Teach Reading Comprehension with Explicit, Whole-Class Instruction

Presented by Kristina Smekens, President, Lead Consultant, Smekens Education
Moderated by Monica Myers, Playbook Pro Remote Coach, Smekens Education

Sponsored by Smekens Education

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Language arts classrooms often read texts, ask questions about texts, and engage kids in text-based discussions. As important as these experiences are, none of them count as explicit teaching or direct instruction.

Before asking students to dive into discussions about texts, teachers need to do the heavy lifting by delivering focused mini-lessons on specific comprehension skills. This is the first step in gradual release—I do; you watch and listen. The teacher must explain which text details are relevant for a particular comprehension skill. The teacher must model how to put thoughts together via think alouds. The teacher must demonstrate the inference process—all without the help of the children.

In this edWebinar, author and literacy consultant Kristina Smekens breaks down the architecture of every 15-minute whole-class mini-lesson. She provides practical, ready-to-use strategies for planning and delivering K-12 comprehension instruction daily in four-step mini-lessons. Viewers learn:

• The number of minutes and key information to reveal per step
• How to progress through the phases of gradual release (i.e., I do, We do, You do) within the lesson
• How to plan a think aloud before executing it in the lesson
• How to present engaging comprehension lessons that “edutain”—educate and entertain

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

About the Presenter

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 around the globe 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.

About the Moderator

Monica Myers is an enthusiastic advocate of best-practice instruction in reading comprehension. As the Playbook Pro remote coach for Smekens Education, she offers timely coaching and guidance to teams and individuals as they work to implement the Comprehension Playbook in their own classrooms. Before joining the team at Smekens Education, Monica taught elementary and middle school English language arts and was a leader in her district as an instructional coach. In her role as a building-level coach, Monica was in the trenches, helping her colleagues implement the Comprehension Playbook with fidelity.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

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.