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Scholastic Company Founded
In 1920, the company that would evolve to be Scholastic Company was founded by Maurice R. Robinson. This company has been a huge part of my "literacy life." I would look forward to Scholastic Book Fairs and Scholastic Book Orders as a student and purchased many books through them to read. As a teacher, I continue this tradition in my classroom and love being able to provide books for my students and their families. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, signed in by President Johnson, laid the foundation by which the NCLB and ESSA would build off of. This act, in it's original form, was an attempt to provide "full educational opportunities" to all students of America. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act required students with special needs to be provided a free and appropriate education. This act affects me as a teacher every day whether I have a student with special needs that I must provide by law, via their IEP, or if there is a student I believe requires special education I must go through the appropriate process to get them tested, at no cost to the family. -
The Westing Game Published
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin was my first experience with a mystery novel. I fell in love with the genre quickly and continued to read the story over and over again. This opened up new doors to different types of genres for me at a young age. I believe I read it the first time when I was in or around third grade. -
Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program
Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! Program was created in 1984. This program required children to read a certain amount of books in exchange for a free personal pan pizza coupon. My mom always signed my sister and I up for the program and we were highly motivated to read more stories so that we could claim our free pizza. This program also helped to foster a love of reading for us. -
New Kid on the Block Published
Jack Prelutsky was one of my favorite poets when I was growing up. I try to implement different genres such as poetry into my classroom to expose my students to all types of literacy. New Kid on the Block was one of my favorites along with his other books: A Pizza the Size of the Sun & Something Big Has Been Here. -
Magic Tree House Series
Mary Pope Osborne's first Magic Tree House book was published on this date. This series was the first book series that I fell in love with as a child. I vividly recall always being tied up in a Magic Tree House book and repeatedly being asked to put it down so I could join my family for dinner. -
Audible.com Opened
I chose Audible.com because of it's popularity but this event is primarily aimed at audiobooks which have been around much longer that 1995. This amazing creation has been a great tool for people with disabilities and even for those who do not. I remember driving down to the beach with a book on tape in the radio and now getting a membership to Audible.com to open up more opportunities to read. -
Learning to spell my name
I will always remember before entering Kindergarten, sitting with my mom and learning to spell my full name. She wanted to me to learn the full "Kelsey Elizabeth Grace" before I got to Kindergarten and I joyfully practiced. This is one of the earliest literacy memories I can remember. -
Public Library Member
When I was just able to read, I became a member at my public library. This has influenced me throughout my literacy journey and has always been one of my favorite places to visit in Gettysburg. I continue using my membership presently, especially during the summer when I have time to devote to reading. -
Release of the AlphaSmart 3000
The AlphaSmart 3000 made it's way onto my literacy timeline because of it's role in my 5th grade writing class. The simple word processor gave us the ability to type our writings in class and we would then hook it up to a computer in the lab to edit and print out our finished piece. It was one of my first experiences typing my own writing and being an active participator in the writing process. -
Mr. Theme's Reading Class
In third grade, I was given the opportunity to go out with a reading teacher for enrichment. Mr. Theme introduced us to folktales and many other short stories and genres. He also gave us the opportunity to discuss the stories in the class in a way that was different than our core class. I had always loved reading but somehow being recognized as being a great reader that led to this reading class, gave me more motivation to continue immersing myself in literature. -
No Child Left Behind Act
As we know, the No Child Left Behind Act was put into place under President George W. Bush in an effort to close the achievement gap in minority students and increase American competitiveness. Many Americans see this act as the one that began standardized testing and put more emphasis on mathematics and reading instruction. Of course I had been affected by NCLB as a student with changes in the curriculum I was given and being a participant in the standardized testing. -
5th Grade with Mrs. Harvey
My fifth grade year was one of my favorite years in elementary school all because of Mrs. Harvey. Mrs. Harvey made reading and writing so engaging and gave many opportunities for her students to show off their creativity. She helped to mold me into a better reader and writer in that year with projects and stories that I can still vividly remember. -
Seven Deadly Sins book series Published
When this series by Robin Wasserman was published, my older sister bought them all and quickly read through them. At that point, I had asked to borrow them and I did the same thing. This was my first experience in a "book club" type setting where I was able to discuss characters and plot with someone who also had interest in a self-chosen book. -
Release of Amazon's Kindle
The Amazon Kindle was released in November of 2007 and opened up a new world to my beach reading. I received a Kindle as a gift and was reluctant to give up my paper books but soon grew fond of the ability to hold so many books in my hand at once. -
Development of Common Core State Standards
The development and implementation of the Common Core State Standards changed how most teachers viewed and taught literacy in the classroom. While I was not a teacher when the change happened, I can still feel the push-back and questionings from veteran teachers and parents now. I believe the shift was good for education and gave teachers more rigorous standards to teach and uphold in the classroom. -
Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSA was signed by President Obama in an attempt to change and update NCLB. ESSA continues to emphasize standardized testing however it requires schools to create their own goals based on testing proficiency. This act now affects me as a teacher because even though my students are not in a testing grade, I am responsible for preparing them with rigorous reading, math, and science instruction so that they are equipped with the tools they need to reach proficiency. -
Guided Reading Professional Development
Mid-way through my first year of teaching I was involved in a prolonged professional development on teaching guided reading. This professional development made me look at my teachings of literacy much different and I would now consider guided reading time on of my favorite times of the day. I feel more confident teaching it and planning for my guided reading groups after my professional learning. -
Beginning Penn State University's Literacy Education Master's Program
My choice to begin Penn State's Literacy Education Master's Program was for various reasons. First and foremost I want to learn all that I can to best assist the students in my classroom, struggling or not. My second reason to do this program came from my deeply rooted love of reading. I am always excited to pass my own passion for reading onto my first grade students.
