Presented by Kristina Smekens, President and Lead Consultant, Smekens Education; and Courtney Gordon, Literacy Consultant, Smekens Education

Sponsored by Smekens Education

Watch the Recording

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation. Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more.

Many K-12 teachers find themselves doing a lot of reading with students, but very little time is spent actually teaching it. This is a subtle but significant distinction. Our class periods and reading blocks are often filled with students reading passages, discussing texts, and answering questions. And as important as these experiences are, none of them count as explicit teaching.

In this recorded edWebinar, viewers will learn what explicit, whole-class comprehension instruction really looks like and how to effectively scaffold mini lessons within the rest of the reading block to honor the gradual release of responsibility.

Learning objectives include:

• Acknowledge the purpose that various reading experiences serve within the reading block/ELA class period
• Clarify teaching skills and modeling thinking versus simply assigning reading and asking questions
• Identify the specific and explicit information that must be revealed in every K-12 comprehension lesson

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to K-12 teachers and school and district leaders.

About the Presenters

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 across the United States and beyond 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.

Courtney Gordon is a full-time literacy consultant with Smekens Education, where she provides professional development support to thousands of teachers each year. Known both for her enthusiasm and expertise, Courtney is a dynamic personality who makes friends fast and serves as a trusted guide to teachers across the K-12 spectrum. With more than a decade of experience as a Smekens literacy consultant, Courtney supports teachers at every level of implementation.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

Join the Teaching Reading and Writing 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.