Ashley Wolff Mural Event. March 9th – 12th, 2020.
Thank you so much for offering the virtual author visit opportunity to my Kindergarten and 3rd-grade book buddies. They really enjoyed seeing Ashley’s painting come together… I’m excited to share this final product with my students and colleagues and hopefully will come to see the painting in person soon.– Miranda Clark, Episcopal School of Knoxville
I loved bringing my young daughter to watch Ashley Wolff paint the mural in the Center. More importantly than seeing her reaction to the painting was seeing her reaction to the shelves loaded with beautiful books, which she wanted to touch and look at. I’m so thrilled to have a space in our education buildings that invites young readers in with a warm image that celebrates wonderful people and places of our state, AND provides a print-rich environment in which they can immerse themselves. As an instructor for preservice K-5 literacy teachers, I can also attest to undergraduates’ reactions to the Center–they look like kids in a candy store when their eyes land on books that speak to them and their visions for their teaching. The Center is a resource they’re eager to use. — Amanda Rigell, Graduate Teaching Assistant
Bringing my two boys to the CCYAL was exciting for me and for them! The opportunity to talk to a real author and illustrator IN PERSON was incredible. The boys were blown away by the books in the center. We have tons of books in our home, but to see the collection in a space that isn’t our own or the public library was amazing. They were really happy to see some of their favorite books displayed; books they had never seen before; images from our city and our state. As an avid reader and literacy professor, it was incredible to see my little literacy learners engage with books (almost) separate from my influence. — Nora Vines, Clinical Assistant Professor, Elementary Education
Professional Development Sessions 2020
Thank you so much for hosting us and for talking books with us! We enjoyed it and hated we didn’t have more time today! We appreciate all you shared, and we are excited to look at these and add to our curriculum. We hope to have many more conversations with you all and are excited about a continued partnership!– Rebecca Watson, Maryville Schools
Thank you for the wonderful books and teaching ideas you shared with us last Thursday. Dr. Groenke, it was terrific to be introduced to so many new books. I couldn’t make notes fast enough on which books I wanted to immediately acquire and some of the different ways they could be used. Dr. Wooten, your examples provided some very concrete ideas about how texts might actually be assembled into a set and the ways students might be challenged to use the information they contain in a meaningful and standards-based way. I was impressed by how many reading, speaking, listening, and writing standards might be taught while working with social studies content. Several emailed me afterward expressing how much they enjoyed your timeline activity and they were definitely thinking about the different ways they might implement something similar in their classroom.– Lynn Tschaplinski, Oak Ridge Schools