Liz Knowles

You've created a STEAM program in your library, but how do you work literacy into the curriculum? With this collection of resource recommendations, direction for program development, and activities, you'll have students reading proficiently in no time.Many schools and libraries are implementing STEAM programs in the school library makerspace to promote problem solving by allowing students to create their own solutions to a problem through trial and error. In order to enhance literacy development in the STEAM program, however, they need resources for integrating literature into the curriculum. In this collection of resources for doing just that, veteran education professionals and practiced coauthors Liz Knowles and Martha Smith bring readers over eight hundred recommended and annotated books and web resources, selected based on research on successfully integrating STEAM and literacy programs and organized by the five STEAM areas. Titles are complemented by discussion questions and problem-solving activities that will aid educators in both adding and using the best literature to their STEAM programs for encouraging learning. In addition to promoting literacy, these resources will help to develop creativity, lateral thinking skills, and confidence in students.

Written with a focus on the English Language Arts Common Core Standards, this book provides a complete plan for developing a literacy program that focuses on boys pre-K through grade 12.Despite the fact that reading and literacy among boys has been an area of concern for years, this issue remains unresolved today. Additionally, the emphasis and focus have changed due to the implementation of the English Language Arts Common Core Standards. How can educators best encourage male students to read, and what new technologies and techniques can serve this objective? The Common Core Approach to Building Literacy in Boys is an essential resource and reference for teachers, librarians, and parents seeking to encourage reading in boys from preschool to 12th grade.Providing a wide array of useful, up-to-date information that emphasizes the English Language Arts Common Core Standards, the bibliographies and descriptions of effective strategies in this book will enable you to boost reading interest and performance in boys. The chapters cover 16 different topics of interest to boys, all accompanied by a complete bibliography for each subject area, discussion questions, writing connections, and annotated new and classic nonfiction titles. Information on specific magazines, annotated professional titles, books made into film, websites, and apps that will help you get boys interested in reading is also included.

A bestselling author delivers the "big picture" on reading instruction today.The author of the bestselling Boys and Literacy offers an overview of current thought on the teaching of reading. Differentiating Reading Instruction through Children's Literature includes data on the current status of reading instruction, models and methods, best practices, and brain research. The focus here on differentiation of instruction (what it is general and what is specific to reading) will be valuable to school librarians in their effort to understand and support reading instruction in their schools. The book includes lesson ideas, annotations, kids' book titles, professional articles, books, and resources and author information to aide in understanding the topic. Lessons are built with a standard template format featuring: use with groups, reading levels, content area reading and writing connections, storyline, comprehension skills, and differentiation ideas. Applicable in grades K-8Lesson ideasAnnotationsChildren’s book title recommendationsProfessional articles

This book by well-known authors Liz Knowles and Martha Smith (Boys and Literacy, Reading Rules!, etc.) fills the need for a K-12 resource for teachers and librarians searching for materials and activity ideas for character education at all grade levels. It consists of 12 chapters—one on each virtue: empathy, respect, courage, humor, responsibility, perseverance, loyalty, honesty, cooperation, tolerance, citizenship, and forgiveness. Each chapter has a listing of related virtues, a definition, several useful famous quotes, listings of people and organizations who have demonstrated the virtue, related topics for further curricular exploration and discussion questions. There is also a complete listing of annotated titles divided into five sections: picture books, primary (gr. 1-3), intermediate (gr. 3-5), middle school (gr. 5-8) and young adult (gr. 8-12).This book by well-known authors Liz Knowles and Martha Smith (Boys and Literacy, Reading Rules!, etc.) fills the need for a K-12 resource for teachers and librarians searching for materials and activity ideas at all grade levels. It consists of 12 chapters—one on each virtue: empathy, respect, courage, humor, responsibility, perseverance, loyalty, honesty, cooperation, tolerance, citizenship, and forgiveness. Each chapter has a listing of related virtues, a definition, several useful famous quotes, listings of people and organizations who have demonstrated the virtue, related topics for further curricular exploration and discussion questions. There is also a complete listing of annotated titles divided into five sections: picture books, primary (gr. 1-3), intermediate (gr. 3-5), middle school (gr. 5-8) and young adult (gr. 8-12). In addition, Knowles and Smith offer lists of other good professional books and Web sites to consult in building your school's character education program. A unique feature of this book is a section in each chapter called, in action in which the authors offer ideas to share with students such as Empathy in action: Be polite in the cafeteria, Be kind and helpful to those with mental and physical challenges, Share your supplies with those who have none. Grades K-12.

Book clubs, literature circles, and reading groups are great ways to promote literacy and books to young readers. This new guide provides everything you need to run a dynamic, no-fuss book discussion group with elementary and middle school students. Featuring 15 titles of diverse genres, it offers discussion topics and activity ideas for some of the best new reads for kids. Brought to you by the authors of the highly acclaimed Reading Rules! Motivating Teens to Read, this guide is an outstanding resource for starting and running a stellar literary discussion group—whether it's in a school, public library, or community center. Grades 4-8.

Discusses how teachers can motivate teenagers to read, covering such topics as creating a conducive reading environment at school and the use of interactive activities to interest students.

Here are more great topics and sample book club sessions to help you start a book club and keep it going! Chapters in this volume cover humor, families, social issues, folklore and mythology, sports, magazines, picture books as art, censorship, the Internet, middle school readers, gender bias, booktalks, and the arts. For each genre, the authors offer a general overview, discussion questions, a bibliography, resources for further reading, and appropriate Web sites. If you want to promote literacy and involve parents in the reading program, you'll love this book and its companion, The Reading Connection.

Establishing a book club is a great way to involve parents in promoting literacy to young readers. This book shows you how to start a book club in your school or community, and it provides bibliographies of literature resources for children. Suggested topics and sample book club sessions help you get started, and an extensive bibliography, arranged by genre, guides teachers, parents, and students in selecting reading material. Chapters cover read-alouds, picture books, horror stories, multicultural literature, poetry, science fiction, nonfiction and reference, bibliotherapy and problem novels, award-winning books, biographies, and books in a series. For each genre the authors offer a general overview, suggest discussion questions, provide a bibliography, and list resources for further reading. Helpful Internet addresses and additional topics are included in the concluding chapter.