9:00 – 11:50 a.m. Comprehension Strategies for Nonfiction Texts
• Teach kid-friendly techniques for comprehending informational text
• Offer students comprehension experiences using simple nonfiction texts
• Study a scaffold of nonfiction reading skills per grade level
12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Intensive Work Session (Complimentary boxed lunch)
• Dissect grade-level nonfiction texts for relevant comprehension
strategies, including textbooks, picture books, poetry, biographies, newspaper articles… anything nonfiction
• Develop a mini-lesson series that targets specific comprehension strategies with appropriate techniques
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Incorporating Nonfiction within your Read Alouds
• Expose students to the sound of nonfiction read alouds
• Adjust your expression, tone, and pace for the nonfiction read aloud
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. The Mini-Lesson Swap
• Each participant will be asked to bring photocopies of five of his/her favorite reading comprehension lessons/activities. (These can be lessons you developed yourself or ones you’ve found.) This time will be spent swapping favorite lesson ideas with teachers from a similar grade level.
3:30 p.m. Pre–Conference concludes
8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Music & Munchies
Kick-off reception for all Pre-Conference and Retreat attendees
The Retreat:
New strategies for teaching reading & writing
DAY 1 (OCTOBER 1)
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Registration & breakfast snack
9:00 – 10:20 a.m. Build Strong Writers One Paragraph at a Time
• Recognize the visual and verbal clues of different paragraph structures
• Obtain multiple mini-lessons that target idea development
• Learn strategies to teach paragraph indention
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. Target Oral Communication in the Classroom
• Build essential oral fluency skills within students
• Scaffold activities from simple student sharing to formal oral presentations
• Learn ways to assess students’ oral communication skills
11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Complimentary lunch buffet
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. Create & Manage Small Group Reading Activities
• Acquire small group reading activities that are versatile for any content
• Develop procedures that foster student independence
• Scaffold activities from whole class to small group to individual readers
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Make Writing Rich-- Not Just Right-- with Punctuation
• Beyond end marks, review the purposes of other, more lively punctuation
• Excite students with punctuation studies
• Utilize picture book excerpts to teach specific punctuation lessons
7:30 – 9:00 p.m. A Few Of Our Favorites . . . Books & Desserts!
• Receive free picture books & enjoy delicious desserts
DAY 2 (OCTOBER 2)
9:00 – 10:20 a.m. See the Joy in Persuasive Writing
• Engage the different voices inside your students’ heads
• Play with a variety of writing audiences and purposes
• Obtain mini-lessons that develop persuasive writing skills in all grades
10:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Create Boy-Friendly Classrooms
• Embrace boy interests in reading and writing topics
• Attract male readers with strong role models and nontraditional texts
• Incorporate lessons and assignments that engage boys at a higher level
Questions? Call Smekens Education toll free.
888-376-0448
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Smekens Education Solutions is an approved provider of
Illinois Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs).
Participants earn 5 CPDUs for attending the Pre-Conference & 7 CPDUs for the Reteat.
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For an additional fee, participants in this workshop are eligible to earn up to three hours of graduate credit from Purdue University-Calumet. (One hour for Pre-Conference, two hours for The Retreat)
Who should attend?
K-6 Classroom Teachers
6-12 Language Arts Teachers
Building–Level Literacy Coaches
District–Level Lit. Coordinators
Title I Teachers
K-12 Gifted & Talented Teachers
K-12 Principals & Asst. Principals
