Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Fox Valley Reading Council will be bringing Troy Hicks on September 17th. More information will be coming soon!

Who is Troy Hicks? 

Dr. Troy Hicks is an associate professor of English at Central Michigan University and focuses his work on the teaching of writing, literacy and technology, and teacher education and professional development. A former middle school teacher, he collaborates with K–12 colleagues and explores how they implement newer literacies in their classrooms. Hicks is director of CMU’s Chippewa River Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project, and he frequently conducts professional development workshops related to writing and technology. Also, Hicks is author of the The Digital Writing Workshop (Heinemann, 2009) and a co-author of Because Digital Writing Matters (Jossey-Bass, 2010). In March 2011, Hicks was honored with CMU’s Provost’s Award for junior faculty who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in research and creative activity. Most importantly, he is the father of six digital natives and is always learning something new about writing and technology from them.

Sunday, March 13, 2016





Pam's books...

Every Child a Super Reader

super reader

On shelves now! Literacy experts Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell maintain that when we build on children’s key strengths and immerse them in an intellectually invigorating, emotionally nurturing, literature-rich community, we grow “super readers” – avid readers who consume texts with passion, understanding, and a critical eye. Organized around the 7 Strengths inherent in super readers (belonging, curiosity, friendship, kindness, confidence, courage, and hope), this powerful resource helps children:
– Develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills
– Learn comprehension strategies
– Build a robust vocabulary
– Deepen analytical prowess and an ability to talk and write about text
– Develop empathy, a strong identity as a reader, and an expanded understanding of the world
Featuring stirring reading and writing robust assessment tools, ready-to-share Family Guides, and embedded videos that illuminate the 7 strengths and more, Every Child a Super Reader shows teachers, parents, caregivers, and out-of-school providers why reading is the ultimate super power, opening a world of possible for every student.
The Core Ready Series


The Core Ready Series is a dynamic series of books providing educators with critical tools for navigating the Common Core Standards effectively and successfully. In the pages of these books, readers see how to take large complex concepts of the standards and turn them into practical, specific everyday instruction. The series is organized around the author’s Four Doors to Core Ready:
The Journey to Meaning: Comprehension and Critique, The Shape of Story: Yesterday and Today, The Road to Knowledge: Information and Research, andThe Power to Persuade: Opinion and Argument. The Core Ready Series provides educators with invaluable help for preparing for the Common Core Standards, empowering literacy instruction, and creating a systematic vision for school or district literacy that everyone can understand. It helps teachers fill the implementation gap as it relates to articulation and prior learning, support diverse and struggling learners, teach reading and writing skills across content areas, move from literature rich instruction to a different balance of fiction and nonfiction, and integrate new learning standards in time to be measured by new state assessments.
Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving the Common Core State Standards

Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving the Common Core State Standards is a transformational book for teachers, administrative leaders, literacy coaches, ELL specialists, special educators, media specialists, reading teachers, content area teachers, and families. In a teacher-friendly, conversational style, this book provides a clear understanding of the most compelling topics emerging from the Common Core State Standards and introduces the groundbreaking 4 Doors to Core Ready approach to solving the questions of what to teach and how to teach it in this new era. The book addresses curriculum, close reading, text complexity, care for English learners and special needs students, meaningful assessment, and the active and meaningful use of technology and literature to help all students meet and exceed the standards.


Your Child’s Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age


An illuminating, first-of-its-kind resource to help parents foster a love of writing in their child’s life. New educational research reveals that writing is as fundamental to a child’s development as reading. But though there are books that promote literacy, no book guides parents in helping their child cultivate a love of writing. In this book, Pam Allyn, a nationally recognized educator and literacy expert, reminds us that writing is not only a key skill but also an essential part of self-discovery and critical to success later in life. Allyn offers the “five keys” to help kids W.R.I.T.E. – Word Power, Ritual, Independence, Time, and Environment – along with fun, imaginative prompts to inspire and empower children to put their thoughts on the page. A groundbreaking blueprint for developing every child’s abilities, Your Child’s Writing Life teaches parents how to give a gift that will last a lifetime.


Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys


Get all boys reading with this extraordinary guide, chock-full of a wide range of must-read titles organized by interest, age, and development. With this resource in hand, you’ll never again struggle to find the right book for even your most reluctant readers. The carefully chosen book selections are accompanied by brief explanations of each book, and a recurring feature, “Talk About It,” will help you extend the book through conversation, supporting and enhancing the reading experience. In addition, ready-to-use lessons align with themes and topics of special interest to boys that will motivate and inspire them to read more. Finally, Pam answers your most pressing questions about the challenges for boys as readers and shows you how you can maximize environments, routines, and structures to ensure that boys are reading widely and passionately.


What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child—And All the Best Times to Read Them


There is a book for every moment: the first day of school or the day your family moves, an eagerly awaited holiday or a rainy afternoon when it seems there’s nothing to do. In What to Read When, Pam reveals wonderful, field-tested books for every age and every moment. With years of experience in education, Pam argues a compelling case for reading aloud. She advises parents and caregivers on how to harness the elemental power of storytelling. Reading aloud can do so many things for a child: it can ease big transitions, nurture budding talents and passions, make chores more bearable, bring laughs after a hard day, inspire family rituals, and, of course, soothe a tired newborn to sleep. The book is full of practical advice you’ll be excited to apply as soon as possible. Along with book titles and descriptions, What to Read When answers parents’ questions about reading. Allyn equips parents and caregivers with tools to tackle issues such as ideal level of difficulty, attention span concerns, lack of interest, and gender differences. Developmental insight gleaned from Allyn’s years of education experience will reassure and guide parents. What to Read When shows how to best invite your child into the wonderful world of literature. Check out What to Read When‘s bibliography. What to Read When



The Complete 4 for Literacy: How to Teach Reading and Writing Through Daily Lessons, Monthly Units, and Year long Calendars

The Complete 4The Complete 4 categorizes the teaching of reading and writing into the four areas of process, genre, strategy and conventions. Using these four key areas, The Complete 4creates a concrete, applicable model for an enjoyable and effective year of teaching. Allyn weaves a yearlong structure she calls a “flexible framework”: The Complete 4 provides a structure for your teaching, while also freeing you to fill that structure with the teaching that feels most right and most natural to you. The Complete 4 for Literacy helps you create grade-specific curriculum, including daily lessons, monthly units, and yearlong study. Pam offers practical support, examples from real world teaching scenarios, and planning templates. A 32-page full-color insert demonstrates the continuum of learning in reading and writing with a year’s calendar of month-by-month topics at each grade level K through 5.

About Pam…


Pam Allyn is a world-renowned literacy expert, author and motivational speaker. She is the founding director of LitWorld, a global literacy initiative serving children across the United States and in more than 60 countries, and LitLife, a cutting-edge consulting group working with schools to enrich best practice teaching methods and building curriculum for reading and writing. With her team at LitWorld, Pam created and leads World Read Aloud Day, a worldwide tribute to the power of literacy that happens every March.
Pam received the 2013 Scholastic Literacy Champion Award, and is Scholastic’s Open a World of Possible Ambassador. She is a spokesperson for BIC Kids, championing BIC’s 2014 “Fight For Your Write” campaign. Pam was selected as a mentor for the 2013 Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Fellowship to help young Egyptian women develop leadership skills. She was chosen as an inaugural W.K. Kellogg Foundation Fellow in April 2014, becoming a part of a national cohort of 20 fellows focusing on racial healing and equity. She is on the Advisory Boards of the Amherst College Center for Community Engagement, James Patterson’s ReadKiddoRead, the Pearson Foundation’s We Give Books, and the Millennium Cities Initiative Social Sector.
Pam is the author of many books, including her latest, co-authored with Ernest Morrell, Every Child a Super Reader: 7 Strengths to Open a World of Possible. She also wrote Your Child’s Writing Life, (winner of the Mom’s Choice Award), What To Read When: The Books and Stories To Read With Your Child–And All The Best Times To Read Them (winner of the National Parenting Magazine Award), and Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys: How To Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives. She has also contributed to the Complete Year series (Scholastic) and Homework Pages for Independent Reading (Scholastic), among other titles. Her most recent curriculum series, Core Ready, published in 2013, is a 14-book series focusing on the Common Core Learning Standards.
Pam is featured widely in the press and on the blogosphere as a reading expert for both home and school. She has been seen most recently on NBC News, CNN, and Al Jazeera, speaking to the power of education and literacy to transform lives and to create gender equity. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Oprah Radio, The Huffington Post and in The New York Times.

Pam Allyn

“Independent reading is what everything else is built around. It should be the center of our classroom, not a supplement.” @pamallyn #NCTE15

Fox Valley Spring Event! Pam Allyn