Our EKC Global Chats series is a space for sharing, asking for support, and brainstorming together.

Each month, we will tackle a different hot topic in literacy with an expert in the field, and then join in some global camaraderie and discussion. It's free to join!

Chat: March 22 | 7:00-8:00am EST
Literacy Beyond the Primary Years: 
Reading and Writing as Demands Increase

Let’s face it: once students move beyond the primary years, literacy starts to change in visible--and sometimes uncomfortable--ways. Texts get denser. Writing demands more precision. Comprehension is no longer just about understanding what’s on the page, but about using reading and writing to learn and think more deeply.

Which raises a familiar question in schools: how does literacy instruction need to shift as students move into more complex texts and tasks?

Join Erin Kent Consulting for a global conversation with Joan Sedita, author of The Essentials of Adolescent Literacy and The Writing Rope. Together, we’ll explore how literacy instruction shifts as demands increase, how the Writing Rope framework can help educators prioritize time and attention when planning, assessing, and teaching reading and writing, and what it means to think about teaching literacy across our schools.

Facilitators

Hannah Fernweh

Hannah Fernweh is a lifelong learner specializing in best practices for multilingual students, translanguaging, culturally relevant pedagogy, and students with exceptionalities. She has worked in public and international schools as a teacher, coach, and department head and has a particular passion for meeting the literacy needs of linguistically, culturally, and neurologically diverse learners. Currently, she is delving into how different writing systems can impact literacy development within the brain and how exceptionalities can influence how one acquires languages and literacies. When supporting schools, Hannah guides educators to understand how the brain learns to speak and read in order to develop clear, practical plans to support diverse learners.

Joan Sedita

Joan Sedita is the founder of Keys to Literacy, a professional development organization dedicated to literacy instruction. With over 45 years of experience in the literacy field, she has served as a teacher, administrator, and teacher trainer. Joan is the creator of The Writing Rope framework and book, the author of Essentials of Adolescent Literacy, and the developer of multiple literacy professional development programs, including The Key Comprehension Routine, The Key Vocabulary Routine, Keys to Beginning Reading, Keys to Content Writing, Keys to Early Writing, and Keys to Adolescent Literacy. From 1975 to 1998, she worked the Landmark School, a pioneer in the development of literacy intervention programs. Since 1998, Joan has provided literacy training and consultation to hundreds of school districts and departments of education. Joan holds an M.Ed. in Reading from Harvard University and a B.A. from Boston College.