Grades K-5
Inclusive Practices to Nurture Literacy Development
This series, aligned with the guidelines of the 2023 Wisconsin Act 20, will delve into science-based early reading components, intentional inclusion of diverse texts, and the role of grade-level texts across K-5. Educators will gain insights, strategies, and resources to cultivate culturally rich and inclusive early literacy experiences. Through reflective practices, discussions, and valuable resources, participants will leave equipped to enhance literacy development in their classrooms while embracing cultural diversity and meeting the standards set by Wisconsin Act 20.
Culturally Inclusive Approaches to Early Literacy Instruction
Facilitators: Stacy Gray, Ph.D., Robyn Bindrich, MS
Educators play a pivotal role in cultivating inclusive and culturally rich experiences for early literacy learning. Aligned with the guidelines of the 2023 Wisconsin Act 20, this session is designed to enhance participants' understanding of science-based early reading components, including oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, writing, and building background knowledge. Participants will have opportunities to reflect on their practice, engage in discussions with others in the field, and ask questions. Participants will leave with resources and strategies related to offering culturally meaningful, science-based early reading instruction.
Supporting Literacy Learning Through Diverse Texts
Facilitators: Robyn Bindrich, MS; Stacy Gray, Ph.D.
A critical component of WI Act 20 is building background knowledge. To facilitate the translation of research into practice, this session explores the interconnections between background knowledge and early literacy skill-building through the intentional inclusion of culturally relevant fiction and nonfiction texts. Participants will engage in discussions related to critically analyzing texts and building meaningful text sets. Moreover, participants will leave with resources that support identifying, evaluating, and using diverse texts to enhance literacy development.
The Role of Grade-Level Texts Across K-5
Facilitator: Dr. Kristen Braatz, Ph.D.
WI Act 20 calls for educators to evaluate the quality of instructional materials and consider the texts students are exposed to. This session will dig into appropriate and research-based uses of text across K-5 and explore how access to grade-level texts creates equitable instruction. Participants will leave this session with an understanding of the purpose of various text types, how each text type contributes to building skilled and confident readers, and resources for locating and evaluating appropriate texts for their students.
Grades 6-12
Disciplinary Literacy—A Shared Responsibility
In this series, participants will explore the significance of disciplinary literacy and its transformative impact on education. Each session will follow the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model in which the instructor will model concepts and scaffolds followed by interactive participation leading to application within each classroom. Individual virtual coaching is available to offer support and nonevaluative feedback. Join us on a journey to discover strategies for mentoring students towards achieving a higher level of literacy specific to content areas.
What is Disciplinary Literacy? Why Does it Matter?
Facilitator: Sid Larson
In this session, our primary goal is to delve into the realm of disciplinary literacy and unravel its distinctions from traditional content area reading. We ask participants to bring written texts commonly encountered by their students. Through collaborative analysis, we will identify the distinctive characteristics within these texts that may pose challenges to comprehension. We embark on the journey of exploring strategies to mentor our students towards achieving a higher level of literacy specific to our content areas.
Reading Scaffolds for the Complex Text of Our Discipline
Facilitator: Sid Larson
Ever wondered who the most adept reader of discipline-specific texts is? It's the teacher! In this session, we introduce participants to the concept of "think alouds." We'll explore the profound impact of articulating our inner reading strategies aloud to our students. Discover how this practice can inspire them to become strategic readers themselves.
Additionally, we'll delve into the structured approach of close reading. Explore how this systematic routine can provide access to all readers, encouraging multiple readings of the same text while fostering collaborative responses to your insightful, text-dependent questions. Join us as we unlock the potential of think alouds and close reading to enrich your students' literacy skills!
Introduction to Writing-to-Learn and Low Stakes Writing
Facilitator: Sid Larson
Students need to be writing every day in every class! If we view writing as a learning tool rather than just an assessment tool, the above statement can contribute to a school-wide culture of literacy. Why are we reluctant to ask our students to do more writing? What gets in the way? Participants will be anxious to return to their classes to try out a Magnet Summary, a scaffold that can address both vocabulary acquisition and summary writing. The session will wrap up with participants helping each other create a RAFT writing.
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