Presented by Kristina Smekens, President, Lead Consultant, Smekens Education
Moderated by Monica Myers, Playbook Pro Remote Coach, Smekens Education

Sponsored by Smekens Education

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Mini-lessons are where the magic happens when it comes to effective whole-class instruction. Regardless of the subject or skill, this 15-minute lesson is when educators teach grade-level skills to the whole class. Author and literacy consultant Kristina Smekens has a passion for helping teachers to execute Tier I reading and writing mini-lessons that are engaging, explicit, and rooted in the standards.

In this edWebinar, Kristina focuses on reading as she breaks down the four-step process for teaching any comprehension skill using the research-based I-do, We-do, You-do model. She provides practical, ready-to-use strategies for planning and delivering “edutaining” comprehension mini-lessons that stick. Viewers learn:

• The definition of explicit and direct instruction
• How to plan the four steps of every whole-class, standards-based mini-lesson
• How to make direct instruction more explicit with Think Alouds
• How to present engaging lessons that edutain—educate and entertain

This recorded edWebinar is applicable to all teachers and instructional leaders and will be particularly relevant for educators who teach reading/language arts.

About the Presenter

Kristina Smekens has built a reputation for using enthusiasm, humor, and common sense to equip K-12 educators with practical, demystifying strategies for teaching reading and writing. As President and Lead Consultant for Smekens Education, she is a leader in developing new strategies to help teachers meet the demands of today’s College- and Career-Ready Standards. She and her associates share those strategies with teachers around the globe through on-site professional development, virtual and in-person seminars, and an always-growing pool of print, digital, and video resources. Kristina has authored more than 50 books, guides, and classroom tools designed to help teachers implement best-practice literacy strategies. The Comprehension Playbook; Launching the Writer’s Workshop: Grades K-2; and Launching the Writer’s Workshop: Grades 3-12 are among the most popular titles.

About the Moderator

Monica Myers is an enthusiastic advocate of best-practice instruction in reading comprehension. As the Playbook Pro remote coach for Smekens Education, she offers timely coaching and guidance to teams and individuals as they work to implement the Comprehension Playbook in their own classrooms. Before joining the team at Smekens Education, Monica taught elementary and middle school English language arts and was a leader in her district as an instructional coach. In her role as a building-level coach, Monica was in the trenches, helping her colleagues implement the Comprehension Playbook with fidelity.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the ELA Today community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Smekens Education helps K-12 schools improve achievement in reading and writing by providing educators with practical and engaging professional learning. The team at Smekens specializes in inspiring teachers with simple, best-practice literacy strategies that can be implemented right away. Schools around the globe rely on Smekens to provide powerful PD, whether it occurs in-person, virtually, or on-demand.