The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Literacy integrate responsibilities for teaching students how to read and write among all core academic teachers. By shifting instructional emphasis from narrative or story forms to informational reading and analytic writing, the CCSS expects teachers of all content areas to raise the bar on how students process information and demonstrate understanding.  No longer can writing be relegated to the ELA classroom.  According to CCSS, sixth grade students writing should be 70% analytical (35% argument and 35% to explanatory/informational) and 30% narrative.  This shift cannot be achieved in a single classroom. This course is intended for 4-12 grade teachers of language arts, English, social studies/history or science.  Common Core State Literacy Standards will be a foundation for developing a content unit aligned to both content and literacy instruction.  Using corresponding lesson plans that incorporate the expectations of grade level standards, including close reading, differentiated instruction, and higher order thinking skills utilizing the three CCSS appendices, communicating CCSS objectives with students and evaluating student performance.  For those interested in earning 3 semester hours of graduate credit, there will be an additional tuition fee of $300 through Aurora University due on the first day of class and some additional homework.  Lunch is on your own.
Dates:  June 18, 19, 25 & 26, 2012 (you must attend each day)
Time:  8:30 AM – 3:00 PM each day
Location:  ROE Moline
Presenter:  Dr. Dea Conrad Curry
Audience:  4th – 12th Grade teachers of language Arts
Cost:  $250
CPDUs: 24
Registration Deadline:  6/11/2012

The Fountas and Pinnell Text Gradient was designed to support teachers in matching books to readers.  In this session, teachers will be introduced to the 10 different text characteristics that teachers must consider as they make instructional decisions.  Time will be given to practice identifying text characteristics.  Participants will also learn the basic components for a good guided reading lesson and how that approach fits into a full comprehensive reading program. Every participant will also receive the text “Using Leveled Texts in the Classroom.”  Lunch is on your own from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Date:  June 27, 2012
Time:  8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Location:  ROE Moline
Cost:  $100
CPDUs: 6
Presenter:  Bert Crossland
Audience:  K-8th Grade Teachers
Registration Deadline:  6/20/2012

Jim Schiferl will demonstrate a vocabulary program that produces the best results at John Hersey High School and share insights from his Common Core early adoption high schools work with University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago. He will give participants an overview of the program as well as all the materials needed to start such a program including student workbooks, tests, answer keys, and a CD with all materials.  This vocabulary program has proven to provide high school and even middle school students with the power to build their own vocabulary capacity by giving them the ability to use word parts combined with context to figure out the meaning of a word.  It is particularly helpful in their study of all core academic subjects.  A post-roots program will also be discussed.  We know it’s coming, and we’ve seen and heard all sorts of rumors, changes, and predictions of where it is headed at the high school level.  Truth be told, no one really knows exactly what will happen.  But what we do know and the reason Common Core fear does not exist at Hersey High School is our 10 year’s work on something that is exactly what Common Core seems to demand.  Jim will share insights from his Common Core early adoption high schools work with University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago.  So far, they have concluded that focusing on the ACT College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards is the best way to move forward.  They have found that a serious commitment to CCR gives secondary schools a huge head start.  The other key piece to Common Core, and the piece that early adoption schools are focusing on is alignment of curriculum, something that most schools do not have.  Schools are going to need to have horizontal, vertical, and diagonal alignment for ALL KIDS.  Come to this workshop to learn about the core principles needed to put your school leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else who is scrambling to adopt the Common Core. Lunch is on your own!
Date:  March 29, 2012
Time:  8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Location:  ROE Moline
Cost:  $100
CPDUs: 6
Audience:  Secondary teachers & Administrators in Core
Academic  Areas
Registration Deadline:  4/23/2012

This workshop will focus on using the Continuum of Literacy Learning as the foundation for instructional planning.  The presenter will describe the ways that the continuum can be used across the instructional contexts for teaching reading:

• Interactive Read Aloud
• shared and performance reading
• guided reading
• writing about reading
• Writing
• oral visual and technological information
• phonics spelling and word study

Participants will engage in examining books and their features to help facilitate in helping match books to readers and planning for appropriate guided reading lessons.  Every participant will also receive the text “Planning Instruction Using a Continuum of Literacy Learning”.
Date:  March 28, 2012
Time:  8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Location:  ROE Moline
Cost:  $100
CPDUs: 6
Presenter:  Bert Crossland
Audience:  K-8th grade Teachers
Registration Deadline:  3/21/2012