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The Comprehension Connection: Braiding Foundational Skills for Reading Success
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
Presented by Danielle Gaither, Former Educator, Current Sales Representative – Western North Carolina, Great Minds; Jeniqua Moran, Former Educator, Current Success Lead – New England, Great Minds; and Mandy Polen, Former Educator, Current Success Lead – New York City, Great Minds
Sponsored by Great Minds
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
What looks like a comprehension problem may actually start much earlier. When word recognition takes too much effort, there’s no room left for meaning. Strong foundational skills change that. They free up students to read with fluency and focus. Are your K–5 students getting there?
In this edWebinar, literacy experts dig into the Science of Reading. They show how word-reading skills develop and connect that research to instructional practices in K–5 classrooms. Together, these skills fuel knowledge and comprehension.
Grounded in decades of reading research, including Scarborough’s Reading Rope and the Simple View of Reading, the session explores how students become skilled readers.
You leave able to:
- Apply orthographic mapping research to your practice. See how students move from sounding words out to reading them by sight.
- Explain how word recognition and language comprehension work together. You’ll see why automaticity is the bridge to deeper reading.
- Understand how a robust sight vocabulary and knowledge of language structures lead to fluent reading.
- Recognize how intentionally weaving the strands together leads to deep comprehension and student achievement.
This edWebinar is designed for K–5 teachers, reading coaches, curriculum leaders, and school and district leaders. Walk away with a deep understanding of how foundational skills and English language arts need to be strategically intertwined for students to achieve full comprehension. You also leave with research-grounded strategies ready for use right away.
About the Presenters
Danielle Gaither is an Account Support Representative at Great Minds, partnering with districts across Western North Carolina to support successful curriculum implementation and meet their account needs. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Danielle brings more than 25 years of experience in education, including serving as a literacy interventionist and leading curriculum implementation across the Southeast as a Great Minds Success Lead. She is passionate about helping educators improve student outcomes through high-quality instructional materials, strong instructional leadership, and trusted district partnerships.
Jeniqua Moran is a Success Lead at Great Minds. Prior to joining Great Minds, Jeniqua spent 13 years as an elementary general and special educator as well as a Literacy Coach in Baltimore City Public Schools. Jeniqua is particularly passionate about foundational literacy skills instruction and served as a National LETRS Facilitator. Jeniqua received her bachelor’s degree in history from Morgan State University and her master’s degree in special education from Notre Dame of Maryland University.
Mandy Polen is a Success Lead at Great Minds and a former teacher and instructional coach. She partners with district and school leaders to design and monitor implementation plans that translate literacy research into classroom impact. Through job-embedded consulting, professional learning, and hands-on support, she guides change management, builds internal capacity, and keeps student outcomes at the center of the work. She is known for being compassionate, reflective, and genuinely invested in the success of educators and the students they serve.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Join the Science of Reading community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Great Minds PBC is a public benefit corporation founded on the belief that education should be rich in knowledge and accessible to every child. In literacy, Great Minds® has developed Arts & Letters™ and Wit & Wisdom™, core English language arts programs anchored by award-winning books and authentic texts that build knowledge on engaging topics in grade levels K–8. Great Minds also has developed Geodes® books for emerging and developing readers in grade levels K–3. Geodes are published by Great Minds PBC and can be used with any reading foundations program. Geodes was originally created in association with Wilson Language Training. Great Minds also is the publisher of Eureka Math®, Eureka Math2®, and PhD Science®.