Nationally Known Author and Reading Expert to Speak at ESU
Emporia State University
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
An award-winning children’s author and a nationally known reading expert will speak at a reading conference at Emporia State University in early March.
Known for her picture books and animated story-telling, Carmen Agra Deedy will be the featured guest author. The keynote speaker will be Debbie Miller, an expert in reading comprehension. Both will be among the featured presenters at the 11th annual Kansas Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Conference on March 2.
As an author, Deedy draws upon humor, Cuban folklore and family to tell tales of dual heritage. Her latest work, “Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale,” received the Pura Belpré Award. This award is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. One of her other notable works is “The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark,” the story of how the Danes sought to keep Nazis from occupying their country during World War II.
Miller worked for many years with the Denver-based Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC), a nonprofit group committed to providing ongoing support and leadership for schools in the Denver area and nationally. She taught for more than 30 years and is the author of “Reading with Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades,” and the video series “Happy Reading!” and “The Joy of Conferring.”
The Reading Recovery conference, held in ESU’s Memorial Union, is sponsored by the Jones Institute for Educational Excellence. The conference will offer educators the opportunity to network and attend sessions led by reading instruction experts from across the country, including:
• Nancy Anderson, Reading Recovery University Trainer, Texas Woman’s University
• Betsy Kaye, Reading Recovery University Trainer, Texas Woman’s University
• Barbara Bleeker, Elementary Teacher Education Instructor, Emporia State University
• Lotta Larson, Assistant Professor, Elementary Education, Kansas State University
The conference will be from 8:30 a.m. until 4:45 p.m.
For more information about registration for the conference, or about the Reading Recovery program at ESU, visit www.emporia.edu/readingrecovery or contact the Jones Institute at 341-5372 or e-mail Toni Bowling at mbowling@emporia.edu.