Featuring:


Jennifer Allen, "The Sisters" - Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, Andie Cunningham, Katie Doherty, Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan, Brenda Power, Ruth Shagoury, Franki Sibberson, Andrea Smith, and Karen Szymusiak

Are you tired of overpriced literacy conferences that feel like cattle calls, with huge crowds, long lines, not enough seats, and lousy acoustics?

So are we.

We've created professional development events we would like to attend, but never seem able to find anymore - small enough to chat with the presenters and other participants, in beautiful locales that help us recharge mentally and physically, and with resources provided that leave our minds buzzing with new possibilities for working with students and colleagues back home. A full 100% of participants in the Summer 2008 Choice Literacy Workshops said they would attend our events again.

The learning environment that Choice Literacy creates -- the locations of the events, the agenda of the days, the gifts, the presenters' personalities -- all come together to engage the audience, even though the content of the workshops is gift enough! -- Janice Driscoll, from Clifton Springs, New York

Our workshops will give you the resources you need to go back home and lead professional development events for your colleagues and staff.

You'll leave with templates, high quality videos, workshop protocols, and memories of conversations with colleagues from across the country who share the joys and struggles of helping schools move forward in literacy.

To download registration forms for different locations, click on the links below:

Portland, Oregon (June 29th - 30th)

Portland, Maine (July 6th - 7th)

Columbus, Ohio (July 8th - 10th)

Tacoma, Washington (August 11th - SOLD OUT)

San Antonio, Texas (September 13th - SOLD OUT)

Rockland, Maine (October 17th - 18th)

For information on hotel rooms with reduced rates for conference participants, please click here.

Workshop Descriptions

Click on any title below to jump to a full description of the workshop, or scroll down to read through all descriptions:

Literacy Coach Jumpstart

CAFÉ in the Classroom

The Literacy Principal in Action

Nonfiction Snapshots: Reading, Writing, and Talking about Texts Across the Curriculum

Helping Struggling Readers in Grades 3-6

Readers in the Middle: Planning, Designing, and Leading Reading Workshops in Middle Schools

Making Assessments Work for You

Delight in Words: Integrating Children's Literature into Word Play and Word Study in K-5 Classrooms

Reading Strategies for the Youngest Learners

Literacy Coach Jumpstart with Jennifer Allen

Locations: Portland, OR (06/29/09); Portland, ME (07/07/09); Rockland, ME (10/17/09)

It seems like almost every elementary school is adding a literacy coach to the faculty these days - but who will coach the coaches? Literacy Coach Jumpstart is a one-day workshop designed to help K-5 literacy coaches, curriculum coordinators, and school leaders acquire the skills they need for coaching success all year long. Workshops and presentations tackle the toughest challenges coaches face, including:

• Creating year-long professional development goals and plans with teachers;
• Mentoring new teachers and setting up veteran-novice teacher partnerships;
• Designing and stocking a literacy resource room for teachers;
• Demonstrating model lessons and strategies in K-5 classrooms;
• Leading teacher workshops and study groups in diverse settings;
• Scheduling to maximize coaching time in classrooms and teacher growth;
• Conferring techniques that are most effective in coaching sessions;
• Integrating curriculum coaching into regularly scheduled staff meetings; and
• Designing a year-long study group, coaching and assessment plan.

A great introduction to the many hats of a literacy coach. Addresses obstacles you may face and the rewards of coaching. I loved seeing the video clips and getting the handouts and the DVD.

Billisue Sandefur, Literacy Coach from Monroe, Michigan

Locations: Portland, OR (06/30/09) - SOLD OUT; Portland, ME (07/07/09) - SOLD OUT; Columbus, OH (07/10/09) - SOLD OUT; Tacoma, WA (08/11/09) - SOLD OUT ; San Antonio, TX (09/13/09) - SOLD OUT; Rockland, ME (10/18/09)

Teachers know assessing young readers involves more than determining a reading level and moving them onto the next. Yet all too often, assessment systems don't provide much information beyond determining a child's reading level. Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (authors of the book The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades) developed the Daily 5 independent work system and CAFÉ assessment system to help elementary students understand and master different strategies used by successful readers. Joan and Gail are still teachers in the public school system. They both use the system daily with students, and have helped dozens of teachers in their school districts implement the program. Participants will receive a copy of the DVD workshop kit CAFÉ in the Classroom and a wealth of print resources.



Just what I needed to nudge my own professional development in my work as a literacy coach. It really jumpstarted my thinking about the needs of our school. We continue to struggle with balancing curriculum and student needs but most of all, time. Both CAFE and the Daily 5 together have the potential to move teachers towards a management and instructional system to address all of these. I can't wait to share with my colleagues.

Rose Patterson, Literacy Coach from Waterville, Maine

To read more testimonials from participants in workshops led by The Sisters (Joan Moser and Gail Boushey), click here.

Delight in Words: Integrating Children's Literature into Word Play and Word Study in K-5 Classrooms with Franki Sibberson

Locations: Portland, OR (06/29/09); Portland, ME (07/06/09); Columbus, OH (07/09/09); and Rockland, ME (10/17/09)

Vocabulary instruction and word study begins with a delight in language. If we can help students pay attention to and get excited about the discovery of new words, they will be well on their way to building new vocabulary and reading skills. In addition, their writing improves. Students learn that the right word in the right place at the right time can make all the difference in the quality of their drafts in writer's workshop.

In this session, we'll explore how word play and word study can be integrated into reader's and writer's workshop through the use of children's literature. Topics we'll tackle include:

• Best read alouds for different types of word study;
• Ways to connect read aloud to word play and word study;
• Minilessons for writer's workshop that connect words and craft;
• Sample word study activities from K-5 classrooms;
• Recordkeeping forms that link writer's workshop and word learning; and
• Examples of integrating word learning and conferring with individual students.

Participants will receive a resource binder with many print articles and templates, as well as the Choice Literacy Word Work Sampler, a DVD with examples of word learning from K-6 classrooms across the country.

This workshop will be lead by Franki Sibberson, author of many books and DVDs, and a frequent contributor to Choice Literacy. Franki has worked as a literacy specialist, curriculum coordinator, literacy coach, classroom teacher, and school librarian in the Dublin, Ohio schools. To read testimonials from participants in Franki Sibberson's workshops, click here.



The Literacy Principal in Action with Karen Szymusiak

Locations: Portland, ME (07/06/09) and Columbus, OH (07/08/09)

Principals are expected to be curricular leaders in their schools - but what does that look and feel like? This full-day workshop takes you into daily routines of Karen Szymusiak, a principal at Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Dublin, Ohio and author of many best-selling books and videos on literacy instruction. Karen will share strategies for observing and collaborating with teachers, leading meetings with a curriculum focus, and guiding staff in new literacy initiatives in a way that honors and respects educators, even as you challenge them to try new teaching techniques and strategies. Karen brings years of experience as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and district curriculum administration to her role as a principal, so she has a unique ability to step into the shoes of many different stakeholders in literacy reform. Participants receive a copy of the "Literacy Principal in Action" DVD.

Nonfiction Snapshots: Reading, Writing, and Talking about Texts Across the Curriculum with Andrea Smith

Location: Columbus, OH (07/08/09)

Most of the texts we encounter as adults are nonfiction - from web and newspaper accounts of current events, to directions for setting up complicated electronics in our homes. In recent years, teachers have been working hard to integrate more nonfiction texts into their elementary classrooms. These texts often require different reading skills and strategies than fiction and poetry. In this workshop, Andrea Smith will take you into her 4th grade classroom, where students are immersed in nonfiction texts throughout the day. Andrea will present how she:

• Selects nonfiction mentor texts for instruction;
• Structures sequences of lessons around nonfiction reading and writing tasks;
• Explores literary nonfiction with students to build writing skills;
• Uses animals and other concrete stimuli to spark interest throughout the year in nonfiction reading and writing;
• Integrates timely excerpts from news magazines and newspapers into the curriculum;
• Differentiates instruction for special needs students and English language learners;
• Creates wall charts and displays with students that highlight nonfiction reading and writing strategies;
• Links small group and individual conferring to whole-class lessons;
• Scaffolds students throughout the year to take more responsibility for nonfiction text selection; and
• Connects reading instruction to content area test prep.

Participants will receive a resource binder with many print resources for nonfiction instruction, as well as a DVD of video footage from Andrea's classroom.

Andrea Smith is a teacher in the Dublin Ohio schools, and a frequent contributor to Choice Literacy.

Helping Struggling Readers in Grades 3-6 with Franki Sibberson

Location: Portland, ME (07/07/09)

What routines are most helpful to struggling readers, and how can they participate as full members of the classroom community in reading workshop? This workshop will include examples of best practices, word study, books that are especially useful, and strategies for including strugglers in whole-class discussions and small groups in ways that differentiate instruction without discouraging or singling out students. Franki will present perspectives from her classroom of grades 3 and 4 students, and her work as a coach in classrooms throughout her school as she helps colleagues grapple with struggling readers. Participants will receive the Choice Literacy Reaching Readers DVD and print materials which include templates, lesson suggestions, and student samples.

This workshop is tailored to meet the needs of both teachers and instructional coaches. It is organized well and balanced with lecture, video, questions and time to talk. A very relaxed but highly effective use of time. I only have positive things to say about this conference. I'm so happy I was able to be a part of it.

Lisa Meyers, Literacy Coach from Portland, Oregon

To read more testimonials from participants in Franki Sibberson's workshops, click here.


Making Assessments Work for You with Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan

Locations: Portland, ME (07/07/09) and Rockland, ME (10/17/09)

The relentless push for more testing, assessment, and analysis of information from individual students leaves many teachers and administrators feeling like they are drowning in data. In this workshop, we'll help you climb that mountain of data and reach the summit, where the view of students and school achievement can give you insight into how to improve instruction, motivate students, and communicate with parents. We'll use a four step process with many practical tips and tools along the way to help you:

Collect Data - We'll provide organizers to help teachers and assessment teams sort through what's being collected and how it's being used, with an eye toward streamlining and reducing some of the evaluation of individual students when possible.

Display Data - We'll show how a team approach to data analysis and display can reduce the workload for many teachers, allowing them to focus more on making changes in instruction. Useful low-cost software programs and strategies for sharing data, as well as protocols for discussions around data displays will be highlighted.

Analyze Data - Once information is displayed, teachers need structures for discussing and interpreting displays. We'll present examples from numerous districts (from low-income, high- need to wealthier surburban sites) of how different instructional needs emerged from analysis, and how resources and planning followed these results.

Lift the Quality of Instruction - This is the end goal of any data collection and analysis, but too often the overwhelming amount of data and time pressures don't allow teaching communities to make the leap from data analysis to changes in teaching practice. In this final part of the workshop, we'll show how individual teachers working as part of grade-level teams with shared goals made changes to their instruction based upon what was learned from assessment data. We'll include a range of grade levels and teaching adaptations, to show how common goals translate to diverse instructional strategies based on the needs of students.

Developing the skills necessary to bridge assessment and instruction is all about confidence - helping teachers learn that the skills they bring in making thoughtful decisions about teaching and learning every day can be used in poring over data. This workshop will give school leaders the tools they need to help their colleagues develop the confidence and can-do attitude that is essential for success in making use of evaluation data.

All participants will receive a resource binder with a wide array of print materials to support data collection and analysis, include templates, work samples, and meeting protocols. Participants will also receive a copy of a new Choice Literacy DVD on assessment in schools currently in production.

Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan together have decades of experience working as classroom teachers, literacy coaches, and curriculum specialists in Massachusetts schools. They are frequent contributors to Choice Literacy.

Readers in the Middle: Planning, Designing, and Leading Reading Workshops in Middle Schools with Katie Doherty and Ruth Shagoury

Location: Portland, OR (06/30/09)

In the two decades since Nancie Atwell published her classic book In the Middle, workshops have become the norm in many middle schools across the country. In recent years, these workshop routines of minilessons, conferring, and whole class discussions have been supplemented with book clubs and literature circles, strategy instruction, and more emphasis on nonfiction texts.

This workshop will explore the "new basics" of reader's workshop in middle schools, including:

• Sample schedules and examples of successful mixes of whole-class, small-group, and individual teaching;
• Planning strategy instruction across the year, with a detailed look at one strategy (inferring);
• How to gradually release more responsibility to students for leading small group discussions and book clubs;
• Ways to use picture books to enhance discussions of reading strategies and differentiate instruction;
• Recordkeeping tools and forms, as well as suggestions for how to managing the paperload;
• Management tips for dealing with make-up work from absences;
• Examples of how to work with grade level colleagues to integrate reading instruction across the curriculum; and
• Techniques for assisting English language learners.

The workshop will be led by Katie Doherty, who has worked as a middle school teacher, author, and grade-level team leader in Portland, Oregon; and Ruth Shagoury, a professor, writer, and researcher at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon.

Participants will receive a wealth of print and video materials, including a new DVD in production of Katie at work with her students leading book clubs and teaching inference strategies.

Reading Strategies for the Youngest Learners with Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury

Location: Portland, Oregon (06/30/09)

This afternoon tea will include a wealth of resources for teaching pre-K - K students beginning strategies for comprehension, even before they have learned to read. Booklists and sample lessons will be shared. Each participant receives a copy of the DVD Synthesizing Butterflies: Teaching Reading Strategies to Kindergartners, a $99 value.

For information on hotel rooms with reduced rates for conference participants, please click here.