Looking for ongoing consulting support during the school year? Visit our K-12 Literacy Consulting page.

Here is a sample of some of our Workshop and Institute topics. We are happy to work with you design a topic to fit your goals.

Sample Workshop and Institute Topics

K-12 Conferring with Readers and Writers

(Available K-12) The cornerstone of student-centered instruction is the conference. To get the most out of this critical exchange between teachers and learners takes methods and planning. This day will share some of the key behaviors to make the most out of this important time with students. From how to manage a class to allow conferring to take place, to ways of making conferences focus closely on student growth, to tips and strategies for keeping yourself organized. The day is a deep dive into research-based and practical strategies for growing the readers and writers in your school, one conference at a time.

K-12 Small Group Conferring for Readers and Writers

(Available K-12) Powerful small group instruction can move readers and writers forward. Small group conferring allows educators to see more students, more often. It also focuses everyone on skill development, when small groups meet repeatedly, over time. Learn how to make data-based decisions in forming, leading, and assessing students in small group conferring formats. See how small group conferring does not need to be time consuming, but, when well planned, can be a powerful asset to your practice.

• Early childhood educators will also learn about Guided Reading instruction and how to vary small group conferring formats to meet the needs of students.

K-12 Data That Matters: Using Meaningful Data to Drive Instruction

(Available K-12) Data is more than a once a year state test. Important types of data collection, like the live observations, quick pulse-of-the-room checks, and other formative assessments, guide teachers in making clear instructional decisions. While formal data, like test scores, can give us some information, expert educators draw on a whole host of in-class, on-going methods of collecting data that help us better see the whole student. This workshop will dig into practical data collection and use, highlighting seeing the whole student—not just a number—when devising instruction.

K-12 Building and Sustaining a Culture of Reading

(Available K-12) Longitudinal research is clear that students who have rich reading lives reap many benefits, from improved academic performance, to greater critical thinking, and enhanced interpersonal skills. Yet, too often “school reading” can squash the joy of reading. Data shows that as students move across grade levels they report less and less engagement in reading. This workshop will engage educators in practical strategies and routines to build and sustain a culture of reading within and across classrooms.

K-12 Culturally Relevant Literacy Practices

(Available K-12) Come together as a staff to reflect upon your current literacy work and study ways to make your practices more responsive, supportive, and celebratory of the identities, cultures, and goals of your learners. You will learn ways to assess the power and privilege embedded within instructional decision making and see how to open up your teaching to allow more student-driven teaching. From text selection, to teaching methods, to unit planning, join a day that will inspire, challenge, and support your staff in supporting every student in their developing literacy skills.

K-12 Introduction to Reading Workshop

(Available K-12) Learn the why, what, and how of reading workshop instruction. This interactive day helps schools, or grade levels, moving to balanced literacy instruction see how the components of reading workshop work together to raise student achievement. Built around theory and practice, your team will learn why independent reading is critical for developing readers and how various methods and structures can support powerful differentiation. Lessons, Read Aloud, Conferring, and Unit Planning will be discussed.

• Elementary educators learn how to support the developing stages of early to experienced readers.
• Secondary educators learn how to bring knowledge of literature over to methods that engage readers in real reading.

K-12 Introduction to Writing Workshop

(Available K-12) Often times the development of truly student-centered instruction begins in writing workshop. It is the place students’ voices, experiences, strengths, and needs are most visible. Spend this inspiring day learning the why, what, and how of writing workshop instruction. The interactive day will help educators see themselves as writers and then bring that knowledge and experience to their teaching of writing. Built around theory and practice, methods for teaching, conferring with, and ultimately assessing writers will be shared. Lessons, Read Aloud, Conferring, and Unit Planning will be discussed.

K-12 Use Digital Tools to Extend and Deepen Your Reading and Writing Practices

(Available K-12) As schools offer more and more ways for students to engage with technology, educators have an opportunity to not just replicate paper literacy on a screen, but to truly add to students’ skill sets and opportunities. This workshop builds on best practices in reading and writing, to help you and your colleagues get more out of your technology investment. Sure, students can type essays or work collaboratively on documents, but with some critical lenses and purposeful planning, students can learn to be content creators, maximize opportunities for debate and feedback, and see their role in the world as critical, active, and empowered. This session will provide practical demonstrations, discussion of key literacy and digital literacy skills, as well as a whole lot of inspiration.

K-12 Support Multilingual Learners in Every Classroom

(Available K-12) Our multilingual students bring an incredible skill set to learning in our classrooms. Adaptability, a complex neural network, and a beloved culture and life experiences that enhance every room. In this powerful workshop, learn how to build upon the strengths of multilingual students in ways that support all students in your classrooms. Infuse language objectives in meaningful and practical ways, bring in methods of recursive instruction, and learn to highlight and celebrate your learners’ development.

K-12 Put Inquiry Into Practice In Social Studies (C3 Frameworks & Related State Standards)

(Available K-12) Social Studies standards and practices are in an exciting time right now. The C3 (College, Career, and Civic Life) Frameworks have supported many states in re-imagining Social Studies Instruction. At the heart of this movement is deeper engagement with inquiry as a key set of skills and a foundational instructional model. During this day, learn about the C3 Framework (and your State’s related Social Studies standards, if applicable). Go through a process of designing a compelling inquiry study within Social Studies and engage in content area literacy practices that support students in note-taking, nonfiction reading, creating claims, and engaging in civic action.

K-2 Powerful—And Doable—Foundational Literacy Practices

(Available K-2) One key pillar of early childhood literacy is the development of foundational skills. This doesn’t require hours of time and expensive programs! Instead, strengthening knowledge of key methods and routines can help educators make smart choices during their literacy block. In this workshop, ways to enhance your teaching of foundational skills and embed them throughout your literacy teaching. Drawn from research and classroom practice, you will leave feeling empowered.

K-5 Balancing the Sciences of Reading for Effective Teaching

(Available K-5) As developmental psychologist, Dr. Hollis Scarborough, notes when discussing her “Scarborough’s Rope” metaphor for developing readers: “Reading is complicated. All strands interact overtime.” Effective teaching of reading requires a nuanced balance of foundational skills, comprehension skills instruction, engaging read alouds, meaningful independent reading, and joy. This workshop will support educators in growing their toolkit of instructional and observational content and skills.

3-12 Close Reading

(Available 3-12) Methods for analyzing texts that are rigorous, meaningful, but also joyful, are an essential component to growing the literacy skills of our students. Regardless of grade level, when planned thoughtfully, all students can learn to engage in skills and habits that bring them closer to an author’s words and become stronger at understanding and analyzing texts. Study ways of scaffolding close reading skills, from fun and focused lessons that allow every learner access, to raising to more complex texts. A full day of learning that will lead to more student-centered teaching of close reading, and bring reading joy and deep conversations to every classroom.

3-12 Making Book Clubs Work

(Available 3-12) One of the best experiences in every reading classroom, when done right, are book clubs! Learn methods for supporting students in this fun, functional, and deep reading experience. Book clubs allow students to read with peers, in texts they can read with strength and joy. Learn ways to deepen book club experiences through writing-about-reading, conversation development, and teacher conferring. Management techniques and assessment ideas will be shared.

Or, Let Us Design a Workshop to Meet Your Instructional Goals!

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