Check out these amazing events organized by the WRC for the benefit of promoting literacy! Find information on more outstanding events supporting literacy that are developed and hosted by other area organizations! Listen to informative and entertaining presentations by truly great speakers! Make friends! Network with colleagues! Learn best practices! Share the laughs! Catch the latest in new developments! Have Fun! All WRC hosted events take place at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (1819 S. Wagner Road, just west of Ann Arbor) and are free to WRC members unless noted. Professional Development Certificates for two hours will be available at some events, where indicated.
Dr. Mary Bigler presented her workshop "Songs, Rhymes and Story Times". Her humorous and fun approach to learning was enjoyed by all attendees, who joined in chanting, speaking, choral reading, listening, and singing! Dr. Mary Bigler is an internationally known motivational speaker and consultant. She has keynoted conferences, programs and in-service meetings throughout the United States, Canada, Africa and Europe, sharing the podium with notables as Jesse Jackson, Ann Landers and Zig Zigler. The Workshop Event Flyer is still available for your convenience. Thank You, Mary!
Many thanks to the WRC members and officers that volunteered their time to wrap gifts for donations at Barnes and Noble.
Thanks to the members and customers who made donations to the WRC while having their gifts wrapped.
The Washtenaw Reading Council also wishes to express its sincere gratitude to Barnes and Nobel for allowing us set up
this fund-raising event in their store. THANK YOU!
Scholastic will host break out sessions on:
"Creating Powerful Writers"
"Putting the Pieces Together:Generating and Organizing Ideas"
"Finding the Inner Voice: Revising for Voice, Word Choice, and Sentence Fluency"
"Sustaining Powerful Writers: Surrounding Students with Mentors"
Last year's First Annual Scholastic Literacy Power Event was a wonderful success. It was well attended by WRC members and non-members from Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas. See the March 24/25 event from last year, below. We expect a splendid event this year, so Click on Scholastic Flyer for details and sign up now!
Dr. LaRose is a professor in the Teacher Education Department at Eastern Michigan University, and is our Washtenaw Reading Council's President Elect. She will present, "The Mirror and the Window: Seeing Ourselves and Others in Multicultural Children's Books." Free Professional Development opportunity is available. A book vendor will be present with opportunities to buy books associated with this presentation.
This year's conference theme is "Bridges to Lifelong Literacy." Click on 53rd Annual MRA Conference to get more information, download the registration form, or register online. See our notes below from last year's 52nd Annual MRA conference below (2007/2008 School Year Events). Next year's annual MRA conference will take place in Detroit. The annual MRA Conference is a truly outstanding event, and we hope that you consider attenting!
Author of "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids," Carol McCloud is known to thousands of fans as the "Bucket Lady." Since June of 2006, Carol has read and discussed her book in over 700 presentations to encourage and empower more than 60,000 children to be daily bucketfillers. She has also inspired thousands of teachers to create bucketfilling classrooms and schools. Carol's motto is: Life is good and it's better as a bucket filler. Free Professional Development opportunity is available to WRC members (otherwise, $10).
Dr. Nancy Updegraff from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt returns this year for another entertaining and informative presentation for our council. Free Professional Development opportunity is available to WRC members (otherwise, $10). Topic content is currently being developed, so watch this space for the flyer!
Nell Duke and Stephanie Harvey will present, "The Art of Non-Fiction." Click on the MRA Summer Reading Conference Event link for details, cost, the registration form and a flyer.
In an very entertaining presentation, Dr. Bigler spoke of the importance of reading aloud to students and engaging them with meaninful literary experiences. She shared the joy and wonder of reading with the introduction of joke books, novelty books, picture books, poetry, nonfiction, and resource books. We enjoyed cider and doughnuts, and held a raffle for a lot of fun books. Thank You, Mary!!!
Suzanne gave a very informative and interesting talk about aligning Grade-Level Content Expectations (GLCEs). She shared many outstanding lessons and strategies that can be easily used in the classroom, including grade-level binders containing DVDs, demonstration GLCE writing lessons, reproducibles, overheads and other materials. Many thanks to Suzanne!!!
A hearty thanks to Barnes and Noble for providing us a venue for this event, and for donating books for our Washtenaw Reading Council Book Drive!
Mary spoke with us about the National Writing Project (www.nwp.org), its availability in our area, resources, and ways it can benefit the classroom teacher. She stressed the importance and the availability of good professional development and the effectiveness of learning from other teachers. One of her key points was that teachers of writing must write! Local National Writing Project sites include Eastern Michigan University, The University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Oakland University and Wayne State University.
Jerry Suddeth-lott from Great Source (a Division of Houghton Mifflin Company) discussed and made available teaching materials, including reading and writing sourcebooks and posters illustrating the writing process. The Great Source website is www.greatsource.com.
Our sincere thanks to Mary Cox and Jerry Suddeth-lott!
This year's conference was a great success! Its theme, "Bound Together by Literacy," reflects the power of literacy, its influence on students across multiple disciplines, and how it links us together in our schools, homes and communities. General session keynote speakers included Randy Bomer talking about new directions for writing instruction with ever-increasing digital environments, Carmen Agra Deedy and her humorous recollections of early library memories, and Ruby Payne discussing "A Framework for Understanding Poverty." Next year's annual MRA conference will take place in Grand Rapids.
The first Annual Scholastic Literacy Power Event was a wonderful success. It was well attended by WRC members and non-members from Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas.
Dr. Cathy Collins Block (Texas Christian University), writing consultant Lola Schaefer, and many others from the Scholastic team presented keynotes and break-out sessions that were found to be valuable by those who attended. Dr. Block and Scholastic have graciously given the WRC permission to post her presentations Latest Research and Best Practices in Vocabulary Instruction and Effects of Classroom Books on Vocabulary Achievement: Why Students Need to Read Books.
Scholastic has become a great partner in literacy and has dedicated this to be an annual event for which they will return each March. Our council presents them with an effective venue to pursue their goal of developing a working relationship with the community. This two-day event was made successful by a lot of planning and effort by Scholastic, the Washtenaw Intermediate School District, and the Washtenaw Reading Council. We are also thrilled that Scholastic is donating two thousand new books for the Mission Possible 100-book libraries for twenty needy families. Congratulations and thanks to all!!!
Dr. Nancy Updegraff from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt presented "Great Ideas for Teachers." She entertained attendees with "hands-on" activities designed to demonstrate how vocabulary instruction that activates prior knowledge comparing, contrasting, inference, and critical analysis has a powerful effect on comprehension. She has worked with districts in 47 states in assisting them with their Reading First Grant applications. Dr. Updegraff holds degrees in Urban Education, English, Learning Disabilities, Reading, Psychology and Professional Development. The event Flyer is still available for your convenience.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt also donated many books for the benefit of Washtenaw Reading Council's 100 Book Library project. Dr. Updegraff and Harcourt are planning to expand their WRC literacy partnership with a return appearance next year. The Washtenaw Reading Council extends its sincere gratitude to Nancy, her Harcourt Representative Amy, and Amy's children (who assisted with many of the event functions) for this wonderful presentation, the book donations, raffled books and gift certificates, and this developing partnership!
Dr Updegraff's presentation was the final regularly scheduled WRC-hosted event for the 2007/2008 school year. WRC President Janice Voss announced new WRC officers for the 2008/2009 calendar, which begins July 1, 2008. Kimberly Fox will take over as President (effective June 10), Fe MacLean will serve as Vice President, and Jacqueline LaRose will be the President Elect. Our Webmaster, Rob Voss, will fill in as Secretary.
We thank departing officers Janice Voss, Sharon Russell and Karen Werstein for their contributions as President, Vice President and Secretary, respectively. The other officers will remain in their current positions, and we thank them for their continued support.
Our thanks also goes to Barb Jaszcz who champions the Mission Possible 100 Book Library project, which continues without a break.
Click on the Scholastic Book Fair Event Flyer for details.
The Washtenaw Reading Council proudly recognized and thanked the students of Fortis Academy in Ypsilanti for their collection and donation of 800 books to WRC's Mission Possible 100-book libraries project and presented them with a Certificate of Appreciation. WRC's 100 Book Library Project Chair, Barb Jasczc, made the presentation in a school ceremony on May 9; thanking the school students, parents and staff contributing to this Honor Council project for both the Michigan Reading Association and the International Reading Association. The goal of this project is to provide a 100-book library to as many families as possible across our communities. Fortis students can be proud of making such a significant contribution to this worthy cause! THANK YOU FORTIS ACADEMY!!!
The Ann Arbor Book Festival is a community-wide celebration of reading, writing and literacy, featuring author presentations, poetry readings, youth activities, music and dance, and much more. See the Ann Arbor Book Festival Event Flyer details and opportunities to volunteer.
The Academy is designed for school/district improvement teams. Team members engaged in intensive, site-specific and objective-oriented projects, guided by NCA Facilitators. Click on the Michigan NCA Home Page link for details about their events.
The Wayne RESA/RLTC Conference Event Flyer is still available, even though this occurred in the past for your convenience. This flyer is a large file, and may take a minute or so to load.
The theme for this year's conference was Writing K Through Life: Reaching New Heights in Literacy.
Web based information can still be viewed by clicking on the MRA Summer Reading Conference Event link for details.
