Center for Literacy Education Blog

May 13, 2025

Hugh's Early Literacy Journey (Part II)

Hugh’s Literacy Journey and Interaction with 12 Recommended Texts in a Print Rich Home and Early Childhood Education Environment This is the second blog in a two part series ( Blog #1 ). In my last installment, I introduced readers to my 8-year-old son, Hugh, a voracious reader who fully immerses...

April 2, 2025

Part II: How Blockchain Can Support All Learners

Clarissa Terracciano is a PhD student in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Denver. Her research examines how blockchain technology can be used to expand inclusive access to educational experiences, advance EdTech policy, and empower learners with ownership over their...

April 1, 2025

Part I: Introduction to Blockchain and Literacy and Language Learning

February 4, 2025

Yes, Students Can Read Tough Texts. Here’s How to Scaffold Their Learning

How do you get kids to read—and actually understand —hard texts? Teachers know it’s important for students to read historical primary sources, scientific research studies, or literary texts with unfamiliar language, like Shakespeare or the Odyssey . Research also shows that adolescents need high...

October 9, 2024

How the Arts Can Help Black African Immigrant Youth in School Spaces and Beyond

Dr. Lakeya Afolalu is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington in the College of Education. As a scholar of Language, Literacy, and Culture, she specializes in the intersections of immigration, race, and identity. Raised between her Nigerian and African American cultures, her hybrid...

September 25, 2024

Hugh's Early Literacy Journey in a Print Rich Home Literacy Environment

My 7-year-old son, Hugh, is a voracious reader who fully immerses himself in a state of absorbed reading. His teachers have had difficulty keeping up with his demand for reading more books, and the school library is, without question, his happy place where he is transported to many worlds–from Chad...

September 4, 2024

Can Gaming Support Literacy?

Dr. Lisa Sensale Yazdian currently manages education and engagement efforts at Cincinnati Educational Television (CET)/PBS, but has worked to engage birth-adult learners in P-12, higher education, community, and for-profit settings for the last 29 years. She’s curious about the various ways her 6...

September 4, 2024

Summer Reading in Children’s Preferred Language(s)

Annie Moses, Ph.D., is the Director of Periodicals / Editor in Chief at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Previously, she served as an associate professor and program coordinator of early childhood, and her research focuses on early literacy, media, and early...

August 29, 2024

Response #3: What Should Count For Summer Reading?

NOTE: Dr. Macaluso's post is in response to the introduction post, "What Should "Count" for Summer Reading " and follows Dr. Reynolds' post, " Choice and Possibility in Summer Reading " and public librarian Stephanie Schott's post "What 'Counts' as Reading" . We will be posting a response next...

August 26, 2024

What “Counts” as Reading

Stephanie Schott is the Branch Manager at Chugiak-Eagle River Library (Anchorage Public Library) in Alaska. She received a Masters in Library & Information Science from Rutgers University. Stephanie has jumped around the library world including stops at Alaska State Library, Maine State Library, and...

August 22, 2024

Choice and Possibility in Summer Reading

Dr. Julia Reynolds is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. She is also the mother of an 18-year-old son who loves to read, despite any barriers he may have faced due to his book choices or reading abilities. She values summer reading and advocates for students to have choice in what they read...

August 20, 2024

What Should “Count” For Summer Reading?

This blog series was inspired by a 12 year-old who wanted to know why the approximately 10,000 pages of manga he read over the summer did not “count” as much as other books (e.g. Newbery and other award winning books) for his school summer reading log. Over the next few weeks, several literacy...

June 12, 2024

Mr. Feldmann's Summer Reading Recommendations

When asked to make book recommendations, Daniel offered 5 titles along with how and why he finds these texts valuable. We hope you will read them for your own enjoyment and perhaps find ways to share with the young readers in your life! Recommendation 1: Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven...

May 15, 2024

Youth Need Every Teacher to Be a Civics Teacher Today - Here’s Why (and How)

Dr. Nicole Mirra is an Associate Professor of Urban Teacher Education, Learning & Teaching at Rutgers University in the Graduate School of Education. Dr. Antero Garcia is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University and Vice President of the National Council of...

April 2, 2024

Cultivating Critical Race Theory Awareness with Secondary Pre-Service Teachers Through Examination of Black Lives Matter-Themed Literature

I am pleased to share my article and contribution to the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy , entitled " Cultivating Critical Race Theory Awareness with Secondary Pre-Service Teachers through Examination of Black Lives Matter Themed Literature" . The article is based on a study that reflects my...

Liam Driscoll - Center for Literacy Education O'Shaughnessy Fellow

March 27, 2024

Linking Literacy and Lacrosse With Teacher/Coach Liam (Part II)

This is the second post in a two part series on ways to connect sports, literacy, coaching and teaching. Please click here to read the first post. When asked how he has used lacrosse as a way to engage kids in literacy and literature, Liam (4th/5th grade teacher; lacrosse coach) said that City Lax...

March 15, 2024

Linking Literacy and Lacrosse With Teacher/Coach Liam (Part I)

The skills, knowledge, and dispositions that make individuals powerful educators, capable of inspiring and teaching their students, are similar to the qualities of effective coaches. In this blog, you’ll meet O’Shaughnessy Fellow Liam Driscoll who has been teaching at Annunciation Catholic School in...

March 4, 2024

Middle Class African American Parents’ Aspirations for Rigor and Reading Curriculum During the Pandemic Era in Detroit Schools

Dr. Hill is a Professor of Reading and Language Arts in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. You can learn more about Dr. Hill here . Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) made headlines in local media outlets during the pandemic...

December 5, 2023

"Start with Radical Love: Antiracist Pedagogy for Social Justice Educators"

Dr. Crystal Belle has been an educator for over 16 years and has worked in k-12 schools in Brooklyn, New York, as an English Teacher, in higher education at the University of Houston-Downtown and Rutgers University-Newark as a Professor and Director of Education, and in the nonprofit sector as a...

November 27, 2023

An Exploration of Jason Reynolds’s Track Series: Bullying Themed Contemporary Realistic Fiction Supports Bullying Reduction Strategies for Middle School Youth

Dr. Hill is a Professor of Reading and Language Arts in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. You can learn more about Dr. Hill here . You can also read the full article , "A Critical Examination of African-American Youth Athletes in the Track...

September 25, 2023

You’re an Anointed Teacher: Part 5: Reimagining the Faculty Lounge

Teacher friends, we need to be like coals of fire! Together we glow, but separate, we grow cold. Nobody understands what we’re going through in the building better than another teacher. Iron sharpens iron! One conversation with the teacher down the hall is both spiritual and professional development...

September 22, 2023

You’re an Anointed Teacher: Part 4: The Cool Thing about Kryptonite

I am the proud father of a two year old French Bulldog named Goblin. Goblin is like the mayor of Brooklyn. Everybody in the street presses the pause button on their lives to say hello to our little guy. I have met so many people on our walks around Bed-Stuy. I took him to a Jazz concert with another...

September 20, 2023

You’re an Anointed Teacher: Part 3: Our Words Have Power

The Spirit of God is at work in the lives of our students, and we cannot always see that work. If we did, we would probably give ourselves the credit. We can only be grateful that we had a small role to play in their life stories. We’re just a speck in God’s kaleidoscopic vision for that child, but...

September 11, 2023

You’re an Anointed Teacher: Part 2: Becoming Divine Failures

We are anointed, and everybody in the building is better precisely because we are in there, molding and shaping hearts and minds, even as we are molded and remolded in the image of our Lord. Overwhelm your school community with your awesome. . My favorite moment in Star Wars is when Luke Skywalker...

September 7, 2023

You’re an Anointed Teacher: Part I: The Game Plan!

I left Catholic Education two years ago, but the purpose-driven undercurrent of this career we chose is almost impossible to shake. The principles of Catholic Social Teaching arrested me; the need for people who call on the name of God for the ministry of teaching is great, and I would like to use...

May 30, 2023

“Making Hope and History Rhyme: Words That Will Echo Forevermore” (4 of 4)

Following the first , second and third of four blogs in this series, I introduced our 4th/5th grade expedition , “Making Hope and History Rhyme: Words That Will Echo Forevermore,” which we hope you will read to gain a comprehensive view of the expedition unit. Case Study #4: Martin’s Big Words...

August 26, 2022

“Making Hope and History Rhyme: Words That Will Echo Forevermore” (3 of 4)

Case Study #3: Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou Following the first and second of four blogs in this series, I introduced our 4th/5th grade expedition , “Making Hope and History Rhyme: Words That Will Echo Forevermore,” which we hope you will read to gain a comprehensive view of the expedition unit...

July 7, 2022

“Making Hope and History Rhyme: Words That Will Echo Forevermore” (2 of 4)

In the first of four blogs in this series, I introduced our 4th/5th grade expedition , “Making Hope and History Rhyme: Words That Will Echo Forevermore,” which we hope you will read to gain a comprehensive view of the expedition unit. Overview : Our twelve week expedition explores the history of the...

June 13, 2022

“Making Hope and History Rhyme: Words That Will Echo Forevermore” (1 of 4)

This 4 part blog series will be shared over the next several weeks, highlighting three case studies as part of the expedition , “Making Hope and History Rhyme: Words That Will Echo Forevermore,” and finishing with a "Celebration of Learning" segment. I teach fourth and fifth grade ELA, Social...

Dorothy Lee, Executive Director at LitWorld

May 23, 2022

Belonging, Reflection & Joy at Home, School & Work

I have always been struck by just how many similarities there are between the elements that allow children to thrive at school, and those that allow adults to thrive at work. When I first engaged with the fundamental research behind organizational design and organizational psychology, I saw all the...

May 21, 2022

Subways Series: Super Readers (Part 2 of 2)

First Fridays at Incarnation School O’Shaughnessy Fellows Dave Robles (5th, St. Charles Borromeo, New York City), Francesca Ciaramitaro (ELA MS, Incarnation School, New York City), and Christine Cherichella (3rd, P.S. 199, New York City) met up in Central Park to interview Francesca about how her...

April 4, 2022

Subway Series: Blogging from the A Train (Part 1 of 2)

Blogging From the A Train During our last O’Shaughnessy All Fellows meeting, Francesca Ciaramitaro (FC) suggested an entirely new format for our blog. Rather than a traditional written blog, she suggested interviews among Fellows. Francesca and Dave Robles (DR), also a Fellow from the first cohort...

March 14, 2022

The Core Commitments of Literacy Educators (4 of 4)

Throughout this series, we have focused on key areas for leading literacy in K-8 Catholic schools. We first explored developing a school-wide vision for literacy instruction. Next we considered essential content for literacy learning. Then we discussed essential structures in literacy classrooms to...

Moira Pirsch, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Urban and Minority Education

February 21, 2022

Artists are Guardians of the Human Spirit: Poetry as Tool to Support Spiritual Development in Teachers and Students (2 of 2)

Brandon “B-Mike” Odums “Artists are Guardians of the Human Spirit” - Anna Deveare Smith In the first blog , we looked at the ways we understand spirituality in education and why that may be helpful in these times for teachers and students. In my work as a poet and educator for the past fifteen years...

February 14, 2022

Essential Structures for Literacy (3 of 4)

In the last blog post, we focused on the essential content for literacy instruction: phonics and phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and high level talk and writing about text. This week, we will discuss structures that support the ongoing teaching of these areas, culturally...

February 7, 2022

To Not Look Away: Thinking through the Purpose & Practice of Spirituality in Education (1 of 2)

(Nhat Hanh, 2013) “We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.” Thich Nhat Hanh It’s February, 2022, and it seems there are a million reasons to feel hopeless. We are in the midst of a seemingly never ending pandemic, another man was killed at the hands of the police in my hometown of...

January 11, 2022

Social Emotional Development, Young Children, and Literacy

I struggle to answer the question - “what do you do for a living?” The easy response is that I am a teacher, but that never seems to capture the real essence of what my day to day experience is. When I tell people that I teach, I usually get a response along the lines of, “oh man, you must have...

November 29, 2021

Essential Literacy Content (2 of 4)

In the last post , we focused on five areas to consider in developing a school-wide vision for literacy: establishing literacy as a priority, creating a sense of collective responsibility for all children, ensuring evidence-based, high quality literacy instruction, establishing a balanced system of...

November 3, 2021

Leading Literacy - Developing a School-Wide Literacy Vision (1 of 4)

Leading Literacy - Developing a School-Wide Literacy Vision We hope you enjoy the first of a four part series on Literacy Leaders The first question I ask when I work with teachers and leaders around literacy practices is what is your school-wide vision for literacy instruction? I typically receive...

October 19, 2021

Identity Texts

Mini-Series: Honoring and Leveraging Students’ Home Languages in the Classroom This is the third blog in the mini-series “Honoring and Leveraging Students’ Home Languages in the Classroom.” In this post, I consider why it matters for students to encounter books that represent their lived experiences...

September 27, 2021

Language and Culture Portraits

This is the second blog in the mini-series “Honoring and Leveraging Students’ Home Languages in the Classroom.” In this blog, I introduce language and culture portraits as a method for learning about and affirming students’ diverse linguistic and cultural identities. Language and Culture Portraits...

September 21, 2021

Honoring and Leveraging Students’ Home Languages in the Classroom

This is the first blog in the mini-series “Honoring and Leveraging Students’ Home Languages in the Classroom.” In this blog, I introduce some core concepts underscoring the importance of cultivating multilingual classroom spaces. I Am My Language "So, if you really want to hurt me, talk badly about...

September 17, 2021

Balancing Perspectives: An Integrative Text Set on Racism and Housing

In my post series about text sets , I’ve outlined research on text sets from cognitive , disciplinary , and critical perspectives. Each of these perspectives offers specific aims for what a literacy unit’s texts might look like. But how might a teacher bring them together? How can a teacher aim for...

September 8, 2021

Text Sets & Critical Perspectives

Just what is a text set , anyways? Turns out, a teacher’s text set depends a lot on their perspective on literacy. In this blog post series, I’ve described the QTS text set from the cognitive perspective and the Project READI text set from the disciplinary literacy perspective . To complement those...

August 30, 2021

Disciplinary Literacy Perspective on Text Sets

In my last two posts, I sketched the popularity and emergence of research on text sets , and outlined the Quad Text Set (QTS) framework aimed at helping students reading more complex texts . In this post, I’ll discuss text set framework called Project READI , whose goal is to scaffold students’ use...

August 23, 2021

Cognitive Perspectives on Text Sets from Reading Research

Text sets are popular for many teachers and researchers, but the definition of a text set —any thematically-linked collection of texts—can often be quite vague. In this post, I’ll explore a specific approach to designing text sets: a cognitive approach with the goal of building students’ ability to...

August 11, 2021

Text Sets: What and Why

Text sets are increasingly popular resources for teachers. Sites like NewsELA , CommonLit , the Library of Congress and ReadWorks offer teachers pre-made text sets targeted at various grade levels. State departments of education, such as Louisiana , Iowa , and Connecticut offer step-by-step...

Robert LeBlanc - Center for Literacy Education Coyle Fellow

June 10, 2021

Digital Literacies and Digital Platforms

When COVID-19 arrived, many of us had to quickly adapt to teaching online. As the requirements for social distancing continued through 2020 and into 2021, teachers adjusted to working with and through digital platforms as the new normal: meeting synchronously with kids and classrooms over Zoom...

June 7, 2021

#whyIteach ~ Featured Fellow: Monica Cozza

For our June newsletter, O'Shaughnessy Fellow Monica Cozza briefly shared with us why she loves teaching. To learn more about Monica, please visit her biography . Why do you love teaching? I wake up every day knowing I am fulfilling my vocation, even when that vocation may look different because of...

June 6, 2021

#whyIteach ~ Featured Fellow: Gisella Mancini

O'Shaughnessy Fellow Gisella Mancini is our Featured Fellow for our June newsletter. As a veteran teacher in South Bend Catholic schools, she has a wealth of knowledge to share! Why do you love teaching? Teaching is a joy that I am blessed to have been able to make a career of throughout my entire...

June 6, 2021

Collaboration as a Vehicle for Critical Inquiry & Engagement in Literacies (Part 4 of 4)

How does collaboration promote critical inquiry and engagement in literacies for educators and students? This is the common question introduced in my first blog post of this series , which connects three practitioner spotlights (parts 2 thru 4 of the series). The spotlights read like an interview...

May 31, 2021

Collaboration as a Vehicle for Critical Inquiry & Engagement in Literacies (Part 3 of 4)

May 23, 2021

Collaboration as a Vehicle for Critical Inquiry & Engagement in Literacies (Part 2 of 4)

How does collaboration promote critical inquiry and engagement in literacies for educators and students? This is the common question introduced in last week’s blog that will connect practitioner spotlights these next three weeks. The spotlights will read like an interview with questions and...

May 14, 2021

Collaboration as a Vehicle for Critical Inquiry & Engagement in Literacies (Part 1 of 4)

Picture this: You are attending one of your school or district’s professional development (PD) days (likely virtual at some point this past year with the COVID-19 pandemic). A guest speaker has joined you, just for the day, to talk to you about a topic unrelated to your everyday teaching and...

May 3, 2021

Fanning the Flames: Building Connections and Strengthening Reader Identity (Part 2 of 2)

“Middle school reading was so much fun and refreshing. It opened my mind to new enjoyable genres and I always had a book in my hand. I loved learning what a book can do and where you can go while reading.” - Juliana With literature circles as the springboard, my classroom’s reading culture has...

April 29, 2021

Lighting a Fire with Literature Circles (Part I of 2)

"Ms. C, can we read just one more chapter?" Want to know why middle school students are the best? They will nearly always share their honest opinion with you - especially if they know it will impact their learning experience. Get the right book in their hands and they will advocate for their own...

April 26, 2021

Gamifying Literacy // There is Glory in their Story (Part 2 of 2)

A reading from St. Paul’s letter to Hogwarts: Harry, the boy who lived, is spending Christmas vacation with his friend, Ron, and the Weasley family. They don’t have much, but when all you’ve got is nothing, there’s a lot to go around. Harry’s sitting at dinner, feeling all the love he never had from...

April 21, 2021

Gamifying Literacy // Rise and Shine! (1 of 2)

A reading from the gospel of Luke: Luke Skywalker looked to the heavens. He visualized his future, but he needed somebody to be his champion. That champion is you, the teacher reading this blog. Luke is sitting in your classroom. He’s in the back, in the corner, ostracized, the new kid, playing with...

January 28, 2021

The Power of Read Alouds // How to Perform an Effective Interactive Read Aloud

Interested in learning more about read alouds? Check out the "We Are All Readers and Writers" book talks! As a teacher, I have always loved reading aloud to my students, no matter what grade level I was teaching. I have done read alouds for second graders, middle schoolers, undergraduates, graduate...

November 5, 2019

Poetry Matters // How to Help Your Students Become Poets (Part 2 of 2)

In my last post on poetry, “ Poetry Matters // The Case for Teaching Poetry in Every ELA Classroom ,” I argued that poetry is an essential part of an English Language Arts education. I said that “poetry illuminates experience”—it can be the light within a microscope that helps us pause and...

November 5, 2019

Move from “Stop Talking” to “Start Talking!” // The Importance of Building a Dialogic Classroom (Part 1 of 2)

As English Language Arts educators, we have high expectations for our students when it comes to the reading and writing skills they are meant to develop in our classrooms. While we expect that students can achieve reading and writing greatness while they are with us, we would never assume, at any...

November 4, 2019

Move from “Stop Talking” to “Start Talking!” // Strategies for Building a Dialogic Classroom (Part 2 of 2)

Whole-class discussion tends to be a popular go-to strategy for middle and high school English teachers. On a simple level, it’s the easiest way to understand students’ thinking and to check for their understanding. Whole-class discussion can offer much more than this, however, and it can be...

June 3, 2019

Using Drama in the ELA Classroom

"Education is the process of learning to create ourselves, and it is what the arts, both as a process and as the fruits of the process, promote. Work in the arts is not only a way of creating performances and products; it is a way of creating our lives by expanding our consciousness, shaping our...

May 13, 2019

From the Experts at ENL: Take a Vocabulary Field Trip

The English as a New Language Program (ENL) equips educators to meet the unique needs of English Language Learners in Catholic schools. ENL has a threefold approach to helping Catholic schools ensure that their English language learners thrive. ENL helps schools and teachers develop a deep...

April 10, 2019

Poetry Matters // The Case for Teaching Poetry in Every ELA Classroom (Part 1 of 2)

“The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even but a millimeter the way people look at reality, then you can change it.” ~James Baldwin I can recall encountering this quote from the late James Baldwin in my earliest years as a teacher and feeling as though I had...

March 27, 2019

Lessons in Literacy // Social Justice Poetry in the Middle School Classroom

Darby Evans works as the associate program director at the Center for Literacy Education. Darby taught English and literature to grades 6–8 in Fort Worth, Texas as a member of the ACE Teaching Fellows, and went on to teach middle school ELA in Harlem, New York. She especially enjoys teaching poetry...

March 20, 2019

Guided Reading and Centers // Meeting Individual Needs in the Elementary Classroom

The main purpose of guided reading is to provide instruction specific to a child’s literacy level. Scholastic defines guided reading as “an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can read similar levels of...

March 14, 2019

Have Your Pi and Eat it Too: The Case for Math Connections in Reading Class

Patrick is a second-year graduate student in Cognitive Psychology. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2010 with a BBA in Finance and Political Science. He then earned his M.Ed. through the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Teaching Fellows Program, while concurrently teaching...

March 11, 2019

Lessons in Literacy // Defining Poetry and Constructing Meaning with High Schoolers

For this installment of the Lessons in Literacy series, the CLE is pleased to spotlight an incredible educator, Dana Deradoorian. Ms. Deradoorian is a member of AmeriCorps and teaches English Language Arts at St. Augustine Catholic High School in Tucson, AZ. She graduated from the University of...

March 7, 2019

Teen Tech Week // Blended Learning & Literacy in Middle School

Francesca Varga is the Associate Program Director of Blended Learning for the Higher-Powered Learning team at the Alliance for Catholic Education. Francesca came to ACE after nine years in public schools, where she served as an English teacher, instructional coach, and team leader. She focused her...

March 4, 2019

Teen Tech Week // Blended Learning & Literacy at the Elementary Level

Elizabeth Anthony serves as the Associate Director of Higher-Powered Learning , a professional development program for schools implementing blended learning. In this role, Elizabeth leads the Higher-Powered Learning Program (housed under the Alliance for Catholic Education), teaches a course on...

February 20, 2019

From "The Outsiders" to "The Hate U Give": Young Adult Literature Interprets the Headlines

Dr. Lynne Vallone is a professor of Childhood Studies at Rutgers University-Camden, and she will be one of the keynote speakers at the second meeting of the International Girls Studies Association , hosted at Notre Dame’s own McKenna Hall on February 28-March 3. She has written several books...

February 17, 2019

Rethinking Effective Writing Instruction for English Learners: The Promise of Genre-Based Pedagogy

Dr. Laura Hamman-Ortiz is an educational linguist whose research explores how to support language and literacy learning for emergent bilingual students. Dr. Hamman-Ortiz is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Associate with the Department of Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity (EECD) at the...

February 14, 2019

Importance of Student Voice & Choice // Part 2 of 2

In the previous blog post, we offered five suggestions for raising student voice and what this might look like in the classroom: (1) enter into conversations with students; (2) ask hard questions of texts; (3) find a balance between student-led and teacher-led learning ecologies in the classroom; (4...

February 11, 2019

Importance of Student Voice & Choice // Part 1 of 2

When we think about our own lives, it seems obvious that our ability to make decisions for ourselves is one of our most cherished rights. Having agency and the ability to determine what is best for ourselves, known as “ voice and choice ” in the education world, impacts our experiences in profound...

February 5, 2019

Lessons in Literacy // Engaging in Journalism: Middle Schoolers Conduct Research in the Sonora Desert

For this installment of the Lessons in Literacy series, the CLE is pleased to spotlight an incredible educator, Cesar Elvir. Mr. Elvir teaches middle school English Language Arts at Santa Cruz Catholic School in Tucson, Arizona. He is originally from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and he graduated from...

January 29, 2019

Developing a Readerly Identity with Young Children // Part 2 of 2

As Children's Authors and Illustrators Week 2019 continues, Dr. Mike Macaluso shares Part 2 of his post on how to encourage a reader identity in young children. In Part 1 , Dr. Mac told the story of how he had difficulty seeing himself as a reader in his early years of school. Dr. Mac's parents...

January 29, 2019

Developing a Readerly Identity with Young Children // Part 1 of 2

There's a small poster that hangs in my office depicting a quotation from bestselling author James Patterson. It reads: "There's no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books." I picked up this poster at a conference last year...

January 22, 2019

Lessons in Literacy // Navigating the Stories of Black History with “Black Panther”

For this installment of the Lessons in Literacy series, the CLE is pleased to spotlight an incredible educator, Daniel Hodge. Mr. Hodge teaches English Language Arts at Saint Anne School in Santa Ana, California. He graduated from Gonzaga University and is serving his second year as an ACE Teaching...

January 17, 2019

Lessons in Literacy // Defend that Villain: Using Diary Entries to Spark Discussion in a High School Classroom

For this installment of the Lessons in Literacy series, the CLE is pleased to spotlight an incredible educator, Anna Bourbonnais. Ms. Bourbonnais teaches high school English at Holy Names High School in Oakland, California. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame and is serving her second...

January 9, 2019

A Writing Teacher’s New Year’s Resolution: Re-visioning Revision

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, we look back at what has been and we look forward, with renewed vision, toward what is yet to come. In that spirit, I thought I would take up a topic in English education that encapsulates the recursive act of looking back and moving forward: revision. My...

January 9, 2019

Lessons in Literacy // Connecting a Middle School Classroom to the Real World through "Refugee"

For our first installment of the Lessons in Literacy series, the CLE is pleased to spotlight an incredible educator, Anna Bourjaily. Ms. Bourjaily teaches middle school English at St. Robert Catholic School in Sacramento, California. She graduated from St. Mary's College and is serving her second...

December 17, 2018

Deck the Walls: Create a Literacy-Rich Secondary Classroom

It was my first classroom observation as a new teacher, and I was terrified. I was only about six weeks into my first year teaching middle school English and literature when my supervisor, language and education specialist Dr. Katy Lichon , came to Fort Worth to evaluate my practice, and I was well...

December 10, 2018

#WhyITeach: An Ode to Reading and Writing

For our first installment of the #WhyITeach series, the CLE is pleased to spotlight an incredible educator, Emma Fleming. Ms. Fleming is a fourth-grade teacher at Our Lady of Fatima School in Stockton, California. She taught elementary school music in Ireland and is serving her second year as an ACE...

December 9, 2018

Dr. Mac's Top 10 Resources for Finding Great Multicultural Books

Early on in graduate school, I was tasked with teaching a multicultural, young adult literature undergraduate class because of my experience as a secondary literacy teacher. Despite my nearly decade-long experience teaching young adults, I was terrified to teach this class because the few...

December 3, 2018

Supporting Young Writers in the Home // Part 2 of 2

In Part 2 of Dr. Kati Macaluso's blog post on supporting writers in the home, she continues the work she began in Part 1 . In Part 1, Dr. Macaluso explained how she sees her own children emerging as writers, and she offered strategies for how all parents can foster their children's natural...

December 3, 2018

Supporting Young Writers in the Home // Part 1 of 2

Long before any of my children were of school age, they were writers. Matthew, at two years old, would "fill out"the collection envelopes in Mass, making marks in the "name," "address" and "amount" blanks. Grace, now three, flits about the house taking orders on a Post-it pad before turning to her...

November 29, 2018

7 Strengths of Super Readers Series // The Strengths Model in Action

The seven strengths focus on social and emotional growth and well-being. They are critical to helping kids become super readers, but they extend far beyond academics; they help children to become powerful and compassionate individuals. When we create classrooms based on the seven strengths, we teach...

November 28, 2018

7 Strengths of Super Readers Series // Hope

Hope: Thinking optimistically and believing that today's efforts will produce good things in the future for yourself and the world The final of our seven strengths is hope . Our social-emotional arch of the strengths begins with affirming the self ( Belonging and Curiosity ), understanding and...

November 28, 2018

7 Strengths of Super Readers Series // Confidence + Courage

Confidence: Thinking independently and expressing ideas with assurance "I can't read." Perhaps you've heard a child utter these exact words or a similar statement. When the child is three, we can reassure them that they have plenty of time to learn, not to worry, and keep on enjoying being read to...

November 28, 2018

7 Strengths of Super Readers Series // Friendship + Kindness

Friendship: Having close, trusting relationships and personal connections to others; learning to interact in positive, productive ways While it may seem obvious to state that friendship matters, decades of research by Robert Selman has shown the incredible importance of friendship and how close...

November 27, 2018

7 Strengths of Super Readers Series // Belonging + Curiosity

Belonging: identifying as a valued, represented member of a larger community Belonging to a group is a basic human need, as important as nourishment and shelter, which stresses the absolute importance of creating a classroom culture and environment where every child is (not just feels) welcomed...

November 26, 2018

7 Strengths of Super Readers Series // Introduction + Parent Pledge

As National Family Literacy Month closes, we've been thinking a lot about why school and parent partnerships matter . Obviously, kids spend a significant amount of time trying to improve reading skills during school hours. In fact, the average American child spends about 1,000 hours of instructional...

November 23, 2018

Picture Books Matter: Strategies for Using Picture Books at Every Age Part 2 of 2

Whether you are a parent reading at home with your young child or a teacher trying to engage a 12th-grade class, picture books matter. Picture books' tactlessness, their glossy covers, and bright pictures beg to be opened, to be read, but also to be experienced. Years after my father read to me...

November 19, 2018

Picture Books Matter: Strategies for Using Picture Books at Every Age Part 1 of 2

I remember, very clearly still, my childhood bedroom, a warm and tidy little space with light yellow walls and a bed with a blue and green floral comforter. I remember many happy evenings in this room, reading with my dad before I fell asleep. I can recall the excitement I felt at the kickoff of...

November 15, 2018

Teachers as Researchers: What Makes You Wonder?

Over a century ago, American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer J ohn Dewey stated, "We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience."He emphasized the importance of educators pausing to reflect on their practice, asking questions about practices that were...

November 12, 2018

Audiobooks, Literature Circles, and the Goldilocks Dilemma

Podcasts and audiobooks have become wildly popular over the past few years. According to an article in Forbes Magazine ( March 2018 ), "Audiobooks are up about 20% year over year across the publishing industry for the first eight months of 2017, according to the Association of American Publishers'...

November 5, 2018

Putting Writers’ Fingerprints on Mentor Texts

Regardless of a writer’s age or grade, staring at a blank piece of paper or blank document on a computer screen can feel overwhelming. The easiest way to start? Encourage students to write their name on the paper or type it on the screen—and voila ! The page is no longer blank. We’ve used this...

October 29, 2018

Finding Ourselves in Multicultural Literature

Let's begin with a scenario. Imagine you are a member of a large group that recently took a group photograph. Someone has just handed you the photograph. What do you look for? Are you wondering what the background foliage looks like? Are you looking at the clouds in the sky? Perhaps, but you are...

October 26, 2018

10 Minutes of Reading a Night Can Change Your Child's Life

The reading research is unequivocal. The more a child reads the better he or she will be at reading. It is as simple as that. Children who read more enjoy reading; they read to challenge themselves, to satisfy their curiosities, and to experience unknown lands. Reading is an adventure and pure joy...

September 27, 2018

Welcome from the Center for Literacy Education

Welcome to the blog for the Notre Dame Center for Literacy Education (CLE). We hope that you will learn a great deal about powerful literacy practices from educators at the CLE and in K-12 classrooms across the country. We encourage you to visit the blog often and share about the innovative and...

Stories from the Field

Literacy at School // For Teachers

Children's and YA Literature