Bringing SBRR into the Classroom
Sessions
This page is updated frequently. Please check back often.
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Reconciling Writing Research with the Common Core State Standards: Are We Going Astray?
Louisa Moats
The Common Core State Standards focus exclusively on the composition of three major forms of discourse. After examining research on the differences between good and poor writers, the relationship between foundational writing skills and composition, and the effectiveness of instructional approaches, I will argue that effective writing instruction must include much more than genre-specific composition. |
Creating Passionate Readers in the Digital Age
Daniel Willingham
Are new technologies the saviors of education or the destroyers of young minds? More than likely, they have the potential to be either. Using the rich scientific literature on reading processes, I will discuss how new technologies can affect students’ attributes towards reading, and what makes some students passionate about reading and others indifferent. I will offer specific suggestions for classroom practices to build a love of reading in students. |
The Evolving Reading Brain in a Digital Age: Insights for Reading Development, Instruction, and Struggling Readers
Maryanne Wolf
The human brain was never born to read! This presentation will describe (1) the cognitive, linguistic, and cerebral feat underlying our capacity to read; (2) the history of different writing systems and how each system requires a different “reading circuit” in the brain; (3) the “miracle” of how each young reader acquires its own new circuitry; (4) the insights from the reading brain for teaching all children, but especially struggling readers; and (5) the transforming nature of digital mediums on the formation of the young reader. |
Strands |
 Early Childhood/Emergent Literacy |
 Elementary Literacy |
 Adolescent/High School Literacy |
 Special Education |
 Response to Intervention |
 Literacy Leadership |
Distinguished Lectures |
Dynamic Vocabulary Instruction
Anita Archer
As students proceed through school, vocabulary becomes an increasingly important predictor of academic success and is directly related to reading comprehension. When elementary and secondary school students have vocabularies significantly lower than their peers, schools must emphasize vocabulary development. In this session, procedures for increasing vocabulary through read-alouds, explicit vocabulary instruction, and word learning strategies will be explored. Research-validated procedures will be demonstrated and practiced, with classroom videos illustrating the procedures.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Reading Development and Difficulties: What Skills Do You Need to be a Good Text Comprehender?
Kate Cain
The identification of children with specific reading comprehension difficulties demonstrates that successful word reading is not sufficient for good reading comprehension. Good comprehension is supported by a range of language and cognitive skills and knowledge bases. These include vocabulary, general knowledge, and memory, and also several higher-level discourse skills that support the construction of the representation of a text’s meaning, namely integration and inference, knowledge and use of reading strategies, and the ability to construct coherent and integrated narratives. This session will draw upon recent research that identifies the critical role that specific discourse-level skills play in reading (and listening) comprehension development, and how weaknesses in these skills may be a source of reading comprehension difficulties. The wider implications of poor comprehension for language development and learning will be considered. Skill development from early childhood through to middle school will be discussed and will be of interest both to specialists (e.g., classroom teachers, reading coaches, SLPs) and to a more general audience who want to know more about reading comprehension development and difficulties.
Target Audience: K-6 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administration |
Understanding Inadequate Responders to Reading Instruction
Jack M. Fletcher
Inadequate responders to reading instruction are poorly understood. In this three-part presentation, methods for identification of inadequate responders are first presented, with current evidence suggesting that single methods of identification are not sufficient because of poor agreement across measures and inadequate coverage. In a second series of studies, the cognitive characteristics of inadequate responders are presented. Although the correlates are somewhat different for elementary and secondary children, those who respond inadequately reflect a continuum of severity and do not demonstrate qualitatively different variations in cognitive processing. A third set of findings presents recent studies of the neural correlates of inadequate responders, demonstrating that inadequate responders do not engage the neural networks that support reading and that the degree to which the temporal lobes are engaged presents intervention response.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership |
Moral Imperative Realized
Michael Fullan
This session will focus on how to ‘realize’ the moral imperative. It shows a reverse causal sequence to what is normally assumed. Instead of moral purpose leading to success, we show that success leads to greater moral purpose. The session will also report of some work that examines the role of ‘drivers’ for whole system reform. Four ‘wrong drivers’ will be discussed, along with their ‘right driver’ counterparts.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Executive Functioning in Children: New Data and New Ideas
Sam Goldstein
This presentation provides an overview of executive functioning with an emphasis on the emerging literature attempting to create a link between theory and applied practice. A nationally representative standardization sample of 4,000 children collected for the Comprehensive Executive Functioning Inventory will be reviewed. Discussion of a model to integrate the evaluation of executive function to clinical assessment and educational strategy and the emerging literature focused on compensatory and remedial instruction will be included.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Educators as Physicians – Using Data for RtI Decisions
Jan Hasbrouck
Much like the work of physicians, Response to Intervention (RtI) requires educators to use data to guide decisions regarding students’ academic programs. Data must be collected and carefully analyzed to help direct decisions including: Which students might need some additional assistance? What specific academic support is needed by each student? And, once instruction has begun, how can a student’s progress – or lack of progress – be determined? This session – appropriate for K-12 educators and specialists who support RtI – outlines the research-base for the essential academic assessments required for RtI. Participants will learn specific strategies to help teams of educators use assessment data effectively and efficiently.
Target Audience: K -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians |
Common Core State Standards: Perspectives, Research, and Implementation
Michael L. Kamil
The presentation will present a conceptual frame for the Common Core State Standards, recent research on Common Core, and issues of implementation. Implementation issues include alignment of current standards to Common Core, modifying current curriculum to match that needed for Common Core, and the instructional practices that will support students' achievement of Common Core Standards.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Reading Coaches, Leadership/Administrators
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How Does The Brain Compensate For Difficulties in Learning To Learn to Read, and What Role Does Effective Teaching Play in Creating a Reading Brain?
G. Reid Lyon
How do the brains of children with dyslexia change with and without intervention to compensate for limitations in neural networks supporting reading development? What role do changes in connections among brain regions play to support compensation? Preliminary answers to these questions will be provided in a discussion of current neuroimaging-intervention studies that attempt to identify whether it is limitations in brain regions that impede reading, limitations in white matter connections that impede reading, or a combination of both. While these studies reflect basic neuroscience, there are practical applications in relation to how we discuss the complexity of brain-reading relationships, and the extent to which our findings can inform instruction.
Target Audience: K –12 Reading Teachers, Reading Interventionists, Reading Coaches, Special Education Teachers, School Psychologists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administrators |
Special Ed is NOT Special: Why Students with Disabilities Are Not Being Taught How to Read
Robert Pasternack
This session will provide an overview of current data about reading and literacy instruction for the almost 7,000,000 students receiving special education across the U.S. The aggregate outcome data for this subgroup of students indicate stagnant academic achievement and a failure to provide specially designed instruction mandated by IDEA to this subgroup of students, especially in the domain of literacy. In this session, strategies to change this pattern, successful models for including students with disabilities (swds) in general education classrooms, and powerfully effective research validated interventions and PD models will be presented. Efforts to reduce inappropriate referrals to special education, improving outcomes and results for those students receiving special education, and the implementation of Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI) and its impact on literacy instruction and reading acquisition will be reviewed. In a discussion about Inclusive Education practices for teaching reading, RtI as a general education initiative will be differentiated from dumping students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Case studies from LEAs will be provided, including data from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest school district in America. These data will show that swds made MORE progress on the California State Test (high stakes test in CA) than non-disabled students during the 2010-11 school year, illustrating that when special education is made special, students with disabilities can learn to read.
Target Audience: Pre-K –12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Leadership/Administrators |
Literacy, Meet the Common Core State Standards!
Mel Riddile
In schools that serve large numbers of under-resourced students, school wide literacy initiatives have been high on the list of priorities for over a decade. With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards and the shift in focus from high school completion to college and career-readiness for all students, cross-content literacy is a must for all schools. To date, few secondary schools have actually implemented school wide literacy initiatives. What are the implications of these new standards for school leaders, teacher leaders, and instructional coaches? What must schools do in order to implement an effective school wide literacy initiative with fidelity? You can do it, too!
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Special Education Teachers, Leadership/Administrators |
top of Distinguished Lectures
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Early Language and Literacy Development – Meaningful Experiences for Our Youngest Learners
Carol Aghayan
Getting children ready to read and succeed in school begins at birth. This session will provide an introduction to the development of early literacy skills within the context of caring relationships and children’s experiences with families, teachers and communities. Discover how warm responsive interactions, every day routines, meaningful first hand experiences and engaging environments provide the tools to help infants, toddlers, twos and preschoolers learn. These experiences set the stage for secure attachment relationships, optimal brain development and school readiness.
Target Audience: Pre-K Teachers, Leadership/Administrators
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Using Data to Drive Instruction in Pre-K – Part I of 2
Carla Amy, Penny Black and Nancy Manuel
This session will include a discussion on the observation and evaluation of preschool children in authentic, real-time environments. Using the data cycle to plan for instruction includes (1) determining your goals and objectives, (2) identifying and collecting relevant data, (3) analyzing and evaluating facts, and (4) planning for each child in small group and whole group instruction. This session, part I of a two-part block, discusses steps 1-3. Participants will learn how to make instructional decisions in connection to Louisiana’s Grade Level Expectations.
Target Audience: Pre-K Teachers, Leadership/Administrators
Using Data to Drive Instruction in Pre-K – Part 2 of 2
Carla Amy, Penny Black and Nancy Manuel
This is Part II of a two-part block. In Part II, we will discuss the 4th and final step – planning for each child in small group and whole group instruction. Converting qualitative data into quantitative data allows teachers to configure flexible groups to work on specific grade level expectations. This process is directly connected to Louisiana’s new Student Performance Checklist. (Steps 1 -3 for using the data cycle to plan for instruction - determining your goals and objectives, identifying and collecting relevant data, and analyzing and evaluating facts – were discussed in Part I.)
Target Audience: Pre-K Teachers, Leadership/Administrators |
Background Knowledge: Key to Learning and Reading Comprehension
Anita Archer
Students' background knowledge – what they already know about a subject – has a huge influence on student performance, explaining 30 to 60% of variance in performance (Docy, Segers, & Buehl, 1999). Given the importance of past learning to current learning, it is not surprising that instruction on background knowledge can significantly improve students' comprehension of relevant reading material. In this session, Anita Archer will focus on three research-validated practices for frontloading passage reading: (a) previewing passages, (b) directly teaching necessary information, and (c) activating background knowledge. All instructional procedures will be modeled and expanded on through participant activities and classroom videos.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
Explicit Instruction: Prevention and Intervention
Anita Archer
In this session, participants will review the past 30 years of research on explicit instruction and see how the major findings can be translated into daily practice for both prevention of academic challenges and intervention. Scientifically-based practices for designing lessons, delivering instruction, and providing appropriate practice will be discussed, directly modeled, and practiced. Classroom videos will illustrate the major points.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
Getting Them All Engaged: Inclusive Active Participation
Anita Archer
Do you have students who are not attending or participating during your lessons? In this session, research will be reviewed that validates procedures for actively involving ALL students in instruction including the use of verbal responses (e.g., choral, partner, team, and individual), written responses (e.g., response slates and response cards), and action responses (e.g., acting out, gestures, hand signals). In addition, procedures for involving all students in the reading of classroom materials will be presented. Procedures will be explained, demonstrated, and practiced. Examples will represent a variety of courses and age levels. Participants will also analyze the best practices demonstrated in videos.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
Writing Summaries – Strengthen Reading Comprehension, Content Area Learning, and Writing Skills
Anita Archer
One of the most effective ways to improve reading comprehension and content area learning, all while providing writing practice, is to have students write a summary of narrative or expository passages. Despite the value of summary writing, this task is often difficult for students. In this session, participants will explore a model that divides written expression instruction into two components: (1) teaching the attributes of a well-constructed summary and illustrating it with an example (what), and (2) teaching the process of writing a summary using writing frames, strategies, think sheets, or a graph organizer (how). These two instructional components will be demonstrated using both narrative and expository summaries.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Isn’t It Explicit?
Pamela Austin
We all know that instruction of literacy must include the Big 5: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension. We have heard and seen the word “explicit” used time and time again as we study strategies required to guide students toward become literate individuals with a love of reading and a bright future. But what exactly is explicit instruction?
A lesson introducing a new vowel sound or syllable - Isn’t it explicit?
A fluency practice using grade level words - Isn’t it explicit?
A lesson re-teaching vocabulary - Isn’t it explicit?
In this session, participants will explore explicit instruction by diving deeply into what it looks and feels like.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists |
When Readers Write and Writers Read: Teaching the Reciprocal Processes of Reading and Writing
Kathy Barclay
In the early stage of literacy development, children write more and more, and, as a result, they learn more about both encoding (spelling) and decoding (reading). In this session, we will explore the interconnectedness between the reading and writing processes, and ways teachers can help children to (1) further develop their alphabetic knowledge as they learn how to spell new words and develop strategies to write unknown words; (2) acquire correct use of language conventions, such as punctuation marks and capital letters; (3) learn how to reconstruct their experiences and concepts about the world around them; and (4) expand their writing to include varying genres and text formats.
Target Audience: K -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
A ‘High Five’ for Pre-K! Laying the Foundation for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension
Kathy Barclay
For more than a decade, educators have strived to implement the recommendations found in the National Reading Panel report (2000). In 2008, the National Early Literacy Panel published its report, Developing Early Literacy. In this session for pre-K teachers, reading coaches, curriculum coordinators, and administrators, we will explore ways the findings from these two reports can be addressed in programs for children ages three through five. Emphasis will be on how teachers can design developmentally appropriate and meaningful instructional experiences based on scientific research and best practices in phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension to facilitate the acquisition of pre-reading, as well as future reading, writing, and spelling skills and abilities.
Target Audience: Pre-K Teachers, Reading Interventionists, Reading Coaches, Leadership/Administrators |
Problem Solving in a Culture of Change
Douglas Blancero and Omar Tabb
Producing and supporting students who are literate is a challenging task that is often complicated by the staff’s sense of ever changing strategies and mandates. Leaders must serve as both navigators through the waters of change and as problem solvers. In this session, participants will learn and use problem solving models that will also serve as team building and coherence building strategies that can be used immediately upon return to their schools. Participants will leave with an understanding of the elements of effective and transformative problem solving models and tools with which to develop an action plan for using these models.
Target Audience: Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Recognition & Response: Findings from Two Implementation Studies
Virginia Buysse and Ellen Peisner-Feinberg
Recognition and Response (R&R), a model of Response to Intervention for pre-k, has generated widespread attention in the early childhood field. The model figured prominently in a special issue of a leading peer-reviewed journal in 2009 and has been described in a number of text books and a federally sponsored website. Developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina, R&R is a tiered approach designed to improve the quality of instruction for all children and address early learning difficulties for some children, based on the principle of linking assessment to instruction. This session will present findings from two quasi-experimental studies involving more than 700 children enrolled in 50 community-based child care and public pre-k programs across three states. Results provide evidence of the feasibility of implementation and usability of the R&R model, along with positive effects of the model for improving children’s language and literacy skills, based on both formative assessments and norm-referenced measures.
Target Audience: Pre-K Teachers, Leadership/Administrators |
How to Be a Better Comprehender: An Examination of Effective Strategies for Poor Readers
Kate Cain
Many children experience problems with reading comprehension. Some children struggle with word reading, which can lead to a bottleneck in the processing resources required for text comprehension. Other children develop good word reading skills, but have weaknesses in the discourse-level skills that support meaning construction. In this session, we will consider what it means to be a good comprehender and examine different verbal and visual strategies that have been shown to support and improve the reading (and listening) comprehension of poor readers. The session will focus on strategies that have been used with children between 7 and 11 years of age and will be of interest to classroom teachers, reading coaches and SLPs.
Target Audience: Grades 1-6 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administration |
Keys to Effective Literacy Interventions for English Language Learners
Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan
In this session participants will learn the necessary components of effective literacy interventions for English language learners. Results of intervention studies in Spanish and English will be discussed. Key strategies for successful outcomes will be modeled and practiced.
Target Audience: PreK-6 Teachers, Special Education, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists |
Growing Up Illiterate: The Stories of Two Lifelong Learners Who Persevered and Learned to Read as Adults
David Clemons and Sandra Johnson
David Clemons and Sandra Johnson are two remarkable people who learned to read as adults. David was 47 when he learned to read and Sandra was 28. These two inspiring people share their stories of going to school, coping in the workplace, hiding their secret from friends and family, and other difficulties that we who are readers can’t imagine. They also share how they learned to read as adults and what it was that opened the door to literacy for them. Teachers will be inspired anew to teach every student to read, no matter what the student’s age.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists |
What Does it Mean to Know a Word?
Mary E. Dahlgren
Teaching the linguistic levels of word knowledge includes morphemes, syllables, graphemes, letters and phonemes that are all necessary to have a deep understanding of words. Reading and spelling are mediated by phonological awareness of words and a specialized memory for orthographic patterns. In order to integrate the knowledge of words into the lexicon, the development of flexible semantic fields and an awareness of polysemous words are key to storage of new words. This session will go into the details of the linguistic levels of words and discuss how to teach words in depth using practical instruction. Teachers will leave the session with ideas for explicit and implicit vocabulary instruction that can be used across all content areas.
Target Audience: K -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists |
A New Look at Learning Disabilities
G. Emerson Dickman
Learning Disabilities is a field in need of rules to guide understanding, research, and practice. The current debate as to what is meant by the term “Learning Disability” stands in the way of progress in the field. A generally recognized consensus for understanding learning disabilities would provide an indisputable foundation for the bridge from research to practice. Without a working definition, the Tower of Babel in the field of learning disabilities will continue to exist and meaningful communications and progress will continue to be problematic.
Target Audience: K -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administration |
You’ve Got to Know Stuff to Learn Stuff: Background Knowledge That Unlocks Comprehension
Judi Dodson
Do you work with children who have limited vocabulary and background knowledge? Have you struggled with meaningful ways to fill in these gaps that interfere with comprehension in the classroom? This session will explore the importance of background knowledge as a key foundational building block of oral and reading comprehension. We will examine research about the role of vocabulary and background knowledge in the development of comprehension. Come and learn active and engaging approaches to building background knowledge with your students.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administration
The Talking Classroom: Embracing Your Students with Words
Judi Dodson
Do your students have weak oral language skills and difficulty with reading comprehension? During this session you will learn and practice simple, engaging and interactive activities designed to emphasize attention and engagement, active listening and speaking and which can support the development of vocabulary, background knowledge and oral language development within the classroom setting. Come and have fun while we talk and discover together ways to help our children develop their abilities in the area of oral language.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administration
Reading Triage for Grades K-8: Build Your Literacy Intervention Toolkit
Judi Dodson
Bring Response to Intervention (RtI) into K-8 classrooms. In this session, participants will learn and practice evidence-based multisensory activities that develop and reinforce reading skills. The activities use simple, inexpensive materials that can be used to construct a Reading Triage Intervention Kit. Participants will also learn the components of a Reading Triage Lesson Plan to enhance literacy learning within a 30-45 minute intervention block, and how to apply the activities to the different aspects of the Reading Triage lesson plan. The activities emphasize advanced decoding through morphological analysis leading to enhanced reading and vocabulary skills.
Target Audience: K-8 teachers, special eduction teachers, reading coaches, reading interventionists, leadership/administrators
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Planning for Small Group Instruction Is Not Rocket Science, But…
Adrienne Dowden
Planning for small group instruction is not rocket science, but it does require some planning. This session addresses the critical role of focusing on intellectual performance and students' strengths using high quality engaging evidence-based activities in small group. Participants will learn how to effectively use strategies for differentiating evidenced based small group practice activities for centers. They will practice creating and sharing differentiated assignments and will be shown how they can easily grade all students’ assignments on any given topic using one common rubric. Participants will leave with ideas they can easily adapt and use in their own classes.
Target Audience: K – 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
Best Practices that Develop ELA Skills for PreK-Grade 2 Students
Adrienne Dowden and Vicki Gibson
Learning to speak, read and write begins with word knowledge and listening comprehension that is taught and practiced in respectful, collaborative communication supported by instruction, modeling, and guided practice. This session includes interactive pre-literacy and early reading activities in English, Spanish and American Sign Language that help students develop vocabularies, listening and oral language, reading, and writing. Participants will learn how to (1) introduce new words and enhance vocabulary development in English, Spanish and American Sign Language; (2) teach students to listen and follow directions; (3) engage students in productive practice activities; and (4) teach students to identify story parts and retell a story. Numerous evidenced-based suggestions will be modeled for teaching phonological awareness, language and written expression. Teachers can use these methods for teaching students how to express their ideas in collaborative conversations, how to relate personal experiences and ask questions that improve comprehension, and how to write in response to text in ways that are learner-friendly and successful.
Target Audience: PreK – Grade 2 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Measuring Word-Learning Aptitude in Grades 2-4: Tapping into Morphological, Syntactic, and Contextual Awareness
Susan M. Ebbers
In order to differentiate vocabulary instruction, it is important to understand how students process new words. The experimental test wordPLAY was designed for this purpose. In the first half of the session, we will explore the design of wordPLAY: the construct, the construct map, the test items, the scoring rubric, and the measurement model. In the second half of the session, we will consider the results—how students in grades 2-4 responded to the items. Finally, we will discuss the implications of the findings, and next steps.
Target Audience: Grades 1-4 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists
Metalinguistic Awareness and Interest: Key Variables in Vocabulary Growth
Susan M. Ebbers
Research suggests that students with higher levels of metalinguistic awareness are more apt to comprehend words, phrases, and passages. Research also suggests a relationship between interest, self-efficacy, and learning. In this session, we explore strategies for helping students become more knowledgeable, more interested, and more aware of various aspects of vocabulary, thus developing word consciousness. Word consciousness is one of the four components of a comprehensive instructional plan for vocabulary. We focus also on morphological awareness--insight and knowledge regarding word formation, especially through affixes and roots. In addition, we examine applicable Common Core State Standards.
Target Audience: Grade 2-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Decodable and Leveled Readers: Using Them Appropriately
Linda Farrell
Teachers use both leveled and decodable readers for beginning reading instruction. These two types of readers are based on different instructional philosophies that are sometimes at cross-purposes. In this session, participants will learn the specific differences between the two types of readers and how to use each effectively for beginning reading instruction. Examples of leveled readers and decodable readers will be examined and compared. Participants will see a demonstration of how to use each type of reader so beginning readers develop accurate, fluent decoding and build vocabulary and background knowledge necessary for reading comprehension. Target Audience: Pre-K – 5 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
Spelling Instruction that Sticks
Linda Farrell
Spelling is often taught by giving students a list of words to study at the beginning of the week, having them complete a few activities during the week with the words, and then giving a test at the end of the week. While this works for some students, other students consistently fail to master the spelling of words on the weekly list, and their failure to grasp basic spelling principles is evident in their writing. Effective spelling instruction starts with matching sounds to letters and moves to understanding morphology. Effective spelling instruction also explicitly teaches spelling patterns, and not necessarily spelling rules. Students who are not natural spellers need instruction that specifically teaches pronunciation of the word, ties spelling to the pronunciation, and that focuses on meaningful word parts when appropriate. Students with poor memory for spelling need a way to strengthen their visual memory for spelling patterns and for irregularly spelled words. This session provides teachers with ways to create or modify spelling lists for maximum effectiveness. It also includes focused activities and practice that lead to accurate spelling not only on Friday’s spelling test and but also in students’ written assignments.
Target Audience: K – 5 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Supporting Students with Autism in the Regular Classroom: Elements for Literacy
Janie Feinberg, Natalie Beach and David Whiting
In this session, participants will become familiarized with the core elements of a successful model for preparing and supporting regular classroom teachers who are struggling to meet the needs of mainstreamed students on the Autism Spectrum. Practical strategies for immediate application will be described through explanation, discussion, and the interactive development of an individualized action plan to ensure effective application. Methods used in a district in Tennessee that won national recognition for their support of students with autism will be described. Participants will take home an outline that will serve as an action plan for applying several of these strategies right away.
Target Audience: Special Education Teachers, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Conceptual models of LD and their Influence on Identification and Intervention
Jack M. Fletcher
How children with learning disabilities are identified and treated reflects implicit conceptual hypotheses about the nature of LD. Previous models have been based on neurological conceptions, different versions of cognitive discrepancy, and, most recently, instructional models such as Response to Intervention (RtI). This presentation discusses the evolution of these models over the past century and the evidence in support of each model. It concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of instructional models of LD as represented in RtI service delivery systems.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Motion Leadership II
Michael Fullan
New ideas for leadership that 'cause' positive movement in improving student achievement will be discussed. This session builds on the highly successful original 'Motion Leadership' with new ideas and insights for effective leadership. The insights are based on new case study examples of success.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Reading Coaches, Leadership/Administrators |
Essential Skills for Teaching: Management and Monitoring
Vicki Gibson
Research and evidence-based practices have established what works to improve instructional effectiveness and student achievement. We know what we should be doing. But significantly improving how we teach and how students participate has been challenged due to inconsistent and ineffective management skills in classrooms. This session offers eight tools that you can afford and use immediately to improve teacher and student outcomes. The tools are proven to be effective in classrooms regardless of grade level or content area. They simplify paper and time management, flexible grouping, and behavioral management. The structure supports differentiating teaching and practice, collaboration, and self-regulation. This session will help administrators establish consistency across classrooms and school districts. Coaches and teachers will learn how to establish practical routines and procedures for managing whole class and small group activities, collaboration, and peer tutoring. Teachers will discover the joy and importance of working with students daily in small groups, providing high quality instruction that is explicit to student needs.
Target Audience: Pre-K – 4 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administrators
Collaboration, Respectful Communication and the CCSS
Vicki Gibson
The Common Core State Standards’ strands for Speaking, Listening and Language include expectations for students to participate in “a range of collaborations and conversations” using good grammar and complete sentences to express ideas based on evidence from a speaker’s point of view or from reading more complex text. Students will need multiple practice opportunities to develop skills for analyzing, synthesizing and sharing information collaboratively in spoken and written English. This session includes suggestions for teaching responsible student talk and teacher talk to develop interpersonal skills for speaking and listening, using appropriate word choices in conversations, and offering choices to encourage self-regulation when communicating and collaborating with peers.
Target Audience: Pre-K –12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
The Changing Face of Autism: New Data and New Ideas and the Autism Spectrum Rating Scales
Sam Goldstein
In this presentation, Sam Goldstein, co-author of the Autism Spectrum Rating Scales (ASRS), will provide an overview of historical and current definitions of Autism Spectrum Disorders, discuss the core social learning problems that comprise these conditions, review symptom presentation at different ages, and review the current diagnostic protocol. The presentation will include a discussion of data from the largest epidemiological/standardization sample completed thus far comparing children with Autism Spectrum Disorders to those with other developmental problems and to a large normative sample. These data as well as data from other research sources demonstrate a changing pattern of core symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Current information will be provided concerning the most widely used and well-developed instruments to diagnose Autism and Asperger’s Disorders and to complete a thorough assessment of typically occurring comorbid problems. Emphasis will be placed on the ASRS, the first nationally standardized, norm-referenced instrument designed to identify symptoms, behaviors, and associated features of Autism Spectrum Disorders in individuals age 2 through 18. The presentation will conclude with a brief review of current treatment modalities and future challenges.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Reading FAST or Reading Well? Reexamining the Role of Fluency Assessments
Jan Hasbrouck
The reliability and validity of assessments using timed samples of students’ oral reading has been established in multiple studies over the last 25 years. These measures – often referred to as oral reading fluency or ORF assessments – are being widely used in schools to help professional educators (a) identify students who may need some additional academic assistance, and (b) monitor the progress of students once instruction has begun. There is a growing concern that these assessments are encouraging teachers to push students to simply read as fast as they can, thus divorcing reading fluency from comprehension. This session examines this issue and reflects on “best practice” in using and interpreting fluency-based assessments.
Target Audience: K -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Leadership/Administrators |
It’s Sentence Comprehension Workout Time!
Nancy Hennessey
Struggling readers often do not have the “good sentence ears” and “good sentence eyes” that skilled readers use for reading comprehension. As students construct a coherent representation of text, they must work at the surface level, using the syntactic structures within individual sentences, to decipher the meaning and to facilitate the integration of information gleaned from different sentences. This understanding is critical to constructing meaning. Get ready for a comprehensive sentence comprehension workout, including grammarcise, sentence reflexology and cohesive tie conditioning that will strengthen skills and build reading comprehension.
Target Audience: K -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
Boost Your Dyslexia IQ: The Antidote To Dysteachia
Nancy Hennessy and G. Emerson Dickman
What is dyslexia? What should an informed educator know and be able to do? This session will explore what we have learned about dyslexia and the competencies necessary for expert teaching. A discussion of the dyslexia construct, within the context of the scientific definition of Dyslexia adopted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of NIH in 2002, will bring the participants into intellectual alignment as to an understanding of the problem, the challenges posed, and the knowledge necessary to make a difference.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Inspiring Preschoolers to Become Readers and Writers
Cate Heroman
If we want children to become readers and writers, we must give them something to read and write about! In this session, participants will learn creative and innovative ways to plan and organize a language- and literacy-rich learning environment in these preschool interest areas---Blocks, Dramatic Play, Toys and Games, Library, Art, Discovery, Sand & Water, Music & Movement, Cooking, Computers, and Outdoors. Participants will examine what it means to be an intentional teacher throughout the day in a language and literacy-rich environment using seven research-based teaching strategies: talking, singing, and playing with language; reading aloud; storytelling; story retelling; writing; supporting children’s literacy learning through play; and using studies to promote literacy.
Target Audience: Pre K Teachers, Leadership/Administrators |
Improving Adolescent Literacy
Debbie Hunsaker
In this session, participants will learn specific strategies for classroom teachers and specialists to use to increase the literacy achievement for adolescent learners. The strategies will help teachers support students in gaining more from their reading tasks, improve their motivation for and engagement in the learning process, and assist struggling readers who may need intensive and individualized attention. Participants will leave with Routine Cards for many of the strategies, and instructions for downloading resources from the Montana Instructional Innovations Website that they can readily use in their schools and classrooms. These resources include professional development modules, mini professional development lessons, and classroom connections, which are specially designed for quick and easy implementation into classrooms.
Target Audience: Grade 4-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
A New Approach to Teaching High Frequency Words
Michael Hunter
High frequency words are traditionally taught separately from phonics. They are introduced to students in the order of their frequency, or sometimes grouped by subject (e.g., colors, numbers). While this approach may work for many students, struggling readers often have difficulty reading and spelling high frequency words such as saw, was, where, and were. In this session participants will learn to organize and teach the words in any high frequency list (e.g., Dolch, Fry) using a phonics-based instructional sequence, including techniques for teaching students to read and spell the 50 or so high frequency words that do not fit into phonics instruction because of their irregular spellings. Teachers who have used this approach to teaching high frequency words say that all students, not just struggling readers, read and spell high frequency words with much greater accuracy than when using the traditional approach. Target Audience: K-5 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Interventionists, Reading Coaches, Leadership/Administrators
Effective Vocabulary Instruction: Throw Out the Dictionary!
Michael Hunter
Virtually all vocabulary experts agree that using the dictionary to teach word meanings is ineffective. If that is the case, then what does work? Learn explicit, multi-sensory instructional approaches to introduce vocabulary words and to cement understanding. The methods used in this session are based on recent research by Ehri & Rosenthal (2007), and they tie pronunciation, spelling, and meaning together in a way that engages students of any age. Participants will receive templates for student-created definitions and they will practice creating their own definitions. The techniques presented in this session are effective with native English speakers and English Language Learners. These methods work because they connect speech, print, and meaning—all without a dictionary.
Target Audience: K-12 Reading and ELA Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Going Beyond “Covering” the Lesson to Purposely Planning Core Instruction
Jill Jackson
We know that expert program implementation does not sacrifice student engagement, nor does fidelity to the program equal boring and monotonous. This session will support literacy educators in linking the art and science of teaching students to read by utilizing the before/during/after the lesson planning tools and resources. These resources will help teachers bridge the gap in background knowledge between what the program expect students to know and what they actually know, support teachers in choosing which words to tell and which to teach, look at how to chunk the instruction so that they can increase the intensity of the lesson and how to use important engagement tools and reading strategies to boost the amount of student practice throughout any core program.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
Literacy Leadership in the Age of Accountability
Jill Jackson
The technical ability of the literacy leader sets the stage for the quality of teaching in the classrooms. In this session we will focus on four big ideas: (1) establishing the “non-negotiables” of program implementation that guide the professional discussions and actions, (2) creating “coaching trios” that link the focus areas of the school directly into the coach’s work with teachers, (3) creating benchmark goals across each school year for the important tasks that support program implementation, and (4) focusing observations and debriefings on the most important instructional tasks in every classroom.
Target Audience: Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians |
Implementing the Common Core State Standards: What Teachers Need To Know About Argument and Evidence
Michael L. Kamil
This session will focus on the knowledge that teachers need to have to be successful in implementing the Common Core State Standards, with a focus on reading in science. Differences between teaching students to read literature and teaching students to read science will be used to illustrate this knowledge. Instructional methods that are consistent with the goals of the Common Core will be discussed.
Target Audience: K -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Leadership/Administrators |
Literacy: Exciting Times in Louisiana
Kerry Laster
This session is designed to provide an overview of literacy initiatives being implemented by Louisiana districts and charters. These will include all programmatic activities supported by the LA Department of Education’s Literacy Goal Office. An update on the critical literacy goals for the state will be presented. (Louisiana is one of six states that was awarded a Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy grant by the US Department of Education.)
Target Audience: Pre-K –12 Reading and ELA Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Comprehensive Policy Frameworks that Impact Student Achievement
G. Reid Lyon, Steve Kukic, Debora Scheffel
A child who can read proficiently by the end of third grade has a greater chance of long-term success in school and life than a child who fails to reach proficiency by the end of third grade. More students who are prepared for college and career mean more prosperous businesses and communities and a greater quality of life for our nation’s citizenry. A number of states are leading the way to develop and implement comprehensive policy frameworks to ensure their students read at grade level. This session will address strategies that can help us bring greater focus to the importance of early literacy achievement and associated leverage points that can move the dial on closing achievement gaps and raising literacy achievement for all students. These include teacher quality, professional development, research-based literacy instruction, assessment of student progress, and student support. Learn from national experts about the importance of early literacy and the role of public policy in ensuring that all children read at grade level.
Target Audience: Pre-K 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Hooking Boys, Including Struggling Male Readers, on Books!
Nancy Manuel
The purpose of this session is to help teachers and parents discover entry point books that meet boys’ personal standards and keep them engaged. This presentation will acquaint participants on what international research states, recommendations to maintain school reading success for struggling male readers, tips on how to hook boys on books, male reading preferences, and conclusions on instructional decision making.
Target Audience: Pre-K –12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists |
Planning Engaging, Successful Writing Lessons for Less Skilled Writers (Grades 1-5)
Louisa Moats
Building on the content of the keynote, we will consider the requirements of the three types of discourse emphasized in the Common Core State Standards. Then, using great art works as prompts, we will work together to plan engaging, but well scaffolded, lessons in writing that accommodate the needs of less skilled writers.
Target Audience: K-5 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
Inclusion or Dumping? The Facts about Including Students with Disabilities in General Education
Robert Pasternack
While we have seen large increases in the percentage of times students with disabilities (swds) are spending in general education classes, the academic achievement of these students have not improved significantly. Many general education teachers are ill prepared to accommodate the needs of swds when they are placed in general education classrooms. Where these students are educated is one issue; providing appropriate instruction in literacy is something very different. This session will focus on Inclusion and its positive and negative attributes. The difference between “dumping” and real Inclusion across the country will be reviewed with specific strategies to promote inclusion presented. The IDEA requirements about providing swds access to the general education curriculum, participation in that curriculum, making progress in that curriculum, and inclusion as it relates to the Common Core State Standards will be discussed. Finally, we will discuss a new conceptual approach to Inclusion…from Least Restrictive Environment to Least Services Necessary.
Target Audience: Pre-K –12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Leadership/Administrators |
Building Blocks of the Alphabetic Principle: Research Supporting Letter Name to Letter Sound Knowledge
Lucy Hart Paulson
Learning about the letters of the alphabet is undoubtedly an important aspect of a young child’s early literacy development. Many questions exist about how the letters should be taught. Is there a specific order? Are both names and sounds important? Should you focus on names or sounds first? What about upper and lower case? This presentation will describe the recent research in alphabet knowledge about what children typically learn, what characteristics of letters are helpful in their learning, and evidence-based practice in designing instructional activities to best support their learning. Early childhood educators will leave this session with a deeper understanding of our own alphabet along with specific strategies for making their teaching playful, fun and engaging, as well as intentional and effective in developing the early literacy skills that lead to early reading for the children in our care.
Target Audience: Early Childhood Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Interventionists, Speech and Language Pathologists
From Scribbles to Print: The Writing Process in Early Literacy
Lucy Hart Paulson
Many of us have experienced a young child showing us a scribbled note with the request of “What does this say?” Assessing children’s writing abilities provides an excellent window into their literacy development in letter knowledge, understanding of how print works, and phonologic sensitivity. This presentation will describe the research results in the area of print knowledge and an instructional strategy to help young children learn to become writers, beginning with scribbles to print.
Target Audience: Early Childhood Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Interventionists, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Cross-Content Literacy: A Culture Changer
Mel Riddile
The adoption of the Common Core State Standards means that all schools must implement school wide, cross-content literacy initiatives. Under the new standards, text complexity will increase dramatically and students will be required to read like detectives and write like investigative reporters in every subject area. That means that every staff member across all content areas now has an important role to play in literacy instruction. What that really means is that schools must push the reset button and take on a new challenge, one that is far more arduous than anything that we have ever attempted – the challenge of college and career-readiness for all students. At present, most schools lack the capacity to deliver these new standards. What should schools be doing to prepare? What is the best way to build staff capacity to deliver literacy instruction?
Target Audience: K –12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
How Early is TOO Early for Early Literacy?
Libbie Sonnier-Netto
It is never too early! This interactive session promises to be thought-provoking and sure to motivate educators and administrators to facilitate engagement of what research shares with us about early literacy development. Session participants will acquire positive perspectives on literacy development and ways to work with children and families of all abilities as it relates to child access, participation, and supports. Participants will leave able to discuss ways to implement early literacy practices in early childhood settings based on research and best practices in early childhood care and education.
Target Audience: Early Childhood Classroom Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Keys to Unlocking the Alphabetic Code: Connecting the Teaching of Skills with the Joy of Learning
Laura Stewart
The path to building a reading brain for decoding words and achieving reading fluency is not a smooth and straight one for all children. While many children are on their way to becoming competent readers by the end of first grade, teachers must be prepared to meet the needs of all children, regardless of their level of preparedness. Research is clear: beginning readers need explicit instruction and appropriate application of the alphabetic code in an environment that promotes enthusiasm and motivation for learning to read. In this session, participants will explore practical strategies for five research-based principles of reading instruction: (1) a strong language foundation, (2) explicit instruction and application, (3) multi-modal immersion, (4) language arts integration, and (5) motivation.
Target Audience: Pre-K –2 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators
Non-Fiction Literature and the Common Core: Learning to Read WHILE Reading to Learn
Laura Stewart
This session addresses the unique needs of K-2 readers as they learn and apply their emerging skills to nonfiction. Including informational texts in primary classrooms allows children, including those from varying socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds, to experience broad language growth. Further, the Common Core Standards encourage teachers to find ways to include informational texts regularly and authentically within the primary grade curriculum. Educators charged with the responsibility for teaching our youngest learners how to read must also consider the kinds of nonfiction materials young children need, and how to effectively use those materials to further all young children's reading interests, skills, and abilities. Participants will experience a lesson using a primary nonfiction magazine, and consider how to use this lesson template to meet the unique needs of emergent readers as they navigate informational text.
Target Audience: K – 2 Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Special Education Teachers, Leadership/Administrators |
A Neuroscience Approach to Differentiating Instruction and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Alice Thomas
Every day, teachers are faced with how to differentiate instruction for the diverse learners in their classrooms. In this session, participants will learn how neuroscience guides us to more effectively reach and teach all students. Information about the neurodevelopmental processes that underlie learning – including attention, working memory and higher order thinking – will be examined. Teachers will leave with a bevy of strategies and tactics that can be readily applied in the classroom. Participants will also see how these strategies and tactics apply across the UDL framework.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Special Education Teachers, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists
Adolescent Literacy Strategies for All Disciplines and Throughout the Day
Alice Thomas
Every teacher of grades 4 – 12 can help to increase the reading skills of adolescents by harnessing a user-friendly set of literacy strategies that adapt to all disciplines. In this interactive session, participants will gain seven straightforward ways to increase the literacy skills of struggling readers and boost the skills of average readers. Participants will leave with strategies and tactics they can readily use in their classrooms throughout the day and that they can confidently teach their colleagues, too.
Target Audience: Grade 4 – 12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators |
It’s Never Too Late: A Model High School Remediation Program
Carol Tolman
Love a challenge? Looking to close the gap for older, poor readers? While high school students who are poor readers and spellers present specific challenges, proper diagnostics coupled with purposeful, systematic, intensive remedial courses allow significant skill gains. In this presentation, Carol will outline specific details about an innovative, exemplary remedial reading model created within a large public high school. Daily, credited classes that address a variety of needs based on reading disability subtypes will be described. Participants will leave knowing that teaching reading is not just possible, but very doable for teachers of older poor readers.
Target Audience: Grade 9-12 teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administrators, School Psychologists, Educational Diagnosticians |
Teaching All Students to Read Well: Is It Really Possible?
Joseph Torgesen
The most serious challenge to overcome in the quest to teach all students to read well by the end of third grade is the diversity among students in their talent and preparation for learning to read. In this session, Joe will present information about the most important kinds of diversity among students when they enter school that affect their ability to learn to read. He also will provide specific information about methods being used in successful schools to meet all students’ instructional needs, and describe the organizational and instructional strategies for providing differentiated instruction at the classroom and school level.
Target Audience: K-3 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administration |
Look Who’s Talking! Promoting Oral Language Development in the Classroom
Anne Whitney
This session discusses the imbalance of teacher talk vs. student talk in typical classrooms. The need for oral language development is often hampered by teaching styles and methods. Strategies and tactics are provided for increasing the amount and quality of student oral language expression.
Target Audience: K -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administrators
Oral Language Foundations for Adolescent Literacy
Anne Whitney
This presentation discusses oral language development of adolescent learners. Distinctions are made between conversational language and academic language. Techniques for improving adolescent language skills through an updated version of Bloom’s Taxonomy are included.
Target Audience: Grades 6 -12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Leadership/Administrators |
What’s Wrong With Reading Comprehension Strategies?
Daniel Willingham
Considerable time and effort go into the teaching of reading comprehension strategies. I will argue that the effectiveness of these strategies is both oversold and undersold - undersold in that most studies probably underestimate their impact, and oversold in that there is an assumption that reading strategies (like most skills) do not have a limit to their effectiveness. I will argue that they do, and that comprehension strategies are probably not worthy of practice, and may not represent the way that teachers really want children to read.
Target Audience: Pre-K –12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Speech and Language Pathologists |
Roundtable Discussion with Maryanne Wolf
Maryanne Wolf
Here is your chance to dialogue face-to-face with Maryanne Wolf and ask her any questions you may have. You won’t want to miss it!
Target Audience: Pre-K – 6 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Reading Coaches, Reading Interventionists, Leadership/Administration |
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Plain Talk About Reading Institute
