The Literacy Connection
A&M-SA (Volume 1: Issue 5)
April Was Poetry Month- Here's Faculty's Favorite Poem, Poet, or Poetry Literacy Practice:
Jeanne Cantu
Naomi Shihab Nye describes herself as a “wandering poet” but considers San Antonio her home. She says that much of her poetry is inspired by her childhood memories and her travels throughout Asia, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East. Her poetry captures the richness and diversity of the people and places she has encountered. She has written many award-winning books of poetry, including 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, A Maze Me: Poems for Girls, Red Suitcase, Words Under the Words, Fuel, and You & Yours. In addition, she has edited several poetry anthologies and written picture books, novels, and collections of short stories.
Deborah Gerth
Steps for Writing a Free Verse Poem
1. Brainstorm possible topics on a web or by listing.
2. List Important Words related to the topic.
3. Use prose to write ideas in sentences as a paragraph.
4. Mark up sentences with line breaks.
5. Decide if and where stanzas will be.
6. Revise by eliminating unnecessary words such as a, the, this, and, that, during, meanwhile, etc.
7. Write the rough draft poem into the shape and form of a poem.
8. Revise by using literary devices such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, assonance, repetition, simile, metaphor, personification, etc. Special features can also be included such as placement of words on the page, bolding, using different sizes or fonts to create meaning, and so on.
9. Read your poem to another person during a conference making any changes as a result of suggestions or new ideas that come about.
10. Write the final copy.
Ramona Pittman
My favorite poems by Langston Hughes are: Dreams, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Who But the Lord, I, Too, and Mother to Son.
Mother Goose Day
Date When Celebrated: Always on May 1
Mother Goose Day was created only recently, as a day to appreciate nursery rhymes and stories. They are a favorite of children and their parents.
The term "Mother Goose" dates back to the 1650's. It refered to stories like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty. It does not appear to represent a particular person, as many of "Mother Goose" stories were written both before and after this term was first used. And, the stories were written by numerous authors.
Enjoy "Mother Goose Day" by reading Mother Goose stories and rhymes to your children or grandchildren.
According to the Mother Goose Society: "Mother Goose Day was founded in 1987 by Gloria T. Delamar in tandem with the publication of her book, Mother Goose; From Nursery to Literature.
http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/May/mothergooseday.htm
Juneteenth
Date When Celebrated: Always on June 19th
Juneteenth day celebrates and symbolizes the end of slavery in the United States. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. It was not until June 19, 1865 that all slaves were finally freed. That concluding event was when General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas with his troops and issued Order Number 3 which finally freed the last of the slaves.
The formal end of slavery was marked by the passing of the 13th amendment of the constitution.
http://holidayinsights.com/other/juneteenth.htm
For a list of children's books about Juneteenth, visit http://coloursofus.com/10-childrens-books-celebrating-juneteenth/ .
June is Pride Month!
For a list of children's and young adult literature centered around LGBT identity, visit
Outstanding Undergraduate Student
Clayton Jaskinia, from Poth, Texas, is working towards a degree in Special Education, EC-12 with a History concentration, 8-12. He is an outstanding student who in EDRG 3315 was always prepared and actively participated in class. Clayton’s work was thorough and he was a willing team member. He is committed to learning and has a mindset for success. In addition to his academics, Clayton is lead Jaguar Ambassador to the Office of the President, president of the National Society of Leadership and Success, president of the Council for Exceptional Children, president of the Student Council for Learning Disabilities, and a member of Kappa Delta Pi. When asked why he chose a career in teaching, Clayton states that he was inspired by many wonderful teachers. He says that he wants to help Special Education students so that no one will be ostracized. Clayton’s philosophy is: See the able, not the label. Clayton’s content knowledge and his passion for teaching will make him a superior educator.
Written by Ms. Jeanne Cantu
Graduate Student Spotlight
Alumnus Spotlight
Written by Mary Kay Cooper, Director of Alumni Affairs
Little Libraries
On February 17th, graduate students (From L to R; Veronica Guerrero, Angel Prado, Summer Garrison, and Angela Votion) attended the Girls Scouts of Southwest Texas Troop 300-Little Free Libraries Tricentennial event at Cuellar Park. The event gave participants information on how to install the Little Free Libraries and information on how to become a steward for these libraries. The goal is to install 300 little free libraries in neighborhoods within San Antonio. Graduate students who attended the event are finding locations for these libraries so that families will have free access to literature within walking distance!
Submitted by Angela Votion, SAISD Cohort 1 Graduate Student, SAISD Gifted and Talented Teacher
Dr. Piper's The Academic Minute Debut
The Academic Minute is sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. https://academicminute.org/
To listen to Dr. Piper's discussion, click the following link: https://bit.ly/2JP2ekV .
Congratulations, Dr. Piper!
Teaching Students How to Learn: Why This Matters in Higher Ed!
Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire is the Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success and retired Assistant Vice Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry at LSU. Prior to joining LSU, she spent eleven years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award. She has delivered keynote addresses or presented workshops at over 400 institutions in 46 states and nine countries. Her book, Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation, was released in October 2015 and is a Stylus Publishing bestseller. The student version of this book, Teach Yourself How to Learn: Strategies You Can Use to Ace Any Course at Any Level, was released in January 2018.
Mrs. Mata's Undergraduate Reading Course Students Perform Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, and families (https://www.naeyc.org/events/woyc/overview). The week was planned by Drs. Jozwiak, Piper, and Krimbel.
PK-12 Public Education Forum
Drs. Pittman, Jozwiak, and Piper attended the San Antonio Regional PK-12 Public Education Forum presented by The Rivard Report at the Witte Museum, Mays Family Center in March. The focus of the 2018 forum was Early Childhood Development. The forum included a luncheon in which Dr. Steven Barnett, Founder/Director, National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University was the keynote speaker. Next, a panel discussion began with Robert Rivard from the Rivard Report, as the moderator. The panel included:
- Dr. Cynthia Osborne, Director, Center of Health and Social Policy, LBJ School of Public Affairs - UT Austin
- Kelsy Clark, Principal, Boston Consulting Group, Dallas
- Dr. Alejandra Barraza, Principal, Carroll Early Childhood Education Center - SAISD
- Dr. Sarah Baray, CEO, Pre-K 4 SA.
Dr. Pittman meets Astrophysicists and Best-Selling Author, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson is the fifth head of the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship. He is also a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. For more information on Dr. Tyson, visit http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/.
Hot Topics in Literacy Series (March)
Hot Topics in Literacy Series (April)
Hot Topics in Literacy Series (Summer Edition)
Dr. Piper Wins a Statewide Election
Dr. Pittman Presents at UTSA
Student Research Symposium
Graduate Hooding Ceremony
Dr. Piper hoods K. Rachel Snow
Dr. Pittman hoods Myrna Chavarria
Dr. Wilson hoods Debra Martin
Reading Graduate students before the Hooding Ceremony
Reading Graduate Students before the Hooding Ceremony
Dr. Wilson hoods Ari Moreno
San Antonio Independent School District's Cohort I Graduates
Spring Commencement
Thank You, Cohort I
Spring 2018 Professional Development Recap
TALE Annual Conference 2018
Confronting Bias: Facilitating Difficult Conversations in the Classroom
Conference on Dyslexia with Dr. Maryanne Wolf
Reading Program Orientation
Drs. Piper, Vice, and Pittman Publish on Using Multicultural Children's Literature
International Literacy Association's Annual Convention
Drs. Pittman, Vice, and Piper will be presenting, When Do I Have Time to Provide Effective Feedback to Teachers?: Video-Coaching as a Change Agent for Literacy Coaches, July 22 (Sunday).
We look forward to seeing you!