PD Options - Literacy
HOW YOU CAN ACCESS THE SERVICES OF A LITERACY CONSULTANT
- There are a number of ways you can access the services of a literacy consultancy like ours.
- When I say ‘like ours’ I mean that our consultants are not researchers or professors in a university. We have no attachment to any university or any publishing company.
- The vast majority of the day-to-day work happens in schools, in classrooms – with the kids. At a guess, about 75% of the time is teaching in classrooms – from Years K-9. The other 25% of the time is made up of planning effectively for literacy with teachers, providing feedback after observing teachers delivering literacy lessons and presenting professional development days on literacy.
OPTIONS FOR LITERACY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INCLUDE:
- after school literacy pd presentations
- half-day literacy pd presentations
- full day literacy curriculum days
- modelling or presenting demonstration lessons in classrooms (particularly as a follow-up to a pd day or after school sessions – critical to ‘walk the talk’ and for teachers to see the theory or notion in action)
- working directly with specific teachers within a school to develop teaching strategies and content knowledge in literacy.
- planning sessions focusing on developing sensible, highly effective term/yearly planners
- planning sessions focusing on developing units of work based on term/yearly planning
- any combinations of the above, for example – 2 or 3 after school sessions to be the equivalent of a curriculum day and then possible demonstration lessons in classrooms with follow-up debriefs; targetted pd (see below) with staff/teams; planning/developing units of work
POSSIBLE AFTER SCHOOL STAFF PD PRESENTATIONS
These topics are designed for presentations of 1.5 to 2 hour duration. [2 or more could be put together for a half or full day presentation]. They are specifically aimed at Middle Years (Years 3-9)
Creating Strategic Readers using the Big Six Components of Reading (Yrs 3-7)
This presentation highlights the importance and significance of the Big Six components of Reading and involves teachers in understanding and exploring the range of strategies good readers use as they are reading authentic text. It will then concentrate on demonstrating strategy mini lessons (Phonics, Comprehension, Vocabulary, Fluency) that can be immediately introduced and implemented with students during Independent Reading Years 3-7. This session will also look at how well these strategies align to the Australian Curriculum.
Creating Strategic Readers using the Big Six Components of Reading (Yrs 8-9)
This presentation highlights the importance and significance of the Big Six components of Reading and involves teachers in understanding and exploring the strategies good readers use as they are reading authentic text. It will then concentrate on demonstrating strategy mini lessons (Phonics, Comprehension, Vocabulary, Fluency) that can be immediately introduced and implemented with students during their Independent Reading Years 8-9. This session will also look at how well these strategies align to the Australian Curriculum.
Developing the Reading Curriculum (R – 7)
Want clarity on what to teach and what to assess in your reading program? This session clearly outlines the essential elements of a highly effective and engaging reading program and how to easily ensure your students are developing the skills and strategies of good readers. We will also explore a powerful strategy for learning about your students as readers while building in easy, effective and meaningful ways to assess their reading development.
Developing the Writing Curriculum (R-7)
Want clarity on what to teach and what to assess in your writing program? This session clearly outlines the essential elements of a highly effective writing program and how to easily ensure your students are developing the skills and strategies of good writers. We will also explore a powerful strategy for learning about your students as writers while building in easy, effective and meaningful ways to monitor and track their writing development.
Developing the Spelling Curriculum (R-7)
Want clarity on what to teach and what to assess in your spelling program? This session clearly outlines the essential elements of a highly effective spelling program and how to easily ensure your students are developing the skills and strategies of good spellers, with transfer to their reading and writing. Explore the roles that phonology, orthography, morphology and etymology play in building a full and vibrant learning experience throughout each year level.
Engaging, enjoyable, effective Routines and Activities for Vocabulary Learning (Yrs 3-7)
Want some 5 to 45 minute activities that require little or no preparation, are meaning rich and engaging and cover all dimensions of vocabulary learning? If yes, then this session takes you through a whole range of activities that can be full on lessons, regular and on-going tasks or particularly as warm-up/introductory activities that link to all areas of the curriculum.
Engaging, powerful, effective Routines and Activities for Vocabulary Learning Across the Curriculum (Yrs 8-9)
Want some 5 to 45 minute activities that require little or no preparation, are meaning rich and engaging and cover all dimensions of vocabulary? If yes, then this session takes you through a whole range of activities that can be full on lessons, regular and on-going tasks or particularly as warm-up/introductory activities that link to all areas of the curriculum.
Developing Students’ Word-Solving Skills (R – 7)
Word-Solving is an essential skill for readers but is so much more than ‘sounding out’. Integral to literacy learning and understanding, good readers develop an extensive range of strategies to not only solve words, but to ensure meaning is maintained. This session features a host of the essential strategies that good readers use and how you can easily integrate the teaching of these into your reading curriculum.
Developing Students’ Fix-Up Strategies for Reading (R – 7)
Are your students actively monitoring their own reading? Fix-Up strategies are what good readers use to keep a check on what they are doing as they read. Fix-up strategies are a life skill and form an essential part of every good reader’s repertoire, from beginning readers through to adulthood. This session features a host of essential fix-up strategies and how you can easily integrate the teaching of these into your reading curriculum.
Developing Students’ Comprehension Strategies (R – 7)
Want some highly effective strategies to engage your students in reaching deeper levels of comprehension? If yes, this session takes you through a whole range of engaging and meaningful literature-based activities you can readily integrate into your reading curriculum and which your students can readily apply to their own reading.
Developing Students’ Reading Fluency (R – 7)
This session explores the many aspects of fluency development and provides a host of activities and strategies to develop a reading fluency that brings deeper meaning and engagement to students own reading.
Literature and Learning: Using Story Books and Non-fiction to Teach Literacy Meaningfully and Effectively (Yrs 3-7)
When you can successfully and meaningfully integrate literature into your literacy teaching why wouldn’t you do so? There are so many books – imaginative, informative and persuasive that can bring reading, writing and spelling to life. Take your students to a new level of literacy learning and engagement through the use of literature. This session will look at a range of fiction and non-fiction books, chapter, picture books, poetry, exploring how they can be used for engaging literacy lessons on a wide range of topics.
A Lesson Structure for English that Works and Makes a Significant Difference for Your Teaching and for the Students’ Learning. Practical Examples (Yrs 3-7)
This session opens up with some warm-up activities and then goes into what is a proven and highly effective way to structure your English lessons. It’s a structure – it’s not a constrictive mandate but it does pack a philosophical and pedagogical punch and it has the potential to absolutely turn you around as a teacher. The structure isn’t mine and it looks quite obvious but this session explores what sits behind the structure and why it has the potential to make you a better and more effective teacher of English.
Words Their Way - Getting Started (Yrs 3-7)
Are you thinking about getting started with Words Their Way Yrs 3-7? Sharon has supported many schools/teachers to get started with this approach to Word Study, Phonics and Spelling. Explore the pedagogy behind the approach, how to get started, how it works and how to begin with the assessments.
Words Their Way – Going Further (Yrs 3-7)
Have you been using Words Their Way Yrs 3-7 and want to see greater impact in how your students transfer their word knowledge to their reading and writing? Sharon has supported many schools/teachers to get more out of Words Their Way by extending the inquiry approach, linking to content areas across the curriculum and ensuring that there is transfer of knowledge to reading and writing.
Ready to Go with Imaginative Writing: Finding the Wonder and Joy in Creating Imaginative Texts (R-7)
Imaginative writing is so much more than a narrative story structure but how do we enable our imaginative writers to find their voice and explore the vast imaginative territory to produce highly effective writing? This session will take you through a host of highly effective strategies, techniques and routines good writers use to extend their imaginative writing repertoire. Put yourself in a Sharon’s capable writing hands for this uplifting and creative session so that you can better talk the walk with your students.
Ready to Go with Informative Writing: Finding the Curiosity and Wonder in Creating Informative Texts (R-7)
Informative writing is so much more than information reports but how do we enable our informative writers to find their voice and explore the vast wonder of the world? This session will take you through a host of highly effective strategies, techniques and routines good writers use to extend their informative writing repertoire. Put yourself in a Sharon’s capable writing hands for this insightful and wonder-filled session so that you can better talk the walk with your students.
Ready to Go with Persuasive Writing: Finding the Power and Purpose of Creating Persuasive Texts (R-7)
Persuasive writing is so much more than stating your opinion in a few neat steps but how do we enable our persuasive writers to find their voice when exploring things that matter to them? This session will take you through a host of highly effective strategies, techniques and routines good writers use to extend their persuasive writing repertoire. Put yourself in Sharon’s capable writing hands for this insightful and powerful session so that you can better walk the talk with your students.
Collecting and Recording Quality Assessment Information and Using Quality Activities to Get it going (Yrs 3-7)
We occasionally overthink literacy teaching/learning and ‘over data-rise’ assessment to a point where the focus of teaching is lost or just becomes too hard. On-going assessment of students is vital but it doesn’t have to be complex and difficult. This session will look at a balance of assessments and some practical ideas for collecting, recording and using formative assessment.
Writing Conventions: The Tools of the Good Writer’s Trade (R-7)
The conventions of writing: text layout, grammar, capitalisation, punctuation, spelling and handwriting/word processing are not isolated skills but rather a repertoire of tools good writers use each and every time they write. This session will give you a host of activities, techniques, routines and understandings about how the writing conventions can be embedded into real and meaningful writing experiences. We will also explore the role literature plays in providing the very best examples of these conventions in action.
The Writing Process: Stepping into the Shoes of the Good Writer
The writing process: rehearsing/planning, drafting/revising, editing/proofreading, sketching/drawing, and viewing self as a writer are not isolated skills we teach, but rather an ongoing process good writers draw on each and every time they write. This session will give you a host of activities, techniques, routines and understanding about how the writing process can grow across the school year within authentic and meaningful writing experiences. We will also explore the role modelling plays in demonstrating these processes in action.
These topics are designed for presentations of 1.5 to 2 hour duration. [2 or more could be put together for a half or full day presentation]. They are specifically aimed at Middle Years (Years 3-9)
Creating Strategic Readers using the Big Six Components of Reading (Yrs 3-7)
This presentation highlights the importance and significance of the Big Six components of Reading and involves teachers in understanding and exploring the range of strategies good readers use as they are reading authentic text. It will then concentrate on demonstrating strategy mini lessons (Phonics, Comprehension, Vocabulary, Fluency) that can be immediately introduced and implemented with students during Independent Reading Years 3-7. This session will also look at how well these strategies align to the Australian Curriculum.
Creating Strategic Readers using the Big Six Components of Reading (Yrs 8-9)
This presentation highlights the importance and significance of the Big Six components of Reading and involves teachers in understanding and exploring the strategies good readers use as they are reading authentic text. It will then concentrate on demonstrating strategy mini lessons (Phonics, Comprehension, Vocabulary, Fluency) that can be immediately introduced and implemented with students during their Independent Reading Years 8-9. This session will also look at how well these strategies align to the Australian Curriculum.
Developing the Reading Curriculum (R – 7)
Want clarity on what to teach and what to assess in your reading program? This session clearly outlines the essential elements of a highly effective and engaging reading program and how to easily ensure your students are developing the skills and strategies of good readers. We will also explore a powerful strategy for learning about your students as readers while building in easy, effective and meaningful ways to assess their reading development.
Developing the Writing Curriculum (R-7)
Want clarity on what to teach and what to assess in your writing program? This session clearly outlines the essential elements of a highly effective writing program and how to easily ensure your students are developing the skills and strategies of good writers. We will also explore a powerful strategy for learning about your students as writers while building in easy, effective and meaningful ways to monitor and track their writing development.
Developing the Spelling Curriculum (R-7)
Want clarity on what to teach and what to assess in your spelling program? This session clearly outlines the essential elements of a highly effective spelling program and how to easily ensure your students are developing the skills and strategies of good spellers, with transfer to their reading and writing. Explore the roles that phonology, orthography, morphology and etymology play in building a full and vibrant learning experience throughout each year level.
Engaging, enjoyable, effective Routines and Activities for Vocabulary Learning (Yrs 3-7)
Want some 5 to 45 minute activities that require little or no preparation, are meaning rich and engaging and cover all dimensions of vocabulary learning? If yes, then this session takes you through a whole range of activities that can be full on lessons, regular and on-going tasks or particularly as warm-up/introductory activities that link to all areas of the curriculum.
Engaging, powerful, effective Routines and Activities for Vocabulary Learning Across the Curriculum (Yrs 8-9)
Want some 5 to 45 minute activities that require little or no preparation, are meaning rich and engaging and cover all dimensions of vocabulary? If yes, then this session takes you through a whole range of activities that can be full on lessons, regular and on-going tasks or particularly as warm-up/introductory activities that link to all areas of the curriculum.
Developing Students’ Word-Solving Skills (R – 7)
Word-Solving is an essential skill for readers but is so much more than ‘sounding out’. Integral to literacy learning and understanding, good readers develop an extensive range of strategies to not only solve words, but to ensure meaning is maintained. This session features a host of the essential strategies that good readers use and how you can easily integrate the teaching of these into your reading curriculum.
Developing Students’ Fix-Up Strategies for Reading (R – 7)
Are your students actively monitoring their own reading? Fix-Up strategies are what good readers use to keep a check on what they are doing as they read. Fix-up strategies are a life skill and form an essential part of every good reader’s repertoire, from beginning readers through to adulthood. This session features a host of essential fix-up strategies and how you can easily integrate the teaching of these into your reading curriculum.
Developing Students’ Comprehension Strategies (R – 7)
Want some highly effective strategies to engage your students in reaching deeper levels of comprehension? If yes, this session takes you through a whole range of engaging and meaningful literature-based activities you can readily integrate into your reading curriculum and which your students can readily apply to their own reading.
Developing Students’ Reading Fluency (R – 7)
This session explores the many aspects of fluency development and provides a host of activities and strategies to develop a reading fluency that brings deeper meaning and engagement to students own reading.
Literature and Learning: Using Story Books and Non-fiction to Teach Literacy Meaningfully and Effectively (Yrs 3-7)
When you can successfully and meaningfully integrate literature into your literacy teaching why wouldn’t you do so? There are so many books – imaginative, informative and persuasive that can bring reading, writing and spelling to life. Take your students to a new level of literacy learning and engagement through the use of literature. This session will look at a range of fiction and non-fiction books, chapter, picture books, poetry, exploring how they can be used for engaging literacy lessons on a wide range of topics.
A Lesson Structure for English that Works and Makes a Significant Difference for Your Teaching and for the Students’ Learning. Practical Examples (Yrs 3-7)
This session opens up with some warm-up activities and then goes into what is a proven and highly effective way to structure your English lessons. It’s a structure – it’s not a constrictive mandate but it does pack a philosophical and pedagogical punch and it has the potential to absolutely turn you around as a teacher. The structure isn’t mine and it looks quite obvious but this session explores what sits behind the structure and why it has the potential to make you a better and more effective teacher of English.
Words Their Way - Getting Started (Yrs 3-7)
Are you thinking about getting started with Words Their Way Yrs 3-7? Sharon has supported many schools/teachers to get started with this approach to Word Study, Phonics and Spelling. Explore the pedagogy behind the approach, how to get started, how it works and how to begin with the assessments.
Words Their Way – Going Further (Yrs 3-7)
Have you been using Words Their Way Yrs 3-7 and want to see greater impact in how your students transfer their word knowledge to their reading and writing? Sharon has supported many schools/teachers to get more out of Words Their Way by extending the inquiry approach, linking to content areas across the curriculum and ensuring that there is transfer of knowledge to reading and writing.
Ready to Go with Imaginative Writing: Finding the Wonder and Joy in Creating Imaginative Texts (R-7)
Imaginative writing is so much more than a narrative story structure but how do we enable our imaginative writers to find their voice and explore the vast imaginative territory to produce highly effective writing? This session will take you through a host of highly effective strategies, techniques and routines good writers use to extend their imaginative writing repertoire. Put yourself in a Sharon’s capable writing hands for this uplifting and creative session so that you can better talk the walk with your students.
Ready to Go with Informative Writing: Finding the Curiosity and Wonder in Creating Informative Texts (R-7)
Informative writing is so much more than information reports but how do we enable our informative writers to find their voice and explore the vast wonder of the world? This session will take you through a host of highly effective strategies, techniques and routines good writers use to extend their informative writing repertoire. Put yourself in a Sharon’s capable writing hands for this insightful and wonder-filled session so that you can better talk the walk with your students.
Ready to Go with Persuasive Writing: Finding the Power and Purpose of Creating Persuasive Texts (R-7)
Persuasive writing is so much more than stating your opinion in a few neat steps but how do we enable our persuasive writers to find their voice when exploring things that matter to them? This session will take you through a host of highly effective strategies, techniques and routines good writers use to extend their persuasive writing repertoire. Put yourself in Sharon’s capable writing hands for this insightful and powerful session so that you can better walk the talk with your students.
Collecting and Recording Quality Assessment Information and Using Quality Activities to Get it going (Yrs 3-7)
We occasionally overthink literacy teaching/learning and ‘over data-rise’ assessment to a point where the focus of teaching is lost or just becomes too hard. On-going assessment of students is vital but it doesn’t have to be complex and difficult. This session will look at a balance of assessments and some practical ideas for collecting, recording and using formative assessment.
Writing Conventions: The Tools of the Good Writer’s Trade (R-7)
The conventions of writing: text layout, grammar, capitalisation, punctuation, spelling and handwriting/word processing are not isolated skills but rather a repertoire of tools good writers use each and every time they write. This session will give you a host of activities, techniques, routines and understandings about how the writing conventions can be embedded into real and meaningful writing experiences. We will also explore the role literature plays in providing the very best examples of these conventions in action.
The Writing Process: Stepping into the Shoes of the Good Writer
The writing process: rehearsing/planning, drafting/revising, editing/proofreading, sketching/drawing, and viewing self as a writer are not isolated skills we teach, but rather an ongoing process good writers draw on each and every time they write. This session will give you a host of activities, techniques, routines and understanding about how the writing process can grow across the school year within authentic and meaningful writing experiences. We will also explore the role modelling plays in demonstrating these processes in action.