Developing Academic Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the single most important factor in reading comprehension. Research shows that students need to learn eight words a day (three thousand words per year!) to be college- and career-ready. Learn classroom-ready information and strategies for schoolwide vocabulary growth that will result in better performance in all subject areas.
Who Should Attend: English and content-area teachers (4–12), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in learning strategies for increasing vocabulary development.
Grammar: What Really Works
Everyone knows that traditional exercises, worksheets, and rote memorization do little, if anything, to improve students’ writing and use of the English language. Everyone also knows that ignoring “the grammar problem” does not make grammar go away. Learn innovative, exciting strategies for making grammar instruction come alive and be effective. The grammar topics selected will link to the Common Core.
Who Should Attend: English and content-area teachers (4–12), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in learning innovative, exciting strategies for making grammar instruction effective.
Literacy Strategies for the Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts
Although there are many similarities between existing state learning standards and the new Common Core State Standards, teachers need to know how to make the transition. Participants will learn techniques for teaching reading and writing for argumentation, informational text, and narrative text, as well as reading comprehension strategies for the increasing levels of text complexity required by the Common Core State Standards. Included will be a segment on academic vocabulary development.
Who Should Attend: English and content-area teachers (4–12), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in learning strategies for teaching reading and writing for argumentation, informational text, and narrative text, and for increasing text complexity.
Language Skills for the Common Core: Speaking, Listening, Writing
“Literacy floats on a sea of talk” (James Britton, 1970). Language skills are at the heart of the Common Core State Standards because academic success depends on the ability to process and express information. This workshop will connect teachers to the principles of natural language acquisition that will grow and reinforce academic vocabulary as well as the social expectations for listening in the classroom. We will address the following elements of durable language learning: how words get learned and stay learned, what criteria we should use to select words for explicit instruction, how to determine the most essential words in academic text, and how to make vocabulary learning engaging and fun.
Who Should Attend: Teachers (K-12), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in learning how to improve language and vocabulary skills so the transition to writing is seamless.
Expanding Vocabulary for English Language Learners
Vocabulary is the key to success in reading and writing, but a lack of English vocabulary holds many ELLs back from reaching their potential. This session provides practical ideas for expanding ELLs' listening, speaking, reading, and writing vocabulary across the curriculum. Participants will engage in hands-on vocabulary activities and then discuss how they could be applied in their classrooms.
Who Should Attend: Teachers (K-12), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in learning easy-to-implement ideas for improving ELLs’ listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
Moving Literacy Instruction
This session will literally keep participants on their toes as they learn and practice ways to integrate movement into their literacy instruction. Movement increases brain activity and attention. When movement activities are structured properly, they even reduce classroom management problems. This session will help teachers design lessons of their own that integrate movement and literacy instruction.
Who Should Attend: Teachers (K-6), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in learning how to design lessons that build literacy instruction while incorporating movement.
Loving Reading in Spite of Standardized Testing
Many students have lost their enthusiasm for reading due to an emphasis on skills instruction and test preparation. Yet the more students like reading, the more they read, and the better they get at it. Educators will be presented with teacher-tested strategies for getting students excited about reading without spending money or taking extensive amounts of time. The session will guide teachers on how they can incorporate these ideas in their classrooms and still meet the standards as well as prepare their students for standardized testing.
Who Should Attend: Teachers (K-6), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in rejuvenating their reading lessons with teacher-tested strategies.
Supporting English Language Learners in Mainstream Classrooms
Teachers are challenged with trying to meet the needs of increasing numbers of ELLs in mainstream classrooms. Participants in this session will engage in a variety of hands-on activities that will support ELLs as well as native English speakers. The session will include cooperative learning ideas that encourage students to assist each other with structured academic activities. Teachers will have an opportunity to apply these ideas to their own classroom needs.
Who Should Attend: Teachers (K-12), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in learning how to differentiate instruction for ELLs.
Empowering Students to Write and Re-Write
Help your students learn to write, write to learn, and appreciate grammar in the context of the writing process. The consultant provides specific strategies that help students create a mindset for revision and models effective conversations between teachers and their writers.
Who Should Attend: Teachers (K-12), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in gaining practical strategies for improving the writing process.
Writer’s Workshop Made Easy
Ensure that the benefits of writer’s workshop appear sooner and last longer with a writing cycle framework for teaching the writing process. Challenge your students to stretch to meet the Common Core State Standards from the first writing task. The consultant shares snapshots of varied classrooms that successfully work with ideas and models for effective conversations.
Who Should Attend: Teachers (K-12), literacy coaches, instructional leaders, and anyone interested in learning a specific framework that will help you design a successful writer’s workshop.