Reading keeps Summer from turning Kids' Minds into Jello

As another long summer away from school approaches, many parents are wondering how to keep their children busy doing something constructive. While certain T.V. shows and video games can be educational, nothing seems to beat good old fashioned reading. Or for very young children, being read to. Summer reading programs are a great way to provide children regular opportunities to read books, play writing games, and listen to stories. While children might be more focused on the fun and prizes involved, educators know that these sorts of programs help little kids get ready to read and big kids raise scores.

A study conducted by Jimmy Kim at Harvard's Center for Evaluation found that reading four or five books over the summer months had an impact on fall reading achievement comparable to attending summer school. (Kim) Another study concluded that, "children who read more than a half an hour per day during the summer had significantly higher reading comprehension gains by the fall compared with children who did not." In addition, the study showed that "children whose parents read to them at least twice a week over the summer also improved comprehension skills more than children whose parents did not." (Phillips and Chin)

Public libraries all over the country are busily gearing up for the 2009 summer reading program "Be Creative at your Library." The program is sponsored by the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), which is a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries. The CSLP began in 1987 in the state of Minnesota and has since grown to include libraries from virtually every state in the country.

"Be Creative at your Library" is not only a wonderful free program that promotes parent/child involvement, but also gives kids an opportunity to have fun while learning valuable skills. Program coordinators often incorporate puppet shows, crafts, skits, and other fun activities to help children interact with the characters they read about and make various subjects come alive for them in a meaningful way. There's even a theme song for "Be Creative at your Library", sung by the children's cartoon character Billy Gorilly. The song was produced by Flying Kitten Music whose unique songs, stories, and educational materials are prime examples of the creative learning tools parents and kids can discover through the library.

To find out the details about dates, times, and registration for this summer's program, call or visit your local library. And to learn more about effective and engaging children's educational materials visit these websites:

www.scholastic.com
www.billygorilly.com
www.pbskids.org

Summer Reading List for Kids - Time to "Go Green!"

By Asst. Prof. Jennifer Turner
College of Education
University of Maryland

I have known about "going green" for some time, but I didn't really understand its importance until my 6-year old son, Elijah, came home from school one day and started saying, "Be green." He would remind us to turn off the lights, saying with a sweet smile, "Mommy we need to be green." He'd unplug appliances that were not in use, turn off the water when he brushed his teeth, and constantly ask me to get a recycling bin for our plastics and glass.

Curious to know where he had learned this phrase, I emailed his kindergarten teacher to ask what books she had read. She told me that she had read several books within a popular curriculum series on recycling and going green for Earth Day. She had also read How Do Plants Get Food?, by Meish Goldish (1989), a wonderful book that has interesting science facts presented in a kid-friendly manner. Reading books and talking about the Earth was a very enjoyable activity for Elijah, and this started his quest to greener living.

Going green has also become popular through children's television channels like Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon is doing a great job of helping kids "be green" through their programming and through their website. On their website, they have an entire page filled with ideas about living, learning, and playing in environmentally-responsible ways. Their initiative empowers kids to make a difference by making environmentally-friendly changes in their everyday lives.

So this year, I have decided to share books and web resources that help kids and parents to "be green." Enjoy the summer reading books and checking out websites that help keep our Earth clean AND maximize our fun!!

Prof. Turner is interested in issues of culture and cultural diversity as they relate to classroom reading instruction, and is particularly concerned with the improvement of reading achievement for African American students in public elementary schools.

Books for Kids Aged 3-8

* Why Should I Save Energy? (Why Should I?) (Jen Green, 2005, Barron's Education Series)

Author Jen Green has written an amazing, four-part series of books which demonstrate the importance of protecting nature. The other titles include WHY SHOULD I Protect Nature?, WHY SHOULD I Recycle?, WHY SHOULD I Save Energy?, and WHY SHOULD I Save Water? This series answers these questions through stories and illustrations in a fun, light-hearted way. What is especially great about this series are the notes in the back of the books, which provide suggestions for ways to use this book for parents and teachers.

* The Giving Tree, ( Shel Silverstein, 2005, HarperCollins)

This poignant book centers on a tree "who loved a boy," and follows the relationship that the tree develops with the boy throughout his life. Through this story, we learn about the different kinds of relationships that humans can have with nature. Some relationships between humans and nature are very harmonious, however there are other times when humans may take advantage of nature by using it solely for personal benefit. Because there are many eco-friendly messages in this book (e.g. don't take away from trees without giving something back, be thankful for trees, trees are important to us and we should not take them for granted), this book is great for reading aloud and talking with children about the importance of giving.

* Recycle: A Handbook for kids (Gail Gibbons, 1992, Little Brown Young Publishers)

Gail Gibbons is a phenomenal writer whose informational books help kids learn new and interesting facts. And she doesn't disappoint with her book on recycling. This book is very readable and well-organized, and helps children really get a sense of what landfills are and why we need fewer of them. Gibbons does thorough research in order to write her books, so when she describes how to recycle, why it's necessary, and its benefits, you know the information is accurate. The book ends with some interesting information about the ozone layer and the limited potential for recycling polystyrene, followed by 14 facts about garbage.

*Earth Day Hooray!!! (Stuart Murphy, 2004, HarperCollins Publishers)

In this book, children can learn about going green AND doing math! The story focuses on Ryan, Luke, and Carly, who are good friends with a plan for celebrating Earth Day. They want to buy some flowers for Gilroy Park, but they don't have enough money. So, they decide to collect and recycle 5,000 aluminum cans to earn the money. As the three friends collect cans, they discover that keeping track of the daily totals is somewhat of a challenge, until they begin to sort using bags of 10, 100, and so on. With this book, kids will have fun learning about place value, as well as celebrating the joy of working together to accomplish a green goal.

Books for Kids Aged 9-12

* Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment (Linda Schwartz, 1990, Learning Works Publishers)

This cool activity book shows children how to care for the Earth. The book is divided into four sections: (1) Energy, resources, and recycling; (2) Air, Land, & Water; (3) Plant & Animal Habitat; and (4) More Ways to Make Every Day Earth Day. The simple format makes the book really easy to read, and the information is presented in a very kid-friendly way which makes the main terms and ideas easy to understand.

The hands-on activities are really fun, and could be used for at-home science projects or to take away the rainy day blues. For example, the book describes acid rain, then gives instructions for a project to measure the amount of acid in your own rainfall. At the end of the book, there is a section called Where to Write & Glossary which provides a page on how to request information and also provides many different resources/organizations that children and parents can use.

* Brainiac's Go Green Activity Book (Mara Conlon, 2008, Peter Pauper Press)

Brainiac's Go Green! Activity Book is a cool activity book with an eco-friendly theme. The book presents fascinating scientific information about the Earth as well as important concepts and ideas for being environmentally-conscious. Kids will love doing the word finds, crosswords, connect the dots, mazes, and countless other activities within the book. And parents will love the green tips that are in the book, all designed to help families live their lives a little greener.

*Garbage and Recycling (Rosie Harlow, 2002, Kingfish Publishers)

This book is filled with interesting facts and information about recycling. The easy-to-use table of contents helps readers find ideas and information quickly, and helps organize the "big ideas" in the book in an accessible way (e.g., chapters include Waste not, want not; Garbage that won't rot; cans count; recycle your rags). One of the best features in this book are the "How Can I Help?" Boxes, which give helpful suggestions for children who want to recycle at home.

Books for Kids Aged 13-17

* The Green Teen: The Eco-Friendly Teen's Guide to Saving the Planet
(Jenn Savedge, 2009, New Society Publishers)

We all know that teenagers are a tough crowd to please. So how will they ever get interested in going green if the books are too boring, too babyish, or too dense? The Green Teen is a handy, go-to guide that will help teens learn to make environmentally responsible choices without being too preachy. Each section follows the same simple format: (1) How to Green something, (2) Top 5 Ways to start, (3) Why Bother doing it, (4) G2G Green Tips, (5) Planning stage with ideas and tips on how to go about it, (6) How to Get your Parents Involved and (7) Surfing Sites! What is awesome about this book is that it includes interviews with real teens who have made an impact with their projects, which will inspire other teens to make green choices in their daily lives.

* Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life (by Linda Sivertsen, 2008, Simon Pulse Publishers)

Generation Green is a very interesting book that helps us to understand that using technology more than just something that is "cool"--- it's actually "green!!" The book describes how texting friends, chatting online, and downloading emails and music are all examples of green activities that teens naturally enjoy and do on a daily basis. In fact, the concept of green living is the theme of the book, and many chapters provide tips on how to shop, dress, eat, and travel the green way. Now some teens (or even adults!) may not truly believe that they can live life in a greener way, but this book shows that anyone can do it. There are a number of interviews with teens who are involved with eco-friendly projects, and they talk about what living green means to them and how easy and natural it can be. The most powerful message in this book is that any green changes we make, even those that may seem small, have a huge impact on our Earth, our family and friends, our community, and our future.

How The Internet Has Changed K-12 Education

Don Tapscott, a leading authority on business strategy and author of Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World, discusses how the Internet has changed K-12 education on the latest edition of DistrictLeadersPodcast.com. This is the only national podcast Web site created expressly for district leaders and other educational leaders.

In this interview with Arthur Griffin, Jr., senior vice president of McGraw-Hill Education's Urban Advisory Resource, Tapscott discusses the world of digital natives and how the explosion of the Internet into mainstream society has necessarily and completely changed education.

"Growing up interacting with this technology actually changes the way these students are, the way they think, and the way they process information," Tapscott said. "The old model of learning based on lecturing is so encoded in our culture. Teaching needs to be about creating a context where students can discover. We need people who can think, solve problems, and communicate in the knowledge economy. Technology has transformed their lives in a positive way to facilitate the new style of learning."

An expert on how information technology changes business, government and society and education, Tapscott is chairman of nGenera Insight. He served as founder and chairman of the international think tank New Paradigm before its acquisition by nGenera. He is an internationally sought writer, consultant and speaker for many of the world's largest corporations and government leaders from many countries. The Washington Technology Report called him one of the most influential media authorities since Marshall McLuhan. He also is Adjunct Professor of Management, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Good Teaching can be Enhanced with New Technology

Providing further evidence of the tremendous opportunity to use technology to improve teaching and learning, the U.S. Department of Education today released an analysis of controlled studies comparing online and face-to-face instruction.

A systematic search of the research literature from 1996 through July 2008 identified over 1,000 empirical studies of online learning. Of these, 46 met the high bar for quality that was required for the studies to be included in the analysis. The meta analysis showed that "blended" instruction – combining elements of online and face-to-face instruction – had a larger advantage relative to purely face to face instruction or instruction conducted wholly online. The analysis also showed that the instruction conducted wholly on line was more effective in improving student achievement than the purely face to face instruction. In addition, the report noted that the blended conditions often included additional learning time and instructional elements not received by students in control conditions.

"This new report reinforces that effective teachers need to incorporate digital content into everyday classes and consider open-source learning management systems, which have proven cost effective in school districts and colleges nationwide," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "We must take advantage of this historic opportunity to use American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to bring broadband access and online learning to more communities.

"To avoid being caught short when stimulus money runs out, school officials should use the short-term federal funding to make immediate upgrades to technology to enhance classroom instruction and to improve the tracking of student data," Duncan added. "Technology presents a huge opportunity that can be leveraged in rural communities and inner-city urban settings, particularly in subjects where there is a shortage of highly qualified teachers. At the same time, good teachers can utilize new technology to accelerate learning and provide extended learning opportunities for students."

Few rigorous research studies have been published on the effectiveness of online learning for K-12 students. The systematic search found just five experimental or controlled quasi-experimental studies comparing the learning effects of online versus face-to-face instruction for K-12 students. For this reason, caution is required in generalizing the study’s findings to the K-12 population because the results are for the most part based on studies in other settings, such as in medical, career, military training, and higher education.

"Studies of earlier generations of distance and online learning courses have concluded that they are usually as effective as classroom-based instruction," said Marshall "Mike" Smith, a Senior Counselor to the secretary. "The studies of more recent online instruction included in this meta-analysis found that, on average, online learning, at the post-secondary level, is not just as good as but more effective than conventional face-to-face instruction.."

The study was conducted by the Center for Technology and Learning, SRI International under contract to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Policy and Program Studies Service, which commissioned the study.

The full report can be found at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html#edtech

Freedom Writers Foundation Teachers Equipped With Collaboration Tools

Although teachers collaborate on lesson plans and projects across schools and districts every day, the Freedom Writers Foundation has proven that the power of technology enables this across time zones and even various levels of technology familiarity. The Foundation brought together 150 teachers from across the United States and Canada to jointly compose their new book Teaching Hope: Stories from the Freedom Writers Teachers, (Broadway Books, August 2009) with the help of donated tools and support from HP and Microsoft Corp. Today, in her keynote presentation at the National Educational Computing Conference, Erin Gruwell, founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation, will share the supporting, yet critical role, that technology played in easing the teacher/author collaboration, relationship building and ultimately impacting change.

Collaborating with technology

The Freedom Writers Teachers came together last summer as part of the Foundation's teacher-training program, spurred on by the success of Paramount Pictures' "Freedom Writers," starring Hilary Swank, based on the book The Freedom Writers Diary, by Gruwell and her students. The teachers, representing fresh approaches to "teaching hope" from all school settings and geographies, received the donated tools and training as they commenced writing their personal classroom stories featured in the new book.

Staying connected with the HP Mini and Microsoft Office OneNote 2007, allowed the teachers to access information, collaborate in real time, and communicate via e-mail, IM, and blogging with the integrated wireless technologies. Office OneNote 2007 (www.iheartonenote.com) is a "digital notebook" that provides people one place to gather notes, audio and visual information, powerful search to find what they are looking for quickly, and easy-to-use shared notebooks to manage information and work together more effectively.

"Given the immense inequity in skills and access to technology going into writing this book, we were worried true collaboration would be next to impossible," said Zachary Chase, a Freedom Writers Teacher. "Our new tools leveled the field for technophobic and technophilic teachers alike. We were able to work together across a common platform. I hope this unified and connected spirit comes through for everyone who reads Teaching Hope."

Applying technology lessons learned in the classroom

Beyond the book, some of the Freedom Writers Teachers are also using this technology in their classrooms and to share with colleagues across their districts. This next school term, Christine Neuner, a Freedom Writers Teacher, plans to use Office OneNote 2007 to give students a chance to send drafts of their works for peer-editing.

"I think it is imperative for the students to use such technology at the high school level because they will be using similar technology in post-secondary schools and training," said Neuner. "They will have to be technologically prepared for the workplace as well. Using OneNote is just another way for me to help prepare them for the future."

The HP Mini can change how K-12 children learn today and is the practical answer to one-to-one computing. Students can learn collaboration, problem solving and creative skills, which will prepare them for life after school. With the right technology, students learn to communicate effectively with multimedia and think critically as they decide how to present knowledge effectively - giving them a bigger voice in the world.

Teaching Hope: Stories from the Freedom Writers Teachers will be available for sale on August 18, 2009 wherever books are sold. Teaching Hope unites the voices of these Freedom Writer teachers, who share uplifting, devastating, and poignant stories from their classrooms, stories that provide insight into the struggles and triumphs of education in all of its forms. Mirroring an academic year, these dispatches from the front lines of education take us from the anticipation of the first day to the disillusionment, challenges, and triumphs of the school year. These are the voices of teachers who persevere in the face of intolerance, rigid administration, and countless other challenges, and continue to reach out and teach those who are deemed unteachable. Their stories inspire everyone to make a difference in the world around them.

About The Freedom Writers Foundation

The Freedom Writers Foundation provides educators with transformative methods to engage, enlighten and empower vulnerable, at-risk students to reach their full potential. For more information, please visit www.freedomwritersfoundation.org.

Economic Boost Expected From Teaching Creativity

"Maybe we could jump-start our economy" by infusing business know-how into art and design, a college president here suggests.

Dr. Larry R. Thompson, who heads Ringling College of Art and Design, notes that "every man-made object, from your coffee cup, to the chair you are sitting in, to the watch on your wrist, was created by an artist or designer. Product design, advertising design, interior design affect every single thing we do."

Writing in a college publication called "Creativity@Work," Dr. Thompson notes that his institution has created the nation's first four-year program to teach business to creative types. It's called The Business of Art and Design. Its lead faculty member, Dr. Wanda Chaves, says, "We're convinced this revolutionary new academic program will produce the business leaders of the future. It integrates the study of business and the study of studio art and design -- marrying the right and left brains into one practice."

She adds, "The art and design degree is in some ways the quintessential business degree. It's not just about creative businesses. It's about making any business more creative."

Ringling College is located at 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota FL 34234. Web www.ringling.edu

Walden University and Tacoma Public Schools Announce Results of Linking Teacher Learning to Student Success

As school districts and states across the country seek practical and meaningful ways to measure teacher performance in the classroom, new findings from a previous study confirm the connection between graduates of Walden University's M.S. in Education program with a specialization in Elementary Reading and Literacy and student outcomes in reading fluency.

Linking Teacher Learning to Student Success, a study conducted by Arroyo Research Services in conjunction with Tacoma Public Schools, compared the reading fluency of students taught by Walden-master's educated teachers with those students taught by non-Walden-master's educated teachers. The study, sponsored by Walden University, evaluated three years of data, including test scores involving 35 teachers and 712 students.

"Our district was very interested in supporting the researchers at Walden University who contracted with Arroyo Research Services to study the link between Walden-master's educated reading teachers and the effects on increasing student performance," said Pat Cummings, director of Research and Planning with Tacoma Public Schools. "The study yielded a number of positive findings in early literacy performance of students being taught by Walden graduates. The research appears to help shed light on the link between good teaching and student learning, especially in the area of acquiring skills in early reading."

Key findings in the study showed:

* Students of Walden teachers had gains in reading fluency that were on average 4.8 words per minute, or 14% greater, than students of non-Walden-master's educated teachers.

* Gains were largest in first grade, where students of Walden teachers averaged 5.4 more words per minute than students of the non-Walden-master's educated teachers.

The positive impact Walden teachers had on student reading fluency translated into more efficient use of instructional time. The findings suggest the cumulative effect of having a Walden teacher in Grades 1 to 5 would show a combined gain in reading fluency of 11.6 words per minute. When translated into weeks of instruction, this gain is equivalent to a total of 10.6 weeks, or one-third of an entire school year.

"Student success is the ultimate demonstration of effective teaching, and the ultimate goal of Walden's education programs is fostering effective teachers. We believe studies such as this one illustrate the difference a Walden master's degree can make and the impact that Walden-educated teachers have in the classroom," said Victoria Reid, vice president of The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University, which was named in honor of Richard W. Riley, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education and a longtime advocate for teaching excellence.

Details of Linking Teacher Learning to Student Success are at www.WaldenU.edu/tacoma.