January 2022 Newsletter

 
Save the Date!
 
 
Reading Allowed’s Virtual
Open House
February 24, 2022
7:00 – 7:30 pm EST
Please join us for this free event that’s open to the public. Our special guests will be Ameer Baraka – TV and film actor, author, and tireless dyslexia advocate and Renee Chenault Fattah – Executive Director of Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, lawyer, award-winning television news anchor, and filmmaker.
 
Register here to attend this free virtual event.
 
Reading Allowed is seeking sponsorship donations from local businesses and organizations for this event as well as our upcoming Restorative Justice speaker series. Please contact Angela@ReadingAllowed.org if you or someone you know can help!
 
Sponsor: $500 and above
  • Your logo featured on the Corporate Sponsor page on our website
  • Your logo listed as sponsor on all Open House and Speaker Series advertisements
  • Recognition of your support on Reading Allowed social media accounts
 
Supporter: $250 to $499
  • Your logo featured in the Supporter section of the Corporate Sponsor page on our website
 
A New Partnership on the Horizon
 
We are really excited to share the news that soon we’ll be partnering with The Philadelphia Department of Prisons to begin working with their struggling readers.
According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, 70% of all incarcerated adults cannot read at a 4th grade level, “meaning they lack the reading skills to navigate many everyday tasks or hold down anything but lower (paying) jobs.”
We’re excited to share more about this program in the upcoming months.
 
 
Meet One of Our Reading Allowed Families!
 
Reading Allowed families really are the best!
 
“Now my daughter can be successful because of this program.”
 
Click on the video to the right to hear more.

 
 
The Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children Proudly Presents:
 
Special Education: The Basics for Parents and Guardians
Guest Speaker: Shermia S. Allen
January 29, 2002. 11:00 a.m. EST via ZOOM
 
You’re Invited to an Informational Parent Workshop
 
 
Shemica S. Allen is the owner of Personalized Learning Solutions, LLC and a former educator with over 15 years of teaching and administration experience working with students with disabilities and also with their parents or guardians.
 
Shemica’s background is impressive. She has completed the Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT) and Advanced Advocate Training: Representing Parents in Impartial Hearings through the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA). She now is on staff with COPAA as an instructor. Additionally, she has attended hundreds of ARD/IEP, 504, and Student Support Team (SST) meetings and has extensive training in facilitating Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD)/IEP committee meetings which require effective communication, problem-solving, decision making, and conflict resolution.
 
January Book Recommendations
 
by Angela Farris Watkins
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Told from the perspective of his young niece, My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart gives a personal insight into one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century. Complemented by Velasquez’s stunning artwork, Angela Farris Watkins presents children with a rare glimpse into her uncle’s life at home, including special family moments.
 
 
By Angela Johnson
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
There’s a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered for a march for freedom and justice led by Martin Luther King Jr. Inspired by countless children and young adults who took a stand, A Sweet Smell Of Roses offers a heart-lifting glimpse of children’s roles in thecivil rights movement.

 
 
By Carole Boston Weatherford
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
“You can be a King. Beat the drum for justice. March to
your own conscience.” Through a school project, a class of young students learn to follow Dr. Martin Luther King’s example, as he dealt with adversity and never lost hope for equality and justice.
 
 
By Richard Michelson
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel are two names that stand for the quest for justice and equality. Martin grew up in an America that was plagued by racial discrimination. He became a minister like his daddy, and he preached and marched for
civil rights. Abraham in a Europe that did not welcome Jews. He found a new home in America, where he became a respected rabbi like his father, carrying a message of peace and acceptance. This book is the heartfelt story of the remarkable friendship between these two icons of social justice.
 
 
By Mark Weakland
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu’s delicious stew! One by one, they follow their noses toward the scrumptious scent. And one by one, Omu offers a portion of her meal. Soon the pot is empty. Has she been so generous that she has nothing left for herself?

 
 
By Emily Jenkins
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Despite snow on the ground, icicles on window sills, and discouraging words from their parents, Pauline and her little brother, John-John decide to open a
lemonade stand. After purchasing supplies with their carefully counted quarters, they set up shop on the sidewalk outside their apartment building. A few customers come by, but when the children add up expenses and sales, they’ve actually lost money. Still,
there’s enough left for two Popsicles, so alls well that ends well.
 
 
By Jacqueline Briggs Martin
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Wilson Bentley loved snow. But the snow was frustrating to him. He could pick flowers for his mother or net butterflies, but he couldn’t hold on to snowflakes. First, Bentley tried drawing snow crystals, but they would melt too quickly. Then, as a teenager in the 1870s, he read about a camera with a microscope. His family scraped together the money to buy him
the camera. From then on, there was no stopping Bentley, who was nicknamed Snowflake. He spent winters photographing snowflakes. At first, no one cared (“Snow in Vermont is as common as dirt”); but Bentley found fame as a nature photographer, and
even today his photo book of snowflakes is considered a primary source.

 
 
By Kate Messner
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Teachers’ Pick!
Gliding through the woodland on skis, a girl and her father watch for signs of animals. A squirrel’s tail
flashes red as he disappears down a crack in the snow. A fox steps into view. Guided by her father, the child becomes increasingly aware of “the secret kingdom beneath the snow,” where voles pass through tunnels, bullfrogs sleep in mud, and a queen bee
hibernates in the ground.
 
 
By Vin Vogel
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
“The thing about yetis is that yetis love winter.” And they make it seem hard not to: adorable, fluffy yetis seem to be having an absolutely terrific time. They slide down hills, drink hot chocolate, build snow
castles (and play Godzilla), and make themselves into snowmen. But not even a yeti loves winter all the time. The hot chocolate runs out, and the snow makes their fur dry all poofy. Sometimes summer seems just a little more fun.

 
 
By: Helen Lester
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Ah, the thrill of victory; the agony of defeat. Do the Nice Icy Land penguin athletes stand a chance of winning a medal at the Winter Games? Opting for
doughnuts, pizza, and late-night TV binges rather than a strict diet and early bedtime, Tacky is nowhere near peak physical condition. But Tacky is part of the team, and the team is “ready for the long waddle to the Winter Games.” Tacky and his penguin companions exercise the spirit of friendship and acceptance. Though “Tacky marches to a different drummer,” he’s included rather than ridiculed.
 
Did You Know You Can Support Us by Shopping Online?

 
 
 
Reading Allowed participates in the United Way’s Donor Choice Program. Our Donor Code is 55108
 
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