Early Literacy


The Building Blocks of Literacy: Developing Literacy Interests and Abilities During the Preschool Years


In prekindergarten classrooms, children should be engaged in developmentally appropriate, joyful explorations of literacy, language, and print. But what does this really mean? What do effective early- literacy programs really look like? What research supports current best practices? In this session, we will examine critical language and literacy practices for today’s prekindergarten classrooms. Participants will learn strategies for developing children’s phonological and phonemic awareness abilities, alphabet knowledge, and print knowledge and will gain ideas for creating an environment that promotes enthusiasm and motivation for learning to read and write. Session Number PD30


PreK and the BIG FIVE: Building a Firm Foundation for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, & Comprehension


Researchers have identified the strongest predictors of young children’s later reading, writing, and spelling success, as well as characteristics of environments that contribute to gains that are linked to later literacy outcomes. In this hands-on session, we will explore how findings from research in early literacy can be addressed in programs for children ages three through five. Emphasis will be on the design of developmentally appropriate and meaningful instructional experiences to facilitate the acquisition of pre-reading, as well as future reading, writing, and spelling skills and abilities. Session Number PD31


Writing Developing Young Writers


In the early stage of literacy development, children write more and more, and as a result, they learn more about both encoding (spelling) and decoding (reading). In this session designed for K–2 classroom teachers, reading coaches, curriculum specialists, and administrators, we will explore the interconnectedness between the reading and writing processes and ways teachers can help children: (1) further develop their alphabetic knowledge as they learn how to spell new words and develop strategies to write unknown words; (2) acquire correct use of language conventions, such as punctuation marks and uppercase letters; (3) learn how to reconstruct their experiences and concepts about the world around them; and (4) expand their writing to include varying genres and text formats. Session Number PD37


Language Arts


Encouraging Children to Talk! Building Communication and Language Reasoning


in the Preschool & Primary Grades Children who do not develop the fundamentals of language during their preschool years are at risk for educational achievement, especially in reading. Unfortunately, many children do not acquire a strong oral language foundation and enter the kindergarten and primary years lacking the language structures, forms, and functions necessary for success. This interactive workshop will provide opportunities for participants to: (1) analyze children’s ability to use language for a variety of purposes, (2) examine ways to informally assess young children’s oral language abilities that underlie reading and writing, and (3) explore ways to use assessment information to strengthen children’s oral language and communication skills. Session Number PD38


Developing Vocabulary in the Primary


Grade Classroom We know that the gap between those more prepared and those less prepared in the area of language and word knowledge may continue to grow throughout the elementary years, putting the less-prepared students at risk of reading failure. During this interactive workshop, teachers will explore the what, when, why, and how of vocabulary development for children in the early grades. Included will be attention to building vocabulary experientially, relating new words to children’s background knowledge, developing a depth of knowledge about each new word taught, exploring relationships between and among words, and generating students’ interest in words. Session Number PD39


Seminars and Workshops Pricing


• $3,500 per day, $2,950 per subsequent consecutive day


• Pricing is for one trainer/facilitator. Quotes for more than one trainer are available upon request.


• Each workshop has a limit of 40 participants to allow for interaction and hands-on activities. Price includes all trainer and materials costs. Schools/districts must provide only the location(s) for the workshop.


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