Do you have students that struggle to see themselves as readers because they can't read the words yet? Do you struggle to know what to do to nudge those students along the literacy continuum? Using approaches from the book, I Am Reading by Kathy Collins and Matt Glover, this session will share strategies to encourage these readers to engage deeply with texts and develop positive reader identities.  Participants will be inspired with ideas for ways to identify and support the reading work of young children before they are reading conventionally. 

Presenter: Rachel Page

In this fast-paced session, learn how to effectively use Dinah Zike’s three-dimensional interactive graphic organizers and create strong links to literacy and increase general classroom success. Build your own three-dimensional graphic organizers to use with K-5 students of all ability levels. We’ll consider whole class, small group, and individual activities to encourage meaningful student response to literature. Materials provided.

Presenter: Rhonda Meyer

Help students develop a unique and creative way to respond to literature they have read! Session participants will learn how to help students become part of their favorite story or book using green screen technologies and the Doink app. Attendees will participate hands-on to create their own example project during the session.

Presenter: Jessica Torres

The integration of reading and writing strategies helps students make the leap from knowing to understanding. Explore strategies, tools, and practices to help you make the most of your literacy block. 

Presenter: Brittany Thomas

As a literacy leader, are you overwhelmed by flurry of activities during the elementary literacy block?  It can be difficult to identify the tasks that best support student growth. This session for administrators and coaches will examine the components of explicit, systematic instruction in word study and vocabulary.  Participants will explore the features of effective instruction, practice using checklists to guide classroom observations, and leave with resources to support teachers.  

Presenter: Tracy Harper

Infographics are useful for critical thinking and literacy models. Session participants will learn how students can make infographics on Canva to iterate a subject in new ways, as well as build their research and information vetting skills! Best of all, they can do it while being creative.

Presenter: Jessica Torres

Are you struggling with pacing and differentiation? Do you find yourself stuck looking for solid resources to help engage your learners? During this session, I will show you how I incorporate tending topics like Signposts, NEWSELA, and Google Classroom to keep my students working at their levels while providing rigor to increase reading and writing skills. 

Presenter: Andrea Snow

What does feedback look like in your classroom?  Is it more than just returning graded papers or saying, "Good Job?"   Feedback, if given correctly, can be a powerful influence on the learning cycle.  In this session, based on Anita Archer's highly researched Explicit Instruction, we will explore practical ways of providing effective feedback which leads to student growth.

Presenter: Denise Gilbert

The skill of reading requires constant use or a child's ability will regress. With this in mind, students who move to secondary as strugglers may find themselves reading less and less because of their lack of confidence and time. In this session, we will focus on some concrete ways to work with secondary students to get them back on track and comprehending what they read.

Presenter: Denise Bell

"Foldables divide data (or concepts, ideas, skills) and make them visual or graphic with a kinesthetic integration." - Dinah Zike

Come learn how to use Dinah Zike's three-dimensional graphic organizers called Foldables, to cement learning in students by providing a creative, hands-on, kinesthetic way to record and process concepts and vocabulary.  Foldables are a wonderful way to differentiate instruction and meet the needs of all learning styles.  

In this session participants will - 

Learn the 5 basic folds along with many others
Discuss using Foldables to differentiate instruction
Discover the value of Notebooking with Foldables

Presenter: Konnette Koen

The world is a big place full of diverse and exciting people.  Come check out ways that you can use books and digital resources to provide windows and mirrors to embrace a multicultural perspective. 

Presenter: Amberly Walker

Collaboration is a means to an end, not the end itself! Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are  much more than a meeting! They are an ongoing process in which educators share the vision that formal education is not simply to ensure that students are taught, but to ensure that they learn. They also operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous job-embedded learning for educators. If educators meet with peers on a regular basis only to return to business as usual, they are not functioning as a PLC. This session will focus on putting the “Learning” back into PLC to cultivate a culture for literacy on your campus.

Presenters: Christa Miller and Shay Garland