Literacy and Reading Recovery Workshops

Literacy for All Conference 2012

• Schedule and all 100+ Workshop Session Descriptions
• Conference Registration Information

Attending Reading Recovery workshops? Please bring these books:

• An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement
• Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals, Part One and Part Two

Sunday, November 4, 2012 -- Pre-Conference Workshop Descriptions

11:00 am–4:00 pm

(Lunch break: 1:00 pm–2:00 pm)

PreK–8 Literacy Pre-Conference Workshops

PC-1 – Featured Session
Teaching with Intentionality: Effective Minilessons in Writing Workshop (Grades K–3)
Terri Beeler, Literacy Consultant and Founder, ConnectandReflect.com
The effective teaching of writing is something that scares many of us. We will take the writing minilesson apart and put it back together so that it takes away the fear for you and is effective and engaging for young writers. Through classroom videos and interactive activities and discussions, we will examine a framework for the lesson based on assessment, setting a clear focus, balancing the 4 kinds of minilessons, using explicit language, using literature within the lesson, and keeping it "mini." You will leave with ideas for making your teaching of writing more intentional and more effective. This workshop is geared for teachers already implementing writing workshop, or are familiar with the components of writing workshop, and who want minilessons to become more effective in supporting young writers.

PC-2 – Featured Session
Accelerate Learning: Engaging the Rest of the Class During Small Group Instruction with The Daily 5 (Grades K–3)
Gail Boushey, Literacy Coach and Author, WA
Joan Moser, K–2 Classroom Teacher and Author, WA
Do you love teaching but feel exhausted from the energy you expend cajoling, disciplining, and directing students on a daily basis? If so, you'll want to join "The 2 Sisters," Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, for this lively and informative session. Gail and Joan will focus on The Daily 5, an elegantly simple structure based on literacy learning and motivation research designed to develop, support, accelerate, and motivate students to be engaged for long periods of time in the act of reading. The Daily 5 is a series of research-based literacy tasks which students complete daily while allowing the teacher time to confer with individuals and meet with small groups. Gail and Joan will explain the philosophy behind the structure, and will teach you how to carefully and systematically teach your students to build stamina and independence in The Daily 5 or any activity. The Daily 5 is more than a management system or a curriculum framework–it is a structure that helps students develop the habits that lead to a lifetime of independent literacy.

PC-3 – Featured Session
Teaching Students to Write Persuasively (Grades 3–8)
Karen Caine, Independent Writing Consultant, NJ
The goal of our time together is to help you feel more knowledgeable, connected to, and inspired to teach persuasive writing. You will learn how to help students find and develop their persuasive pieces, and how to use a mentor author to look at possibilities for structure, language, voice, and other elements of craft. You will leave this workshop with the knowledge and resources to implement a strong persuasive writing unit that exceeds what students are asked to do in the Common Core State Standards. This workshop is suited for those who already have a writing workshop in their classroom and want to know more about teaching students how to write persuasively using a writing process approach to instruction.

PC-4 – Featured Session
The Language of Coaching: Helping Teachers Analyze Their Effectiveness (Grades PreK–8)
Irene Fountas, Author and Director, Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative, Lesley University, MA
Diane Powell, Assistant Director, Primary Literacy Collaborative, Lesley University, MA
Prepare to dig into the complexities of your coaching and the power of your language in opening conversation and promoting teacher reflection on student learning. Following observations of teaching, you will work with colleagues to identify coaching priorities using The Continuum of Literacy Learning and engage in role playing the use of language that promotes teacher self-analysis and independence in using guided reading and interactive read-aloud. Instead of fixing lessons, you will leave this workshop thinking about how to promote continuous improvement in teacher effectiveness in a sensitive and respectful manner. The Continuum of Literacy Learning, PreK–8: A Guide to Teaching (Heinemann, 2010) is required for this session. Copies will not be available in the session, so please bring a copy of the book to the workshop. If you own an earlier edition of The Continuum, you may use it in this workshop.

PC-5 – Featured Session
Teaching Science and Social Studies with Nonfiction Literature: Developing Disciplinary Literacy (Grades 4–7)
Myra Zarnowski, Professor, Queens College, City University of New York
Teachers in the intermediate grades can help children learn content and build disciplinary literacy by showing them how to read, write, and think like scientists and historians. This presentation shows how to use outstanding nonfiction–especially books that highlight an author's process of inquiring and thinking about a topic or problem–to support young learners as they engage in content area learning. Myra will highlight how several elements come together to promote disciplinary literacy, such as outstanding nonfiction dealing with science and social studies; a focus on inquiry; learning and using academic vocabulary; reading, writing, and speaking for authentic reasons; and hands-on activities that engage children. Myra will share examples of investigations in science and social studies, and provide handouts of materials that are useful for focusing your teaching on using language and literature to learn. This workshop is suitable for teachers, literacy coaches, administrators, and librarians.

PC-6
Guided Reading in the Intermediate and Middle School Grades: Using Our Time and Language Effectively to Support Readers (Grades 3–8)
Jill Eurich, Assistant Director, Intermediate and Middle Literacy Collaborative, Lesley University, MA
Kerry Crosby, Literacy Consultant, MA
This workshop will provide an in-depth look at guided reading in the intermediate and middle school grades to help you expand your understanding of how to help readers grow in sophistication through small group instruction. We will re-envision the systems of strategic actions to understand their interconnectedness and application in more complex ways. Student work and videos will provide opportunities for us to discuss our new understandings as they apply to real readers. We will also spend time looking at texts, going beyond text analysis and thinking about the meaning of texts in ways that will impact how you choose to introduce them. We will spend the latter half of the session looking at text introductions and discussions during guided reading lessons, and think about how to use our language to develop and cultivate more complex thinking from our students. We will also talk briefly about the logistics of guided reading in the intermediate and middle school grades, including how to introduce longer texts over time, how to meet frequently with readers who struggle, and how to keep up with the reading. This workshop is geared for classroom teachers, reading specialists, and literacy coaches in grades 3–8. Participants should have a strong understanding of the structure of a guided reading lesson, the characteristics of texts, text analysis, and how to analyze running/reading records. Fountas and Pinnell's The Continuum of Literacy Learning, PreK–8: A Guide to Teaching (Heinemann, 2010) is required. If you have an earlier version of The Continuum, you may use it in this workshop. The Fountas & Pinnell Prompting Guide, Part 2 for Comprehension (Heinemann, 2012) is highly recommended, though not required.

Reading Recovery Pre-Conference Workshop

PC-7 – Featured Session
Refresh and Refocus with Running Records
Betsy Kaye, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, Little Rock School District, AR, and Trainer Emeritus, Texas Woman's University
Taking and analyzing running records helps us renew the learning focus for each student, but sometimes we get into a rut and find it difficult to think beyond meaning, structure, and visual information. This interactive session will challenge you to look more deeply at students' reading behaviors and plan teaching across the lesson activities that will impact acceleration. This workshop is suitable for those teaching Reading Recovery, including Reading Recovery teachers-in-training. Please come to this session with the book, An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (Clay, 2007).

Monday, November 5, 2012 -- Workshop Descriptions

For Session A, you may attend one of these options:

• Keynote A with Tony Stead (8:30 am–10:00 am)
• Breakout Session A with Michael Ford (8:30 am–10:00 am)
• In-depth Session A with "The 2 Sisters" (8:30 am–11:45 am)
• If you attend the In-depth Session A, you will not attend a Session B at 10:30 am, but will then select a Session C at 1:30 pm.

Session A | 8:30 am–10:00 am

Session A Keynote
Strategies for Success in Reading and Writing Nonfiction: Guiding Learners to Higher Levels of Achievement (Grades K–6)
Tony Stead, International Literacy Consultant and Author
Nonfiction constitutes much of adult reading and writing, and is an integral component of both the literacies in today's society, and the Common Core State Standards. This session will examine wonderful ways nonfiction reading and writing can be seamlessly integrated throughout the learning day.

LCA-1 – Featured Session
Moving to Reading Workshop in the Middle School (Grades 4–8)
Michael Ford, Professor of Reading Education, The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
How can we move teachers from one-size-fits-all novel studies in middle school classrooms to the use of doable differentiated instruction through a workshop model for middle level learners? In this session, you will be actively involved in exploring a gradual transition that includes moving from whole group instruction to the use of jigsawing, then connected literature circles, and finally, a focused workshop model. We will actively involve you in examining each model with classroom-tested sample lessons. This workshop is suitable for middle level reading and language arts teachers, resource teachers, and administrators that support middle level reading and language arts teachers.

Session A In-depth | 8:30 am–11:45 am

LCA-2 In-depth – Featured Session 
Exactly How to Have Assessments Drive Instruction for Greater Student Achievement: The Literacy Café (Grades K–3)
Gail Boushey, Literacy Coach and Author, WA
Joan Moser, K–2 Teacher and Author, WA
"The 2 Sisters" welcome you to this informative session where they will introduce you to The Café–a simple way of integrating assessment into daily reading and classroom discussions that is used by thousands of teachers all over the world. The Café system, based on research into the habits of proficient readers, is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expand vocabulary. The system includes goal setting with students, posting of the goals on a whole-class board, developing individual and small-group instruction based on clusters of students with similar goals, and focusing whole-class instruction on emerging student needs. This session will also introduce you to the structure for conferring with students, the language for talking about reading development, and the system for tracking growth and fostering student independence. Repeated: In-depth LCC-9 

Session B | 10:30 am–12:00 pm

If you chose to attend a 90-minute Session A in the previous time block, you may select a Session B.

PreK–8 Literacy Conference B Sessions

LCB-1 – Featured Session
Planning Effective Book Introductions for Guided Reading, Levels A–J (Grades K–2)
Terri Beeler, Literacy Consultant and Founder, ConnectandReflect.com
Just as the box top of a puzzle provides an idea of how to go about putting the puzzle together, an effective book introduction supports readers in reading an instructional level text with a degree of success. This interactive session will explore planning and offering effective book introductions in the context of guided reading–book introductions that support children in becoming strategic readers. This session is suitable for classroom teachers, literacy coaches, reading specialists, and administrators. Having experience with guided reading, Running Records, and leveled text will be helpful.

LCB-2 – Featured Session
Study Groups and Response Groups in the Writing Workshop (Grades 3–8)
Karen Caine, Independent Writing Consultant, NJ
We know the value of getting students to work with one another in writing workshop, but teaching students how to work together in meaningful ways can be difficult. We will look at two structures in the writing workshop–study groups and response groups–and examine ways we can support students in working together so they can truly become more knowledgeable about writing and in turn, become stronger writers. You will learn about minilessons, conferring, and other kinds of support we can offer students working in these groups, and how to use quick student self-assessments to evaluate each particular group. This workshop is suitable for classroom teachers and coaches who are familiar with the structures of a writing workshop, especially conferring, and who are looking for ways to lift the level of students' writing.

LCB-3 – Featured Session
Making Space for Online Inquiry in the Primary Grades (Grades K–2)
Julie Coiro, Assistant Professor of Reading, University of Rhode Island
Children's questions are a powerful vehicle to literacy learning and understanding. In this session, we will explore five instructional techniques that actively engage young children in the beginning stages of inquiry using the Internet while building skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking. Julie will offer practical ideas and examples for how to implement Internet Inquiry Baskets, Mystery Photos, QuadBlogging, Directed Internet Workshop, and Digital Daily News in ways that involve children in formulating their own questions and then participating in various language and digital literacy experiences to answer them. You will walk away with access to a companion website of online resources to use as a springboard to inquiry in your classroom. This workshop is suitable for classroom teachers, computer teachers, and reading specialists.

LCB-4 – Featured Session
Moving from Many and Most to Every and All: Addressing the Challenges of Differentiation and Acceleration in Reaching All Readers in Intermediate Classrooms (Grades 4–8)
Michael Ford, Professor of Reading Education, The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
How do we help intermediate grade readers who need to make more than an academic year's worth of growth in an academic year's worth of time? We need to think about how we can get more "bang for our buck." In this session, Michael will actively involve you in exploring the dimension of acceleration as a part of our understandings of differentiated instruction. Let's look at five guidelines for addressing acceleration in school settings, integrating the use of four common instructional models for differentiated instruction. The models will be illustrated using field-tested lessons from intermediate classrooms. This workshop is suitable for intermediate grade teachers, and administrators and resource staff members that support them. Repeated: LCD-1

LCB-5 – Featured Session
Valuing Literacy Learning for All: Redefining Reading with Graphic Novels in K–2, 21st Century Classroom Settings (Grades K–2)
Katie Monnin, Assistant Professor of Literacy, University of North Florida
In what ways can the teaching of graphic novels as literacy learning tools enhance teaching literacy for all? Because we are living during the greatest communication revolution–second historically to the 15th century invention of the printing press–current literacy research is calling on educators to redefine what it means to be literate in the 21st century. For K–2 educators, this redefinition of reading is particularly critical, for they must establish the key foundational literacy learning skills for 21st century literacy learners. In this session, you will first gain historical insight into how literacy learning has evolved over time. Then, you will learn about current literacy research that drives and supports what it means to teach K–2 literacy learners in a time in history when print text literacies share the stage with more image-dominant literacies. Finally, you will learn how comics and graphic novels can help teach primary students. You will receive handouts to support, and help teach, all three talking points. This session is sponsored by Maupin House Publishing.

LCB-6 – Featured Session
Intervening with Struggling Readers in the Intermediate Grades (Grades 3–6)
Gay Su Pinnell, Author and Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University
Irene Fountas, Author, and Director, Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative, Lesley University, MA
Learn about the essential elements of an effective supplementary intervention for struggling readers, the Leveled Literacy Intervention system. In this session, you will learn about an intensive 45-minute lesson framework designed to help intermediate students achieve grade level performance.

LCB-7 – Featured Session
Meeting the Common Core State Standards in Persuasive/Argumentative Reading and Writing (Grades K–6)
Tony Stead, International Literacy Consultant and Author
The Common Core has highlighted the importance of student competency in reading and writing persuasive/argumentative texts. Explore proven strategies to assist students develop a critical perspective when they read and write. Strategies Tony will highlight include: understanding the structure and features of persuasive texts, fact versus opinion, point of view, and author bias.

LCB-8
Reading, Writing, and a Sense of Wonder: Embedding Literacy Using an Inquiry Approach (Grades PreK–K)
Megina Baker, Student Teacher Mentor and Teacher, The Early Childhood Learning Lab, Boston University
Jesse Feigenbaum, Teacher, Boston University
When children explore a topic of interest in depth and over time, opportunities to embed teaching of reading, writing, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary abound. Using video clips and artifacts from recent inquiry units (on the topics of Insects and Tools) from the preschool at Boston University (a mixed-age group of children ages two to five years old), we will explore how early childhood educators can use long-term investigations to promote and sustain literacy learning.

LCB-9
Reader's Workshop Graduates to High-tech Literature Circles (Grades 5–8)
Colette Bennett, English Department Chair, Regional School District #6, CT
Stephanie Pixley, Teacher, Regional School District #6, CT
This session will feature strategies used in the teaching of whole class novels at the middle and high school levels using a variety of 2.0 technologies, including blogs, wikis, and document sharing software. The emphasis will be on providing examples of differentiated student-centered activities that develop independence in the reader's transition from middle school to high school. High-tech literature circles provide opportunities for student accountability, group collaboration, and whole class communication.

LCB-10
Opening Doors Through Coaching: Analyzing Discourse That Impacts the Stance of Learners (Grades PreK–8)
Cindy Downend, Primary Literacy Collaborative Trainer, Lesley University, MA
Toni Czekanski, Intermediate and Middle School Literacy Collaborative Trainer, Lesley University, MA
The ways in which literacy leaders facilitate coaching conversations impacts the way teachers perceive themselves as learners. In turn, these coaching conversations may have an effect on the language that teachers use with students. In this session, we will look at coaching and teaching vignettes to identify language that promotes an open stance toward learning.

LCB-11
Picture Books to Enhance Curriculum for the Upper Elementary Student (Grades 3–6)
Carol Gordon Ekster, Author, and Retired Educator, Derry Cooperative School District, NH
You will be exposed to many picture books that you can read to your classes to coordinate with curriculum. Carol will use some of the books as models for a book-making activity that will enforce and enhance the concepts covered. Carol will show that each child in the class can make a page in a bound book. The finished product will not only teach curriculum, but will increase fluency while children read and reread their creations. Carol will share many examples and reference handouts. You will also brainstorm other book ideas you can make to support your individual curriculum.

LCB-12
Building Literacy Thru Music and Poetry: Poetry in the Preschool (Grades PreK-K)
Denise Fontaine-Pincince, Consultant, MA
You will learn how rhyme, rhythm and repetition, the poet's favorite tools, are already a vital part of your school day. Through books and interactive exercises, we will explore a variety of ways to build children's pre-reading skills while enriching your language arts curriculum.

LCB-13
Promoting School Wide Literacy Through Family Literacy Nights (Grades 1–4)
Cynthia McCleary, Reading Specialist, Lawrence Public Schools, MA
JoAnne James, Fourth Grade Teacher, Lawrence Public Schools, MA
Want to launch a dynamic Family Literacy Night program in your school? Cynthia and JoAnne can tell you how to provide students and their families with successful strategies to enrich their home reading environment through PowerPoint presentations, small group read-, and literacy-focused crafts and activities. Invite your families to an evening of fun, food, and the opportunity to obtain free books. You will leave this session with handouts and resources to get started.

LCB-14
Linking Assessment, Classroom Planning, and the Common Core (Grades K–6)
Tammy Mulligan, Staff Developer, Teachers for Teachers, MA
Clare Landrigan, Staff Developer, Teachers for Teachers, MA
The Common Core brings many new opportunities and challenges to teachers, and nowhere is that more evident than in the planning process. We will link assessment and instruction with a step-by-step process of connecting assessments and lesson planning. We will show how to use the Common Core State Standards, careful analysis of common assessment data (Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark, DIBELS, state tests), classroom assessment data (Running Records, conference notes), and the teacher's expertise to create meaningful instruction.

LCB-15
Recuperating the Art of Reading Aloud: Strategies for Reading Aloud (Grades 3–6)
Ellie Papazoglou, Adjunct Faculty, Plymouth State University NH, and Literacy Consultant, Learning through Teaching Program, University of New Hampshire
For all children, reading begins through the ears and through the eyes they continue to "hear" the rhythm and sounds of language. Ellie will present five principles to keep in one's practices of reading aloud.

Reading Recovery B Sessions | 10:30 am–12:00 pm

RRB-1 – Featured Session
Strong Skills That Block Learning
Mary Fried, Reading Recovery Trainer, The Ohio State University
Section 17, a special part of Marie Clay's Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals, Part Two, most often applies when students enter Reading Recovery at mid-year or are first grade students that repeated kindergarten. These students have had a longer time to practice and habituate specialized skills and inappropriate behaviors. We will work together to sort out procedures that Marie Clay has outlined in Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals, Part Two using student examples and video analysis.

RRB-2 – Featured Session
"What Can You Try?"
Betsy Kaye, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, Little Rock School District, AR, and Trainer Emeritus, Texas Woman's University
You will explore the complex nature and common pitfalls of teaching for strategic activity in reading. Discover how our teaching and prompting may support–or interfere with–students' progress. Repeated: RRC-1

RRB-3 – Featured Session
Discovering the Essence of Story Telling through Rich Book Introductions
Mary Rosser, Reading Recovery Trainer, University of Maine
Stories and storybooks are places where children weave together the many threads of information and experiences they draw upon to make sense of their world and to create meaning from texts. Through discussions with teachers they explore and unite with the people, places, events and language of literature. You will have the opportunity to view, analyze, and discuss video clips of child/teacher interactions, which guide students in discovering the essence of story through rich book introductions. Repeated: RRD-2

RRB-4
Learning to Self-Monitor: Errors Are Our Friends
Laurel Dickey, Teacher Leader, Collaborative for Educational Services, MA
Beginning readers need many ways to notice when they have made errors. Only by noticing their errors, can they go on to solve increasingly complex problems in their reading and writing. Their early attempts help teachers understand what they are attending to and what is being neglected. We will explore powerful ways to support our students in beginning to self-monitor early in their series of lessons, and how to continue providing support as their self-monitoring needs become more complex.

Session C | 1:30 pm–3:00 pm

Select a 90-minute Session C (1:30 pm–3:00 pm) then attend a Session D (3:30 pm–5:00 pm) or select an In-depth Session C (1:30 pm–4:45 pm, with a 15-minute break).

PreK–8 Literacy Conference C Sessions

LCC-1 – Featured Session
Responding to the Writer, Not the Writing: Skillful Conferring in Writing Workshop (Grades K–3)
Terri Beeler, Literacy Consultant and Founder, ConnectandReflect.com
Skillful conferring with children in writer's workshop is the key to addressing individual needs of writers. This session will focus on motivating writers by responding first to the writer rather than to the need to "fix" the writing. Be prepared to stretch your thinking as we explore ways to make your conferring not only more powerful but more engaging for your students. This workshop is suitable for classroom teachers and literacy coaches who have experience with implementing writing workshop.

LCC-2 – Featured Session
Nonfiction Mentor Authors (Grades 3–8)
Karen Caine, Independent Writing Consultant, NJ
With a greater emphasis on nonfiction writing, it's time to take a longer look at how to use nonfiction mentor authors in the classroom. You will be introduced to new nonfiction authors and the books they have written. We will examine how to notice the language, structure, and internal punctuation in these texts, and how to use this information to design lessons for your students. You will leave this session knowing the work of many nonfiction authors and how to use their work, and author websites, to help teach nonfiction writing. This workshop is suitable for those familiar with the concept and practices of using mentor authors in narrative writing and who are looking for more information on how to use a mentor author in informational and persuasive writing.

LCC-3 – Featured Session
Valuing Literacy Learning for All: Redefining Reading with Graphic Novels in Grade 3–6, 21st Century Classroom Settings (Grades 3–6)
Katie Monnin, Assistant Professor of Literacy, University of North Florida
In what ways can the teaching of graphic novels as literacy learning tools enhance teaching literacy for all? Because we are living during the greatest communication revolution–second historically to the 15th century invention of the printing press–current literacy research is calling on educators at all grade levels to redefine what it means to be literate in the 21st century. In this session, you will first gain historical insight into how literacy learning has evolved over time. Next, you will learn about new literacy research that drives and supports what it means to teach grade 3–6 literacy learners during a time in history when print-text literacies share the stage with more image-dominant literacies. Finally, you will learn how comics and graphic novels can help teach students in the intermediate grades. You will receive handouts to support, and help teach, all three talking points. This workshop is sponsored by Maupin House Publishing.

LCC-4
Putting Vision into Action: Lessons Learned (Grades 3–8)
Valerie Annear, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, East Longmeadow Public Schools, MA
Eileen Driscoll, Elementary Literacy Coach, East Longmeadow Public Schools, MA
Heather Brown, Middle School Literacy Coach, East Longmeadow Public Schools, MA
Leading large-scale change requires a strong commitment to a common vision. This session is designed for you to reflect on and revise your current vision for literacy instruction and learning. The presentation will focus on managing change throughout the process of developing and implementing a district-wide literacy framework. We will explore building capacity, introducing and implementing the coaching model, effective communication, and most importantly resilience!

LCC-5
Exploring Identity, Building Community: An Anti-Bias Approach to Literacy (Grades K–2)
Maggie Beneke, Head Teacher of First and Second Grade, Eliot-Pearson Children's School, Tufts University, MA
With globalization and increasing literacy standards, teachers of young children are challenged to build literate communities of diverse learners. Using photo documentation and artifacts from recent genre and author-based studies in the first and second grade at Eliot-Pearson Children's School, Maggie will share examples of how anti-bias work can be integrated into meaningful reading and writing instruction. She will also share strategies and tools for implementing literacy work that makes students' identities visible and supports conversations about fairness.

LCC-6
Helping Students Work Like Real Authors (Grades 3-8)
Rob Buyea, Author, MA
Rob will share the many insights he has made about the writing process that can impact your teaching immediately. How can you get your students to move beyond simply planning for their piece to planning for their writing on a daily basis? How important are beginnings? How can teachers help students become better at revising and rewriting? Rob will cover this and more as he provides practical suggestions to help you nurture real authors.

LCC-7
Learning about Expository Text through Interactive Writing (Grades K–2)
Patricia Leary, K–2 Literacy Coordinator, Sandwich Public Schools, MA
We will look at ways to support our youngest writers through interactive writing as a tool for inquiry. We will also look at ways of using expository writing in support of the content areas.

LCC-8
Web 2.0 Tools to Enhance Literacy in Early Elementary (Grades K-2)
Beth Lisowski, Technology Integration Coach, School District of Black River Falls, WI
In this session, you will learn how to enhance your literacy lessons and engage students using technology. Some of the tools you will learn about are: Skype, Digital Storytelling, Word Clouds, Vokis, Popplet, and more! Come and learn how to bring 21st century skills into your classroom.

Reading Recovery C Sessions | 1:30 pm–3:00 pm

RRC-1 – Featured Session
"What Can You Try?"
Betsy Kaye, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, Little Rock School District, AR, and Trainer Emeritus, Texas Woman's University
You will explore the complex nature and common pitfalls of teaching for strategic activity in reading. Discover how our teaching and prompting may support–or interfere with–students' progress. Repeated: RRB-2

RRC-2 – Featured Session
Getting Off to a Powerful Start in Our Reading Recovery Lessons
Eva Konstantellou, Reading Recovery Trainer, Lesley University, MA
The first few weeks of Reading Recovery lessons are critical for establishing patterns of independent responding on the part of the child and for reflecting on our teaching decisions as we design lessons with each student's strengths and needs in mind. We will look closely at teacher/child interactions during Roaming Around the Known lessons and early lessons after Roaming Around the Known as the teacher moves into instruction. Do we observe and foster strategic activity from the start? We will review videotaped lessons, Running Records, and lesson transcripts for evidence of powerful teaching and learning opportunities at the start of the child's Reading Recovery lessons. We will engage in close readings of Marie Clay's work in Literacy Lessons, Part One and Part Two, so please bring the texts to the session with you. This session is designed for In-Training and Field Year teachers.

Session C In-depth | 1:30 pm–4:45 pm

PreK–8 Literacy Conference In-depth C Sessions

LCC-9 In-depth – Featured Session
Exactly How to Have Assessments Drive Instruction for Greater Student Achievement: The Literacy Café (Grades K–3)
Gail Boushey, Literacy Coach and Author, WA
Joan Moser, K–2 Teacher and Author, WA
"The 2 Sisters" welcome you to this informative session where they will introduce you to The Café–a simple way of integrating assessment into daily reading and classroom discussions that is used by thousands of teachers all over the world. The Café system, based on research into the habits of proficient readers, is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expand vocabulary. The system includes goal setting with students, posting of the goals on a whole-class board, developing individual and small-group instruction based on clusters of students with similar goals, and focusing whole-class instruction on emerging student needs. This session will also introduce you to the structure for conferring with students, the language for talking about reading development, and the system for tracking growth and fostering student independence. Repeated: In-depth LCA-2

LCC-10 In-depth – Featured Session
Developing Comprehension through the Common Core: Standards, Complex Texts, Scaffolds, and Performance Tasks (Grades 3–6)
Nancy Boyles, Professor of Reading, Southern Connecticut State University
Acquire insights and practical tips you can take right back to the classroom regarding four essential components of the Common Core's comprehension standards: The standards themselves—WHAT we teach; Complex texts—What we teach WITH; Powerful scaffolding strategies—HOW we teach; and Performance tasks—How we MEASURE what we teach. Nancy will provide a handout that will include classroom-ready templates for unit design and lesson planning, rubrics, checklists, and more. This workshop is suitable for classroom teachers, reading specialists and coaches, special education teachers, administrators, and ESL teachers. This session is sponsored by Maupin House Publishing.

LCC-11 In-depth – Featured Session
Instructional Strategies for Critically Evaluating Online Information in Middle School (Grades 5–8)
Julie Coiro, Assistant Professor of Reading, University of Rhode Island
Internet technologies raise new issues about our relationship to information and new strategies are required to prepare our students for learning with the Internet. This session first highlights examples of the ways that adolescents often fail to think critically while reading online. Then, Julie pairs five challenging aspects of online reading with instructional strategies and think-aloud demonstrations that support students' ability to critically evaluate the relevancy, accuracy, reliability, and perspective of information found on the Internet. Julie will offer instructional techniques in a range of lesson templates that you can easily adapt to connect to topics and themes in your curriculum.

LCC-12 In-depth
Uniting Reading and Writing Workshop with the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) (Grades K–8)
Linda Hatfield, Director of Literacy, Middletown City Schools, NY
Doreen Saccomano, Assistant Professor of Literacy, Marist College, NY
In this workshop, you will align the reading/writing workshop and the CCLS to intensify your understanding of the key shifts and emphases in the standards by engaging in activities that will guide you through the process of writing lessons and units that focus on reading, writing, and thinking. We will explore the idea of text complexity, text-based answers, and writing from sources. Linda and Doreen will provide exemplars and templates. Please bring a copy of your state's Common Core Learning Standards to this session.

LCC-13 In-depth
Storytelling through Nature (Grades PreK–K)
Kristina Mollenhauer, Consultant, Education and Information Resources Center, NJ
Karen First, Early Childhood Teacher, The Advent School, Boston, MA
Polly Pfau, Kindergarten Teacher, The Advent School, Boston, MA
We will share ideas for sharpening the oral storytelling abilities of teachers and children by using nature as our inspiration. We will discuss the importance of oral language development to literacy learning and documentation of classroom experiences. You will learn about bringing storytelling from nature into your classrooms in these stations; building stories with Story Bags and Story Stones, the use of mentor texts for crafting nature stories, and shared reading from group nature experiences.

LCC-14 In-depth
Literacy Coaching: The Need to Deepen Our Listening Ability (Grades K–8)
Aili Pogust, Literacy Consultant, The Pogust Group, NJ
When we literacy coaches are communicating with colleagues, how do we indicate we have really heard what our colleagues have said? Eye contact and head nodding are only a part of the process. How deeply are we actually listening? You will practice three ways of listening, effective ways to paraphrase, and appropriate ways to ask questions. These communication skills can build strong coaching relationships, particularly with hesitant coaching partners.

LCC-15 In-depth
Learning to Solve Words Across the LLI Lesson: Effective and Efficient Phonics (Grades K–2)
Diane Powell, Assistant Director, Primary Literacy Collaborative, Lesley University, MA
Linda Garbus, Educational Consultant, MA
Trained Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) teachers will dig into Fountas and Pinnell's, When Readers Struggle: Teaching That Works, K–3 (Heinemann, 2009) to consider the depth and range of strategic actions necessary for readers and writers to control. "It is obvious that readers must be able to take apart words and parse sentences into grammatical units while keeping their attention on the meaning of the text. Reading and writing require proficiency in many categories of phonics learning; any of them can create gaps for children who are struggling in becoming literate...The operations related to word solving must be rapid and largely unconscious so that the reader can maintain attention to the meaning of a text" (Fountas and Pinnell, 2009). We will include hands-on experiences as we explore our role in helping LLI students take on this challenging area of learning. Please bring a copy of the required text, When Readers Struggle: Teaching That Works, K–3 to this session.

LCC-16 In-depth
Creating Nonfiction: Researching, Writing, and Revising (Grades 3–8)
Melissa Stewart, Author, MA
An award-winning children's nonfiction author will share her process for creating nonfiction writing that delights as well as informs young readers. Learn how she chooses a topic; gathers information; organizes ideas; creates clear, lively prose; and improves her writing through revision. This presentation is full of practical tips that you can take back to your classroom.

LCC-17 In-depth
Connecting Literacy and Science through Talk and Writing (Grades K–2)
Jeff Winokur, Science Education Instructor, Wheelock College, MA
Karen Worth, Science Education, Wheelock College, MA 
Martha Heller-Winokur, Literacy Coach, Teaching and Learning Alliance, MA
Teaching literacy across the content areas requires more than choosing age-appropriate nonfiction reading materials. In this session, we will examine ways that literacy and inquiry science can be mutually beneficial for K–2 students. Our particular focus will be on the role of talk and recording in deepening students' conceptual understanding in science. We will engage in a brief science experience to set the context, and share examples of classroom conversations and student written work.

Reading Recovery In-depth Session C | 1:30 pm–4:45 pm

RRC-3 In-depth – Featured Session
Key Aspects of Early Learning
Sue Duncan, Reading Recovery Trainer, Georgia State University
Critical aspects of early learning are the building blocks of later efficient processing in reading. We will explore some of the critical aspects of early learning and the teaching that is necessary. We will use video clips to enable you to discuss, analyze, and reflect. This workshop is suitable for new teachers.

Session D | 3:30 pm–5:00 pm 

If you attended the Reading Recovery Keynote with Mary Fried or a 90-minute Session F in the previous time block (10:15 am–11:45 am), you may select a Session G from 1:00 pm–2:30 pm.

PreK–8 Literacy Conference D Sessions

LCD-1 – Featured Session
Moving from Many and Most to Every and All: Addressing the Challenges of Differentiation and Acceleration in Reaching All Readers in Intermediate Classrooms (Grades 4–8)
Michael Ford, Professor of Reading Education, The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
How do we help intermediate grade readers who need to make more than an academic year's worth of growth in an academic year's worth of time? We need to think about how we can get more "bang for our buck." In this session, Michael will actively involve you in exploring the dimension of acceleration as a part of our understandings of differentiated instruction. Let's look at five guidelines for addressing acceleration in school settings, integrating the use of four common instructional models for differentiated instruction. The models will be illustrated using field-tested lessons from intermediate classrooms. This workshop is suitable for intermediate grade teachers, and administrators and resource staff members that support them. Repeated: LCB-4

LCD-2 – Featured Session
Story: How Do I Tell Thee? Let Me Count the Ways (Grades 4–8)
Brian Heinz, Children's Author and Writing Consultant, NY
Professional writers find myriad of ways to engage readers on the opening page, and to move those readers through the story in an organized framework. Using mentor texts, readings, transparencies, and diagrams, Brian reveals seven physical structures and 11 openings used by professional writers in spinning their fiction and nonfiction yarns–attributes that can be taught to and employed by students in the writing classroom.

LCD-3 – Featured Session
Designing Model Teaching Partnerships (Grades K–12)
Penny Kittle, Teacher and K–12 Literacy Coach, Conway Public Schools, NH
Reflective teaching is filled with questions. When teachers work in partnerships to plan, implement, and reflect on teaching it creates contagious energy. Drawing on her work in teaching residencies from Bangkok to Arkansas, and her 12 years as a literacy coach K-12, Penny will outline the most effective ways to lead teachers to analyze teaching and learning in classrooms from kindergarten to high school chemistry. This introductory workshop is suitable for teachers, coaches, and administrators.

LCD-4
Exploring Nonfiction: Interactive Read-Aloud as a Tool for Noticing (Grades K–2)
Laurel Burns, Literacy Coordinator, Purvis Primary School, Bermuda
Nonfiction literacy is an integral part of today's high-quality classroom. We will look at interactive read-aloud and its role in having students navigate a variety of nonfiction texts. Through careful noticing and naming, students will move toward independence in nonfiction reading.

LCD-5
Response To Intervention: How To Sustain and Keep The Process Going (Grades K–8)
Joe Cline, Educational Consultant and Retired Teacher, IN
Response To Intervention is an essential educational plan to meet the needs of all students. Your school has adopted and followed this model for two to five years, but how do you sustain the Response To Intervention process? Is Fidelity of Implementation still an important component of your model? Attend this session and learn how to continue the purity of the Response To Intervention model in your educational setting. For the success of this presentation, audience participation is expected.

LCD-6
Making Decisions to Teach K–2 Writers: Using the TCRWP Narrative Continuum (Grades K–2)
Stephanie Joyce, K­–6 Literacy Curriculum Leader, Amherst Public Schools, MA
Teachers, coaches, and administrators will build understanding of how writing develops across a continuum. They will learn how using the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Narrative Continuum supports ongoing assessment, collaborative practices for analyzing student writing, and seeing the potential for growth and next steps for a writer. Understanding writing development in this way improves targeted, differentiated instructional practices for minilessons, small group lessons, conferences, and shared writing to support writers' growth over time.

LCD-7
Exploring Cool Web 2.0 Tools to Enhance Literacy in Intermediate and Middle Grades (Grades 3–8)
Beth Lisowski, Technology Integration Coach, School District of Black River Falls, WI
This session will focus on using Web 2.0 Tools to engage students, stimulate idea creation and encourage literacy development. You will learn about Google Lit Trips, QR Codes, Skype, Kerpoof, Go Animate, and many more! Come and explore some free and simple tools that you can use in your classroom.

LCD-8
Traditional Literature: Going Beyond Once Upon a Time through Interactive Read-Aloud (Grades K–2)
Heather Rodman, Kindergarten Teacher, Middletown Public Schools, CT
Melanie Del Sole, Second Grade Teacher, Middletown Public Schools, CT
Karen Wesoloski, Second Grade Teacher, Middletown Public Schools, CT
An understanding of the key characteristics of traditional literature and its sub-genres helps to build a foundation upon which all literature stands. Using traditional literature text sets during interactive read-aloud, the presenters will take you through a variety of sub-genres, including: Trickster Tales, Wonder Tales, Fables, Pourquoi Tales, and Beast Tales. You will explore, discuss, and create text sets that can easily be incorporated into your daily interactive read-aloud sessions.

Reading Recovery D Sessions | 3:30 pm–5:00 pm

RRD-1 – Featured Session
Integrating Sources of Information and Knowledge
Mary Fried, Reading Recovery Trainer, The Ohio State University
Marie Clay's theory of "Literacy Processing" is a complex way to think about and teach reading and writing to young children. This session will focus on using Running Records and teaching interaction examples to study acts of processing as children engage in literacy learning.

RRD-2 – Featured Session
Discovering the Essence of Story Telling through Rich Book Introductions
Mary Rosser, Reading Recovery Trainer, University of Maine
Stories and storybooks are places where children weave together the many threads of information and experiences they draw upon to make sense of their world and to create meaning from texts. Through discussions with teachers they explore and unite with the people, places, events, and language of literature. You will have the opportunity to view, analyze and discuss video clips of child/teacher interactions, which guide students in discovering the essence of story through rich book introductions. Repeated: RRB-3

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 -- Workshop Descriptions

Session E | 8:30 am–10:00 am

You may choose to attend Keynote E with Katie Wood Ray or a Reading Recovery E Session.

Session E Keynote
Holding on Tight to What Is Common to Our Core (Grades PreK–8)
Katie Wood Ray, Author and Researcher, NC
In this day of rapidly evolving standards, curriculum and assessment, it matters more than ever that teachers are articulate about the beliefs informing their practice.

Reading Recovery E Sessions

RRE-1 – Featured Session
Do We Pay Enough Attention to Language Structure?
Ann Ballantyne, Reading Recovery Trainer, New York University
Oral language structure is a key source of information for readers and writers, for new learners and for proficient speakers. This session examines why language structure is so critical to early literacy learning and looks at factors that might lead us to underestimate its importance, or neglect it, in our teaching. In this workshop, we will discuss the need to teach for shifts in control of oral language structure and better access to structural information in reading and writing. Repeated: RRG-1

RRE-2 – Featured Session
Back in the Game: Rapid Acceleration Tools for Reading and Writing
Paula Bennet, Reading Recovery Trainer, New York University
This workshop takes a close look at what helps struggling readers and writers to return to their classes as soon as possible to perform within the average band of achievement. We will discuss the importance of accurate and ongoing assessment, astute observation, and building on what is known.

RRE-3 – Featured Session
Exploring and Supporting Efficient Visual Processing for Text Reading
Mary Anne Doyle, Reading Recovery Trainer and Professor, University of Connecticut
This session explores the acquisition of efficient visual processing for text reading by Reading Recovery children over time. Discussion includes a review of literacy processing theory and related instructional procedures. Repeated: RRG-3

RRE-4 – Featured Session
Structure: An Important Source of Information That Can Be Hard for Both Children and Teachers to Work With
Sue Duncan, Reading Recovery Trainer, Georgia State University
Structure provides an important source of information that assists children to solve words in reading. We will explore the use of structure as a source of information in reading and why this is difficult at times for some learners. We will also explore how as teachers we can be more supportive of the use of structure.

RRE-5
Building Toward a Self-Extending System in Writing
Kelly McDermott, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, Boston Public Schools, MA
During this session, we will spend time thinking more about how to provide opportunities for building toward a self-extending system in writing. Producing independent writers whose writing improves whenever they write is vital to ensuring success in Reading Recovery. We will explore the idea of ensuring that lessons foster early writing behaviors that are appropriate, secure, fast, and habituated. We will think about how, in writing, children learn to monitor, search, check, confirm, correct, and solve through their own strategic activity. Lastly, we will think about how to provide opportunities throughout the lesson series for children to write more complex and involved stories with increasing speed, fluency, and flexibility.

Session F | 10:15 am–11:45 am

Select one of these options for Session F:

• Reading Recovery Keynote F with Mary Fried (10:15 am–11:45 am)
• A 90-minute Session F (10:15 am–11:45 am)
• An In-depth (3-hour) Session F (10:15 am–1:30 pm, with 15-min break)

If you attend the keynote or a 90-minute session, you may select a Session G from 1:00 pm–2:30 pm. If you attend an In-depth Session F from 10:15 am–1:30 pm, you will finish your participation in the conference at 1:30 pm.

Reading Recovery Keynote F

Orchestrating Learning: Letters, Sounds, Words, Continuous Texts
Mary Fried, Reading Recovery Trainer, The Ohio State University
Every teacher understands it is critical for beginning readers to learn letters, letter-sounds, words, and how to solve words as part of literacy learning. The question to be explored is: How is this learning accomplished in Reading Recovery lessons so that children make accelerated progress?

PreK–8 Literacy Conference F Sessions

LCF-1 – Featured Session
Book Love: Building Reading Lives That Last (Grades 5–8)
Penny Kittle, Teacher, Kennett High School and K-12 Literacy Coach, Conway Schools, NH
We need layers of teaching to support the varied abilities of our students. We will study the practices that help all students develop a reading habit to increase stamina and joy in reading. We'll look at challenging readers through weekly goals and identifying reach books so all students are on a path to increase the complexity of the texts they can independently read. We will consider the analytical reading that leads students to deeper comprehension and vision for their own writing. Come to read, write, and share together. This introductory workshop is suitable for teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators.

LCF-2 – Featured Session
Genre Study: Deepening Comprehension through Intentional Teaching (Grades K–8)
Gay Su Pinnell, Author and Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University
Irene Fountas, Author, and Director, Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative, Lesley University, MA
Genre study is a unique process for helping students notice and generalize the important features of fiction and nonfiction texts. Learn how to implement the process and improve your students' ability to comprehend a variety of texts. 

LCF-3 – Featured Session
Exploring the Role of Mentorship in the Primary Writing Workshop (Grades K–2)
Katie Wood Ray, Author and Researcher, NC
The expression "mentor text" has become popular in the professional conversation around the teaching of writing, but it's actually the authors and illustrators of texts who are the mentors, not the texts themselves. In this session, we will explore the myriad ways authors and illustrators can be mentors for beginning writers. 

LCF-4 – Featured Session
Meet the Common Core State Standards in Fiction and Nonfiction: What Text Complexity Means for Teaching and Learning (Grades 3–5)
Jennifer Serravallo, Literacy Consultant and Author, NY
Learn what precisely makes fiction and nonfiction texts challenging for readers at grade levels 3–5 along with teaching points for helping students navigate text complexity. Some examples include flashbacks, flash-forwards, multiple plot points, characters, and storylines that require a lot of inferring, determining main idea, and handling complex text structures. This workshop is suitable for teachers, administrators, and literacy coaches who are looking for help with meeting Standard 10 of the Common Core State Standards: Reading Literature and Reading Informational Texts. This session is sponsored by Scholastic, Inc.

LCF-5 – Featured Session
Nuance, Structure, and Etymology: Vocabulary Instruction in the Context of the Common Core in the Intermediate and Middle Grades (Grades 3–8)
Shane Templeton, Foundation Professor Emeritus of Literacy Studies, University of Nevada, Reno
The Common Core State Standards emphasize a multifaceted perspective on vocabulary learning. We will explore the promise and potency of generative vocabulary instruction that underlies students' reading and writing across all subject matter domains. We will address research-based strategies for growing knowledge about the meanings and nuances of words; selecting and teaching individual words and concepts for deep understanding; and teaching the process of how word parts combine–morphology–so that students generalize this understanding to the analysis and acquisition of new vocabulary in their reading and learning in all content areas. This workshop is suitable for teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators. This workshop is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

LCF-6
Focusing Professional Learning (Grades 3–8)
Sheila Bacon, Educational Consultant, Canada
Professional learning for educators promises to impact our students' literacy development in a positive way. This session will engage you in a conversation about how to apply the Professional Learning Community (PLC) questions to develop appropriate professional learning processes for all educators.

LCF-7
The Power of Lesson Study: Pushing in a New Direction (Grades PreK–8)
Jolynn Bernard, Reading Coach, Seminole County Public Schools, FL
Gina Zugelder, National Educational Consultant, Developmental Studies Center, MA
Examine how engaging in Lesson Study can not only support our coaching model but can also push our coaching in a direction to impact collaborative planning, instruction, and learning for teachers, students, and literacy coaches.

LCF-8
Coaching Conversations: What Do They Look and Sound Like? (Grades K–8)
Marcia Nye Boody, Director, Maine Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy and Literacy Coach Trainer, University of Maine, Orono
You will have the opportunity to examine a cognitive apprenticeship model of literacy coaching. Marcia will share video clips of pre- and post-conferences with two literacy coaches and a third grade teacher during the writing workshop.

LCF-9
Nonfiction Guided Reading: Navigating to Independence (Grades K–2)
Laurel Burns, Literacy Coordinator, Purvis Primary School, Bermuda
We will explore the demands of nonfiction texts and how they shape our planning for guided reading lessons. Students will become more independent nonfiction readers through intentional teaching and thinking about texts.

LCF-10
Love Those Literacy Nights! (Grades K–6)
Barbara Connery, Reading Teacher, Regional School District #6, CT
Tracy Keilty, Language Arts Coordinator, Regional School District #6, CT
Literacy Nights cultivate what Readicide author, Kelly Gallagher, refers to as strong knowledge foundations. School-wide literacy nights are a collaborative effort between students, staff, and the local community. Topics should be relevant and timely. In this workshop, Barbara and Tracy will discuss how to plan, implement, and continue to support your topics throughout the year. Learn to love your Literacy Nights!

LCF-11
iPads! Bringing Out the Author in All Children (Grades PreK–6)
Sue Cusack, Instructor and Co-Project Leader, Lesley University, MA
Meg Urquhart, K–5 Literacy Coach, Cambridge Public Schools, MA
Jacy Edelman, Project Coordinator, Lesley University, MA
"The iPads are coming! The iPads are coming!" This refrain can be heard in school hallways across the country, but how can they be used to support student learning beyond basic drill and practices apps, word processing, and online searches? In this session, we will take a look at the way authentic communication, writing to an audience, and publishing can help engage students as writers and simultaneously deepen the quality of their work.

LCF-12
Teaching with Text Sets (Grades 2–8)
Erika Thulin Dawes, Associate Professor of Language and Literacy, Lesley University, MA
Mary Ann Cappiello, Associate Professor of Language and Literacy, Lesley University, MA
The Common Core State Standards require students to read across multiple texts in ever increasingly sophisticated ways. This is an exciting and challenging time for teachers who seek to integrate children's literature and multimedia texts into their teaching of content. Erika and Mary Ann will provide an overview of their varied models for using text sets in the classroom and student work samples from different grades.

LCF-13
UDL, Common Core, and "Cool Tools" (Grades 3–8)
Stephanie Grimaldi, Assistant Professor of Education, Westfield State University, MA
This session will explore the principles of Universal Design for Learning and Common Core State Standards through the lens of Web 2.0 Tools ("Cool Tools"). You will learn several digital texts and tools that will support your students, your teaching, and the Common Core.

LCF-14
The Science and Poetry Partnership (Grades K–2)
Jennifer Cuoco Henry, First Grade Teacher, Needham Public Schools, MA
Mary Rizzuto, Science Center Manager, Needham Public Schools, MA
Using inquiry-based science instruction, children become familiar with exploration, questions and noticing, as well as confidently talking about their own thinking. The skills and the confidence they build during science instruction become the foundation for bridging science and literacy. This workshop will provide a lens into the method Jennifer uses to bridge science and poetry in her classroom. There will also be an opportunity for you to view video clips of the children in action as well as samples of their work.

LCF-15
Literacy All Day, Every Day! Using Classroom Routines to Teach Reading and Writing (Grades PreK–K)
Jane Lannak, Director of Early Childhood Learning Lab and Professor, Boston University, MA
Elizabeth Zigmont, Teacher, Boston University, MA
You will learn of one preschool's efforts to include opportunities for reading and writing in every aspect of the preschool day. How can all classroom routines be embedded with rich experiences, so that young children learn emergent literacy skills along with the desire to use them? Come find out in this session.

LCF-16
Reading, Writing, and Thinking Across Texts (Grades K–5)
JoEllen McCarthy, Literacy Consultant, AlwaysLearning, Inc., NY
This interactive session will explore mentor texts and text sets that inspire students as readers and writers. You will look at "good reads" such as biographies, historical fiction, poetry, and picture books. We will examine ways to use these engaging texts to support, scaffold, and expand students' experiences. We will study mentor authors such as Steven Jenkins, Seymour Simon, and Marissa Moss to inspire craft lessons as well as further inquiry. Samples of student work and a "must have" list of titles will get you excited about the possibilities of using a variety of informational texts with passion and purpose.

LCF-17
Building Oral Language: The Foundation for Literacy (Grades K–2)
Cindy Middendorf, Author, Retired Teacher, and Educational Consultant
This engaging, information- and activity-packed session will help you consciously and seamlessly integrate powerful oral language growth into whole-group instruction and center activities. Actively practice strategies that embed oral language into all curricular areas. You'll learn simple home-to-school applications that allow oral language growth and practice beyond the school day. Explore the research, but enjoy the "meat and potatoes" ideas! This session is sponsored by Scholastic, Inc.

LCF-18
Storytelling: Bridging the Gap between Oral Language and Writing (Grades K–2)
Kim Turgeon, Teacher, Newton Public Schools, MA
Lauren Mitsis, Literacy Consultant, MA
How can you inspire writers to take greater risks? How do you improve vocabulary, fluency, written organization, and comprehension? The solution lies within storytelling. Are you looking to bridge the gap between your students' phenomenal oral language and their independent writing? This session will review relevant research, demonstrate storytelling in action, describe the benefits and challenges, and explore modifications for special needs students and English language learners.

Session F In-depth | 10:15 am–1:30 pm (with 15-min. break)

LCF-19 In-depth – Featured Session
Revision and Editing: The Truth and Nothing but the Truth (Grades 4–8)
Brian Heinz, Children's Author and Writing Consultant, NY
The revision process raises resistance in young writers. What should be changed, added, or deleted, and why? Join a professional writer and educator for simple and powerful models, templates, and strategies that strip away the mystique surrounding the prime targets of revision that will enable your young writers to approach their work as young professionals and create narratives. All content has immediate classroom application and Brian will provide you with a comprehensive resource packet.

LCF-20 In-depth – Featured Session
Planning Writing Units of Study with a Focus on Independence (Grades K–6)
Leah Mermelstein, Author and Educational Consultant, Read-Write-Connect, INC, NY
Leah will explore how to ensure that your writing units of study not only teach kids writing content, but also are angled towards helping kids become more self-directed during the independent phase of the writing workshop. First, Leah will explore what it means to be a self-directed learner. Then, she will show you ways to plan your study so that kids learn new writing techniques and become more self-directed.

Session G | 1:00 pm–2:30 pm

If you attended the Reading Recovery Keynote with Mary Fried or a 90-minute Session F in the previous time block (10:15 am–11:45 am), you may select a Session G from 1:00 pm–2:30 pm.

PreK–8 Literacy Conference G Sessions

LCG-1 – Featured Session
Lean In and Listen: Conferring with Writers (Grades 2–8) 
Penny Kittle, Teacher, Kennett High School and K–12 Literacy Coach, Conway Schools, NH
To assess means to "sit beside." When we sit beside writers in conference, we have an opportunity to do some of our best teaching. Let's unpack the subtleties that make a writing conference work. We'll look at short videos of writing conferences and the layers of teaching that result. Come to share, wonder, and think together. This introductory session is suitable for teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators.

LCG-2 – Featured Session
Voice Lessons for Intermediate Writers (Grades 3–6)
Katie Wood Ray, Author and Researcher, NC
Voice is one of the most important qualities of good writing, and nowhere is this truer than in genres of informational, explanatory, and opinion writing. This session will explore a number of tools for creating voice commonly used by expert writers and easily accessible to students.

LCG-3 – Featured Session
Assessing Readers: What You Do with the Data (Grades 3–5)
Jennifer Serravallo, Literacy Consultant and Author, NY
Learn powerful ways of assessing your readers and practical ways for using what you learn to drive instruction. So much valuable information languishes in file folders because teachers aren't sure how to flip it into targeted follow-up teaching. In this session, Jennifer will offer specific ideas for whole class think-aloud, small group strategy lessons, and goal-specific conferring based on Common Core State Standards-aligned text assessment. This session is suitable for teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators. This session is sponsored by Scholastic, Inc.

LCG-4 – Featured Session
Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary Instruction in the Context of the Common Core (Grades PreK–2)
Shane Templeton, Foundation Professor Emeritus of Literacy Studies, University of Nevada, Reno
How do word study–vocabulary, phonics, and spelling–and young children's reading and writing all come together? In the context of the developmental scope and sequence in the Common Core State Standards, we address this question by exploring the most effective ways for developing young children's awareness of the form and function of the printed word, as well as expanding young children's conceptual understandings that words represent. This workshop is suitable for teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators. This workshop is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

LCG-5
Writer's Workshop Graduates to High-tech High School Writing (Grades 5–8)
Colette Bennett, English Department Chair, Regional School District #6, CT
Stephanie Pixley, Teacher, Regional School District #6, CT
This session will feature strategies used in the teaching of writing at the middle and high school levels using a variety of 2.0 technologies, including blogs, wikis, and document sharing software. The emphasis will be on providing examples of differentiated student-centered activities that will develop independence in the writer's transition from middle school to high school. High-tech writing provides opportunities for student accountability, group collaboration, and whole class communication.

LCG-6
Science Notebooks Provide a Context for Literacy Development (Grades 3–6)
Kelly Corbett, Third Grade Teacher, Needham Public Schools, MA
Mary Rizzuto, Science Center Manager, Needham Public Schools, MA
We will examine the role science notebooks can play in the development of a student's critical thinking skills and scientific content knowledge. Through active inquiry-based tasks, the viewing of video case studies, and the examination of authentic student notebooks, you will parallel the sequence of investigations and notebook entries that foster curiosity. Collectively, we will identify strategies that support the development of literacy skills.

LCG-7
Hash Brown Mushroom (Grades 3–6)
Jacqueline Davies, Children's Author and Adjunct Faculty, Lesley University, MA
Hash brown mushroom waits quietly;
Rough rock rests in the dark shade.
A third-grade boy with a language learning disability, who had told Jacqueline that he hated writing, wrote this poem. In addition, he said he loved writing this poem. Every year, Jacqueline works with children in teaching poetry. She gives them three specific tools and a surprising way to play with words. In this session, Jacqueline will describe her teaching technique and lead you through the process.

LCG-8
An Examination of Informational Text Lessons from DESE Model Curriculum Units at the Elementary Level (Grades K–6)
Roxanne Dorrie, Literacy Specialist, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and DSAC Berkshire Team
Lori DiGisi, Education Specialist, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
This session will provide you with a review of the literacy priorities identified by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as well as an overview of current state initiatives, including the Model Curriculum Unit Project. You will learn about the MCU Project and get a "sneak preview" of sample lessons that incorporate the use of informational texts to address the new ELA standards. Areas of focus include curriculum development and lesson design with special attention to Standard 10: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. This session is suitable for curriculum specialists, literacy coaches, K–6 classroom teachers, reading specialists, and administrators.

LCG-9
Getting Down to the Nitty-gritty: Creating District-wide Change in K–8 Literacy (Grades K–8)
Jennifer Fischer-Mueller, Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Public Schools of Brookline, MA
Patricia Kinsella, K–8 English Language Arts Coordinator, Public Schools of Brookline, MA
William Lupini, Superintendent, Public Schools of Brookline, MA
What's an administrator to do? Improving literacy teaching and learning is on the agenda of superintendents across the country, but knowing what steps to take and how to begin can be daunting. The Public Schools of Brookline recently launched an ambitious, multi-year effort to improve literacy in its K–8 schools. The presenters will share their experience in designing and implementing these literacy reforms. You can expect to leave with concrete ideas about what's a 'must do' and what's a 'definitely not.'

LCG-10
Inquiry within Genre Study (Grades PreK–2)
Kristine Haveles-Pelletier, District Literacy Coordinator, Manchester Public Schools, NH
"Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand." The last part of this statement is the essence of inquiry-based learning. Inquiry implies involvement that leads to understanding. This presentation will look at how inquiry supports students understanding as they engage in genre study. Video footage captures students and teachers working together as they co-construct their learning during genre studies focused on personal narrative/memoir, nonfiction, and author studies.

LCG-11
Creating Meaning with Visual Language (Grades PreK–2)
Yvonne Liu-Constant, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education, Lesley University, MA
Amanda Bock, Librarian, Cambridge Public Schools, MA
Visual language, the process of creating meaning with images, has become increasingly important in the age of the Internet. With ever-increasing pressure for children to read text at younger ages, how can we educators value children's natural inclination for, and skill with, visual language? We will discuss and explore hands-on how we create meaning with images, and present curriculum that fosters children's mastery of visual language.

LCG-12
Differentiating Literacy Centers: A Menu to Satisfy All Appetites (Grades K–2)
Cindy Middendorf, Author, Retired Teacher, and Educational Consultant
With a focus on readily available and low-cost materials, this session will provide specific models of differentiated literacy centers. Teachers will assess the centers they are now using to ensure that all modalities of learning are addressed, and to maximize the success of all learners. Cindy will address how to structure activities within centers to challenge more capable students and to support those needing reinforcement. This session is sponsored by Scholastic, Inc.

[back to top]

LCG-13
A Literacy Coach's Quest to Inspire Teachers through a "Mini-Me" (Grades PreK–8)
Bethanie Pletcher, Instructor, Graduate Assistant, and Reading Specialist, University of Houston, TX
Discover how to build rapport with and coach a teacher in your school who will become a channel for your work with other teachers. This presentation grew out of Bethanie's work with a first grade teacher with whom she worked with closely to implement Reading Recovery strategies in her small literacy groups. Through videos and her testimony in professional development sessions, they encouraged teachers to work with their literacy coach.

LCG-14
Keeping It Simple: Planning for Explicit Instruction in Reading Workshop (Grades K–6)
Lisa M. White, K–12 English Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator, Plymouth Public Schools, MA
Jennifer Arenson Yaeger, District Literacy Coach, Plymouth Public Schools, MA
Natalie Lacroix-White, District Literacy Coach, Plymouth Public Schools, MA
This session will guide you to consider three key questions when planning for explicit instruction within reading workshop: What skill/strategy needs to be taught? Who needs it? How will I teach it? Using this planning model, you will examine various opportunities and approaches within reading workshop that provide students with explicit instruction through modeling and demonstrating. You will also view elementary classroom video clips showing this model.

LCG-15
Close, Careful Reading: Teaching Children to Dive Deep into Meaning (Grades 3–8)
Kim Yaris, Executive Director, Literacy Builders, NY
Powerful instruction can move children from literal understandings to rich interpretations of text. But what does that instruction look like? In this session, Kim will share field-tested minilessons and questioning techniques that will help children achieve the careful analysis of text called for by the Common Core State Standards that allows readers to gain and integrate new information.

LCG-16
Using Mentor Texts to Support Core Standards (K–5)
Heather Fagan-Kela, K–5 Reading Specialist, Somerset Public Schools, MA
Margaret Berges, Writing Teacher, Randolph Public Schools, MA
In this session, Margaret and Heather will discuss the value of selecting and using mentor texts to improve literacy instruction. The session will contain demonstration, practice, and resource sharing. Margaret and Heather will provide suggestions for mentor texts that teach multiple core standards for each grade. You will have a chance to determine appropriate books to model specific reading and writing skills.

Reading Recovery G Sessions | 1:00 pm–2:30 pm

RRG-1 – Featured Session
Do We Pay Enough Attention to Language Structure?
Ann Ballantyne, Reading Recovery Trainer, New York University
Oral language structure is a key source of information for readers and writers, for new learners and for proficient speakers. This session examines why language structure is so critical to early literacy learning and looks at factors that might lead us to underestimate its importance, or neglect it, in our teaching. In this workshop, we will discuss the need to teach for shifts in control of oral language structure and better access to structural information in reading and writing. Repeated: RRE-1

RRG-2 – Featured Session
Discovering Student Strengths
Paula Bennet, Reading Recovery Trainer, New York University
Privilege and implicit bias affect our teaching and decision making, often without our knowing. Understanding both of these can help us discover student strengths, even when their experiences are different than our own.

RRG-3 – Featured Session
Exploring and Supporting Efficient Visual Processing for Text Reading
Mary Anne Doyle, Reading Recovery Trainer and Professor, University of Connecticut
This session explores the acquisition of efficient visual processing for text reading by Reading Recovery children over time. Discussion includes a review of literacy processing theory and related instructional procedures. 
Repeated: RRE-3

RRG-4
Engaging Children in Conversations That Lead to Deeper Understanding of Story
Elizabeth Mayhew, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, Cambridge Public Schools, MA
Catherine Desjardins, Reading Recovery Teacher, Peabody Public Schools, MA
Florinda Freda, Reading Recovery Teacher, Cambridge Public Schools, MA
John Willett, Reading Recovery Teacher, Benjamin Banneker Charter School, Cambridge, MA
How can Reading Recovery teachers fine-tune their language to support children's engagement and understanding of story? In this session, a panel of Reading Recovery professionals will discuss how to shape our teacher talk to encourage students to think, listen, and talk about text. They will share video experiences of conversations with Reading Recovery students and you will have opportunities to see changes in the children's responses and analyze the choice of teacher's language. The presenters will also discuss features of familiar and new books with colleagues.