tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20680463512355285292012-02-11T06:10:38.106-05:00iLonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-12908461827606010352009-04-11T09:10:00.000-04:002009-04-11T09:10:00.608-04:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zqG9lFnI/AAAAAAAAAME/XykH6fCaWmE/s1600-h/informational+literacy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313530302627649138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zqG9lFnI/AAAAAAAAAME/XykH6fCaWmE/s400/informational+literacy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">What is Web 2.0?</span></strong><br />Tim O'Reily organized a conference in 2004 to discuss the options and concerns available with Web 2.0. He is widely known as the creator of the term "Web 2.0". <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zfznbaDI/AAAAAAAAAL8/cuZd15bH3KM/s1600-h/web20map.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313530125635774514" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zfznbaDI/AAAAAAAAAL8/cuZd15bH3KM/s200/web20map.png" border="0" /></a>Through Web 2.0, the users, as well as the author, can create content to be viewed by Internet users. This is unique from "Web 1.0" because no knowledge of complex HTML coding or FTP site management is neccessary. Anyone can create and participate in Web 2.0. The web, and not an external software program, is the platform. Personalized Web 2.0 accounts can be accessed from any computer at any time. Real-time communication is enabled and encouraged. Participants can immediately change the look or content of any website. This content is updated immediately upon completion. Most Web 2.0 tools are free and easy to use. There is no need to purchase any software or medium through whcih to access Web 2.0.<br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Blogs</span></strong><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1ybQQHVpI/AAAAAAAAALE/pAnvcYyzRCU/s1600-h/blogger.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313528947911644818" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1ybQQHVpI/AAAAAAAAALE/pAnvcYyzRCU/s200/blogger.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><strong>What is it?</strong><br /><ul><li>A blog is a shortened version of weblog and represents a website that is easily created and updated. </li><li>Blogs are written about just about any subject. </li><li>Their entries appear in reverse chronological order (newest entries on top). </li><li>Blogs contain reflections, ideas, conversations, links to great resources and even multimedia. </li><li>Blogging is a two-way street. Readers can participate in the experience by commenting on blog entries, thus creating online conversations. You are encouraged to leave comments, start conversations, and interact with others. </li></ul><p><strong>Where can I create my own? </strong></p><ul><li>Blogger: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">http://www.blogger.com/</a> </li><li>WordPress <a href="http://www.wordpress.com/">http://www.wordpress.com/</a> </li><li>Blogstream <a href="http://www.blogstream.com/">http://www.blogstream.com/</a><br /></li></ul><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Wikis</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zXOAyzrI/AAAAAAAAAL0/ReGD-mkwEEI/s1600-h/wikipedia2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313529978102664882" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 155px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zXOAyzrI/AAAAAAAAAL0/ReGD-mkwEEI/s200/wikipedia2.jpg" border="0" /></a></span>What is it?</strong><br /><ul><li>A wiki is a web page that enables users to create, browse, search or modify content. It contains a body of knowledge and serve as a platform upon which a group of people can share and build ideas together. </li><li>Ward Cunningham was the first developer of wiki software. He was inspired by Vannevar Bush's concept of a "memex" which allowed users to "comment on and change one another's text." </li><li>Wiki's are most often used to create collaborative and community websites. In business, wiki's are used for intranet and knowledge management. </li><li>Anyone with a web browser can create a wiki on any topic they choose.</li><li>Wiki's favor plain-text editing which makes editing easier and more legible. </li><li>WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing is becoming increasingly available to users. </li><li>Content displayed during editing appears very similar to the end result. </li><li>A WYSIWYG interface resembles common text editing programs such as Microsoft Word. </li></ul><p><strong>Where can I create my own?</strong></p><ul><li>Wikipedia- An online, collaborative encyclopedia <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/">http://www.wikipedia.com/</a> </li><li>Wet Paint- A popular social wiki site <a href="http://www.wetpaint.com/">http://www.wetpaint.com/</a> </li><li>Wikia- Hosts wikis for online communities <a href="http://www.wikia.com/">http://www.wikia.com/</a><br /></li></ul><p><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#3333ff;">Podcasts</span></strong><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1ylJzcc8I/AAAAAAAAALM/E7EqjgwWbPE/s1600-h/iPods.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313529117979472834" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1ylJzcc8I/AAAAAAAAALM/E7EqjgwWbPE/s200/iPods.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>What is it?</strong> </p><ul><li>Audio and video digital media files distributed over the internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. </li><li>The word podcast is a combination of the terms iPod and Broadcast. </li><li>It is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated.<br /></li></ul><p><strong>Where can I create my own?</strong> </p><ul><li>Pod-catching requires application software that captures the podcast onto user's equipment. </li><li>Listening to a podcast requires a media player, such as Window Media Player. </li><li>These may be downloaded for free. </li><li>Podcasts may be downloaded to a computer and then transferred to a MP3 player. </li><li>Podcasts may be captured automatically with an aggregator or feed reader.<br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size:180%;color:#3333ff;"><strong>Social Bookmarking</strong></span><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zDmhXc0I/AAAAAAAAALk/7ZyHaVAjLKw/s1600-h/delicious_copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313529641084351298" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 92px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zDmhXc0I/AAAAAAAAALk/7ZyHaVAjLKw/s200/delicious_copy.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>What is it? </strong></p><ul><li>Your bookmarks are stored onine, so they are accessible and editable on any computer. </li><li>You can make your bookmarks public and share them with others. </li><li>You can also easily create a network of other people who have similar interests as you.<br /></li></ul><p><strong>Where can I create my own?</strong> </p><ul><li>Del.icio.us <a href="http://www.delicious.com/">http://www.delicious.com/</a> </li><li>Mister Wong <a href="http://www.mister-wong.com/">http://www.mister-wong.com/</a> </li><li>Furl <a href="http://www.furl.net/">http://www.furl.net/</a> </li><li>Blogmarks <a href="http://www.blogmarks.net/">http://www.blogmarks.net/</a> </li><li>Diigo <a href="http://www.diigo.com/">http://www.diigo.com/</a> </li><li>StumbleUpon <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/">http://www.stumbleupon.com/</a><br /></li></ul><p><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Tags </span><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1y6Xi-gfI/AAAAAAAAALc/SkmmBk3qqJg/s1600-h/youtube_logo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313529482445750770" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1y6Xi-gfI/AAAAAAAAALc/SkmmBk3qqJg/s200/youtube_logo.jpg" border="0" /></a></span>What is it?</strong> </p><ul><li>Tags let users mark or "tag" information such as photos or videos in order to find the information later. </li><li>A collection of tags is known as a folksonomy. </li><li>Information is organized and maintained by users</li><li>There are two different tag distinctions: "broad", meaning that many different users can tag a single resource and "narrow", meaning that the resource is only tagged by a few users. </li><li>Many websites now feature tag clouds, a display of the sites most popular tagged information. The most popular information is represented as the largest word in the cloud. Tag clouds can also serve as a form of navigation through the website. </li></ul><p><strong>Where can I create my own?</strong> </p><ul><li>Social Media Sites: </li><li>Flickr <a href="http://www.flickr.com/">http://www.flickr.com/</a> </li><li>You Tube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">http://www.youtube.com/</a> </li><li>Social Bookmarking Sites: </li><li>Del.icio.us <a href="http://www.delicious.com/">http://www.delicious.com/</a> </li><li>Cite U Like <a href="http://www.citeulike.com/">http://www.citeulike.com/</a> </li><li>Listmakers and Social Cataloging </li><li>43 Things <a href="http://www.43things.com/">http://www.43things.com/</a> </li><li>Library Thing <a href="http://www.librarything.com/">http://www.librarything.com/</a> </li></ul><p><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#3333ff;">Widgets<br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1yuhzp_DI/AAAAAAAAALU/kPHN486GbHo/s1600-h/widgets.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313529279041633330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 122px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1yuhzp_DI/AAAAAAAAALU/kPHN486GbHo/s200/widgets.jpg" border="0" /></a>What is it?</strong> </p><ul><li>A portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by an end user without requireing additional compilation. </li><li>Often take the form of on-screen tools that draw on Internet data-bases to show the information on the user's 'widget' so a web-browser does not need to be used. </li><li>Widgets allow you to take the HTML code someone else has created and insert it into your own webpage/browser, so that you have a "virtual portal" between a changing database and your website. The information on your webpage will change automatically, without you needed to authorize each change. </li></ul><p><strong>Where can I create my own?</strong> </p><ul><li>Widgipedia <a href="http://www.widgipedia.com/">http://www.widgipedia.com/</a><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">RSS Feeds and Feedreaders</span></strong><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zOOYoOtI/AAAAAAAAALs/LAfkRblNEEY/s1600-h/rss.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313529823583812306" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 183px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1zOOYoOtI/AAAAAAAAALs/LAfkRblNEEY/s200/rss.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><strong>What is it?</strong> </p><ul><li>RSS stands for "Really Simply Syndication" </li><li>Feeds are technically similar web pages, like those that are displayed in a web browser, but written in XML. This format allows software to "read" the content and make it more flexible. </li><li>Aggregators let you "subscribe" to these feeds in different ways. Once you subscribe to a feed an aggregator will combine all your "feeds" and allow you to view everything you have subscribed to at once. It updates automatically and deletes material once you've read it. </li></ul><p><strong>Where can I create my own? </strong></p><ul><li>Google Reader <a href="http://www.google.com/reader">www.google.com/reader</a> </li><li>My yahoo! <a href="http://www.yahoo.com/">http://www.yahoo.com/</a><br /></li></ul><p>In all cases, the following set of steps will work to subscribe to a feed once you have an aggregator like Google Reader: </p><ol><li>Find the link on the page that says "Syndication", "Syndicate this site", "XML", "RSS", etc. </li><li>Right-click (or press-hold in Macintosh) over that link. Your browser will show a menu of options, and one of them will be "Copy Link Location" or "Copy Shortcut". Select that option. </li><li>Now go to your aggregator and find the option to Add or Subscribe to a new feed. Select it and when you are requested to type in the URL (link) of the feed, right-click (or press-hold in Macintosh) again on the field and select "Paste". This will make the URL be pasted on to the field. If right-click doesn't work, you can try with keyboard options: Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert on Windows, or Command+V on the Mac. Because you, as a user (that is nevertheless aware or interested in the technology behind this), are likely to encounter this in subtle forms. For example, you might go to one news site and see that they say they provide "RSS 0.91 Feeds". Or you might see the XML orange icon shown above. Or you might see they say just "RSS", or "RDF". You will quite possibly see mention of all of these names and acronyms when you're looking at aggregator software. RSS is the most common format by a mile. All aggregators support the most used formats, and many of them support all the formats in existence. In general, you don't really have to even know which of these formats is actually being used. </li></ol><p><strong>Resources</strong></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Bertland, Linda. "Web 2.0 in School Libraries." Resources for School Librarians. 26 Nov. 2008. <</span><a href="http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/web2.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/web2.html</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;">>. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Blowers, Helene. Learning 2.O. 2006. PLCMC. 12 Apr. 2007. </span><a href="http://plcmclearning.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://plcmclearning.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Casey, Michael, and Laura Savastinuk. Library Change. (2007 Apr) </span><a href="http://librarychange.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://librarychange.com/</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Davidson-Turley, Whitney. (2005, Nov) Blogs and Rss: Powerful Information Management Tools. Library Hi Tech News, Number 10 p. 28-29. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Etches-Johnson, Amanda. BlogWithout A Library. (2005 Apr) </span><a href="http://blogwithoutalibrary.net/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://blogwithoutalibrary.net</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Farkas, Meredith. Five Weeks to a Social Library. (2006 Apr) </span><a href="http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Google Reader </span><a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin"><span style="font-size:78%;">https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Holvoet, Katherine. (2006) "What Is RSS and How Can Libraries Use It to Improve Patron Service?" Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 23, Issue: 8, 2006. pp. 32-33. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Horwath, Jenn. (2007) "Social Tools: More Than Just A Good Time?" The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, Vol. 23, Issue 8, p. 32-33. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Journal of Information Science, Volume 34, issue 4 (August 2008), p. 591-604ISSN: 0165-5515, DOI: 10.1177/0165551508092259 </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Laing, Dr. Christoper. (2007 Dec) "Using Podcasts in Higher Education." He@lth Information on the Internet, Volume 60, issue 1 p. 7-9 </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Lenhart, Amanda, Oliver Lewis, and Lee Rainie. (2007, Apr) "Teenage Life Online: The rise of the instant-message generation and the Internet’s impact on friendships and family relationships." Pew Internet. 21 June 2001. Pew/Internet </span><a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Report.pdf"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Report.pdf</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">O'Reilly, Tim. "What is Web 2.0?." O'Reilly Media. 30 Sept 2005. 26 Nov 2008 <</span><a href="http://www.oreilly.de/artikel/web20.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.oreilly.de/artikel/web20.html</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;">>. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Porter, Joshua. "Folksonomies: A User Driven Approach to Organizing Content." UIE.COM. 26 Apr 2005. 26 Nov 2008 <</span><a href="http://www.uie.com/articles/folksonomies"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.uie.com/articles/folksonomies</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;">>. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Stephens, Michael. (2006) "Web 2.0 &amp; Libraries: Best Practices for Social Software." Library Technology Reports. 42:4. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Tapscott, Don. (2006) Wikinomics:How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. New York: Portfolio. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Terdiman, Daniel. "Folksonomies Tap People Power." Wired. 01 Feb 2005. 26 Nov 2008 <</span><a href="http://www.wired.com/print/science"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.wired.com/print/science</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;">>. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Warr, Wendy A. "Social software: fun and games, or business tools?" Journal of Information Science, Vol. 34: 4, August 2008. pp. 591-604. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:78%;">Web 2.0 Wiki. </span><a href="http://web2tutorial.wikispaces.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://web2tutorial.wikispaces.com/</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-1290846182760601035?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-77488854270727936772009-04-09T09:00:00.000-04:002009-04-09T09:00:00.992-04:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1URy-KzyI/AAAAAAAAAKs/62hqWNViV2E/s1600-h/informational+literacy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313495800084090658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1URy-KzyI/AAAAAAAAAKs/62hqWNViV2E/s400/informational+literacy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>I don’t know about you, but I conduct at least one Google search a day. It seems like there is always something I want to learn more about or need to find information about. I’ve learned that there are a few techniques that you can do in any simple search to improve your search results and cut down on the time you spend looking through information that is irrelevant to your search quest. Try these tricks the next time you search for anything online. </p><br /><br /><p>If you want to skip reading any further, you can watch a helpful little video that one of my peers at school put together for an assignment. She does a wonderful job of explaining and depicting everything I’m about to talk about. You can check out the video here: <a href="http://www.personal.kent.edu/~kreiber/karen.wmv">http://www.personal.kent.edu/~kreiber/karen.wmv</a> . </p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:180%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>Use quotes.</strong></span> By putting your search terms in quotation marks you are letting the search engine know that you want to find only results in which each of your terms appears in that exact order. This can be particularly helpful when looking for terms such as “French Restoration,” “human rights,” or “affirmative action.” Each of these terms, if placed on their own would result in a large number of useless results, but when placed in quotation marks greatly limits the options to those most relevant. </p><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1UqQmZ9iI/AAAAAAAAAK8/tXD7Wfv4pZg/s1600-h/boolean+operators.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313496220354344482" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 95px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1UqQmZ9iI/AAAAAAAAAK8/tXD7Wfv4pZg/s400/boolean+operators.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:180%;color:#6600cc;"><strong>Use “Boolean Operators.”</strong></span> Boolean Operators are the following three words: <i>and, or, not</i>. When used properly, these can go a long ways towards improving your search capabilities. <i>And</i> can be used to limit a search, <i>or</i> can expand a search, and “not” can serve to limit a search. By placing these operators between your search terms (for example: endangered AND birds) you can help improve your search. Also, if you notice, many more formal, advanced search engines, such as the ones you might find at a library catalog already provide you with Boolean Operators to select from. </p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>Use “site:”</strong></span> By attaching the word “site:” at the end of any search query and then including a domain extension, such as .com, .org, .gov, or .edu, you can limit your search and increase the reliability of the results. For example, if I was researching the French Revolution, but only wanted information from a school website I would type the following into my search bar: “French Revolution” site: .edu. This would give me results that only came from sites designated as “educational” and would limit my search to results which only had <i>French</i> and <i>Revolution</i> right next to each other. </p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:180%;color:#993399;"><strong>Use a minus sign.</strong></span> Did you know that after any search query you can include a minus sign plus another term? This means that you want to exclude that secondary term from your search. I did this just the other day when I was looking for an image of the Australian bush country. I conducted my search in Google Images and originally searched the terms: Australian bush. I found that most of the results included George Bush, not at all what I wanted. So, I changed my search to read: Australian Bush –George. This narrowed my search, but then I found that most of the images were of the recent fires that crossed the Australian outback. I redefined my search to read: Australian Bush –George –fire. This gave me good results and I was able to quickly find the image I wanted. </p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff9900;"><strong>Don’t ask questions.</strong></span> I know that “Ask Jeeves” has carved out a corner of the market by promoting this idea, but really, it is one of the worst ways to search on the internet. While the computer may be smart, you are smarter. Think about the question you are asking, extract the most important information and create a useful search question. Eliminate all insignificant words from your question (like, <i>it, to, the</i>) and focus on the nouns. Transitioning from <i>“What impact does the government have on global warming?”</i> to <i>“Global Warming” government impact site: .gov </i>will limit your search results from about 5 million to 500,000, not to mention increase the validity of your results. Despite the drastic difference it makes, you’d be surprised how many students just blindly type in their search question, rather than think about the actual query they are creating. </p><br /><br /><p>Hopefully, as you put these simple search techniques to use you can not only improve your own internet research capabilities, but pass on some good hints to your children. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7748885427072793677?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-59118749882287330652009-04-06T20:00:00.000-04:002009-04-06T20:04:38.010-04:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR09WrNQ2I/AAAAAAAAAJk/3VYc08ol-6w/s1600-h/informational+literacy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310998457984303970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR09WrNQ2I/AAAAAAAAAJk/3VYc08ol-6w/s400/informational+literacy.jpg" border="0" /></a> It doesn’t take much observation of teenagers to recognize that they feel comfortable with technology. They can text, update their MySpace page, and download songs to their I-Pod in a flash.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR2d01EDbI/AAAAAAAAAKE/M-w3n0UL8Vs/s1600-h/I-Pod.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311000115346148786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 273px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR2d01EDbI/AAAAAAAAAKE/M-w3n0UL8Vs/s320/I-Pod.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>What is a bit more surprising, researchers are finding, is that these same students struggle when faced with using a search engine to find a reliable website, or determining the validity of a web site, or navigating through search results. In fact, studies show that, “today’s undergraduates are generally far less prepared to do research than were students of earlier generations, despite their familiarity with powerful new information-gathering tools” (Breivik).</p><br /><br /><p>Technology has become an integral part of our daily lives and a necessity in the business and economic work force. Today’s work environment requires employees to be able to manage large amounts of information in order to maintain a “strategic advantage in today’s global market” (Breivik). With such rapid changes in technology, teachers and educators are beginning to realize that, while students may be familiar with technology, they are not proficient at learning how to use it. In other words, today’s youth are not information literate.</p><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR1QCmj8WI/AAAAAAAAAJs/coQ4VFzdbU0/s1600-h/Info+Lit.+Arrows.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310998779013624162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR1QCmj8WI/AAAAAAAAAJs/coQ4VFzdbU0/s320/Info+Lit.+Arrows.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>In January of 1989, the ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy offered this definition of the term: “to be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (Leininger). Essentially, information literate people have learned how to learn. (If you're interested in what exactly students are expected to be able to do, you can check out the standards <a href="http://www.janetsinfo.com/big6info.htm">here</a>.) They also concluded that information literacy is a learned skill—a skill which are becoming “more and more important in our jobs as well as our daily lives” (Leininger). </p><br /><br /><p>Recognizing the importance of information literacy isn’t enough. A major problem is arising. Technology develops, but our academic curriculum isn’t aligning itself to meet these changing needs. In other words, today’s students aren’t receiving the direct instruction they need to become information literate and consequently, successful in a technology-rich world. </p><br /><br /><p>While teachers may assign research projects and librarians may teach students how to navigate the library catalog and locate a book on the shelf, no educator takes direct responsibility for teaching students how to evaluate, locate and judge the material they find online. This isn’t to say they don’t try, but with the ever-present pressures of standardized testing and curriculum alignment, there often isn’t time to present students with the instruction that they need. </p><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR1xM5Cv6I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/M-v9YaYATy4/s1600-h/Time+Mag.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310999348711178146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR1xM5Cv6I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/M-v9YaYATy4/s320/Time+Mag.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Businesses and higher education have begun to recognize the importance of ascertaining a candidate’s information literacy before making decisions and hiring judgments. As a result, the Prinction-based educational Testing Service, who also creates the SAT and ACT exams, has begun creating tests designed to “grade students’ knowledge of the cyber world” (Heyboer). Their initial test results show were “shocking [because] students did not perform well.” They view the preliminary results of these tests as “a warning flag…and a cry for action” (Heyboer). </p><br /><br /><p>While we might not be preparing to enter the collegiate world or pursue and international banking career, having sound informational literacy skills can benefit us in our personal lives. Not only can we better improve our own ability to interact with and utilize technology, but we can make sure our children are gaining the skills they need to succeed. Being able to speak the language and reinforce what your children are learning in school can have a powerful effect. </p><br /><br /><p>Have you been looking for a new home? Comparing the safety ratings of car before making a new purchase? Contemplating the advantages of one car seat over another? Looking for reliable information on a political candidate and their policies? Helping a youngster learn about whale sharks for homework? Learning about a newly diagnosed medical condition? Whatever your informational need, strong informational literacy skills can help. </p><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR18382oGI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/olDC88UpQHc/s1600-h/Information_Literacy_posters.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310999549248446562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 304px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbR18382oGI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/olDC88UpQHc/s320/Information_Literacy_posters.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>The purpose of this little blog mini-series is to help you become familiar with some of these skills, so that you can apply them to you and your family’s lives. In the upcoming posts we’ll learn how to improve our internet search quests, evaluate the information we find, protect ourselves from internet hazards, and find some valuable resources of information. Make sure to come back to learn more!</p><br /><br /><blockquote><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Leininger, Michele. Information Literacy and Public Libraries Retrieved May 3, 2007 from http://www.webjunction.org</span></p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Breivik, Patricia Senn. (2005) 21st Century Learning and Information Literacy Change 37(2) 20-28.</span></p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Heyboer, Kelly. (2007) Tech-savvy kids? New test shows shortcomings in cyber literacy. http://www.ets.org/ictliteracy/demo.html </span></p></blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-5911874988228733065?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-3578288558469195262009-04-02T19:43:00.004-04:002009-04-05T17:47:09.623-04:00<p>By Lonica Rowley</p><br /><p>I just came across a fantastic website that can help you identify the next great book on your reading list. The website is called Novelist and is offered through EBSCOHost (a very reliable distributor, if any of you are familiar with it). While this site it most often used by librarians who are searching for books on a particular request, its available to the general public, as long as you have a library card. </p><br /><p>What does this oh-so-useful site offer you? A whole lot. You can get any of the following: </p><ul><br /><li>lists of award winners, grouped by age categories and topics. </li><br /><li>Author read-a-likes. You can use this feature to search for similar books to those published by an author you particularly like. </li><br /><li>Author biographies. </li><br /><li>Recommended readings, grouped by age categories and topics. </li><br /><li>BookTalks, basically like written trailers for a book. </li><br /><li>Reviews on all sorts of books. </li></ul><br /><p>If you remember my <a href="http://blogforliteracy.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-should-i-read-now.html">earlier recommendations </a>to use Amazon.com to help you identify a book you might like to read, this might start to sound familiar. Essentially, Novelist is an upscale, professional version of Amazon. Their focus is just more literary-minded and people serving, rather than geared towards a comercial, we-want-your-money attitude.<br /></p><br /><p>You can access the site through the local library website. Go to <a href="http://www.ualibrary.org/">http://www.ualibrary.org/</a> or <a href="http://www.columbuslibrary.org/">http://www.columbuslibrary.org/</a> and select the "research/database" link. Scroll through the listings until you come to Novelist. Select this and the site should ask for your library card number. Upon entry, you'll be admitted to the site and all of it's wonderful resources. </p><p>I strongly recommend that you take some time to explore their site and see what they might have to offer you. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-357828855846919526?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-62819375186738869162009-03-29T13:27:00.004-04:002009-04-02T18:11:19.966-04:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sc-v5ULQJOI/AAAAAAAAAMU/pAo1iqHNMQ8/s1600-h/WriteOn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318663084151153890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sc-v5ULQJOI/AAAAAAAAAMU/pAo1iqHNMQ8/s400/WriteOn.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>By Terri Hessler<br /><br />It might surprise you to find out that one of the last large writing studies conducted determined that students spend very little time in school on paragraph-length or longer writing (Applebee, 1981). It is common for longer writing pieces to be assigned to be written out of class because of the time constraints of the classroom. Without providing students time to write in the presence of an instructor or peers from whom they can gain feedback, direction, and/or support, students miss out on the social aspect of writing and opportunities to improve their writing. It is clear to me that I’m going to have to supplement the writing experiences of my child throughout her academic career so that she is prepared for the rigors of college writing. Here is a list of ways to improve a child’s writing as she progresses through elementary and middle school. I think that summer is an especially good time for supplemental writing activities because it promotes the maintenance of an academic routine.</div><br /><br /><div><br />Most of these tips are grounded in a finding from a large scale study conducted on written expression outcomes during the 70’s and 80’s. Hillocks (1986) found that longer writing received higher scores/grades/marks than shorter writing. Unfortunately, many students with written expression deficits write very little. While it is counterproductive and naïve to think that writing more words will produce a better writing piece, it is the first step in getting students to write higher quality pieces. These tips can be easily implemented at home and center primarily on the idea that writing more helps children (and adults) write better. If you are interested in improving your own writing, several of these can be adapted for your use (e.g., #1, #3, #6, #7, #8, #12, #13, #15). Next month’s column will contain the remainder of the tips.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">1. Schedule daily writing time</span></strong><br />Get your child used to the idea that a writing assignment doesn’t necessarily have to be completed in one sitting and that, in fact, it may seem less insurmountable to “attack” a writing task a little bit at a time for several days instead of all at once.<br /><br /><span style="color:#6633ff;"><strong>2. Use fully developed prompts</strong><br /></span>Providing explicit instructions will both increase the amount a student writes and the quality of the written product. A typical writing prompt might read something like this: Write a 3-5 page paper on the use of submarines in the Civil War. This type of prompt gives the student little direction and encompasses a topic so large as to be daunting. How much more focused and organized the resulting paper would be if the student is instructed instead to write a 3-5 page paper on the use of submarines in the Civil War. Be sure to include information on a) how submarines were constructed at that time in history, b) which side utilized them to a greater degree and did either have any help from other countries, and c) how the outcome of the war might have been different without them. </div><br /><div><br />Even for younger children, providing direction/advice in the prompt can be helpful. Tell about a time you were embarrassed could be replaced with Tell about a time you were embarrassed. Who was around? Where were you? What happened?<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#00cccc;">3. Teach your child to self-graph</span></strong><br />Self-graphing the number of words written can be motivating for some students (Brigham, Graubard, &amp; Stans, 1972). A child could also count and graph number of correctly spelled words and number of new or different words. Public posting of graphs could encourage him or her to beat previous scores for a “personal best.” Friends and relatives (e.g., grandma, primary teacher, older brother) can be recruited to notice and praise “personal bests.”<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">4. Teach strategies with mnemonics</span><br /></strong>Many writing process strategies involve easy-to-remember mnemonics that can be posted on a wall or ‘fridge, or printed on laminated cards for portability. Some examples are:<br /><strong>TREE</strong><br />develop <strong>T</strong>opic sentence<br />include <strong>R</strong>easons to support premise<br /><strong>E</strong>xamine the soundness of each supporting reason<br />create an <strong>E</strong>nding for the paper (Graham &amp; Harris, 1989)<br /><br /><strong>PLAN</strong><br /><strong>P</strong>ay attention to the prompt<br /><strong>L</strong>ist main ideas<br /><strong>A</strong>dd supporting details<br /><strong>N</strong>umber your ideas (De La Plaz, 1999)<br /><br />For simple editing, teach children to use <strong>COPS</strong> for checking<br /><strong>C</strong>apitalization<br /><strong>O</strong>rganization (paragraphing)<br /><strong>P</strong>unctuation<br /><strong>S</strong>pelling<br /><br /><span style="color:#ffcc33;"><strong>5. Let child choose own topics</strong><br /></span>Allowing students to write about what they know may result in more text and in students caring more about the final product.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">6. Use a topic jar<br /></span></strong>For some kids, deciding what to write is a big part of the problem. For them, use a large mouth Mason jar to hold writing topics written by both kids and adults. There are various commercial products available that provide lists of writing topics (e.g., The English Teachers Book of Lists). Allow child to both add to and pick from the jar.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>7. Support and encourage brainstorming</strong><br /></span>The more time spent actively brainstorming, the better the finished product likely will be. Brainstorming can be adult-directed and merely conversational, or it can be more structured by using various graphic organizers, like webbing/bubbling, T-charts, or Venn diagrams.<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-6281937518673886916?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-44823744118614254312009-03-29T13:22:00.002-04:002009-03-29T13:26:25.952-04:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sc-vKYe90JI/AAAAAAAAAMM/stpDDI-W2Es/s1600-h/Recovering+Charles.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318662277853728914" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sc-vKYe90JI/AAAAAAAAAMM/stpDDI-W2Es/s320/Recovering+Charles.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><p>By Jaylene Scott </p></div><br /><div><p>I recently finished reading "Recovering Charles" by Jason F. Wright, the author of "The Wednesday Letters" and "Christmas Jars." I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It is a story of a young man named Luke who distanced himself from his drunken father after tragedy struck his earlier life. He goes on to live life, not really thinking about his father, until he gets a phone call shortly after Hurricane Katrina. His father had moved to New Orleans and was among the people missing shortly after the disaster. Luke has to decide whether it's time to go searching after his father and unearth some pain and sorrow he'd had hidden for so many years, or to ignore pleas for help from his father's friends. </p></div><br /><div><p>Wright uses a series of flashbacks to help the reader understand the trials that Luke and his family faced. Luke has to sort through his feelings, but decides that the right thing to do is to go to New Orleans to look for his father. The book continues by telling of Luke's journey to and through New Orleans in search of the man that he used to know. </p></div><br /><div><p>Glenn Beck said about this book:"Recovering Charles is a riveting story of hope, healing, and, above all, faith. I was profoundly touched by seeing my own struggles reflected in its pages and inspired by its message that life can always have a second verse."</p></div><br /><div><p>This book was a quick and pleasant read, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good story that helps you reflect on the truly important things in life.</p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-4482374411861425431?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-53361572082569981672009-03-15T13:36:00.005-04:002009-03-15T14:23:46.062-04:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1FK2fh9eI/AAAAAAAAAKc/fewAFkcbR2Y/s1600-h/YoungAdult.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313479188095825378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1FK2fh9eI/AAAAAAAAAKc/fewAFkcbR2Y/s400/YoungAdult.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>By Lonica Rowley</p><br /><p>Young adult and adult fiction often overlap boundaries. Part of the difficulty, historically, with getting publishers and literary critics to acknowledge this literary genre lay in actually <i>defining</i> the genre. In fact, even today, well after young adult fiction has been recognized by many critics, there are many works of fiction which continue to vacillate between the two categories. However, there are certain characteristics that continue to appear and define the young adult genre; the following are some of the most significant. </p><br /><ol><li><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6600;"><strong>Stories are told from the viewpoint of young people.</strong></span> Most young adult fiction is told from a first person perspective and is written from the eyes of a young adult. There may be multiple perspectives or plot lines in a single work, but they will all most likely be told from the perspective of a teenager. Essentially, teenagers like to read about other teenagers. Even if the story doesn’t necessarily center on a young adult, it will often be told from a youngster’s perspective. For example, you could easily argue that <i>To Kill A Mockingbird</i> is really an adult story that revolves around Atticus and Tom Robinson’s court trial, but since the story is told from the perspective a Scout, a young girl, young adults relate more easily to the tale. </li><li><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>Young adult stories often get rid of all adult figures.</strong></span> This often allows the young adult to shine in center stage and receive credit for all the work they accomplish throughout the story. Adults are often missing or only play a minor role. An incredible number of stories eliminate any and all adult figures, take <i>Lord of the Flies</i> for example. Certainly, the boys in the story would not have started hunting one another had an adult figure been around to guide and lead them. If, by chance, an adult does figure into the story, they are rarely a parent of one of the characters. More often, any adults in a tale will be more of a mentor figure that the teen has sought out and approaches on their own terms. </li><li><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;"><strong>Young adult literature is fast-paced.</strong></span> Many teens struggle to read for enjoyment at all, let alone willingly plow through a lengthy novel on their own initiative—of course, the <i>Harry Potter</i> series was a ground-breaking work on this front. Most young adult fiction is quick to read and quick to develop. In order to accomplish this task, the young adult genre is often marked by a limited number of characters and narrative events. Furthermore, the language flows naturally and changes and develops with the current times—popularity in speech and trends is often important in young adult fiction. </li><li><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>Young adult literature includes a variety of genres and subjects.</strong></span> While I often refer to it simply as “fiction,” the genre is really more than that. Young adults take interest in non-fiction, poetry, drama, science fiction, historical fiction, and even graphic novels, to name just a few. In fact, all types of literature are now being written to appeal to a young adult population. Teens’ tastes vary just as much as adults; they like to read about a variety of subjects and issues in a number of different literary forms. On the same front, young adult authors can feel comfortable writing about other cultures or customs. Not all stories need to be told from a well-understood, American middle-class perspective. Certainly, teens’ interest is piqued by learning about a different experience. In part, that’s one of the greatest values of literature—learning about places and people unlike you. Teens recognize that and can thoroughly immerse themselves in expanding their horizons. Indeed, educational research shows that the teen years are a great time, developmentally, for teens to learn about life outside of themselves. </li><li><span style="font-size:130%;color:#663366;"><strong>Young adult books are optimistic and characters make worthy accomplishments.</strong></span> Adults often get turned off by a teenaged protagonist that acts like they know more than adults, but in fact this is a major appeal to teens. The ability to succeed on their own terms and in their own way really appeals to young adults. In fact, change and growth is perhaps the most common theme appearing in young adult literature. All works of literature in this genre explore the theme to some extent. In most cases, the protagonist loses innocence as part of the passage from childhood to adulthood. This gaining of maturity would, potentially, affect them for the rest of their lives. The inherent need to learn, grow, and overcome appeals to teens of all ages. </li><li><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc00;"><strong>Young adult novels deal with real emotions.</strong></span> At a time in life when hormones often rule, teens take particular interest in emotions and want to see them accurately represented in the fiction they read. Often books deal with similar emotional struggles: acquiring more mature social skills, achieving emotional independence from parents and other adults, developing a personal ideology and ethical standard, achieving a masculine or feminine sex role, etc. By following the development of these feelings in a fictional character, teens are often able to work out their own angst and emotional struggles. </li></ol><br /><p>While this is only a brief view of young adult fiction, these defining characteristics often help to establish and corral the genre. Certainly, once you are aware, it becomes easy to see the reoccurrence of these characteristics when reading young adult literature. </p><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1FeaZEq_I/AAAAAAAAAKk/9BStOvL6Fjo/s1600-h/lit+for+ya.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313479524149930994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 106px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sb1FeaZEq_I/AAAAAAAAAKk/9BStOvL6Fjo/s200/lit+for+ya.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>Much of this information is taken from the book <i>Literature for Today’s Young Adults </i>by Kenneth Donelson and Alleen pace Nilsen. Certainly, if you are interested in learning more about this thriving literary genre, this is one of the most highly-reputed texts in the field. I would strongly recommend this entertaining and informative text to anyone curious about the field. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-5336157208256998167?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-86860076142543845092009-03-08T22:27:00.005-04:002009-03-12T19:40:50.512-04:00<p>By Lisa Hymas</p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbmdOicUjzI/AAAAAAAAAKM/pNF6nE1FYzs/s1600-h/The_Alchemist2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbmdOicUjzI/AAAAAAAAAKM/pNF6nE1FYzs/s400/The_Alchemist2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312450108549533490" /></a><br />I&nbsp;just finished reading <EM>The Alchemist </EM>by Paulo Coelho and I really enjoyed it. The book was first published in 1988 in Portuguese and has since been translated into 67 languages. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history. <BR> &nbsp;<BR> After the first few pages, I knew I would enjoy the simple writing style. This book in not about religion, but about spirituality and the main character's, Santiago, journey to fulfull his peronal legend. <BR> &nbsp;<BR> I think it would be a good first book for someone wanting to read&nbsp;something soul searching, intriguing, and yet very easy to read and makes you smile at the end. The content was clean and took me only a few days to finish (and I'm not a fast reader).<BR> <EM></EM>&nbsp;<BR> <EM>from Amazon.com: </EM><BR> <EM></EM>&nbsp;<BR> <EM>"</EM><EM>The Alchemist</EM> presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream. Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-8686007614254384509?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-60599577507307485242009-03-08T16:35:00.002-04:002009-03-08T17:05:16.731-04:00<p>In trying to improve this blog, it's helpful to get an idea of how you feel about it. Please let us know what you think by answering the following polls. Don't worry, all your responses will be anonoymous. </p><br /><p> You can go <a href="http://www.polldaddy.com/s/09957F48F2C40A5A/">here</a> to participate in a short (and easy) survey. </p><br /><p><script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"><br />var PDF_surveyID = '09957F48F2C40A5A';<br /> var PDF_openText = 'View Survey';<br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="http://www.polldaddy.com/s.js"></script><br /><noscript><a href="http://www.polldaddy.com/s/09957F48F2C40A5A/">View Survey</a></noscript></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-6059957750730748524?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-73889740184380633382009-03-08T04:29:00.002-04:002009-03-08T16:39:37.131-04:00<div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbFqDjZA5mI/AAAAAAAAAJc/vbRc9bZXDVE/s1600-h/MonthlyChallenge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310142044918834786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SbFqDjZA5mI/AAAAAAAAAJc/vbRc9bZXDVE/s400/MonthlyChallenge.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>One thing I've always had lots of requests for when speaking with others about this blog, is to include lots of book reviews. While I read a lot, I know that I'm not the only one out there reading. I would love to have your book review contributions!</p><br /><p><font color="#990000" size="4">As a result, I'm going to extend last month's challenge to write a book review for our literacy blog.</font> </p><br /><p>The winning prize will still be the book, <i>Long After Dark</i>, as described <a href="http://blogforliteracy.blogspot.com/2009/02/and-winner-is.html">here</a>. </p><br /><p>I would love to see an in-pouring of books reviewed for our perusal. I think there may be a couple things holding people back.</p><br /><p>Many people have expressed the sentiment that, "I hope this book will be good enough to review." One thing I hope you understand is that you can feel welcome to review a book that is mediocure or even not good at all. Certainly, we all want to read good books, but it can be just as helpful to know which books to avoid. In other words, if there is a book you've set aside because you decided it didn't fit your expectations (whatever those may be), let us know, so that we don't also waste our time and effort on pusuing the same novel. Whatever your opinion of the reading material, feel free to share it with us so we can be forewarned about what to expect. </p><br /><p>Second, you know need to feel like a stupendous writer to write a review. Reviews can be simple and easy. A basic review can include nothing more than: </p><br /><ol><br /><li>Your opinion of the novel.</li><br /><li>Two or three sentences describing the plot (without ruining it).</li><br /><li>Who you would recommend the book too. </li></ol><br /><p>You don't need to know all about the author or the literary discussions experts might be having on the novel, all you need to do is express your opinion. </p><br /><p>Thirdly, sending in your review is easy. You can either submit it to lonica2.blogforliteracy@blogger.com (as part of the body of the e-mail, rather than an attachment) or e-mail it to me directly at Lonica.rowley@gmail.com. I can always attach an image of your book, if you'd like. </p><br /><p>Hopefully, we can help each other out by recommending good (or not-so-good) books we've read. Don't be shy! Send in your book reviews! </p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7388974018438063338?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-24396195820257147782009-03-04T16:22:00.002-05:002009-03-10T18:13:45.263-04:00<p>by Anita Fairbanks</p><br /><p>There it is again, the white emptiness, my own cliff of Dover, the dead impasse that blocks all progress. Scattered words, flung carelessly, bounce off the screen without sticking. I scroll to the bottom of the page, my chisel poised: nothing. “You can’t edit until you’ve written something,” I chide myself in a maternal tone. </p><br /><p> Didn’t I leave my writing phobias behind me when I graduated? I remember, with some remorse, those long days and all-too terminable nights at my computer that I spent scratching my scalp for words, for sentences, for any idea really that felt remotely original. Sunrise would find me through the dim glass of the computer lab, finally clucking away, muttering out loud, and gobbling peanut M&M’S, one per paragraph. I don’t miss it; why then, with the deadlines put to rest, do I find myself stifling urges to self-inflict my time with writing assignments? </p><br /><p>Yes, there were the rare, clarifying moments on the library balcony, where I “found” my topic, and more importantly, where I experienced a genuine encounter with truth. I was never the source of this truth, but seemed to fall upon it through patches of sunlight, like sensing a deer in the woods, one whose eyes have been tracking you all along. It was during these moments, with my pen aside and my sight fixed on a horizon somewhere inside me, that I could silently gaze at the idea I hadn’t written yet. I reveled in these experiences, academic as the books which bound them, but spiritual because of the means by which they occurred, “the same light that quickeneth your understanding,” the light of Christ (D&C 8:11). My agnostic companions, and even my theistic ones, spoke excitedly of similar experiences, not knowing, however, what I had been practicing since Primary, that “by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5, emphasis added).</p><br /><p> Perhaps I miss the encounters with truth that I gained during the writing process, perhaps the pride of accomplishment, but it doesn’t change the fact that writing is harder now. It’s harder to find an uninterrupted moment, as is evident by the yelling baby in my lap currently dismantling the stapler, and pounding typos faster than I can delete them; it’s harder when you don’t have a professor expecting something by morning. Why continue writing? In Ether chapter 12, Moroni hints that it may be more essential to my character than I first thought when I exchanged schooling for motherhood. “When we write,” he states (and I’m applying this to the general human experience), “we behold our weaknesses, and stumble because of the placing of our words” (vs. 25). He nailed it—my writing phobia, in a nutshell. I hate seeing my flaws on paper. Somehow, the faults I see lie not only in a poorly written expression, but with my weak understanding, my inability to communicate, to think, to create. </p><br /><p> In verse 27, we learn that these fears, brought on by the writing process, are purposeful. In fact, the Lord gives us our weaknesses, that we “may be humble.” We are shown our weaknesses when we “come unto [Him],” and writing is one way to exercise that. Then, through humility and faith, the Lord “makes weak things become strong.” I could call this blessing “editing,” but that would flatten its meaning. While it’s true that I have prayed over essays and thereby improved them, sometimes I improve myself along the way. For example, after struggling with an assignment in French class on Flaubert’s “Un Cœur Simple,” I found myself choosing the topic of confession and obsessing over a resulting essay five times the required length. I can only conclude that perhaps there were a few things in my life that I needed to repent of. Over and over, I find that my writing reflects the issues that are of greatest personal concern to me. The topics have weight; they seem alive and jump from book to book, following me until I resolve them, or at least record them, on paper.</p><br /><p>Moroni’s instructions are clear and his implications haunting. We have weaknesses. They can be made into strengths through faith in Christ, the ultimate Word. But we need to be humble about them, and sometimes, a blank page can help. I’ve decided to get started on that children’s book I’m trying to write, not because it will be any good, not because I want others to read it, but because I want to challenge my weaknesses. I’ll find them in my own writing and in the characters I create. My chisel is poised. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-2439619582025714778?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-76498523575412105332009-03-04T08:34:00.004-05:002009-03-06T12:45:39.865-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sa6DydM4wbI/AAAAAAAAAJU/OkukHr79uPo/s1600-h/Beginnings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sa6DydM4wbI/AAAAAAAAAJU/OkukHr79uPo/s400/Beginnings.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309325913571770802" /></a><br /><p>By Vilo Westwood</p><br /><p>Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man . . . </p><br /><p>Rhymes are often one of the first things we share with our babies. They're fun, easy to remember, and children respond enthusiastically. For all these reasons rhymes are vitally important to children's further success with language. If children develop the ability to rhyme, it helps them read (looks like dime, it must be TIME!) and even spell. Most importantly, rhymes are fun. Word play creates warm, fuzzy feelings about language that makes children and adults want more and more. </p><br /><p>Since they are easy to remember rhymes help children as they begin to talk. </p><br /><p>Also, the classic nursery rhymes are building blocks for a lot of further literature experience. Kindergarten and first grade classes refer to these rhymes in many activities. Agatha Christie used nursery rhymes as starting points for many of her mysteries. </p><br /><p>Feel you don't know many rhymes? Most libraries have anthologies of nursery rhymes (some with CDs) and some collections of action rhymes (ones that have motions and gestures). There are at least two collections of Spanish rhymes (also in English).</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7649852357541210533?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-20617051059853825552009-03-03T17:25:00.005-05:002009-03-04T16:26:31.341-05:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sa2wDF9QvkI/AAAAAAAAAJM/aei6m90lCeE/s1600-h/OutOfTheBestBooks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/Sa2wDF9QvkI/AAAAAAAAAJM/aei6m90lCeE/s400/OutOfTheBestBooks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309093102924906050" /></a><br /><p>By Candace Rowley</p><br /><p><b>“We are often admonished to beware the evils of pornography. How do we judge literature to be good or bad when we occasionally find questionable inferences and explication in literature that is thought to be great—such as found in Shakespeare, Fielding, Flaubert, and others?”</p></b><br /><p>Brother Richard Cracroft answers this question in the article you can download <a href="http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=5f3c39e7e7a9b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1">here</a>. Some of my favorite comments…</p><br /><p>We are mindful of the Savior’s admonition in the Sermon on the Mount that “the light of the body is the eye,” that it is the eye that can fill our souls with light—or with darkness. When we turn our eye to literature, then, it is with a knowledge that use or misuse of literature can, as with anything that really matters, fill our souls with light or with darkness. It is up to us; we have our free agency.</p><br /><p>The key to the problem of how one judges literature lies, then, in our own spirituality and not in a simplistic rejection of all literature. We must learn, as Francis Bacon advises us, that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” We must select carefully among the vast menu.</p><br /><p>Reaching a solution through the Spirit, it seems to me, leads us to realize that because life and time are short, we will be able to read only a few thousand books in our lifetimes. When we pick any book, we are ruling out hundreds and thousands of other books. How important it is, then, to choose time-proven great books that will foster the Holy Spirit and enable us to rise to greater levels of truth and beauty and insight and understanding, and hence, spirituality. Many great men and women have found that a steady, systematic approach to literature has enabled them to fill their beings, in a lifetime of good reading, with the great thoughts of men and women of all the ages, for through reading great books we are put in touch with the great minds of all time, and we become their spiritual and intellectual heirs.</p><br /><p>We know as well that much of the literature of the world springs from the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord and that our libraries are full of works written by men and women not of our faith, but “who have contemplated deeply,” President Young once said, “on various subjects, and the revelations of Jesus have opened their minds, whether they knew it or acknowledged it or not” (Journal of Discourses, 12:116). In our own reading programs we need to look into the inspired writing of such men and women, remembering, as Elder Adam S. Bennion often reminded us, that “good reading is a great guarantee of spiritual enrichment” (The Candle of the Lord, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1958, p. 266).</p><br /><p>If you read widely and thoughtfully, and retain the companionship of the Holy Spirit as you progress from level to level in your development, you will find yourself seeking the good in everything you read, and you will not be disappointed. You will be responding, wholeheartedly, to the Lord’s injunction to “seek … out of the best books words of wisdom” (D&C 88:118), and he will reward you abundantly.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-2061705105985382555?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-55161668555082523412009-02-26T17:30:00.008-05:002009-03-03T13:43:53.484-05:00<p><div>By Lonica Rowley</p><br /></div><div> </div><div>Before recently, I've only read Orson Scott Card's religious fiction, <em>Sarah. </em>I enjoyed this novel and thought it was well-researched and uplifiting. Well, I should mention that I also read <em>Ender's <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SacdoIXxScI/AAAAAAAAAJE/8g0Ii9MbZnA/s1600-h/Ender%27s+Game.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307243261158574530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 245px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SacdoIXxScI/AAAAAAAAAJE/8g0Ii9MbZnA/s400/Ender%27s+Game.gif" border="0" /></a>Game</em> at the behest of my mother back as a teenager (that's a story for another day). I will say though, that I hated <em>Ender's Game</em> the first time around. As part of my young adult literature class I was compelled to read it again. I've been dreading it for weeks now. Pleasantly, I was rather surprised when I began reading it again and was immediately drawn in an intrigued by the story. I don't remember any of the plot from when I was younger, so I'd like to think that this was my initial attempt at the novel. I remained interested and motivated by the story right up until the end. </div><br /><div>Essentially, the novel opens with a six-year-old boy, Ender, who has had his "monitor" removed. The reader, while entirely unsure of what a "monitor" is exactly, fully understands the significance and danger in which this places Ender. Luckily, Ender doesn't have survive without his monitor for long. He is summoned to Battle School where he is going to learn how to commande future armies in the world's ward against the Buggers. Over the course of the next five years Ender begins to slowly realize what exactly is instore for him.<br /></div><div><p>I know, I know, it all sounds a little implausible, but Card does a wonderful job narrating his story and creating a great deal of sympathy for the Ender. While the novel is science fiction, the issues invovled really make the reader start to think. How <em>should </em>people best handle power? Is it right to put so much pressure on one so young, even if that <em>is</em> the only option? Is it better to be agressive or should we wait patiently for what will come?</p><br /></div><div><p>While I might not have recognized it as a teen, I can truly see now why <em>Ender's Game</em> won both the Hugo and Nebula award, making Card the only recipient to recieve both of science fiction's most prestigious awards consecutively. If you are a fan of <em>Harry Potter</em>, <em>The Hunger Games, The Giver, or The Host, Ender's Game </em>could be right up your alley. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. </div></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-5516166855508252341?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-79878213774535775362009-02-26T17:00:00.005-05:002009-03-01T21:33:32.035-05:00<p>By Lonica Rowley</p><br /><p>One of the most common questions I get asked when it comes to literacy is often, "What should I read now?" Finding a good book can often be difficult. I usually look to a few places when looking for something new to read. If you find yourself with this problem, maybe these tips can help you: </p><br /><ol><br /><li><strong><font color="#cc0000" size="4">Look for new releases and books on display.</font></strong> I often browse the "New" or "Bestseller" sections of the library or local bookstores. I actually think that bookstores (like Barnes and Noble or Borders) are great places to find books. I'll spend hours (just ask Scott!) looking through the books they have on display and writing down the titles so I can look them up at the library later. While some libraries do a better job than others, they usually tend to "catalog" books, rather than display them. By looking through book stores I often identify the same books showing up in many different places. Start looking at the airport, grocery store, or book stores and you'll start to recognize the same titles showing up over and over again. In many cases, I can assume that if a book is worth displaying in many different locations, it must be worth reading. Don't get me wrong, this technique (like all techniques) has lead me astray many times, but it has also helped me find a number of great reads. An additional advantage? Most of the displayed books also happen to be the books that people are currently reading and you can then participate in scintillating literary conversations!</li><br /><li><strong><font color="#cc0000" size="4">Weed through book awards.</font></strong> Look to see who has won the Newberry, the Printz, or the Nobel prize (to name a few). Obviously, if these books were good enough to win a major award, they are also probably good enough to merit an attempt at reading. While I haven't been able to find one website that conviently lists all the winners, try <a href="http://www.bookspot.com/awards/">this</a> one to get a start. </li><br /><li><strong><font color="#cc0000" size="4">Search for your favorite books on </font></strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/"><strong><font color="#cc0000" size="4">Amazon.com</font></strong></a><strong><font color="#cc0000" size="4">.</font></strong> If there is one thing Amazon has learned how to do, it's market. Amazon can be a great place to look for new reads. Rather than outright searching for something new, search for a book that you really like, or something to you would like to read more of. Click on the book you've selected and scroll to the bottom of the page. Notice the "customers who bought this also bought..." section? These people often like the same books you do, check out the selection presented to you by Amazon and see if anything strikes your interest. More than likely, something will intrigue you. </li><br /><li><strong><font color="#cc0000" size="4">Request the help of professionals.</font></strong> Believe it or not, the librarians sitting at the "Information" desk in the library are more than willing to walk the aisles of the library helping you track down a book that is "Sort of like the novel I read back in college that I can't remember, but really liked..." They can offer all sorts of suggestions and will even provide a mini-booktalk. Telling you about the book and what you might expect from reading it. </li><br /><li><strong><font color="#cc0000" size="4">Consult compiled book lists.</font></strong> I have yet to enter a library that doesn't provide a whole slew of bookmarks listing a number of books on a number of different topics. These books are selected by people who have read and appreciated their literary merits. If you are a fan of Jane Austen, there will be a list for you. If you love to read murder romance fiction, I'm sure there's a list for you as well. <a href="http://www.webrary.org/rs/FLbklistmenu.html">This </a>website is one of the best I've found online for offering comprehensive book lists. Check out what they have to offer. You can search for book lists by author, genre, topic, setting, or audience. They offer a TON of selection. Perhaps the list of "Tearjerkers" is right for you. Or maybe you'd appreciate the list of "Cool Reads for Hot Summer Days." Whatever you're cup of tea, there's sure to be a book list avaiable for you. </li></ol><br /><p>However you go about finding good books to read, I hope that you <em>do</em> find the book that is just right for you. Don't give up! Just because you just finished reading "The Best Book Ever" doesn't mean that there isn't another one out there you'll wind up liking as much. Hopefully, these tips will help you find that next good book. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7987821377453577536?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-76816466177662070452009-02-24T19:01:00.003-05:002009-02-26T16:39:42.538-05:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SacMFtl7SZI/AAAAAAAAAI8/0tGQy01bWyw/s1600-h/WriteOn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SacMFtl7SZI/AAAAAAAAAI8/0tGQy01bWyw/s400/WriteOn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307223978156968338" /></a><br /><p>By Terri Hessler</p><br /><p>Two researchers in the early ‘80s (i.e., Morris and Crump, 1982) discovered that students with learning disabilities were more likely to use fewer different words in their written expression than students without disabilities. They surmised that a lack of spelling ability could account for this, i.e., students with disabilities were more likely to use words they knew how to spell than “new” words, resulting in a repetition of easier-to-spell words. For example, a student might write the following:</p><br /><p><blockquote>I wulked to the store I din’t care. I wulked rite passed a big dog. I din’t see the big dog. I all most fell. He was a nice dog.</blockquote></p><br /><p>Other research (e.g., the body of work by Hart & Risley) indicates that the number of words a student is exposed to before the start of school correlates with 3rd grade academic achievement (i.e., higher number of words means higher academic achievement). So, to go back to the Morris and Crump study, perhaps students who are using fewer different words do not have a rich vocabulary from which to draw. Of course, Morris and Crump do not indicate if the students who used fewer different words had a richer oral vocabulary than their written expression indicated. Interestingly, it is quite common for students who are identified with disabilities and who have deficits in written expression to tell stories and give verbal descriptions using at- or above-grade level vocabulary that does not seem to appear in their writing pieces. Such a student might tell the story in the example given above like this:</p><br /><p><blockquote>“I strolled to the store casually, not caring about anything. I walked right past a mammoth of a dog (a Harlequin Great Dane, I think) without seeing him because I was absorbed in my thoughts. I almost tripped over him, but he didn’t even growl. That dog had a calm disposition.”</blockquote></p><br /><p>Notice that not only is the vocabulary more varied and advanced, but the description is longer and more involved. Shorter writing pieces are a classic characteristic of students with disabilities, especially those who have deficits in written expression.</p><br /><p>So the short and simple message for this month is to help your child develop a better vocabulary and help him or her to learn to spell the words he or she uses.</p><br /><p>One way I do the former (i.e., develop better vocabulary) with Carmi is to talk, sing, and read to her as much as possible. The landmark longitudinal study by Hart & Risley isolated as many variables as possible to determine that the number of words a child hears by the time he/she is 3 correlates with 3rd grade academic achievement. By doing so, the results showed that there is a 30 million word gap in the number of words a child of low SES (socioeconomic status) is exposed to compared to a child of high SES. Education researchers have long known that districts with high numbers of poor kids have lower achievement outcomes than students in more affluent districts (e.g., Columbus Public Schools compared to Upper Arlington City Schools). My translation of this is not that people need to be in high SES before having kids or even that they need to move to UA or Bexley or Dublin or New Albany before their kids start school. The take-home for me is that I need to make sure my child hears as many words as possible by the time she turns 3. </p><br /><p>I knew of this study when we first brought Carmi home, but I didn’t get serious about it until she was about 6 months old. I just couldn’t get used to talking, singing, and reading to a being who didn’t reciprocate in some way. My bad. I lost a lot of time, I think. Fortunately, Russ is an incessant talker so I think he is more than making up for lost time. Take note: Television doesn’t count! There has to be interaction along with the exposure to the words.</p><br /><p>For the latter (i.e., learn to spell the words she uses), I haven’t read the research on this. I’m not even sure there is research on this. So what I’m doing is helping Carmi become familiar with word families. One of our favorite programs to watch with her right now is Super Why? on PBS. In this show, one of the main characters is Wonder Red (in reference to Little Red Riding Hood, I think) who has Word Power, which is essentially an affinity for word families, such as ar words like far, car, jar or at words, like mat, cat, bat. So Carmi and I (and Russ does this, too, so there’s consistency) will occasionally sing the song on the show with new words. I know you won’t be able to imagine the tune, but if you go to www.pbskids.org/superwhy you might be able to find it there, but also watching it just once (9 a.m. on ch. 34/WOSU) will cause it to stick in your head (it’s one of those kinds of jingles). Just pick a word (one syllable works best), and think of another word that rhymes with it. I’ll use the word cap. A word that rhymes with cap is tap. The lyrics go like this: “Cap, tap, cap. Wonderific, you’re terrific, cap, tap, cap, wonderific, you’re terrific, cap!” After Carmi and I sing the song, I try to think of and say as many of the words in that word family as I can (e.g., flap, gap, lap, map, nap, rap, sap). I try to do this when I’m in the car with Carmi, because I tend to gravitate towards listening to talk radio, which probably isn’t much fun for her. It’s also a better alternative for me than tapes of kid songs, which I can only listen to one or two time through before my ears start to bleed.</p><br /><p>I try to remember to connect all the phoneme practice with anything we read. I’m not very good at that, but I’m trying. And I’m certainly not systematic about it either. She’s only just now starting to say a lot of words spontaneously so it might get to be more fun as she joins in.</p><br /><p>I also try to work on phoneme practice every chance I get. This will help her be ready to read, but I also believe it may help with spelling later. Phonemes are simply the smallest sound segments in our language, like the sounds the individual alphabet letters make. According to some research that I find compelling, it’s more important for a child to learn what sounds the letters make than to learn what the letter names are. The way I give Carmi extra phoneme practice now is in the bath tub with foam letters. I’ll hold up the letter C for example, and then I’ll say (very enthusiastically) something like “This is the letter C, Carmi! Your name starts with C! C makes the /k/ sound. Can you say /k/?” Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn’t. It’s a very low pressure activity, and I do my best to make it a short activity and fun.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7681646617766207045?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-63406852008002876092009-02-19T08:16:00.000-05:002009-02-19T08:16:06.608-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZh9FHLnFZI/AAAAAAAAAIs/VN4ck0136Vo/s1600-h/Part-Time+Indian+Book.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZh9FHLnFZI/AAAAAAAAAIs/VN4ck0136Vo/s400/Part-Time+Indian+Book.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303126088009323922" /></a><br /><p>This book combines an interesting mixture of humor and pathos. I didn't realize that a story so sad could also be so funny! Arnold Spirit, at the suggestion of one of his teachers, leaves his reservation school for the larger and more "hopeful" high school off the reservation. As a traitor to his tribe and friends, Arnold, must learn how to pave a new direction in life for himself, while still staying true to his heritage.</p><br /><p>I was particularly fond of Alexie's style and humor. While the book is slightly crude, with some bad language and sexual images, I found the story to smack of authenticity. Teens would relate well to the emotions Arnold faces. More than anything, Alexie possesses the knack for depicting real life in writing. As a National Book Award Winner, this book is one that everyone should read.</p><br /><p>I also selected this book to review for another important reason. I've often had people ask me how I feel about audio books--are they a legitimate form of literature? I would easily argue--yes! </p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZh8x4yZkHI/AAAAAAAAAIk/U2_izDDZFuE/s1600-h/Part-Time+Indian+Book+Recording.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 363px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZh8x4yZkHI/AAAAAAAAAIk/U2_izDDZFuE/s400/Part-Time+Indian+Book+Recording.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303125757727969394" /></a><br /><p><i>The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian</i> is a perfect example of a high-quality audio book. Not only did it win the Odyssey Award, an award for for the best audio book of the year, but it also provides an enriching dimension to reading the paper copy of the book. Read by the author, the audio recording adds to the humor and dynamics of the story. In fact, the book (since it contains a large number of cartoons drawn by the main character) goes well when read along with the audio recording. </p><br /><p>Young adults (or anyone for that reason) can learn a lot when listening to the pitch and rhythm of the written word when delivered by a skilled narrator. Listening to audio books are particularly valuable for students who struggle to read, stutter, suffer from dyslexia, or even avoid reading. Following along in a text while listening can help readers to train their inner "listening" ear; it can help them learn to recognize the way that punctuation should be read. I worked with many students who miss the humor or meaning of a story when reading silently to themselves, but pick up on it when listening to the story vocally.</p><br /><p>Audio books also have the advantage of being portable and allowing the listener to multi-task. You can listen to a story while folding laundry, washing dishes, exercising, or even driving (assuming you can do it safely!). If finding time for reading is difficult, audio books can help circumvent this difficulty. I'm not sure about the Columbus Metropolitan Library, but I know that Upper Arlington is starting to offer more and more books in a Playaway format. This audio recording doesn't require a tape or CD player to listen. The book comes entirely downloaded on a 2"x3" device that you can plug a set of head phones into. They are easily portable and convenient. </p><br /><p>If you need are still hesitant about audio recordings, this information, taken from YALSA site, might help convince you: </p><br /><blockquote><p>Circulation for children's audio books rose 10.7 percent and the budget for these materials rose 4.8 percent (Audio Publisher Association, December 2004) </p><br /><p>The growth in circulation of audio books is outpacing overall library circulation. Book clubs are increasingly made up of hybrid listener-readers, and the market for children's audio books is booming! (“Loud, Proud, Unabridged: It Is Too Reading!; The New York Times, May 26, 2005) </p></blockquote><p>It's important that we recognize the role of audio books in the development of literacy. Consider the following:</p><br /><blockquote><p>Research shows that one of the most important reasons for the increasing interest in audio books for young people is the correlation between listening to audio books and improvements in reading comprehension, fluency, language acquisition, vocabulary development and improved achievement. (“Not Just for Listening,” Book Links, May 2005) </p><br /><p>Fewer Americans are reading books than a decade ago, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, but almost a third more are listening to them on tapes, CDs and iPods. (“Loud, Proud, Unabridged: It Is Too Reading!; The New York Times, May 26, 2005) </p><br /><p>According to Wendy Kasten, an education professor at Kent State University, “Listening to tapes with books in front of students is very, very good for building vocabulary.” (“To Curl Up with a Good Book, Listen Up,” The Plain Dealer, May 23, 2005) </p></blockquote><p>At any rate, if choosing between not reading at all or listening to a story, I would much rather have student listen to the story. While there are significant advantages to seeing English written correctly (students can see spelling, grammar and mechanics of words), participating in literacy, whatever the medium might be, is better than missing out entirely. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-6340685200800287609?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-79176987872917669022009-02-15T14:18:00.012-05:002009-02-17T15:50:56.329-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZh2RsOo8AI/AAAAAAAAAIU/x-EHAIwYoaA/s1600-h/YoungAdult.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZh2RsOo8AI/AAAAAAAAAIU/x-EHAIwYoaA/s400/YoungAdult.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303118607531175938" /></a><br /><p>The end of January is a big time of year for young adult literature fans, as it marks the announcement of that year’s award winning novels. Many people are familiar with the popular children’s awards, The Caldecott and The Newberry, but fewer people realized that young adult books also receive awards. <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/yalsa.cfm">The Young Adult Library Services Association (or YALSA)</a> hosts and organizes this annual event. After committees read, nominate, and vote on winners throughout the year, the association meets at the end of each January to announce the yearly winners. </p><br /><p><b>The Printz </b></p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhq31kdWLI/AAAAAAAAAHc/oh-ciNrhxuM/s1600-h/printz+logo.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 222px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhq31kdWLI/AAAAAAAAAHc/oh-ciNrhxuM/s400/printz+logo.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303106068734105778" /></a><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/Printz.cfm">The Printz </a>award is perhaps the most coveted and prized of all young adult fiction awards. The purpose of this award is to identify “a book that exemplifies literary excellent in young adult literature.” One book each year is granted this honored award, but four as also selected as the honorary books of the year. </p><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhrUYn5o3I/AAAAAAAAAHk/QT7axik6ad4/s1600-h/Jellicoe+Road.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhrUYn5o3I/AAAAAAAAAHk/QT7axik6ad4/s320/Jellicoe+Road.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303106559180120946" /></a><br /><p>This years winner, <i>Jellicoe Road</i> by Melina Marchetta, is a story about Taylor Markham, a young woman haunted by her past, who reluctantly leads the students of the Jellicoe School in their secret territory wars against the Townies and the Cadets. Marchetta’s lyrical writing evokes the Australian landscape in a suspenseful tale of raw emotion, romance, humor and tragedy.</p><br /><p>Melina Marchetta lives in Sydney, Australia, and is the award-winning author of two previous novels. A former high school teacher, she is recognized for the authenticity of her teen characters’ voices.</p><br /><p>2009’s Honorary Printz Awards include:</p><br /><p><i>The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The Kingdom on the Waves</i>, by M.T. Anderson; <i>The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks</i>, by E. Lockhart; <i>Nation</i>, by Terry Pratchett; and <i>Tender Morsels</i>, by Margo Lanagan.</p><br /><p><b>The Margaret A. Edwards Award</b></p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhtYMlkcOI/AAAAAAAAAHs/ByrDNxgjxMw/s1600-h/EdwardsSeal.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhtYMlkcOI/AAAAAAAAAHs/ByrDNxgjxMw/s400/EdwardsSeal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303108823691849954" /></a><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/margaretedwards.cfm">The Edwards Awards </a>is in honor of one outstanding author whose body of writing has made a significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. Furthermore, "it recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world."</p><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZht7N8zodI/AAAAAAAAAH0/RUSnGBYTx1A/s1600-h/Anderson.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZht7N8zodI/AAAAAAAAAH0/RUSnGBYTx1A/s320/Anderson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303109425353171410" /></a><br /><p>I was excited to find that this year, Laurie Halse Anderson, was selected to recieve this award. As the recipient of this year's awards she will be the key note speaker at this years annual YALSA conference this upcoming summer. Although Anderson has written a number of different books, this award particularly highlights her novels <i>Catalyst, Fever 1793, and Speak</i>. With the publication of <i>Speak</i>, itself a 1995 honory Printz book, Anderson marked herself as a strong author who not only produces high-quality literature, but also as someone who can appeal to young adult readers. </p><br /><b><p>The Alex Awards</b></p><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhvspSPQjI/AAAAAAAAAIE/oVFQo3yiwjA/s1600-h/Alex+award+logo.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 171px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhvspSPQjI/AAAAAAAAAIE/oVFQo3yiwjA/s400/Alex+award+logo.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303111374016037426" /></a><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/alexawards/alex09.cfm">The Alex Award </a>is given yearly to ten books written for adults, but which would have particular appeal for to young adults, ages 12-18. Many books, either fiction or non-fiction have recieved this honor. </p><br /><p><b>William C. Morris Award</b></p><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhwhiT0sRI/AAAAAAAAAIM/j2ubQY62Ido/s1600-h/a+curse+dark+as+gold.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 296px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhwhiT0sRI/AAAAAAAAAIM/j2ubQY62Ido/s320/a+curse+dark+as+gold.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303112282676703506" /></a><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/morris/morrisaward.cfm">The Morris Award </a>saw it's debut this year with the selection of <i>A Curse as Dark as Gold</i> by Elizabeth C. Bunce. The award is given to an first-time publishing author writing to teens and "celebrates impressive new voices in young adult literature." </p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p>In addition to these particular awards, YALSA publishes a number of different booklists each year. These lists are a wonderful place to start when looking for good literature to read. Each year's lists include: (To see this years winners in each category, click on the link below.)</p><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/amazingaudiobooks/09aaya.cfm">Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults</a></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/09bbya.cfm">Best Books for Young Adults</a></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/fabfilms/09fabfilms.cfm">Fabulous Films for Young Adults</a></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/fabfilms/09fabfilms.cfm">Great Graphic Novels for Teens</a></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/outstandingbooks/outstandingbooks.cfm">Oustanding Books for the College Bound</a></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/popularpaperbacks.cfm">Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults</a></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/09qp.cfm">Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers</a></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.cfm">Teens' Top Ten</a></p><br /><p>Whatever your personal interest, the books selected by YALSA each year can be a great place to start looking when you need something new to read. Understanding the awards and the purpose of each award can help you deliberate, decide and better appreciate the literature you find on the bookstore or library shelve. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7917698787291766902?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-78566633121200430762009-02-14T15:00:00.006-05:002009-02-16T12:59:06.472-05:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhjhQnvz4I/AAAAAAAAAHU/ZULgnRzggv0/s1600-h/Let+Your+Voice+Be+Heard.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303097984277270402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZhjhQnvz4I/AAAAAAAAAHU/ZULgnRzggv0/s400/Let+Your+Voice+Be+Heard.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>By Lisa Hymas</p><br /><p>We often like to recite the old adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!" In reality though, Elder Holland reminds us of, "a line from the Apocrypha . . . 'The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh: but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones," Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Tongue of Angels," Ensign, May 2007, 16–18).</p><br /><p>The point? Our words can be powerful! One of the most powerful ways to use our vocabulary is by praising and complementing. </p><br /><p>When there is a company I admire or a product I love, I want to let them know. Saying thank you is a great and simple way to accomplish the task.</p><br /><p>I have written to Chick-fil-A thanking them for not opening their stores on Sunday - <a href="http://chickfila.com/#feedbackhttp://"><font face="Segoe UI">Go here to thank them yourself!</p></font></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZmE_d13VdI/AAAAAAAAAI0/TSGyls9OcSY/s1600-h/Quaker+Oats.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZmE_d13VdI/AAAAAAAAAI0/TSGyls9OcSY/s400/Quaker+Oats.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303416262082647506" /></a><br /><p>I have written to the Quaker Oats Company thanking them for their Simple Harvest granola bars and the healthy ingredients they contain. A few weeks later I even received a thank you box in the mail from Quaker! It contained a few boxes of granola bars, oatmeal, and ten dollars in coupons!<a href="http://www.quakeroats.com/contact-us.aspx"><font face="Segoe UI"> Want to send them a note?</font></a></p><br /><p>In response to a question about television viewing from a 1981 Ensign, Bruce L. Christensen states:</p><br /><blockquote><p>"Once we begin to exercise disciplined viewing, we are ready for the next step: expressing to the programmers our preferences. When you see a program that you especially enjoy or feel to be a worthwhile broadcast, <b>write to the station, network, and sponsor and let them know. </b>Do the same for objectionable programs." </p><br /><p>"It has been my experience that people take time to write only when they are angry. Few people inform programmers the kinds of programs they want to watch or specify what they would like to see. Although you might feel a stronger motivation to write letters about undesirable programs, <b>positive letters that thank sponsors, networks, and stations for quality programs may ultimately have more influence."</p></b></blockquote><p>Have you seen a wholesome, uplifting movie or television show recently? Send the producers a letter of appreciation. Did you catch what products were advertised during the time slot? Send a letter to the advertisers telling you how you enjoyed seeing their commercial during such a good and family friendly program. Not only does it let people know the kind of person we are taking the time to say thank you, but it will help us to see more good around us.</p><br /><p>Need some ideas for good movies, try this website: <a href="http://www.camieawards.org/">CAMIE Awards (Character and Morality in Entertainment)</a></p><br /><p>Who else can you thank?</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7856663312120043076?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-7017794869850682052009-02-13T23:47:00.004-05:002009-02-15T13:58:34.160-05:00<p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; TEXT-INDENT: 0in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-add-space: auto" align="left"><span style="mso-bidi-: 'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-family:'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-size:16;" >By Jenny Allen</span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; TEXT-INDENT: 0in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-add-space: auto" align="left"><span style="mso-bidi-: 'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-family:'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-size:16;" >This Valentines Day, starting a memoir is the perfect way to say, "I love you", to your spouse, friend or loved one. What exactly is a memoir, you ask?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A memoir is a brief historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources (New Oxford American Dictionary). </span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><span style="mso-bidi-: 'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-family:'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-size:16;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><span style="mso-bidi-: 'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-family:'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-size:16;" >The possibilities for memoir topics are endless. With your spouse in mind you could write about your first impression, favorite date, first kiss, wedding day, first house, car, or pet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With a parent or sibling in mind you could write about your favorite childhood memory or family gathering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A friend would love to have a memoir filled with stories from your friendship spanning from the time you first met to the present. </span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><span style="mso-bidi-: 'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-family:'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-size:16;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><span style="mso-bidi-: 'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-family:'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-size:16;" >To help get you started read the following article "5 Tips for Starting Your Memoir".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is sure to motivate not intimidate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Memoirs are a fun, easy, and a delightful way to journal those moments that you want to cherish for a lifetime.</span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-: 'Baskerville Semibold'; mso-fareast-: boldfont-family:'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-size:16;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><b><i><span style="mso-bidi-: 'Baskerville Semibold';font-family:'ヒラギノ明朝 Pro W3';font-size:16;" >5 Tips for Starting Your Memoir</span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">1. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Write memoir, not autobiography.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">An autobiography is the story of an entire life, but a memoir is just one story from that life. You can only ever write one autobiography, but you can write countless memoirs. It's a much less intimidating project if you view it that way.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">2. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Diagram your life.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">Some people have one burning story to tell. Others find it difficult to immediately pinpoint anything. Tristine Rainer, author of </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0874779227?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rdcom-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=0874779227"><i><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-: nonefont-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#4099fa;" >Your Life as Story</span></i></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">, recommends diagramming your life to gain perspective. To do this, get in a retrospective mood, enlist the help of a friend or spouse (martinis also work), and plot your life's six most significant moments. When you do it thoughtfully and honestly, there will usually be one pivotal event that stands out as particularly intriguing and/or meaningful. If there isn't, don't worry. There are many different ways to diagram a life. Try dividing yours by critical choices, influential people, conflicts, beliefs, lessons, even mistakes. Experiment until you find the one story that wants to be told, the one experience that really fashioned you.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">3. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Don't begin at the beginning.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">Don't tell your story chronologically. That's too predictable. Think of your favorite books. Most don't start at the beginning. Instead they rivet you with instant action and intrigue. A good beginning is a tease. It gives readers just enough action to hook them without divulging the outcome. Then it flashes back to the real chronological beginning and fills in the background.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">4. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Use all your senses.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">The best writers create vivid new worlds for readers to inhabit. Yet most budding memoirists produce first drafts that are flat. To transport readers (and yourself), write vividly. This is done through detail, by using all your senses to fully re-create a moment in time. You can teach yourself to do this. The next time you're waiting in a restaurant, a doctor's office, or even in traffic, notice the various sights, sounds, smells, and textures. It's what writers do, both in reality and in their stories.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">5. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Build your writing muscle.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">You have a writing muscle, and it needs exercise to perform well. Set a daily goal of writing 200, 500, or even 1,000 words. Set aside a regular time, like early morning, and be disciplined. Don't worry about making what you write perfect. Just focus on getting the story out. (There will be plenty of time for polishing later.) Above all, relax. Memoir is the easiest type of writing to do well. You've already done the research and are intimately familiar with every character. Now you just need to tell it.</span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;"></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;color:#333333;">Source: Kita, Joe. Reader's Digest: The Story of Your Life, 1/09.</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-701779486985068205?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-88419291334733140772009-02-12T12:37:00.002-05:002009-02-12T12:41:28.858-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZRevYAqNkI/AAAAAAAAAHM/jgjqw0tn6WM/s1600-h/ReadingToBaby.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301966829313996354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SZRevYAqNkI/AAAAAAAAAHM/jgjqw0tn6WM/s400/ReadingToBaby.jpg" border="0" /></a> By Andrea Jeppesen<br /><br /><div>Knowing the alphabet is a necessary precursor to learning how to read. Children who know their ABC’s before starting school have a huge advantage over those who don’t. Here is a list of some fun ways to help your child learn. If you have any other suggestions, please share! What fun things have you done at your house?</div><div><br />1. The Alphabet Song – point to the letters as you sing </div><div><br />2. Find the Letters on Everyday Objects – cereal boxes, at the store, around the house </div><div><br />3. Alphabet Coloring Pages – for example, (<a href="http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/mabcposter.html">http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/mabcposter.html</a>) </div><div><br />4. Letters of their Name - Start by just saying aloud the spelling of their name. If you can come up with a little song for the letters of their name then the learning is usually much faster. For example, if your child has a 5 letter name try replacing the letters of the song BINGO with the letters of your child’s name </div><div><br />5. Tracing Their Name – on paper, or in salt, sand, gel, fingerpaint, pudding, or shaving cream. </div><div><br />6. Tracing the Letters of the Alphabet – use same ideas as above </div><div><br />7. Playdough - roll out and make the letter (or use a toothpick to write the letter on the playdough). </div><div><br />8. Magnetic letters – on the fridge or cookie sheet </div><div><br />9. Matching Games – talk about the shapes of the upper and lower case letters. Are they the same or different? </div><div><br />10. Take your finger and trace the letters on the palm of the hand or on your child's back. </div><div><br />11. Practice using sticky notes and label objects in the house that begin with the letter. </div><div><br />12. Alphabet Stamps – useful for alphabet recognition, making words, and spelling </div><div><br />13. Eating the alphabet – form letters using vegetables, pretzels, potato sticks, and candy. Decorate cupcakes, cakes or cookies using frosting tubes to print letters. Squeeze mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, or jelly letters out of containers to enhance your food. Try Alphabits Cereal for breakfast and name the letters.<br /></div><div>Sources: </div><div><br />Anderson, Sheila. Teach the Alphabet: 8 Fun Tips to Teach Your Child the Alphabet, 2009.<br /></div><div>Mascle, Deanna. 15 Tips For Helping Children With Learning the Alphabet Letters, 2007. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-8841929133473314077?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-19504947380956402212009-02-08T23:21:00.004-05:002009-02-10T17:03:40.608-05:00<div style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif"><br />Review Written by Kristen Smith<br /><div id="article_title"><br /><div class="headline"><em>Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail</em></div><br /><div class="byline">By Malika Oufkir</div></div><div class="clear"></div><div id="article"><br /><div class="article_image"><img class="global" style="VISIBILITY: visible" alt="Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail" src="http://static.oprah.com/obc/pastbooks/malika_oufkir/images/obc_20010516_stolenlives.jpg" /> </div><br /><div class="article_image">So this is my first attempt at ever reviewing or reccomending a book to anyone. So, I am including the book review from Oprah's book club website. My mother-in-law read this book for her book and club and reccomended I read it as well. </div><div class="article_image"></div><br /><div class="article_image">The details of the book are included below so I will just share my brief thoughts. First off, this book opens your eyes to a world more foreign than I could wrap my mind around. The idea first that princesses and actual royalty that still exists. Second, the courage people have to stand up for what is right in countries where human rights don't carry a whole lot of weight. Third is the fight that exists in every human soul if allowed to persist and fourth the power of family. </div><br /><div class="article_image">You would think it was a fictional story by human rights activist trying to blow the whistle on how people are treated in some countries, if the women the story was about did not actually live today in Europe. Live being the key word. It opened my eyes to what is going on in the world that I have no idea about. </div><br /><div class="article_image">It is an incredible true story about one women's will to save her life and her families.</div><div class="article_image"></div><div class="article_image"> </div><div class="article_image">As far as ease of read goes, you won't want to put it down.. However, you can read it in spurts and it is suitable for most mature audiences. There are some things you would not want teenagers reading about. But you could read it first and help navigate them through those brutally honest and uncomfortable areas.</div><br /><p class="intro">Announced May 16, 2001</p><strong>An Introduction to <i>Stolen Lives</i></strong><br />The eldest daughter of General Oufkir, the King of Morocco's closest aide, Malika Oufkir was adopted by the king at age of five as a companion for his daughter. She spent most of her childhood and adolescence within the gilded walls of the palace, living an extraordinarily privileged yet secluded life.<br /><br />Her world was shattered on August 16, 1972, when her father was executed for his part in an attempt to assassinate the King. Along with her mother and five siblings, Malika, then nineteen, was imprisoned in a penal colony. The Oufkir family spent the next fifteen years in prison, the last ten in solitary confinement, until they managed to dig a tunnel and escape. Their freedom ended five days later, however, when they were captured and returned to prison. In 1996, after twenty-four years of incarceration, the Oufkir family was finally granted permission to leave Morocco.<br /><br />In Stolen Lives, Malika recounts her family's story with unflinching and heartrending honesty. She recalls their day-to-day struggle for survival in harsh conditions, being watched around the clock by prison guards, and communicating with her family solely through prison walls for more than a decade. She tells of raising her brothers and sisters, teaching them good manners and attempting to provide them with some semblance of a normal life. They celebrated Christmas and birthdays, saving up rations to make cakes and fashioning toys out of cardboard. Through it all, Malika managed to draw upon her sense of humor, which, she says, "allowed us to survive even-and most of all-at the worst moments."<br /><br />In the Preface to <i>Stolen Lives</i>, co-author Michˆle Fitoussi recalls that, upon first meeting Malika, she asked herself, "How can anyone appear normal after such suffering? How can they live, laugh, love, how can they go on when they lost the best years of their life as a result of injustice?" The answers are found in this poignant and inspiring account of a family who endured with courage, determination, and dignity the cruel and unjust circumstances fate had in store for them. </div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-1950494738095640221?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-44522987615514092412009-02-07T10:59:00.005-05:002009-02-07T11:22:52.424-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SY209abY9pI/AAAAAAAAAG8/8a2JKHm3Yx4/s1600-h/MonthlyChallenge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SY209abY9pI/AAAAAAAAAG8/8a2JKHm3Yx4/s400/MonthlyChallenge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300091303644165778" /></a><br /><p>After a very scientific selection process (that involved writing everyone's names on a post-it, folding them in half, depositing them in a small basket, and having Scott randomly draw a name), the monthly challenge winner is...</p><br /><strong>LISA MCGEE</strong><br /><p>Congratulations Lisa! We wish you the best of luck in beginning your own personal library--hopefully your gift card can help you get started. </p><br /><p>For those of you who weren't as lucky, we'll be having a new challenge for this month. Read below to find out more...</p><br /><p>All of us read. It might be a book, a magazine, or even an article in a newspaper. Whatever it is you read, we would love to hear about it. Essentially, this month's challenge is to share a book review with the literacy blog community. You can write a brief (or not-so-brief) review of something you've read lately and it will be posted on the blog for others to read and learn about. </p><br /><p>Hopefully, most of you will be willing to share a review out of the goodness of your hearts, but for others it might take a bit more enticement. In order to entice those of you who might not be so good-hearted (just kidding, you can be good-hearted and still want a free book), for every review you submit this month, you'll be entered into another random drawing to win a copy of <em>Long After Dark</em>. </p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SY21Fy18iwI/AAAAAAAAAHE/qi1n6w2LTE0/s1600-h/Long+After+Dark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SY21Fy18iwI/AAAAAAAAAHE/qi1n6w2LTE0/s400/Long+After+Dark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300091447636953858" /></a> <p>As the back of this fiction book states, "A man struggles--literally--with his dead father. A housewife suffers from post-calling depression. The son of a plygamist comes to terms with his upbringing. An unwed teen mother faces her father. In these award-winning stories and a new novella, Todd Robert Petersen takes the reader on expeditions to Utah, Arizona, Brazil, Rwanda, and into the souls of twenty-first-century Mormons caught between their humanity, faith, and church."</p><br /><p>While I have not read the book, I have heard very good things about it, and I hope this month's winner will enjoy it! </p><br /><p>So, in order to participate, all you need to do is write up a short review and e-mail it to Lonica2.blogforliteracy@blogger.com. I will post your review to share with others and you will automatically be entered to win this month's prize. What more could you want? Get started writing your review today! You only have until the 28th of February to participate. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-4452298761551409241?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-74812716419081868052009-02-05T09:13:00.003-05:002009-02-05T09:19:20.566-05:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYr0iL2u__I/AAAAAAAAAG0/Q2M3klSQsZA/s1600-h/MonthlyChallenge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYr0iL2u__I/AAAAAAAAAG0/Q2M3klSQsZA/s400/MonthlyChallenge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299316779689902066" /></a><br /><br /><p>Don't forget that today is the last day to set a goal for our monthly challenge. Well, of course you could always set a goal later, but you wouldn't be part of the drawing for a <strong>$10 gift certificate</strong>. Check it out and participate <a href="http://blogforliteracy.blogspot.com/2009/01/whats-your-literacy-goal.html">here</a>. Happy goal setting! </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7481271641908186805?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-3048296584784042822009-02-02T13:45:00.006-05:002009-02-03T14:17:52.760-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYdB5H2Af5I/AAAAAAAAAGU/MFCcyTSKdfQ/s1600-h/The+invention+of+Hugo+Cabret.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 257px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYdB5H2Af5I/AAAAAAAAAGU/MFCcyTSKdfQ/s400/The+invention+of+Hugo+Cabret.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298275936238600082" /></a> <br /></p>Brian Selznick created waves with his “picture book” <i>The Invention of Hugo Cabret</i>. At 530 pages long, this is definitely not your typical picture book (most picture books have a standard 32 pages). It is, however, a wonderful story—so wonderful in fact that it was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 2008, marking it as the most distinguished American picture book for children of the year. </p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYdCmbmkAgI/AAAAAAAAAGs/hAWQpPsSEzU/s1600-h/illustration+3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYdCmbmkAgI/AAAAAAAAAGs/hAWQpPsSEzU/s400/illustration+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298276714636640770" /></a><br /><p>Told with beautifully illustrated images, this story follows the adventures of Hugo as he strives to survive alone, lonely, and destitute in a Paris train station. With a talent for working on clocks and fiddling with machines, Hugo hopes to keep himself alive long enough to reconnect with his father by rebuilding an automaton he hopes will pass on a message from his father who died years earlier in a fire. </p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYdCZwNtr5I/AAAAAAAAAGk/qu3XLDQEcgs/s1600-h/illustration+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYdCZwNtr5I/AAAAAAAAAGk/qu3XLDQEcgs/s400/illustration+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298276496831262610" /></a><br /><p>Along his quest to reconnect with his father, Hugo manages to get himself into a few scrapes, meet some new friends, discover some new truths, and find himself and loving and caring family. A tear jerker and heartwarming at the same time, <i>The Invention of Hugo Cabret </i> is not only a landmark literary creation, it is also an emotional story readers of all ages can enjoy. </p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYdCD5B-WnI/AAAAAAAAAGc/cV4uq5M0C5Q/s1600-h/illustration+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYdCD5B-WnI/AAAAAAAAAGc/cV4uq5M0C5Q/s400/illustration+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298276121240820338" /></a><br /><br /><p><i>Have you read a good book lately? Tell us about it! E-mail your review to Lonica2.blogforliteracy@blogger.com and it will be posted to blog. </i></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-304829658478404282?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-45318990760309953912009-02-02T13:37:00.003-05:002009-02-02T14:04:12.978-05:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYc_JyX2XlI/AAAAAAAAAGM/aIOk-JiKoNI/s1600-h/The+Hunger+Games.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SYc_JyX2XlI/AAAAAAAAAGM/aIOk-JiKoNI/s400/The+Hunger+Games.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298272923997855314" /></a><br /><p>I recently read and devoured The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It was a great and quick read! Although, it’s a young adult novel, this work of fantasy/science fiction could easily be consumed by teens and adults alike. The story begins years into the future after the destruction of North America. In an effort to keep the newly-formed “districts” under control the Capital hosts a yearly “Hunger Games” event. Two teenagers from each district are selected to travel to the Capital and fight to the death in this Gladiator-like experience. When her younger sister is selected for the competition, Katniss volunteers to take her place, thus saving her sister’s life. But can Katniss save her own life? You’ll have to read to find out! I highly recommend this book to anyone. Although not much of a fan of science fiction, I found I could hardly put this book down. As a growing popular novel, you’ll want to find out for yourself what all the excitement is about. </p><br /><p><i>Have you read a good book lately? Tell us about it! E-mail your review to Lonica2.blogforliteracy@blogger.com and it will be posted to blog. </i></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-4531899076030995391?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-11128903883644807022009-01-25T16:32:00.004-05:002009-01-31T12:18:17.566-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5sAg0nbuI/AAAAAAAAAEc/I-VKffwWTmo/s1600-h/YoungAdult.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5sAg0nbuI/AAAAAAAAAEc/I-VKffwWTmo/s400/YoungAdult.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295788967900704482" /></a><br /><br /><div><p>By Lonica Rowley</p></div><br /><div><p>Young Adult or YA Fiction has a rather modern history, when compared with literature as a whole. While books that appeal to teenagers have always existed—think <i>Anne of Green Gables, Huckleberry Finn, Treasure Island</i>, and <i>Little Women</i>—it wasn’t until the 1950’s that books were thought of in terms of “young adult” novels. Some claim the creation of this literary category began with the writing of <i>The Catcher in the Rye </i> and <i>Lord of the Flies</i>. Although these books were originally intended for an adult audience, they quickly appealed to young adult readers as well. However, it wasn’t until the writing of <i>The Outsiders</i>--by an actual young adult author—that category really took off.</p><br /><p>Despite its rather recent beginnings, the trend to read and write young adult fiction has grown exponentially. It now demands a large portion of the publishing market. Teenagers of today are surrounded by literary works of fiction that appeal and are written specifically for them. </p><br /><p> This section of the fictional market should not be overlooked; these books shine with literary value and merit. Many writers, just as capable as any New York Times Bestselling Authors, focus their energies in appealing to a younger demographic. These books are valuable—to young adult and adult readers alike—for a number of reasons, many of which we will look at throughout this column. Come back often to learn more about this growing literary trend . </p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-1112890388364480702?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-63538153323482211142009-01-25T16:15:00.003-05:002009-01-27T16:20:16.778-05:00<div></p>“Blog” is both a verb and a noun. By creating this blog we are completing a literary action and in the process creating an online forum. I hope that the act of participating in and reading this blog helps create an enhanced sense of literacy and an electronic resource that we can use to improve literacy in ourselves and our families. Essentially, we have five goals: </p><br /><p>1. Learn to read.</p><br /><p>2. Help others develop literacy skills.</p><br /><p>3. Use our literacy skills to increase our gospel knowledge and spirituality. </p><br /><p>4. Gain knowledge, light, understanding, culture, and appreciation from some of the great literature of all time.</p><br /><p> 5. Develop the ability to write and communicate effectively.</p><br /><p>To help accomplish these goals, generous women—who are either well-educated on their topic or want to learn more about their topic—have volunteered to share their insights and ideas with us on a regular basis. In the coming days and months, look forward to the messages they have to share with us. Hopefully, as we share our knowledge about literacy we can work together to learn and grow. </p><br /><p>At any point, feel free to contribute to this forum. You may do so in a number of ways: </p><br /><p>1. <b>Comment on any post. </b>Ask a question. Start a dialogue. Leave a message. </p><br /><p>2. <b>Share with us your own experiences. </b> Tell us about a book you’ve read—whether it was good or bad. Relate a literary moment you might have had. Let us know about a website you find helpful. </p><br /><p>3. <b>Become a regular contributor. </b> There are still lots of columns to be written. Don’t be intimidated—some don’t require any specific knowledge or skills. We welcome all willing participants. </p><br /> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-6353815332348221114?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-64140874620276169692009-01-25T14:16:00.011-05:002009-01-30T15:41:33.101-05:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5VoO3egrI/AAAAAAAAAEE/wYTKYGVXGp8/s1600-h/Let+Your+Voice+Be+Heard.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295764361508192946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5VoO3egrI/AAAAAAAAAEE/wYTKYGVXGp8/s400/Let+Your+Voice+Be+Heard.jpg" border="0" /></a> By Lisa Hymas <div><br /><p>Literacy encompasses not only the ability to read, but also to write. By being literate we can educate ourselves on various subjects and acquire greater knowledge of those topics. To be informed is important, but perhaps to inform others is more valuable and far-reaching than we can know. We can use our literary skills to help keep ourselves and others informed. </p><br /><p>You don't have to be city mayor, CEO of a company, or even a Hollywood celebrity to speak up and be heard. We all have opinions and ideas about the things we like or do not, what we agree with, or what catches our passion. What are we doing with those ideas? They may not always impact society, but then again what if no one spoke up about Prop 8 in California, decided to question women’s suffrage, or rebel against England’s Stamp Act (leading to the Revolutionary war)? Giving our input makes a difference! Our impact does not always need to be on a large national scale to make a difference - there are many important ways to be heard. </p><br /><p>To be discussed:</p><br /><p><li>Saying Thank You</li></p><br /><p><li>Filings complaints</li></p><br /><p><li>Supporting a proposed law/amendment </li></p><br /><p><li>Making a local impact </li></p><br /><p>"The time has come when members of the Church need to speak out . . .”</p><br /><p>"We need to remember Edmund Burke’s statement: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” We need to raise our voices . . . " </p><br /><p>M. Russell Ballard, “Let Our Voices Be Heard,” Ensign, Nov 2003, 16</p><br /><p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-6414087462027616969?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-77221073458145715042009-01-24T11:19:00.008-05:002009-01-29T10:03:24.416-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX55tBGVbfI/AAAAAAAAAFc/Zi44siDoLMA/s1600-h/ReadingToBaby.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX55tBGVbfI/AAAAAAAAAFc/Zi44siDoLMA/s400/ReadingToBaby.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295804026130361842" /></a><br /><div>By Andrea Jeppesen</div><br /><p>“It’s never too early to begin reading to your baby.” I tried to read to my newborn, Jonas, but lagged off a little until he was about 4 months old (and I could get my feet on the ground). When I finally began reading to Jonas again, I was surprised at how attentive he was to books.</p><br /><p>Here are a few reasons why experts say that “It’s never too early . . ."</p><br /><p><li>from the moment babies are born, they are learning the different sounds of the human language</li></p><br /><p><li>talking and reading to your baby can help her prepare for later reading activities</li></p><br /><p><li>reading can be part of a wonderful nap/bedtime routine </li></p><br /><p><li>a routine early on, will help make reading to your growing baby a natural part of the day</li></p><br /><p>Babies love:</p><br /><p><li>simple, brightly colored shapes (newborns can easily distinguish between black and white contrast)</li></p><br /><p><li>rhythm</li></p><br /><p><li>rhyme</li></p><br /><p><li>repetition</li></p><br /><p>Some of my favorite baby books:</p><br /><p><li>Black on White by Tara Hoban (contrast, simple shapes)</li></p><br /><p><li>White on Black by Tara Hoban (contrast, simple shapes)</li></p><br /><p><li>Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (rhythm, rhyme, repetition)</li></p><br /><p><li>Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins (rhythm, rhyme, repetition)</li></p><br /><p><li>Hush, Little Baby by Sylvia Long (rhythm, rhyme, repetition) </li></p><br /><p>What are some books that your baby has enjoyed?</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-7722107345814571504?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-4167425390070674022009-01-24T11:11:00.010-05:002009-01-28T09:25:54.525-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5bLUAoikI/AAAAAAAAAEM/_7l5co94YK4/s1600-h/Beginnings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5bLUAoikI/AAAAAAAAAEM/_7l5co94YK4/s400/Beginnings.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295770461742336578" /></a><br /><div>By Vilo Westwood<br /><p>A handout I came across recently described the stages of baby, toddlerhood and preschooler with these main tasks: Bond (1-4 mos.), Explore (4-18 mos.), Pretend (18 mos. to 3 yrs) and Learn (4 &amp; 5 years). (The ages vary widely and the stages overlap.) These tasks are evident as we begin to teach our children to love books and reading. </p><br /><p>Very young babies enjoy being with their parents and as they become aware of their surroundings they take some interest in books. They love to hear your voice, whether you are talking to them, singing, reading a book or reciting nursery rhymes. As babies become more active they explore books. They try to grab them, put them in their mouths, chew them, exclaim over the pictures, throw them. Many children this age (and older!) are impatient with going sequentially through a book. They want to skip ahead, go back to a favorite picture several times, look at two pages and move on to the next book. They are exploring books rather than reading them. </p><br /><p>As children move more into the Pretend stage, books become very important. Books help children imagine worlds far from their daily realities and pretend about animals in a jungle, sheep on a farm, and many things that could not really happen. Children love to hear the same books again and again and again. There are many reasons for this, but one is that they love a particular imaginary world and want to visit often. Finally, children begin avidly learning about everything around them. They want to know why things happen, how they happen, all the facts about dinosaurs, or weather, or a favorite TV show. More and better nonfiction books (informational books) are available for young children. </p><br /><p>Whatever the age or stage of your child, the most important thing a parent can do is make time spent together with books warm, fun, safe. Give children lots of opportunities to bond, explore, pretend and learn with books at their own pace, with some influence of your tastes and your pace and your desire to move page by page through a book.</p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-416742539007067402?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-49473157668559601042009-01-12T17:02:00.001-05:002009-02-05T09:20:26.283-05:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5476WztnI/AAAAAAAAAFU/yBBrYMvpHIs/s1600-h/MonthlyChallenge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5476WztnI/AAAAAAAAAFU/yBBrYMvpHIs/s400/MonthlyChallenge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295803182506817138" /></a><br /><p>Most people easily recognize the start of the new year as a time of new beginnings and change. This year, I’d like to encourage all of you to set a literary goal or make a change in some literary way. </p><br /><p>Perhaps you want to read more books.</p><br /><p>Maybe you just want to finish a book you began earlier. </p><br /><p>You might be interested in reading the newspaper on a regular basis. </p><br /><p>Writing in your journal daily, or even once a week, might be on your to-do-list for this year. </p><br /><p>Whatever your literary goal may be, share it with us for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to Borders. All you have to do is leave a comment below, stating your goal and your plan for accomplishing that goal. You will automatically be entered for a drawing to win a great literary prize! </p><br /><p>I’ll start. This year I’ve decided that I’m going to keep track of all the books I’ve read. This comes in two parts. I’m on a long-term quest to record all the books I’ve ever read—at least all the ones I remember ever reading—and those I’ll read over the course of the next year. </p><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX94vYwxmrI/AAAAAAAAAGE/ArsJXc-KDbQ/s1600-h/Good+Reads+Home.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX94vYwxmrI/AAAAAAAAAGE/ArsJXc-KDbQ/s400/Good+Reads+Home.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296084442307205810" /></a><br /><p>I’ve found a great way to help me accomplish this goal. I became a member of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com">Goodreads </a>(It’s free and easy!)</p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX94KMbFpCI/AAAAAAAAAFs/5TOH3-ZLOJc/s1600-h/Good+Reads+Search.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX94KMbFpCI/AAAAAAAAAFs/5TOH3-ZLOJc/s400/Good+Reads+Search.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296083803339858978" /></a><br /><p>Once you create an account, you can search for books you’ve read or want to read, you can rank the books or write a short review. </p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX94YA-5uLI/AAAAAAAAAF0/YumDBpOuLWs/s1600-h/Good+Reads+My+Books.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX94YA-5uLI/AAAAAAAAAF0/YumDBpOuLWs/s400/Good+Reads+My+Books.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296084040787015858" /></a><br /><p>You can browse through the books you’ve read and sort them by title, author, ranking, or genre. </p><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX94hY9ml6I/AAAAAAAAAF8/ypJU_GSYy7Q/s1600-h/Good+Reads+My+Friends.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX94hY9ml6I/AAAAAAAAAF8/ypJU_GSYy7Q/s400/Good+Reads+My+Friends.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296084201842841506" /></a><br /><p>As an added bonus, you can browse books that you’re friends have read or recommend. It’s a great way to meet new people and new books! </p><br /><p>Essentially, GoodReads is a great way to meet my goal of keeping track of all the books I read. </p><br /><p>What’s your literary goal? Don’t forget to tell us about it in the comments below for your chance to win a $10 dollar gift certificate to Border! All entries for the drawing must be made by February 5, 2009. </p><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-4947315766855960104?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068046351235528529.post-66063559082348113812009-01-11T14:54:00.011-05:002009-01-27T16:02:30.000-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5b2hwTahI/AAAAAAAAAEU/AWrDvlCXIqQ/s1600-h/WriteOn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFZ8mFN6iZY/SX5b2hwTahI/AAAAAAAAAEU/AWrDvlCXIqQ/s400/WriteOn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295771204166314514" /></a><br /><p>By Terri Hessler</p><br /><p>I'm a bit of a writing freak, as any of my former students (college, high school, or middle school) will tell you. I think it is a critical skill for two reasons. First, effective communication is just plain efficient. Say what you gotta' say (or in this case, write what you gotta' write) and if you do it with correct usage and mechanics, you save the reader time and effort in receiving the message. With the advent of electronic communication, that concept has not changed. If anything, it is more important because writing as a form of communication is more commonplace than it ever was. Sure, my parents wrote letters to each other once a week while Dad was stationed in Germany at the end of WWII, and people regularly sent various other kinds of mail (what we call snail mail now) but nowadays, people blog, email, text, chat, and greet (with electronic greeting cards) daily or in many cases, hourly! These participants in the modern-era writing community are more numerous and younger than they ever were in the era of snail mail. Though the mode of writing has changed, as well as its form, it still serves the same function: communication. And now, more than ever, people write what they want to communicate in more concise ways. Text messaging is the perfect example of this. I love it that text messaging seems more popular than phone calling! The "power of the pen" may have been replaced by the non-QWERTY cell phone keypad, but the word still rules, even if the word is now a mishmash of letters and symbols.</p><br /><p>The second reason I think writing is a critical skill is because I believe that writing is a tool for learning. I know this to be true from my own experience as a student (and I've got many, many years of that experience) and as a teacher (11+ and counting). There is nothing more useful to me when trying to get my brain around a concept than writing about it. Writing helps clarify my position/viewpoint/understanding (or lack thereof) on complex—and maybe not so complex—topics. I can't explain how it does, but it does. I would guess that writing makes me use a cognitive function not otherwise accessed or maybe use cognition in a different way. All I know is that writing about something leads me to a fuller understanding of whatever it is I am writing about. It is because of this reason (that writing is a tool for learning) that my research focus is improving written expression in children with deficits in that area, particularly students with learning disabilities and those at-risk for being identified with learning disabilities.</p><br /><p>I learn a little bit about writing by the research I do, but I learn a lot more by reading the existing research literature in my field. I like it that I can share what I learn with people I know so that it can help them if they have children who struggle with writing. This blog is another opportunity for me to do that. Every month or so, I'll share a strategy that can help improve written expression specifically, and academic performance in general.</p><br /><p>In this column, I'll share that the commonly accepted adage that "practice makes perfect" applies somewhat to written expression in as much as it's perfect practice. Thus, my mantra is "perfect practice makes perfect." It's not very efficient to practice errors, which is what students do who produce a lot of writing but do not get any or much feedback. So, while it's good to write a lot when you're learning how to write, someone needs to be giving lots of positive feedback as well as targeted corrective feedback. Since church leaders have consistently encouraged journal-writing, members have the perfect opportunity to have their children practice a gospel principle while improving an academic skill. Maybe you could have a family journal that everyone takes a turn writing in, perhaps a different person each week. During family home evening, that person can read their journal entry aloud to their natural audience. Later in the week, in private and one-on-one, a parent can give lots of ebullient praise and target one item for improvement. Perhaps there's a word that was misspelled, or a comma misused, or a word not capitalized. Have the child correct the error right there in the journal and encourage him or her to pay attention to that skill the next time.</p><br /><p>Many people are uncomfortable with this kind of attention to correction, to which I say, "Pshaw!" If you were teaching that child to play the piano, you would correct a note delivery error. If you were teaching that child to swing a baseball bat, you would correct his or her swing form. Why are academic skills any different? I say they are not, and in fact, are more critical. We don't need to fear harming our child's self-esteem with correction as long as it's delivered matter-of-factly and with kindness. I argue that a child's self-esteem improves with success, not vice-versa.</p><br /><p>That's all for this month; write on!</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2068046351235528529-6606355908234811381?l=blogforliteracy.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Lonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08138183296824159128noreply@blogger.com2