Whether or not your school or district has adopted a Google Chromebook environment, if your LEA infrastructure allows for the use of Google Tools and/or Apps the “Googlesphere” can be an immense help in engaging students, keeping in touch with parents, automating feedback and assessment, sharing documents, and more. Hone your skills with the Google Chrome Browser, with Google Apps, with Android Apps, and with Chrome OS so that you can engage your students using freely available tools on almost any platform.

Reading and writing instruction has moved into every classroom. Changes in the standard course of study require that students read much greater amounts of non-fiction and construct viable written arguments using reason and evidence. Literacy instruction at the secondary level is a challenge even to those who were trained to do it; it can be downright terrifying to anyone else. This seminar will help secondary level teachers support their students’ reading comprehension. Techniques for using writing as a formative and summative assessment—and how to grade it—also will be included. This session is intended primarily for science and math teachers at the secondary level and also would be appropriate for other STEM subjects that incorporate non-fiction texts and writing as a part of the curriculum.

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell tells us that to become expert at anything requires about 10,000 hours of practice. Unfortunately, our struggling readers will never make that investment of time if they hate what they are asked to do. Participants in this day-long program will learn how to transform worksheets, fluency practice, and other solo efforts into engaging activities that still reinforce essential literacy skills. The agenda for each daylong program (9am to 3pm) is the same. Sign up for only one. Teachers at the K–5 grade levels are encouraged to attend.