Professional Development Opportunities

ELA Workshops
Argument Literacy (6 hours)
This workshop is designed to build educator confidence about teaching and implementing argument writing in the ELA or content-area classroom. Participants will be introduced to the following elements of Argument Literacy: The Basics of Rhetoric Argument Writing and the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards, Tracing the Argument, Rhetorical Modes / Purposes, and Effective Use of Evidence / Writing from Sources Using Argument in the ELA / Content classroom.

Close Reading In the Classroom (6 hours)
se modeling and various activities to demonstrate a close reading routine you can use with students to help them become independent readers and thinkers about text. In addition to the reading routine, participants will learn how to select texts appropriate for close reading and write text dependent questions. Participants will also learn methodologies to support classroom discussion and writing about text.

Mathematics Workshops
Everybody’s Talking - In Mathematics! (6 hours)
Participants will learn new methods to increase the quality of the mathematical discourse (math talk) in their classroom. Discover how traditional math problems can be revamped into open-ended, challenging problems that support the Standards of Mathematical Practices. Questioning strategies to promote student thinking will also be examined.

Fraction Action (6 hours)
Learn new strategies and methods to help students develop deep conceptual understanding of fractions. Participants will have hand-on experiences with number lines, pattern blocks, and Cuisenaire Rods. Fractions topics will include: conceptual understanding, vocabulary development, unit fractions, equivalent fractions, and operations with fractions.

Lesson Plan Design Using the ELA EQuIP Rubric (6 hours)
Educators will learn how to use tools and processes to review and evaluate the quality of instructional materials (lessons and units) using EQuIP (Educators Evaluating Quality Instructional Products). Throughout the session, participants will be designing their own lessons / units using the EQuIP model.

Integrating the 8 Mathematical Practices (6 hours)
This session explores the teaching and learning of math content through the lens of the Standards for Mathematical Practice for students K-12. It will deepen teachers' understanding of what the mathematical practices are through classroom lessons, and why they are important to bring to their students as they transition into and through the AZ College and Career Ready State Standards Mathematics.

Using Socratic Seminar to Meet College and Career Ready Standards
(6 hours)
Socratic Seminar is a deep analysis of works of quality and substance by a group of students facilitated by a teacher. A text can be a piece of literature, informative text, such as social studies and science, historical documents, or a piece of art or music. The main goal is for students to build conceptual understanding of the texts and ideas by asking questions, citing evidence, and conversing with each other to make meaning. Often, seminars are followed with a reflective piece of writing. Effectively implemented, Socratic seminars enhance reading comprehension, speaking, listening and writing skills; a perfect vehicle for teaching the Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards.

This one day session will include:
*Explanation of Socratic seminar
*Participation in a group seminar
*Discussion regarding how to select seminar readings and develop seminar questions for classes at all levels
*Development of and participation in mini-seminars
*A packet of materials, a book, and resources

Increasing Mathematic Rigor through Instruction Shifts (6 hours)
This session will look at Steve Leinwand's 10 instructional shifts that raise student achievement in mathematics and draw connections to the 8 mathematical practice standards of College and Career Ready . In thinking about implications for teaching and planning for future application, participants will look at student work, engage in mathematical thinking, and make connections to content lessons in their grade level. Each participant will receive a copy of Leinwand’s Accessible Mathematics.

A Simplified Look at Complex Instruction in the Math Classroom (6 hours)
Audience: Teachers Grades K-8
An introduction to Complex Instruction which is a specific structure for collaborative group work. Focal points will include norms & roles of students, group-worthy mathematical tasks, and student status & accountability.

Teaching Reading Effectively (30 hours)
The course content includes current research and evidence based practices that are necessary for the development of the technical skills of reading along with academic vocabulary and deep comprehension. Important components of an effective comprehensive reading program designed to develop proficient readers, competent writers and critical thinkers are included in this material. Units to include:

Foundations of Reading
Learning to Read and Spell: A National Problem and Recommended Solutions
Basic Principals of Reading Assessment
The Structure of Language
Graphophonemic Awareness
Teaching Word Identification and Spelling Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension to summarizing

Writing Foundations K-2 (6 hours)
This professional development focuses on evidence based practices for foundational writing instruction (handwriting, spelling and sentence construction) in K-2 classrooms. This training is based on the work of numerous researchers, and the text, Best Practices in Writing Instruction, edited by Steve Graham, Charles A. MacArthur, and Jill Fitzgerald. Research, assessment of student skills, and best practice and instructional strategies for immediate use in classrooms will be included. Writing opinion as outlined in Arizona's College and Career Ready K-2 standards will be addressed, as will technology in writing instruction.

Vocabulary Strategies that will Increase ELA Rigor (6 hours)
Audience: Teachers Grades 4-12, SPED, ELL
Teachers will experience a variety of strategies to develop vocabulary skills across content areas. Time will be allowed for participants to design vocabulary techniques that best fit their instructional needs and meet the requirements of the standards.

Text Complexity (6 hours)
This workshop will help participants better understand the components of text complexity and to use a text complexity worksheet to practice evaluating text. Understanding different purposes for text and the unique qualities of text will extend the use of educational supports/scaffolds to support student reading. Participants will receive Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading by Fisher, Frey and Lapp.