Learn how to guide students in writing strong, comprehensive summaries using content-area vocabulary. This session will feature authentic student examples and interactive activities to demonstrate 10 different summary-writing strategies.
Discover the key components of effective short constructed responses, including inferential thinking and the use of textual evidence. Learn practical lesson ideas that cater to writers who will face state assessments, helping them develop the necessary writing skills to excel in this important format.
Help students overcome evidence-based response errors with targeted writing strategies. Explore common pitfalls like insufficient support and irrelevant information, while learning to adapt to modern testing formats. Leave with lesson ideas to help students provide strong textual evidence across diverse question types
Foster resilience in young writers by providing mini-lessons that acknowledge the challenges of learning about writing. Encourage perseverance and independent decision-making through writing tasks that empower students to overcome obstacles and develop their skills.
Discover how practical, research-based practices form the foundation of effective writing instruction. This session unpacks the science of writing—highlighting how foundational skills, explicit instruction, and modeled strategies work together to support student growth. Walk away with a clear understanding of what it means to apply the science of writing in today’s K–12 classrooms.
Attendees will gain the confidence to tailor their writing instruction to meet the unique needs of multilingual learners at every developmental stage, from oral to sentence-level writing. Educators will learn how to: Address essential persuasive, informative, and narrative writing skills; Align writing instruction to the Indiana Academic Standards; and Create engaging products that match your students' developmental levels, fostering confidence and success in writing.
Attendees will gain the confidence to tailor their writing instruction to meet the unique needs of multilingual learners at every developmental stage, from oral to sentence-level writing. Educators will learn how to: Address essential persuasive, informative, and narrative writing skills; Align writing instruction to the Indiana Academic Standards; and Create engaging products that match your students' developmental levels, fostering confidence and success in writing.
Weave writing practices into math instruction to enhance critical thinking and analysis. Learn innovative mini-lessons that focus on articulating thought processes rather than merely solving problems, empowering students to strengthen their writing skills and deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts.
Didi Harris is a literacy consultant with Smekens Education who brings warmth, energy, and a wealth of classroom experience to every professional development session. With classroom experience in both primary and intermediate grades, Didi equips educators with practical, proven strategies... Read More →
Wednesday July 16, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am EDT Q114
Implement effective strategies that target the essential Trait of Ideas. Discover how to teach students to develop topics, add rich details, and incorporate compelling evidence. With a focus on ideas, increase not only the length of their writing but improve the overall quality.
Didi Harris is a literacy consultant with Smekens Education who brings warmth, energy, and a wealth of classroom experience to every professional development session. With classroom experience in both primary and intermediate grades, Didi equips educators with practical, proven strategies... Read More →
Wednesday July 16, 2025 10:50am - 11:55am EDT Q114
Guide students through the stages of writing—drawing, labeling, listing, and sentence writing—while building skills in opinion, informative, and narrative writing. Learn how these writing modes emerge within early developmental stages.
Didi Harris is a literacy consultant with Smekens Education who brings warmth, energy, and a wealth of classroom experience to every professional development session. With classroom experience in both primary and intermediate grades, Didi equips educators with practical, proven strategies... Read More →
