As a principal or superintendent, you know that effective literacy instruction is essential for your students’ academic and personal success. It’s also critical for ensuring that your school or district has high literacy rates and that your students have the necessary skills to succeed in all areas of their lives. Let me help you provide your teachers with the necessary tools and knowledge to plan and deliver effective literacy instruction.
By working with me as your literacy consultant, you can provide your teachers with the necessary tools and knowledge to plan and deliver effective literacy instruction, helping to improve your students’ growth and mastery in Reading.
As a result, your teachers will be better equipped to deliver effective instruction, meet the diverse needs of their students, and see growth and mastery in their students’ literacy skills. Not only that, but your teachers will also become more confident and effective educators, improving their practice and positively impacting your students’ academic and personal lives.
It’s time to take action and provide your teachers with the necessary support and professional development to improve their literacy instruction. Contact me today to schedule a consultation and learn how I can help your teachers transform their teaching practice and make a positive impact on your students’ literacy growth and mastery.
Data Cycles and Feedback Professional Development is an essential component of literacy instruction that provides educators with the necessary skills and knowledge to use data effectively to inform instruction, develop data action plans, and provide meaningful feedback to students. By participating in Data Cycles and Feedback Professional Development, teachers can enhance their instructional practices, improve their teaching strategies, and provide engaging and meaningful learning experiences for their students.
During Data Cycles and Feedback Professional Development sessions, educators can expect to learn about:
- Assessments and assessment cycles to evaluate student progress and inform instruction
- Developing and using data action plans to improve instruction and support student learning
- Error analysis to identify patterns in student errors
- Error handling strategies to provide on-the-spot feedback to students to address errors
- Low stakes practice to support student learning and provide opportunities for growth
- Strategies for providing meaningful feedback to students to promote growth and progress
Teacher Preparation Professional Development is an essential component of literacy instruction that provides educators with the necessary skills and knowledge to plan effective lessons, select high-quality texts, and navigate think-alouds as a way to model critical thinking skills. By participating in Teacher Preparation Professional Development, teachers can enhance their instructional practices, improve their teaching strategies, and provide engaging and meaningful learning experiences for their students.
During Teacher Preparation Professional Development sessions, educators can expect to learn about:
- Text selection and evaluation to ensure high-quality texts are selected for instruction
- Developing and planning effective lesson plans that align with state standards and the needs of diverse learners
- Navigating think-alouds as a way to model critical thinking skills and promote student engagement
- Strategies for incorporating visual aids and technology to support learning experiences
- Instructional scaffolding and differentiation to meet the diverse needs of all learners
Literacy Frameworks
Guided Reading Professional Development is a valuable opportunity for educators to deepen their understanding of effective reading instruction and improve their teaching practice. Through guided reading, teachers can provide differentiated instruction that meets the individual needs of their students, supporting them in developing their reading fluency, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. Guided Reading professional development workshops and courses offer teachers the chance to learn about the latest research-based strategies and techniques, explore practical approaches to planning and delivering guided reading lessons, and engage in collaborative learning with other educators. With this professional development, teachers can feel more confident and equipped to support their students’ reading development and foster a lifelong love of learning.
- Understanding the structure of guided reading lessons
- Planning and organizing guided reading lessons
- Choosing data-based teaching points to address individual/group needs
- Selecting appropriate books for guided reading instruction
- Coaching students on accuracy and miscues while reading
- Incorporating phonics and word work into guided reading lessons
- Collecting formative data during GR to inform instruction
- Reading strategies, behaviors and skills taught along the continuum of reading levels
- Administering, coding and analyzing running records (or other assessments) to inform reading levels and grouping
Through these sessions, teachers can gain a deeper understanding of the guided reading process and learn practical approaches for supporting their students’ reading development.
Shared Reading Professional Development is an excellent opportunity for educators to enhance their teaching skills and promote their students’ reading and comprehension abilities. Shared Reading is an instructional approach that encourages students to develop reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills through a collaborative learning experience with their teacher and peers. Shared Reading Professional Development workshops and courses provide educators with the necessary tools and knowledge to plan and deliver effective Shared Reading lessons that meet the diverse learning needs of their students. During Shared Reading Professional Development sessions, educators can expect to learn about:
- Techniques for selecting and using a range of texts
- Designing engaging lesson plans that promote comprehension strategies
- Fostering critical thinking skills
- Choosing data-based word-solving and comprehension strategy learning targets
- Incorporating various strategies to support their students’ reading comprehension, such as questioning, predicting, and summarizing
- Collaborating with peers to receive feedback on lesson planning and delivery
Vocabulary Professional Development provides a valuable opportunity for educators to deepen their understanding of effective word instruction and improve their teaching practice. Building a robust vocabulary is essential for students to communicate effectively and understand written and spoken language. Without strong vocabulary skills, students may struggle with comprehension and academic achievement. Through Vocabulary Professional Development, teachers can learn the latest research-based instructional practices for teaching vocabulary, including techniques for selecting and introducing new words, teaching word meanings and relationships, and promoting word consciousness.
During Vocabulary Professional Development sessions, educators can expect to learn about:
- The latest research-based instructional practices for teaching vocabulary
- Techniques for selecting and introducing new words
- Teaching word meanings and relationships
- Promoting word consciousness
- How to teach vocabulary in context
- Incorporating technology to support vocabulary instruction
- Identifying tiered vocabulary and selecting vocabulary words that are essential for comprehension and academic success
- Incorporating a variety of activities and games to reinforce vocabulary acquisition and retention
- Assessing student progress in vocabulary development
Read Alouds are an essential part of reading instruction that can be used with both fiction and non-fiction texts. Read Alouds provide students with a unique opportunity to engage with rich texts and develop a love for reading. Students can benefit from Read Alouds in numerous ways, including exposure to new vocabulary, the development of critical thinking skills, and an understanding of story structure and elements. Hearing stories read aloud also helps students develop listening skills, build background knowledge, and broaden their worldview.
During Read Aloud Professional Development sessions, teachers can expect to learn about:
- Effective strategies for selecting high-quality texts that are appropriate for their students’ grade level and interests.
- Planning stopping points to model strategy use, such as through think-alouds or discussion prompts.
- Engaging students during the Read Aloud experience through visual aids or technology.
- Incorporating non-fiction texts to support content area learning.
- Encouraging students to connect their prior knowledge to the text and ask questions throughout the reading.
- How to promote critical thinking and deepen comprehension through discussions or activities after the Read Aloud.
- How to incorporate inclusive practices to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
Shared & Interactive Writing is an essential component of literacy instruction that supports students’ development of writing skills and phonemic awareness. Shared writing involves a collaborative writing experience in which students and the teacher work together to compose a text. Interactive writing is a similar approach in which the teacher and students co-construct the text. Shared & Interactive Writing allows students to experience writing in a supportive environment and provides opportunities for them to learn new vocabulary, practice phonemic awareness skills, and build their understanding of genre writing.
During Shared & Interactive Writing Professional Development sessions, teachers can learn how to facilitate engaging and effective Shared & Interactive Writing experiences for their students. Teachers can expect to learn about:
- The benefits of Shared & Interactive Writing for improving the mastery and application of phonemic awareness, phonics, and high frequency words
- How to plan Shared & Interactive Writing lessons that align with state standards
- Strategies for scaffolding and differentiating Shared & Interactive Writing instruction to meet the diverse needs of all learners
- How to incorporate technology to support Shared & Interactive Writing experiences
- How to use Shared & Interactive Writing to teach genre writing and support students’ understanding of writing conventions
Literacy Content
Reading Comprehension Strategies Professional Development provides a valuable opportunity for educators to deepen their understanding of effective reading instruction and improve their teaching practice, ultimately benefiting their students. By developing a strong foundation in comprehension strategies, students can better understand and engage with the texts they read, resulting in improved reading comprehension, critical thinking, and overall academic success. These strategies also provide students with lifelong skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. With Reading Comprehension Strategies Professional Development, teachers can empower their students with the tools and knowledge necessary to become successful readers and lifelong learners.
During Reading Comprehension Strategies Professional Development sessions, educators can expect to learn about:
- Monitoring comprehension to ensure understanding
- Questioning to promote critical thinking
- Inferring and predicting to draw conclusions and make predictions
- Schema and synthesizing to connect prior knowledge to new information
- Making connections to deepen understanding
- Visualizing to create mental images and enhance comprehension
- How to craft strategic think-alouds that “show” students the metacognitive process.
These sessions will provide over 90 anchor charts to help with planning and teaching various comprehension strategy components, enabling teachers to plan and deliver effective comprehension strategy instruction that meets the needs of their students.
State Reading Standards/Skills Professional Development provides educators with a valuable opportunity to deepen their understanding of state reading standards and skills and improve their teaching practice. State reading standards are an essential component of literacy instruction, providing a clear framework for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. By participating in State Reading Standards/Skills Professional Development, teachers can learn how to break down standards, align them vertically across grades, plan effective lessons, and assess their students’ progress in meeting the standards.
During State Reading Standards/Skills Professional Development sessions, educators can expect to learn about:
- Breaking down state reading standards into manageable learning targets
- Aligning state reading standards vertically across grade levels to ensure continuity and coherence in literacy instruction
- Planning effective lessons that incorporate the gradual release of responsibility model
- Incorporating a variety of instructional strategies and resources to support students’ mastery of state reading standards
- Different ways to assess student progress in meeting state reading standards, including formative and summative assessments
Foundational Skills Professional Development workshops and courses are based on scientific research and provide educators with the necessary tools and knowledge to plan and deliver effective instruction in these essential skills. Without these skills, students may struggle with comprehension, fluency, and other reading-related challenges, which can hinder their overall academic success.
Foundational skills encompass several components that are essential for successful reading development. During Foundational Skills Professional Development sessions, educators can expect to learn about:
- Print concepts: Understanding how print works and the relationship between letters, words, and sentences.
- Phonemic awareness: The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
- Phonics: The relationship between letters and the sounds they represent, and how to use this knowledge to decode words.
- High frequency words: Common words that appear frequently in text and are essential for reading fluency and comprehension.
- Fluency: The ability to read accurately, quickly, and with expression.
During Foundational Skills Professional Development sessions, educators can expect to learn about:
- The latest research-based instructional practices for teaching foundational skills
- Strategies for teaching print concepts, phonics, phonemic awareness, high frequency words, and fluency
- Designing engaging lesson plans that promote student learning
- Incorporating multisensory activities to support student engagement and learning
- Providing explicit instruction to ensure student understanding
- Offering small group instruction to support student progress and individualized learning
- Progression/scope and sequence of these skills within and across grade levels
