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Welcome to the January 2025 issue of the MRA Café, a monthly publication that connects our members, inspires joyful collegiality, shares insights into literacy education, and celebrates success stories.
Resolve to Read
New Year’s Resolution: Resolve to Read and Write
As educators, we know the transformative power of literacy, but how often do we nurture our own reading and writing practices? When we find joy in these daily practices, we not only enrich our own lives but become better at teaching literacy. Here are six actionable tips to help you resolve to make reading and writing part of your routine—and discover the unexpected joy they bring.
Prepare for a year of adventure, joy, and creativity. Many create New Year resolutions that after a few days become a chore or burdensome. Therefore, as we embark on this year of reading and writing, let’s consider reading as a gateway to adventure and connection, and writing as a space for creativity and self-expression. Begin with a fresh start with a new journal, fun pens, or books that excite you. Commit to exploring genres, materials, and prompts that genuinely inspire you.
Create a Literacy-Friendly Environment. First, set up a cozy nook with proper lighting and a stack of inviting books, or create a tidy, distraction-free writing corner. Then, strategically place inspirational books, e-readers, notebooks, and index cards everywhere you might have a moment to listen, read, or jot down ideas.
Carve Out Time for Literacy Practices. Schedule reading and writing as daily priorities. Dedicate time for a nightly read or journaling with your morning coffee. Experiment with manageable goals like reading 20 pages or writing 500 words a day. Try the Pomodoro technique, Insight Timer, or Freedom Applications to support uninterrupted literacy time.
Track and Share Your Progress. Use tools like Goodreads, storygraph, trackbear, Pacemaker, or planners to document your journey. Remember to celebrate milestones— when finishing a book, filling a journal, or hitting a writing goal. Join book clubs or writing groups for inspiration, sharing, motivation, and fun.
You are worth it. Above all, decide that reading and writing are worth your time. When you prioritize these practices, opportunities to grow as a reader, writer, and teacher will naturally unfold. By finding joy in literacy, you’re not only enriching your own life but also modeling the importance of these skills to your students.
Bring this joy to your classroom! Find a month of January read-aloud suggestions and encourage students to set their own resolve-to-read goals with this 4 week's Read Bowl challenge.
Let 2025 be the year you fully embrace the transformative power of literacy!
And why not start your resolution by reading the wonderful articles in The MRA Beacon: Journal of Literacy, Learning, and Research and writing for MRA Today! See publications below for details.
Publications
Look for The Power of Words: Shining Light on Language Research and Teaching
to be released this month!
Join the conversation! MRA Today’s call for short practitioner submissions can be found here- write for us!
Upcoming Events and Programming
Below are events happening this month from our councils and committees. Upcoming events may be found on our MRA 2024 - 2025 calendar
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It is that time of the year when we set goals and create action plans for our vibrant MRA community. Please reach out to Pattie Kelley if you are interested or have ideas.
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All MRA local councils are invited to a virtual logistics session where we will walk you through the financial and legal documentation needed to keep your council active. Zoom link
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Growing Community and Family Collaborations All Year Long with Nawal Qarooni
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An Afternoon and Book Signing with Author Sy Montgomery and Illustrator Matt Patterson┃Moakley Auditorium, Bridgewater State University at 1:00 PM
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Author and Poet, Victoria Gill ,will be speaking on the SUPER POWER of being multilingual and how languages can connect us to our land and our people. Victoria will show us how a multilingual and multiethnic children’s picture book can be used in classrooms to foster critical and equity-centered teaching and pedagogy. Please register on SERRC website: http://www.serrcreading.org/events.html
MRA Community Spotlight
Announcing the MRA 2025 Children’s Literature Award Recipient: Jan Brett!
Congratulations Jan Brett, an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator! We are looking forward to presenting Jan this special award at the 54th Annual Conference on March 27th. Take a peek at Jan’s Art Studio here!
2025 MRA Conference Updates
The 54th Annual Massachusetts Reading Association Conference, Literacy & Language: Words Empower, Inspire, and Transform will be held March 27-28, 2025, with a Pre-Conference on the 26th, at the Boston Marriott Newton Hotel in Newton, MA.
Registration opens on January 13, 2025!
Michelle Kelley
Wednesday Pre-Conference
Digging into the Clinical Literacy Coaching Framework:
A Coach's Playbook
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Paul Thomas
Thursday Opening Keynote
If We Are Scripted, Are We Literate? Seeking Teacher Agency in the
“Science of” Era
Nawal Qarooni
Friday Closing Keynote
Building Nourishing Caregiver Collaborations
Literacy Inspirations
“Let us remember: one book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”
Join the Kindness and Justice Challenge!
Coming back to school after the holidays is usually a challenge. Students need time to get back in the rhythm and remember the rules. Begin the New Year by engaging in the kindness and justice challenge. Throughout January catch your students being kind and just as you develop a community of caring.
First, use the beginning of the new year to introduce a new goal for the classroom to become a “beloved community” described by John Lewis as “an all-inclusive” learning environment based on “simple justice, which respects the dignity and worth of every human being”.
Check out these ideas from Edutopia to begin to teach kindness and justice.
Find out what your students already understand and brainstorm ways of being kind and just. This Greater Good study found that fourth and fifth-grade students identify kindness as more than being nice, they overwhelmingly expressed acts of generosity, compassion, and inclusion.
Make acts of kindness and justice visible by catching students doing kind and just actions, using the language of kindness or justice, and visually documenting these actions. I have seen teachers use paper chains where students write an act they witnessed and add it to a chain, post-it notes collected on the January calendar, and buckets that are filled with drops of kind and just acts.
Teach the legacy of Martin Luther King Junior using Facing History resources. Watch Rihanna encourage kindness and justice during the National Day of Service.
January 29th is the beginning of the Chinese New Year’s celebration. The Year of the Wood Snake encourages students to reflect, thoughtfully plan, and nurture relationships.
Culminate the month during the last week of January 27 – 31, 2025 with The Great Kindness Challenge!
Thank you for your dedication to literacy. Together, we can ensure every student becomes a confident and capable reader, writer, and learner.
MRA information
The Massachusetts Reading Association is a professional non-profit organization of individuals whose primary purpose is to improve the quality and level of literacy in the state of Massachusetts. The MRA is affiliated with the International Literacy Association (ILA), a worldwide literacy organization. Our Mission The mission of the Massachusetts Reading Association is to promote literacy for all learners through professional development, research, publications, and advocacy.