Cultural Responsiveness and Engagement in Today's Literacy Classrooms

Ernest Morrell, Savvas Learning Company

Students in today's classrooms are unique individuals. They are also simultaneously members of multiple communities. During this session, educational leader  Ernest Morrell will speak on how culturally responsive instruction, both as a curriculum and a pedagogical approach, embraces these identities and works to positively enhance student voice and engagement.

Session participants will leave with

• Knowledge of the background and challenges in today's classrooms that can be answered with the core principles of culturally responsive instruction
• An understanding of how cultural misunderstandings and intolerance, as well as underrepresentation, is detrimental to learning
• A sampling of culturally responsive instruction and engagement strategies that teachers and administrators can implement to positively impact student growth and morale

The Kids Will Be All Right: An Exploration of What Kids Are Really Learning Right Now

Cornelius Minor and Kass Minor, Heinemann

Kids need a lot. What we can accomplish in remote/hybrid learning feels different from what we used to accomplish. No one is really sure of what to do with this reality given that standards and expectations have not changed in any explicit way. The back-to-school rhythms of assessment and community building have been disrupted. Although the pressure to return to business as usual feels intense, in this session, educators will explore the possibilities in taking pause, scaling back to the roots of teaching and learning, and exploring how joyful learning communities are cultivated by allowing kids to take the lead.

Yes, Workshop Teaching Can Be Alive and Well in Your Virtual and Blended Classrooms: Practical Help for Holding Tight to Workshop Teaching

Lucy Calkins and Hareem Khan, Heinemann

In this session, Lucy Calkins and Hareem Khan will share practical tips and videos that help you imagine real-world, doable ways to hold tight to the values of workshop teaching even when you are teaching in hybrid, remote, or social-distanced classrooms. You'll get a peek into the virtual teaching supports that Calkins and her Teachers College Reading and Writing Project colleagues have developed to help teachers teach the Units of Study virtually, and hear about ways to help students have social relationships that support literacy and opportunities to read and write for their own important reasons. You will also hear feedback from teachers who are supported by communities of practice.

The Power of Stories to Build Resilience and Empathy

Lauren Tarshis and Tricia Culligan, Scholastic

As our students navigate today's disrupted and complex world, stories can provide them with models of resilience and empathy that can empower and inspire them. In this session, I Survived author and Storyworks editor Lauren Tarshis and Storyworks 3 editor Tricia Culligan share insights and tactics for finding these stories and incorporating them into the school day and independent reading plans.

Supporting Students With Learning Differences With Free Microsoft Learning Tools

Rachel Berger, Microsoft

Microsoft has created free, accessible assistive technology to support students who struggle with reading, writing, math, and communication. Whether you are in the classroom or distance learning, this session will help you foster inclusion and increase accessibility in your learning community. The presenter will showcase how these free, accessible learning tools can be used to support classroom engagement for users with learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or ADHD, as well as emerging readers, English learners, or students with any combination of abilities. Details, demonstrations, and student examples will be shared about several new and improved sets of features across Microsoft products.