Upcoming Engagements

The Impact of Reading Aloud to ALL Ages

What are the benefits of reading aloud to children of all ages in today’s technology-driven society? How does reading aloud enrich vocabularies, offer students vicarious experiences, and cultivate wonder? What are the educational and personal benefits of reading aloud and how does it increase independent reading, stretch attention spans, stimulate imagination, foster critical thinking skills, improve reading comprehension, and establish a reading-writing connection?

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What Are the Non-Negotiables in Creating Readers?

When children experience the pleasure of reading we can build upon that success in creating readers. What are the non-negotiable literacy practices that are supported by research and offered though effective instructional strategies?

  

Not Just for Carpet Sitters:  Picture Books in Secondary Classrooms

Today’s picture books are sophisticated and engaging enough to capture the attention of students at the middle and high school levels. Picture books provide rich language, offer irony and parody, generate laughter, illustrate voice and perspective, present historical events, and capture a slice of an individual’s life and achievements. What are the picture books that can deliver all this and more?

  

Meaningful Literacy Learning Experiences 

How can children in primary grades engage in authentic, meaningful learning experiences as they read independently?  How can we foster a student-centered environment in which all children can succeed as they learn to read and write? And what are the opportunities that teachers can offer where students can encounter a variety of texts that will allow them to practice and apply their literacy knowledge?

  

Nonfiction at Home and in the Classroom

When national and state literacy standards were changed, an emphasis was placed on the reading of nonfiction. Research has shown there is a correlation between the type of reading for information found in nonfiction and the types of questions children encounter on standardized tests. How can parents and teachers foster the enjoyment of nonfiction through reading aloud, literature circles, and written responses? What are the strategies for assisting emergent and proficient readers in successfully reading nonfiction books? How can readers develop skills in critical thinking and problem solving through nonfiction texts?

 

Literature as a Teaching Partner

How can you create classrooms where literature is a full-fledged partner in literacy instruction? How does a literature-rich school environment engage students and stimulate them to grow as readers, writers, speakers, and thinkers? This workshop offers strategies for integrating children's literature throughout the school day and using books for a variety of purposes, including addressing curricular expectations in mathematics, social studies, science, along with social emotional well-being.

 

Literate Identities:  Boys as Readers

​Parents, teachers, and librarians often lament the challenges of getting boys to read. Boys tend not to identify themselves as readers or believe reading for pleasure is masculine. Boys also are not offered reading material they prefer like comics, horror, magazines, graphic novels, and dystopian fiction. What are winning strategies for supporting boys as readers?

 

Fostering Math Talk through Literature

How can teachers effectively share literature where mathematics is the basis of the story, is embedded in the story or provides a potential mathematical response? Math-related fiction and nonfiction books should be high-quality literature that engage, inspire, and delight readers while generating talk and written response.

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The Presence of Fiction and Nonfiction to Promote Inquiry

In classrooms where inquiry thrives, literature is a primary resource as well as a teaching partner, informant, and question poser. Literature naturally triggers readers’ questions because of its interesting topics, intriguing language, and captivating illustrations. Discover how to spark wonderings through books that generate inquiry so that students can be problem-posers and engage in design thinking.