"All students deserve a great teacher, not by chance, but by design." John Hattie's research on 300 million students worldwide has transformed education. Learn how Hattie's findings apply to literacy learning, and leverage techniques for maximum effect. This session examines techniques for reading, writing, and discussion such that students move from surface learning through deep learning and transfer.

Session Description: Educators have been in search of "what works" for decades. Our collective search for better ways to reach students and ensure that they develop knowledge and skills has resulted in thousands and thousands of books, hundreds of thousands of research articles, and countless websites. The truth is, not everything works. Only a few things work at ensuring that students gain a full year's worth of growth for a year of enrollment in school, and we think it's time we focused on what works, what doesn't work, and what can't hurt. And we've turned to Visible Learning (Hattie, 2009) for help.

As he noted, students must develop surface-level learning if they are ever going to go deep. And we know that deep learning can facilitate transfer, which has been a goal shared by educators for as long as there have been teachers. In this interactive session, we focus on specific approaches that work at the surface level of learning and note that they are different from strategies that work at the deep and transfer levels. Importantly, we will clarify which approaches work at which phase of learning.

With his trademark combination of humor and heart, Steven Layne tackles one of the most significant issues in reading instruction today: How to engage reluctant readers. Teaching the skill of reading is viewed by many educators as a major objective; teaching the will of reading is too often an afterthought. Based on his bestselling book Igniting a Passion for Reading, Dr. Layne's address features a charismatic blend of anecdotes and practical suggestions for building an instructional repertoire to successfully engage all readers and is sure to fan the flame of literacy into a raging inferno-inspiring teachers as well as their students to keep the bedside lamp on just a little bit later into the night.

Are you ready to revolutionize your teaching and dramatically improve the engagement and comprehension of all of your students? Take your comprehension instruction to the next level so students are the ones doing the work and using the strategies when they read on their own. Many students decode and yet don't comprehend what they read. The Fabulous Four, or reciprocal teaching strategies- predict, question, clarify, and summarize work together as a powerful package to yield dramatic results in reading comprehension in as little as just a few months! (Palinscar &Brown,1984; Hattie, 2008) Based on the best selling third edition of Reciprocal Teaching At Work (ASCD, 2018) this presentation by author Lori Oczkus promises dozens of engaging new lessons for whole class, content area reading, guided reading, book clubs, close reading lessons and intervention models. Come to this hands-on and entertaining workshop to learn ideas you can use tomorrow to strengthen student comprehension using any reading material. A handout and helpful complimentary online resources will be provided!

This double session reviews the 7 key characteristics of strong phonics instruction, ways to ensure they are in place, and how to fine-tune them (if already in place) to maximize instructional success. Participants will examine the 10 common causes of phonics instructional failure and how to avoid them. This session is based on Blevins' work with school districts-examining test scores vs. instructional tools and classroom practices to identify the mismatches and areas of weakness that impede or slow learning.

The Writing Next report (2007) identified eleven evidence-based practices that improve student writing. In the decade since that report, analysis of other types of research has enlarged our understanding of evidence-based instructional practices for writing. In this session, we will explore these effective practices and how we can implement them more fully in our classrooms.

You may have heard the adage that up to third grade, children learn to read, but from then on they read to learn. I believe all children-of any age, of any level of proficiency-still need to learn to read. It's based on the conviction that with explicit teaching, and ample time spent reading, every student can be taught to read more thoughtfully, meaningfully, and insightfully. In this workshop, Jen will explore assessment and strategies that support comprehension goals, and the ways in which comprehension intersects with levels of text complexity.

How can we create a joyful environment that jump-starts learning for all of our students-and ourselves-every single day? Through poetry-and poetry combined with music, movement, art, and even curricular areas such as science, math, and social studies. Author Janet Wong will share quick and easy strategies for infusing happiness into our daily teaching and learning.

In this session, the presenter will demonstrate instructional strategies using a science text for participants to practice how to:

• Select academic language using different types of words, phrases, and language structures to address core standards and classroom discourse.
• Teach vocabulary expeditiously before reading, during close reading, and for text-based writing.

Professional football players don't show up without their helmets; chefs don't cook without their knives, and gardeners don't step outside without a good pair of gloves and a spade. Tools help us step into our roles as professionals because they become a part of our identify-- think about how different Clark Kent acts when he has his cape on. As teachers of reading we need our tools at the ready when we sit down with students and confer. We need books, a reading notebook and places to record notes about our students. Tools develop our confidence because we are prepared for what might happen. When we have tools it signals that we are stepping into action. When I pick up my toolkit for independent reading I literally feel more powerful as a teacher. On the other hand, when I sit down next to students with nothing in my hands, no tools to lean on, I tend to feel scattered, unsure, and unfocused. In this session you will learn what tools are essential and how to use them to make the independent reading an instructional and engaging time for all students.

Whoever is doing the talking in the classroom is probably doing the most thinking. Talking creates an agency and it actively engages learners. Small groups that are formed around students' interests, curiosities, and questions can harness the power of student talk in a productive and meaningful way.
In this presentation, Barry will help you plan and launch small group interactions that energize student-initiated conversations and inspire deep connections for all your students. Making small groups happen in your classroom, where talking heightens understanding and ownership, begins with a few simple, well-crafted teaching moves.

This session will focus on how children learn to read words and why some children struggle. Understanding the nature of word-level reading development and word-level reading problems will guide both instruction and intervention.

All students deserve access to rigorous and complex texts. This interactive session introduces the high impact practice of close reading and discussion around text-dependent questions. Participants will learn about how these intersect with John Hattie's findings about what works in education.

Explore examples, texts, and extension activities for close-reading lessons, and develop your own text-dependent questions to use right away!

This session will develop and deepen participants' understanding and implementation of close reading and text-dependent questions.
 

Come learn the powerful effect scaffolded writing instruction can have on your students. Guided writing is the "missing middle piece" that supports students during that fledgling phase between modeled/shared writing and their solo work. Lori's practical lessons show you how to easily transform dull, lifeless writing into colorful organized pieces full of voice. You'll walk away with the steps and "cool tools" to guide students as they write everything from personal narratives to response to literature, poetry, and reports. Strengthen and dramatically improve student writing and craft using mentor texts, modeling, impromptu dramatizations, and cooperative group writing. Proven ways to reach struggling, reluctant writers will be included throughout the day. The presentation is based on Lori's best selling Heinemann book, Guided Writing: Practical Lessons, Powerful Results. You'll leave with dozens of proven and exciting ideas to use immediately to improve your students' writing.

This double session reviews the 7 key characteristics of strong phonics instruction, ways to ensure they are in place, and how to fine-tune them (if already in place) to maximize instructional success. Participants will examine the 10 common causes of phonics instructional failure and how to avoid them. This session is based on Blevins' work with school districts-examining test scores vs. instructional tools and classroom practices to identify the mismatches and areas of weakness that impede or slow learning.

We hope our students will see the writing in our classes as more than assignments, as practices that help them develop as life-long writers. But in order for that to happen, we need to set up our classrooms and our instruction to promote their growth as strategic writers. In this session, we will explore the types of writing and instructional practices that can engage and encourage strategy development.

Consider the power of matching methods to purposes and think beyond guided reading. Serravallo will discuss a variety of other methods to make independent reading time instructional including: compliment conferences, coaching conferences, research decide teach conferences, and small group strategy lessons. This workshop will be filled with video examples and opportunities for participants to practice.

In just five minutes or less each day, you can address required standards and skills for different content areas by sharing a poem. Poet and anthologist Janet Wong will share a wide variety of poems that can be used to teach science, math, social studies, the arts, physical education, and more.

In this session, the presenter will demonstrate instructional strategies using a science text for participants to practice how to:

• Delve deeper into reading comprehension.
• Using two close reading strategies.
• Overview of follow up writing, editing, revising after reading.
• Participants will have online access to lesson sequences/templates, and other teacher and student tools.

Picture books are a valuable resource for scaffolding literacy activities at any grade level, and Steven L. Layne can show you how to make it happen! This session promotes practical ideas which use picture books as a vehicle for expanding students' reading and writing experiences. Come prepared for a lively and engaging session full of great ideas for the classroom.

In this time when everyone seems to have an opinion or quick fix for what teachers need to do, it is time to hold even tighter to your own core values and beliefs. What your students need most is for you to show up fully as yourself in the classroom. When you are your most authentic teacher self you give permission for your students to be the same and the real work of learning can happen. Your students don't need scripted lessons or gimmicks. They need you to align your teaching practice to your core, build balanced relationships, drive your own professional growth, and practice self-care. Participants will experience practices that help them define their core beliefs, learn how to build balanced relationships and make time for self-care, and leave with a plan for driving their own professional growth.

Dr. Debbie Silver discusses how to help both gifted as well as struggling students develop the self-efficacy they need to become thriving, lifelong learners. Based on her best-selling book, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8: Teaching Kids to Succeed, she demonstrates how to translate the latest motivational theory into down-to-earth examples of concrete, applicable guidelines for helping students overcome setbacks and failure.

Teaching students how to take responsibility for their own reading goals begins by co-constructing what it means to comprehend. In this fun and active presentation, Barry will share engaging comprehension strategies that students both learn and apply through small group work, individual reading, and goal setting. Barry will demonstrate ways he co-constructs with his students how to ask questions before, during and after they read, make connections and build background knowledge, track what's most important in the text, infer and check for misconceptions, visualize and use visuals to deep thinking, and evaluate what they read through summarizing and synthesizing.

This presentation will focus on emerging research suggesting that proficiency in phoneme awareness skills is essential for building a large and continuously expanding sight vocabulary. This session will address the phonological skills needed to remember and instantly identify written words. Decades of research on orthographic learning clearly shows that phoneme-level skills are foundational for remembering the words one reads.

In this practical session, we will use Hattie's research to explore what it means to use writing and literacy strategies in the classroom. Participants will engage in interactive activities to deepen their understanding of how to leverage students' writing for feedback, assessment, and developing future lessons.

We will explore how writing can be used to foster deep learning and transfer beyond the walls of the classroom. Marisol will share her experiences as a classroom teacher at Health Sciences High and Middle College, as well as provide examples of and ideas for planning for these fruitful experiences in classrooms.

Participants will leave the session with a better understanding of what writing in the visible learning framework is, and what it looks like in a classroom.