Reading Instruction Workshops
Advanced Reading Leader Workshop
This workshop, for elementary site and district administrators, reviews their roles and expectations regarding reading program implementation.
Participant Outcomes:
- Understand the difference between their roles and expectations and those of a coach.
- Understand some strategies for dealing with resistance as well as compliant instruction.
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of different change facilitator styles.
- Review data and plan actions.
- Recommit to their site literacy plan and state expectations.
Levels: K–6
Audience: District and site administrators
Format: One-day workshop
Materials: Participant Resource Packet
Prerequisite: Prior attendance at the CORE Reading Leader Institute, Elementary. Participants are to bring with them the Reading Leader Participant Resource Notebook.
Classroom Management Workshop
To enable reading instruction to occur successfully, this workshop provides basic guidelines for establishing sound classroom management practices. The workshop includes overall management principles covering general rules and routines for whole class, small group, and independent work time, as well as transitions. Participants focus on specific program routines from selected reading programs as well as techniques for increasing active student engagement.
Participant Outcomes:
- Learn specific practices to manage whole class, small group, and independent work time.
- Learn specific program routines from selected reading programs.
- Increase active student engagement.
Levels: K–6
Audience: Classroom teachers
Format: One full day or two half-days
Prerequisite: A selected reading program such as Open Court Reading, Harcourt Trophies, Houghton Mifflin Nation's Choice, or McGraw-Hill Reading
Differentiated Instruction Workshop
This one-day workshop is designed to facilitate the implementation of a three-tier approach within elementary schools. Content will clarify what is meant by targeted, supplemental assistance and intervention. The session will present the three levels of student need (benchmark, strategic, and intensive) and the elements of instruction that can be differentiated (pace, complexity, degree of explicitness). Participants will learn effective techniques to manage instruction and receive a 21-day planner. Techniques to support advanced learners will also be covered.
Participant Outcomes:
- Become familiar with the three-tier approach to differentiation.
- Learn which instructional elements can be differentiated.
- Experience and practice techniques for managing differentiated instruction.
Levels: K–6
Audience: K–6 classroom teachers, EL and special education staff, site and district literacy administrators, and literacy coaches
Format: One full day
Prerequisite: A selected reading program such as Open Court Reading, Harcourt Trophies, Houghton Mifflin Nation's Choice, or McGraw-Hill Reading
Differentiated Instruction Workshop: Houghton Mifflin Reading
Participants learn how differentiated instruction occurs in the Houghton Mifflin Reading program. Participants will learn the three-tier model; understand the Houghton Mifflin components for differentiation, including the assessment components; learn effective ways to differentiate; and have time to begin to lay out a plan. The workshop has two grade-level versions: K–3 and 3–6.
Participant Outcomes:
- Understand what differentiation means.
- Understand the three-tier model and its link to differentiation.
- Know the program components for differentiated instruction and for assessment.
- See an effective classroom in action.
- Know how to use a 21-day planner.
Levels: K–3, 3–6
Audience: Elementary classroom teachers, specialists, coaches, and administrators
Format: One day
Materials: Participant Resource Packet
Expository Text Comprehension Workshop
Participants learn about current, validated research in comprehension instruction and receive an overview of the factors known to positively impact comprehension. Participants receive in-depth instruction in selected instructional techniques that have broad application in expository text at all grade levels, including content classes. These techniques encompass the following:
- Teacher interaction with students with an emphasis on question techniques
- Instruction in recognizing expository text structures
- Identifying the main idea, summarizing, and making inferences
Participant Outcomes:
- Understand seminal research on text comprehension.
- Apply a set of strategies to your own expository text.
- Understand different text structures and their signal word.
Levels: K–6, 6–12
Audience: K–6, 6–12 teachers, including classroom teachers working with expository text; teachers of reading; teachers of English-language learners and special education; middle and high school teachers of social science and science; intervention teachers; and administrators. (Not appropriate for math teachers, PE teachers, or any other content teacher who does not deal with large amounts of text.)
Format: One day
Materials: Participant Resource Guide
Multisyllabic Words and Fluency Workshop
This workshop develops understanding of fluency in older students and its role to increase the ability to comprehend. Highlights include specific techniques to increase time on text and promote rereading: Reader’s Theatre, active learning, and repeat reading. Participants will leave with identified fluency resources and hands-on practices to beef up the skills of their students.
Participant Outcomes:
- Understand the concept of fluency and its importance to reading achievement.
- Learn methods and tools for fluency assessment.
- Learn strategies for building reading fluency.
- Practice fluency assessment and instructional strategies.
Levels: 4–12
Audience: 4–12 intervention, ELD, special education, and English teachers
Format: One day
Materials: Participant Resource Guide
Decoding Workshop for Adolescent Literacy
This workshop develops for middle and high school educators a basic understanding of decoding instruction. The topics covered include phonemic awareness (what it is and how it impacts reading), phonics, teaching high-frequency words, and developing word-attack skills to read multisyllabic words. Many middle and high school teachers have not had the preparation needed to teach struggling adolescent readers. This one-day workshop will provide a starting point and foundational information to begin to make informed instructional decisions and address the needs of adolescent nonreaders.
Participant Outcomes:
- Understand the concept of phonemic awareness as the underpinning for learning to decode.
- Learn specific ways to teach phonics and why phonics instruction is vital for struggling readers.
- Learn strategies for teaching high-frequency words.
- Practice ways to teach students to recognize multisyllabic words.
Levels: 6–12
Audience: 6–12 intervention, ELD, special education, and English teachers
Format: One full day
Materials: Participant Resource Guide and Teaching Reading Sourcebook
Program Review Workshop
To strengthen teachers’ full implementation of their adopted basal program, CORE provides two days of professional development focused on reviewing key program routines and techniques, with hands-on practice, to support consistency and fidelity across grade levels. This workshop builds upon prior publisher orientation to help staff better understand program organization, instructional components and routines, and program elements for meeting different needs. The Program Review Workshop currently covers Open Court Reading, 2002, 2005; Houghton Mifflin Reading, 2003, 2005; Scott Foresman 2004; and Harcourt Trophies, 2003, 2005.
Participant Outcomes:
- Deepen knowledge and effective practice of key program routines and techniques.
- Increase consistency and fidelity of program implementation across grade levels.
- Better understand how to apply various program resources for differentiating instruction.
Levels: K–3 and 3–6 for certain basal programs
Audience: Teachers, administrators, coaches, and all educators who teach and implement the program
Format: One to two days. Sessions are organized in combined grade-level cohorts for full-day workshops or grade-level groups for mini-sessions
Prerequisite: Previous introductory training by publisher and prior participation in a CORE Reading Academy or equivalent professional development in reading. Participants must bring their Teacher’s Editions to these sessions
Selecting Research-Based Materials Workshop
This half-day workshop provides guidance for any reading textbook and materials selection committee as they determine what materials will meet their needs and support the research on teaching reading. After using CORE’s “Consumer’s Guide” to making good material purchases, participants leave with criteria to consider and suggested resources. CORE does not recommend a specific program, but rather educates the decision makers so that they can make a truly informed decision based on their own needs.
Participant Outcomes:
- Leave with criteria to consider and suggested resources.
- Efficiently narrow materials search.
Levels: K–6, 6–8, or 9–12 (intervention)
Audience: Curriculum and textbook adoption teams and/or school site staff
Format: One-half day per grade-level group
Materials: Selecting Scientifically Based Instructional Materials: Not All Programs Are Created Equal
Vocabulary Development Workshop, K–6
This one- or two-day workshop provides educators with current research and effective practices to develop vocabulary knowledge in elementary school children.
Participants learn and practice research-proven methods to directly teach important content vocabulary, teach students to figure out unknown words using simple word-learning techniques, and engage in fun and stimulating activities that foster “word consciousness.”
Participants receive more than 30 sample lesson models with easy application to any basal reading or literature-based program.
Participant Outcomes:
- Know the current research on vocabulary development.
- Know effective techniques for teaching specific words.
- Know effective strategies for teaching students to figure out unfamiliar words while reading.
- Have a repertoire of active strategies for promoting “word consciousness.”
- Be able to apply the techniques and strategies to classroom texts.
- Leave with lessons developed to connect to existing materials.
Levels: K–6
Audience: Administrators, teachers, teachers of English-language learners, special education teachers, literacy coaches, and reading specialists
Format: One to two days
Materials: Vocabulary Handbook and Participant Resource Guide
Vocabulary Development Workshop, 6–12
This workshop provides educators with current research and effective practices to develop vocabulary knowledge in middle and high school students.
Participants learn and practice research-proven methods to directly teach important content vocabulary, teach students to figure out unknown words using contextual analysis and morphemic analysis skills, and engage in fun and stimulating activities that foster “word consciousness.”
Participants receive more than 30 sample lesson models with easy application to classroom text in any academic content area.
Participant Outcomes:
- Know the current research on vocabulary development.
- Know effective techniques for teaching specific words.
- Know effective strategies for teaching students to figure out unfamiliar words while reading.
- Have a repertoire of active strategies for promoting “word consciousness.”
- Be prepared to apply the techniques and strategies to classroom text.
- Leave with lessons developed to connect to existing materials.
Levels: 6–12
Audience: Administrators, academic content area teachers, teachers of English-language learners, special education teachers, literacy coaches, and reading specialists
Format: One day with follow-up for lesson development recommended
Materials: Vocabulary Handbook and Participant Resource Guide