Reading Comprehension Conference
Learn, Plan, & Rejuvenate
For students to succeed with today’s rigorous comprehension standards, it will take more than read-alouds and class discussions. Real mastery comes when educators use explicit instruction to teach core thinking skills that can be applied to any text.
When you join Kristina Smekens for CompCON, you’ll learn how to make your whole-class instruction more explicit and more engaging. Plus, we’ve set aside time for you to plan how and when you will teach the core comprehension standards for your grade level.
When the conference is over, you’ll walk away rejuvenated and ready for the new year. That’s because you will be armed with a yearlong playbook for teaching comprehension, along with the tools and motivation to put best-practice strategies into action.
Dates & Locations
Attend in-person or virtually
VIRTUAL EVENT
Virtual & Interactive
June 20-21, 2023
IN-PERSON EVENT
Shipshewana, IN
June 27-28, 2023
IN-PERSON EVENT
VIRTUAL EVENT
Virtual & Interactive
July 18-19, 2023
Save $$ when you bring a group
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
All times listed are Eastern Time
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Registration & breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session 1
10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Guided work time
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch break
12:30 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Session 3
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Guided work time
3:05 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Closing session
10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Guided work time
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch break
What you will learn
DAY 1 OVERVIEW
Teach whole-class comprehension skills with explicit instruction
Kristina Smekens will kick off CompCON by highlighting the similarities between teaching reading and coaching an athletic team. Just as an athletic coach breaks down a new play, classroom teachers must provide explicit, whole-class comprehension instruction. Taking on the attitude of a comprehension “coach,” the teacher begins to equip students with a lifelong playbook of reading skills.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUS:
Armed with this big-picture understanding, the primary focus of this first morning will be to learn the process for planning and teaching a single comprehension skill across an entire week.
During the first day, Kristina Smekens will:
- Identify a set of comprehension skills from retelling to synthesizing that honors college and career-ready standards, grade-level expectations, and best-practice instruction.
- Detail the explicit instructional points that must be told, taught, and modeled for every week’s comprehension skill.
- Model how to use The Playbook to craft a week-long series of comprehension mini-lessons that honor the gradual release of responsibility (i.e., I do, We do, You do).
- Explain the process for selecting text excerpts to maximize teaching time in every whole-class comprehension lesson.
COLLABORATION & GUIDED WORK TIME:
During guided work time, you’ll zero-in on your grade-specific list of yearlong comprehension skills. Then you’ll learn how to drill down the order of instructional points to roll out each day of the mini-lesson series. While working independently or with a group, you will have access to Kristina and her team to ask questions, seek feedback, and troubleshoot concerns.
DAY 2 OVERVIEW
Map out a year of skills, texts, and writing
Knowing which comprehension skills to teach and how to teach them is the first step. The next hurdle is to determine when to teach these priority skills. The second day of CompCON will reveal how to target new whole-class, grade-level comprehension skills each week while offering differentiated practice for those skills previously learned.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUS:
Day two of CompCON examines the grade-level comprehension skills taught across the year— whether you follow the provided scope and sequence or a district-required one.
You’ll learn how to:
- Launch the first weeks of whole-class comprehension lessons from The Comprehension Playbook while growing reader stamina and establishing independent routines.
- Analyze your daily schedule to fit “everything” into the reading block/reader’s workshop.
- Spiral yearlong comprehension instruction to gradually release from I-do lessons to You-do assignments and assessments.
- Weave into the reading block a weekly write-about-reading lesson that supports the broader writer’s workshop and prepares students for standardized test expectations.
COLLABORATION & GUIDED WORK TIME:
With this deeper understanding, you’ll utilize guided work time to study a suggested scope and sequence to then determine how you might revise it to fit your unique district needs. In addition, you’ll identify beginning-of-the-year mentor texts to return to for specific lessons later in the year. During this focused collaboration time, Kristina and her team will again be available to answer questions, provide feedback, and troubleshoot concerns.
Get hands-on support
Ever been to a workshop and wished you had time to process the content and plan out your instruction? At CompCON, that’s exactly what you’ll get.
During the guided work times, we will lead you through the planning of your reading comprehension instruction. With the help of the Smekens team, there’s no need to wonder if you’re doing it right—you will leave with a clear plan, fully mapped out!
What you will get
The Comprehension Playbook
The essential guide for teaching whole-class reading comprehension instruction
Grade-specific comprehension “plays”
Lifetime access to digital resource site
Grade-specific Comprehension Road Map
Downloadable anchor chart pieces
Support videos to help you implement
IN-PERSON EVENT
CompCON Kit containing everything you need for two days of fun & learning
Personalized support from Kristina and her team during the guided work sessions
Delicious breakfast, lunch, and snacks
High-energy atmosphere and special surprises
Fun evening entertainment at each venue
The opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle to rejuvenate your passion for teaching
Time to browse the bookstore of hand-selected books and resources to support your reading comprehension lessons
A completion certificate reflecting 11 hours of professional development
Lifetime access to the CompCON “Secret Site”
VIRTUAL EVENT
CompCON Kit shipped to you containing everything you need for two days of fun & learning
Personalized support from Kristina and her team during the guided work sessions
On-demand access to the recordings of every CompCON session through June 1, 2024
Completion certificates totaling up to 11 hours of professional development
Lifetime access to the CompCON “Secret Site”
So much more than a conference
Whether you choose to experience CompCON in person or virtually, you will gain the knowledge and confidence you need to build stronger readers. But the CompCON experience doesn’t stop when the conference is over.
With lifetime access to the members-only “Secret Site” and Comprehension Playbook Digital Resources, you will always have the support you need to implement what you learn.
Who should attend?
CompCON is for everyone who teaches comprehension!
Literacy Coaches & Coordinators
High-Ability Teachers
Principals & Assistant Principals
K-12 Curriculum Directors
Your Comprehension Coach
A celebrated educator, author, and literacy consultant, Kristina Smekens has built a reputation for using enthusiasm, humor, and common sense to equip K-12 educators with simple and effective strategies for teaching reading and writing.
As president and lead consultant for Smekens Education, Kristina is constantly developing new strategies to help teachers meet the demands of today’s College and Career-Ready Standards. She shares those strategies with teachers across the United States and beyond through on-site professional development, seminars, and an always-growing pool of print, digital, and video resources.
Why Educators ❤ CompCON
See what last year’s CompCON attendees had to say.
Switzerland County School Corp. – Vevay, IN
American School of Bombay – Mumbai, India
Northwest Middle School – Indianapolis, IN
Shari Switzer, Curriculum Director
North West Hendricks School Corp. – Indianapolis, IN
Tilden Hogge Elementary School – Morehead, KY
Turning Point Schools – Indianapolis, IN
St. Paul Lutheran School – Grafton, WI
Audra Locklear, Principal
Connie Alderman, Teacher
Triad Baptist Christian Academy – Kernersville, NC
Northwest Middle School – Indianapolis, IN
2022 Highlights
Frequently Asked Questions
What's included when I attend CompCON in person?
Beyond two days of fun, high-energy sessions, CompCON In-Person attendees will also receive:
- CompCON Kit containing everything you need for two days of fun & learning
- Grade-specific Comprehension Playbook with digital resource site
- Support from Kristina and her team during the afternoon work sessions
- Breakfast, lunch, & snacks both days
- Lots of fun, entertainment, and special surprises
- A completion certificate reflecting 11 hours of professional development
- Lifetime access to the CompCON “Secret Site”
- Exclusive access to online CompCON Community after the event
What's included when I attend CompCON virtually?
Beyond two days of fun, high-energy sessions, CompCON Virtual attendees will also receive:
- A CompCON Kit shipped to you containing everything you need for two days of fun & learning. (No extra shipping charge for U.S. residents. International registrants will incur additional shipping charges).
- Grade-specific Comprehension Playbook with digital resource site
- Support from Kristina and her team during the afternoon work sessions
- On-demand access to the recordings of every CompCON session through June 1, 2024
- A completion certificate reflecting 5 – 11 hours of professional development, depending on participation
- Lifetime access to the CompCON “Secret Site”
- Exclusive access to online CompCON Community after the event
What happens if I can’t “attend” the live virtual event?
We understand that summer schedules don’t always allow for live participation. Consequently, the session and chat recordings will be available within 24 hours of the live event. And although you can’t interact with the chat at that point, you can email us your specific questions at any time. We’re always here to support you!
Can I earn Continuing Education Credit?
With prior approval from the attendee’s school district, participants may receive professional development credit for participating in CompCON (In-person: 11 hours, Virtual: up to 11 hours depending on participation). After the conference concludes, attendees will be awarded a Certificate of Participation which can be used to verify attendance.
Thanks to a partnership with the IL ASCD, all Illinois teachers who attend CompCON are eligible to earn state-approved continuing education credit for up to 11 hours of training.
Visit our Continuing Education Credit page for more information about how this workshop fulfills your state’s unique continuing education requirements.
Can I earn Graduate-Level Units?
For an additional fee of $62 per credit/unit, CompCON attendees are eligible to pursue 1-4 graduate-level university semester credit units from the University of the Pacific, Center for Professional Development and Continuing Education. Please check with your district to determine course acceptability.
Do you offer a group discount?
Yes! For groups of 10 or more, take 10% off the current registration fee. Contact us for special pricing and arrangements.
How can I convince my administrator to let me attend?
Download and edit this Word Document to share with your administrator the benefits of attending CompCON!
I attended last year. Should I go again?
We would love to have you back! Now that you have utilized The Comprehension Playbook for a year, you better understand its facets. And although you will hear essentially the same session content at CompCON this summer, you are in a different mental space now. Consequently, you will likely have many ahas revisiting the information a second time.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancellations of in-person attendance can occur up to 10 days prior to the workshop. In such cases, a refund, minus up to 5% transaction fees, will be available. Cancellations occurring less than 10 days prior to the in-person workshop do not qualify for any refund.
For virtual/interactive registrants, cancellations can occur at any time prior to the shipment of the CompCON Kit. In such cases, a refund, minus up to 5% transaction fees, will be available. After the Kit has been shipped, cancellations do not qualify for a refund. Substitutions may occur at any time.
If you need to cancel your registration, please submit your request to workshops@smekenseducation.com.
Don’t miss the biggest event of the summer!
Have a Question?
Complete the form below or call (888) 376-0448.