Fall - OCTELA

Fall 2006
The Ohio Council Teachers of English Language Arts
644 Overlook Drive, Columbus, OH 43214
Ruth McClain, Editor
IN
THIS
EDITION!
•
Incoming Executive Board
Members, page 2
•
2006 Bonnie Chambers Award
Winner, page 3
•
Time to Start Banning Books
Again, pages 4-5
•
2006 PreK-8 Writing Awards
Winners, pages 6-7
•
Buckeye Bulletin—Buckeye
Children’s Book Award, page 9
•
•
Cross Cultural Commonality,
pages 8-9
•
Asking the Right Questions,
pages 10-13
•
Issues in Education, pages 14-15
•
New Literacies at OCTELA Fall
Institute, page 16
•
Forms, pages 17-20
•
OCTELA’s 50th Anniversary—
2007 Spring Conference, pages
21—23
The OCTELA Newsletter, member of
The NCTE Information Exchange, is a
publication of the Ohio Council of
Teachers of English Language Arts
(OCTELA), founded in 1957 as the
English Association of Ohio (EAO).
OCTELA is the only statewide affiliate of
the National Council of Teachers of
English (NCTE) representing teachers of
English language arts, prekindergarten
through college.
“Celebrating Ohio”
Page 2
OCTELA
Announces New
Executive Board
Members
Regina Rees
Vice President
Regina Rees has been an
educator for twenty-five
years. She has taught grades
4-12 and is currently an
assistant professor in the
Department of Teacher Education at Youngstown
State University.
Regina received her Bachelors and Masters
degrees from Youngstown State and her doctoral
degree from the University of Akron. She
conducted her research in Readers Theater as a
strategy to improve fluency and comprehension.
She is also interested in content area literacy and
children’s literature.
In addition to teaching, Regina is a
professional storyteller. She has presented
programs and workshops throughout Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana. Regina
lives in Poland, Ohio, with her husband, Bill.
Their daughter, Jeanine, lives in Boston.
Karla Bisig
Secretary
Karla Bisig teaches at
Wilmington Senior High
School in Wilmington, Ohio,
and also serves as
OCTELA’s Vocational Liaison. Karla graduated
from Wilmington College with a Bachelor of Arts
degree and from Wright State University where
she earned a Master of Arts in English Literature.
Karla is also a Committee Representative
for the Buckeye Children’s Book Award, a
contributor to Adolescent Literacy in Perspective,
an online publication of the Ohio Resource Center,
and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of
the Ohio Journal of English Language Arts.
She has presented numerous times at state
and local conferences and spoken on topics such as
Using Literature to Research Career Paths and
Anne Bradstreet: The Conformist’s Vain Attempt
at Individuality.
Slate of Officers for Spring 2007
Tanzina Shams
Secretary-Elect
Tanzina Shams is currently
an adjunct faculty at Ashland
University, Columbus. Her
background is in secondary
English with Masters from
both Penn State (English) and
The Ohio State University (English Education).
Formerly, she taught English at Walt Whitman
High School in Bethesda, Maryland, and substitute
taught in Ross County, Ohio. Tanzina also
worked in
Educational Publishing where
she received four different “Recognition of Exceptional Service” Awards. She has been the guest
speaker for the Federation of Bangladesh Associations of North America in Montreal, Canada, and
has published “Chocolate Chip Cookies” in Children of Asian America (1995).
Currently, she lives in Dublin, Ohio, with
her son Gabriel, a second grader.
Elections for Executive Board Officers
Are Held at the
OCTELA Spring Conference
March 23—24, 2007
at the Marriot North in Columbus
Page 3
Teaching Synthesis with Fictional Picture Books
Alyson Workman, winner of the 2006 Bonnie
Chambers Award for Exemplary Beginning
Teaching, was honored by colleagues at the
OCTELA Fall Literacy Institute in Dublin, Ohio.
Alyson writes about the role of children’s literature in
her classroom and how allowing children to be
creative deepens their thinking of text.
“I developed a unit based on a chapter Synthesis from
Debbie Miller’s book Reading with Meaning. Some
of the lessons,” Workman says, “were modeled
directly after anchor lessons described in Miller’s
book. I used the book to guide the development of
many units that teach children basic skills that help
improve comprehension abilities. It’s a great resource
that gives good examples of how to utilize authentic
literature to improve the comprehension abilities of
even the youngest students.
“Every day that I teach, I feel
as though I grow professionally
because I have more experiences
to draw upon to discuss with
colleagues.”
Alyson Workman
teaches First Grade at
North Elementary School
in Newark, Ohio
“I’m a strong supporter of devoting an hour each day
to Reading Workshop where students have an
opportunity to explore authentic books that they are
interested in. First grade children,” writes Alyson,
“rarely get this opportunity because they are primarily
focused on learning decoding strategies and fluency
with simple texts in guided reading. In addition to
guided reading,” she continues, “I also believe that it
is important to teach comprehension strategies and
give students a well rounded view of literacy.
“Using Reading Workshop allows me to open a door
to a life-long love of reading and literature in general,
and I’m able to keep children working at their own
level while also finding books that interest them from
our own classroom library. I supplement my
classroom library continuously throughout the school
year by using the excellent educator benefits that
many of the local libraries have.”
Page 4
ITime to Start Banning Books Again!
It's about time we started
banning books again... With the
American Library Association's
Banned Books Week just
concluded [September 23-30], it's
time to stop and reconsider what
books we deem irresponsible and
dangerous for the public to read.
Now that the United States is no
longer embarrassed by fascist
labels, the "morally right" can effectively
ostracize the most harmful authors by…wait a
minute…What?
Banned Books Week is about stopping
censorship?
Surely you jest. I'm sure self-labeled intellectuals and armchair patriots argue tooth and nail
over the supposed importance of the First
Amendment, but the unfortunate truth is that
censorship is a part of America's heritage.
Regardless of who leads this emotional charge,
there's a good chance these same free press/
speech advocates actually spend the same
amount of energy supporting censorship than
fighting it.
By Michael Punsalan
FBI's advantageous use of
National Security Letters,
demanding private information
from thousands of organizations
including universities and
libraries. Consequently, all NSL
recipients are forever gagged—
forced to not tell anyone about
their FBI questioning. Of course,
these are all forms of censorship,
but yet no one sees a promotion of
"Janet Jackson's Breast Week."
So, are Americans really strong-willed
about the First Amendment?
Apparently not. Even if you specifically extend
censorship to the case of banned books, no one
is in the clear.
The ALA's records of challenged books from
1990 to 2000 show a significantly high
proportion of cases challenged due to "sexually
explicit" material, use of "offensive language"
or "unsuited to age group." Does that mean
that we are offended only at sex talk and swear
words, or does it mean that these topics ride the
proverbial "fence" for decency and
acceptability, and thus have advocates on both
sides?
No, you say?
Aren't these the same people outraged by the
appearance of Janet Jackson's breast during
the Superbowl? Or maybe they were the
civilized folk who agreed with Howard Stern's
FCC fines that forced him off public radio.
Perhaps it was the same people who supported
the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.
You know, it's only fair that all candidates have
the same amount of TV time, right? Then
again, it could have been those people who
instigated the Children Internet Protection Act
because they were upset about little 15-yearold Johnny looking at obscene Web sites on the
public library computer. Or maybe it was just
those Patriot Act supporters who condone the
Having support on both sides is what
seems to make censorship exciting—
no one wants to fight for a lost or lonely
cause.
Last year, The National Conservative Weekly
published a list of the "Top 10 Most Harmful
Books of the 19th and 20th Century." Chosen
by a panel of scholars and public policy leaders,
the list was comprised of political, religious and
economic ideologies with Karl Marx's
Communist Manifesto leading the way.
However, none of the 10 books were listed
because of their offensive language. The
supposed underlying danger of these ideological
books brings up a revealing view on the topic
Page 5
that skewers the heart of the cafeteria
libertarian.
• What if a teacher wanted to teach the moral
righteousness of Hitler's Mein Kampf?
Would we see still people stand up for
censorship? Aren't we the city that
screamed "foul" when the Nazi party came
to publicly speak in the north end?
•
What if a library wanted to stock the
controversial Anarchist Cook Book or the
Poor Man's Guide to Bomb Making? Would
you still tout the First Amendment or start
using the recently ubiquitous phrase, "You
know, that's what's wrong with free
speech?"
Or does the banned book debate really
only extend to what we feel is appropriate
for our own children or community?
Ohioana Robert Fox Award
for Young Writers
The submission deadline for the
Ohioana Robert Fox Award for
Young Writers is January 15,
2007. Ohio students in grades
9-12 are eligible to submit a piece of prose or
poetry, accompanied by an entry form signed by
a sponsoring teacher.
This year, Barnes & Noble Book Sellers
have made it possible to award a $250 first
prize, $150 second prize, and $100 third prize
to winners in each of the two categories. Award
winners will be notified by April 1 and will be
recognized at the spring meeting of the Ohio
Board of Education in May.
For complete competition guidelines and entry
forms, contact the Ohioana Library at
614-466-3831
or email your request to
[email protected] along with your
name and mailing address.
The Ohioana Robert Fox Award for
Young Writers is co-sponsored
by the Ohio Council of Teachers of English
Language Arts, the Ohioana Library, and the
Ohio Department of Education.
If so, then the concept of free speech has
already died.
Sure, many of you want the extremely
controversial, yet generally acceptable, Huck
Finn and Holden Caulfield to roam free in our
libraries and schools, but are you also willing to
allow the less affable Adolf Hitler, William
Powell and Larry Flynt?
Contrary to what the "First Amendment fence
riders" believe, there's no gray area in
censorship. Most of the activists fighting for
literary freedom are the same proponents of
self-serving censorship conveniently cloaked in
another arena. Judy Blume's Forever shouldn't
be banned, but we should allow the FBI to issue
gag orders for the interest of national security?
Guess what, people, it's censorship either way.
HOHIO RESULTS: NCTE Program to
Recognize Excellence in Student
Literary Magazines
Highest:
•
•
•
•
Flight
Scripta
Synergy
Troubador
St. Edward High School
Hathaway Brown
Bexley Middle School
Genoa Middle School
Superior:
Choose a side of the road to stand on.
The ideas expressed in this article are those of Michael
Punsalan, a criminal justice graduate and a drug
intervention counselor at Toledo Public’s SBH school.
He is currently working on his Masters Degree at UT in
Social Studies Education. Michael has been published
in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul IV and is a
regular writer/contributor to the Toledo Free Press.
•
Forum
Lake Catholic High School
Excellent:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Amaranth
Galimaufry
In Words
Mind Candy
Reflections
Shades
Rites of Passage
Ventures
Ottawa Hills
Laurel
Cincinnati Day School
Hillard Darby
Archbishop McNicholas
Columbus Alternative
Pickerington
Villa Angela
Page 6
Ohio students, once again,
found their voices and entered
OCTELA’s PreK-8 Writing
Awards Contest. We are proud
to announce the 2006 winners
and to present their work.
Contest Coordinator
Judy Miller congratulates all
students who submitted their
prose and poetry and also applauds their teachers. Student winners receive certificates of participation and $25 and have their
work published in the OCTELA Newsletter and on
the OCTELA website. We have made every effort
to print the students’ work as written.
him what they had learned.
“That’s easy!” They yelled
excitedly. “We learned that we
should be happy with the way we
are!” The wombat granted their
wishes and from that day on the special Emu and
Kookaburra lived happily ever after!
Natalie Dunham
Hilliard Horizon Elementary
Hilliard City Schools, Franklin County
Teacher: Teri Richardson
Grades 3-4:
Grades 1-2:
Watch What You Wish For
Once upon a time in the bush of Australia
Emu found Kookaburra singing a tune in the gum
tree.
“What a beautiful song! I wish I could sing
a beautiful song like you!”
“Then Kookaburra replied, “I wish I could
have a long neck like you to eat my food.”
They both knew about a magical wombat
who could grant wishes. The creatures made a long
journey until they located the magical wombat.
After two days of tiring travel they arrived at the
hot, dry, dusty desert home of the wombat. They
both asked that their wishes would come true and
then something WONDERFUL happened! Indeed,
their wishes did come true. Emu could sing a
gorgeous tune and Kookaburra now had an
extremely long neck.
A few weeks passed and Emu discovered he
missed his neck and singing caused him to have a
sore throat. Kookaburra was also very unhappy
because he kept catching his long neck in the tree.
Both Australian creatures desired to have things
back the way they were. Therefore, they traveled
back to the magical wombat and begged him to
return them to their original selves. The wombat
said he would grant their wishes if they could tell
Dragonflies
Tricky little blighters;
Buzzing around everywhere,
Masters of flight.
Helicopters of the insect kingdom.
Entomologist’s delight.
Alex Steitz
Norwich Elementary
Hilliard City Schools, Franklin County
Teacher: Dianne Clay
Grades 5-6:
My Wedding Poem
The Preacher says
my Step Mom
has a few words to say.
As she says them
to my Father
he pulls out something from
his pocket.
He hands it to her
and then she turns
to me and says,
I will always be
your partner.
Page 7
I will always
be by your side,
cherish you in
sickness and in health.
I will be by your side in your
comfort and fears,
as she places
the necklace on me
from Dad’s pocket
to my Step Mom’s
hand and on to my neck.
Three different color hearts
bronze, silver, and
14 carat gold will
and still represent
each one of us three.
as they rest there
and stay
there
for the rest of my
and our lives.
Jessica Ruff
Shawnee Elementary
Lakota School District, Butler County
Principal: Erika Simmons
boys, this is where we say goodbye.” I then start to
cry. That one special place where I thought that
nobody could get into, had just been broken. It was
spilled and scattered like a hand full of sand that
had just been dumped on a hot and sandy beach.
My secret was revealed. As my dad says
his final goodbyes to my brothers, my step mom,
and myself, we all have one last hug before the
person that I admire, look up to, and love so much
goes away. As my family walks away, I stand
there, staring at my dad as he begins to vanish into
the distance. Then I soon find myself...scattered.
I’m lost in the middle of the hallway.
But as my dad turns around to give one last
wave, I soon find a piece of myself. He waves, his
eyes are glassy, and you could use them for a
mirror. But then, my dad turns around, walks away
and soon vanishes. I just fall apart again. I’m a
puddle in the middle of the hallway. I stand and
cry. But then, I race to catch up with my family to
say one last goodbye as we watch his plane lift off
the ground and soon vanish into the deep, deep blue
sky.
Goodbye Dad...goodbye.
Come home soon
We will be waiting for you!
Love Always, Your Boy, Guy
Guy Mitchell
Hillsdale Middle School
Hillsdale School District, Ashland County
Teacher: Bryn C. Kaufman
Grades 7-8:
Untitled
As I walk through the airport hallways, and
I ride the escalators, I feel my heart and body start
to tingle and squeeze together as we walk to the
place where my family and I will see him last for a
long time.
Looking back, I think about all the good
times we have had, and it brings a tear to my eye.
But I know, deep inside me, somewhere...where
nobody can find me, the place I don’t want
anybody to see, I know that my dad will be OK. I
try to tell myself, “Maybe nothing will happen
while he is away.” I tell myself that he will be
home, and it’s not the end of the world although it
feels like it.
But to me it is. And my dad says, “Well
OCTELA invites you to submit
your own students’ work
for the 2007 PreK-8
Writing Awards Contest.
For your convenience, there is an
application form in this newsletter.
If you would like more information,
please contact
Judy Miller, Coordinator
Upper Arlington Schools
[email protected]
Page 8
Cross Cultural Commonality:
Being Sensitive to Our Students
from Islamic or Muslim
Backgrounds by Mallikah Sharp
If you teach in an urban or public
school setting, then you more than likely have
had students of various backgrounds in your
classroom. But how many of us have had
students with another religion besides Christianity? Today, the United States is at war in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and we are calling people with
Islamic backgrounds “terrorists” and waging
hate crimes on American Muslims.
I thought it was timely to talk about this
topic because we have just had the 5th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, and
still, we hear about “Islamic terrorists” in our
media.
What kind of message are we sending to
our young students who are not political and
who do not understand the descriptive big words
adults may be using. All they know is that there
are “good people” and “bad people.” I had to
deal with this first hand when, on the first day of
school, I had a parent in full Muslim garments
walk her child to my classroom. Many of my
students just looked and listened to her beautiful
accent. I was fascinated because I thought that
now I could expand my teaching about diversity.
On the morning of September 11th this
year, many of my first grade students asked if I
had seen the airplanes that crashed into the big
buildings. I knew that I would have to explain
what “bad people” did to them, but I was very
uneasy about doing it, so I let the students guide
our conversation.
Throughout our group discussion, my
Muslim student was very uneasy, but I made a
lot of eye contact with him and reassured him
and the rest of the class that the attacks were
about the bad choices that these people made on
our country. I read books to them about peace
and acceptance around the world. We discussed
how we all have similarities and differences and
that we can have friends of any background.
One book that I particularly enjoyed
reading was I AM AN AMERICAN, TOO by
Zakia Hyder. It is the story of Ahmad, a young
boy who works his way
through the fear and
confusion of hate crimes,
to focus on all the good
that surrounds him. In this
sensitive and reassuring
tale, Ahmad's friends and
neighbors bridge cultural
differences by sharing in
each other's joys and sorrows. Although Ahmad's
family belongs to a specific ethnic group, this
young boy is all American. His story appeals to
all children who must face the uncertainties of an
adult world.
When our students see that we have
a genuine interest in their lives and
families, they feel more accepted and
want to participate more.
My own students thoroughly enjoyed Ahmad’s
adventures and also the bright, bold colors of the
Page 9
illustrations. It is a book that I would recommend
to any grade level because of the simple writing
and the discussions the book sparks after reading it.
As we know, our students are subjected to the harsh
reality that some people may be disliked because of
the color of their skin or their religion or language.
On September 21st every year my students
and I celebrate International Peace Day by joining
other children around the world for Pinwheels for
Peace. We make pinwheels with words of peace
and hope and beautiful illustrations on them, and
we stick them in the grass and sing songs of peace
as our pinwheels blow in the wind. Please visit the
website to learn more about the mission of
pinwheels for peace.
www.pinwheelsforpeace.com
On September 23, 2006,
Ramadan begins at sundown for the
Islamic community. This is the
holiest period in the Islamic year and
begins at the sighting of the new
moon. It commemorates the period
during which Prophet Mohammad
received divine revelations. Observing Muslims
abstain from food or drink between sunrise and
sunset during the entire month, read the Holy Qur’an
and worship in the mosque or at home. October
23rd marks the end of the Ramadan fast that is
celebrated for three days. The date of the observance
may vary according to the sighting of the new moon.
When our students see that we have a
genuine interest in their lives and families, they feel
more accepted and want to participate more. Make
sure that, as teachers and administrators, we are
setting good examples of how to learn more about
one another.
Cast Your Vote!
The Buckeye Children’s Book
Award 2007 Nominees
The Buckeye Children’s Book
Award program is designed to
encourage children in Ohio to read
literature critically, to promote
teacher and librarian involvement in
children’s literature programs, and
to commend authors of such literature. Since its
inception in 1981, there have been 36 award
winners.
The 2007 BCBA Nominees
Grades K-2:
•
•
•
•
•
Diary of a Spider, Doreen Cronin
Max’s Rules, Sandra J. Philipson
Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude, Kevin
O’Malley
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, Mo Willems
Sweet Tooth, Margie Palatini
Grades 3-5:
•
•
•
•
•
Can You See What I See? The Night Before
Christmas…, Walter Wick
The Field Guide, Tony DiTerlizzi
The Penultimate Peril, Lemony Snicket
Stink, Megan McDonald
Season of the Sandstorms, Mary Pope Osborne
Grades 6-8:
•
•
•
•
•
Among the Enemy, Margaret Peterson Haddix
The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau
Eragon, Christopher Paolini
Jimi & Me, Jaime Adoff
Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook, Shel Silverstein
Our students will follow in our footsteps.
Mallikah Sharp is OCTELA’s
multicultural liaison. She
recently finished her Master's
of Education in Literacy Degree
at Ashland University and
currently teaches first grade at
Alpine Elementary School in
the Columbus Public Schools.
If you would like to vote, go to
www.bcbookaward.info
and register your vote.
Deadline for 2007 favorites is
February 1, 2007.
If you would like more information,
please contact
Deb DeBenedictus at ddebened.kent.edu
Page 10
From the desk of the editor:
A Question Is a Question Is a Question
Ruth McClain
From
her hospital bed in France, Gertrude Stein
once asked of Alice B. Toklas, “What is the answer?”
Receiving no answer, Stein then posed, “In that case,
what is the question?” It’s doubtful that Stein ever
got an answer to either of those age old questions, but
one thing is certain: questioning is the single most
influential teaching act and asking the right question
or, if I may propose, making the right statement—one
that requires drawing upon both content knowledge
and personal experience—promotes open-ended
inquiry and engages students in exploration of a text
in a way that very little else does, a trend that has
hardly changed over the years.
It would seem that, too often, we teachers
have mistakenly equated quantity of questions with
quality, but if we are to teach logically, we must be
knowledgeable about how to frame questions so that
they guide the students' thought process. Of course,
we’re acquainted with Bloom’s Taxonomy but, even
so, how many of us have posed questions that are
predominately those concerned with simple data and
fact recall—all of which fall under lower order
questions. Perhaps, we have posed such questions
because they’re easy to write and even easier to grade
and, after all, having a little factual knowledge is not a
bad thing, is it! Of course not! Such questions seem
“safe.” Yet, they afford the student little opportunity
to engage in a process where one questions leads to
another and another and another, and one answer only
poses more questions.
Doesn’t it seem logical that there is a direct
correlation between the level of questions asked by
teachers and the level of students’ responses? I doubt
any of us want our students to mimic Stein who
penned, “I tell you…there ain’t any answer, just you
believe me, there ain’t any answer...there ain’t going
to be any answer, there never has been any answer,
that’s the answer.” Regardless, good questions make
good teachers great teachers, and great essential
questions have some basic criteria in common:
•
They are open-ended and resist a simple or
single right answer;
•
They clarify
understanding
and extend
thinking;
•
They can be revisited to engage students in
on-going dialogue and debate;
•
They are deliberately thought-provoking
and often controversial; and
•
They lead to other questions and create
links between ideas.
As Ernest Boyer said, “If we want people to
learn to think, you ask them hard questions and let
them wrestle with the answers” (1983). I propose
first, then, that the questioning process begin with
us—the teachers. Every time we plan a lesson,
there are questions we MUST consider:
•
What big questions will this lesson help
students answer?
•
What reasoning abilities must my students
have to develop answers?
•
What information will my students need to
answer the questions, and where will they
find such information?
•
How will I find out whether or not my
students are actually learning something?
•
What techniques will my students employ
to communicate what they have learned?
Further, every time we plan a lesson, we
must also keep in mind that challenging questions
require students to compare, analyze, evaluate, and
draw inferences. Is there, then, anywhere in the
curriculum for objective questions such as multiple
choice and true/false? The answer is a resounding
YES. Let me propose scenario one.
Page 11
In a senior high school English class, the students had
just completed a unit on the Romantic Poets.
Consider Keats’ To Autumn.
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
The question, then, comes in the form of a
multiple choice statement: For example, In To
Autumn Keats’ tone is one of a) joy b) serenity and
peace c) sorrow d) indifference
The statement is purposefully designed to
confuse the students. Certainly, Keats must have felt
a great deal of joy in viewing the scene on the granary
floor. Does he equate nature with a person, or does
nature remain an abstraction only in his poetic mind?
He also must have experienced sorrow in knowing
that the day, like the
season, was dying; yet,
he blends living and
dying, the pleasant and
the unpleasant and
accepts the reality of the
mixed nature of the
world.
Or does he?
Does he feel at peace with whatever interpretation he
makes within himself? You see, there are no easy
answers. Rather, the student is required to analyze all
situations and support his/her decision contextually.
To do this, a student MUST pay very close attention
to the text, and the teacher must be open minded with
regard to the student’s justification of the answer. As
Stephen Dunning states in Transactions with
Literature, “The teacher…must be ready to face the
fact that the student’s reaction will inevitably be in
terms of his/her own temperament and background.
Undoubtedly, these may often lead the student to do
injustice to the text. Nevertheless, the student’s
primary experience of the work will have had
meaning for him/her in those personal terms and no
others”
Students may also help each other with the
answer and in finding contextual evidence, but they
may not argue against another student. If the teacher
grants credit to one student who chooses a particular
answer and who had that answer marked incorrectly,
the teacher also gives credit to all other students who
had the same answer. In some cases, every answer
may be correct. In all the years I have been using this
kind of statement-questioning, I have found that
students feel less pressure to come up with the right
answer—you know, the one the teacher feels is
correct—and the class builds a kind of community
for, after all, there are multiple interpretations to any
piece of literature depending somewhat on the
personal experiences a student brings to that piece of
literature. This exercise also promotes oral
discourse—that ELA standard that is most often
used in teaching but is evaluated the least in our
classrooms.
In scenario two, the students are also free to
deal with their own reactions to the text in an essay
format. Take the example, for instance, from senior
student Kevin. After reading Hamlet, the teacher
Page 12
poses the question, “How are you similar or different
from Hamlet?” Students’ initial reaction is to deny
that they are in any way like Hamlet for, after all, they
are not the son or daughter of a murdered king. The
teacher must try to find points of contact with the
literary character in question and ask those “wh”
questions that lead the students to both reflection and
analysis. Questions like these come into play here.
•
What are Hamlet’s personality traits?
•
Where do your own experiences intersect
with those of Hamlet?
•
What is presented factually about Hamlet?
•
What emotional effect does the play create
within you?
•
In what ways is Hamlet a “true to life”
character?
determined Hamlet seems to be, he is essentially
incapable of taking quick, decisive action—his
major nemesis. I usually procrastinate important
decisions, and then my family, whom I need for
security and support, gets angry with me. The one
major difference, though, that I see between Hamlet
and me is that Hamlet is an excellent and
convincing speaker. I, on the other hand, am a
terrible speaker and have a hard time conveying a
message or even speaking on the listener’s own
terms. Maybe I do better on paper!
In this short essay, Kevin is forced to analyze
both his and Hamlet’s personalities and then
synthesize his findings in writing. The question, then,
is presented only as a suggestion—a springboard for
composition, and the teacher must provide time and
opportunity for the student to reflect and organize
thought. It is as senior student Sara stated on the back
of her senior picture, “You taught me how to think,
not what to think.”
After brainstorming Hamlet’s personality
traits and noting them on the blackboard, students
begin to get an idea of just the kind of person Hamlet
really is. It’s obvious, then, that the personal
contribution of any reader is an essential element in
any vital reading of literature. Kevin writes:
Very like a Hamlet! How so? First, hamlet
doubts himself and his intentions using his false
insanity to try and decide whether the ghost speaks
true, whether he really does love Ophelia, and
whether his mother has been loyal to her husband,
Hamlet’s father. I, too, often doubt myself—though
not without reason, and I have lots of unresolved
internal struggles.
Hamlet is often too generous. When he has
the opportunity to kill Claudius, he hesitates and
gives Claudius more time to repent which he does
not. This also gives Hamlet more time to make sure
he wants to kill Claudius. I commonly have bad
timing waiting until it’s too late. I leave things
unresolved because of my indecision and become
frustrated never getting anything finished.
Hamlet is also moody, and he swings from
loving Ophelia to criticizing her. At times, he hates
his stepfather, and at other times, he feels pity for
him. Wow! I have big mood swings. Sometimes,
I’m quiet and introspective in the morning and then
vociferous and outward by afternoon. However
It’s only logical that there is
a direct correlation
between the level of
questions asked
by teachers and
the level of
students’
responses.
Finally, let us all beware of those faulty
questions for which students provide masterful and
clever answers. Want an example? OK. Consider
Carl Sandburg’s Fog.
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
Too often, we ask faulty questions:
•
The Multiple Question: Which thing is the
clearest? How do you know?
Page 13
•
What is Sandburg doing here? Student
response—I don’t know.
•
The Question that has no follow up: How
does the cat leave? Silently
•
The Vague Question: What big things are
poets concerned about? Who cares!
•
•
•
Yes/No Questions: Does Sandburg
effectively compare the cat with the fog?
Accepting Questions: What is your reaction
to the poem? You may get an answer of, It’s
stupid.
Echoing Questions: Student response—The
metaphor is the cat image, and the fog acts
like a cat. Teacher response—Very good.
The metaphor is the cat image and the fog acts
like a cat.
“The teacher…must be ready to
face the fact that the student’s
reaction will inevitably be in terms
of his/her own temperament and
background.” Rosenblatt
And so, with effective questioning and the
knowledge that a question is only as good as the
response it evokes, we can certainly understand that,
“in the interchange of ideas the student will be led to
compare his/her reactions with those of other students
and of the teacher. [Students] will see that a
particular work may give rise to attitudes and
judgments different from [their] own. Some…will be
more defensible than others in terms of the text as a
whole. Yet, [students] will also become aware of the
fact that sometimes more than one reasonable
interpretation is possible” (Rosenblatt ).
Even Stein, herself, didn’t have all the
answers, but she certainly kept on questioning.
“Everybody knows if you are too careful you are
so occupied in being careful that you are sure to
stumble over something,” Stein wrote (1937), so ask
those hard questions using language that allows
students to express feelings and ideas that may differ
from your own—this is the essential tool for learning.
New Books from NCTE
•
Reading in the Reel World: Teaching
Documentaries and Other Nonfiction Texts by
John Golden
•
Living Voices: Multicultural Poetry in the
Middle School Classroom by Jaime R. Wood
•
Judith Ortiz Cofer in the Classroom: A Woman
in Front of the Sun by Carol Jago
•
Langston Hughes in the Classroom: “Do
Nothin’ till You Hear from Me, by Carmaletta
Williams
•
What Is ‘College Level’ Writing edited by
Patrick Sullivan and Howard Tinberg
•
Talking in Class: Using Discussion to Enhance
Teaching and Learning by T. McCann, L.
Johannessen, E. Kahn, and J. Flanagan
www.ncte.org OR 1 (800) 369-6283
NCTE Dates and Sites:
NCTE Annual Convention:
•
November 16-19, 2006—Nashville, TN
•
November 15-18, 2007—New York, NY
•
November 20-23, 2008—San Antonio, TX
•
November 19-22, 2009—Philadelphia, PA
•
November 18-21, 2010—Orlando, FL
•
November 17-20, 2011—Chicago, IL
CCCC Annual Convention:
•
March 21-24, 2007—New York, NY
•
April 2-5, 2008—New Orleans, LA
Literacies for All Summer Institute:
•
July 12--15, 2007—Louisville, KY
Page 14
Ohio Voices:
. . . Issues in Education
By Will Kuhrt
And You Are?
Invisibility has been a recurring theme in literature
and pop culture since H.G. Wells wrote The
Invisible Man in 1897. In the 1969 rock opera
Tommy, Pete Townsend sang metaphorically, “See
me, Feel me” as the deaf, dumb and blind kid, and
comedian Chevy Chase tried his hand at portraying Nick Halloway, business man suddenly made
invisible, in the 1992 dramatic film adaptation
Memoirs of an Invisible Man.
Enter “The Schwa.” I’m not a language arts
teacher. I’m a math and science teacher so I don’t
pay close attention to schwas, but I realize that
schwas are just as deserving of attention as
everyone else. Did he say, “Everyone?”
Yes. Calvin Schwa is an 8th grade boy who has
the ability to appear invisible at will, and it has
been scientifically proven. One day after school,
Calvin’s friend, Anthony Bonano, dressed Calvin
in a bright orange sombrero and made him stand in
the middle of the boy’s restroom. Anthony had
ten students line up in single file and, one by one,
they entered the restroom and walked out. Only
one of them noticed someone but didn’t know
exactly who or what. Calvin was invisible to the
other nine students. The experiments continued.
During class, Calvin would eagerly wave his hand
in the air to answer a question, and teachers would
undoubtedly call on someone else to answer. Even
teachers couldn’t see Calvin. This cemented the
fact in Anthony’s mind that Calvin could, indeed,
make himself invisible, so the two boys decided to
go into business together charging money to perform crazy dares such as walking into a crowded
restaurant and taking something from someone’s
plate without being seen.
Such is the life of the wonderful characters in
young adult novel The Schwa Was Here by Neal
Schusterman. It is a light-hearted story about a
group of boys who live in Brooklyn, New York.
But it is also very poignant and becomes
increasingly captivating the more you learn about
Calvin, “The Schwa.” The reader is exposed to
their school lives, after school antics and, in some
cases, sad home existences. Schusterman weaves
a tale that is enthralling and entirely plausible.
I do not want to reveal all of the secrets of “The
Schwa” but I will say this. He is real and I think
about him all the time. I think about “The Schwa”
when I am driving in my car, when I’m watching
TV, or when I am walking through a crowded
hallway. I can’t even look at a billboard along the
highway without thinking of Calvin, “The Schwa.”
In the education world,
references to “invisible”
students that one finds
in articles and research
papers often refer to
those we commonly define
as being marginalized:
students of color,
of low income, non-native
English speakers, gay/
lesbian. . .
When I was a fifth grader around 1974, my teacher
walked in one day with a gigantic refrigerator box.
One entire panel had been cut out. She pulled my
desk away from the others in the middle of the
room and placed it in the rear of the classroom.
The front of the desk was flush with the cold,
white cinder block wall that looked as if it had 20
coats of paint ranging from avocado, to peach to
white. She told me that is where I would be sitting
Page 15
from now on and then enclosed me inside the tall
cardboard structure.
My Frigidaire box became my home. I was
allowed to come out from time to time to partake
in class activities here and there, but most of my
school day was spent in the box. It made me
invisible. It became a construct for me not to be
seen by my classmates or by the teacher. I was
removed from distraction and interaction. During
those hours inside of the box, I was forgettable just
like Calvin.
The experiences I had in school were really
nothing like Calvin’s, in spite of my confinement
in the refrigerator box. I never had difficulty with
teachers ignoring me, and I know I could never
sneak into a restaurant and take something off
someone’s plate.
One night after a high school football game, my
friends and I went to a Pizza Hut. I left the table
and wasn’t paying attention while walking back. I
sat down in a booth, reached out and took a huge
slice of pepperoni pizza. It looked mouthwateringly delicious until I heard a deep booming voice
say, “Excuse me!” I looked up and a very angry
man was scowling at me. I was sitting next to his
wife. I had sat down at the wrong booth! I know
I’m not invisible.
In the education world,
references to “invisible”
students that one finds in
articles and research
papers often refer to those
we commonly define as
being marginalized:
students of color, of low income, non-native
English speakers, gay/lesbian, etc. However, there
are many other schwas out there who do not fall
within these categories.
“The Schwa” is real, though, to me because I
know there are kids in our schools who feel invisible every day. They are the kids who sit in the
middle of the classroom. They are the kids who
are average performers but whose passion hasn’t
been ignited by their teacher. They are the kids
who have friends but who aren’t the prom kings
and queens. I was one at one time, but what is
worse is that I was a teacher who ignored the
schwas.
That is the power of Shusterman’s book. It not
only reminded me of my youth, but it showed me
that from the perspective of a teacher no one
should be ignored─not even schwas. Calvin isn’t
just a boy in a book. Calvin is a kid in any one of
our schools. He’s been waving his hand in the air
but has remained unseen. He is the kind of boy
that, when he is gone, you regret having said,
“And you are?”
“I am invisible, understand, simply
because people refuse to see me.”
Ralph Ellison
Will Kuhrt is currently
pursuing certification in
Middle Childhood
math and science.
He may be reached at
[email protected]
Page 16
Expanding Our Definition of Literacy Theme of Fall Institute
By David Bruce, OCTELA President
On
Saturday, October 7th, OCTELA held the
Fall Literacy Institute at the Bridgewater Banquet
& Conference Center in Powell, Ohio. This year’s
format was a departure from previous conferences
that had numerous breakout sessions. Instead, we
featured one presenter, David Booth, Emeritus
Professor at the University of Toronto. David’s
presentation was titled, Reading doesn’t matter
anymore, unless… Playing the provocative title,
he clarified with a series of “unless” statements,
“what we mean by reading.” Presenting with
humor and energy, David challenged us to rethink
what we mean by literacy.
During the day, he presented a broad view
of what literacy is, took us through a model unit of
literacy, and ended the afternoon session with a
video and discussion exploring literacy and males.
David highlighted a number of different
texts and literacies, including text messaging—
which he called the highest form of literacy in our
culture—graphic novels, the Internet, picture
books, magazines, video, and many others. His
contention is that literacy is not an either/or
approach: it is all of the literacies combined. David
stated that everyone reads—the form the text takes
(whether print, digital, or graphic) does not matter.
The form of what is read is less important than the
richness of its content. He used the example of
comic books—or the more preferred term, graphic
novels. He demonstrated that this is a powerfully
emergent form, and that, as texts, are beyond
simple cartoons. Rather this combination of art,
graphics, and print often explores a number of
complex topics and issues.
He also stated that the problem with a
broad interpretation of text is that, regarding
different literacies, teachers are often the illiterate
ones as our students are much more conversant in
many of these newer forms than we are. David
stated when we realize we are illiterate in various
literacies, that is the point in which we become
good teachers—we understand how our students
feel when they struggle with print literacy. He
finished this point with the idea that the more
literacies students can master, the more chance
they will have in life.
David emphasized that it is what we do
with what we read that matters. The greatest
service the English Language Arts teachers can
offer, he contends, is their expertise in meaning
making. He said that our job is to push the students
farther than they thought they could think on their
own.
Demonstrating many of these ideas with a
themed lesson built around coal mining, David
used a passage from a picture book about a coal
miner’s life as the starting point for his lesson. He
had several people find information on the internet
regarding the dangers of coal mining, recollected
scenes from movies, and invited participants to
step into the character’s mind—by standing in
front of the book’s projected images onto the
wall—as well as share rich life experiences of
audience members. He stated that to make literacy
happen a teacher needs the richest texts possible,
and he challenged us to make kids literate, letting
them make good choices about the texts they read.
David concluded the afternoon session
with an exploration of literacy and boys. He
showed a video containing interviews with 21
grade school boys from a high immigrant,
economically challenged section of Toronto. These
poignant vignettes demonstrated that many of
these boys—who would not typically succeed in a
typical print-based classroom—were avid
consumers of a number of different texts. It
highlighted a number of important influences on
their literacy development, notably the value of
male mentors’ reading practices and how vital the
classroom teacher is in valuing and influencing the
texts the boys read.
“Reading is normal and average; what is
being read is particular and specific,” he said.
David left us with the challenge to read broadly
and richly ourselves, as those with varied interests
make the most interesting teachers.
Reading Doesn’t Matter Anymore by David Booth
is available from michaelsassociates.com
Ohio PreK-8 WRITING AWARD ENTRY FORM
Team _____
_______________________________________
Teacher’s Home Phone
________________________________________
Student’s Grade Level
________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature
________________________________________
Total Building Enrollment in Student’s Grade
Level Category
________________________________________
Principal’s Title/First Name, Last Name
_______________________________________
City/State/Zip
________________________________________
District Street Address
________________________________________
District Name
________________________________________
Superintendent’s Title/First Name, Last Name
________________________________________
County
No entry will be judged without the student’s signature, SSN, and the parent/guardian’s signature verifying
that the entry is the student’s original work and granting OCTELA permission to publish should the entry be
selected as a prize winner.
________________________________________
Student’s Signature
(______)________________________________
Teacher’s Home Phone
(______)________________________________
School Phone
________________________________________
City/State/Zip
________________________________________
School Street Address
________________________________________
Sponsoring Teacher’s Title/First Name, Last
Name
________________________________________
School Name
________________________________________
Student’s Social Security Number
________________________________________
City/State/Zip
________________________________________
Home Street Address
________________________________________
Student’s Name
Two registration forms must accompany the 5 entries. This form may be copied.
DEADLINE is June 1, 2007
Code _____
2007
OHIO PreK-8
WRITING
AWARDS
PROGRAM
To promote and encourage the development of students’ writing skills,
To recognize outstanding pieces of writing done by PreK-8 students,
To stimulate teachers in developing skills for the teaching of writing,
To develop interest in OCTELA among PreK-8 teachers.
3
4
5
Example: If Smith Elementary has 100 first graders and
200 second graders, it has a total of 300 students in that
building. Therefore, it is allowed to submit the work of
2 nominees in the grade 1-2 category. If Smith has 200
third graders and 220 fourth graders, it may submit the
work of 3 students in that grade category
All entries must be RECEIVED by June 1, 2007
All work must be on plain white 8½ x 11 paper.
Ideas, form, originality, and style will be central to judging. Visual art work integral to
the composition, such as a concrete poem, may be submitted. Other artwork is not
considered in the judging .
Grade Level Categories
PreK-K
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
3 nominees—400-599 students
4 nominees—600 or more students
Student name and identification appear ONLY on the nomination form provided in the
brochure. DO NOT PLACE NAME ON THE ENTRY ITSELF.
The number of nominees allowed from each school is determined by the current total
enrollment in each grade level category in the school building from which submission is
sent.
Numbers of Submissions allowed
1 nominee—under 200 students
2 nominees—200-399 students
2
1
Contest Requirements
1
2
3
4
Purpose of the Award
The Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (OCTELA) is a professional
organization representing over 2000 teachers, researchers, and supervisors of language arts
in Ohio’s schools. OCTELA and its national affiliate, the National Council of Teachers of
English (NCTE), share an interest in promoting authentic writing experiences for children at
all grade levels. Ohio’s interest was formalized in January, 1988, through a commitment to
sponsor writing awards for students in grades PreK-8.
OHIO PreK-8 WRITING AWARDS
Publicity, distribution of brochures, preparation of entries
Deadline for submission
First round of judging
Second round of judging
Final selections of first and second place winners
Notification of winners and their teachers
Presentation of Winners’ Awards
Judy Schnoor Miller
3863 Bickley Place
Columbus, OH 43220
[email protected]
MAIL FIVE COPIES OF EACH SUBMISSION AND
TWO COPIES OF REGISTRATION FORM TO
OCTELA will, depending upon the number of entries, award up to four first-place winners in
each of the grade level categories (PreK-k, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8) in which submissions are
made. These winners will receive certificates of participation and a $50 US Savings Bond
which will require a social security number or $25, the equivalent of the savings bond.
Second-place winners will receive certificates of merit. Please note that, if you are a winner,
OCTELA cannot purchase a savings bond for you without your social security number.
Awards
October-January
June 1, 2007
June
July
August
September
October
Timeline
Remember: DO NOT MARK ENTRY WITH STUDENT’S NAME OR
IDENTIFICATION.
Content may be fictional prose, personal narrative, or poetry. All entries will be judged
in one group—no prizes for different genres.
7
Only one piece of writing per student may be submitted.
8
The student must be in the sponsoring teacher’s current class.
9
Entries must be no longer than 1000 words in length, NO MORE THAN 5 PAGES.
10 Entries should be typed, double-spaced on plain white 8½ by 11 paper.
11 FIVE COPIES of each entry must be submitted along with TWO COPIES of each
student’s registration form.
12 All entries become the property of OCTELA and will not be returned.
6
Page 19
Ohio University Visiting High School Teacher
$37,500.00 + Benefits
The Department of English at Ohio University will be appointing two high school
English teachers as Visiting Teachers for 2007-2008. One of these positions
is designated for a teacher from the Appalachian region. These appointments
are intended to promote enthusiasm for English instruction, especially composition,
by fostering the exchange of ideas and experiences between high school English Teachers
and Ohio University's English Department.
Qualifications:
•
•
•
Currently a full-time high school English teacher with a minimum three years of experience
BA or BS in English or English Education
Enthusiasm for and high degree of skill in teaching composition
Responsibilities:
•
•
•
•
Teach two sections of composition in the fall and three during the Winter and Spring quarters.
Each class is limited to 20 students and requires five hours per week in the classroom plus
appropriate preparation time and office hours.
Enroll in the graduate seminar ENG 591: Teaching College English (5 credit hours) during Fall
quarter.
Contribute the fruits of high school experience in the English 591 course and provide leadership
and guidance for new graduate teaching associates throughout the year.
Foster the development of composition pedagogy while at Ohio University.
Term of Appointment:
•
September 2007 to June 2008 (however, please note that Orientation will be held during the last
week of August). Ohio University operates on a quarter system with a six-week break between Fall
and Winter quarters.
Salary & Benefits:
•
•
$37,500 (plus health insurance, minus 9.3% STRS deduction)
Tuition waiver for a maximum of 8 credit hours of graduate coursework per quarter
To Apply:
•
•
Submit a cover letter describing a) the circumstances and goals that make you want to temporarily
join a college teaching staff, and b) your concerns and convictions about composition pedagogy.
The cover letter should not exceed three pages.
On a separate sheet, please list specific information about each of the following as it applies to you (a
résumé will do): Education (institution, degree, year, major); Professional Development (workshops,
conferences, courses attended-including title, director, place, date); Teaching Experience (full-timeinstitution, location, dates, courses); Professional Organizations; References (two names,
preferably department chair and principal, phone numbers)
Application Deadline is January 31, 2007. Send materials c/o Dr. Jackie Glasgow
Dept. of English Language and Literature, Ohio University, 314 Ellis Hall, Athens, OH 45701.
If you have additional questions, please contact Dr. Jackie Glasgow at (740) 593-2838 or [email protected]
Page 20
The Bonnie Chambers Grant
for Exemplary Beginning Teaching—2007
This award is presented to teachers in grades K-6 who are
in their second through fourth years of teaching.
Nomination Form: Nomination forms must be typed or printed and
submitted to the
chair of the selection committee by March 15, 2007.
Nominees will receive their application packets by April 15, 2007.
Nominee’s Name: __________________________________________________________
Year of Teaching:
Second _____
Third _____
Fourth _____
Name of School: ____________________________________________________________
School Address: ____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: ____________________________________________________________
Home Phone: (optional) __________________________ Email: _____________________
Work Phone: (optional) _____________________________
Current Position: ___________________________________________________________
Nominator: _____________________________________________ Date: ______________
Home Address: _____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________
Home Phone: _________________________________
Work Phone: _________________________________
Send nominations to Sue Malaska—597 Brae Burn, Mansfield, OH 44907
Phone: (419) 756 0962 Email: [email protected]
Deadline: March 15, 2007
OCTELA 2007 Spring Conference
March 23 & 24, 2007
Marriot North, Columbus OH
OCTELA’s 50th Birthday: Celebrating Ohio!
Nikki Giovanni
NIKKI GIOVANNI was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in
Lincoln Heights, an all-black suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her sister
spent their summers with their grandparents in Knoxville, and she graduated
with honors from Fisk University, her grandfather's alma mater, in 1968.
After graduating from Fisk, she attended the University of Pennsylvania and
Columbia University. She published her first book of poetry Black Feeling
Black Talk in 1968, and within the next year published a second book, thus
launching her career as a writer. Early in her career she was dubbed the
"Princess of Black Poetry," and over the course of more than three decades
of publishing and lecturing, she has come to be called both a "National
Treasure" and, most recently, one of Oprah Winfrey's twenty-five "Living
Legends."
JAIME ADOFF was born in New York City but grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He
received a Bachelor of Music degree from Central State University in Ohio, where he
studied drums and percussion. He is the author of The Song Shoots Out of My Mouth: A
Celebration of Music (2002), a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor book (2003),
an IRA Notable book (2003), a NY Public Library book for the teenage (2003), a
VOYA poetry pick (2002) and a CCB Best Book for 2002. The critically acclaimed
Names Will Never Hurt Me (2004) was his first young-adult novel and was named a
NY Public Library book for the teenage (2005). His latest novel, Jimi & Me (2005)
was the recipient of the 2006 CORETTA SCOTT KING/JOHN STEPTOE NEW
TALENT AUTHOR AWARD. He is the son of the late Newbery Award-winning
author Virginia Hamilton and renowned poet Arnold Adoff.
Jaime Adoff
Sharon Draper
SHARON DRAPER is a professional educator and accomplished writer. She is a
National Teacher of the Year and a three-time winner of the Coretta Scott King
Literary Award. Actively involved in encouraging and motivating teachers and their
students, she has worked all over the United States, as well as internationally and is
an accomplished public speaker discussing issues of literacy and education. She is
the author of Tears of a Tiger, Forged by Fire, Darkness Before Dawn, Romiette and
Julio, Double Dutch, The Battle of Jericho, and Copper Sun, as well as Teaching
from the Heart and Not Quite Burned Out, but Crispy Around the Edges. Her
seventeen books have all received numerous literary awards and are incredibly
popular in schools all over the country. She is an active member of NCTE, OCTELA,
IRA, Top Ladies of Distinction, and Links, Incorporated, and serves on numerous
boards. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband, and a golden retriever named
Honey.
Dandi Daley Mackall has published about 400 books for children and adults, with
sales of 3--4 million in 22 countries. Her publishers include Prentice-Hall, Simon &
Schuster, Dutton/Penguin-Putnam, Harper Collins, Harcourt, Random House/
WaterBrook, DreamWorks, Tyndale House, Tommy Nelson, Standard Publishing,
Jossey-Bass, Broadman, Shaw, Concordia, Eerdmans, Honor Books, AugsburgFortress, Mc-Graw-Hill/Children’s Specialty, Landoll's, Prima/St. Martin's, Ferguson,
John Wiley, Sourcebooks, Disney, Warner Brothers, and Hanna Barbera. Her Young
Adult novels include Eva Underground, based on the author’s time as a missionary
behind the Iron Curtain); Love Rules, Larger-than-Life Lara, Crazy in Love, and Blog
On! She also has a new series Zonderkidz and picture books such as Carry-Me Books;
Made for a Purpose, 17 Christmases, and The Legend of Ohio. A frequent guest on
radio talk shows, she has hosted over 200 radio phone-in programs and made dozens of
appearances on TV. She writes from rural Ohio--with husband, Joe, children--Jen,
Katy, and Dan--horses, dogs, & cats.
Dandi Daley Mackall
OCTELA 2007 Spring Conference:
March 23 & 24, 2007 CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
OCTELA’s 50th Birthday: Celebrating Ohio!
Featured Speakers: Nikki Giovanni, Dandi Daley Mackall, Jaime Adoff, Sharon Draper
For 50 years, OCTELA has been one of NCTE’s largest and most active affiliates. It’s no wonder that so
many great authors, illustrators and teachers have Ohio roots. This year, we focus on Ohio’s contributions
to the world of English Language Arts and showcase our very own. From our writing projects to our
classrooms and to every office, studio, or kitchen table where ideas sprout into life, the theme of this
conference celebrates Ohioans, their art and their work.
Session Title (please keep it short): Description of content and purpose in 50 words or less:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
NOTES:
1) If your proposal is accepted, both the title and the content may be edited to fit printing requirements.
2) When you submit your proposal, please include the Ohio content standards and/or the NCTE/IRA standards that your
session addresses.
3) Please indicate if you are affiliated with an Ohio writing project.
Audience: Circle the grade level(s) for which this session would be most beneficial.
K-4
5-8
9-12
HS & College Multiple Levels
Audio Visual Needs* (Please circle): Overhead TV/VCR Internet (requires a wireless card)
*Make sure that the AV you request beyond an overhead is essential to the successful presentation of your content. Due to
the cost of A/V rental, OCTELA will NOT be able to provide computer/LCD projectors. If you need this for your presentation,
you will be asked to bring your own equipment.
Contact Presenter’s Name _______________________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip _________________________________________________________________________________________
Work phone (______)___________________ Home phone (______)______________________________________________
Work Fax (_______)___________________ Email ___________________________________________________________
Other Presenter(s): ______________________________________________________________________________________
Name of School Building and District & Complete Address for Building:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If your proposal has one or two presenters, each will receive half off the conference rate. Additional presenters will be asked
to pay the full conference fee.
PROPOSALS DUE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 15, 2007
E-Mail to: Michele Winship@[email protected] or Mail: 82 Hoffman Avenue, Columbus, OH 43205
Note: Proposals will be acknowledged by email. Please supply your email address.
OHIO COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
2007 Spring Language Arts Conference—March 23 & 24, 2007
*Marriott Columbus North, 6500 Doubletree Avenue, Columbus, OH 43229
Celebrating Ohio!
Nikki Giovanni
FRIDAY DINNER SPEAKER:
Jaime Adoff, Sharon Draper, Dandi Daley Mackall
FEATURED SPEAKERS:
SHARE A COPY OF THIS REGISTRATION WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES!
Registration will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. **Registration confirmed via email**
Last name:
First name:
Home street address:
City:
State:
Work Phone: (
Zip:
)
Home Phone: (
)
**EMAIL (confirmation via email - please print legibly):
County of employment:
Job Assignment:
Check Choice
School district/Institution:
Elemen-
Middle
High School
Coll/Univ.
Student
Dept Chair
Yrs. of Experience
First Conf?
Full Registration Fee: $160.00 (includes 2 breakfast buffets, 2 luncheons, Friday dinner, coffeehouse and full program)
Friday only: $90 (circle choice of day) (includes 1 breakfast buffet, 1 luncheon, program of the day, 1 dinner, and coffeehouse)
Saturday only: $90 (circle choice of day) (includes 1 breakfast buffet, 1 luncheon, and program of the day
Additional Friday dinner reservations featuring Nikki Giovanni: $30
___________ (number of extra reservations@ $30)
Optional Graduate Credit, Ashland University (1 Semester hour): $200 (payable to Ashland) in addition to full registration
(For complete information, including class requirements, download forms from the OCTELA website after January 1, 2007
[see Spring 2007 Conference ] at http://www.octela.org)
OCTELA Membership (check one):
___ Professional Membership ($35)
___ Student or Retired ($12)
TOTAL Amount enclosed $ ________________. Make checks payable to OCTELA (fiscal agent).
YOUR REGISTRATION FEE MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 17, 2007. PLEASE INCLUDE: PERSONAL CHECK, MONEY ORDER,
OR SCHOOL CHECK/P.O. WITH THIS REGISTRATION FORM. REQUESTS FOR REFUNDS MUST BE MADE BY MARCH 17, 2007.
There will be a $30 processing fee for all cancellations, but there will be no refunds made after March 17, 2007. OCTELA Tax ID#: 31-090-1978.
STUDENT UNDERGRADUATE REGISTRATION
Student Name: ___________________is a full-time undergraduate student. Faculty Advisor Signature ______________________
_______ $45.00 for full conference, inc. lunch (does NOT include Friday dinner; see purchase information above)
College/Univ. Affiliation:
$25 for either Friday or Saturday, inc. lunch (circle choice)
PAYMENT VIA CREDIT CARD
Credit Card Type ,if institutional card, include institution
address, with zip and ID number here:
VISA
Exp. Date:
Signature:
Amt. charged:
MAKE A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS
Send to: Marge Ford • 83 Creed Circle • Campbell OH 44405
Phone: 330-755-0162 Fax: 330-755-7808
[email protected]
http://www.octela.org
MasterCard
Card Number (inc. 3 digit code on back)
TENTATIVE CONFERENCE HOURS:
6 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. daily – breakfast buffet
7:30-10:00 a.m. daily - registration
Friday – 8:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
*Make hotel reservations directly with Marriott Columbus North. Staying at the conference hotel helps keep conference prices low! Reservation Website:
http://www.marriott.com/cmhno Group Code line: OCTOCTA
Phone: 1-614-885-1885, toll free 1-800-228-3429
The deadline to receive the OCTELA conference rate is February 23, 2007
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Chillicothe, OH
45601
PERMIT NO. 111
644 Overlook Drive
Columbus OH 43214