Now Available at a Library or Bookstore Near You!

The Revival of Banned Dances:

A Worldwide Study

by Renee Critcher Lyons

The NCBLA congratulates our volunteer writer Renee Critcher Lyons on the publication of her book The Revival of Banned Dances: A Worldwide Study (McFarland), now available on shelves in a library or for purchase from a bookstore near you.

Throughout history, humans have used dance as a benefit for mind, body, and soul. In some cases, governments or churches have banned certain dances for a variety of reasons. The Revival of Banned Dances provides an exploration of dances banned around the world, then revived by a handful of brave proponents. The sixteen case studies--ranging from Argentina’s Tango and Cambodia’s Royal Classical Ballet to Brazil’s Samba and Ireland’s Step Dance--reveal the meaning of the dance to each culture and the importance of the art form to the creation of healthy sociological and political climates. Chapters detail each dance’s origins, technical steps and movements, costumes, music, and political history, providing an informative overview of the oppression of dance culture through history.

Renee’ Critcher Lyons is an assistant professor in the School Library Media Program at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, teaching children’s and young adult literature.  Prior to her appointment at ETSU, she served as a school/instructional librarian for eight years at the elementary and middle school level and nine years at the high school/community college level.  She is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts’ MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and the Appalachian State University Masters in Library Science Program.  

Be sure to check out these online articles by Renee on OurWhiteHouse.org:

• "The Second Shall Be First: The 1948 Presidential Election--Truman V. Dewey"
•  "Grand Champions of the White House"

Race to the Ballot: Presidential Campaign 2012

The Presidential Debates Start Wednesday!

Read Our Tips for
Engaging Kids' and Teens' Interest

 

If you want to inspire your kids’ and teens’ interest in the presidential election and to actively participate in our democracy, start now by getting them involved in the process and watch the presidential debates together! 

The first of three debates between President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney takes place this Wednesday evening. 

For tips on assisting kids in understanding the debates and how you can help them garner the most information from them, read the article "Presidential Debates: Watch the Debates with Your Kids and Teens!" available free on the NCBLA's extensive American history and civic education website OurWhiteHouse.org.

Mark Your School and Home Calendars!

The following presidential debates are scheduled: 

• Wednesday, October 3:
  Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney. The topic is domestic policy.
• Thursday, October 11:
  Vice President Joe Biden vs. Representative Paul Ryan. This is the only debate scheduled between the vice presidential candidates.
• Tuesday, October 16: 
  Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney. 
• Monday, October 22: Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney.
  
  

Massachusetts State House
portrait of Governor
Mitt Romney by artist
Richard Whitney.

In this election year, the NCBLA has created the Race to the Ballot: Presidential Campaign and Election Kit to help all adults who live and work with young people engage with our kids in informed discussions about the presidential campaigns and election, teach them to think critically, and energize them to learn more about the political process in America. 

 

This Kit includes:

• Exclusive articles regarding such topics as presidential job requirements, the history of presidential campaigns, and the evolution of voting rights.
• Activities to use with young people in the classroom or at home.
• Discussion questions you can share during class, around the dinner table, and at a Scout or club meeting.

To check out the complete contents of Race to the Ballot: The Our White House Presidential Campaign and Election Kit for Kids, click here.

The anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and its coordinating educational website OurWhiteHouse.org provide the perfect springboard for engaging youngsters in the discussion of current events, history, and the importance of the democratic vote in America. Our White House was created by the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance as a collaborative effort by over one hundred award-winning authors and illustrators to encourage young people to read more about America’s rich history and culture; to think more about America’s future; to talk more about our nation’s leadership; and to act on their own beliefs and convictions, ensuring this great democratic experiment will survive and thrive.

Our White House is available
in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press.

Ask for it a library or bookstore near you!

Posted by Geri at 7:12 AM

Presidential Campaign 2012: The Future of Education

For those interested in the future
of all our children's education:

President Barack Obama’s and Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney’s views on education. 

Both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney were interviewed earlier this week about their ideas for the future of American education as part of NBC News' "Education Nation" Summit. Savannah Guthrie interviewed President Obama, and Brian Williams interviewed Governor Mitt Romney. Below are excerpts from the  interviews.  Links to the full interview transcripts are included following the excerpts.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
on EDUCATION:

President Barack Obama discusses education in an interview with
NBC's Samantha Guthrie September 24, 2012. Photo KSL.com.

“Well, the key is to work with teachers. When you look at what's happening in Denver, for example, School District, teachers have embraced the idea of merit pay for teachers who are really doing a great job. But what is still a challenge, and I think teachers have a legitimate gripe here, is making sure that the assessments are done properly, that it's not just based on standardized tests, which, oftentimes, forces schools to teach to the test.

And one of the reasons that we have sought reforms to No Child Left Behind. I think it had great intentions. I give President Bush credit for saying, "Let's raise standards and make sure that everybody's trying to meet them." But because so much of it was tied just to standardized testing, what you saw across the country was teaching to the test.

And I-- I can't tell you how many teachers I meet who say, "You know what? This makes school less interesting for kids. And as a consequence, I'm ending up really shrinking my curriculum, what I can do in-- in terms of creativity inside of the classroom." And that's not how you or I, for example, when we think about our best teachers, we don't think about studying a bunch of tests to see how we're going to score on a standardized test.”

Presidential Candidate
Mitt Romney on EDUCATION:

Republican presidential candidate ,Mitt Romney is interviewed by
NBC newsman Brian Williams at the NBC Education Nation Summit
in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012.
Photo: Evan Vucci / AP

AUDIENCE QUESTION 5: Hi, my name is Nick Hilgoyle (ph). I'm a high school student from New York and I just wrote a book on education.

My question is considering that the advent of standardized testing has increased to historic levels, causing a lot of teaching to the test, billions of dollars into testing and really the killing of creativity in many ways, how would you as president change this trend and how do you put students directly in your administration and let them have a voice in this policy decision-making process?

ROMNEY: First of all, you will find throughout your life that there are tests, and I don't know a way to evaluate the progress of students other than by evaluating it through testing of some kind or another.

If there are tests that are ineffective or that measure things that are not really relevant, why, obviously, you try to improve the test but you'll have an SAT when you graduate from high school, you'll -- if you want to go into graduate school you'll have an advanced test, GMAT or other test and you'll find throughout your life that there are going to be tests.

And we always complain about them. I complained about them when I was a student. And we don't like tests but there's really no other way we found out to determine whether a student is succeeding or not succeeding and, frankly, whether the teacher is succeeding or not succeeding. So I don't have a better model than saying we're going to evaluate our kids through some kind of a testing system.

When I became governor of mass, we had this graduation exam. I took it because I would hear from teachers we're having to teach to the tests. I took the exam -- and I passed it, by the way, but --

(LAUGHTER)

ROMNEY: -- although I took it at home so no one really got to see my answers, but, you know, when it got to the math section, there was geometry, algebra, calculus, trigonometry. I mean, these are the topics there. I don't know what teaching to the test would mean if it were not teaching basic math skills.

On the language side, I read paragraphs and then I wrote down or -- excuse me -- I checked off the things I'd seen in the paragraph. If teaching to the test means learning how to read and write and learning how to do basic math skills, then there's nothing terribly wrong with that. I added science and so people are going to get tested in biology and geology and so forth. This is part of what we expect schools to do.

What I was concerned about before we had these kind of tests is that we might have faculty members go off on a completely different tangent from the basic math and English and science skills our kids need to succeed.

So I'm not going to replace testing. I would love to improve it. That's why when No Child Left Behind was passed the author said we'll let each state create your own test and evaluate how well students are doing.

But I'm going to keep in place the testing. And as with regards to student involvement, I hope students are very involved in the political process and in the process of the quality of your education. I would love to have the students grade the teachers at the end of the year as opposed to just the other way around so that teachers get feedback.

We did that when I got to graduate school. We got to grade the teachers and then it was published. They put it up for the whole school to see in business school, how each teacher did on a whole series of dimensions and it helped. It helped the teachers. I think -- I believe in a lot of feedback.

So far from being a guy who would say let's stop testing, I'd just try and make our testing more effective, expand it in ways that maybe haven't been thought of before and recognize we need to drive the quality of education and it's one tool we have to do it.

To read the complete transcript of President Obama's interview with Savannah Guthrie at NBC News' "Education Nation," click here. 

To read the complete transcript of Governor Romney's interview with Brian Williams at NBC News' "Education Nation," click here.

Picture Books Provide a Child's First Experiences with Art and Story

Editor Patti Lee Gauch Declares
the Value of the Picture Book

In the recent School Library Journal article "Editor Patti Lee Gauch Talks About the State of the Picture Book," author Mahnaz Dar reports on Gauch's speech at the New York Public Library Children's Salon, in which Gauch discusses how picture book stories resonate with young readers. Here is an excerpt:

"Gauch defended picture books as vital to children’s development, stating that they are a 'child’s first introduction not only to art but to narrative form.'

Gauch also addressed digital picture books, acknowledging that electronic versions do have their place. Gauch, however, stressed that a physical book is in and of itself an art form, describing the amount of effort that goes into designing a book’s endpapers or binding and concluded that children should have access to both formats."

To read the article in its entirety, click here. 

MORE Information
About the Value of Picture Books!

To learn how Caldecott Award winning illustrator David Macaulay defines a great picture book,  click here to read an interview on the NCBLA's website thencbla.org.

To read suggestions for selecting books for young people, including picture books, read children's book expert Stephanie Loer's article here on thencbla.org.

And for field trip suggestions for museums that highlight children's book illustrations, such as the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts and the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature in Abilene, Texas, check out the NCBLA article "A Literacy Field Trip."

You and the young people in your life can discover the vibrant world of picture books at your library!

NOW on READ.GOV! Fun Story Game for Kids of All Ages Penned by Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Jack Gantos, and MORE!

Share The Exquisite Corpse Adventure with Young People

A Rollicking, Progressive Story Game Played by
20 Celebrated Authors and Illustrators and Just Re-released on READ.GOV!

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is a progressive story game just like the one many families play on road trips, at camps, at parties, at home when there is a power outage. It is a game where one person begins a story, stops at a cliffhanging moment, and the next person picks it up, continuing on until everyone in the group has the opportunity to contribute. And just like in those games, in The Exquisite Corpse, characters spontaneously erupt out of our authors’ imaginations; plot lines tumble forth, some realized, some lost; and we are often poised at the edge of a cliff with no logical solution in sight!

 

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure contributors include some of America's most gifted authors and illustrators: M.T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Calef Brown, Susan Cooper, Kate DiCamillo, Timothy Basil Ering, Jack Gantos, Nikki Grimes, Shannon Hale, Lemony Snicket, Steven Kellogg, Gregory Maguire, Megan McDonald, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, Linda Sue Park, Katherine Paterson, James Ransome, Jon Scieszka, and Chris Van Dusen.

Chris Van Dusen's Illustration for Episode 1
Copyright (c) 2009

Originally published on Read.Gov as part of a national reading and writing initiative created by The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is now available for your reading and listening pleasure for a second exclusive engagement on Read.Gov. Episode 1, written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, is now online. Two new episodes will be published each Friday until the story ends!

To read or listen to Episode 1, click here. 

 

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is available in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press. It is also available on audio.  

Extensive Online Education Support Materials Available!
Add to the educational journey using the NCBLA's treasure trove of online educational support materials for The Exquisite Corpse Adventure on the Exquisite Corpse Adventure Education Resource Center. Overflowing with supplemental articles, classroom activities, reading lists, art activities, discussion questions, and more, the Education Resource Center is designed for moms and dads, teachers and librarians, grandparents and guardians—all adults who live and work with young people and have a vested interest in helping kids read more, write better, and create stories and art that expand all of our universes.

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure Education Resource Center provides three categories of content:

* General interest articles explain the history of the Exquisite Corpse art form and how it is played, provide instructions for playing progressive story games, and offer tips for parents to encourage reading in their homes.

* Episodic materials include links to author and illustrator biographical information, annotated lists of recommended reading (thematically linked to each episode!), classroom activities, art activities, and discussion questions—provided and customized for each Exquisite Corpse episode.

* Literacy resources include authoritative articles on reading and writing from the NCBLA and other literacy experts, links to informative websites and blogs dedicated to literature and literacy, and links to Exquisite Corpse Adventure contributors’ websites and video discussions.

AND, on ReadingRockets.org, you can find The Exquisite Prompt: Classroom Writing Resources, a set of writing challenges designed as a classroom activity for kids in grades K-12. Writing prompts are inspired by the celebrated authors and illustrators who participated in The Exquisite Corpse Adventure. Using Reading Rockets' creative prompts, you can invite kids to make their own maps, write their own hero stories and myths, and even explore their dramatic sides by penning a play!

To visit The Exquisite Corpse Adventure Education Resource Center, click here.

 

To visit The Exquisite Prompt: Classroom Writing Resources on ReadingRockets.org, click here.

To buy The Exquisite Corpse Adventure from the bookseller of your choice, click here.

Attention Teachers! Nonfiction and Fiction Common Core Resources

Engaging Ideas for Implementing Nonfiction and Fiction Common Core Reading Standards Using Multiple Sources

A perfect interdisciplinary resource for helping teachers implement Common Core Reading Standards with both a historical and contemporary perspective is NCBLA's Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and its companion education website OurWhiteHouse.org. 

The art and literature anthology Our White House purposely juxtaposes contradictory primary and secondary historical sources so that young people can experience what historians often discover in their search for objective truth – multiple perspectives representing different points of view. 

As recently reported in the Candlewick Classroom for Teachers newsletter, this juxtaposition is ideal for implementing the following two Common Core Reading Standards:

• RI.5.6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
• RI.7.9 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Implementing the Standards in the Classroom Using the Legend of Dolley Madison

Copyright (c) 2008 by Wendell Minor

As the grand dame of Washington society for more than two decades, the vivacious Dolley Madison was exalted by many in the early nineteenth century as “Lady Presidentress.” Graced with a warm, friendly demeanor and a natural instinct for skillful entertaining, Dolley’s years as first lady made her a legend. Yet Dolley is not only remembered for her social skills. She is also celebrated for having saved priceless White House artifacts from the White House before they were destroyed by British troops during the War of 1812. Though others pleaded with her to leave the executive mansion immediately when the sounds of battle approached, Dolley insisted on gathering what she could—her husband’s letters, the national seal, and the portrait of George Washington. Or so the legend goes. Just what happened that day on August 24, 1814, in the frightful hours before the British troops burned down the White House?

You can engage students in this historical drama using multiple sources of the Dolley Madison legend provided in both Our White House and OurWhiteHouse.org:

• Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out includes several illustrations and literary pieces that focus on the War of 1812, such as Wendell Minor’s stunning painting of the early White House engulfed in flames, Ralph Ketcham’s discussion of President Madison’s struggle to preserve peace and national dignity, and Susan Cooper’s poignant letter imagined from the perspective of a British soldier. Our White House readers will find not only Paul Jennings’ side of the story in an excerpt from his memoirs, but also Don Brown’s take on the legend executed in a luscious watercolor and accompanying story titled “Dolley Madison Rescues George Washington.” Completing the section about the War of 1812 is Meg Cabot’s time-slip narrative, “Another All-American Girl.”
• On OurWhiteHouse.org, you can find the article "Primary Sources: Dolley Madison's Letter to Her Sister About the Burning of the White House," which not only summarizes the legend, but also includes the complete text of Dolley Madison's letter, links to Paul Jennings' memoirs, discussion questions, and activity suggestions for use in the classroom, all of which relate directly to the RI.5.6 and RI.7.9 standards!

Our White House is available
in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press. 

Ask for Our White House at a library or bookstore near you!

To learn more about Our White House and OurWhiteHouse.org, please click here.

Presidential Campaign 2012

Get Kids Involved in This Fall's Presidential Campaigns with Great Ideas for Hosting Their Own Mock Campaigns and Elections

You can encourage young people to host their own mock election at home, in school, at your local library, or at your local community center! Depending upon the number and ages of kids within your group, you may want to organize a full-fledged campaign and election with complete media coverage or a simpler voter registration drive and election day. 

Discuss with young people the presidential campaign and election process and all the activities that are involved in getting someone elected as president of the United States. (Refer to "Help Wanted: President of the United States," "Persuading the People: Campaigning for President," and "Getting the Votes and Getting Elected: The Popular Vote vs. The Electoral College" all on OurWhiteHouse.org for more information.) Then determine the activities you would like to include in your own mock election. 

You might consider grouping kids and their responsibilities into three groups, picking and choosing the responsibilities you want to assign based on the time and resources available:

• Campaign Committees
• Media Group
• Get Out the Vote Committee

For more ideas and instructions on how to help your kids organize their own campaigns and election, check out the NCBLA's "Host a Mock Election" activity in the free and comprehensive resource Race to the Ballot: The Our White House Presidential Campaign and Election Kit for Kids!

In this election year, the NCBLA has created the Presidential Campaign and Election Kit to help all adults who live and work with young people engage with our kids in informed discussions about the presidential campaigns and election, teach them to think critically, and energize them to learn more about the political process in America. This Kit includes:

• Exclusive articles regarding such topics as presidential job requirements, the history of presidential campaigns, and the evolution of voting rights.
• Activities to use with young people in the classroom or at home.
• Discussion questions you can share during class, around the dinner table, and at a Scout or club meeting.

To check out the complete contents of Race to the Ballot: The Our White House Presidential Campaign and Election Kit for Kids, click here.

The anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and its coordinating educational website OurWhiteHouse.org provide the perfect springboard for engaging youngsters in the discussion of current events, history, and the importance of the democratic vote in America. Our White House was created by the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance as a collaborative effort by over one hundred award-winning authors and illustrators to encourage young people to read more about America’s rich history and culture; to think more about America’s future; to talk more about our nation’s leadership; and to act on their own beliefs and convictions, ensuring this great democratic experiment will survive and thrive.

Our White House is available
in both hardcover and paperback.

Ask for it a library or bookstore near you!

In Case You Missed It

Washington Post Article Addresses
the Impact of Technology
on Kids' Learning and Development

A 13-month old uses an iPad
(Matt Cardy/GETTY IMAGES)

In the article titled "Is Technology Sapping Children's Creativity?" published in the Washington Post by education writer Valerie Strauss, education professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige examines how technology is affecting our kids' learning and development. Here is an excerpt:

It wasn’t long ago that we were talking about how much TV kids should watch. And now here we are in the midst of a technology revolution that is happening so fast we can barely keep up with the number of devices and the options for screen time available to kids — on computers, tablets, cell phones, iPhones, flip down car monitors, interactive “app” toys, and on and on. 

There has not been time to reflect on how this cascading influx of technology is affecting us all or to study the potentially far ranging influence it is having on our children. While electronic games for young children are flooding the market (72 percent of iTunes’ top-selling “education” apps are designed for preschoolers and elementary school children), the research on their impact is scant. 

To read the entire article, click here. 

Contemporary History for Kids!

Help Young People Separate Fact from Fiction in This Fall's Campaign Rhetoric

Our White House Resources Provide
Extensive Articles, Activities,
Discussion Questions, and MORE!

Now that the Republican and Democratic Party conventions have ended, the presidential contenders are back on the road extolling their experience and ideas for moving the country forward. The stump speeches and interviews with the candidates, their surrogates, and their respective campaign representatives often include swats and jabs at their opponent, some true and some not so true.  In the wake of the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Super PACs have created a relentless stream of TV ads to promote presidential candidates independently of each candidate’s campaign, adding more flames to the political fires. How can adults help young people separate the fact from fiction?

Parents, teachers, homeschoolers, and librarians can work with young people to not only encourage political curiosity, but to also teach them healthy skepticism and critical thinking skills helpful in sorting through the campaign rhetoric--critical thinking skills that can also serve young people in all of life’s decisions. 

The anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and its coordinating educational website OurWhiteHouse.org provide the perfect springboard for engaging youngsters in the discussion of current events, history, and the importance of the democratic vote in America. Reviewing magazine ads and TV commercials that market services and products directly to children with youngsters and asking them to question how they appeal to them lays the groundwork for critically reviewing political ads in the future. Older youngsters may be surprised to learn that many of the techniques used in spinning toothpaste and toys, such as leaving out critical facts and appealing to authority, work equally well in crafting campaign commercials. 

To address the critical need of engaging our nation's young people in this year's election, the NCBLA has created Race to the Ballot: The Our White House Presidential Campaign and Election Kit for Kids!

This all-in-one educational resource includes informative articles explaining presidential job requirements, the history of presidential campaigns, and the evolution of voting rights. Also included are extensive discussion questions, engaging activities, and references to even more resources.

• In the article "Help Wanted: President of the United States," young people can learn the president's job description as specified in the Constitution, how an American seeks the presidency, and what kind of compensation a president can expect.
• Young people can read how today's heated campaign rhetoric is nothing new, how dissent about how to develop infrastructure and confront foreign aggression led to a vicious battle in the press between supporters of early presidential contenders John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in the article "Persuading the People: Presidential Campaigns."
• Younger kids may enjoy learning how presidents are people with quirks and flaws just like anyone else in "Presidents Are People Too!" by Heather Lang. 
• And for specific ideas on how to help young people sort through all of this year's campaign rhetoric, check out "Separate Fact from Fiction: Analyze the Campaign Rhetoric." 

Race to the Ballot: The Our White House Presidential Campaign and Election Kit for Kids! is available free on OurWhiteHouse.org. To review the complete Kit, including an easy-to-print PDF version, click here. 

Our White House is available
in both hardcover and paperback. 

Ask for it a library or bookstore near you!