"What's Hot and What's Not" Literacy Digital Resources

International Reading Association has published their annual spring list of "What's Hot and What's Not" in literacy education. These digital resources may be helpful to Literacy Coaches:

1. Scholastic has compiled a Resource Round-Up for teachers designing author studies, with comprehensive links to materials throughout their site and beyond:
   http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=2754
2. Reading Rockets has video and audio interviews with many authors who are elementary school favorites at this link: http://www.readingrockets.org/podcasts/authors
3. The Library of Congress has compiled a remarkable collection of poetry audio and video resources on the web. It includes many broadcasts not readily accessible through search engines: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/webcasts/index.html
4. The November Learning site has a nifty guide available for download,"Writing Winning Grants." The author, Alan November, notes that just the process of sitting down together and coming up with common goals can unify a community. The 22-page guide includes prompts, templates, and worksheets to take you step-by-step through grant writing skills. http://novemberlearning.com/images/stories/Documents/winninggrants.pdf
5. Thirteen, the web-based resource of WNET in New York, has a free online self-paced assessment course on the "backwards planning" model of curriculum development, featuring Heidi Hayes Jacobs. This is all part of their "Concept to Classroom" series of free multimedia professional development offerings: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/assessment/index.html
6. Did you know there is a foundation dedicated to building community involvement in the launch of the school year? If you haven't been able to muster enthusiasm yet for the start of the year, visit this site and you'll find their cheerfulness is contagious. The First Day Foundation, based in Vermont, has free planning kits, as well as suggestions for first day celebrations that range from simple to elaborate: http://www.firstday.org/
7. The Institute for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins has a wealth of materials on their website, including an event planning kit for National Summer Learning Day, which takes place in mid-July: http://www.summerlearning.org/index.php