Responsive Classroom Wins Two Independent Publisher Book Awards

TURNERS FALLS — Two new books from Northeast Foundation for Children Inc. (NEFC), developer of Responsive Classroom, a research-based approach to integrating high-level academics with social-emotional learning, have been awarded gold and silver medals in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (also known as the IPPY awards). The Language of Learning: Teaching Students Core Thinking, Listening & Speaking Skills took the gold medal for first place in the Education I (Workbook/Resource) category, while Doing Science in Morning Meeting: 150 Quick Activities That Connect to Your Curriculum took silver in the same category. Conducted annually, the Independent Publisher Book Awards honor the year’s best independently published titles from around the world. The IPPY awards program is open to all members of the independent publishing industry and to authors and publishers worldwide who produce books written in English and intended for the North American market. Roughly 2,000 publishers participate annually, and this year there were almost 6,000 individual book entries. Mary Beth Forton, Responsive Classroom’s director of Publications and Communications, and Associate Director Alice Yang accepted the medals at the awards ceremony in New York City on May 28. “All of us at Responsive Classroom are thrilled to receive not only one but two IPPY awards in a single year,” said Forton. “Recognition of the high quality of our resources benefits children by spreading the word about the Responsive Classroom approach and getting practical resources into the hands of even more educators.” Each of the award-winning titles, Forton went on, offers teachers valuable strategies for achieving key learning goals. “The Language of Learning is especially relevant today. Strong communication skills are so key to school success in the 21st century and age of the Common Core. This book shows how to weave the teaching of these skills into lessons throughout the day. And Doing Science in Morning Meeting helps teachers get students excited about science. Starting the day with lively and engaging group activities focused on science not only primes students for science learning later in the day, but fosters a lifelong sense of wonder and inquisitiveness about the world.”