do the Experts Say?" in their "search" box.

International Reading Association

The International Reading Association (IRA) is a non-profit professional association devoted exclusively to reading instruction. Its Web site offers professional journal articles, news about conferences, and research about reading.

The IRA Web site includes Focus on Adolescent Literacy, the IRA's online index of adolescent literacy resources. The Web site section features the latest IRA books, journal articles, convention sessions, and more, including a review of research by Bill Brozo .

Joint Project Offers Reading Resources to Teachers, Students

The ReadWriteThink Web site is a partnership between the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the MarcoPolo Education Foundation. Launched in April 2002, the Web site is designed "to provide educators and students with access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction through free, Internet-based content."

RIF Helps Students, Parents, Teachers

The Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Web site offers visitors a chance to get involved with one of the nation's best-known reading initiatives. It includes practical assistance for RIF volunteers. Founded in 1966, RIF develops and delivers children's and family literacy programs that help prepare young children for reading and motivate school-age children to read regularly.

Web Site Offers Reading Help to Parents, Teachers

The Family Education Network offers ideas and activities to help both parents and teachers help students at all levels to become better readers. It also features reviews of children's books by parents.

Online Journal Offers Research Summaries, Discussions

Reading Online, a "journal of K-12 practice and research" published by the International Reading Association, is a leading online source of information for the worldwide literacy-education community. The site offers numerous articles on current reading issues as well as online discussions of the articles. It also features research summaries, international perspectives, and discussion forums.

Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement

The Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA) provides a number of publications online as well as a rich collection of instructional resources and an archive of research work.

Clearinghouse Offers Research, Lesson Plans, and More

The Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, operated by the Indiana University School of Education, offers a rich variety of useful resources that include bibliographies, lesson plans for teachers, tips for parents, research summaries, the ERIC Digests and more. This site includes all of the public domain materials formerly housed on the ERIC/REC Web site that was closed down by the U.S. Department of Education in 2003.

Agencies Offer Resources Through Partnership for Reading

The Partnership for Reading Web site has information about the effective teaching of reading for children, parents, teachers, administrators, and policy-makers based on the evidence from quality research. The Partnership for Reading is a collaborative effort by three federal agencies -- the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the U.S. Department of Education. First established in 2000, The Partnership is now authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

The following are links to general and specific information within the Partnership for Reading site:

• Early Childhood Publications
  
• Links to the Report of the National Reading Panel, publications about childhood (K-3) reading, and others.
  
• Links to Useful Resources about Reading and Reading Instruction

Center on English Learning and Achievement

The National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement (CELA) Web site  offers elementary, middle school, and high school educators a wealth of information and connections to various sites that will expand understanding of the theoretical and practical knowledge related to English language arts including reading.

This Web site presents information on local, state, and national conferences in the area of English/Language Arts and Teaching and Learning. Other features for educators are the publication link that let's you review and then order books online and research briefs  based on CELA research. Accompanying each brief, is a list of related links, resources or projects.

The Web site includes the Literacy Corner  for pre-K and K teachers, parents, and other caregivers.