Teen Literacy Tips

I attended a great workshop today titled “Writing Across the Curriculum: A Tool for Thinking and Learning.” Our speaker was Kathy Egawa and I really enjoyed her presentation, especially the books and websites she recommended.

Two websites really stood out to me, and I think anyone who’s interested in teen literacy will find a goldmine of material there:

• Teacher Resources by Annenberg Media: Be sure to check out Making Meaning in Literature, A Video Library 6-8, Conversations in Literature and Write in the Middle: A Workshop for Teachers.  These extensive videos can help you become a more effective reading and writing teacher.  The Annenberg Foundation makes these resources available at no charge.  Free registration is required.
• ReadWriteThink: If you’re looking for thorough, well-designed lesson plans or units, be sure to visit ReadWriteThink.org. Not only will you find ideas in every subject at every grade level, but the student materials also give students the chance to stretch their creative muscles.  For starters, take a look at the comic creator, the essay map and the story map.

I also took down the names of several books that I will be ordering from Amazon.com:

• Stone Fox by John Gardiner- This is for my eight-year old daughter.  I had never heard of it before, but it sounds like something she and I would enjoy reading together.
• Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men by Smith and Wilhelm – This looks like a valuable book for helping teenage boys discover the value and joy of reading.
• In the Middle – It looks like the new edition of Nancie Atwell’s book is significantly bigger than the edition I have.
• Creating Writers through Six Trait Writing Assessment and Instruction by Vicki Spandel – I’ve glanced at this often in the bookstore without buying it, but after looking at it more closely today I think I’ll have to pick it up this summer.

All in all I’d say it was a very fruitful workshop, with some valuable tips and resources for me to ponder over this summer.  If you were at the workshop today, I mentioned a book called Made to Stick.  I think that would be a great book to kick off the Education Book of the Month on the Teen Literacy Forums.  If you’re interested in reading it and talking about it with other educators, register today (it’s free!) and pick up a copy of the book.