OCRA sponsors a contest in connection with the California Young Reader Medal program. In the program, specific books are read and the favorites are voted for. To learn about the program, go to http://californiayoungreadermedal.org/. It will explain how the program works, have lists of the current nominees, and copies of the ballot.

To participate in the OCRA contest, begin by planning to read the books in your grade level to your students. You can get the books at the local public library if your school library does not have them or if you are not able to get copies from donations or other sources.

After you have voted for your choices, send a copy of your ballot to:

Joan Macon, OCRA drawing
1581 West Pacific Place
Anaheim, CA 92802

After the deadline, April 1, 2012, a drawing will be held by OCRA and the winning ballot copy will receive a FREE set of books for the next year’s contest. So, for example, if your class has voted in the Intermediate Category (roughly grades 3-5), and your ballot is drawn, you will receive a set of the Intermediate books for next year to go into your school library.

The CYRM program was established to offer students a chance to read (or hear read to them) good contemporary children’s fiction. Why not give the program a try and maybe win some books at the same time?

Joan Macon

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Below you will find the program for our 48th annual fall conference which is being held this Saturday, October 29, 2011. We hope to see you there!

2011 10 29 – Boren Program – Final

Note: If you cannot see the program above, click here to find a pdf version of it.

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Post tags: 48th Annual Fall Conference, Angie Balius, Erica Bowers, Jon Pearson, Julie Niles Petersen, Laura Keisler, Lisa Dabbs, Outstanding Contribution to Reading, Ron Boren, Toby Larson, Tracy Doverspike

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In case you haven’t heard about the California Reading Association’s professional development institute coming up at the beginning of November, you can read more about it below.

Also, remember that the Orange County Reading Association’s fall conference is on October 29, 2011. Pre-registration ends on October 20, 2011. Click here to register for OCRA.

California Reading Association PDI – November 4 – 5, 2011

If you cannot see CRA’s flyer (above), click here for a pdf version.

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The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go. ~Dr. Seuss
Image created at http://www.redkid.net/generator/seuss/

The Orange County Reading Association has a few special projects planned for the upcoming year. They all involve giving books to others. We hope you will support our projects. Here is a little more about them:

Reading by 9

At our fall conference, we will be collecting new or gently-used books (K-3). In case you’re not sure why you should bring them, here are three reasons:

• Most classroom libraries are funded from the pockets of teachers and not all teachers can afford to buy lots of books. However, all children deserve to have lots of books available to them because as Dr. Seuss says, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
• The Los Angeles Times’ Reading by 9 and the county offices of education will help distribute them to kindergarten through third grade classrooms in our area that are in need of books for classroom libraries.
• You will receive a raffle ticket for each book you bring. Our generous vendors offer up some wonderful prizes. I’ve already heard that one is planning to give either two $250 gift certificates or one $500 gift certificate to purchase anything from their catalog!

We have been supporting Reading by 9 for many years. Much to the students’ delight, a school where I worked in Santa Ana was a recipient of many books through this program. Have you (or someone you know) ever received books from Reading by 9 for your classroom? If so, please tell us about it in the comments.

Also, have you seen their bilingual parent reading guide? You can download it for free by clicking on this link: Parent Reading Guide/Guia de Lecturas para Padres.

Operation Paperback

Operation Paperback is a new project for us. In addition to sending books for soldiers to read, we can also send children’s books which they will read aloud to their children via webcam or DVD.

Here is a message from our Community Outreach Representative, Diana Fulmer:

OCRA is about to start Operation Paperback. We are collecting new or gently-used paperbacks to send to our troops. We will start collecting books on October 29th at our fall conference at Concordia University. Please help us spread the word and bring a paperback (or two)…We can also accept monetary donations on behalf of Operation Paperback.

Thank you in advance to all who participate!

Diana Fulmer, Community Outreach Representative

Note: You will receive a raffle ticket for each book or monetary donation you bring to help support Operation Paperback.

We Give Books & Read for the Record

Are you familiar with We Give Books–a Pearson Foundation Initiative? If not, let me tell you a little bit about it. We Give Books has several literacy campaigns and they have several high-quality books on their website for you to read. What do you do? Select a book from their growing library and read it. Once you finish reading the book, select a literacy campaign you would like to support. Yes, it’s as easy as that to support literacy around the world!

To learn more about We Give Books and Jumpstart’s Read for the Record (which happens on October 6th), click here: http://www.wegivebooks.org/. The book that millions around the world are pledging to read tomorrow is “Llama Llama Red Pajama” by Anna Dewdney. Here is comedian, Keith Wann, reading the book in American Sign Language:

Llama Llama Red Pajama – ASL Version with Keith Wann from Keith Wann on Vimeo.

NOTE: Be sure to click on the following link to find out how you can share a picture and win a library for the school or organization of your choice: http://www.wegivebooks.org/news/share-a-picture-and-win-a-library

Comments?

In the comments section below, please let us know what you think of our projects or about how you are promoting literacy around the world. We would love to hear from you!

© Julie Niles Petersen for Orange County Reading Association, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Jumpstart's Read for the Record, Operation Paperback, Reading by 9, We Give Books

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Ron Boren

Orange County Reading Association’s 48th Annual Fall Conference

We are delighted to announce that Ron Boren will be our keynote speaker at our 48th Annual Fall Conference which will take place on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at Concordia University in Irvine.

Ron Boren

Using music in the classroom is research based and can be used as transitions to teach core standards, to create an optimal learning environment, and to add some fun back into your day. Ron will share a variety of ways to include music into your instruction without compromising your pacing guides. There will be something for all grade levels including writing prompts with music. It’s time to get our groove back!

Ron has been a classroom teacher for 18 years and has served as a literacy coach at his school site. He writes standards-based music and performs at school assemblies, parent literacy concerts, and professional development throughout the United States. He recently received a master’s degree in education at California State University, Stanislaus and completed a reading specialist credential. He currently teaches 6th grade for Modesto City Schools.

Ron has presented for OCRA several times and always receives high ratings from our attendees. We are sure you are going to love his energy and ideas. Be sure to go to his website, www.boren2tchtunes.com, and enjoy his catchy songs.

Small Session Speakers

In addition to our keynote speaker, we will also have these small session speakers at our fall conference: