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«Back to all edWebinarsUsing Meaningful and Complex Texts to Deepen Knowledge in Middle School
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Presented by Dr. Mitchell Brookins, Educational Consultant and Managing Director, Science of Reading Network, Leading Educators; and Amanda Dharsi, Senior Manager, Product Marketing, Scholastic
Sponsored by Scholastic Education
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Educators know that knowledge building is essential for literacy success. But how do we ensure middle school students engage with and retain what they read? The answer is using meaningful and complex texts in middle-grade courses—texts that reflect their experiences, texts that spark curiosity, and texts that connect them to the world around them.
In this edWebinar, Dr. Mitchell Brookins explores how the right texts, combined with strategic scaffolds in semantics, summarization, text analysis, and writing, create the conditions for deep, lasting learning in middle school. By immersing students in authentic, relevant, and thought-provoking texts, we can transform classrooms into spaces where reading is not just about decoding words but making meaning that sticks.
Join Dr. Brookins to discover how to bring real-world, high-impact texts to life in ways that fuel engagement, build knowledge, and drive comprehension. This edWebinar will be of interest to middle school teachers, school leaders, and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
About the Presenters
Dr. Mitchell Brookins is an educational consultant who supports teachers, school administrators, and district leaders in advancing student academic attainment. His 20 years of professional experience include teacher, instructional coach, school administrator, district leader, consultant, and educational thought leader in K-12. Dr. Brookins’ leadership as an administrator yielded the following results: 43% to 72% student attainment over two years on DIBLES; 16% growth over two years on Louisiana’s LEAP State Assessment; and in one year, school letter grades improved from a “D” to a “C” at ReNEW Cultural Arts Academy and Dwight Eisenhower. Dr. Brookins is currently the Managing Director of the Science of Reading Network with Leading Educators. He holds a B.A. in elementary education, an M.A. in teacher leadership, and a Ph.D. in educational administration.
Amanda Amanullah Dharsi is an advocate for literacy and educational technology, with a background in teaching and curriculum development. Currently, she works at Scholastic, where she focuses on product marketing for ELA programs designed to enhance reading volume, engagement, and comprehension for students. Amanda taught in the School District of Philadelphia and with the Great Oaks Legacy Charter School network in Newark, NJ. She holds an M.S.Ed. in elementary and middle grades education from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in English and economics from Rutgers University.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
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