70 million minutes and counting!

With the Olympics on, it’s hard NOT to get into the competitive spirit. We watch athletes accomplish amazing feats and set new records. Sometimes it’s a new world record, a new Olympic record, or a personal best. As Meagan announced,  students participating in the Scholastic Summer Challenge have already broken the world record for summer reading minutes, but that’s no reason to stop reading and logging your minutes this summer.  Ambitious readers around the world have logged over 70 MILLION MINUTES so far! We still have all of August to go, so let’s see just how high we can set the bar for next year!

Harry Potter Reading Club launches — and teachers can sign up for the live webcast with J.K. Rowling!

Accio exciting news!

Moments ago, Scholastic announced the launch of the Harry Potter Reading Club, a place where educators, librarians, parents and more — anyone who wants to organize a book club! — can go to find all the tools they’ll need to host a Harry Potter Reading Club and turn reading into a celebration! But that’s not all — also today, we announced that J.K. Rowling will participate in a live virtual author visit to classrooms across America at 12:00 noon ET (9:00am PT / 5:00pm GMT) on Thursday, October 11!

Teachers can begin signing up their classrooms starting today! J.K. Rowling will be discussing the world of Harry Potter including Pottermore, an exciting, free online experience that offers Harry Potter fans the chance to explore and discover exclusive new writing by J.K. Rowling as well as immerse themselves in other interactive content and community activities.

So what else can you expect?

Greener books, happy readers

Today is an exciting day at Scholastic — more than three years ago, we set our eyes on a goal to use more environmentally-friendly paper throughout our company and today we announced that we’ve already surpassed it a year ahead of schedule!

In 2008, we set a goal to increase our FSC-certified paper use (more about what that means here) to 30%, but we came so close in 2010 that we decided to increase it last year to 35%. Now the 2011 numbers are in, and we can proudly say that more than 53% of our paper was FSC-certified — more than 18% higher than our goal for next year!

Three Years Later, and Still Making Strides

Guest blogger Grace Matelich is from Larchmont, NY and will be a senior at Vanderbilt University this fall. This summer, she is interning with the Education Group’s marketing team and working on increasing READ 180’s online presence.            

My favorite part of interning with Scholastic Education has been hearing from teachers and previous READ 180 students about their successes both in the READ 180 program and beyond. Recently, we were contacted by the very proud Donna Pappas from Clovis, CA, who could hardly contain her excitement over former student Chee Nou Yang’s most recent accomplishments.

Although coming to America at the age of eight with no prior exposure to the English language was no easy task, Chee Nou was unwavering in his determination to master the English language. Demonstrating a strong work ethic, his school recommended he take a READ 180 class to help accelerate his reading and language skills. After making remarkable strides in READ 180, Chee Nou was nominated by his teacher in 2009 for a READ 180 All-Star Award. Chee Nou has grown into a model student, and for the past two years he has earned a 4.0, an accomplishment for which he was publicly recognized at a recent school awards ceremony.

While Chee Nou is without a doubt an All-Star in school, as the 4^th oldest of nine children, he is also an All-Star at home where he helps his mother prepare meals, washes the dishes, and babysits his younger siblings. In 2009, when Chee Nou’s teacher Ms. Pappas asked him what challenges he has faced beyond learning English, he replied that it was often “[difficult] to find somewhere to do his homework each night,” later explaining that he had to be creative when it came to finding work space.

Three years later, Chee Nou shines as an integral member of his school community and continues to inspire those around him. An active member of Reyburn’s cross-country and track teams, he also spends time volunteering with his brother and sister by making scarves for the homeless. One of his teachers, Mrs. Blasingame, deems Chee Nou “one of the most respectful young men that [she has] had the privilege of working with,” adding that “his kind spirit, along with his determination to succeed and hard work ethic will enable Chee Nou to do whatever he chooses in life.” Last week, Chee Nou Yang was honored with the Principal’s Award at Reyburn Intermediate Middle School in Clovis, CA.

As Chee Nou enters high school, he has his sights set on Advanced Placement (AP) courses and eventually, a degree in Psychology at UCLA. In Chee Nou’s words, “The more I learn and the more I read, the more I want for myself in the future.” Stories like his are the ones that make us proud to be in the business that we are in. The news of Chee Nou’s success really warmed my heart, and I feel it important that his story be shared not only to honor his hard work, but also to inspire parents, teachers, and struggling readers alike. It just goes to show that with the right kind of help and attention, anyone is capable of turning it around and becoming a 4.0 student.

In Our Feeds: copycat readers, weird Olympic mascots, and a book-delivering biker

Each Friday, we share a handful of links we found interesting, provocative, funny — or just plain cool. We call it In Our Feeds. Have a good weekend!

This week’s links are brought to you by Catherine, one of our summer interns.

Alex posted a few weeks ago about how e-readers have interfered with her copycat reader strategy. This week I came across an article that still allows me to be a copycat reader in the digital age. My Twitter feed led me to these booklists- like the one from Huff Post and this YA list from NPR.

A more unique way to find your next read was brought to my attention by Nadia who shared this post about finding your next book based on a flowchart.

In honor of the Olympics opening ceremony Megan shared this post about the Best and Worst Olympic mascots– Megan favorites Cobi from the 1992 games in Barcelona.

At Scholastic, spreading literacy is something we encourage. Lia shared how one teacher gives the gift of reading by delivering books to children on his bike.

Teachers weigh in on CCSS

This is one in a series of posts examining the Common Core State Standards and the conversation surrounding their impact on teaching and learning.

Recently, Francie Alexander, our Chief Academic Officer, addressed Scholastic employees on the topic of Common Core State Standards. During her presentation, someone asked “How receptive are teachers to the changes the Common Core will bring about?” This struck me as a very interesting question.

Obviously teachers have strong opinions about their jobs and their students and the future of their profession, but at the end of the day, when it comes to adoption of CCSS, do they really have a choice? This question of teacher satisfaction stuck with me for a while, so I asked our Teacher team here at Scholastic if I could post the below question on their Facebook wall, which is visited by tens of thousands of teachers each day:

As summer winds down and you’re preparing for the start of school, how is your school approaching CCSS, and how do you feel about it? What do you feel the most confident in or ready for? What are you most nervous or concerned about? Share it here—we want to hear your thoughts!

I was a little hesitant to post this, as I worried it may cause a deluge of frustrated comments, or maybe silence, if teachers are just tired of tackling this topic ad nauseam. But to the contrary, the feedback was calm, strong-minded and for me, indicative of how diverse the feelings are surrounding CCSS is in this time of change.

The first reaction was “Whoa now, summer is NOT winding down.” (OK, my bad.) While other reactions were that CCSS does not concern them because their state isn’t participating.

Some teachers are excited and optimistic: Wendy C. wrote, “we are already in the thick of it, and I personally LOVE it! It is not that different from what we already do, and it is great for three reasons: 1. It will eventually require the entire country to be on the same page regarding curriculum and instruction, 2. It takes more of the curriculum the country teachers already and pulls out the “big picture” items on which to focus on, such as the theme of “systems” which spans K-12. If we all teach to the big pcture, each year the students’ learning becomes deeper. And finally, 3. It doesn’t say “teach more readin” or “teach more science”; it instead says the literacy is the most important than ALL of it. It is the building block on the entire curriculum, and quality literature should be integrated into every subject. The problem has been trying to find literature that fits what we’re teaching. The Core provides us grade appropriate lists to help those who don’t know already how to get started.”

Others agreed that not much is changing for them, or that maybe those changes are less severe than originally perceived to be.

Yet several expressed concern, mainly it seems about support, preparation, and training. “We’re kind of on our own to leave out what doesn’t match and fill in the gaps, mostly in math,” says Sue G.

Several teachers worried about resources, and whether there would be enough, and if they’d be up-to-date. Lea R. says “My concern is that my district will not be providing new books or materials that align with CCSS for a couple of years. I know there is a lot of material out there I can access, but I hate how much more work (and out of pocket expense) it’s going to be until the district provides what we need.”

Kenny H. agreed: “We adopted the CCSS last year. Our textbooks are aligned with the previous standards. I’m left fishing for resources for content that I’m responsible for teaching.”

Some commented about particular subjects: Andrea Q. from xxx said “I’m mostly worried about Math! I’m also worried we’re going to student-led conferences. I wish I had a better idea of how to go about starting the year for both.”

As an English teacher, Tracy S. says she’s “forced to cut down on literature and increase Science and Social Studies –related reading in my classes due to the misinterpretation of the CCSS by my administration.”

A few teachers expressed confidence in the training their school is providing: “We have had a multitude of training opportunities,” wrote Christina C.  “I have attended three sessions and two more to come on CCSS reading, and two on Math. Plus, they plan to have more on text complexity and performance tasks as the year progresses.”

Across the board, teachers are excited about the free resources on Pinterest and other teacher blogs. And of course, it all comes down to the students that are sitting in the chairs in front of them. An appropriate end to the provocative dialogue on the wall: many “liked” one teacher’s comment to do “the best I can with what I have!”

 

Gold medal glory, podium dreams, and the excitement of being a young gymnast

Here at OOM we have Olympic fever. We’re all excited for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics to kick-off tonight and for the games to begin. In honor of the excitement over in London, we have a very special blog post from Donna Freitas, a former competitive gymnast and author of Gold Medal Summer (ages 9-14), the story of a young girl pursuing her gymnastic dreams. Kirkus calls the book “A sports story that handsprings away from romance and toward a commendable joy in accomplishment.” The New York Times Review of Books says, “Gold Medal Summer more successfully reflects the competitive gymnast’s spunk, thanks to Donna Freitas’s flashier style and relatable protagonist, 13-year-old Joey Jordan.” Below Donna talks about her love of the Olympics and how her athletic past has influenced her writing career.

“One day, I’m gonna write something as good as this”: A “My Bookprint” guest post

Rebecca En-Szu Hu-Van Wright, a summer Scholastic Art & Writing Fellow, shares her Bookprint.

Growing up as the kid of two children’s book illustrators meant that throughout my childhood our tiny little apartment was packed, literally to the ceiling, with books (including the books from Nadia’s Book Nostalgia post, the entire Sweet Valley Kids series – my mom illustrated those while I was growing up!). It still is, actually: no matter how many we donate or give away, I’m still finding books peeking out behind houseplants or hanging out under the sofa with the dust bunnies. I trip over them in the foyer and find them stuffed under the bathroom sink. They turn up under mattresses and in pillowcases, fill the bookshelves past their intended capacity, and on occasion even make guest appearances in our freezer. In my family, books are multipurpose tools: books are used as doorstoppers and paperweights; books are stacked precariously high to make impromptu end tables; books are used as coasters and flyswatters and bookmarks for other books. But even though they hogged the bed and got underfoot when I tried to get to school on time, books were always there for me and bore witness to all my joys and miseries. To pick only five that influenced my life in any major way would be an impossible task. Instead, I choose to view the following selections as a few very personal landmarks in a timeline overpopulated with books, all contributing to my life in ways exciting and unexpected.

The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis was important for me because I read it while was going through that weird early stage of identity crisis that begins at seven and ends when you die, and this book was so funny I actually cried from laughter for the first time in my life. The book deals with some really deep issues (segregation, adolescence in the 60s, familial dysfunction), but does so through an honest humor that makes you realize so much about the human experience and what it means to be a person.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison was a significant book for me for a number of reasons. It was the first book I had to purchase on my own with my allowance money, and the first (and only) book I had to hide from my parents. Because my mother is a ninja, she eventually found it and threw it away. I cried because I realized I should have just spent my money on that Good Charlotte CD I wanted instead, but in the end I think that Rennison’s brilliant writing has had a much more lasting influence on my life than any post-pop-punk-wannabe album ever could. Her zany language, memorable protagonist, and spot-on depiction of teenage life helped me to maintain a sense of humor throughout my own hellish adolescence. I learned that growing up didn’t need to be scary; it could be funny, if you looked at it the right way.

I also can’t look back on my adolescence without remembering a number of extremely frilly tween titles that my friends and I would exchange on a daily basis. But the one series that really stuck with me was the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. We laughed and cried and obsessed over those books! The girls felt so incredibly real to me, something that I rarely found in other books about teenagers (with the exception of Chris Crutcher books, which are an entirely different story). I felt like those girls were my own friends, and as crazy as it sounds I think that it was because of those books that I still have such awesome friendships with the girls I shared them with.

I read The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver when I was out sick with the flu at age fourteen. It was one of the many books lying about near the sofa where I had parked my invalid self for the day, and since I recognized it as one of the few remaining books in the apartment that I hadn’t read yet I figured I’d give it a try. I fell in love immediately. It was heartbreaking and hilarious all at once. Taylor Greer is, to this day, still my favorite fictional heroine (or anti-heroine?). It was the beginning of my Kingsolver phase, and the first time I read a book that made me say “One day, I’m gonna write something as good as this.”

White Teeth by Zadie Smith sticks out to me the most. Growing up as a mixed kid can make you very confused, and makes being a teenager that much harder. White Teeth taught me how to be brave and be okay with not having any idea which way is right-side up. Reading such an accurate depiction of the problems I faced every day was remarkably therapeutic. Zadie Smith is the greatest – she tackles the rough edges of life with brainy wit, thoughtfully exploring uncomfortable social issues and making readers (at times painfully) aware of how we perceive our fellow human beings.

 

Book Nostalgia: The Face on the Milk Carton

Read on for another look back into the past! This week, I chose to reread an old favorite: The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney

I can still tell you where the Caroline B. Cooney books in the Chappaqua Library live—in the back across from the A/V section, on the bottom two shelves. When I was a kid my dad would take me to the library on Tuesday nights. He’d read photography magazines and I’d find new books to check out. During that time I got to know the librarians pretty well and they got to know which novels would keep me occupied for hours. One such book recommended to me was the completely engrossing story of a young girl who discovers a ‘missing persons’ ad of herself on the back of a milk carton. The book started my love affair with Caroline B. Cooney’s work and it became one of my absolute favorites growing up. As you can imagine, I jumped at the chance to reread The Face on the Milk Carton for book nostalgia.

Just to recap: During a normal lunch in her high school cafeteria, 15 year-old Janie Johnson’s life is forever changed when she discovers a missing person’s photo on the back of a milk carton. She recognizes the red pigtails, and can feel the scratchy lace collar of the polka-dotted dress against her skin. She is sure the girl in the photo is her. At first she can’t believe it, but as she and her neighbor Reeve dig deeper into the past, Janie begins to remember places and people from her childhood and she’s forced to confront an enormous mystery: who am  I?

After revisiting The Face on the Milk Carton: I have to admit I was worried that one of my old favorites wouldn’t stand the test of time. The The Face on the Milk Carton was first published well before the internet (in 1990…Facebook wouldn’t exist for another 14 years). I wondered how Janie’s quest for answers would feel now that information is so regularly available at our finger tips. If this book came out today, Janie would have googled the Spring family or searched the online database for missing children. Despite my trepidation, I am happy to report that the book completely held up and is still as compulsively readable as it was when I first read it. Once again, I devoured it in one sitting, unable to put it down every time I tried. Cooney does great job of making Janie’s struggle and her search for answers timeless and even realistic. I also appreciated many of the little details I had forgotten, like in the opening scene, Janie laments that she has such a boring name and starts to create a more exciting identity for herself, assigning different personalities to each new moniker. I was surprised how much I still connected with Janie and her friends. The scenes of her group and their lunch periods in the cafeteria are particularly well-drawn and made me nostalgic for high school. The best part of this whole experience though, was realizing now something I hadn’t quite grasped when I was a young reader, The Face on the Milk Carton, is a really great coming-of-age story masked by a compelling plot. So much of Janie’s journey is about figuring out who she is and struggling to see where she fits in. Those are issues any teen can identify with.

 What childhood books do you want to go back and reread? Let us know in the comments!

Sally Ride Remembered

Like most people, we were saddened to hear about the passing of Dr. Sally Ride on Monday. She was one of the great American pioneers, blazing a trail — literally — by becoming the first American woman to travel to outer space (she went twice, in 1983 and 1984). She was a hero to everyone who ever dreamed of being an astronaut. As a friend of mine said, “Sally Ride was the second astronaut I knew by name (Neil Armstrong being the first).”

But Sally Ride was more than just a pioneering scientist and explorer, she was a role model for young people — especially girls — who wanted to become astronauts and work in what we now call STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers. At first, she led by example. After she retired from the space program, she continued to inspire through books about space and science aimed at children (nine books in all) and her work preparing the next generation for the careers of the future. In 2001, she founded Sally Ride Science to educate and support kids’ interest in science, math, and technology.