Designed for teachers in grades 3–12.

The statistics are consistent: young male readers lag behind their female counterparts in literacy skills. In many instances, the reading scores of boys bring down the reading scores for the entire school. Explore the social, psychological, and developmental reasons why boys lag behind girls. Identify reading materials you can use in your classroom to capture and keep the attention of your struggling readers. Experience a variety of instructional methods such as text selection designed for boys, contests and competitions, focus reading groups, and the latest websites and blogs to boost literacy achievement. Discover solutions to capture the attention of reluctant male readers and examine strategies that motivate boys to sustain reading in the classroom and at home.

Primary sources, such as photographs, manuscripts, maps, and government documents, are now digitized. Educators can easily access and use them to enhance digital learning for their students. Join us at NCCAT as we partner with university libraries and online programs that provide relevant and engaging teaching resources in user-friendly online forms. We also will discover other online sources and explore means of using them that promote critical thinking and analysis skills and engage middle and high school students in technology, language arts, science, social studies, and other subjects. Together we will locate materials relevant to your own North Carolina hometowns or counties and share ways to improve your students’ digital literacy and make these sources more meaningful to them.

Designed for ELA teachers of grades 6–8 and those who coach them.

Middle grades ELA inhabits a type of educational limbo. Intellectually, students are capable of taking on complex reading and writing tasks but many are still developing the necessary maturity to do so. This program will examine the knowledge and skills necessary to transition successfully from elementary to high school. Teachers will engage in and then craft their own language arts activities that engage both the child and the budding adult in each of their students. Activities will address reading, writing, thinking, speaking and listening skills.

Research indicates literacy coaches have a direct impact on literacy instruction and student achievement in today’s schools. Coaches use their role in the schools to enhance others’ abilities through motivation and support. This can oftentimes be an overwhelming and daunting task. This program will offer inspiration, guidance, training, modeling of strategies, and evidence based practices for the 21st century elementary literacy coach.

It’s time to start thinking outside the box! Teachers often think projects take too much time to plan or don’t know how to align them with curriculum. Project Based Learning units (PBLs) are an effective and enjoyable way to learn that allow students to work as a team, reflect, ask questions, build confidence, work with a purpose, problem solve, and learn time management. Investigate what essential questions, unit questions, and content questions will enable you to develop your own PBL unit. Return to your classroom with a PBL unit you create that will excite and engage your students as they claim ownership of their learning.

Designed for intermediate users of Canvas.

Canvas, North Carolina’s Learning Management System (LMS), is your place for one-stop learning and course management. For this training, teachers who are currently using Canvas in their districts will create modules, pages, lessons, assessments, and discussions. Learn to create a professional-looking course with buttons and banners. Design an ePortfolio for professional use, and have time to collaborate with other Canvas users.