Personal Website on Writing for Children
BEVERLEY A. BRENNA PhD
Education
PhD, 2010, University of Alberta, Elementary Education, Language and Literacy |
| Dissertation |
Characters with Disabilities in Contemporary Children’s Novels: Portraits of Three Authors in a Frame of Canadian Texts (shortlisted in the “Top Three” category for the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies (CACS) Dissertation Award) |
B.A. (with Great Distinction), 2001, University of Saskatchewan, English
Special Education Teacher Certification, 2000, University of Saskatchewan
M.Ed., 1991, University of Saskatchewan, Curriculum Studies, Literacy Education
Thesis: The Metacognitive Reading Strategies of Five Early Readers.
B.Ed. (with Distinction), 1984, University of Saskatchewan, Language Arts and Drama |
Teaching Areas
English Language Arts
Teaching Experience
Assistant Professor, U of S:
ECUR 273.3: Oracy and Literature in the Elementary School
ECUR 370.3: Introduction to Elementary Literacy Education
ECUR 378.3: Creative Activities in Elementary and Middle Years Language Arts
ECUR 879.3: Canadian Children’s Literature: A Socio-Political Review
ECUR 877.3: Early Literacy Development
ECUR 805.3: Trends and Issues in Research and instruction: Drama in Education
ECUR 898.3: Reluctant and Struggling Readers
EADM 898.3: Early Learning in Vietnam and North America (co-taught with Dr. Michelle Prytulla)
Consulting, Saskatoon Public Schools: Educational Consultant, Exceptional Learning Needs
Consulting, Saskatchewan Valley School Division: Co-ordinator of Extended Learning and
Catalyst Teacher, K – 12
Special Education Teacher, Saskatoon Public Schools, K – 8
Classroom Teacher, Saskatoon Public Schools
Classroom Teacher, Saskatchewan Valley School Division
Classroom Teacher, Outlook School Division
Classroom Teacher, Borderland School Division
Research Interests
Literacy Education with a focus on the Reading and Writing processes
Children’s Literature
Special Education
Process Drama
Honours
Academic
Article One Literate Life winner of the inaugural Dale D. Johnson Outstanding Article Award,
International Reading Association, April, 2013
Dr. Marie Meyer Memorial Research Grant,
University of Alberta, 2009-2010
University of Alberta PhD Scholarship, 2010 (Honourary)
University of Alberta PhD Scholarship, 2008 -2009
University of Alberta Provost Doctoral Entrance Award (Honourary), 2008
Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, Dr. Stirling McDowell Research Award, 2002
Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation Research Award, 1991
Literary
2013 Michael L. Printz Children’s Literature Honor Book Award for The White Bicycle (young adult novel). This is one of four honor books named this year by the American Library Association (ALA): Young Adults’ Library Services (YALSA) and is an award recognizing “the best writing in young adult literature.” Other authors on previous honor lists include Canadians Kenneth Oppel (for Airborn) and Allan Stratton (for Chanda’s Secrets) along with Australian author Markus Zusak (for The Book Thief), New Zealand author Elizabeth Knox (for Dreamquake) and American authors M.T. Anderson (for The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing) and Jack Gantos (for Hole in My Life).
The International 2012 Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award for Waiting for No One
Waiting for No One shortlisted by the Canadian Library Association for the Young Adult Book Award, 2011
Something to Hang On To, The Moon Children and Wild Orchid are starred selections from the Canadian Children’s Book
Centre; titles listed on the
New York Public Library’s 2007 Recommended Books for the
Teen Age and shortlisted for: Canadian Library Association’s Young Adult Book
Award, the Manitoba Readers’ Choice Award, the Saskatchewan Book Award, the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award, and the Saskatchewan Willow Award
Grants
Principal Investigator
Frances Russell Research Grant (2013; $1000), International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)/Canada (March 22, 2013)
President’s SSHRC Grant (2012; $7000) for Faces of FASD: Stories of Life with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorder (Nov 2, 2012-April 30, 2014)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant (2012-2014; $54 000) for Portrayals of Characters with Disabilities in Contemporary North American Children's Books
College of Education Program Implementation Research Grant (2012-2014, $1250) for A Content Analysis of Perceived Literacy Outcomes : Program 2012
University of Saskatchewan Publication Fund Grant (2012; $800) for The White Bicycle
University of Saskatchewan President's SSHRC (2011; $7000) for Teacher Preparation for Teaching Reading: A Qualitative Case Study
University of Saskatchewan Bridge Funding (2011; $5000) for Able Texts: North American
Children’s Novels About Characters with Disabilities
John Ranton McIntosh Research Grant Renewal (2011; $5000) for Going Graphic: A Study of
Graphic Novels in Elementary Classrooms
University Publications Fund Award: Publishing Subvention (2011; $800) for the young adult historical fiction manuscript Falling for Henry
President’s SSHRC Grant (2010; $5000) for American Children’s Novels About Characters
with Disabilities in a
Frame of Contemporary Canadian Texts
John Ranton McIntosh Research Grant (2010; $5000) for Going
Graphic: A Study of Graphic
Novels in Elementary Classrooms
Collaborator
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation Grant (SHRF) ($60 000) for Screening for FASD and Literacy in Justice, Health and Educational Contexts in Saskatchewan, 2 year period
Canada Council Grants for Professional Writers: Creative Writing
2013: Canada Council Travel Grant ($1000), April
2011: Canada Council Grant ($15 000) for new young adult manuscript Jean-Paul Sartre and
Me
2007: Canada Council Grant ($10 000) for adult novella Foil Butterflies
2006: Canada Council Grant ($15 000) for new young adult manuscript Falling for Henry
Saskatchewan Arts Board Independent Artists Program: Literary Arts Grants
2013: Saskatchewan Arts Board Travel Grant ($750), February
2012: Saskatchewan Arts Board Travel Grant ($750) for attendance at the Dolly Gray Awards Ceremony, Miami, Florida
2006: Saskatchewan Arts Board Grant ($6000) for junior fiction manuscript The Moon
Children
2005: Saskatchewan Arts Board Grant ($6000) for young adult manuscript Wild Orchid
Fiction Books
Brenna, B. (in press). The Bug House Family Restaurant. Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books.
Brenna, B. (2012). The White Bicycle. Markham, ON: Red Deer Press/Fitzhenry & Whiteside.
Brenna, B. (2011). Falling for Henry. Markham, ON: Red Deer Press/Fitzhenry &
Whiteside.
Brenna, B. (2010). Waiting for no one. Markham, ON: Red Deer Press/Fitzhenry&Whiteside.
Brenna, B. (2009). Something to hang on to. Saskatoon, SK: Thistledown Press.
Brenna, B. (2007). The moon children. Calgary, AB: Red Deer Press.
Brenna, B. (2005). Wild orchid. Calgary, AB: Red Deer Press.
Brenna, B. (1999). The keeper of the trees. Vancouver, BC: Ronsdale Press..
Brenna, B. (1998). Spider summer. Scarborough, ON: ITP Nelson.
Brenna, B. (1997). Daddy longlegs at Birch Lane. Norwalk, CT: Smithsonian Inst./Soundprints.
Representative Reviews:
Featured Author: CANSCAIP NEWS (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers), 33 (1), pp 1 – 6, Spring, 2011
Review of Waiting for No One (YA novel), CM Magazine (U Manitoba), 4/4 Stars, February, 2011
CM Magazine, Vol XVI, Number 4, 2009
Cm Magazine, Volume XIII, Number 9, 2006
Cm Magazine, Volume XII, Number 10, 2006
Book Chapters
Bainbridge, J., & Brenna, B. (2012, in press). Agency, Picturebooks and Pedagogy: From Possibilities to Practice . In J. Bainbridge & I. Johnston (Eds.), Reading Diversity through Canadian Picture Books: Preservice Teachers Explore Issues of Identity, Ideology and Pedagogy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Brenna, B. (1995). The Development of Metacognitive Strategies in Early Readers. In L.
Wason Ellam, A. Blunt, & S. Robinson (Eds.), Horizons of Literacy (pp. 71 – 78).
Winnipeg: Canadian Council of Teachers of English Language Arts.
Refereed Publications
Brenna, B., & Chen, S. E. (2013). Teacher Recommendations for Reading-Education Components of
B.Ed. Programs. Journal of Reading Education, 38 (2), 10 - 17.
Brenna, B. (2012). One Literate Life: A Case Study of a Ninety-Four-Year-Old Reader. The Reading Professor, 34 (1), 33 - 37.
Brenna, B. (2012). Graphic novels in action: A classroom study of reader response. English Quarterly, 43 (1-2), 73 - 87.
Brenna, B. (2011). How Graphic Novels Support Comprehension Strategy Development in Children's
Reading. Literacy (online version, December 2011; print version, 2014).
Barker, C., Kulyk, J.., Knorr, L., & Brenna, B. (2011). Open inclusion or shameful secret: A comparison of characters with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and characters with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in a North American sample of books for children and young adults. International Journal of Special Education, 26 (3), 171-180.
Brenna, B. (2011). An Early Reader Two Decades Later: A Follow-Up Case Study on the Metacognitive Reading Strategies of “Jan”. Literacy, 45 (2), 55 – 61.
Brenna, B. (2011). Characters with disabilities in contemporary novels for children: A portrait of three authors in a framework of Canadian texts. Language and Literacy, 13 (1). 13 pp.
Brenna, B. (2011). A Wider Notion of the Value of Repeated Readings: Rereading Robert Massie’s Nicholas and Alexandra—A Self-Study. The Reading Professor, 32 (2), 9 – 13.
Brenna, B. (2010). Assisting Young Readers in the Interpretation of a Character with Disabilities in Iain Lawrence’s Juvenile Fiction Novel Gemini Summer. English Quarterly, 41 (1-2), 54 – 61.
Brenna, B. (2010). Creating Characters with Diversity in Mind: Two Canadian Authors Discuss Social
Constructs of Disability in Literature for Children. Language & Literacy, 11 (1).
Brenna, B. (2008). Breaking Stereotypes with Children’s Fiction: Seeking Protagonists with
Special Needs. International Journal of Special Education, 23 (1), 100 – 103.
Brenna, B. (2008). Stories in the Wind. Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering,
10 (2).
Brenna, B. (1995). Five Early Readers Solving Problems: A Case Study. Reading, 29 (2), 30 –
33.
Brenna, B. (1995). The Metacognitive Reading Strategies of Five Early Readers. Journal of
Research in Reading, 18 (1), 53 – 62.
Non-refereed Publications
Brenna, B. (1995 –present). Monthly Children’s Book Reviews, The Saskatoon Star Phoenix.
Brenna, B. (2013). Able texts: Breaking stereotypes with/in children’s novels. Invited author column for
The ALAN Review (National Council of Teachers of English: Assembly on Literature for
Adolescents), 40 (2), 85 – 88.
Brenna, B. (2011). Introducing…Rachna Gilmore: Interview of a Canadian Author. CANSCAIP News, 33 (3), 1 – 6.
Brenna, B. 2010. Review of Mark Thurman & Emily Hearn’s Get Graphic: Using Storyboards to Write and Draw Picture Books, Graphic Novels, or Comic Strips. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke. 94 pages. Canadian Journal of Education (CJE/RJE), 33 (3), 649 – 651.
Brenna, B. (2009). An Author’s Thoughts on Presenting Characters with Special Needs. Canadian Children’s Book News, 32 (3), 10 – 11.
Brenna, B. (2006). Breaking Stereotypes with Children’s Fiction. Abilities Magazine, 66, 47 –
48.
Brenna, B. (1990). Notes from Home: Nursery Rhymes. Family Connection, 1 (2), 21.
Brenna, B. (1990). Toddlers: Beginning the Reading Habit. Family Connection, 1(1), 19.
Teachers’ Guides (available through the Stewart Resources Centre, SK Teachers’ Federation or from www.beverleybrenna.com)
Conferences (Representative)
Brenna, B. (2013). Reading at the Young Authors’ Conference, Haines Junction, Yukon, April 26.
Brenna, B. (2013). Workshop for English Teachers, Young Authors’ Conference, Whitehorse, April 26.
Brenna, B. (2013). Secondary Students’ Workshop and Readings sessions at the Young Authors’
Conference, Whitehorse, April 24 and 25.
Brenna, B. (2013). Reading and Reception at the Yukon Writers’ Festival, Whitehorse, April 23.
Brenna, B. (2013). Artful portrayals: Using fiction to create awareness, understanding, and support regarding people with autism and developmental disabilities. 14th International Conference on Autism, Intellectual Disability & Other Developmental Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children: Division on Autism & Developmental Disabilities. Kona, Hawaii: January.
Brenna, B. (2012). A Pedagogy of Inclusion: Writing the Word and the World. Innovations in Qualitative Research. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK: June.
Brenna, B. (2012). Graphic Novels in Action: A Classroom Case Study of Upper Elementary Students' Reading Comprehension Strategies. Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE), Waterloo, ON: May
Brenna, B. (2012). Storytelling as a Landscape for Story Writing. Published proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities, Honolulu, January.
Brenna, B. (2011). The Portrayal of Characters with Disabilities in Contemporary Canadian and American Novels for Children. Children’s Literature Association Conference, Roanoke, Virginia: June.
Brenna, B. (2011). Beyond Words: A Qualitative Case Study of Children's Compreh: tion (CSSE), Fredericton, New Brunswick: May.
Brenna, B. (2011). The Portrayal of Characters with Disabilities in Contemporary Canadian and American Novels for Children. Children’s Literature Association Conference, Roanoke, Virginia: June.
Brenna, B. (2011). Beyond Words: A Qualitative Case Study of Children's Comprehension Strategies Related to Graphic Novels. Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE), Fredericton, New Brunswick: May.
Brenna, B. ( 2010). The Portrayal of Characters with Disabilities in Contemporary
Canadian Novels for Children. Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE),
Montreal, Quebec: June.
Brenna, B. (2009). Representation of Characters with Disabilities in Novels for Children and
Adults. Canadian Centre for Research on Literacy, Edmonton, Alberta: January.
Brenna, B. (2008). Portrayals in Literature of Characters with Special Needs. International
Conference on Education, Honolulu: January.
University Committees
Teaching, Learning and Academic Resources Committee July 1, 2013- June 30, 2016 Appointed Member
University: Council July 1, 2013-2014 Elected Member at Large
University of Saskatchewan College of Reviewers for SSHRC Applications: 2012 – present Invited Member
Teaching and Learning Committee, University Council: 2012 – 2013 Appointed Member
Working Group: Exploring Disability Culture; proposal supported by funding from the Interdiscplinary Centre for Culture and Creativity (College of Arts & Science)
Professional Service
Invited Member of an Editorial Board
Invited General Managing Editor of online open access journal Education Matters, U of S, 2012- 2015.
Editorial Advisory Board of The Reading Professor (a refereed journal of the Professors of Reading Teacher
Educators, International Reading Association, Special Interest Group), Term 2011-2015.
Other Representative Examples of Professional Practice
Literacy for Life Children's Conference Planning Committee: College of Education Liaison Member, 2011-current.
Storytelling and Author Reading, Vincent Massey School, May 12, 2011: 200 students grades
K – 8.
Brenna, B. (2010). Something to Hang On To: Literature to Reflect Diversity for Classroom Reading,
Saskatchewan Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, November
17, 2010.
Storytelling and Author Reading, James L. Alexander School, April 26, 2010: 100 students
grades 3 – 5 (60 min)
Storytelling and Author Reading, James L. Alexander School, April 26, 2010: 100 students
grade 6 (45 min)
Storytelling and Author Reading, Brunskill School, February 23, 2010: 100 students grades 1 – 3
(45 min)
Storytelling and Author Reading, Brunskill School, February 23, 2010: 100 students grades 4 – 6
(45 min)
Brenna, B. (2009). Eight passages developed for grade four assessment (poetry, narrative,
expository), English Language Arts Curriculum, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education.
Brenna, B. (1991). Reading Theory . Seminal research conducted for SK Ministry of Education.
Brenna, B. (1991). Reader Response. Seminal research conducted for SK Ministry of Education.
Teachers' Guides
Falling for Henry by Beverley Brenna (teachers' study guide and writing activities for my young adult novel),
2012; Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
Waiting for No One by Beverley Brenna (teachers' study guide and writing activities for my young adult
novel), 2012; Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna (teachers' study guide and writing activities for my young adult
novel), 2012; Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires (teachers' study guide and writing activities for a graphic novel by
a Saskatoon author), 2012; Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
Something to Hang on To by Beverley Brenna (teachers' study guide and writing activities for my young adult
collection of short stories), 2010; Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
For further information, please see www.beverleybrenna.com |
