edWebinars
«Back to all edWebinarsMaking Meaning: High-Leverage Comprehension Strategies (Part 2)
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm EST
Presented by Dr. Molly Ness, Literacy Specialist; and Heather Blankenship, M.Ed., Manager of Education Partnerships and State Initiatives, Learning A-Z
Sponsored by Learning A-Z
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading in the classroom—and one of the most complex and nuanced to achieve. A RAND report from 2024 revealed that one-third of teachers request additional resources or support specifically pertaining to reading comprehension.
In part two of this engaging, two-part edWebinar series, Dr. Molly Ness—seasoned reading researcher, author of several books, and former classroom teacher—will unpack the most impactful comprehension strategies through modeling in authentic text. We will bridge the research-to-practice gap as we focus on three high-leverage comprehension strategies and their application across text genres and grade levels.
All K-6 educators and administrators are invited to attend and will leave with:
- Clear definitions and research-based insights into three high-leverage strategies: inference, text structure, and summarization
- Examples of how to apply these high-leverage strategies to authentic text
- Sentence starters and teacher language to confidently model strategy instruction in your classroom
Join us to transform your comprehension instruction and empower your students to become thoughtful, strategic readers. This edWebinar will be of interest to K-6 teachers, librarians, school leaders, district leaders, and education technology leaders.
View Reading Comprehension Success = Strategy + Knowledge (Part 1)
About the Presenters
Dr. Molly Ness is a former classroom teacher, a reading researcher, and a teacher educator. She spent 16 years as an Associate Professor at Fordham University in New York City. The author of six books, Dr. Ness served on the Board of Directors for the International Literacy Association and on the New York State Dyslexia Task Force. Dr. Ness has extensive experience in reading clinics, consulting with school districts, leading professional development, and advising school systems on research-based reading instruction. She provided literacy leadership for nationally recognized literacy non-profits, as well as major educational publishers.
A frequent speaker and presenter, her happy place is translating the Science of Reading to schools and teachers. As a tireless literacy advocate, Dr. Ness created the End Book Deserts podcast, which brings awareness to the 32 million American children who lack access to books. In 2024, she founded Dirigo Literacy (deer-ǐ-gō), a literacy consulting firm supporting schools, districts, and states to align with and implement the Science of Reading. When she is not reading and writing about reading and writing, Dr. Ness is driving her ice-hockey-obsessed teenage daughter to the rink, learning how to fly-fish, or hiking with her poorly behaved goldendoodle.
Heather Blankenship, M.Ed., brings over 20 years of experience in education to her role as Manager of Education Partnerships and State Initiatives at Learning A-Z. Her journey began in the classroom, where she spent 11 years as a passionate elementary educator before moving into campus and district leadership roles focused on curriculum and instruction.
When she’s not supporting and collaborating with others, you’ll find her powering through kettlebell workouts, off-roading in a side-by-side, or spending time with family and friends.
Join the Be a Literacy Hero community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
At Learning A-Z, we equip elementary educators with practical, research-based literacy solutions that spark joyful learning experiences. Our solutions support teacher-led instruction and provide engaging online practice for students—blending the best of classroom learning with flexible, standards-aligned content. Every resource we offer is developmentally appropriate, easy to implement, and designed to improve outcomes for all learners.
