How do we help students love reading and make meaning from text while still meeting instructional mandates Decoding is essential, but it’s not the end goal. If students can read the words but don’t understand, what have we taught?
Join Heinemann authors Ellin Oliver Keene, Cris Tovani, Debbie Miller, Anne Goudvis, and Steph Harvey for a multi-day event to explore how to bring comprehension, thinking, and engagement back to literacy instruction.
This interactive webinar series is designed for K–12 educators who want practical strategies to strengthen comprehension, engagement, and meaning-making across content areas.
What's Included:
- A free kickoff webinar open to all educators
- Three live webinars with nationally recognized literacy experts
- Access to all session recordings
- Optional 30-minute office hours immediately following each webinar for additional discussion and Q&A
FREE Kickoff Session: How and Why We Teach Comprehension
August 12, 4:30–5:30 PM MDT / 6:30–7:30 PM EDT
In today’s literacy landscape, we have a new set of challenges. Curricular resources are prescribed and teachers told to implement them “with fidelity” which leaves little time for explicit comprehension instruction, reading aloud, independent reading, and conferring to differentiate for students. These approaches can yank the joy out of learning to read and write. Sadly, the result is far fewer students choosing to read for pleasure, many completing their K - 12 education without reading a whole book, and lowering comprehension assessment scores throughout the country. (NAEP, 2024)
Revitalizing Think Alouds: Showing Kids How to Think, Not What to Think
September 16, 4:30–5:30 PM MDT / 6:30–7:30 PM EDT
In this session, we’ll provide examples of thinking aloud and engage participants in a discussion about how they might tailor thinking aloud to fit within their curriculum. (By the way, thinking aloud is a highly effective way to help students prepare for tests! Thinking aloud has an out-sized impact given that it takes relatively little time.)
Reimagining How to Squeeze More Meaning Making Into Our Day
September 29, 4:30–5:30 PM MDT / 6:30–7:30 PM EDT
In this session, Cris and Debbie will address the WHEN in a variety of intentional and thoughtful ways. We recognize teachers have required mandates, content coverage, and jam-packed days, yet we strongly believe that when we look closely at our school day (primary and intermediate teachers), or our class periods, (middle and high school teachers) we can intentionally plan for more time for students to read, write, and make meaning every day.
Rethinking Comprehension Across the Curriculum
October 20, 4:30–5:30 PM MDT / 6:30–7:30 PM EDT
Content instruction too often takes a back seat on the curricular bandwagon. And sometimes those time-worn content subjects are mostly about answering questions at the end of the passage or chapter, or cramming information for Friday’s quiz. Instead, let’s be sure that kids understand the difference between information and knowledge. If we don’t think about information, it’s merely information in, information out. Kids construct meaning by thinking as they read, listen, write and view, turning information into knowledge. This session will highlight practices in content instruction that teach kids to be aware of their thinking, think strategically, and, most importantly, recognize the power of their own thinking and ideas.
For full session descriptions and to register, go here!
