READING

Deep Comprehension

This course moves beyond comprehension skills to underscore the importance of deep comprehension. Strategies will be modeled and practiced so that teachers engage their students in meaningful discussions; increase complex reasoning; develop rich speaking, writing, and listening vocabularies; and analyze literary texts in different genres and disciplines, as required in the CCSS. Course Number PD7

Weaving Together Literacy and Social Development

When social-emotional learning and literacy are linked in the classroom, all students discover their voice and express themselves as they read, write, listen, and speak in a safe classroom community. Through culturally diverse literature, participants this will focus on societal themes as the vehicle to teach literacy skills and address social development. By creating a positive classroom culture, students achieve academically and socially, thus supporting mastery of the CCSS. Course Number PD8

Guided Reading

The Guided Reading course will spotlight the steps in the guided reading process: plan, set the scene, read, return to the text, and respond to the text. Participants will learn how a balance of instruction and assessment, both formative and summative, can lead to greater accountability and help them increase student achievement as they focus on the following standards from the CCSS: Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, and Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. Course Number PD6

Differentiated Instruction: Helping All Learners Achieve the Common Core State Standards

With a particular focus on strategies for meeting the CCSS, this course will emphasize the importance of making learning accessible for all students and guide participants through understanding the foundation of differentiated instruction, its guiding principles, a range of instructional and management strategies, and assessment. In classrooms where students are active learners, decision-makers, and problem- solvers, the results are more natural and effective than in classrooms where one size fits all. Course Number PD5

Nonfiction: Expository Text Everywhere

Examine best practices in teaching nonfiction by making connections to learning theory, relevant content-area instruction, and strategy instruction. The Reading Standards for Informational Text from the CCSS emphasize that students ask and answer questions, use text features and illustrations, compare and contrast, and recognize main idea and supporting details. Students should also be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity allowing them to be college or career ready. Learn, practice, and apply strategies that will help your students transfer reading strategies across the curriculum. Course Number PD10

A Focus on Anti-bullying Strategies

Students who are college and career ready in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language arrive at understanding other perspectives and cultures (CCSS, p. 7). An essential goal for educators is to engage students through social-emotional concepts and themes in order to teach them how to negotiate conflict; respect varying points of view; and express personal opinions, thoughts, and feelings. Participants will learn activities that use carefully selected children’s literature to help students deal with issues of bullying, create a more positive classroom and/or school climate, and allow for greater academic achievement. Course Number PD9