Events

Explore ways to connect adolescent readers to books that will name their hearts. Study the practices that help all students develop a reading habit to increase stamina and joy in independent reading, leading to increased engagement in challenging, complex texts.

Independence is at the heart of the Common Core Standards. Adolescents must develop a reading habit that increases stamina and joy in reading, while increasing the complexity of the texts they can independently read. Our middle and high school teachers investigated widespread non-reading among our teenagers and transformed our culture through books, time to read, and conferring with readers. Come to listen to students, explore ways to measure growth in stamina, and the connections we can make between the most reluctant readers and books that will name their hearts. We will study the practices that help all students develop a reading habit to increase stamina and joy in reading. We’ll look at challenging readers through weekly goals and identifying rich books. Our whole school effort has more students challenging themselves as readers in English class and beyond. We can increase students’ ability to respond thoughtfully and analytically to their reading in conferences and in writing. This analytical reading leads students to deeper comprehension and vision for their own writing.

• Increase volume, capacity, and complexity for all readers over time
• Understand the wide range of books that appeal to teenagers
• Create a balance of weekly goals in independent reading, text study, and novel study in English class
• Use short text study to lead students to read rhetorically and broaden the genres they choose to read
• Increase the effectiveness of reading conferences
• Help students deepen their thinking through writing about independent reading
• Build a school culture & summer reading focused on the love of books

  Penny Kittle teaches first year writers at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. She was a teacher and literacy coach in public schools for 34 years. She is the author of nine books including Book Love, Write Beside Them, and two books co-authored with Kelly Gallagher: 4 Essential Studies and 180 Days. She is the founder and president of the Book Love Foundation, which annually grants classroom libraries to teachers throughout North America. Penny works beside teachers and leaders across the world to empower young readers and writers. Penny Kittle was a teacher and literacy coach in public schools for 34 years, 21 of those spent at Kennett High School in North Conway. She is the co-author of 180 Days with Kelly Gallagher, and is the author of Book Love, and Write Beside Them, which won the James Britton award. She also co-authored two books with her mentor, Don Graves, and co-edited (with Tom Newkirk) a collection of Graves’ work, Children Want to Write. She is the president of the Book Love Foundation and was given the Exemplary Leader Award from NCTE’s Conference on English Leadership. In the summer Penny teaches graduate students at the University of New Hampshire Literacy Institutes.  Throughout the year, she travels across the U.S. and Canada (and once in a while quite a bit farther) speaking to teachers about empowering students through independence in literacy. She believes in curiosity, engagement, and deep thinking in schools for both students and their teachers. Penny stands on the shoulders of her mentors, the Dons (Murray & Graves), and the Toms (Newkirk & Romano), in her belief that intentional teaching in a reading and writing workshop brings the greatest student investment and learning in a classroom.   Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

We all want students who write clearly and powerfully. We can teach this through daily practice with passages from books and a close look the decisions authors make to craft those texts. We lead students to see a book as a treasure chest of writing craft moves—the moves that skilled writers use. Students will learn and practice a wide range of writing skills from grammar in context, varied sentence patterns—both the art and feel of cohesion and style—as well as all the ways a writer is an artist of words. We have the power to fundamentally change the way students understand writing. Come to study and write together.

Penny Kittle teaches first year writers at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. She was a teacher and literacy coach in public schools for 34 years. She is the author of nine books including Book Love, Write Beside Them, and two books co-authored with Kelly Gallagher: 4 Essential Studies and 180 Days. She is the founder and president of the Book Love Foundation, which annually grants classroom libraries to teachers throughout North America. Penny works beside teachers and leaders across the world to empower young readers and writers. Penny Kittle was a teacher and literacy coach in public schools for 34 years, 21 of those spent at Kennett High School in North Conway. She is the co-author of 180 Days with Kelly Gallagher, and is the author of Book Love, and Write Beside Them, which won the James Britton award. She also co-authored two books with her mentor, Don Graves, and co-edited (with Tom Newkirk) a collection of Graves’ work, Children Want to Write. She is the president of the Book Love Foundation and was given the Exemplary Leader Award from NCTE’s Conference on English Leadership. In the summer Penny teaches graduate students at the University of New Hampshire Literacy Institutes.  Throughout the year, she travels across the U.S. and Canada (and once in awhile quite a bit farther) speaking to teachers about empowering students through independence in literacy. She believes in curiosity, engagement, and deep thinking in schools for both students and their teachers. Penny stands on the shoulders of her mentors, the Dons (Murray & Graves), and the Toms (Newkirk & Romano), in her belief that intentional teaching in a reading and writing workshop brings the greatest student investment and learning in a classroom. https://pennykittle.net/   Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

Note - this workshop will be held at BASSC - Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative 2411 Pathways Crossing Belleville 62221 (in the board room). BASSC Occupational Therapist Amanda Terstriep and Speech Language Pathologist Victoria Corporon will facilitate an introductory level workshop that will focus on the what, why, and how of sensory processing and its impact on learners in the classroom. Attendees will learn what sensory processing is, why it is relevant to learning, and how to implement sensory support strategies for neuro-diverse learners in the classroom. In addition, how to support communication with a proactive approach and when a student is experiencing dysregulation. Educators will receive practical strategies and resources they can embed in their current classroom routine. Participants will participate in both a whole group informational and breakout sessions within this training.  Suggested Participants: teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, school social workers, and other school support staff.   Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date unless tickets are sold out.  

In this engaging and interactive workshop, educators will explore the significance of productive struggle as a catalyst for cognitive growth and mathematical proficiency. By investigating the latest research and pedagogical insights, participants will gain a profound understanding of how well-designed struggles can enhance problem-solving skills, resilience, and critical thinking in their students. Educators will leave equipped with a repertoire of strategies to intentionally design and implement activities that promote productive struggle in their elementary math classrooms. Join us on this journey to transform challenges into opportunities for mathematical growth and empower your students to embrace the joy of learning through the art of productive struggle. Registration will close 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.  

Unlock the potential of your instructional time in this dynamic session tailored for educators seeking practical strategies to optimize their time during core content blocks. This will help ensure that every instructional minute contributes significantly to student learning in both mathematics and English language arts (ELA). Participants will leave with time management strategies and engaging activities and routines that maximize their efforts and impact student learning. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date.