by Elizabeth Bleacher

Ruth Culham


Greg Tang


Stephen Layne


Debbie Diller


Cris Tovani


Lucy Calkins


Stephanie Harvey


Kelly Gallagher

With teaching trends shifting to accommodate new standards, staying up-to-date on current education expectations can be a challenge for educators. To help literacy teachers meet students’ needs, the International Reading Association has invited nine exceptional literacy professionals to speak at the 58th Annual Convention this April.

Symposium with Ruth Culham, Greg Tang, Steven Layne, and Danny Brassell

A panel consisting of Ruth Culham, Greg Tang, Steven Layne, and Danny Brassell will be sharing instructional teaching and learning strategies that are designed to help students meet state expectations in a session entitled Readin', Writin', and 'Rithmetic: Revisited Through the Common Core State Standards. The strategies will put a special emphasis on aiding students that struggle with reading, writing, and mathematics. The broad focus of the panel will help educators reach students across the curriculum and build strong connections between various subjects.

Culham is the author of over 40 teaching resources and the recipient of the 2011 Teacher’s Choice Award for her book Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School. Tang, primarily a math teacher and the author of The Grapes of Math, brings unique insight to the relationship between language arts and algebraic thinking skills. Layne, author of Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers (Stenhouse, 2009) and current IRA Board member, has been recognized as an exceptional educator by the Milken Foundation. Rounding out the panel is Brassell, author of Bringing Joy Back Into the Classroom, whose primary focus is igniting a passion for reading in early learners.

Individual Sessions with Debbie Diller, Cris Tovani, Lucy Calkins, Stephanie Harvey, and Kelly Gallagher

In addition to the symposium, five individual speakers will present sessions. The individual speakers include Debbie Diller, Cris Tovani, Lucy Calkins, Stephanie Harvey, and Kelly Gallagher. Though all the speakers will be addressing the opportunities and challenges surrounding the implementation of state standards, each speaker will bring the distinct perspectives of their personal experiences and research to the issue.

During her session Building Student Independence Through Meaningful Literacy Work Stations, Diller will talk about the benefits of independent learning. Tovani will address how teaching instruction must shift accommodate standards in her presentation Harnessing Literacy Instruction to Meet the Demands of the CCSS. Calkins, co-author of Pathways to the Common Core (Heinemann, 2012), will help educators you translate the CCSS into plans for teaching and for school reform, and Harvey analyses what the CCSS say about comprehension, understanding, and close reading. Gallagher will discuss Building Deeper Readers in the Age of the Common Core State Standards.

At a time when state standards have taken on a new emphasis, these speakers will be addressing the most talked about issues currently surrounding teaching in a practical and applicable way informed by years of research and personal experience.

Registration is open for the IRA 58th Annual Convention to be held on April 19-22, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. Visit www.iraconvention.org to register or for details on these and other speakers.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.