Reading Through the Summer Slide – Engaging Families Through Literacy

Presented by Kristin Jackson, Kindergarten Teacher, Willow Brook Elementary School (OK); Simone Wertenberger, Director of ESL and Migrant Families, Henderson County Public Schools (NC); and Kristen Walter, Director, US Programs, Worldreader

Sponsored by Worldreader

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Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.
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Join this edWebinar to explore a variety of specific reading activities for mono and bilingual families, to hear from practicing educators at the classroom and district level on solutions for reaching families both in person and digitally, and to learn the importance of seeing caregivers as successful home/school collaborators. Then, the presenters will talk through specific strategies and activities to achieve those goals.

Schools and education organizations will leave with strategies for effectively communicating with families, and with specific tools and activities for family engagement through literacy. The presenters will explore ways for encouraging play that tie back into the text, and how to facilitate home conversations around literacy. They’ll also explore resources for placing books in homes, including giving every attendee access to Worldreader’s digital library and summer family book collection.

The presentation will start with a high-level conversation about empowering families in supporting reading development, then drill down into specific activities for families to do, including short, bite-sized home conversations from using story characters to explore social-emotional learning, to incorporating active play prompts and games in book discussions. Join this edWebinar to learn about collaborating with families and “Reading Through” the summer learning slide in a fun and engaging way!

This edWebinar will be of interest to preK through elementary teachers, librarians, school and district leaders, ELL educators, migrant families coordinators, and Title 1 coordinators. 

About the Presenters

Kristin Jackson is a kindergarten teacher at Willow Brook Elementary School, a PreK-1st grade Title 1 school in the Oklahoma City Public School System. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, and is currently in her fifth year of teaching. As a teacher leader, she serves on the Title 1 Parent Outreach planning committee at Willow Brook Elementary, focusing on helping parents understand curriculum strategies and resources, improving communications with parents, and improving school attendance. She believes the best part of teaching is being part of a child’s growth in character and academics.

Simone Wertenberger has a BA in Spanish and psychology from Kalamazoo College and an MA in social and cultural foundations in education and human development from DePaul University. She taught grades K-12 in ESL and Spanish in Illinois, Colorado, and North Carolina and is currently the director of ESL and migrant education and dual language for Henderson County Public Schools. In addition, Simone is NBCT certified in teaching English to speakers of other languages and is a Tier III agency trainer for OCDE Project GLAD©. Simone facilitates sessions nationwide on the intersection of education, language, equity, advocacy, and social justice.

Kristen Walter, Worldreader’s Director of US Programs, has worked in literacy education for the last 20 years. Before joining the Worldreader team, Kristen was the director of education and partnerships for Reading In Motion, and teaching and learning manager for Crayola. Kristen’s teaching career spanned over 15 years, starting as a certified art and music instructor in NC and ending as an arts integration specialist with a focus on improving literacy development for second language learners. A leader in the classroom and beyond, Kristen helped her school become a national Title I school, P21 Exemplar School, finalist in the Intel Schools of Distinction Math Award, CCAC Crayola grant winner, and win the National School Change Award. She has been recognized as a Yale Distinguished Music Educator and both Kristen and her fifth-grade students were invited to showcase a game design project at the first annual White House Arts Integration Fair.

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Worldreader is a global nonprofit that provides access to digital books to children and families around the globe. Since 2010, over 13 million people—using e-readers and tablets in schools and libraries, and mobile phones worldwide—read e-books for free on their devices.