There is a clear science to teaching reading. Due to advancements in cognitive science, we know more about how our students learn to read than ever before. Please join us as we spend a day looking closely into best instructional practices that support the Science of Reading.
NCCAT will hold a six-session series focused on a research-to-practice exploration of the foundational skills in early literacy. Effective instruction in these fundamental components holds the key to life-long learning for every child in your classroom. Attend all six and earn an NCCAT literacy badge or attend individual sessions to deepen your own understanding of the building blocks of beginning reading. This class will focus on fluency. “Reading fluency has long been acknowledged as an essential skill that readers must develop to facilitate comprehension and motivate engagement in the act of reading” (Hasbrouck, 2019). This program is intended for teachers and coaches in the kindergarten through fifth-grade classroom.
Consider the rapidly changing world we live in. To thrive in the future students will need to be adaptable and flexible. Design Thinking is a problem-solving framework that can help students develop critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration skills. All of those skills are necessary in problem-solving. Creating a design thinking environment in your school and classroom can be messy and challenging. It also requires us to think differently about how we teach and learn. In this session, teachers will have an opportunity to experiment with multiple tools that can assist them in designing lessons that support design thinking. At the same time, administrators will be working to help create a school culture that supports this type of learning. This course requires a teacher and administrator to attend from the same school. Let’s change the face of education together.
Children’s books are multipurpose resources for instruction. In the case of social studies instruction, children’s books can serve as entry points to primary source documents or as scaffolds for complex concepts. In this seminar, we will explore how children’s books bolster social studies instruction and develop unit and lesson plans for implementation. This session is designed for teachers in grades K-5.
There is a clear science to teaching reading. Due to advancements in cognitive science, we know more about how our students learn to read than ever before. Participants will delve into current Science of Reading research to support learning around the essential components of reading instruction. Our work will include discovering the tenets of structured literacy to ensure all children have access to effective reading instruction. Please join us as we spend quality time looking closely into best instructional practices that support the Science of Reading. This program is intended for classroom teachers in the kindergarten through fifth-grade classroom.
Designed for teachers in grades K–3. Discover new ways to turn reading strategies into writing opportunities that deepen comprehension and extend student learning. This in-depth, interactive program will focus on the power of the teacher as the mentor model in exploring multiple tools for unlocking thinking in the classroom—through the process of uncovering your own writing life. Strategies will include the use of journal responses, writing as inquiry across the content areas, and the power of authentic interactions with poetry and prompts.
With growing demands on both teachers and students, the role of library media specialists and instructional technology facilitators as instructional support is more important than ever. These individuals serve as program administrators, teachers, instructional partners, and resource specialists. By working together, teachers in these roles can further their reach and enhance student learning. In this session, focus will be on strategies that media specialists and instructional technology facilitators can use to develop a collaborative teaching role that supports traditional and digital literacy across the curriculum. We will also explore technology tools and digital resources that can be used to grow students’ skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening and program advocacy.
With the sunsetting of Google Expeditions and apps like Google Poly, how can we continue to place the power of virtual reality into the hands of students? What if learners could create virtual reality projects to experience our state, local and national parks as well as historical sites? Join NCCAT to collect digital artifacts at sites near NCCAT’s campus on self-selected field trips using your smartphone, iPad and free apps. Together, we will create virtual reality projects that foster engagement, critical thinking, and creativity, and engender something unique to this instructional strategy: empathy and a connection to the beauty and history of our state. These interdisciplinary VR experiences will be aligned to your learning objectives and can be used immediately with your students leveraging the technology you may already have in your classrooms and media centers, like Google Cardboard, goggles, or a simple link. This program is designed for K-12 educators, school counselors and anyone eager to take learners on adventures.
The work of instructional coaching is a dynamic part of school communities. Supporting coaching cultures where students are at the center is an essential part of this work. Join this program to embrace the components of student-centered coaching. Throughout the week, learn coaching moves that create opportunities for professional growth, putting student learning at the forefront. Sessions will include models for co-teaching moves, providing strengths-based feedback, and mindfulness strategies for teachers. Time will be spent collaborating with coaches from across NC, learning new ways to connect with teachers and their classrooms. This program is intended for K-12 instructional coaches.
NCCAT will hold a six-session series focused on a research-to-practice exploration of the foundational skills in early literacy. Effective instruction in these fundamental components holds the key to life-long learning for every child in your classroom.
Attend all six and earn an NCCAT literacy badge or attend individual sessions to deepen your own understanding of the building blocks of beginning reading.
This class will focus on comprehension. “Reading comprehension is the act of understanding and interpreting the information within a text. It results from efficient decoding and the ability to understand language” (Gough & Tunmer, 1986). This program is intended for teachers and coaches in the kindergarten through fifth-grade classroom.