Focus on Children’s and Young Adult Literature:
IRA Programs and Resources

Through numerous programs, IRA celebrates excellence in children’s and young adult literature and highlights ways that high-quality books can be used to help children grow into lifelong readers.

This topical guide provides information about resources for parents, teachers, caregivers, and others interested in promoting reading among young people. To find more suggestions, go to advanced search and select “literature” under the Topic heading.

Position statements

Providing Books and Other Print Materials for Classroom and School Libraries

Videos and DVDs

Words That Cook! Parenting With Children’s Books (DVD series)

Lesson plans

ReadWriteThink.org, a joint project of IRA and the National Council of Teachers of English within the MarcoPolo project, provides resources for reading and language arts teaching and learning. Following are just a few sample lesson plans that emphasize using literature in the classroom.

Let’s Talk About Stories: Shared Discussion With Amazing Grace

Readers Theatre With Jan Brett

Historical Fiction: Using Literature to Learn About the Civil War

Teaching Point of View With Two Bad Ants

Press Conference for Bud, Not Buddy

A Biography Study: Using Role-Play to Explore Authors’ Lives

Word Maps: Developing Critical and Analytical Thinking About Literary Characters

More lessons can be found by using the search features of the ReadWriteThink.org site, which include the ability to narrow results to particular grade levels.

Meetings and events

Where can you meet the world’s leading children’s authors and illustrators, browse through new titles in the exhibit hall, and attend sessions on literature-based instruction, all in a single venue? IRA’s annual convention is a “must do” for educators who value children’s literature.

Other IRA meetings, including the biennial world congress and annual state/provincial and regional conferences, routinely include sessions on children’s literature and feature children’s and YA authors.

Community

Several groups of IRA members pursue a shared interest in children’s or young adult literature. Individuals listed as contacts for each group can often provide information and suggest resources on the topic.

Special interest group: Children’s Literature and Reading

Special interest group: Network on Adolescent Literature

Special interest group: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Graphic Novels

Online community: The RTEACHER listserv

Committee: Children’s Book Council/IRA Liaison

Committee: Literature for Young Adults

Committee: Teachers’ Choices