Summer Institute - VRI at UVM

VRI Summer Institute 2010
August 9, 10, 11
Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa
Stowe, Vermont

Peter Johnston Keynote Speaker
Peter Johnston, Ph.D.
Peter Johnston is professor and Chair in the Reading Department at SUNY Albany. He has worked as an elementary classroom teacher and as a reading teacher, and he currently serves on the editorial boards of: Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Literacy Research, Elementary School Journal, and Literacy, Teaching and Learning. He has published eight books, including Choice Words, and numerous articles. His current work investigates literacy assessment, the consequences of teaching practices for the kind of literacy children acquire, how teachers and students build productive learning communities, and the process of building critical inquiry into literacy teacher education

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Classroom Talk, Learning Communities, and Good First Instruction
Developing productive literacy learning communities and engaged learners who comprehend, and take control of their own development is the core of good first instruction. This talk describes how the language of the classroom influences the ways children learn independently and collaboratively, and the important aspects of development that are affected as a consequence.

Mini Strands

Loralyn LeBlanc & Sue Biggam
The Power of More than One: Strategies for Collaboration and Co-Teaching among classroom teachers, reading specialists and special educators
This mini-strand will involve participants in exploring a range of ways to structure co-teaching and increase collaboration among classroom teachers, reading specialists and special educators. Strategies to be discussed will include different models of planning and structuring co-teaching, ways to get started using the “lesson study” model, and formats for promoting coordination and communication among classroom teachers and those who provide supplemental or Tier 2/3 services for students in need of extra help. Participants will have an opportunity to practice using some of the tools provided and also to think about next steps that might be tried out in the fall. Gr. K-8

Pat Nally
Text Talk: Using Interactive Read-Aloud and Follow-up Activities to Enhance Comprehension and Vocabulary Development
Text Talk is an approach to read-alouds that is designed to enhance children’s ability to construct meaning from language encountered in books. The goal is to enhance young children’s language and comprehension abilities through in-depth and extensive experiences listening to and talking about stories read to them. In addition, Text Talk engages students in robust vocabulary instruction that involves student-friendly explanations, discussion, and follow-up vocabulary activities that encourage them to use and process words across multiple contexts. This workshop will present components and guidelines for implementing Text Talk. A framework for developing weeklong unit plans will be presented and sample lesson plans will be shared. Participants are asked to bring to the session a vocabulary-rich book they may use as a read-aloud with their students. Gr. K-3

Peter Johnston
Developing persistent, strategic, literacy learners
We want our children to become flexible, persistent and collaborative problem solvers, particularly in literacy, but also in other areas of their lives. We want them to take on challenge for learning rather than avoid it, and when they are unsuccessful to become more strategic. The ways we interact with children have a powerful influence on whether or not we accomplish these goals. This talk shows how to accomplish these goals and how, surprisingly, culturally accepted interactions often systematically undermine them. Gr. K-8

Alysia Backman
Wrestling with Knowledge: Using Writing to Build Critical Thinking Skills in the Content Areas
This strand will explore writing to learn versus learning to write within the confines of middle and high school classrooms. We will look at writing as a tool for formative assessment and as a way to get students to understand concepts in a more meaningful way. In addition, we will discuss how to use student writing to gain access to their ideas in order to help inform future instruction. We will provide concrete examples and strategies from a variety of content areas, as well as encourage participants to bring materials from their classroom. Gr. 6-12

Nancy Woods
Vocabulary-12-40 Exposures!
It is difficult to get one more thing in our teaching day, yet we know that increasing vocabulary knowledge is the key to improving reading comprehension. In this workshop a variety of quick and effective opportunities for engaging students with new vocabulary words will be shared. Participants will gain an understanding of how to select words for instruction and have an opportunity to try out a variety of instructional approaches that can be used throughout the day. Gr. 2-6

Marjorie Y. Lipson, Ph.D.
Progress Monitoring
Progress monitoring involves the continuous or repeated assessment of students’ academic performance (in this case literacy knowledge and skill). The purpose is to inform instruction to evaluate whether students’ are benefitting from current instruction and to adapt or refine instructional practices and materials to improve the “fit.” In this session, Marge will describe the purposes and benefits of progress monitoring, provide criteria for evaluating the quality of progress monitoring tools and strategies, and demonstrate two contrasting methods for collecting and using data. Gr. K-6

Gayle Moskowitz
Reading Conferences, Making them Work for You
We have all had conferences were we walk away and feel like we have really made a difference and ones that leave us wondering if we actually just confused the reader more. There is no silver bullet to making reading conferences successful. Our job as teachers is to understand where our students are at and take them that one step further. Reading conferences allow us the opportunity to “research” where each of our students are and move them along. In this session, we look at the benefits of both long and short conferences, frameworks that help us when we conference, goal setting and videos that show teachers in action. Gr. 2-6

Jane Mekkelsen
Multicultural literature for children and Y/A: New titles and instructional strategies
This workshop will provide information on contemporary literature K-12 that features less well represented perspectives. Participants will learn about great books, instructional strategies, and great resources for integrating broader perspectives in your teaching and curriculum. Gr. K-12

Kathleen Brinegar
Have We Learned it Yet? Moving ALL Adolescent Learners Beyond the Right Answer
In this 3-day course participants will explore current best practices related to adolescent literacy and learning. On the first day we will explore the questions: who are adolescents and what is adolescent literacy? We will also discuss the importance of self-regulation and metacognition in adolescent learning. Day two will focus on opportunities to read & write, vocabulary & comprehension. The final day we will look at multiliteracies & interactive pedagogy. Participants will become familiar with current research and teaching practices in each of the areas listed above.

Please note: this course is in lieu of the keynote and mini-strand offerings. It will begin Monday morning. Laptops are encouraged. Gr. 6-12

Full Strands

Mary Beth Monahan & Kathleen Harrington
Writing Workshop II: Moving from the Writer’s Notebook to Drafting, Revising, Editing and Publishing
This session is a continuation of “Launching Writer’s Workshop.” Participants are asked to bring their own writer’s notebooks as well as student work samples to share. On day one, we will follow up on work with the writer’s notebook—collaboratively troubleshooting about that implementation process and focusing on strategies for moving from the notebook to drafting to going public with finished pieces of writing. We will try out strategies for finding seed ideas in the notebook, developing / expanding those ideas, and drafting. We will explore the role/responsibilities of the teacher and students in each phase of this process. On day two, we will focus on revision and editing strategies. We’ll explore the research and practices on teaching students about the conventions of language so that their writing achieves its purpose and has the desired impact on their intended audience. Gr. 3-8

Nancy Woods & Cathy White
Readers Workshop
This strand is for teachers interested in implementing a Reading Workshop Model in their classroom. Participants will delve into Reading Workshop by seeing models, viewing clips of classrooms and practicing the instructional techniques involved. Reflection and discussion in the group will enhance learning and understanding to provide teachers with the tools they need to establish Reading Workshop in their classroom. Participants will receive a professional resource to support the content presented. Gr. 3-6

Kathleen Brinegar & Alysia Backman
Have We Learned it Yet? Moving ALL Adolescent Learners Beyond the Right Answer
In this 3-day course participants will explore current best practices related to adolescent literacy and learning. On the first day we will explore the questions: who are adolescents and what is adolescent literacy? We will also discuss the importance of self-regulation and metacognition in adolescent learning. Day two will focus on opportunities to read & write, vocabulary & comprehension. The final day we will look at multiliteracies & interactive pedagogy. Participants will become familiar with current research and teaching practices in these areas.

Please note: this course is in lieu of the keynote and mini-strand offerings. It will begin Monday morning. Laptops are encouraged. Gr. 6-12

Pat Nally
Reading Fluency: Rate, Accuracy, and So Much More!
Accurate decoding of text is only the first step toward successful reading. Phrased and fluent reading is the bridge to comprehension. It frees working memory and enables the reader to attend to the complex layers of meaning embedded within words, phrases, sentences, and whole texts. This strand will provide a review of the research on fluency instruction and the various components of reading fluency. We will look at some techniques for teaching for fluency, with particular attention to teacher modeling, guided practice, assessment procedures, and appropriate prompting. Our review will include a look at the work of Timothy Rasinski, Richard Allington, and Marie Clay. Gr. 1-4

Liz Marino & Aimee Boucher
Using Technology to Explore the 5 Components of Literacy
Technology has the power to transform literacy instruction and assessment. Join us in this two–day strand to explore the power of using technology todifferentiate the five strands of literacy: fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, phonemic awareness, and phonics/word study. Participants will receive a brief overview of differentiated instruction, explore a variety of technology tools, and leave with lessons ready to use in the classroom. Gr. K-12

Jane Mekkelsen
What's New in Books for Children and Young Adults: Integrating Literature Throughout the Curriculum
In this strand, participants will read, discuss, and make plans to integrate current literature for children and youth with a focus on varied genres, multiple perspectives, and differentiated units of study. Emphasis will be on strategies for integrating literature in all subject areas for instructional read-alouds and student reading. As well, the literature will be connected to issues and essential questions. Participants will receive a collection of current literature for children and young adults grades K-12, and instructional resources for integrating these books. Note: there will be a new collection of books. Gr. K-12

Pam Chomsky-Higgins
Embedding Expository Texts in the Elementary Classroom
In this session, the participants will explore a variety of expository (nonfiction) texts. They will learn how to identify excellent texts; plan read alouds with expository texts; and more. Instructional strategies for using expository texts in reading and writing with an emphasis on comprehension strategies will be modeled, studied, and practiced. This will be a highly interactive session with opportunities to read many of these texts that so intrigue students. Gr. 1-5

Theresa Young
Small Group Instruction
For many teachers small group instruction is the biggest challenge. In this session we’ll consider the theoretical evidence behind the effectiveness of small group instruction. We’ll discuss strategies for including small group instruction in a literacy block, as well as models for planning and approaches that might be used. In addition, we’ll consider the important role of ongoing assessment in planning for small group instruction, look at videos, analyze features and try out a variety of approaches for small group instruction. There will also be time for participants to do planning for the fall. Gr. 3-8

Gayle Moskowitz & Adrienne Magida
Writers’ Workshop in the K-2 Classroom
As Katie Wood Ray states, “No matter what, let them write.” Even our youngest writers are ready for writers’ workshop! In this two-day session we will take a look at how to inspire students and keep them writing. By developing an awareness of author’s craft through the use of children's literature, we will model how to build a “toolkit” for students. This will provide them with the necessary tools they need to make choices about structure, voice and punctuation. We will also spend time examining the workshop components, developing units of study ready for the classroom and discussing the use of assessment to drive your instruction. Gr. K-2

Registration Information
Registration fees are as follows:

- Monday only: $175.00 per person*
- Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday: $550 per person*
- Team of 5 Registrants from the same school or district will be given a reduced rate of
$500/person.

All registrations must be received at the same time to qualify for the group rate. Please fill out a separate registration form for each registrant.

- UVM Credit: $175**
- Laptop Rental: $50

* Includes continental breakfast, lunch, and all materials.
** One graduate credit option is not available for participants registering for Monday only.

Participants who request a laptop rental will be billed for the rental regardless of their use of it.

A separate registration form is required for each individual and must be accompanied by a check or purchase order made out to VRI at UVM. Registrations and checks or purchase orders can be mailed to: Vermont Reads Institute at UVM, 250 Main Street, Ste 202, Montpelier, VT 05602.

Confirmations and Cancellations
A $30 cancellation fee will apply to all registrations who cannot attend. Notice of cancellation must be given by July 30. Any cancelations received after July 30 will be charged 100% of the conference rate. No refunds will be granted after that date. The same policy applies for purchase orders. A substitution may be made at any time. Returned checks will be charged $25. You will receive a confirmation by e-mail, if an e-mail address was provided. If not, you will receive a confirmation by regular mail. If you do not receive a confirmation, please contact the VRI at UVM office to ensure that you are registered at 802.828.0520.

Schedule of Events
Monday
7:30-8:45 Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:45-11:15 Welcome and Keynote by Peter Johnston
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Mini-strands
3:15-3:30 UVM Course registration (Mandatory for those interested in taking it for credit)

Tuesday-Wednesday
7:30-8:45 Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:45-11:15 Full Strands
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Full Strands
3:15-3:30 LLI Member Opening Session (Tuesday only)

Hotel Information
Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa
PO Box 369
1746 Mountain Road
Stowe, Vermont 05672
802.253.7355 or 800.253.2232
www.stoweflake.com

- Check in: 3:00pm
- Check out: 11:00am
- Room Rates: $169-189/per night

Overnight rooms are not included in your conference fee. You will need a credit card to make a reservation. Please indicate that you are attending the VRI at UVM conference to get the room rate. There is a one night non-refundable deposit. Any cancellations will be charged to that deposit. For further accommodation options and information, visit www.gostowe.com.

Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa accommodations can be arranged
by calling 802.253.7355

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