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All bookings for Education Workshops are scheduled through Educational Resources Group, Inc. Click the logo at left to schedule your appointment. |
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Below is a brief description of my various Reading and Writing Educational Workshops. Click on a link below to view details of each workshop:
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Reading Comprehension (Grades 3-8)
Reading Comprehension in the Content Areas (Grades 5-12)
Writing Effective Sentences (Grades 3-8)
Writing Continuum (Grades K-2)
Writing Effective Openings & Closings in Expository / Persuasive Essays (Grades 3-8)
Spelling Strategies (Grades 3-8)
Vocabulary Development (Grades 3-12)
Story Telling in the Classroom (Grades K-8)
Poetry as a Path to Building Writing Skills (Grades 3-8)
Building Student Writing Rubrics (Grades 3-12)
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Reading Comprehension: 6 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-8
This workshop offers an array of activities designed to help students deepen comprehension and develop crucial reading skills.
Each activity is tied directly to the Illinois Assessment Framework which is the basis of the ISAT test.
This workshop will focus on the extended response in for ISAT reading. (Research Base: Raphael, Harvey, Johns, Rasinski, Short)
Agenda
1. QAR - Question Answer Relationship
a. Components of QAR
b. QAR, ISAT, and the extended response
c. QAR as a vehicle for systemic changes
d. QAR in content areas
e. QAR and Visual literacy
f. QAR and Socratic Questioning
2. Activities - keyed to the Illinois Assessment Framework and QAR
a. Predict-o-gram
b. Predict a Character
c. Character Analysis
d. Character Feelings
e. Sketch to Stretch
f. Preview - Predict - Confirm
g. About Point note-taking
h. TAG
i. ReQuest
j. Book Bits
k. Visualization activities
3. Literature Circle Activities
a. Save the last word for me
b. Discussion questions
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Reading Comprehension in the Content Areas: 6 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 5-12
This workshop offers an array of activities designed to help students deepen comprehension and develop crucial reading skills.
The goal is to help students become independent readers who use the strategies automatically.
(Based on the research of Harvey National Reading Panel Morton Pauk - Cunningham)
Agenda
1. Definitions
a. Components of Reading Comprehension
b. The Seven Reading Strategies
c. Strategies vs. Skills
d. QAR as the basis for reading comprehension
2. Classroom Activities
a. Give One / Get One
b. TAG: Textbook Activity Guides
c. PQRST: Preview, Question, Read, Summarize, Test
d. RAP: Read, Ask, Paraphrase
e. About - Point
f. T-Notes and Cornell Note Taking
g. 4-2-1 Free Write
h. GIST
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Writing Effective Sentences: 6 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-8
This workshop will provide step by step instructions and lessons that teachers can use to teach students how to write a variety of complete sentences.
These sentence structures become the basis for paragraph and essay development. Participants will learn how to do the following: set up a writing lab,
ease the paper-grading load, teach conventions and grammar in the context of writing, eliminate boring worksheets, and more. (Research base is Strong, Sparks, Rose, Elbow)
Agenda
1. Vocabulary development for nouns - verbs
a. Visualization techniques
b. Brainstorming word banks
2. Teaching the 24 patterms
a. Step by step instructions for teaching the sentence patterns
b. Pre-teach instead of re-teach
c. Suggestions to ease the grading load
3. Reinforcing the patterns through Sentence Combinations
a. Using combinations to teach grammar
b. Creating a sentence combination activity
c. Finding ready made activities
d. Tying the sentence combinations to the patterns
4. Setting up a writing workshop
5. Mini-lessons
a. Show don't tell
b. Picture walk
c. Word banks
d. Stand up sentences
e. Word choice
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Writing Continuum: 3 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: K-2
This workshop will present the K-2 writing continuum developed by ISBE. The continuum focuses on writing development of the K-2 student in the
areas of focus, support, organization, and conventions. Participants will see a wide variety of student samples to explain the 6 levels of development for each feature.
This continuum was designed to flow directly into the ISAT writing rubrics. Participants will use students samples and work in teams to practice using the continuum.
Strategies to move children forward on the continuum will be demonstrated.
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Writing Effective Openings & Closings in Expository / Persuasive Essays: 3 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-8
No more essays that begin, In this essay I will tell you about . . . No more students whining, I dont know what to write.
Participants in this workshop will learn a quick method that will help students begin writing and 15 hooks that students can use to begin expository and persuasive essays.
The openings are designed to help students maintain focus and paragraph structure. Based on research of Marcia Freeman.
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Spelling Strategies: 3-6 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-8
What do you want in a spelling program? This workshop will show teachers how to develop a spelling program that will empower students with the following:
Strategies to use while writing
A positive attitude toward spelling
Knowledge of sound-symbol relationship
An understanding of rulings of spelling
The ability to monitor & correct their spelling
Based on the research of Rosencrans, Snowball, and Bolton, this workshop takes a close look at current brain research, assumptions about learning,
and how that knowledge can be merged with the crucial elements of spelling instruction. This workshop will cover three tools and six spelling strategies
that will make students independent spellers.
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Vocabulary Development: 3 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-12
Vocabulary knowledge is the single most important factor contributing to reading comprehension.
(J. G. Laflamme, The Effect of the Multiple Exposure Vocabulary Method and the Target Reading Writing Strategy on Test Scores. 1997)
Participants in this workshop will learn the 8 indicators of an effective vocabulary lesson. Numerous lessons will then be presented with an opportunity to
evaluate each lesson based upon the 8 indicators. Based on the research of Laflamme, Blachowicz, Fisher, Nagy, Anderson, Yopp, and Johnson.
Activities to be Presented:
Vocabulary Monsters
Word Expert Cards
Semantic Features Map
Connotation / Denotation Charts
Mystery Bubbles
Freyer Model
Concept Definition Map
Juggling Words
Latin roots / Greek Stems
PAVE
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Storytelling in the Classroom: 2-3 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: K-8
Brain research tells us that real learning takes place when both intellect and emotions are brought into play. We remember those things that we care deeply about;
we understand that which we can see. That is why in most cultures the storyteller is also considered the teacher. Teachers and students change once storytelling
enters the classroom. This workshop will give the teacher some simple tools to use to encourage students to learn, to share, to grow through the power of storytelling.
Elements of the storytelling workshop will include:
Storytelling vs. reading
Tools of the storytelling
Selecting a story
How to learn a story
Storytelling exercises and activities
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Poetry as a Path to Building Writing Skills: 3-6 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-8
If your students groan at the thought of studying poetry, then this is the workshop that you need.
Participants in this workshop will walk away with dozens of classroom activities and samples of student work.
Creating a school literary journal
Teaching literary devices
Form poetry gone formless
Magic word connections
Imitation pieces
Current events ballad
Cento
Push poems
Graphic organizers and poetry
Question / Answer poems
I poems
Poetry poker
Publishing tips
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Building Student Writing Rubrics: 3 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-12
Participants in this workshop will learn how to use inquiry to build student made rubrics. The completed student rubrics will align perfectly with
the ISAT / PSAE writing rubric so that students will understand what is expected on the state test. See how to use assessment as a teaching tool by
guiding students through the rubric building process.
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APPEARANCES:
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Schools
Alton CUSD 11
Anna Johesboro CHSD 81
Bartelso SD 47
Bethalto CUSD 8
Bond Fayette Effingham ROE 3
Braceville SD 75
Brussels CUSD 41
Calhoun/Green/Jersey/ Macoupin ROE 40
Centralia High SD 200
Charleston CUSD 1
Christian Montgomery ROE 10
Clay/Crawford/Jasper/ Lawrence/Richland ROE 12
Clinton/Marion/Washington ROE 13
Clinton County Co-op
Collinsville CUSD 10
Columbia CUSD 4
East Alton SD 13
East Alton Wood River CHSD 14
East Peoria High SD 309
East Richmond CUSD 1
Effingham CUSD 40
Flora CUSD 35
Gardner Comm Cons SD 72C
Granite City CUSD 9
Harmony Emge SD 175
Highland CUSD 5
Hutsonville CUSD 1
ISBE Bridges
ISBE Early Childhood Symposiums
Lee/Ogle ROE 47
Litchfield CUSD 12
Livingston SD 4
Madison CUSD 12
Madison County ROE 41
Marissa CUSD 40
Marquette Elementary
Mascoutah CUSD 19
Monroe/Randolph ROE 45
Mount Olive CUSD 5
Nokomis CUSD 22
North Clay CUSD 25
North Cook ISC
Panhandle CUSD 2
Pontiac SD 49
Red Bud CUSD 132
Red Hill CUSD 10
Robinson CUSD 2
Roxana CUSD 1
Salem SD 111
Shawnee CUSD 84
South Fork SD 14
St. Clair ROE 50
St. Elizabeth, Granite City
Staunton CUSD 6
Troy CUSD 2
Venice Charter School
Venice CUSD 3
Waterloo CUSD 5
Wolf Branch SD 113
Wood River Hartford SD 15
Zion Lutheran, Bethalto
Conferences
CMW Teachers Institute
Illinois Association of Teachers
Illinois Reading Council
Lewis & Clark Reading Council
Monroe / Randolph Teachers Institute
National Council Teachers of English
Newspapers in Education
Raising Student Achievement Conference
St. Clair Teachers Institute
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