Secondary ELA & Library Media News: April 2021

 

Dear Secondary ELA and Library Media Colleagues:

 

Welcome to National Library Week! You can learn more about this week’s celebration here, and be sure to thank your favorite librarians (or pat yourself on the back) for all that you do to share the love of reading and the power of solid research. Personally,  I’m looking forward to when the public library buildings in my area open again to the public.

 

There are many important causes that are recognized in the month of April with many opportunities for classroom connections: the importance of poetry, our librarians, the acceptance of autism (check out 15 books to read for Autism Acceptance Month), and our Earth. Be sure to check them out.

 

Also I’m offering a free professional learning opportunity focused on equity-based MTSS in Secondary ELA settings. See the details below -- I’m hoping you and/or the educators you serve will join us.

 

Lastly, I hope you found rest and rejuvenation during your spring breaks. We’re in the home stretch, folks.

 

Naomi

 

What are you currently reading, listening to, and watching?

 

My Current Reads: The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, The Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder that Shocked Jazz-Age America by Karen Abbott

My Current Music Listen: “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers

My Current Watch: UMFA’s Black Refractions Exhibit  The exhibit ends this week, so if you’re in the neighborhood, get a ticket and go or schedule a virtual tour. It’s really superb.

 Educator Spotlight

Darren Perkes

Teacher - Green Canyon High School

Instructional Coach - Cache County School District


How long have you been teaching?

This is my 23rd year of teaching (1 at Box Elder Middle School, 18 at Sky View High School, and 4 at Green Canyon High School)

 

Who/what inspired you to become a teacher?

God. And I fought him. I never considered teaching as a career growing up. I had two uncles who were dentists. They worked four-day weeks, had lots of toys, took lots of vacations, and spent plenty of money. I wanted that . . . or so I thought. Everything I worked on in the program for dentistry shut me down. Classes frustrated me. Activities made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. Doors closed faster than they opened. But I had an English class at USU that was the only bright part of my week. I wish I could tell you my professor's name, but I have some undiagnosed disease called "forgetsnamesalot." That one class made me feel alive and hungry for learning. Then the dreams came. Yes, I had dreams about teaching. The weird thing is that I do remember one name in my dreams. Phyllis Bestor - my twelfth-grade English teacher at Orem High School. My dreams weren't about my current situation. They were previous dreams I had had back in high school and suppressed at the time but brought back to life. I would dream about what my teachers had done well and what they could have done better to improve my learning. One math teacher let me go get donuts every day for $3.18 a dozen at Winchell's. Loved that at the time, but I did not learn a thing. Mrs. Bestor was disappointed when I was late to class. She encouraged my research on Apartheid and made me want to help the cause through writing. She helped me learn without knowing I was learning. Dentistry may have helped me have money, but teaching gave me life. Ha, sounds pretty cheesy when I write that, but I stand behind it. Best decision I ever made.

 

What has been the most rewarding part of teaching?

The rollercoaster. The highs. The lows. The twists. The turns. The new people I meet every time I ride. I love inspiring the kids (and I use "kids" as a term of endearment and not to belittle them in any way), but I am inspired by them possibly more than they are by me. And often I do not know how or if I did inspire them. That is what is so amazing about the back-and-forth. Teaching has taught me how to work hard for success, learn from failures, and expect the unexpected. I am rarely disappointed from day to day. I embrace the moments!

 

What are your hobbies/interests when you are not teaching?

Golf is my happy place to unwind and find peace, at least in how I define it. I enjoy being outdoors with my family hiking, skiing, mountain-biking, traveling, eating treats, and watching movies. Since I never became a dentist, I do not have a boat, an irresponsible muscle car, or a summer home in the Bahamas. But I do have four wonderful children and a loving wife with whom I would prefer to spend most of my time. I enjoy holding hands with and kissing my wife as well. Gross! Why did he say that :-)

 

What do you think is the most important thing about teaching ELA to kids?

Communication. We cannot survive without a means of communication. Our job is not simply teaching students how to read and write. We are teaching them how to think critically, consider perspectives responsibly, evaluate written, spoken, and implied meanings effectively, and communicate appropriately. The greatest statement I have learned from a conference I attended that helps me work with students, and teachers, is, "Don't judge, get curious!" I must do that for my students in order for me to help them individually learn. But I am also working to help them understand how to do this with everything they learn. Think about that statement for a minute with any aspect of English writing or literature. It works. Curiosity encourages genuine learning. Kids may have access to all the information they could ever need, and more, with technology, but they still need us to help them learn how to use it. 

 

What is your favorite book? Author?

I would usually just say the book I am reading at the time, but one that sticks out the most is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. What we create matters.

Register NOW! Equity-Based MTSS in Secondary ELA Professional Learning

A reminder about registration for the FREE professional learning opportunity that we’re hosting: 

Equity-Based MTSS in Secondary ELA, April 20 and 27 from 9-12pm with a follow-up in Fall 2021

Who should attend? Consider your school/LEA system of supports:

Learning Targets

 

 

The WRITE Center Webinar Series

 

The WRITE Center continues to offer webinars on a variety of topics focused on ELA instruction.

Information and registration found here: https://www.writecenter.org/webinars.html 

 

 

Central Utah Writing Project, One-Week Institute

 

June 21-25, 2021

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

4116 JFSB, BYU Campus

 

 This course will emphasize nurturing the writer within each participant.

Teachers of all grade levels and subject areas will learn research-driven strategies to cultivate their students’ ability to write and think successfully, engage in peer review, foster clear thinking, and facilitate inquiry.

Educators will be given ideas and resources necessary to teach and model the writing process effectively in their classrooms.

Cost

 

To register, pay by credit card at this link: https://commerce.cashnet.com/webcuwp

Registration Deadline:  May 31, 2021

 

National Poetry Month is in April!

 

Resources from Academy of American Poets

https://poets.org/national-poetry-month 

 

Interviews with Poets from NCTE

https://ncte.org/resources/poetry/ 

 

The Poetry Learning Lab from the Poetry Foundation

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn
The Poetry Learning Lab is a great source of knowledge, including a glossary of poetry terms, links to public domain poems, and inspiring essays on poetry from writers and educators.

 

Utah Poetry Festival

April 16-18

https://utahpoetryfestival.com/utah-poetry-festival-schedule/ 

A virtual celebration of Utah’s poets and poetry, online Friday, April 16th to Sunday, April 18th, 2021. Register to watch live or stream all events later via the Utah Humanities YouTube channel. Live events will feature public Q&As. All events closed captioned by AI Media.

 

Teaching Poetry: Audio Recordings of Poetry and Literature from the Library of Congress

Wednesday, April 21, 4 p.m. ET

This event is open to the public; NCTE membership not required.

 

Join NCTE as we continue our celebration of National Poetry Month with the Library of Congress. In this session, Library of Congress experts will share two core resources for educators wishing to use audio recordings in their work with students:

Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature

Listen to audio-recorded readings of former Consultants in Poetry, including Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks and Robert Frost; Nobel Laureates Mario Vargas Llosa and Czeslaw Milosz; and renowned writers such as Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, and Kurt Vonnegut read from their work at the Library of Congress. The Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress dates back to 1943 and contains nearly 2,000 recordings of writers participating in literary events. Each April, the Library adds 50 newly digitized recordings to the online collection as part of National Poetry Month.

Poetry of America

Learn about this collection of field recordings by a wide range of award-winning contemporary poets. Each poet reads a singular American poem of their choosing, and also speaks to how the poem connects to, deepens, or re-imagines our sense of the nation. The feature includes a print version of the poem to complement the recording, as well as a piece by the participating poet.

Registration here: https://ncte.org/events/opportunity-library-congress/ 

 

Annual Sor Juana Contest

  F O R  O R I G I N A L  P O E T R Y  &  S H O R T   S T O R I E S   I N

S P A N I S H

DEADLINE:

June 11, 2021

https://www.artesmexut.org/sor-juana-poetry-contest 

 

Earth Day, April 22

Join Caldecott Medal Winner Michaela Goade and Carole Lindstrom for an event to celebrate Earth Day!

 

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption. Carole and Michaela will read the book, talk about the inspiration, and then lead readers in a Water Protector pledge. 

Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gH_hz3xXQ9WBfx0BKFtBwg 

 

 

Secondary Literacy Director Meeting Dates

 

Mark your calendars! To receive a meeting invite, contact Brenda McMurtrey at brenda.mcmurtrey@schools.utah.gov

 

For 2021-2022:

 

Join the Listserve

 

Want to stay in the loop of future newsletters? 

Join the Secondary ELA ListServ at https://lists.uen.org/mailman/listinfo/secondaryela or 

the Library Media ListServ at https://lists.uen.org/mailman/listinfo/library-media

 

UEN’s Learn @ Home Resources

 

Find many learn at home resources for educators, students, and families at https://www.uen.org/learnathome/

 

Have an item for the monthly Secondary ELA & Library Media newsletter, a research or teaching tip,

 or an educator spotlight nomination? Email brenda.mcmurtrey@schools.utah.gov

 by the first of the month.

 

**Please note: LEAs have the duty to select instructional materials that best correlate to the core standards for Utah public schools and graduation requirements. (UCA 53G-4-402(1(a)). Posting of these resources by USBE staff curriculum content specialists does not imply the resources have received official endorsement of the State Board. Educators are responsible to ensure use of these materials complies with LEA policies and directives.

 

 

Naomi Watkins, Ph.D.

Secondary ELA and Library Media Specialist

Utah State Board of Education

801-538-7616