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The Role of Knowledge Building in K–5 Literacy: Creating Conditions for Active Minds and Independent Readers and Writers
Monday, April 13, 2026 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Presented by Dr. Gina Fugnitto, Former Educator, Current Chief Implementation Officer, Collaborative Classroom; Dr. Taylar Wenzel, Senior Lecturer, University of Central Florida; and Dr. Analexis Kennedy, Lecturer, University of Central Florida
Sponsored by Collaborative Classroom
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In today’s educational landscape, “knowledge building” is often reduced to a list of science and social studies topics. But true literacy goes beneath the surface. While a cohesive curriculum is a vital starting point, the most impactful learning happens when students move from passive recipients of facts to active architects of their own understanding. As educators, it is our responsibility to think about knowledge more broadly and shift our focus to building knowledge from an asset-based perspective.
Join us for an insightful edWebinar where we explore the “below-the-surface” instructional practices and processes that support reading comprehension, enhance the retention of information, foster independent learning, and turn content into lifelong wisdom. We dive into:
- Knowledge-building practices: See examples of knowledge-building practices you can incorporate into your lessons that elevate students’ understanding and foster discussions that integrate literacy with subject-matter learning.
- Small-group instruction: Build a student’s background knowledge using a wide range of rich, high-quality texts and resources to plan instruction that focuses on both literacy and knowledge building.
- Student agency: How to shift from “standard-and-deliver” models to student-led, interest-based research.
- The power of metacognition: Strategies to help students evaluate their own thinking and integrate new information.
- The teacher as facilitator: Moving beyond the “right answer” to spark deeper inquiry and evidence-based discussion.
- Integrated literacy: Using reading and writing as interconnected tools for investigation and clarity.
- The difference between background knowledge and building knowledge: What is required from students for each of these concepts?
Learn how to cultivate a classroom culture where academic risk taking is celebrated and curiosity is the primary driver of achievement. Equip your students with the intellectual muscle to navigate a complex world—long after they leave your classroom.
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to K-5 teachers, literacy coaches, curriculum directors, school leaders, and district leaders.
About the Presenters
Dr. Gina Fugnitto is the Chief Implementation Officer at Collaborative Classroom, where she leads the Implementation Department in advancing professional learning and fostering the conditions necessary for sustainable implementation success. Drawing from a career devoted to empowering educators, Dr. Fugnitto is committed to bridging research and practice to drive meaningful, long-term improvements in student learning outcomes.
With a B.S. in elementary education, an M.Ed. in educational leadership, and an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from the UCF—specializing in literacy coaching trends—Dr. Fugnitto brings a unique blend of academic expertise and hands-on experience to her work. Her journey spans roles as a classroom teacher, interventionist, and instructional coach, equipping her with a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities educators face daily. Beyond her direct contributions to schools and districts, Dr. Fugnitto has made an impact at state and national levels through her leadership in designing and delivering professional learning experiences that cultivate instructional excellence.
Dr. Taylar Wenzel is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She is the founder and Co-director of the UCF Reading Clinic and the Director of the UCF Downtown Saturday Reading Camp, both of which offer acceleration opportunities to serve K-6 students in the Central Florida area and clinical field experiences for participating teacher candidates. She is the faculty lead for several community-partnership, use-inspired research projects, including STE’s Read2Succeed Partnership, the Knights Read Community Bus, and the City Year Teaching Fellowship. She has been a recipient of the University Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and multiple Teaching Incentive Program Awards at the college level. She is the co-author of Small Groups for Big Readers: 10 Questions Answered About Core Reading Instruction in the K-5 Classroom.
Dr. Analexis Kennedy is a Lecturer of Reading in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She spent 15 years working with K-12 students, teachers, and administrators. Her roles in K-12 included classroom teacher, literacy coach, district reading specialist, and a professional development coordinator supporting teachers and coaches across the state of Florida. She joined the teaching faculty in 2015. Her research focuses on literacy, literacy coaching, professional learning, and adult learning. Since joining teaching faculty, she has served as the Faculty Chair for the KnightED Talks Professional Learning Workshops that serve to work with district and university partners to complement and enhance the content from their teacher candidate program of study. She is the co-author of Small Groups for Big Readers: 10 Questions Answered About Core Reading Instruction in the K-5 Classroom.
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Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another. As one of the few nonprofit organizations in the country that develops, disseminates, and implements curricula at scale, Collaborative Classroom is dedicated to putting students, educators, and research at the center of every decision and providing personalized, cutting-edge implementation supports for the schools and students it serves. The organization’s evidence-based programs and innovative professional learning are used by educators in all 50 states in more than a thousand school districts. Collaborative Classroom’s portfolio of solutions spans preschool and prekindergarten through Grade 8, with some curricula extending through grades 9–12.
