AGENDA
Here’s a preview of the developing agenda. Check back often for updates!
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Registration
8:50 am - 9:00 am
Welcome
Motivational Keynote
Anna Kowal
9:00 am - 10:15 am
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Exhibits Open
Break
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Teaching Text Structures for Deeper Comprehension (2-8)
Strong readers do not just understand what they read; they recognize how it is written. In this session, we will explore the five major text structures (description, sequence, cause and effect, problem and solution, and compare and contrast) and how they shape meaning. Participants will walk away with ready-to-use classroom strategies, engaging practice routines, and ideas for scaffolding instruction across content areas. This session will help students see the blueprint behind every informational text.
Savannah Campbell
I'm Monitoring Progress, Now What?
Participants will learn about a progress monitoring cycle that includes identifying areas of need, creating targeted goals, determining progress monitoring, analyzing data, and making informed decisions. The session will focus on analyzing data and making informed decisions in this process.
Jennifer McSweeney
Beyond the Page: Creative and Effective Uses of Decodable Texts
This session will present the importance of decodable texts in science-based literacy instruction and demonstrate how they can be reframed as engaging, flexible tools. Participants will see examples of non-traditional approaches such as reader's theater, interactive activities, and real-world applications. The content will emphasize how these strategies strengthen decoding while promoting written expression, content-area connections, and comprehension. The session will also highlight how technology, including the practical use of artificial intelligences, can support teacher creativity and enhance accessibility for all learners.
Victoria Schell
Writing with AI: A Classroom Expedition
We will share our experience using schoolAI as a tool to support student writing; we'll include assignments, student work, and suggestions for teacher use.
Kristen Huffman & Gary Lupton
Lifting Literacy in Content Area Classrooms
Supporting students with reading and comprehending text can be challenging for content teachers outside of the ELA classroom. This session introduces one division's adaptation of Mike Schmoker's 7-Step Literacy Process - a practical, research-based framework that strengthens reading, writing, and discussion across all content areas. Teachers will learn how to intentionally scaffold literacy through vocabulary instruction, purposeful reading, modeled thinking, guided and independent practice, text-based discussion, and frequent writing. Collectively, these steps equip students with the skills to access complex texts, engage in higher-order thinking, and demonstrate their understanding in meaningful ways across all content area settings.
Kim Haislop & Ahmara Perkins
Writing: The Bridge to Language Comprehension
Writing is the often overlooked and underestimated component of effective literacy instruction. This session will offer techniques for building competencies in the language comprehension strands of Scarborough's Reading Rope. Mini lessons and resources will be shared that may be used to support writing and learning in the content areas.
Melissa Twisdale
Engaging Minds and Hands: Experiential Literacy Practices for K-5 Classrooms
This session explores how experiential learning and Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) can transform literacy instruction by connecting reading to real-world science and social studies concepts. Participants will see how CORI fosters student motivation, background knowledge, and comprehension through inquiry, hands-on experiences, and collaborative learning.
Danise Sumner
Talk Books to Me: Growing Readers with Books & Beyond
Reading joy starts when the right book meets the right reader. In this lively session, Follett Content will share diverse, high-interest titles through dynamic book talks designed to capture imaginations and inspire readers at every grade level. Participants will discover practical resources that connect stories to learning across the curriculum, along with free Follett Content tools and services that make it easy to find and share engaging books. And to keep the fun flowing, we’ll include exciting book giveaways throughout the session. Attendees will leave with curated book lists, accessible resources, and fresh inspiration to grow readers with joy.
Laurie Bolt & Claire Bremner
Breakout Sessions
10:45 am - 11:45 am
Lunch (on your own)
11:45 am - 1:15 pm
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm
Handwriting
Amie Burkholder
Active Learning for Active Minds: Increasing the Explicitness of WORD READING Instruction
In this session, we will cover what explicit instruction is and look specifically at opportunities to respond when teaching word reading. When teachers increase opportunities to respond, they increase engagement, practice opportunities, and the overall effectiveness of their lessons.
Kacey Sterne & Amy Wolford
What is "Grade-Level Complex" Text? Using Text Evaluation and Student Data to Design Learning that Grows all Learners
In this interactive session, participants will review and understand Appendix A of the 2024 Virginia Standards of Learning. With a focus on adolescent readers, participants will apply sample student data along with these measurements to a variety of texts, exploring how evaluation of complexity can guide their planning, interventions, and opportunities for enrichment.
Ryan M. Holt
SPARKING MINDS: Motivating Student Authors: Using Positive Feedback Strategies
This session will share examples of research and strategies to support teachers in using powerful and purposeful methods for implementing feedback. Often, teachers struggle with assigning writing tasks, students struggle with writing apathy, and it becomes a no-win situation for everyone. Providing feedback has been shown to foster stronger student motivation and confidence for independent writing. By utilizing the research on student writing self-efficacy, along with studies on writing feedback, participants will have the opportunity to apply practical and easy-to-implement ways to impact their classroom and hopefully their students' future attitudes toward writing. Participants will leave this session with hands-on experience in providing purposeful feedback for their writing classrooms.
Michelle Papenfus, Sarah Skeen & Donna Fortune
Tier 2 Vocabulary and Strategies to Improve Testing Equity
This session will focus on the role of vocabulary in testing equity, particularly for students who struggle with reading. By examining the role of vocabulary in assessments, participants will learn about strategies to help identify ambiguous language, thus helping ensure a fairer testing environment. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles will be discussed as a framework for guiding this discussion.
Courtneay Kelly
Utilizing VALLSS 4-8 to Inform Instruction
The session will provide an overview of the VALLSS 4-8 screener, including its purpose, structure, and the areas of literacy it measures. Participants will learn how the assessment identifies students' relative strengths and areas for growth in both word recognition and language comprehension. We will focus on practical ways teachers and reading specialists can use this information to guide instruction, design interventions, and implement evidence-based practices that support students across all content areas.
Julie Young & Lori Keister
Breakout Sessions
2:15 pm - 2:35 pm
Break
Book Signing
2:15 pm - 2:35 pm
Reading Aloud: An Important Part of Every Day
Read Alouds can be the heartbeat of a classroom — but only if we prepare for them. This keynote highlights six powerful reasons why pre-reading your books matters. From planning think-alouds and introducing vocabulary, to practicing rhythm, anticipating emotions, and screening for objectionable content, you’ll see how a few minutes of preparation can transform story time into a rich instructional experience. With practical examples from beloved titles like Stellaluna, The Three Ninja Pigs, and Chicken Sunday, participants will leave inspired to elevate their read-alouds — ensuring they are not only entertaining, but meaningful, memorable, and impactful for every student.
Cathy Collier
2:35 pm - 3:50 pm
3:50 pm - 4:10 pm
Break
Book Signing
3:50 pm - 4:10 pm
4:10 pm - 5:10 pm
VDOE
Jill Nogueras
Linking the Science of Reading to Small Group Instruction with a Focus on Grades K-3
Participants will learn how to decrease students' cognitive overload, how to interleave the practice of phonemic awareness and phonics skills, along with developing automaticity based on the principals of Peter Brown and Greg Ashman, while incorporating the science of reading based on the research of Susan Brady.
Beth Estill
Writing Wizards: Unlocking the Magic of Explicit Writing Instruction
This session explores the essentials of explicit writing instruction for grades K-2, emphasizing how to build a strong foundation for young writers. Participants will examine practical approaches for teaching handwriting, spelling, and sentence construction, as well as strategies for helping students generate and expand ideas. The session will highlight ways to integrate writing with reading instruction to reinforce comprehension. Through hands-on activities, participants will experience multisensory techniques, analyze sample lesson formats, and participate in writing simulations. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use templates, planning tools, and classroom resources to immediately strengthen writing instruction and support the development of confident, capable writers.
Anne Bragg & Ryan M. Holt
Turning Pages with Purpose: Using Picture Books to Deepen Comprehension
This session will explore how carefully selected picture books can support comprehension instruction beyond early grades.
Donna Fortune & Mary E. Tackett
Reviving Reading: Using Jarred Amato's Just Read It Strategies to Build Capacity, Community and Connection
Cinde Wollenberg
Journal Publication
Strategies for improving and enhancing classroom silent reading time.
Joan Rhodes
Improving Vocabulary with ANY Text (Even if You Have to Use a Basal) (K-8)
Vocabulary instruction does not have to be one more thing on your plate; it can be woven into what you are already teaching. In this session, participants will explore research-based approaches to effective vocabulary instruction that fit within any classroom setting. Whether you are creating your own lessons or following a required basal, you will learn how to make small, powerful shifts that turn everyday reading into opportunities for rich word learning. We will examine practical ways to integrate explicit teaching, word-learning strategies, and student talk about words into the texts and routines you already use.
Savannah Campbell
District & School Response Cycle: Aligning the Science of Reading Systemically
This session will present how one Virginia district operationalized the Science of Reading through a shared district and school response cycle. Participants will examine how teams move from data to design using assessment results to plan, implement, and monitor instruction that strengthens literacy outcomes across all tiers. Content will include the district's Continuous Improvement Cycle, examples of collaborative data practices, and leadership structures that connect classroom instruction, walkthrough observations, and progress monitoring for sustained systemwide growth.
Kim Haislop & Ahmara Perkins
Breakout Sessions