August 21, 2012 (REVISED September 6, 2012) Center for the Book Hosts International Literacy Day Events

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will host a program in recognition of International Literacy Day that will include a discussion (see agenda) on preparing teachers for Common Core Standards excellence in the classroom.

The event also includes an awards ceremony for communities that sponsor outstanding literacy programs. The awards are supported by the International Reading Association, Rotary International and the Pearson Foundation to recognize International Literacy Day. The International Reading Association and Rotary International encourage their members to work together to further literacy at the local and international level.

The event will be held on Friday, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to noon in Room LJ 119 of the Thomas Jefferson Building, located at 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. It is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

The awards will go to:

• The Rockford Rotary Club of Michigan, partnering with the Kent Reading Council in Rockford, Mich., for the project Reading Rocks in Rockford. This summer festival promotes the joy of reading to all ages by focusing on community interaction with Michigan authors who share their time, talent and publications. The festival motivates children and families to read for enjoyment over the summer, replacing the so-called “summer reading slide” with an opportunity to improve reading skills. The Rotary Club and the Reading Council will each receive $2,500 awards from the Pearson Foundation as well as a donation of books through the Pearson Foundation We Give Books Initiative. More details are at www.rockfordmirotary.com/Reading_Festival.html External.
• The Salem Oregon Rotary Club, with the Oregon’s Vineyards Valley Reading Council, for the project Guatemala Bookmaking. Within a Mayan community in Guatemala, this project offers quality, culturally appropriate books that promote early literacy in the indigenous language and increased success in second-language acquisition. It serves 130 preschool-through-sixth-grade Mayan children, all of whom speak Cozal Ixil as their first language. Their Mayan teachers write the books, debating, questioning and working through the issues of standardizing their first language. International Reading Association coordinators lead the writing workshops with the Mayan teachers, and volunteers from Rotary and Vineyard Valleys Reading council support the project in many ways, including assembling the books. More details are at sites.google.com/site/vineyardvalleysreadingcouncil/ External.
• Honorable mention goes to the Ellensburg (Wash.) Morning Rotary, partnering with CentralWORD, the IRA affiliate at Central Washington University, for the project Clothe the Body, Feed the Mind. This project provides clothing, books and scholarships to orphans in Juba, South Sudan. More details are at www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/story/StoryDetail.aspx?accountid=848&sid=276183&stid=Club/ External.

The event’s host, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, was established in 1977 to use the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. With public- and private-sector support, the center carries out its mission through a national network of affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in cooperation with more than 70 national reading-promotion partners. The center plays a key role in the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival, held each year on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It also oversees the Library’s Young Readers Center. For more information about the center, go to www.Read.gov/cfb/.

Rotary International is the world’s first service-club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.

Since 1956, the International Reading Association, a community of professionals with 70,000 members in 100 countries, has been promoting higher achievement levels in literacy, reading and communication by continually advancing the quality of instruction worldwide.

The Pearson Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to make a difference by promoting literacy, learning and great teaching. The foundation collaborates with leading businesses, nonprofits and education experts to share good practice, foster innovation and find workable solutions to the educational disadvantages facing young people and adults across the globe. More information on the Pearson Foundation can be found at www.pearsonfoundation.org External.

AGENDA

Welcome:
John Y. Cole – Director, Center for the Book

Keynote:
Carrice C. Cummins – President, International Reading Association
What needs to emphasized by teachers to reach high-need students

Panel:
The Common Core- Teachers strengthen the floor and raise the ceiling:
Jane Hansen – University of Virginia
Content Competency and Teacher Education
Greg Mullenholz – 2011 U.S. Department of Education Teacher Fellow
Professional Development and Common Core Standards at the School Level
Carol da Silva – American University
International Perspective on Common Core and Teacher Preparation

Awards:
Pearson/Rotary/IRA Literacy Prize winners
Introduction and comments – Carrice C. Cummins, IRA President

Presenters:
Rich Carson – Rotary International Representative to Organization of American States
Adam Ray –Pearson Foundation, Alliances and Communications
Award Recipients:
Susan Bodenner, Rockford Rotary President
Kathy Davin, Greater Washington Reading Council

Reading Rocks in Rockford: Rockford (Mich.) Rotary Club partnered with the Kent, Mich., Reading Council in Rockford. Accepting the award: Susan Bodenner, Rockford Rotary President

Guatemala Bookmaking: Salem Oregon Rotary Club partnered with the Oregon’s Vineyards Valley Reading Council. Accepting: Kathy Davin, Greater Washington Reading Council

Honorable Mention: Clothe the Body; Feed the Mind: Ellensburg (Wash.) Morning Rotary partnered with CentralWORD (IRA affiliate at Central Washington University).

Benjamin Franklin: summary The Common Core and a Strong Republic

Closing: John Cole