FALL 2014 Conference Engaged Readers: Promoting Language and Literacy with Culturally-­‐Responsive Texts

Engaged Readers: Promoting Language and Literacy with Culturally-­‐Responsive Texts

Main Speaker: Danilo Figueredo, Author & Director of Library and Media Center, Bloomfield College, NJ; Past NJ Library Association Executive Director

Author, educator and librarian D.H. Figueredo brings a cross-­‐cultural focus to his published work. The Cuban-­‐born writer works as a librarian and has studied the stories that appeal to children and texts needed by adults. Putting what he learned into practice, he introduced readers to Latin-­‐ American history and culture in the picture books, “When This World Was New,” about a young boy who journeys with his family from his Caribbean island to New York City, and “The Road to Santiago,” in which a boy recounts his family’s annual Christmas trip to his aunt’s house during a year when civil war breaks out. Both stories are drawn from events in his own life. Figueredo also writes adult texts with clear cultural ties and his scholarly works include “A Brief History of the Caribbean,” “Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature,” and “Latino Chronology: Chronologies of the American Mosaic.”

Our publisher sponsor will be Lee and Low Books: https://www.leeandlow.com/ publisher of books about everyone, for everyone. Lee and Low offers links to Common Core Standards for their titles as well as classroom guides for many of its multicultural books.

Breakout sessions will include:
Adult: Using literary and informational texts with culturally diverse adults: A conversation with D.H. Figueredo

K-­‐12: Two panel presentations