Embracing Literacy 2024

Ticketed Event. Pre-registration is required; please register through the link!

Understanding how the brain uses rich language networks and builds new pathways for reading lays the foundation for effective literacy leadership. Why? Because leading literacy requires each one of us to understand that reading is an unnatural process, it takes informed instruction and evidence-based resources to build reading brains. In this session, we bring clarity to the neuroscience behind reading by exploring how the brain processes language, word recognition, and the comprehension of text. By grasping the fundamental mechanisms at play, literacy leaders can better support educators in fostering strong literacy skills among students. The learning experience in this session comes from a six-day literacy leadership course. The three sessions presented in this series align and support one another but they are built to stand alone and grow your knowledge about a specific area of literacy leadership. While interrelated, one does not have to attend all three to receive the impact of each session; however, there will be tremendous value in attending each one for a comprehensive view of literacy leadership.

Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) provides a framework for identifying and addressing the diverse needs of all students, including those struggling with literacy. In fact, without this framework in place, progress towards a highly reliable system that ensures all students reach maximal potential is not possible. In this session, we explore how literacy leaders can leverage building a strong MTSS process starting with Tier 1 that implements evidence-based core instruction and interventions, monitors progress, and ensures access to high-quality literacy instruction for all learners. The learning experience in this session comes from a six-day literacy leadership course.

The three sessions presented in this series align and support one another but are built to stand alone and grow your knowledge about a specific area of literacy leadership. While interrelated, one does not have to attend all three to receive the impact of each session; however, there will be tremendous value in attending each one for a comprehensive view of literacy leadership.

Effective and informed leadership is essential for driving literacy initiatives and fostering the daily motivation needed to be the chief reminding officer and casting the vision, meeting the discrete mission goals, and transforming a system. In this session, we explore leadership moves that promote literacy excellence, from setting a vision to providing ongoing support and professional development. Participants will gain practical strategies for leading literacy improvement efforts within their schools or districts. The learning experience in this session comes from a six-day literacy leadership course. The
three sessions presented in this series align and support one another but are built to stand alone and grow your knowledge about a specific area of literacy leadership. While interrelated, one does not have to attend all three to receive the impact of each session; however, there will be tremendous value in attending each one for a comprehensive view of literacy leadership.

Through this two-part session, leaders will briefly explore a range of historical and current approaches to literacy instruction in the US. Although there is a debate about the best ways to teach literacy, there is clear and overwhelming research that supports a few specific best practices that promote equity in literacy outcomes for all students These are: systemic instruction in reading foundational skills, engaging in grade-level complex text, building knowledge through text, and evidence-based discussion and writing. By the end of this two-part session, leaders will be able to identify the four key literacy best practices in classroom instruction, have the beginnings of a vision for strong instruction in ELA and next steps on where to start support growing teacher knowledge. 

Learner Outcomes
Explore the historical arc of reading instruction and how it’s led to the current practices and debate.    Identify the four research-based best practices in literacy instruction, and how these practices serve the needs of all students.

Learning Questions

1. Share two key takeaways around best practices in literacy instruction that you learned in this session. 
2. Share one clear next step you plan to take from the learning in this session.  
3. Share more about the learning that you would want or need to advance your practice in literacy instruction.

Through this two-part session, leaders will briefly explore a range of historical and current approaches to literacy instruction in the US. Although there is a debate about the best ways to teach literacy, there is clear and overwhelming research that supports a few specific best practices that promote equity in literacy outcomes for all students These are: systemic instruction in reading foundational skills, engaging in grade-level complex text, building knowledge through text, and evidence-based discussion and writing. By the end of this two-part session, leaders will be able to identify the four key literacy best practices in classroom instruction, have the beginnings of a vision for strong instruction in ELA and next steps on where to start support growing teacher knowledge. 

Revisit the four research-based best practices in literacy instruction, and how these practices serve the needs of all students. Learn how these practices look like in action, and how leaders can begin to support teachers to adopt them.   Describe aspects of excellent literacy teaching and learning through a vision of strong instruction for ELA.


Learning Questions

1. Share two key takeaways around best practices in literacy instruction that you learned in this session. 
2. Share one clear next step you plan to take from the learning in this session.  
3. Share more about the learning that you would want or need to advance your practice in literacy instruction.

Traditional MTSS implementation tends to delay learning and acting upon quality intervention for students with the most significant and persistent needs. There is no reason to wait! This session outlines how the principal and a school team responsible for intervention (e.g., intervention response team or multidisciplinary team) can begin to learn how about how to put in place quality advanced tier (Tiers 2 and 3) supports during your first year of MTSS learning while also tackling quality Tier 1 (class-wide) support. An example of how the school attends to learning about quality Tier 1 and the advanced tiers will be shared. An overview of how interventions are intensified using data to determine students’ response to intervention instruction will be shared.  

There is compelling evidence that reading outcomes improve the most for students who receive instructional support and intervention in the earlier grades. There is evidence that the risk for reading disabilities may be prevented or at least reduced through early identification and instruction on critical early literacy and reading skills. If it is more powerful to prevent reading difficulties than to remediate them, how can we unleash the power of prevention? Join as considerations for unleashing the power of prevention are shared as we reflect upon one school system’s journey that focused on prevention and supported student growth over time.

Objectives:

• Understand the role of assessment tools in reading improvement efforts.
• Learn which questions can drive support for improving reading outcomes at the system, school, and class levels.
• Recognize the significance of collaboration within a system.  

Credit Reflection Questions:
1. Do you have a way to know strengths and opportunities for reading instruction in your system? 
2. From what was shared to day, what is an attribute in prevention practices you have in place in your setting? What is an area you may need to review and consider differently?
3. If you implement screening and progress monitoring tools, will that shift improve your system supports in itself?

Handouts

Core subject area teachers can meaningfully integrate discipline-specific text into daily lessons to increase understanding of the content and to increase the benefits of reading. This session will describe ways teachers can design lessons to incorporate before, during, and after reading activities to maximize understanding of the content.

Join Us for a Celebration of Literacy for All - Sponsored by Lexia Learning
Pick up your Ticket and Special Edition Trinket at the Lexia Table!

As our incredible Embracing Literacy Conference sessions wind down on June 19th, The Reading League Wyoming and Lexia Learning would like to extend a special invitation to a Wyoming Wind Down! Please join us for an unforgettable "Celebration of Literacy for All" reception, generously sponsored by Lexia Learning.

The reception will take place in the beautiful Legacy Hall, providing the perfect setting for us to unwind, connect, and celebrate the power of literacy. This After-Hours Wyoming Wind Down is an opportunity for us to come together as a community, share our experiences, and enjoy appetizers, horse d'oeuvres, and assorted beverages while we forge new connections.

Come and enjoy:
- Delightful refreshments and hors d'oeuvres
- Engaging in conversations with fellow literacy enthusiasts
- A chance to network with speakers, educators, researchers, and industry professionals
- A special recognition of the incredible work being done in the field of literacy

This reception expresses gratitude for your participation in the Embracing Literacy Conference and your dedication to promoting literacy for all. It's a time to wind down together and celebrate the progress we've made!

Description: We are born to speak, taught to read. Spoken language provides the foundation for the development of reading, writing, and communicating. Oral language is not another component but requires an ever-present ongoing consciousness for learning and thinking. Oral language is central to every aspect of academic success and directly related to the essential ingredients for literacy.  Our lexicon grows through many encounters with the word in varying linguistic contexts over time.   As Kate Nation shares, “Language is literacy is language.”

After this session, participants will be able to: 

• Recognize the strong connections between oral language and literacy.
• Understand how linguistic skills influence literacy acquisition
• Create robust, meaningful and dynamic opportunities to be built upon language and communication.

Questions to Ponder for Credit:

• How would you explain the meaning of these two statements “Language is the vehicle that drives the curriculum” and “Language is literacy is language?”
• What are the linguistic features behind a spoken word?
• How will you incorporate at least three strategies when building talk in your classroom?

Start by acknowledging the benefits of small group instruction and all the work we have invested into our reading journey to this point. Then spend time thinking about how we use that incredible experience and incorporate the research based approach of explicit structured literacy instruction inside a small group framework. Specific topics will include not only phonemic awareness & phonics, but also Intentional planning of the "top half of the rope" components!

Review components of structured literacy Understand the why behind small group Discuss skills to use in creating small groups Look at options for small group planning.

Recent legislation in Wyoming and other states requires the use of universal screening to identify and target students in danger of later reading difficulties. This session will start with an overview of different types of assessments. Then, we will look at the steps teams can take after universal screening, including informal diagnostic assessments, data meetings, and developing and using individual reading plans (IRPs).

Participants will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the purpose of assessments and establish or refine their plan for data driven decision making. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the Wyoming K-3 Literacy bill requirements and how those requirements can help improve student outcomes. Participants will leave with WCSD #1's IRP template to adjust and put to work in their district/school.


Questions to Consider:
1. What assessments are we currently using and what purpose do they serve?
2. How are we using Universal Screening results to increase student outcomes?
3. How can we implement or improve our systems for evaluating and discussing student data?
4. How can we use individual reading plans as part of our MTSS? 

Would you like to make the most of daily read aloud time in your classroom? Dialogic reading is a strategy that will support this valuable time! Dialogic reading is the process of having intentionally planned dialogue with children during high-quality read alouds in order to increase oral language production and literacy development. Participants will leave with explicit read-aloud routines that can be embedded into any read aloud including (1) the four-step vocabulary routine, (2) CROWD prompts for questioning, and (3) PEER prompts for increased language production.

Objectives:
The learner will understand the purpose of a dialogic read.
The learner will identify 5 different types of questions to increase oral language during a dialogic read.
The learner will examine the PEER strategy to encourage deeper student conversations during a dialogic read.
The learner will explore ways to introduce vocabulary during a dialogic read. 

Credit Questions
1. What is the purpose of a dialogic read?
2.  Name 2 types of questions you can ask during a dialogic read and give an example of each type.
3.  Choose 3 words that you could introduce to your students during a dialogic read using the P.A.T. strategy. 

Description: Come learn how to bring your school together using the only evidence-based framework identified in the IES What Works Clearinghouse. Building common language and common understanding, while building teacher efficacy is made simple by adding this framework to any core curriculum. Learn the latest research on an evidenced-based writing instruction framework that is easy to use and leads to powerful ELA proficiency gains. New research outcomes will be shared and discussed with colleagues. Learn about how school wide structures used in SRSD support common language and common understanding that will bring out significant positive literacy outcomes.


Learning Outcomes:
Attendees will learn about the POWeR cycle to improve literacy outcomes for their school.
Attendees will review the data from schools that have implemented thinkSRSD and how common language and routines build a school wide impact on literacy outcomes for students.

Credit Reflection Questions:
1) Why is thinkSRSD considered an evidence-based practice?
2) How could using a POWeR cycle throughout your school increase improved outcomes for your students?
3) What tools are available from thinkSRSD that would help provide clear evidence of improvement of staff and students? How might this help with school wide improvement requirements?