A wide variety of available seminars are described below. Every seminar integrates the current research on the brain and literacy with a focus on classroom application. A seminar day includes six hours of actual lecture time with only full days scheduled. A two-day session is strongly recommended on RTI and Struggling Readers while it is preferable for guided reading. Seminars may focus on a general audience (K-6) or target specific grades. Most sessions are designed for elementary grades, although a full day session is available on brain compatible literacy strategies and comprehension for grades K-12.
Grades K-6
Response to Intervention is a rich literacy framework using a tiered system. RTI begins with a high quality general education program with support options in place at higher levels. The framework builds a culture of instructional responsiveness and differentiation from the ground up with increasing levels of instructional intensity for students who need more than we can offer in the general classroom setting. Each tier in an RTI model is carefully coordinated so that students can receive the more they need within and across tiers. Mary will illustrate the success factors of RTI with a detailed description of each tier and the tools and steps that are essential for this schoolwide view of literacy excellence within an RTI model.
In this seminar, you will learn how to:
Grades K-12
The ability to communicate with others is an essential but often ignored skill in education even though teachers must meaningfully express ideas in ways that promote learning in every job position. Educators spend the bulk of the day ‘presenting’ ideas to students, colleagues, parents, or community members. Yet, most educators have no background in this important life skill. Whether your goal is to more effectively communicate in classroom teaching, staff development, literacy coaching or in any seminar setting, Mary will demonstrate how to be a more confident, poised and skillful communicator. She will share the secrets of dynamic presenting and give you the essential tools that will transform your ideas into powerful learning in any context.
In this seminar, you will learn how to:
Grades K-6
An effective literacy program must be grounded in a responsive, differentiated view that is inclusive of all students. Meeting the needs of struggling readers is not about doing something ‘else’ - often a diluted form of instruction based on isolated skill and drill. Our struggling readers must be immersed in the very instructional approaches that are afforded our most proficient readers. Mary will share powerful instructional strategies that give struggling readers the “more” they need – more intensity, more depth, more support and more acceleration. Learn how to build strategic knowledge in ways that ensure transfer of learning with powerful approaches that can be integrated across the curriculum tomorrow morning. You will leave this session with a new sense and an instructional toolbox filled to brimming in this strategy rich session.
Key topics your teachers will learn include:
Grades K-6
This new seminar is designed to clearly demonstrate that fluency is not a separate component of effective reading instruction, but a critical aspect of a larger scope. Current research has resulted in a renewed interest in fluency, but this seems to have resulted in what Rasinski describes as a shift from the “forgotten” to “misunderstood” reading goal. Fluency is often reduced to speed or pronunciation at the expense of meaning as the same unproductive oral reading practices continue to be the driving force of the scurry to incorporate fluency into every classroom.
Key topics your teachers will learn include:
Grades K-6
As quick fixes and teaching to the test continue to take a stronghold, few suffer more than struggling readers, whose unique learning needs have long been ignored by conventional programs and generic recipes. In this eye-opening seminar you will go to the root of the issues to explore the most critical aspects of literacy. Even more importantly, you will receive easy to implement strategies for effecting real change.
Grades K-6
It is impossible to underestimate the role comprehension plays in the reading process. The true value of words on a page is derived through the meaning they deliver. This informative seminar provides a treasure chest of strategies for engaging students and maximizing meaning throughout the reading process. Discover the secrets of teaching children strategies they will use, not just today, but for a lifetime.
Grades K-6
To create rich literacy contexts, schools must first establish criteria for working toward that goal. This inspiring presentation discusses ten maxims for designing exemplary literacy environments and the essential principles that support teachers in this process. Learn highly engaging strategies that will turn you into a powerful change agent in the classroom.
Grades K-6
Guided reading is a powerful tool for intensifying instruction in small groups. Flexible temporary homogeneous groups allow teachers to offer individualized support through carefully selected texts. With warmth and wisdom, Mary shows how to provide rich opportunities for reinforcing current knowledge while teaching new strategies in meaningful and powerful ways.
Grades K-6
Daily interactions with language and print offer priceless opportunities to expand vocabulary on a daily basis. Learn how to implement proven techniques that promote long-term memory using collaboration, movement, color and mnemonic devices. In this energizing session you will discover strategies that lead to continuous, lifelong word learning.
Grades K-6
The ultimate goal of education is to build environments that nurture literate lives. This is most powerfully accomplished by immersing students in a multitude of real-life reading experiences. This session highlights new and dynamic frameworks for celebrating meaningful print throughout the day. Learn to create engaging opportunities for interacting with texts across the curriculum.