Serial story popular with newspapers and teachers
May 1, 2015
By Dawn Kitchell
Missouri NIE Coordinator
This year’s season is nearly over for hitting a homerun with readers using the new serialized story, “The Gashouse Gang.”
More than 220 newspapers in 29 U.S. states and Canada have downloaded the story, available through June 2015 at no cost from Missouri Press Foundation through a special partnership with the National Newspaper Association.
The 12-chapter serial shares the story of Dizzy Dean, his brother Paul, Leo Durocher, Joe Medwick, Pepper Martin, Frankie Frisch, Branch Rickey, and the rest of “The Gashouse Gang,” the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals World Series Champions.
This is the seventh year that NNA members have been able to take advantage of a free serialized story through the Reading Across the Nation campaign. The goal is to have young readers across the nation reading inside their community newspapers in 2015.
“My students are loving the Gashouse Gang and learning about how things used to be through the language and vocabulary of Dizzy Dean. They are excited each week when we sit down to read it,” said Candace Kluba, a second grade teacher.
The author of the story, Carolyn Mueller, said she received a phone message from an older reader a few weeks ago.
“I called him back and found out that he is 94 years old and that he has a baseball signed by the entire team and that he has several letters from Pepper Martin,” Mueller said. “He said that he loves the serial story, particularly Chapter 11 because it really ‘took him back.’ That’s because he was at game seven of the 1934 World Series. He said he can’t wait for the book.”
If your newspaper is interested in participating in the Reading Across the Nation project, visit www.mo-nie.com and use download code: nnaread.
When you log in using the download code, you will be provided several files to download, all in PDF form:
Rules for Publication
These offer a few important guidelines, including a reminder that the story itself cannot be published on an unsecured website.
Promotional ad. This ad is intended for publication in your newspaper prior to the story.
Teacher guide. The teacher guide can be uploaded to your website. Add your newspaper logo on the front page. The guide also may be distributed in print or via e-mail to your teachers. The guide includes learning standards, which will be of great value to all teachers.
Twelve individual story files, one per chapter. The story is provided ready to publish. You may add inches to the graphic file to promote sponsors or link teachers to your website. This year’s story is 7.71 by 11.5 inches and includes two newspaper-related activities within each feature.
“The Gashouse Gang” also will be published as a children’s picture book following the Reading Across the Nation project. Learn more about Mueller at carolynelizabethmueller.com.
If your newspaper needs help planning, promoting or publishing “The Gashouse Gang,” contact Dawn Kitchell, NNA’s Newspaper In Education liaison, at 636-932-4301 or dawn.kitchell@gmail.com.
