Lead with Literacy: A PIRATE Leader's Guide to Developing a Culture of Readers

by Mandy Ellis

Readers are leaders. Leaders are readers. Literacy impacts every aspect of life—from schoolwork and test scores to the way we relate to others and to the career paths we and our students pursue. But learning to read—and teaching students to read—isn’t always easy, which is why the most important tenet of developing a culture of reading in your school is to foster a love of reading. In Lead with Literacy, educator and elementary school principal Mandy Ellis offers practical, immediately actionable, fun ideas and strategies that will deeply embed books, reading, and literacy into your school culture. You’ll learn . . . Who should decide which books students should be reading What it takes to create a culture of reading Where books can and should be found in your school Why books need to come with a “no strings attached” policy How to lead the way by sharing what you are reading now Rather than focusing exclusively on Lexile scores and reading levels, Ellis encourages leaders to integrate literacy everywhere. The ultimate goal is to make reading a joy for every member of the school community—starting with the lead reader. Lead with literacy.

166 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2018

Reviews

[Nicole Lobello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first (but won’t be my last––Learn Like a Pirate is next on my list) book that is a spin-off from Dave Burgess’ wildly popular 2012 book, Teach Like a Pirate [be sure to check out #TLAP on Twitter]. The author of Lead With Literacy, Mandy Ellis, has been the principal of Dunlap Grade School (Dunlap, Illinois) since 2012, and brings a proverbially wagon (or perhaps Mandy would prefer to say a bathtub...haha!) filled with her own real-world literacy experiences. Additionally, Ellis infuses her professional development book with easy to follow and deeply inspiring practical strategies and events to improve (or create!) the reading culture of one’s own school. The first section of her book focuses on showing precisely how (and why) ALL teachers and staff need to become “lead readers,” including most importantly reading by example. All children––but particularly older ones–– smell hypocrisy like a shark smells blood in the water. We, as teachers, will never succeed in convincing students that they should read if we do not read, and Ellis details clever, creative ways for faculty, staff, and administration to make their own reading a visible celebration to inspire students to want to read, too. Next, the second section hones in on myriad ways to build a learning environment that actually encourages and facilitates meaningful reading for our students; Ellis’ big takeaway here is free choice and independent reading time for students. Hooray! And her third section hammers home the message of “Read. Connect. Repeat,” through which parents and students’ home lives are enriched with literacy and the school culture of reading is truly solidified for generations to come! One of my favorite tips from Ellis is a fun “Flat Stanley” type summer program, in which the school mascot (in a downloadable or printed format) may be taken during the summer by students to literacy-based areas (libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, Little Free Libraries, etc.), and the students snap pics and are able to post on school social media to celebrate summer reading. This book is overflowing with inexpensive, impactful literacy ideas that have the power to change school communities and the lives of both adults and children. Ellis’ Lead With Literacy was an enjoyable and informative book that has filled my head with ideas for next school year and beyond to help empower our students as happy readers and future leaders!

[Rachel E Glass-Montany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit repetitive but it had some great ideas. Overall, I enjoyed it!

[Debra Wake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lead with Literacy

I loved this book! We can teach children to read, but we have not gained anything unless we can teach them to want to read. In this book Mandy Ellis teaches us how to build a Reading culture in our schools which inspires students to want to read. Ellis gives us practical tips that we can immediately put into practice in our school. This pirate book was “arrrrrr-mazing”!

[Jessica Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lead with Literacy is a must read.

Looking for practical ways to transform the literacy climate of your school? Mandy shares a gold mine of wealth with us on how to do just that. Mandy’s encouragement will empower leaders with the tools needed to reach every reader.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book filled with excellent ideas that anyone could put in to place to encourage reading in schools, might have a more primary school feel to it, however, I was able to highlight a number of easy projects I can put in place in a high school setting - my little street library is coming to life.

[Wanda Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

Great ideas to get your juices flowing on how to bring the love of reading to your campus. Ideas are easy and simple to implement.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read that offered easy-to-implement strategies and activities to create an engaging and literate school culture!