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LITERACY INITIATIVES

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FUN READERS INITIATIVE

In May 2020, members of the Delta Phi Chapter of Connecticut put a call out to the community asking for volunteers to read their favorite books (virtually) to students during this COVID-19 time. We hope you enjoy it. Please Like, Share, and Subscribe!​​

​ "Peter's Chair" by Ezra Jack Keats - read by Ms. Kimberly Phillips, Educator and member of NSPDK, Inc. - Delta Phi Chapter 
​https://youtu.be/bJ14_40eqTM

"Almost to Freedom" by Vaughn Nelson read by Ms. Danielle Williams, Educator and member of NSPDK, Inc, - Delta Phi Chapter
https://youtu.be/bwYVRdyE2GU

"Pete the Cat and Jacob's Magic Sunglasses" read by Ms. Jody G. Kelly,
retired Speech & Language Pathologist and member of NSPDK, Inc. - Delta Phi Chapter
https://youtu.be/56-FLRg1IEM

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Welcome!
​ Please feel free to navigate through this page and share information on books that you'd like to recommend for educators and students to read and we just may highlight the books in this section. 
​ENJOY!!

March Book Reads for Students and Educators

​Courageous History Makers: 11 Women from Latin America Who Changed the World (English and Spanish Edition)

​by Naibe Reynoso (Author), Jone Leal (Illustrator)


Courageous History Makers: 11 Women from Latin America who changed the World highlights 11 women from Latin America who excelled in science, sports, the arts, journalism, politics and more. Some notable women featured include Mexican painter Frida Khalo, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Rigoberta Menchu, Grammy-winning musical icon Celia Cruz, and renowned pilot Hermelinda Urvina. By presenting the true biographical stories of these outstanding women in rhyming verses, young readers will follow their journey to success. Recommended for children ages 5-8, grades K-3rd.

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Mae Among the Stars 

by Roda Ahmed (Author), Stasia Burrington (Illustrator)



 A beautiful picture book for sharing and marking special occasions such as graduation, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison. An Amazon Best Book of the Month!

When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering.
She wanted to be an astronaut.
Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”
Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.

This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination. 

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A Is for Awesome! 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
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by Eva Chen (Author), Derek Desierto (Illustrator)


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Why stick with plain old A, B, C when you can have Amelia (Earhart), Malala, Tina (Turner), Ruth (Bader Ginsburg), all the way to eXtraordinary You—and the Zillion of adventures you will go on?

Instagram superstar Eva Chen, author of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, is back with an alphabet board book depicting feminist icons in A Is for Awesome: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World, featuring spirited illustrations by Derek Desierto.

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Ashanti and Kamari ~
Unlocking Their Past
 
by Tanika R Vellucci (Author), Jane De Roussan (Editor), Carrie Jones (Editor), Hayley Moore (Illustrator)



Culturally Relevant Historical Literature - Self Pride

Ancient African studies are rarely taught in public schools K-12. Some school districts teach ancient African studies in 6th or 7th grade, but the major emphasis is on Ancient Egypt. As a result, students might not learn about Africa and the many empires that existed within the continent. Therefore, African American history is mainly taught through the lens of conquest and slavery along with some modern-day accomplishments. When children learn about their history and understand that their ancestors contributed greatly to civilizations and societies, there is a certain level of pride and respect they develop in themselves and others.
In a time when social and emotional learning is so important, there is a need for more books that tell children they are important due to their lineage.
The witty storyline is about two siblings (Ashanti and Kamari) who learn about historical civilizations through Ashanti's dreams. While this book is historical fiction, it has factual places and vocabulary that can be used to teach students about other countries, cultures, time periods, and economics. Teachers and parents can use this book to teach children through a historical cultural lens, making it relevant to all learners.

Sing along with Ashanti, "I want to know my history, I want to know all about me!"

This book is also translated into Spanish and the sequel is on the way:
Ashanti and Kamari - a Day at the Museum

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A Forgotten Sisterhood: Pioneering Black Women Educators and Activists in the Jim Crow South 
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 by Audrey McCluskey (Author)

Emerging from the darkness of the slave era and Reconstruction, black activist women Lucy Craft Laney, Mary McLeod Bethune, Charlotte Hawkins Brown, and Nannie Helen Burroughs founded schools aimed at liberating African-American youth from disadvantaged futures in the segregated and decidedly unequal South. From the late nineteenth through mid-twentieth centuries, these individuals fought discrimination as members of a larger movement of black women who uplifted future generations through a focus on education, social service, and cultural transformation. Born free, but with the shadow of the slave past still implanted in their consciousness, Laney, Bethune, Brown, and Burroughs built off each other’s successes and learned from each other’s struggles as administrators, lecturers, and suffragists. Drawing from the women’s own letters and writings about educational methods and from remembrances of surviving students, Audrey Thomas McCluskey reveals the pivotal significance of this sisterhood’s legacy for later generations and for the institution of education itself.

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Women Who Lead: Insights, Inspiration, and Guidance to Grow as an Educator (Your blueprint on how to promote gender equality in educational leadership and end the broken rung once and for all.)

  by Janel Keating (Author), Jasmine K. Kullar (Author)

  Get motivated by this collection of voices from women in leadership and their allies. Janel Keating and Jasmine K. Kullar gather a wide variety of educational leaders to focus on effective leadership practices as they relate to women, the roadblocks and complications women face in professional advancement, and strategies for lifting off the sticky floor and breaking the glass ceiling.
Aspiring educational leaders and current leaders seeking professional growth will:

• Gain insight into the unique challenges faced by women in education as well as strategies for overcoming them
• Focus on the importance of mentoring and building up the next generation of female leaders
• Obtain tools to better advocate and self-market for the next career move
• Receive compassionate advice on implementing self-care strategies to avoid teacher burnout
• Cultivate confidence in women’s leadership and advance successful schools

Contents:
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: Cultivating the Leadership of Confidence
Chapter 2: Facing Change
Chapter 3: Leading With Compassion and Insight
Chapter 4: Looking out the Window and in the Mirror
Chapter 5: Rising Through the Ranks
Chapter 6: Braving Difficult Conversations
Chapter 7: Seeking Mentorship and Sharing Your Expertise
Chapter 8: Preparing for Promotion
Chapter 9: Taking Care of Yourself
Chapter 10

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Women of Color as Social Work Educators: Strengths and Survival

by Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi (Author), Saundra Hardin Starks (Author), & Carmen Ortiz Hendricks (Author)
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​Inside the pages of this beautifully-presented book are the narratives of twenty women of color who are social work educators in predominantly White systems and institutions. Women of Color as Social Work Educators brings to life the voices of women of color and illuminates their unique experiences as contributors to the betterment of social work education. Their stories reveal them as scholars who are change agents and enlighten and inspire all educators to work toward collective unity and justice. Each woman's story is told in her own voice and describes the personal and professional challenges that lead her on the path toward social work education. This book is ideal for faculty, students, and practitioners in the fields of social work education, women studies programs, ethnic studies programs, and research programs.Council on Social Work Education
We are a nonprofit national association representing individual members and graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 1952, this partnership of educational and professional institutions, social welfare agencies, and private citizens is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in this country.
CSWE Press is a niche publisher that addresses the needs of social work educators. Some of our areas of publishing specialty are
-The philosophy, theory, and practice of teaching
-The process and evaluation of learning
-The organization and structure of social work education
-Diversity in all forms in social work practice and education
-Social work in multiple contexts

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Educators Community Board

The purpose of this Community Board is for educators to contact us regarding any questions or inquiries you may have that our chapter can support.  For example, inquiries on mentorship, professional development or community service.

Leave your comments or questions below and we will respond to you.