Request for cover art for Voices from the Middle.What you get: Cover of a national magazine (10,000+ subscription circulation worldwide),
Voices from the Middle. A peer reviewed journal that focuses on Middle School Literacy. Paid $250 and a free copy of the magazine.
Requirements: ORIGINAL artwork, no photography accepted. Please submit a high-res image(300dpi or more .jpeg or .png) to
voices@utsa.edu. Please include which issue you are submitting for, the themes are listed below.
Prefer: Colorful, interesting composition, linked to the theme of the issue, and if people are present please represent multicultural backgrounds. Can be a painting, drawing, or digital, any medium except photography.
Any questions, please contact the editorial assistant at:
voices@utsa.eduTHEMES and deadlines (submitting earlier is always good idea)
On a Quest for New Discoveries: Effective Professional DevelopmentDeadline for Submission: October 1, 2008
16(4) May 2009. Trips change us. Sometimes we come back from a journey with new insights and a renewed sense of purpose. Professional development, when effective, also leads us to new discoveries and change. Effective professional development in literacy demands action—action taken by the middle school professional related to the teaching of young adolescents. Teachers must take new understandings from professional development experiences and use that information to make a difference in the lives of their students. What professional development have you experienced that led to new discoveries about young adolescents, parents, literacy, curriculum, assessment, and so on? What made them effective? How have these experiences impacted your teaching?
The Toll We Pay: Critical LiteracyDeadline for Submission: December 1, 2008
17(2) December 2009. On their journey toward adulthood young adolescents, who are naturally inquisitive, have many questions about themselves and their lives. Critical literacy can help them analyze their world and understand how texts contribute to maintaining the status quo and/or how texts do or do not contribute to making the world a more just and equitable place to live (Henkin, 2005, p. viii). From a critical literacy perspective, young adolescents can read and write about social justice issues, such as bullying. Bullying peaks at the middle level and all students are affected by this, including the victims, the bystanders, and the bullies. Other issues that young adolescents need to view critically can include video games, movies, newspapers, TV programs, and other aspects of pop culture.
Critical literacy is important because texts can influence readers in multiple ways, and we need to understand how authors and producers are trying to do this. Critical literacy can help young adolescents deconstruct texts by asking questions such as: What is the author trying to do? What does the author want me to think? Is this text true for all people (ethnicity, gender, religion, SES, culture, sexual orientation, nationality, language)? Who is included in the text? Who is left out of the text? In what ways have your students used critical literacy to become better and more critical readers and consumers of texts (books, pictures, media, oral discourse, etc.) to make their life’s journey more just and equitable?
Young Adult LiteratureDeadline for Submission: May 1, 2009
17(4) May 2010. The field of young adult literature has thrived in the past years resulting in a plethora of wonderful books for young adolescents. We now have a robust collection of books that traverse all genres, including realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. Even graphic novels have recently sparked the reading interests of young adolescents. Our students can find themselves in these books as well as come to understand other perspectives about issues that are common to all. What role does young adult literature play in your classroom? How do you motivate resistant readers to engage in reading? What have you noticed about how your students respond to particular young adult books? What are the favorite books?
International Literacy Deadline for Submission: September 1, 2009
18(1) Septeber 2010. The world is shrinking as globalization brings us closer to people around the world. We want to widen the focus of this call to include the following: What kinds of literacy projects are happening in countries around the world? What aspects of literacy are currently drawing attention in your country? What can we learn from your best literacy practices? How do literacy practices compare across different countries?
We also invite articles from American teachers and researchers that address the following questions: What literacy projects have you and your students engaged in that involve other countries? How has current technology opened the door to international literacy practices? What projects have your students been involved in that support the literacy development of students in underdeveloped countries? Are you involved in other international literacy practices, projects, initiatives, and issues that would be of interest to VM readers?
Talking About TalkDeadline for Submission: December 1, 2009
18(2) December 2010. As educators of young adolescents, we understand the importance of the social nature of literacy and the role of talk in the classroom. In recent years our understanding of talk has deepened and we have worked consciously to provide our students opportunities to share their ideas with others. As students explore new ideas, participation in discussion enriches, deepens, and expands their understandings. What do students talk about in your classroom? What does talk look like and sound like? How does observing and reflecting on this talk inform your teaching? How do you facilitate rich and meaningful talk? How do you invite all students into the conversation? How does talk inform student learning in the classroom?
Honoring Student Voices Deadline for Submission: March 1, 2010
18(3) March 2011. In the most authentic and engaging classrooms, students feel a sense of ownership and responsibility toward the learning community to which they belong. In this issue, we are honoring the voices of young adolescents by inviting them to submit their stories about authentic and engaging literacy experiences. What makes literacy meaningful and relevant to you? What positive middle level literacy classroom experiences have you had that you want to share with others? What advice do you have for teachers in the future to make literacy learning more valuable? Please talk to your students about these questions and help them brainstorm additional topics.
Sta.sh
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How do I submit an entry?
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