Agriculture in the classroom

Visit this website for agriculture ideas to use in your classroom. This resource was featured during the annual IRC conference.

Anderson's Bookshop

Please visit their website for upcoming events at www.andersonsbookshop.com.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books is one of the nations leading children's books review journals for school and public librarians, teachers, and others interested in children's literature.  Each year, it reviews nearly 1,000 new books for young people from birth to young adulthood, with each review offering an in-depth look at the book's content, reading level, strengths and weaknesses, and possible uses.  The journal is published eleven times per year (monthly except for August) for the GSLIS by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Language and Literacy

CISLL is an interdisciplinary center for the study of lifespan language and literacy across diverse populations and contexts, both regionally and globally, to engage in basic and applied research in language and literacy, develop and apply innovative research and assessment methodologies to address complex issues, identify and promote best practices in language and literacy, and provide evidence-based outreach that generates results. 

Early Learning Illinois

The Early Learning Illinois campaign wants Illinois to lead the nation in making available voluntary, high-quality preschool to all 3- and 4-year-olds; supporting parents as their children's first teachers; and producing a highly qualified early childhood workforce.

Family Reading Night in Illinois

The statewide celebration, Family Reading Night 2010 is scheduled for Thursday, November 18, 2010. Family Reading Night also marks the start of the three-day Illinois Authors Book Fair weekend. Sponsored by Jesse White, Secretary of State and State Librarian, Family Reading Night is celebrated annually in Illinois on the third Thursday in November. Family Reading Night is a statewide event when families are encouraged to spend quality time reading together.

Grade Level Bibliographies

A special thank you to Louise Stearns from Southern Illinois University for sharing these comprehensive listing of grade level bibliographies.

Illinois Association of Education of Young Children

The vision of the Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children is that every young child in Illinois will have access to the highest quality of care and education. This website provides information about membership and professional development opportunities for educators.

Illinois Center for the Book

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White is urging students in grades 4-12 to enter the 2010 "Letters About Literature" contest, a national reading and writing contest sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Illinois Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Illinois Center for the Book in partnership with Target.  The program invites 4th - 12th grade students to read a book that interests them and write a letter to the author explaining how the book changed their view of the world or themselves.  The contest consists of three competition levels - Level I for grades 4 - 6, Level II for grades 7 & 8 and Level III for grades 9 - 12. One state winner is chosen for each level. State Level winners receive a $50 Target gift card, a check from the Illinois Center for the Book and a plaque at an awards ceremony. State level winners' letters are forwarded to the National competition where six national winners (two at each level) and twelve national honorable mentions (four at each level) are selected. Each of the six national winners receive a $500 Target gift card along with a $10,000 grant for their school or community library for reading promotion for children and young adults. The national honorable mentions will receive a $100 Target gift card and a $1,000 grant for their school or community library.  Students can enter Letters About Literature through their schools, youth programs, libraries or individually. The entry form and guidelines are available at http://illinoiscenterforthebook.org.

Illinois Early Learning Project

The Illinois Early Learning Web site is an effective means of providing evidence-based, reliable information for parents, caregivers, and teachers of young children in the State of Illinois. The Web site offers printable Tip Sheets for caregivers and parents, Frequently Asked Questions (and their responses), a statewide calendar of events for parents and caregivers, an easy-to-use database of links to the best of the Web on topics of high interest, and Online Chats.

Illinois Reading Recovery

The 21th Annual Comprehensive Literacy and Illinois Reading Recovery Conference will be held on January 18-20, 2012 at the Chicago Marriott Downtown. The conference is designed to provide excellent professional development opportunities for K-8 classroom teachers, reading specialists, school and district administrators, board members, special education professionals, and Reading Recovery staff. Optional graduate credit and continuing education credit are available. For more information please go to http://www.nl.edu/irrc/events/ or contact Holly Bartholomew, Conference Coordinator.

Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA)

Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) offers many conference and workshops, grants and awards, and other professional resources. You can also find the latest information on the Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award, the Monarch Award: Illinois' K-3 Children's Choice Award, and the Rebecca Caudill Award Illinois' Children's Choice Award, Grades 4-8.

Illinois State Board of Education

Illinois Library Association

The Illinois Library Association's cyberguide assists families through cyberspace, with definitions, safety tips, and over 100 suggested Web sites for children, educators, and parents. Shop ILA online to order books and brochures to help you through the day and find the IREAD summer reading promotional materials.

Illinois State Literacy Office

This site will direct you to many useful resources and provide details for literacy events such as Family Reading Night and Read for a Lifetime. Read for a Lifetime is the only statewide reading program targeting high school students.

Illinois Writing Project

The Illinois Writing Project (IWP) provides professional development on teaching writing, reading, and the application of both skills for learning across the curriculum and across whole school.  Affiliated with the National Writing Project and based at National-Louis University, the IWP serves Chicago and all of Northern Illinois. 

Lincoln Recommended Sites

The Lincoln Museum is a must see Springfield, Illinois attraction. People from all over the country can discover or rediscover the sixteenth president through this museum. Check out the museum and library's informative website.

The Abraham Lincoln Award is awarded annually to the author of the book voted as most outstanding by participating students in grades nine through twelve in Illinois. The award is named for Abraham Lincoln, one of Illinois' most famous residents and himself an avid reader and noted author. The award is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA). The Abraham Lincoln Award is designed to encourage high school students to read for personal satisfaction and become familiar with authors of young adult and adult books.

The ultimate Lincoln Resource is Lincoln: A Photo biography by Russell Freedman. This book, even though it has been around for almost 18 years, is a "must have" for all teachers, especially those who need to study up on our 16th president before teaching students about him. Check out this website for more information on this valuable resource.

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award

The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award was developed to encourage children and young adults to read for personal satisfaction. It is an Illinois award for outstanding literature for young people and is sponsored by the Illinois Reading Council, the Illinois School Library Media Association, and the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. This site includes student contest information and Caudill Award winners.

Rotary International

What would it take to change the world?  Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide.  Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.  To find a club near you, please search by club name, city/town, or district number by the Club Locator at the top right part of their homepage. 

The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

Are you interested in writing and/or illustrating for children? Have you written or illustrated a children's book but don't know what to do now? Are you looking for a writing class, an illustration class, an agent? Are you looking for a speaker for your bookstore, school or library? This site has it all! Visit this link for information and resources. Also, don't forget to check out the Spring crop of new books: Home Grown in Illinois." SCBWI Newsletter is also available online at www.intelligentlight.com/PrairieWind/