TEN HOT TIPS FROM THE 70TH MICHIGAN READING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (Part 3 of 4)

An exciting three-day event!

Reading Tip 5-Dr. Shannon Anderson advises that we expose our students to a variety of genres and reading materials. Here's a neat little list: comics, graphic novels, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, historical fiction, biography, autobiography, memoir, poetry, drama/play, adventure stories, horror, self-help/personal development, educational/textbooks/fairy tales, folktales, magazines, and newspapers.

Reading Tip 6-In "Shifting from Compliance-Based Literacy to Identity-Affirming, Agency-Driven Learning using Formative Assessment Practices," Dr. Ellen Vorenkamp reminds us that each student brings their own lived experiences. As we assess their competency while they gain new knowledge, we should acknowledge that and take advantage of it. We can do that by having them relate what they are learning to their lived experiences, challenging them to create curriculum-related plays, poems, art, and music, to develop compare-and-contrast scenarios, and to design performance-based literacy tests.

Reading Tip 7-Laura Tortorelli, Tanya Christ, and Lisa Hendricks facilitated "Engaging AI and Digital Text Platforms to Promote Early Literacy Success for All." They reminded us that 71% of employers will hire someone with less experience as long as they have AI skills. The five "Big Ideas" they shared with us are that AI connections to literacy involve 1) perception, 2) representation, 3) reasoning, 4) natural interactions, and 5) social implications. Of course, AI literacy is key (prompt engineering), and social/emotional safety must be closely guarded. (www.ai4k12)