What Matters Most for Readers and Writers: Introduction to Responsive Literacy Instruction in International Schools K-8

Investment: $299

As teachers, we want to build joyful communities full of skilled readers and writers. While the field of literacy moves forward, we all want to know how to translate research into practice for the learners in our care. If you’re wondering what methods to lean on and how to spend your precious minutes in ways that maximize practice and transfer opportunities for your students, this course is for you!

In three clear, interactive sessions, you’ll learn the foundations of what matters most for readers and writers. You’ll walk away with knowledge to empower your practice, and ideas for effective, evidence-based literacy instruction whether you utilize a Workshop approach or not…

We’ll tackle:

The science and art of teaching reading and writing
Key instructional components for teaching reading and writing in K-2, 3-5, 6-8
Predictable ways to structure days and weeks for impact
Critical methods – mini-lessons, conferring, and data-informed small groups
Ways to adapt content and methods for the international school setting

This course is always our most popular. Expect to connect with a global cohort of colleagues and leave ready to launch effective, evidence-based reading and writing instruction in your classroom.

Course curriculum

1. Course Information
1. Padlet
1. Introduction and Course Agenda
2. What does the research say about what matters most for our writers?
1. The Art of Teaching Writing: How might we plan for whole group instruction using a workshop framework?
2. The Art of Teaching Writing: How might we plan for whole group instruction using Collaborative Writing?
3. How might we live the writing process in the lower grades? What might be happening during independent writing?
1. The Art of Teaching Writing: How might we plan for whole group instruction using a workshop framework?
2. The Art of Teaching Writing: How might we plan for whole group instruction using Collaborative Writing?
3. How might we live the writing process in the upper grades? What might be happening during independent writing?
1. The Science of Reading: What happens in our brain when we learn to read?
1. Scarborough’s Reading Rope: What does this mean for reading comprehension in the lower grades?
2. The Science and Art of Reading: What might this mean for how we spend our minutes? What matters most when teaching phonics?
3. How might we plan for read aloud and shared reading with the Reading Rope in mind?
4. The Role of Decodable Texts: When, How Much and Where?
1. Scarborough’s Reading Rope: What does this mean for reading comprehension in the upper grades? (Background Knowledge and Vocabulary)
2. Scarborough’s Reading Rope: Zooming in to the Sentence Level, Verbal Reasoning and Literacy Knowledge
3. How might a whole class experience a text together? How might we plan for Read Aloud with the Reading Rope in mind?
4. What is Shared Reading and how might it look within our classrooms?
5. Independent Reading: How might we develop text sets for our readers?
1. Conferring with Writers: Feedback, Structure and Harnessing Agency
2. Conferring with Readers: Coaching, Conferring Toolkits and Record Keeping
3. Small Groups: Maximizing Time and Feedback. What are some types of small groups and when might we use them?
4. Putting the Pieces Together: How might we maximize time during our literacy blocks?
1. Independent Reading: What tools might we use? How might we implement ‘Writing about Reading’ effectively?
2. Conferring with Writers: Feedback, Structure and Harnessing Agency
3. Conferring with Readers: Making thinking visible, Conferring Toolkits and Record Keeping
4. Small Groups: Maximizing Time and Feedback. What are some types of small groups and when might we use them?
1. Do students need to rewrite their piece after revising, or can their final piece be the one with edits on it?
2. How might we balance responsive planning with team planning requirements?
3. What are some ways we might differentiate during whole group learning experiences?
4. How might we structure our writing units?
1. Complete this short survey and get your course completion certificate!

About this course

$299.00
33 lessons
6.5 hours of video content

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Course Facilitators

Cailin Minor

Cailin Minor is an internationally experienced educator, literacy coach, and curriculum specialist. She has worked extensively with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Units of Study curriculum as well as teaching reading and writing through the workshop model. Cailin is passionate about instructional coaching, and holds an advanced certificate in Cognitive Coaching. She currently serves as a senior strategist for Erin Kent Consulting where she specializes in supporting schools in creating a"Next Generation" Readers/Writers Workshop model that supports current research and a school’s unique needs. Cailin works with schools to create a tailored literacy vision and model that supports the specific ELL and cultural needs of a student population, the host country's language, and the time and structures of the school. Cailin also works with schools to create a dynamic coaching program and collaborative practices that foster the literacy growth and goals.

Colleen Ackford

Colleen Ackford has worked as an IB classroom teacher, curriculum developer, reading specialist, literacy intervention teacher, and literacy coach in Canada, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and Chile. Colleen has extensive experience working alongside teachers to establish reading and writing workshops in which learners take ownership of their reading and writing lives, express curiosity, and grow their thinking with peers. Colleen has guided teaching teams with developing standards-aligned units of study, progressions of learning, transdiciplinary units, and assessments. She is passionate about both cognitive coaching and student-centered coaching, and has substantial experience with building and developing a coaching program and supporting individual coaches as they grow their practice. Colleen is based in Singapore.