The Lazy Readers’ Book Club, your reading time manager, is where you go when you want to read quality books that dont take years to finish. My mission is to increase interest in reading by
providing cool, short book recommendations for all ages. From interest comes devotion. As teachers, parents or whatever state we find ourselves in, we often cannot find time to read for fun, and I think it is important that our children see us reading for pleasure.
Therefore, each month I provide book recommendations that are quick and easy to read for personal pleasure. I try not to include any books over 250 pages, and I always include books written for a variety of ages (dont be shy about reading kids books, though; they are my favorites because they generally have shorter chapters, bigger print and colorful pictures).
Books and other items purchased from Amazon.com through links from the lazyreaders.com website directly benefit BookEnds (www.bookends.org), a nonprofit organization devoted to
increasing childrens access to books and community service awareness. All you have to do is visit my website, click on Amazon, and Amazon will donate up to 10 percent of your total purchase to BookEnds. Visitors to the site who have used this feature have already raised a lot of money for this wonderful cause.
Mission:
I teach at CSUDH because I believe in our mission as a “communiversity.” We are here to serve teachers so that they may serve their students in surrounding districts. CSUDH is like Baskin Robbins, as there is a ton of diversity represented and something for everyone. My goal is that the teachers that I train will become dedicated in their efforts to make reading fun. Twenty years from now, my hope is that the people I teach now will be incredible parents, teachers, administrators and leaders, and I want them to look back at their experience in my classroom with affection and appreciation.
Passion:
I am passionate about reading. I want to ensure that all students and teachers have the opportunity to make reading a lifelong obsession. To that end I create increased book access to those in need of books through my efforts with BookEnds (www.bookends.org), train literacy volunteers through The Wonder of Reading (www.wonderofreading,org) and assist after-school programs with their reading projects through City Scholars (www.cityscholars.org).
Interests:
reading motivation, vocabulary development, emergent literacy, first and second language acquisition, “at-risk” students
the impact of increased reading materials on students’ reading attitudes and aptitudes
Publications \
Presentations
Publications as of October 2006:
1. Brassell, D. (in press). The daily dose: Creating language arts lessons with newspapers. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs.
2. Brassell, D. (in press). If not here, where? The importance of classroom libraries for low-SES kindergartners. In Diaz Soto, L. (Ed.), Hispanic Education in the United States. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
3. Brassell, D. (in press). Inspiring young scientists with great books. The Reading Teacher.
4. Brassell, D. (2006). The lazy readers club: How to keep up with your recreational reading. The Dyslexic Reader, 43 (4): 10-13.
5. Brassell, D. (2006). First Person: Mr. Hobbs’s extraordinary approach to teaching reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50 (2): 92-95.
7. Brassell, D. (2006, September 17). Para motivar a los niños a leer. Reading by 9 guía de lectura para padres, Los Angeles Times, p. 21.
8. Brassell, D. (2006, September 17). Encouraging children to read. Reading by 9 parent reading guide, Los Angeles Times, p. 21.
9. Brassell, D. (2006). Readers for life: The ultimate reading fitness guide, K-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
10. Brassell, D. (2005). Book Talk: Historical and science fiction for lazy readers of all ages. The California Reader, 39 (2): 58-62.
11. Brassell, D. (2005). Leading with reading: One principal’s “book-talk” discipline system. Reading Today, 23 (2): 37.
12. Brassell, D. (2005). Increasing book access for Latino kindergartners. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 9 (2), 311-315.
13. Brassell, D. (2005). The lazy readers’ club: How to keep up with your recreational reading. Florida Reading Quarterly, 41 (4), 22-25.
14. Brassell, D. (2005, March 31). Formas sencillas en las que los padres pueden mejorar el vocabulario de los niños. Reading by 9 guía de lectura para padres, Los Angeles Times, p. 3.
15. Brassell, D. (2005, March 31). Simple ways parents can improve children’s vocabulary. Reading by 9 parent reading guide, Los Angeles Times, p. 3.
16. Brassell, D. (2005). Cool short books for lazy readers: An on-line resource for parents, teachers and students. The California Reader, 38 (2), 24-29.
17. Brassell, D. (2005). Building a library from scratch. Teaching K-8, 35 (4), 56-57.
18. Brassell, D. (2004). Accelerate your ESL students’ academic success with proven vocabulary, comprehension and literacy strategies (grades K-6). Medina, WA: Institute for Educational Development.
19. Brassell, D. (2004). Read alouds rule! How guests reading aloud affect what one classroom’s students read. Florida Reading Quarterly, 40 (4), 8-13.
20. Brassell, D. (2004). Filling shelves, one book at a time. Bookbird, 42 (2), 52-54.
21. Brassell, D. (2004). Friday’s authors. Language Magazine, 3 (7): 15-18.
22. Brassell, D. (2004). A comprehensive emergent literacy program for inner-city Latino preschoolers: Perspectives and practices. NABE Journal of Research & Practice, 2 (1), 109-129.
23. Brassell, D., & Flood, J. (2003). Vocabulary strategies every teacher needs to know. San Diego, CA: Academic Professional Development.
24. Brassell, D. (2003). Where there’s a word, there’s a way: Effective vocabulary strategies. The California Reader, 37 (2), 32-39.
28. Brassell, D. (2003, April 7). Our children deserve better than ABCTE. AACTE Briefs, 24 (4), pp. 1, 3.
29. Brassell, D. (2003). Sixteen books went home tonight: Fifteen were introduced by the teacher. The California Reader, 36 (3), 33-39.
30. Yaden, D.B., Jr., Tam, A., Madrigal, P., Brassell, D., Massa, J., Altamirano, S., & Armendariz, J. (2003). Early literacy for inner-city children: The effects of reading and writing interventions in English and Spanish during the preschool years. In P.A. Mason & J. Schumm, J. (Eds.), Promising Practices for Urban Reading Instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
31. Brassell, D. (2002). Understanding young children’s emergent literacy development. In S. Lee & J. Lalas (Eds.), Language, Literacy and Academic Development. Los Angeles: Allyn & Bacon, 124-144.
32. Brassell, D. (2002). Language acquisition and libraries: Fostering resilience through literature. In S. Lee & J. Lalas (Eds.), Language, Literacy and Academic Development. Los Angeles: Allyn & Bacon, 155-175.
33. Yaden, D.B., Jr., & Brassell, D. (2002). Enhancing emergent literacy with Spanish-speaking preschoolers in the inner city: Overcoming the odds. In C. M. Roller (Ed.), Comprehensive Reading Instruction Across the Grade Levels: A Collection of Papers from the Reading Research 2001 Conference. Wilmington, DE: International Reading Association, 20-39.
34. Brassell, D. (2001). The relationship between Latino preschoolers’ book access and their conceptualizations of reading: A dissertation. Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California.
35. Brassell, D. (2000). Creating a culturally-sensitive classroom library. In T. Rasinski, et. al. (Eds.), Motivating recreational reading and promoting home-school connections. Wilmington, DE: International Reading Association, 33-35.
36. Yaden, D.B., Jr., Tam, A., Madrigal, P., Brassell, D., Massa, J., & Altamirano, S. (2000). Early literacy for inner-city children: The effects of reading and writing interventions in English and Spanish during the preschool years. The Reading Teacher, 54 (2), 186-189.
37. Brassell, D. (2000, January 28). Importance of language [Letter to the editor]. Los Angeles Times, p. B6.
38. Madrigal, P., Cubillas, C., Yaden, D., Tam, A., & Brassell, D. (1999). Creating a book loan program for inner-city Latino families. (CIERA Technical Report #2-003). Ann Arbor, MI: CIERA.
39. Brassell, D. (1999). Creating a culturally-sensitive classroom library. The Reading Teacher, 52 (6), 651-652.
40. Brassell, D. (1998). Maestro, can we go to the library today: The role of the school library in the improvement of reading attitudes and achievement among bilingual elementary students. In R. Constantino (Ed.), Literacy, access, and libraries among the language minority population. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 155-174.
Presentations as of October 2006:
1. Brassell, D. (2006, October). Songs, games & morning meetings. Customized training keynote presentation for Alexandria K-5 teachers. Alexandria, LA.
2. Brassell, D. (2006, October). 75 reading strategies in 75 minutes. Customized training keynote presentation for Alexandria K-5 teachers. Alexandria, LA.
3. Brassell, D. (2006, October). Creating readers for life. Keynote address presented at the annual meeting of California Literacy. Pasadena, CA.
4. Brassell, D. (2006, October). Weapons of mass instruction: Vocabulary strategies every teacher needs to know. Keynote address presented at the annual meeting of the Orange County Reading Association. Orange, CA.
5. Brassell, D. (2006, October). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators Conference for Southern California Kindergarten Teachers. Anaheim, CA.
6. Brassell, D. (2006, October). Weapons of mass instruction: Vocabulary strategies every teacher needs to know. Customized training workshop for Joliet Public School District 86 K-5 teachers. Joliet, IL.
7. Brassell, D. (2006, September). Turn your kids into super readers. Customized training keynote presentation for the Redondo Beach Public Library. Redondo Beach, CA.
8. Brassell, D. (2006, September). Weapons of mass instruction: Reading tips for parents. Keynote address presented at the annual meeting of The Los Angeles Times Reading by 9 Partners. Los Angeles, CA.
9. Brassell, D. (2006, August). Accelerate your ESL students’ literacy with proven strategies. Workshop presented to the second grade teachers of Arcadia USD. Arcadia, CA.
10. Brassell, D. (2006, August). How to make this year a success: A baker’s dozen of lessons learned from the teaching trenches. Keynote presentation to all classified and non-classified faculty and staff of Palo Verde USD. Blythe, CA.
11. Brassell, D. (2006, July). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators National Midwest Conference on Differentiated Instruction. Indianapolis, IN.
12. Brassell, D. (2006, July). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Two days of workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators National Conference on Differentiated Instruction. Las Vegas, NV.
13. Brassell, D. (2006, July). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Two days of workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators National Conference for Kindergarten Teachers. Nashville, TN.
14. Brassell, D. (2006, July). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Two days of workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators National Conference for First Grade Teachers. Orlando, FL.
15. Brassell, D. (2006, July). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators Conference for Northern California Kindergarten Teachers. Napa, CA.
16. Brassell, D. (2006, June). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Two days of customized training workshops for Harrison County K-5 teachers. Gulfport, MS.
17. Brassell, D. (2006, May). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators Conference for Washington Kindergarten Teachers. Seattle, WA.
18. Brassell, D. (2006, April). The best of the best in children’s literature (grades 3-6). Workshop presented for the Institute for Educational Development. Springfield, MO.
19. Brassell, D. (2006, April). The best of the best in children’s literature (grades 3-6). Workshop presented for the Institute for Educational Development. St. Louis, MO.
20. Brassell, D. (2006, April). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators Conference for Ontario Kindergarten Teachers. Toronto, ON.
21. Brassell, D. (2006, April). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Three days of workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators New England Conference for Elementary Teachers. Manchester, NH.
22. Brassell, D. (2006, March). The best of the best in children’s literature (grades 3-6). Workshop presented for the Institute for Educational Development. Mesa, AZ.
23. Brassell, D. (2006, March). The best of the best in children’s literature (grades 3-6). Workshop presented for the Institute for Educational Development. Reno, NV.
24. Brassell, D. (2006, March). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Four days of workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators Conference for New Jersey First & second Grade Teachers. Atlantic City, NJ.
25. Brassell, D. (2006, January). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Two days of workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators Conference for Ohio First Grade Teachers. Columbus, OH.
26. Brassell, D. (2006, January). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators Conference for Northern California First Grade Teachers. Napa, CA.
27. Brassell, D. (2006, January). Weapons of mass instruction: A day of teaching strategies with Dr. Danny. Two days of workshops presented at the annual Staff Development for Educators Conference for Texas Second Grade Teachers. Austin, TX.
28. Brassell, D. (2006, January). Weapons of mass instruction: Tales from the teaching trenches. Keynote address presented at the annual conference of PEAK Parent Center Conference on Inclusive Education, Denver, CO.
2005
1. Miller, J., & Brassell, D. (2005, November). Boosting reading attitudes. Session presented at the annual conference of the California Reading Association, Ontario, CA.
2. Brassell, D. (2005, November). Watch your language: Vocabulary strategies every teacher needs to know. Symposium presented at the research institute of the annual conference of the California Reading Association, Ontario, CA.
3. Brassell, D. (2005, November). Watch your language: Vocabulary strategies every teacher needs to know. Session presented at the annual conference of the California Reading Association, Ontario, CA.
4. Brassell, D. (2005, July). Becoming a passionate reader. Keynote address at Omnilore forum luncheon, Palos Verdes, CA.
5. Brassell, D. (2005, May). Weapons of mass instruction: Vocabulary strategies every teacher needs to know. Featured speaker at the California Reading Association Professional Development Institute, Auburn, CA.
6. Brassell, D. (2005, May). Weapons of mass instruction: Vocabulary strategies every teacher needs to know. Featured speaker at the California Reading Association Professional Development Institute, Huntington Beach, CA.
7. Brassell, D. (2005, May). Weapons of mass instruction: Vocabulary strategies everyone needs to know. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Reading Association, San Antonio, TX.
8. Brassell, D., & Miller, J. (2005, April). Maximizing professional development effectiveness through communication awareness. Symposium presented at the annual conference of the National Association of Elementary School principals, Baltimore, MD.
9. Brassell, D., Miller, J., & Mora-Flores, E. (2005, April). An examination of increased book access on low-SES Latino kindergartners’ reading conceptualizations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.
10. Miller, J., & Brassell, D. (2005, March). Motivating the unmotivated: Helping middle school students. Workshop presented at the annual conference of the California League of Middle Schools, San Diego, CA.
11. Brassell, D. (2005, February). Mas libros, por favor: Increasing book access for Latino kindergartners. Paper presented at the annual conference of the California Association for Bilingual Education, Los Angeles, CA.
12. Brassell, D. (2005, February). Increasing your second graders’ vocabulary skills. Workshop presented at the annual Texas Second Grade Teacher Conference, Austin, TX.
13. Brassell, D. (2005, February). Enhancing ESL/bilingual literacy skills. Workshop presented at the annual Texas Second Grade Teacher Conference, Austin, TX.
14. Brassell, D. (2005, January). Weapons of mass instruction: Vocabulary strategies every teacher needs to know. Workshop presented at the annual conference of PEAK Parent Center Conference on Inclusive Education, Denver, CO.
15. Brassell, D., Miller, J., & Mora-Flores, E. (2005, January). Enhanced reading environments. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI.
16. Miller, J., Mora-Flores, E., & Brassell, D. (2005, January). Motivational read-alouds. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI.
2004
1. Miller, J., & Brassell, D. (2004, November). Who am I? What am I all about? Symposium presented at the annual conference of the California League of High Schools, San Jose, CA.
2. Brassell, D. (2004, November). Weapons of mass instruction: Writing & vocabulary. Symposium presented at the research institute of the annual conference of the California Reading Association, San Jose, CA.
3. Brassell, D. (2004, November). Books! Read alouds! Action! Workshop presented at the annual conference of the California Reading Association, San Jose, CA.
4. Miller, J., & Brassell, D. (2004, November). Inspiration in any reading classroom. Workshop presented at the annual conference of the California Reading Association, San Jose, CA.
5. Brassell, D. (2004, October). What a difference a reading volunteer makes. Invited keynote address presented to Reading Is Fundamental, Los Angeles, CA.
6. Brassell, D. (2004, May). Where there’s a word, there’s a way: Effective vocabulary strategies. Featured speaker at the California Reading Association Professional Development Institute, San Diego, CA.
7. Brassell, D. (2004, May). Celebrity read alouds: A tale of one classroom’s motivation to read. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Reading Assocation, Reno, NV.
8. Brassell, D., & Yaden, D. B., Jr. (2004, April). Examining the impact of Spanish language emergent literacy activities on low-SES Hispanic preschoolers’ reading conceptualizations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
9. Brassell, D. (2004, April). Creating a love for reading. Workshop presented at the annual conference of the California School-Age Consortium, Pasadena, CA.
10. Brassell, D. (2004, April). The courage to read. Symposium presented at the OLLIonline 2004 Spring Lecture Series, Los Angeles, CA.
11. Brassell, D., & Dulyea, D. (2004, March). Teaching with Teachscape: On-line support for alternative certification courses. Mutlimedia symposium presented at the annual conference of the National Association for Alternative Certification, New Orleans, LA.
12. Brassell, D. (2004, March). The courage to read: Making recreational reading an essential part of a school’s curricula. Invited speaker’s address to the Los Angeles Child Literacy Collaborative, Los Angeles, CA.
13. Brassell, D., & Mora, E. (2004, March). De colores: Our homemade Spanish classroom library. Paper presented at the annual conference of the California Association for Bilingual Education, San Jose, CA.
14. Brassell, D., & Mora, E. (2004, February). From bocas to books: one classroom’s family-made Spanish library. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Association for Bilingual Education, Albuquerque, NM.
15. Mora, E., & Brassell, D. (2004, January). “Read-alouds rule:” How guest read alouds affected one classroom’s recreational reading motivation. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI.
16. Brassell, D., & Mora, E. (2004, January). Why good nooks are just as important as good books. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI.
2003
1. Brassell, D. (2003, November). Where there’s a word, there’s a way: Effective vocabulary instruction. Symposium presented at the research institute of the annual conference of the California Reading Association, San Diego, CA.
2. Brassell, D. (2003, November). The 20-minute reading workout. Symposium presented at the annual conference of the California Reading Association, San Diego, CA.
3. Brassell, D. (2003, September). The courage to read. Symposium presented at the Omnilore 2003 Fall Lecture Series, Los Angeles, CA.
4. Brassell, D. (2003, June). Where there’s a word, there’s a way: Effective vocabulary instruction. Workshop presented at the annual San Diego State University College of Education Reading/Language Arts Conference, San Diego, CA.
5. Brassell, D. (2003, June). Meeting the literacy challenge for English language learners. Panelist for discussion presented at the annual City Scholars After-School Network Leadership Forum: Literacy, Reading Programs and Resources, Los Angeles, CA.
6. Brassell, D. (2003, May). All I really need to know I learned at CSUDH. Symposium presented at the annual LAUSD Paraeducator Career Ladder Conference, Los Angeles, CA.
7. Brassell, D., Davis, J., Hollie, S., & Hutton, L. (2003, May). Teaching in urban settings. Panelist and moderator for discussion presented at the CSUDH SOE Literacy Summit II, Los Angeles, CA.
8. Brassell, D. (2003, May). Increasing students’ recreational reading through teacher read-alouds. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Reading Association, Orlando, FL.
9. Brassell, D. & Yaden, D.B. (2003, April). A two-year study of the influence of a classroom literacy intervention and a parent-lending library upon Latino preschoolers’ concepts about print in their primary language. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
10. Yaden, D.B., Salazar, J. & Brassell, D. (2003, April). The influence of Spanish language emergent literacy activities during preschool on Latino first and second graders’ achievement in English language and reading. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
11. Brassell, D. (2003, April). Motivating guest read-alouds in one elementary classroom. Poster session presented at the annual CSUDH School of Education Research Colloquium, Carson, CA.
12. Brassell, D., Russell, S., & Dulyea, D. (2003, April). More bangs for bucks: Integrating on-line learning into alternative certification courses. Symposium presented at the annual conference of the National Association for Alternative Certification, Orlando, FL.
13. Brassell, D. (2003, February). Libros for niños: The impact of an emergent literacy program on inner-city Latino preschoolers. Paper presented twice at the annual conference of the California Association for Bilingual Education, Los Angeles, CA.
14. Brassell, D. (2003, January). A comprehensive emergent literacy program for inner-city Latino preschoolers: Perspectives and practices. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Association for Bilingual Education, New Orleans, LA.
15. Brassell, D. & Horton, E. (2003, January). Affecting Latino preschoolers’ literacy through increased reading opportunities. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI.
Pre-2003
1. Yaden, D.B., Jr., Salazar, J. & Brassell, D. (2002, December). The impact of Spanish/English language emergent literacy activities during the preschool years on first and second grade achievement in English language and reading. Paper presented at the National Reading Conference, Miami, FL.
2. Brassell, D. (2002, November). Comparing Latino preschoolers’ book access with their conceptualizations of reading. Paper presented at the annual California Reading Association Conference, Sacramento, CA.
3. Brassell, D. (2002, April). Increasing recreational reading through teacher read-alouds. Paper presented at the annual CSUDH School of Education Research Colloquium, Carson, CA.
4. Brassell, D. (2002, February). Immigrant literacy: English as a second language. Keynote address presented at the annual City Scholars After-School Network Leadership Forum: Literacy, Reading Programs and Resources, Los Angeles, CA.
5. Yaden, D., Tam, A., Madrigal, P., Brassell, D., Massa, J. (2000, April). Fostering access to books: A preschool book-lending program for parents in the inner city. Institute presented at the annual conference of the International Reading Association, Indianapolis, IN.
6. Brassell, D. (2000, April). Curricular objectives through music. Workshop presented at the annual West Coast conference of Teach for America, Santa Barbara, CA.
7. Yaden, D., Madrigal, P., Tam, A., Massa, J., Brassell, D. (1999, December). Longitudinal, emergent literacy interventions in high poverty areas: Discussions of the results obtained, struggles enjoined and compromises made during the start-up year and afterwards. Paper presented at the National Reading Conference, Orlando, FL.
8. Yaden, D., Cubillas, C., Brassell, D., Madrigal, P., & Tam, A. (1998, November). Setting the foundation: Collaborating on a preschool literacy program. Paper presented at the annual conference of the California Reading Association, Sacramento, CA.
9. Brassell, D. (1998, August). First day reminders. Workshop presented at the regional preparatory institute of Teach for America, Los Angeles, CA.
10. Brassell, D. (1998, October). Creating culturally-sensitive classroom libraries. Paper presented at the annual regional conference of the California Association for Teachers of English as a Second Language for Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 1998.
11. Brassell, D. (1998, April). A look at emergent readers’ concepts about print. Paper presented at the USC/UCLA Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA.
Professional
Associations
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
California Reading Association (CRA)
California Faculty Association (CFA)
California Teachers Association (CTA)
International Reading Association (IRA)
National Association of Alternative Certification (NAAC)
National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE)
