Shifting the Balance, Grades 3-5

October 19, November 9, December 13, January 11, February 15, & March 14

4:00 - 5:00 PM   | $80 includes book  

In this much anticipated follow-up to their groundbreaking book, Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom, authors Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, together with co-author Katie Cunningham, extend the conversation in Shifting the Balance, Grades 3-5: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This new text is built in mind specifically for grades 3-5 teachers around best practices for the intermediate classroom. 

Shifting the Balance, Grades 3-5 introduces six more shifts across individual chapters that:

• Zoom in on a common (but not-as helpful-as-we-had-hoped) practice to reconsider
• Untangle a number of “misunderstandings” that have likely contributed to the use of the common practice
• Propose a more science-aligned shift to the current practice
• Provide solid scientific research to support the revised practice
• Offer a collection of high-leverage, easy-to-implement instructional routines to support the shift to more brain-friendly instruction

The authors offer a refreshing approach that is respectful, accessible, and practical – grounded in an earnest commitment to building a bridge between research and classroom practice. As with the first Shifting the Balance, they aim to keep students at the forefront of reading instruction. 

Click Here to Register
Registration deadline: October 4, 2023

Building Thinking Classrooms

January 18th, February 15th, March 21st, & April 18th (Third Thursday of Each Month)

Held Virtually - 4:00-5:00 PM

Cost: $50 per person *Participants are requested to purchase their own copy of Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl for reading for each session.*

This four-session book study on "Building Thinking Classrooms" by Peter Liljedahl aims to guide educators in creating an environment that cultivates critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students.

Participants will explore key concepts such as establishing a culture of thinking, orchestrating mathematical discussions, and sustaining and expanding thinking classrooms.

Through engaging discussions, practical examples, and collaborative activities, educators will gain insights and strategies to transform their classrooms into dynamic learning spaces that foster deep thinking and student engagement.

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Registration deadline: January 14, 2024

Ambitious Science Teaching

DATES TBD

Ambitious Science Teaching outlines a powerful framework for science teaching to ensure that instruction is rigorous and equitable for students from all backgrounds. The practices presented in the book are being used in schools and districts that seek to improve science teaching at scale, and a wide range of science subjects and grade levels are represented.
 
The book is organized around four sets of core teaching practices: planning for engagement with big ideas; eliciting student thinking; supporting changes in students’ thinking; and drawing together evidence-based explanations. Discussion of each practice includes tools and routines that teachers can use to support students’ participation, transcripts of actual student-teacher dialogue and descriptions of teachers’ thinking as it unfolds, and examples of student work. The book also provides explicit guidance for “opportunity to learn” strategies that can help scaffold the participation of diverse students.
 
Since the success of these practices depends so heavily on discourse among students, Ambitious Science Teaching includes chapters on productive classroom talk. Science-specific skills such as modeling and scientific argument are also covered.
 
Drawing on the emerging research on core teaching practices and their extensive work with preservice and in-service teachers, Ambitious Science Teaching presents a coherent and aligned set of resources for educators striving to meet the considerable challenges that have been set for them.