CSU_TLship

The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians with a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits. Wouldn't it be great to invite authors into your classroom or library to video chat with students before, during, and/or after reading their books? We are growing a list of authors who want to make that connection with you via Skype. Visit our Skype Overview page to learn more about Skype. The site also shares some great success stories to inspire and inform you for planning and organising.

Home page for a journal that explore creative, or literary, non-fiction. Creative Nonfiction, defines the genre simply, succinctly, and accurately as "true stories well told." And that, in essence, is what creative nonfiction is all about.

An increasing number of authors are designing materials that connect print and electronic resouces to tell complex, rich stories. They may incorporate audio, video, gaming, and social technologies to create synergy.

Researchers are discovering just how powerful an effect a good story can have on the brain, and not just in terms of entertainment. A memorable yarn can also help us retain important information, both in casual and formal learning settings.

The Boat', an interactive graphic novel about escape after the Vietnam War. Based on the story by Nam Le, adapted by Matt Huynh. Cleverly designed, sound effects with enhanced navigation for reading, presented in black and white. Aimed at upper primary and above and supports studies on refugees, boat people, survival and immigration.

The Eve Pownall Award for Information Books has been a part of the CBCA Book of the Year Awards since 1993. This is a very important category and an interesting one to judge. The 2015 awards have seen a wide range of interesting books in this category. I have drawn together some interesting threads regarding this category in order to frame discussion around this year's entries.

A website for teachers filled with ideas for literacy teaching using visual resources such as film, animation, photographs and picture books.

Slide presentation that introduces the genre, its key qualities and some representative titles and authors.

Students need literacy skills to match their knowledge environments. UNESCO (2003) framed its Literacy Decade positioning literacy as a freedom beyond reading and writing, to include capacities for communication and equal participation in the world. This recognizes multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996) and a knowledge paradigm of multi-modal, constantly shifting, non-linear communication, especially in digital form, that has shifted how we understand literacy.

Blog site devoted to celebrating children, books and reading with commentary about reading, great titles and links plus lots more.

Kids Need to Read works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged. General books lists by school sector are supplemented with "Peace Packs" ranging from bullying to world peace topics and LGBT titles. Predominantly American but includes other and quite up to date - e.g. Wimpy Kid, Origami Yoda. Unfortunately the lists are not annotated.

Animaps extends the My Maps feature of Google Maps by letting you create maps with markers that move, images and text that pop up on cue, and lines and shapes that change over time. When you send your Animap to friends it appears like a video - they can play, pause, slow and speed up the action!

Why should we spend our time reading novels and poems when, out there, big things are going on? 5 minute video clip that demonstrates the value of reading - mashup design combining characters, books, heads etc for a contemporary feel.

This site fosters literacy for preschoolers through a reading packs program (Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers) with a book for each age group featured each month. Supporting activities are provided. You can subscribe for a monthly email alert for updates.

We are champions of reading

Mirrors, Windows Doors (MWD) is ann online magazine whose aim is to draw attention to the riches of children's and YA books from across the world that highlight cultural and multi-cultural diversity. MWD promotes authenticity of voice, and writing that increases empathy through reading about different experiences within different cultural contexts - maybe next door, maybe across the globe - whilst tapping into a common bond of humanity and shared emotional response. MWD is a resource for librarians, teachers, parents and carers, as well as teens, who want to find out more about the kidlitosphere from a global perspective.

This site supports Australian literature, authors and specific books with a wealth of educational resources. Strong coverage of classics with growing collection on more contemporary works and authors

hat do Alan Moore's Watchmen, Frank Miller's Sin City, and Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series have in common? Yes, they're all graphic novels, but that's not all. They've also been found to enhance reading comprehension-maybe even more than traditional novels and picture books. You may be wondering how this is possible, but a better question might be, "How have we been ignoring this for so long?" Let's take a look at how the role of comics in education has evolved in recent years.