Scaffolding Early Literacy
Effective teachers know how to “scaffold” their support for beginning readers. Like scaffolding around a building under construction, they provide more support at the beginning stages of reading skills development. Gradually, as students become more proficient readers, they remove those supports. During this session, you’ll learn how to scaffold your support for student reading, using the most appropriate teaching techniques for each developmental stage. You’ll view videotapes and examine student work while learning the principles of scaffolding early literacy.
Audience: Preschool,
kindergarten, & Head Start
teachers

Meeting Learning
Standards for Preschool
and Kindergarten
Children: Literacy &
Mathematics
This workshop will help you translate early learning standards into grade-specific benchmarks for literacy and mathematics while identifying ways to suppor young children’s learning.
Audience: Preschool,
kindergarten, & Head Start
teachers; early childhood
administrators

School Readiness:
Strategies to Help
Preschool Children
Meet the Demands of a
Kindergarten Classroom
Learn about multiple components of school readiness, from early literacy and mathematics concepts and skills to self regulation and focused attention. Also discuss instructional strategies and ways to engage families in preparing children for kindergarten.
Audience: Preschool,
kindergarten, & Head Start
teachers

Enhancing the Literacy
Environment in the Early
Childhood Classroom
What materials should I buy? How do I make sure that all children in the classroom are engaged in literacy learning? During this workshop, you’ll get answers to these and many more questions while examining the various elements of Early Childhood classrooms and your role in supporting literacy development.
Audience: Preschool,
kindergarten, & Head Start
teachers

Teaching reading and writing
in the content areas

Researchers agree that successful school literacy programs also exhibit features that support student achievement. This is best achieved when school and district efforts focus on direct instruction of reading, writing, and learning strategies. Together, these strategies become a framework for implementing productive literacy and learning practices and provide ways for interdisciplinary teacher teams to work together on deepening content knowledge. And, when schools and districts combine short professional development sessions with long-term support, they increase the likelihood that all teachers will consistently implement effective strategies. With guidance from McREL, your school or district will be better able to

• Develop a literacy policy that calls for intensive reading and writing.
  
  
• Establish an action plan and timeframe for providing literacy-rich environments for all students.
  
  
• Know what to look for when observing classrooms and find or develop the tools to monitor all teachers’ use of strategies.

Teaching Reading in the
Content Areas
Students learn best when
they monitor their own
thinking, select appropriate
strategies, and apply them to understanding content-area material. In this workshop, you’ll get specific how-to information on teaching reading strategies that will have an impact on student learning.
Audience: Content-area
teachers, literacy coaches, staff developers, administrators

Teaching Reading in Mathematics
Learn how to use McREL’s
manual, Teaching Reading in
Mathematics, 2nd Ed. (ASCD, 2002), to choose appropriate instructional strategies that improve student learning in
mathematics. In this content-rich workshop, you’ll also complete sample activities using selected reading strategies.
Audience: Teachers (grades 4–12), mathematics teachers, literacy coaches, staff developers

Teaching Reading
in Science
Learn ideas and techniques
to help students better
comprehend science reading
material. Leave equipped with a framework that asks students to select and apply the best strategies to reading science materials. Based on the ASCD manual of the same title.
Audience: Teachers (grades 4–12), science teachers, literacy coaches, staff developers

Teaching Reading in
Social Studies
Why include reading
instruction in your social
studies classroom? Examine
the reasons and discover the
benefits as you actively apply vocabulary, reading, and reflection strategies to social studies content and learn tips for integrating the strategies into your curriculum. Based on the ASCD manual of the same title.
Audience: Teachers (grades 4–12), social studies teachers, literacy coaches, staff developers

Teaching Writing in the
Content Areas*
In any class, writing is a great way to deepen students’ understanding of content. During this workshop, you’ll examine how the act of writing helps students learn. Using the guidebook, Teaching Writing in the Content Areas (ASCD, 2005), you will review research-based classroom strategies and leave knowing which issues are most critical to address.
Audience: Content-area
teachers (grades 6–12),
literacy coaches, staff
developers, administrators

*See McREL Technology Solutions: Using Technology with Teaching Writing in the Content Areas