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VIRTUAL June 23-24, 2026

Light the fire for

Better Writing

Back by popular demand, Ignite to Write has already inspired educators from across the U.S. and around the world. In 2026, you can join the movement from anywhere with our two-day virtual conference—bringing 40+ breakout sessions, practical strategies, and fresh ideas right to your screen.

Flexible, convenient, and affordable, this one-of-a-kind professional development will spark creativity, sharpen student writing, and ignite success in every classroom.

What You Get

A Rejuvenating Mix of Focused & Fun Professional Development

Teacher watching virtual conference
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Option to learn from the comfort of your own home—or register the whole staff and host Ignite to Write at your school

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Ability to engage with presenters and other attendees with the interactive live chat

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Energetic presentations and special surprises designed to rekindle your passion for teaching writing

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Opportunity to get recharged and rejuvenated after a long school year

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A special 15% discount when you buy books and resources from TheLiteracyStore.com

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40+ relevant session topics to choose from, all on teaching writing skills and practices

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High-energy, engaging presentations that will keep your attention

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Handouts and note-taking resources to support implementation

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Downloadable completion certificates for every session

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Lifetime access to a “Secret Site” packed with digital resources from every session

40+ Sessions at Ignite to Write - The How to Teach Writing Conference - virtual

Session Topics

Learn powerful strategies for teaching writing during Ignite to Write!

Meet writer needs

Kick-start your writing with 6 key lessons

Grades K-12, ML All Levels

Learn the essential lessons to teach writers at the beginning of the year to launch a daily writing time that blends instruction, practice, and feedback. Discover how to boost student engagement, tackle obstacles, and nurture independent writers with routines that keep the momentum going.

 

Juggle language foundations & writing standards in PK-2

Grades PK-2, ML Levels 1-2

Learn how to effectively integrate writing standards into your literacy instruction alongside foundational skills. Discover a variety of curriculum resources and scheduling options to ensure that both transcription and genre writing are addressed daily.

 

Introduce the 6 Traits to students

Grades K-12, ML All Levels

Discover engaging techniques to introduce the 6 Traits to your students using mentor texts, song lyrics, and visual icons. By establishing a shared understanding of these essential elements at the beginning of the year, you can create a strong foundation for writing instruction that will benefit students throughout the year.

 

Provide focused & efficient writer feedback

Grades K-12, ML All Levels

Strengthen students’ writing by providing feedback that is prompt, purposeful, precise, and personal. Discover ways to make your writer conferences more efficient and effective, and learn a 4-step process to offer targeted guidance, track progress, and foster meaningful teacher-student interactions.

 

Develop a flexible writing rubric for grades 3-12

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Incorporate a single, kid-friendly 6-Traits rubric that adapts to any type of writing and grows with your students. Learn how to score for individual traits, assign value, and convert scores to grades using an online rubric calculator—complete with personalized feedback for each student.

 

Build a PK-2 rubric that grows with your students

Grades PK-2, ML Levels 1-2

Create a simplistic 6-Traits rubric that matches the wide range of developing writers in your primary classroom. Discover ways to co-create the rubric with students and guide them in using it to self-assess and improve their own pieces.

 

Foster perseverance & resilience in writers

Grades K-12, ML All Levels

Foster resilience in all writers by providing mini-lessons that acknowledge the challenges of learning how to write. Encourage perseverance and independent decision-making through writing tasks that empower students to overcome obstacles and develop strong writer habits.

 

Revitalize the writing process

Grades K-12, ML All Levels

Streamline the steps of the traditional writing process to accommodate one-sitting first drafts. Explore a fresh perspective on peer- and self-revision techniques that better reflects today’s real-world writing situations.

 

Boost achievement with the science of writing

K-12 Instructional Leaders, Coaches, Administrators

Explore key research findings from the science of writing to understand what developing writers need most. Learn five high-impact, evidence-based practices that build stronger, more confident writers. Then walk away with practical ideas to shape a research-based writing program aligned to standards and focused on student achievement.

 

Plan powerful units

Propel students from basic persuasives to sophisticated arguments

Grades 6-12, ML Levels 3-5

Learn how to transform a persuasive piece into a fully developed argument, guiding students to support original reasons with strong textual evidence, weaving claims and details to reflect critical thinking, insight, and a deep understanding of the source material.

 

Convert opinion writing into powerful persuasion

Grades 3-5, ML Levels 3-5

Develop students’ persuasive power by moving them beyond listing reasons in single sentences to building fully developed paragraphs. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but the key to strong persuasion lies in reasoning that is clear, convincing, and well-supported.

 

Spin strong stories from texts

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Recognize different types of text-based narrative writing, from retelling a story through another perspective to creating fiction from facts. Then learn practical strategies to help students weave textual evidence within narrative elements to compose responses that are authentic, complete, and compelling.

 

Scaffold a yearlong writing curriculum (Part 1)

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Examine the research behind designing persuasive, informative, and narrative units that build logically from one to the next. Then learn how to maximize mini-unit planning by creating a cumulative spiral that strengthens students’ writing skills over time.

 

Scaffold a yearlong writing curriculum (Part 2)

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Honor 4 factors when designing individual mini-units for grades 3-12, including ways to teach new writing skills at a manageable pace, how to design meaningful writing tasks, and steps to equip students to execute an end-of-unit assessment that reveals their authentic and independent writing abilities.

 

Develop meaty middles in informative writing

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Discover the secret to strong informative writing—helping students organize facts and details with purpose. Then learn how to guide them in crafting middle paragraphs that are structured to match the writing’s purpose, whether describing, sequencing, or comparing information.

 

Design PK-2 writing units that meet the standards

Grades PK-2, ML Levels 1-2

Even as young writers are still learning language foundations and concepts of print, they need to explore the building blocks of opinion, informative, and narrative writing. Teach genre-specific skills and show students how to integrate them at every developmental stage—expressing their own ideas through pictures, labels, lists, and sentences.

 

Align conventions within writing units

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Discover why students who ace workbooks and quizzes often struggle to apply those same conventions in their own writing. The solution: teach grammar within writing units, showing students how to incorporate grade-level convention skills within their own first drafts.

 

Write about & beyond texts in PK-2

Grades PK-2, ML Levels 1-2

Expect ALL students to write reading responses—even the youngest! Teach them to independently express opinions, retell stories, and share information from texts, whether through pictures, letters, words, or sentences.

 

Teach opinion, informative, & narrative writing skills in PK-2

Grades PK-2, ML Levels 1-2

Lead students through writing stages—from drawing to full sentences—while developing their opinion, informative, and narrative writing skills. Discover how to embed key elements of each genre within their developmental progression.

 

Demonstrate math understanding through writing

Grades 2-12, ML Levels 3-5

Weave writing practices into math instruction to enhance critical thinking and analysis. Learn innovative mini-lessons that teach students how to demonstrate their understanding of mathematical concepts within informative and argumentative writing.

 

Blend writing instruction with your reading series

Grades K-6, ML Levels 1-5

Discover how to fit writing instruction into a robust elementary schedule, creating space for meaningful, focused practice. By doing so, learn how to develop both writing skills and content understanding, leading to stronger student outcomes.

 

Demonstrate comprehension via succinct summary writing

Grades 2-12, ML Levels 3-5

Acquire a scaffold of 10 summary-writing techniques that work across literature and informational texts, and see them in action through authentic student examples from various grade levels and multiple content areas. Experience these strategies firsthand in this highly engaging session.

 

Deliver writing lessons

Write with the WOW! factor

Grades 6-12, ML Levels 3-5

Elevate the sophistication and style in students’ argumentative, informative, and narrative writing. Learn how to refine their selection of words, choice of voice, and mastery of sentence fluency through targeted mini-lesson instruction and engaging writing tasks. This session is ideal for educators looking to turn good writers into truly great ones.

 

Teach convention skills in 3 steps

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Transform grammar instruction by focusing on 1 skill in 3 phases of instruction: 1) Notice and Name it, 2) Try it, 3) Apply it. Experience a structured path to mastery of grade-level grammar skills through the gradual release of responsibility.

 

Make mini-lesson magic

Grades K-12, ML All Levels

Experience the transformative impact of a 4-step mini-lesson that delivers focused, Tier 1 writing instruction in just 15 minutes. Watch video demonstrations that maximize student engagement and launch the gradual release of responsibility.

 

Craft engaging beginnings & powerful endings

Grades K-12, ML All Levels

Discover strategies for writing captivating openings and strong conclusions at every level. Analyze student work to uncover successful examples and gain practical tools for writing beginnings and endings that complement a strong middle in all modes and genres.

 

Improve basic sentence conventions

Grades PK-2, ML Levels 1-2

Build solid sentence foundations using engaging, practical writing strategies. Teach students key conventions like word spacing, punctuation, and expanding fragments into sentences. Explore creative ways to guide them in self-editing, ensuring their writing practices become more clear, more coherent, and more impactful.

 

Conquer state assessments

Write from multiple sources

Grades 4-12, ML Levels 3-5

Help students extract key details, organize their thinking, and combine ideas from a variety of texts—skills that prepare them to write with depth. Then learn how to move them beyond highlighting and summarizing to produce cohesive, well-supported pieces that show true analysis and synthesis.

 

Dissect author moves within literary analyses

Grades 8-12, ML Levels 4-5

Explore the art of analyzing a text beyond simply identifying plot elements and literary devices. Learn how to guide students to interpret author intentions, including the purpose behind craft choices, literary techniques, and text structure.

 

Prompt smarter, score higher

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Design test-like prompts in seconds using AI, including reading-response tasks that mirror state and national assessments. Then help students crack the code behind each prompt—decoding academic vocabulary and structure—to build writer confidence and increase writing scores.

 

Improve thinking to impact written responses

Grades K-12, ML All Levels

Boost students’ written responses by deepening their thinking about texts. Learn a straightforward 5-step process that helps students make inferences, answer text-dependent questions, and support ideas with strong evidence—the essential first step toward stronger reading responses.

 

Target short constructed-response writing

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Discover the key components of effective short constructed responses, including inferential thinking and the use of textual evidence. Learn practical lesson ideas that cater to writers who will face state assessments, helping them develop the necessary writing skills to excel in this important format.

 

Follow evidence with insight

Grades 4-12, ML Levels 3-5

Learn strategies to turn text details into unique expressions—paraphrasing, citing, and restructuring sentences. Once students can handle the evidence, guide them to interpret, elaborate, and provide meaningful commentary that strengthens their writing.

 

Master evidence-based responses

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Help students overcome evidence-based response errors with targeted strategies. Explore common pitfalls like insufficient support and irrelevant information, while learning to adapt to modern testing formats. Leave with lesson ideas to help students provide strong textual evidence across diverse question types.

 

Create a reading & writing calendar for test prep

Grades 3-12, ML Levels 3-5

Acquire a comprehensive list of reading and writing skills necessary for students to perform well on read-write tests. Learn to align composition and comprehension strategies across the year for seamless writing-about-reading instruction, building on the mini-unit spiral for a cohesive approach.

 

Embrace EdTech

 Stay tuned for session topics!

Who Should Attend?

Ignite to Write is for everyone who teaches writing!

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K-6 General Education Teachers
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Literacy Coaches & Coordinators

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6-12 Language Arts Teachers
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High-Ability Teachers

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Principals & Assistant Principals

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K-12 Curriculum Directors

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K-12 Special Education Teachers
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ELL Teachers

Meet Your Guides

Kristina Smekens, President and Lead Consultant at Smekens Education

Keynote Speaker + Session Presenter

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.

Session Presenters

Courtney Gordon - Literacy Consultant - Smekens Education

Courtney Gordon

Diana Harris - Literacy Consultant - Smekens Education

Didi Harris

Shona Lansdell - Literacy Consultant - Smekens Education

Shona Lansdell

Kristi McCullough - Literacy Consultant - Smekens Education

Kristi McCullough

Rachel Remenschneider - Literacy Consultant - Smekens Education

Rachel Remenschneider

Holly Sluyter - Literacy Consultant - Smekens Education

Holly Sluyter

Conference Schedule

All times listed are Eastern Time

DAY ONE

June 23

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

KEYNOTE

10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Session 1

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Lunch break

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Session 2

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Session 3

3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Session 4

DAY TWO

June 24

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Session 5

10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Session 6

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Session 7

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch break

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Session 8

2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Closing

Registration

Ignite to Write conference
Virtual Conference

June 23-24, 2026

$409/person

Register by April 15 to receive a free Ignite to Write Conference T-Shirt!

Groups of 10+ attend for just $368.10/person!
Download the group registration form.

Benefits of

Attending Virtually

Accessible

With no travel required, you can attend Ignite to Write from anywhere that has a good internet connection.

Flexible

Whether you attend the live conference or watch the recordings afterward, you can revisit every session for two full years.

Affordable

Attending virtually means no need to pay extra for travel, lodging, or other expenses.

Benefits of attending virtually - Ignite to Write

Get Schoolwide Access

Host the Ignite to Write Virtual Conference at your school —and SAVE BIG!

Empower your whole team with two days of practical, high-impact professional learning designed to elevate your school’s writing instruction. By purchasing access to the Ignite to Write virtual conference for your entire staff, school leaders can unlock a wealth of professional development—without ever leaving campus.

Here’s why this is the best option for participating virtually:

Largest discount available

Schools and districts that purchase access for entire staffs benefit from the biggest discount. This is an affordable way to invest in every educator while maximizing your professional development budget.

Collaborative learning environment

Bringing everyone together fosters a shared learning experience. Teachers can immediately discuss strategies, share ideas, and build collective enthusiasm to apply new insights in their classrooms.

Convenient on-site participation

Instead of traveling to an off-site location, teachers can participate in the conference from their own school or district. Set up in classrooms, a conference room, or a common area to engage your team in two full days of virtual sessions—saving time and eliminating travel expenses.

Schoolwide impact

When every educator hears the same message and learns the same strategies, it amplifies the effect on student outcomes. Together, the whole staff will be better equipped to implement effective writing instruction across all grade levels.

Customizable and flexible schedule

Choose which sessions to attend based on your school’s specific needs. Recordings will be available for any sessions missed, giving teachers the chance to revisit and learn at their own pace.

Fun professional development

School leaders can make Ignite to Write extra special by incorporating fun elements like prizes, catered meals, or snacks.

Consider planning themed activities, giving away classroom supplies, or hosting friendly competitions to keep the energy high and the learning enjoyable. A little creativity can elevate an already engaging event into fun professional development for teachers!

Invest in your entire team, save with our largest discount, and make professional development more impactful—and fun—by bringing the virtual Ignite to Write conference experience to your school.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's included with my registration?

Beyond two days of fun, high-energy sessions, Ignite to Write attendees will also receive:

  • Two years of access to the recordings of EVERY session
  • Full-color session handouts for note-taking
  • Completion certificates for every session that’s viewed in its entirety
  • Lifetime access to the Ignite to Write “Secret Site”
Can I earn Continuing Education Credit?

With prior approval from the attendee’s school district, participants may receive professional development credit for participating in Ignite to Write. After the conference concludes, attendees will be awarded a Certificate of Participation which can be used to verify attendance.

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, Ignite to Write 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.

Download the group registration form >>

What is the cancellation policy?

Cancellations may occur any time prior to June 26 and a full refund, minus up to 5% transaction fees, will be paid.

Substitutions may occur at any time. If you need to cancel your registration, please submit your request to workshops@smekenseducation.com.

Prefer to participate in person?

Attend Ignite to Write in Indianapolis or Chicagoland Area!