Foundational Literacy

Foundational Literacy: Effective Early Reading Instruction K-3

Time: This is a multi-part series that can be divided into reasonable chunks of learning based on the needs of the district. Recommended a minimum of 3 days.

Audience: general education teachers, instructional coaches, leadership, interventionists, special education teachers

• Part 1 The Basics: An Introduction to Early Reading: Starting readers off using practices grounded in the Science of Reading creates equitable access to learning for all students. This multi-part series will begin with an overview on how our brains actually rewire themselves to learn to read, review the components of efficient reading, and show how when everything comes together students read automatically, with fluency and understanding.  
• Part 2 Word Recognition: How Readers Learn Words: After the overview, participants will explore word recognition. Word recognition will target a deeper understanding of phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition. During this session, learning opportunities will target phonics, orthographic mapping, and fluency. Time will be dedicated to best practices used to successfully teach high-frequency words and the role of decodable texts. Participants will be given opportunities to reflect on their current practices and determine where shifts need to be made.
• Part 3 Language Comprehension: How Readers Understand: Last, participants will dive into language comprehension including the role of background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge. All important parts in understanding what we read. During this portion, educators will explore ways to create environments that foster and support language acquisition; address ways to promote and scaffold students to strengthen their language skills; and reflect on current practices to determine where shifts might need to be made.

Foundational Literacy: Teaching High-Frequency Words Effectively

Time: half day

Audience: general education teachers, special education teachers, instructional coaches, interventionists

Visit any classroom that is supporting foundational reading and part of the instructional time is spent on students learning high-frequency words. Often teachers and parents report on students being ‘stuck’ or just not knowing enough high utility words to be successful reading. This session will touch on what happens in our brains when we learn sight words and what are the best practices for helping students read automatically and with ease. During this session teachers will have an opportunity to practice techniques and reflect of current resources and materials.

Middle Grades

Using Picture Books with Older Students in grades 4-8 (and maybe beyond)

Time: 90 minutes

Audience: general education teachers, special education teachers, instructional coaches

Did you know that picture books can have a higher readability score than chapter books? Full of advanced vocabulary, illustrations that provoke conversation, and rich language, picture books are a great way to strengthen instruction in grades 4-8. During this session, participants will have time to explore picture books appropriate for older readers, think about how they might be used in classrooms, explore connections to content area instruction, and understand why picture books can be strategically important.

Independent Reading and Conferencing Grades 3-8

Time: Full Day; can be divided into shorter session based on a professional learning plan

Audience: general education teachers, instructional coaches, leadership, interventionists, special education teachers

Are you concerned about making the most of independent reading time? Are you not sure how to manage students, what questions to ask, or how to set goals with readers?

If you are looking for ways to maximize independent reading time, this learning experience is for you. Voluminous reading has countless benefits including the acquisition of vocabulary, background knowledge, and genre exploration. Independent reading requires expert guidance and involvement from the classroom teacher and should be considered instructional time. Independent reading rests on two crucial components, access to a wide range of diverse texts and student-teacher collaboration. During this professional learning opportunity you will explore practical ways to incorporate daily reading time into the school day that is purposeful and impacts student success. You will have an opportunity to think about the why, the role of access to text, routines and procedures, reading habits, and conferencing with small groups or individual students . We will wrap-up the session with time to reflect and think about your own personal next steps.

Accelerating Reading in Grades 3 and above- Full Day

Audience: general education teachers, instructional coaches, leadership, interventionists, special education teachers

Do you have students in the upper grade who have yet to crack the code and become proficient readers? Are you stuck and not sure how to best help striving readers while teaching your subject matter?

Educators often grapple with the best ways to support students who have not yet met grade level expectation in reading. Join us as we target readers in grades 3-8 by thinking first about how someone learns to read, and then shifting our focus to FOUR critical action steps to take to start closing the gap. You will have time to reflect on current practices and programs, collaborate with colleagues, and determine your personal action steps.

Content Literacy Standards for Science and Social Studies Teachers Gr 6-8

Audience: Science and Social Studies teachers in grades 6-8; special education teachers

Do you wonder why there are content literacy standards assigned to a non-ELA teacher like yourself? Do you have questions about how you meet the standards while teaching your content?

If you answered yes, then join us as we dive into the content literacy standards for science and social studies. Each subject has its own unique characteristics that are essential to content knowledge. Students increase learning of science and social studies when reading and writing are embedded into content area instruction. During this session we will explore the content literacy standards, why they are essential for student growth, and how reading and writing can easily be embedded into the subjects. Specific examples around reading and writing in the content areas will be shared. You will have time to collaborate with each other and explore resources during the session.

Integration of Science and Social Studies into the Literacy Block Gr 2-6

Audience: Classroom teachers, special education teachers, and instructional coaches and leaders

Are you finding it hard to have time for science and social studies in your elementary classroom? Are you not sure how to fit everything into your daily schedule?

Elementary classrooms revolve around all learning and subject matters. It’s hard to fit it all in! Learning isn’t an isolated event, and is best done when we can make connections. Integrating content areas into the literacy block is a win win. It supports reading and writing AND it supports knowledge building. During this learning opportunity you  will focus on the what, the why, and the how. There will be time built in to collaborate with others, reflect on practices, and explore resources.

Middle and High School

Trails of Thinking: Helping Students Read Complex Text

Time: 90 minutes

Audience: middle and high school E/LA teachers, special education teachers, instructional coaches

Students who participate in close reading activities learn how to critically analyze what they are reading. During this session we will go step by step through the process of closely reading a text using techniques such as text annotation, vocabulary instruction, and discussion. These techniques will help students have a deeper understanding of what they read and foster habits that can be used in the future.

Filling in the Gaps: Fostering Writing Skills in Older Writers

Time: 90 minutes

Audience: middle and high school E/LA teachers, special education teachers, instructional coaches

Writing both formally and informally is a critical skill that is part of both college and career readiness. What are some ways we can strengthen writing skills during our day to day instruction with students? How can we strengthen writing skills in classes beyond English Language Arts? This session will explore some key recommendations for writers to increase proficiency. 

Filling in the Gaps: Fostering Reading Skills in Older Readers

Time: 90 minutes

Audience: middle and high school E/LA teachers, special education teachers, instructional coaches

If you work with any group of young adults, chances are, some of them do not have the reading skills necessary to meet the requirements of college or their career choice. What are some key things we can do to foster reading skills for older students so they are ready for their choices beyond high school. This session will explore some key recommendations for striving readers to close their reading gap.

All Grades

The Critical Role Knowledge Building Plays in Comprehension-Full Day

Audience: general education teachers, instructional coaches, leadership, interventionists, special education teachers

The role knowledge plays in understanding what we read is often ignored, especially in elementary schools. Reading is essential, but so is science, social studies, and general knowledge about the world around us. Readers need the critical knowledge that develops from content area instruction including content specific vocabulary and background knowledge. This session explores the role that knowledge plays in understanding what we read, why it is important, and how sometimes, comprehension issues can’t be fixed with a reading strategy. 

Maximizing the Impact of Instructional Assistants 2 Full Days

Audience: Elementary Instructional Assistants

Are you looking for learning opportunities for your instructional assistants? Are you an instructional assistant and want to learn more about the best ways to help students?

Instructional assistants are a huge asset and valuable to student learning. During this session Instructional Assistants will focus on the developmental stages of learners, instructional best practices, and small group management. We will focus on the importance of routines and procedures, gradual release of responsibility, prompting, managing materials, working with small groups, and keeping students engaged. Participants will be active and time will be given for collaboration and practice.

The 2 full days do not need to be back to back and scheduling adjustments can be made to meet contract hours.

The 2 full days do not need to be back to back and scheduling adjustments can be made to meet contract hours.

Assessment

IREAD3: Setting Students up for Success K-3

Time: Full Day

Audience: K-3 general education teachers; K-3 special education teachers; instructional coaches

Setting students up for success on IREAD3 begins in kindergarten, and continues through third grade. Teachers in K-3 classrooms benefit by understanding the expectations on the assessment. During this learning opportunity teachers will correlate the IREAD Assessment Blueprint, item specifications, and released items, to deepen their understanding of the skills students need to pass IREAD3. Resources, activities, and ideas for increasing student performance will also be discussed. 

ILEARN: Setting Students up for E/LA Success 3-8

Time: Full Day

Audience: General education teachers, special education teachers, instructional coaches, instructional leaders

By correlating the ILEARN Assessment Blueprint with the Indiana E/LA standards, teachers can begin to identify power standards to focus on with students. Teachers will start to formulate a plan to use these resources to direct their classroom instruction and maximize students’ achievement on the E/LA portion of the ILEARN assessment. The types of questions used on the ILEARN assessment will be discussed and analyzed. Best practices to increase student performance for sample questions will be demonstrated. Resources, activities, and ideas for increasing student performance will be discussed.

Cross-Curricular Connections in the Elementary Classroom

Audience: Elementary Classroom Teachers

When students make authentic connections to their learning, their engagement increases. Improved student engagement is the best classroom management strategy and what will set your learners up for success in all content areas. Develop driving questions to lead instruction and student learning while establishing the foundation for cross-curricular connections that help students solve complex real world problems.

Computer Science in the Elementary Classroom

Audience: Elementary Classroom Teachers

Are you looking for ways to best equip students with the necessary computer skills to succeed in the modern world? Do you struggle to find effective ways to incorporate computer skills into your lesson plans given the limited amount of time available?

The K-6 Indiana Academic Standards for Computer Science provide teachers with a comprehensive framework for teaching foundational skills across a variety of content areas, but it’s a lot to absorb.  

Integrating STEAM into the Elementary Classroom

Audience: Elementary Classroom Teachers

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics are here to stay in the world of education and the future workforce of our students. Explore the interconnectedness of each component and understand the importance for all learners to be given opportunities in STEAM. The elementary classroom is where the foundation for STEAM learning is built and that is why we need to focus on STEAM teaching practices and not just the separate content areas. All elementary teachers should be STEAM teachers and you are going to learn why while having a lot of fun!

Math Discourse in the Elementary Classroom

Audience: Elementary Classroom Teachers

Building the foundation of deep mathematical understanding will help students be successful as they continue to grow and learn in mathematics. Encourage students to construct their own mathematical understanding through meaningful discourse. Learn strategies to meet a variety of learner needs, develop higher order thinking skills, and use feedback to guide instruction.

•2022-23 Math and STEM Professional Development Offerings•

Helping students in grades 3-8 perform their best on the ILEARN Assessment

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Testing Coordinators

Have your ILEARN math scores declined? Do you spend day after day working hard on math skills with your students only to have them struggle to show progress?

Join us to learn how to use your classroom instruction to maximize students’ achievement on the math portion of the ILEARN Assessment. We will look at and discuss the types of questions used on the ILEARN as well as the best mathematical practices you can use to increase student performance for those questions. Additionally, you will receive valuable resources, activities, and ideas for increasing student performance that will be modeled for you.

Motivating students to perform their best on the PSAT & SAT Assessments

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

Do you need to raise your PSAT and SAT scores for school accountability? Are your non-college bound students completely unmotivated to take the PSAT and SAT? Does your school think that the PSAT and SAT are issues for the English and math departments only?

Join us to learn how getting all teachers in all subjects working together can help your students perform their best on the PSAT and SAT. You will be provided with resources detailing how the PSAT and SAT scores are earned. Find out how scores can be used by everyone, including students NOT going to a 4-year college, which can help motivate the unmotivated students to score their best! 

You will receive copy-ready information, materials, and resources that you can disseminate to parents to help their children better understand and prepare for the PSAT and SAT. We will  delve into the types of questions used on the PSAT and SAT as well as the best practices teachers of all subjects can use to increase student performance. Additionally, you will receive valuable classroom resources, activities, and ideas for helping students achieve their best scores.

Helping students complete the Algebra 2 requirements for Graduation and beyond!

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

Are your students struggling to complete their Core 40 math requirements by passing Algebra 2? Do you want more students taking higher level math classes beyond Algebra 2?

Join Bill Reed as he models how effective teachers use a variety of question types to assess and gather evidence of student thinking and learn how this will improve your teaching effectiveness. We will share and discuss questions that probe understanding, make the mathematics visible, and ask students to reflect on and justify their reasoning. Learn how to move beyond DOK 1 gathering information, memorization, and recall questions to begin asking Higher Order Thinking Questions to engage students in deeper thinking. We will provide, demonstrate, and dissect examples and resources for asking purposeful DOK2 and DOK3 questions along with rich mathematical tasks.  By using DOK 2 and DOK 3 questioning and Mathematically Rich Tasks, you will improve the overall performance of your students in all math classes.

The ASVAB Assessment – Test Details and Resources to Help Students Achieve Their Personal Best 

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

Do students in your school take the ASVAB assessment to fulfill their Indiana Graduation Pathway Postsecondary Ready Competency requirement? Do you know what is tested on the ASVAB assessment? Do you know how to help prepare your students to take the ASVAB assessment?

Find out all the important information for the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) assessment by attending this professional development. You will learn how to prepare students for the ASVAB assessment so they can fulfill their Indiana Graduation Pathway Postsecondary Ready Competency requirement. We will delve into the 8 subtests that make up the ASVAB assessment. You will be provided examples along with tips and strategies for students to achieve their personal best. You will receive copy-ready information, materials, and resources that you can disseminate to parents to help their children better understand and prepare for the ASVAB assessment. Additionally, you will receive valuable classroom resources, activities, and ideas to help students prepare for the assessment and perform their best. Finally, there will also be information and examples of Career Aptitude and Career Assessment tools you can use with your students.

The SAT Assessment – Test Details, Tips, and Tricks to Help Students Achieve Their Personal Best

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

The SAT Assessment has become one of the Indiana Accountability measures for high schools. How students perform will reflect on both the students and on the schools they are attending. It is also one of 9 ways students in the graduating class of 2023 and beyond can fulfill the Post-Secondary Ready Competencies required in the new graduation requirement. To better prepare students, parents, teachers, and administrators all the specific details of the SAT Assessment will be presented. Participants will be given copy- ready information that can be disseminated to students, parents, and teachers. Many examples for the Reading, Writing and Language, and Math (both the Calculator and No Calculator) Test will be shown along with tips and specific ways students can achieve their own personal best scores. There will be many classroom-ready resources teachers can use in a variety of classes (not just English and math) to help the students be better prepared for the SAT and PSAT Assessments.

Maximizing the Math Textbook that was just Adopted!

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

Identify where the Priority Standards are found in your new math textbook that was adopted. Correlate your new adopted math textbook with the I-LEARN Assessment. Find additional materials and resources as necessary that may be needed to help your students succeed. Plan for maximizing the use of your newly adopted math textbook with your learning management system for e-Learning and virtual learning days. Create unit assessments that best assess mastery of the Priority and Important Standards addressed in each unit. Plan Mathematically Rich Tasks and Higher Order Thinking Questions that will help round out the newly adopted math textbook to help make an even more powerful tool for instruction with the students. 

Higher Order Thinking, DOK 2 and 3 Questioning

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

Are you struggling to formulate DOK 2 and DOK 3 questions to elevate your instruction? Do you ask more DOK 1 Memory/Recall questions than Higher Order Thinking questions in your instruction, on quizzes, or tests? Are you struggling to formulate good DOK 2 and DOK 3 to get your students to think and understand?

Join us to learn how to easily convert DOK 1 Memory/Recall questions into DOK 2 and DOK 3 Higher Order Thinking (H.O.T.) questions. You will be provided with resources detailing how to easily formulate DOK 2 and DOK 3 H.O.T. questions. Using Higher Order Thinking questions to get students to think, understand, and relate what you are teaching to past and future skills will be modeled. You will be shown how H.O.T. questions can be used in conjunction with shorter student assignments to accomplish more with less and support better and deeper understanding. You will receive valuable resources, activities, and ideas for increasing student performance using DOK 2 and DOK 3 questions in many different subjects.

Mathematical Mindsets – Changing How Students Think About Math 

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

Too many students think they are “bad” at Math. Changing the teacher’s and student’s Mathematical Mindsets help create and maintain a growth mindset in the mathematics classroom. Strategies and activities to help teachers and parents show all students, even those who are convinced that they are bad at math, that they can enjoy and succeed in math. A Mathematical Mindset helps teachers inspire and boost math achievement by their students. The best methods by which students learn math, as well as the specific methods and approaches teachers can use to successfully help their students develop a growth mindset. 

Increase Engagement with Cooperative Learning Strategies in the Mathematics Classroom

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

Do you use direct instruction as your primary method of teaching? Are you, the teacher, doing more talking in the classroom than the students? Do you want to see students take more responsibility for their learning?

Join us to learn how students can collaborate with peers and not learn mathematics in isolation. You will learn and practice various Cooperative Learning techniques and strategies that will help you engage students and get them ALL actively involved in their learning. Cooperative Learning allows teachers to easily differentiate their classrooms so all students, including high ability and students with special needs, can participate and increase their retention and achievement for the subject they are learning. Cooperative Learning has been proven to help students develop better on-task behaviors, better attitude towards both the teacher and the subject they are learning, and a more positive attitude toward learning and understanding. During this session, teachers will create a plan to incorporate Cooperative Learning techniques and strategies into their classrooms.

Exemplary Math Instruction using NCTM’s Principles to Actions

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Administrators, Math Teachers, Instructional Aides

Are your students struggling in math classes? Do you need researched-based, proven math pedagogy to help math teachers improve their math instruction? Do you want ALL of your students to succeed in their math classes?

Join us as we delve into the best overall math professional development book written in the last 10 years. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics book Principles to Action: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All is the best book in print today to help teachers improve their mathematics instruction for ALL students. The activities and vignettes we will use will guide and coach math teachers, instructional aides, and parents to understand how and why the instruction is taking place in the math classrooms. Teachers and/or Administrators will discuss the keys to Effective Teaching and Learning for mathematics. The six “Guiding Principles” for mathematics will be used to help all math teachers improve their instruction. Administrators will better understand the precise actions of a good effective math teacher and how math instruction should be delivered to all students. 

Teachers and Administrators will participate in many activities. You will create action plans to make simple and easy changes that will make math classes more interesting and much more effective for all students. This is an excellent way for Administrators, Teachers, and everyone involved in math instruction to improve what is being done by “Taking Action”.

The Power of Positive- How Mindset Affects Achievement in Math

Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides

The Power of Positive refers to educators’ attitudes and approaches to the NCTM Principles to Actions Guiding Principles. It is the stimulus for increased overall performance by students. All students are capable of “doing” Mathematics if the right tools are used and accommodations are made for the students. Facilitating Meaningful Mathematical Discourse is a great way to create a positive environment. Educators can increase student performance on assessments by reminding the students “They can do the Math!” Working with Educators on the Power of Positive will increase the overall performance of students. Examples, ideas and resources for the Power of Positive relating to the Guiding Principles will be presented, demonstrated, and discussed.

Mathematically Rich Tasks that Elevate Student Achievement

Audience: Administrators, Teachers

Mathematics MUST be taught in context, so it is not just a set of rules to be memorized and soon forgotten. Mathematically Rich problems and asking good thinking questions help students understand and master the concepts that are being presented.  These skills are also proven to increase the scores on standardized assessments like the SAT, ACT, and ISTEP+ Math Assessments. We all learn by doing. Teachers will define and explore how Mathematically Rich problems and asking good thinking questions bring an elevated level of thinking and doing math for students. Teachers will work on Mathematically Rich problems and be given resources to find and write their own Mathematically Rich problems and good purposeful thinking questions.  

April Connelley: English Language Arts

April is a life-long learner and educator with 24 years of experience in elementary and special education. She offers expertise in literacy, including the Science of Reading, instructional coaching, professional learning, and curriculum development.

Prior to joining INcompassing Education, April fulfilled the role of Literacy Specialist working with multiple school districts across the country, as well as an Early Reading Virtual Coach, and Early Reading Training Facilitator. As a District Instructional Coach and E/LA Curriculum Coordinator April focused on bringing written and taught curriculum together. April spent 15 years working directly with students as a Reading Interventionist and Special Education teacher. She is an avid reader and advocates for students to develop life-long reading habits by finding their personal reading identity.

April has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Saint Francis; a Master’s Degree from Concordia University Mequon WI; and completed an endorsement program in Educational Leadership.

Bill Reed: Secondary Math & STEM

Bill is a licensed Secondary Math Teacher who has taught at every level from 7^th grade through community college.  He was a classroom teacher for over 30 years in a combination of both Indiana and California. He has taught every secondary math class from 7^th Grade Math to Calculus. Bill has been a Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science State Finalist in both California and Indiana. After retiring from classroom teaching, he was the Secondary Math Specialist at the Indiana Department of Education and then a Regional Director for the Indiana GEAR UP Grant at Purdue University before joining the INcompassing Education team in 2021.

Bill earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at Butler University along with his teaching certification. He worked on his graduate studies in Secondary Mathematics Education at both California State University and Ball State University. Bill received a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholarship to study the education system in Japan during the summer of 2001 and a second Fulbright Scholarship to study the education system in Brazil during the summer of 2010. In 2019 he worked with U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan both in-person and online to give S.T.E.M Professional Development to Central Asian Teachers.

Mandy Morris: Elementary Math & STEAM

Mandy is a licensed Elementary Teacher who has served in a variety of P12 and Higher Education roles. Mandy began her career in P12 education as a classroom teacher. She found her passion in STEM education through leadership opportunities focused on preparing students for successful lives after graduation. She served as a STEM instructional coach and district coordinator where she supported teachers and students on their path to discovering authentic and meaningful learning. She currently serves as the Education Technology Specialist at Franklin College where she trains and supports faculty and staff on integrated instructional technology and instructs the Interdisciplinary Unit Planning and STEAM course for preservice teachers.

Mandy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education at Franklin College along with her teaching certificate in 2009. She continued her graduate studies in 2020 at the American College of Education where she earned her Master of Education in STEM Leadership.