How can you leverage your students' interests to develop inspiring and meaningful projects? Incorporating passion projects in the classroom allows students to delve deeply into their interests, fostering a love for learning and personal growth. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we explore strategies to ignite student creativity through passion projects, including how to merge the writing and reading processes to enhance comprehension and communication skills. Get ready to elevate your students' learning experience with passion projects! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will provide you with the tools and resources necessary to empower students, enabling them to create projects that are relevant and personal to their individual experiences. This is workshop one of two for the series titled “Passion Projects: Tapping into Creative Passions While Exploring Reading and Writing Process.” Key Takeaways Learn how to guide students in transforming their interests and ideas into engaging, inspiring projects. Discover strategies to effectively integrate the writing and reading processes during research. Explore methods to increase student engagement and motivation through passion-driven projects. Gain practical tips on how to implement these strategies in your classroom to foster creativity and critical thinking. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Have you ever wondered how to help your students develop deep listening skills in group discussions? Enacting the power of partners and groups helps students learn to listen deeply so they can respond intentionally. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we explore strategies for considering personality types as a means for guiding student conversations. Get ready to foster a classroom environment where every voice is heard and valued! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will provide you with the tools and resources you need to encourage your most extroverted talkers to listen closely and your most introverted thinkers to join conversations with confidence. This is workshop three of three for the series titled “Classroom Talk: Navigating Talk as a Process for Exploration.” Key Takeaways Understand the purposes for teaching active listening in the classroom. Learn how to gather evidence from students to confirm and encourage active listening. Examine student dynamics and personalities to coach effective classroom talk and listening. Develop strategies to guide student conversations, fostering an environment where everyone listens and responds thoughtfully. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

How can understanding the term "identity" enhance your students' connection to their learning? Identity plays a critical role in shaping students' self-perception and engagement with learning materials, making it essential for fostering meaningful educational experiences. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we dive into the concept of identity mapping, using insights from Sara K Ahmed’s “Being the Change” and Liz Kleinrock’s “Start Here, Start Now” to explore how to elevate identity work in your classroom. Prepare to unlock the power of identity mapping and create tools that support identity work all year long! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will equip you with the skills and resources to effectively use identity webs for self-discovery in book selection, writing tasks, and classroom partnerships, fostering a deeper exploration of students' identities. Key Takeaways Explore identity webs as tools for self-discovery and student empowerment. Learn how to integrate identity mapping into book selection, writing tasks, and classroom collaborations. Understand how to build an inclusive classroom environment that supports continuous identity work throughout the school year. Discover insights from “Being the Change” and “Start Here, Start Now” to elevate identity work in your teaching practice. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Have you ever wondered how to turn everyday classroom conversations into powerful insights that inform your teaching practice? Whether students are talking socially, academically, or to explore their curiosities through inquiry, we can use their classroom conversations to discover student needs. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we explore how classroom talk can be a powerful tool for formative assessment as well as strategies that support talk and help us gather important data on our students' thinking. Get ready to harness the power of classroom talk to gather real-time feedback on student understanding and drive instruction forward! Natalies’s expertise as a literacy consultant will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to implement strategies that allow you to listen, gather information on your students' needs, and then paraphrase those needs into short, actionable goal statements. This is workshop three of three for the series titled “Unlocking Student Potential: Harnessing the Power of Ongoing Formative Assessment in Teaching Practices.” Key Takeaways Explore effective strategies for leveraging classroom talk as a formative assessment tool, including questioning techniques, discussion protocols, and peer collaboration activities. Learn how to create a supportive classroom culture that fosters open dialogue, active listening, and respectful communication, empowering students to share their thoughts and ideas freely. Discover practical techniques for analyzing classroom talk to identify patterns, misconceptions, and areas of need, and for using that information to inform instructional decisions and interventions. Gain insights into the importance of ongoing reflection and adjustment in using classroom talk as a formative assessment tool to support student learning and growth. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Have you ever wondered how to transform casual classroom conversations into academically purposeful discussions? Understanding the natural flow of conversation can help us be intentional about how we coach student talk, making even the most casual social conversations academically purposeful. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we follow the lead of Shana Frazin and Katy Wischow in the text "Unlocking the Power of Classroom Talk," and dive into talk as a process, just as we think about the writing process. Get ready to transform your approach to classroom talk, ensuring your students are engaged in meaningful and academically enriching conversations! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will provide you with the tools and resources you need to guide student talk more effectively, making it a powerful tool for academic exploration. This is workshop one of three for the series titled “Classroom Talk: Navigating Talk as a Process for Exploration.” Key Takeaways Gain a comprehensive understanding of the talk cycle and its parts. Learn the significance of each part of the talk cycle and how it contributes to effective classroom discussion. Create a plan for integrating talk opportunities that establish social talk and enhance academic discussions. Develop strategies to assess students informally on their natural flow in the talk cycle, enhancing their conversational skills. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

How can you enhance student passion projects by integrating persuasive elements? When students move from sharing their projects to persuading an audience, they improve their communication skills, fostering critical thinking and effective argumentation. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we explore strategies for taking passion projects to the next level through student activism and audience, including how to take a “teach you all about it” passion project to a “here’s why you should care” persuasive passion project. Get ready to elevate student engagement through passion projects that will inspire real change! Natalie's expertise as a literacy consultant will equip you with the essential tools and resources, empowering students to create impactful passion projects that inspire them to become conscious, aware citizens. This is workshop two of two for the series titled “Passion Projects: Tapping into Creative Passions While Exploring Reading and Writing Process.” Key Takeaways Learn how to transform passion projects by integrating persuasive elements that elevate student work and engagement. Discover methods to encourage student activism through projects that aim to convince and inspire real change. Explore techniques for guiding students to effectively engage and persuade their audience, making their projects more impactful. Gain insights into developing students' persuasive communication skills, preparing them to be conscious and aware citizens. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Are you curious about how text sets and read aloud can enhance your approach to Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? Students of all ages enjoy interactive read aloud experiences. From our youngest readers to those ready to graduate we can support student learning with the intentional planning of multimodal text sets as part of the read aloud experience. Join Natalie Mitchell for this timesaving, to the point session as we discover how to create a quality text set that utilizes a variety of accessibility points regarding the acquisition of knowledge. Get ready to create engaging and accessible reading experiences for all your students! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will empower you with the tools and resources you need to apply text sets and read aloud across all content areas to support literacy inside every classroom, no matter how old your students are. Key Takeaways Learn how to outline a replicable structure for creating impactful text sets that align with UDL principles. Discover how to use structured idea prompts and considerations to prepare and build comprehensive text sets. Explore strategies for conducting read aloud that engage students and support diverse learning needs. Understand how text sets and read aloud can serve as effective entry points for implementing UDL in your classroom. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Curious about research-backed strategies and best practices for cultivating independence and agency in your students' learning journeys? The goal of teaching to mastery is for students to master the objective being taught with independence and agency. The question is, do we allow children to take risks in their learning to get to the point of independence? Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we explore strategies that will enable students to see a solid model of a skill or objective, apply that to their reading or writing, and then spend time practicing that skill or objective on their own. Get ready to provide your students with the skills they need to become independent and self-directed learners! Natalies’s expertise as a literacy consultant will equip you with the tools and resources you need to weave a learning objective through a series of scaffolded release learning opportunities that will promote transfer from what a student sees being modeled to trying on their own with confidence. This is workshop three of three for the series titled “Explicit and Systemic Instruction in the Literacy Classroom.” Key Takeaways Explore practical strategies for promoting transfer and independence in learning, including explicit instruction, metacognitive strategies, and real-world application of knowledge and skills. Learn how to scaffold learning experiences to gradually release responsibility to students, providing support and guidance as they develop the skills and confidence to work independently. Discover the importance of fostering a growth mindset and cultivating a culture of inquiry, curiosity, and perseverance in the classroom, encouraging students to take risks and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. Gain insights into the role of feedback, reflection, and goal setting in promoting student agency and self-regulation, empowering students to monitor their progress, set learning goals, and take ownership of their learning journey. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Looking for ways to ignite your students' creativity and support the generation of ideas in their writing? Writing is a very visible process as we watch words grow across a page. Brainstorming techniques, such as freewriting, mind mapping, and idea clustering, help students generate and organize their thoughts before diving into the writing process. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we explore strategies to make the writing process visible for children as a means for explicit teaching. Get ready to revolutionize your writing instruction and unlock the full potential of your students' literacy skills! Natalies’s expertise as a literacy consultant will equip you with the tools and resources you need to foster a culture of writing excellence in your classroom by incorporating scaffolds that support differentiated instruction. This is workshop two of three for the series titled “Explicit and Systemic Instruction in the Literacy Classroom.” Key Takeaways Explore the principles of explicit and systemic instruction in writing and how they can be applied to enhance students' writing skills across various genres and formats. Learn practical strategies for teaching the writing process, from prewriting and drafting to revising and editing, using explicit instruction and modeling to guide students through each stage. Discover how to integrate writing across the curriculum, incorporating writing tasks into content-area instruction to reinforce learning and deepen students' understanding of key concepts. Gain insights into the importance of providing feedback and opportunities for revision in the writing process, fostering a growth mindset and promoting continuous improvement in students' writing skills. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Curious about research-backed strategies and best practices for fostering literacy development through targeted and systematic instruction? Whether following a big box curriculum or a campus created scope and sequence, educators need to make intentional decisions about instruction and how students are accessing the information we provide. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we explore how various teaching methods such as demonstration, guided practice, and inquiry can help scaffold instruction in both whole group and small group instruction. Get ready to revolutionize your reading instruction and unlock the full potential of your students' literacy skills! Natalies’s expertise as a literacy consultant will equip you with the tools and resources you need to apply various learning styles to your instructional practices from in-book reading to read aloud. This is workshop one of three for the series titled “Explicit and Systemic Instruction in the Literacy Classroom.” Key Takeaways Explore the principles of explicit and systemic instruction and how they can be applied to enhance reading instruction in both whole group and small group settings. Learn practical strategies for systematically building students' decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills through structured and scaffolded lessons. Discover how to differentiate instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners, including English language learners, struggling readers, and advanced readers, ensuring equitable access to high-quality literacy instruction for all students. Gain insights into the importance of ongoing assessment and progress monitoring in guiding instructional decisions, identifying areas of need, and promoting continuous growth and improvement. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Have you ever wondered how coaching feedback can empower students to view mistakes as valuable learning experiences? Coaching feedback focuses on guiding students through constructive reflections on their mistakes, helping them identify areas for growth and develop problem-solving skills. Join Natalie Mitchell for this timesaving, to the point session as we explore the characteristics of coaching feedback and discover how to successfully implement a feedback protocol in the classroom setting. Get ready to transform your classroom into a space where mistakes are embraced as opportunities for growth! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will empower you with the tools you need to develop personalized coaching feedback approaches that will promote a culture of resilience and continuous learning. This is session three of four for the series titled “The Art and Science of Effective Feedback." Key Takeaways Learn effective coaching feedback techniques to help students reframe mistakes as opportunities for learning and personal growth. Discover strategies for creating a supportive and non-judgmental feedback environment where students feel empowered to take risks and learn from their errors. Explore the role of coaching feedback in building resilience and perseverance, equipping students with the skills they need to overcome challenges and achieve success. Gain insights into fostering a positive classroom culture around mistake-making, where students feel valued, supported, and motivated to embrace the learning process. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Are you looking for innovative ways to integrate formative assessment into your classroom routine? Interactive read aloud is an essential part of the literacy classroom and yet often underutilized as an avenue for formative assessment. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we learn how to develop read aloud plans to collect informal data from students before, during, and after their read aloud. We will also explore how this formative assessment tool can be used across content areas. Get ready to discover the powerful combination of interactive read aloud and ongoing formative assessment to enhance student learning and understanding! Natalies’s expertise as a literacy consultant will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to seamlessly incorporate assessment into your read aloud sessions to gauge student comprehension and progress. This is workshop one of three for the series titled “Unlocking Student Potential: Harnessing the Power of Ongoing Formative Assessment in Teaching Practices.” Key Takeaways Discover practical techniques for incorporating formative assessment into interactive read aloud sessions, including questioning strategies, think-aloud protocols, and response activities. Learn how to use read aloud sessions to assess students' comprehension, vocabulary development, inferential thinking, and other critical reading skills. Explore ways to use technology and digital tools to enhance formative assessment during read aloud sessions, such as interactive whiteboards, polling apps, and multimedia resources. Gain insights into the benefits of ongoing formative assessment through interactive read aloud, including promoting student engagement, fostering a growth mindset, and informing instructional decisions. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Are you seeking strategies to streamline feedback processes and enhance communication with your students? Evaluation feedback offers students specific and actionable insights into their performance, enabling them to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and actionable steps for growth. Join Natalie Mitchell for this timesaving, to the point session as we explore the characteristics of evaluation feedback and differentiate which feedback types (appreciation, coaching and evaluation) are most appropriate for any given teaching situation. Get ready to revolutionize your feedback practices and empower your students to reach their full potential! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will empower you with the tools you need to develop personalized evaluation feedback approaches that will move student thinking in major ways. This is session four of four for the series titled “The Art and Science of Effective Feedback." Key Takeaways Learn effective techniques for delivering evaluation feedback that is direct, clear, and concise, fostering meaningful conversations and driving student progress. Discover strategies for aligning evaluation feedback with learning objectives and standards, ensuring that students receive targeted guidance to meet academic expectations. Explore the role of evaluation feedback in promoting student self-assessment and self-regulation, empowering learners to take ownership of their learning and growth. Gain insights into streamlining feedback processes and leveraging technology to provide timely and actionable evaluation feedback to students. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Have you ever wondered how feedback can serve as a personalized tool to meet the diverse needs of your students? By providing targeted feedback, teachers can create learning experiences that promote student engagement, autonomy, and achievement across various skill levels and backgrounds. Join Natalie Mitchell for this timesaving, to the point session as we explore a variety of feedback styles and develop tools for feedback collection that will allow you to establish protocols for differentiating student needs across a week, a month, or even a school year. Get ready to transform your teaching approach with feedback strategies tailored to the unique learning styles and preferences of your students! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will empower you with the tools you need to foster a culture of collaboration, respect, and growth mindset in your classroom. This is session one of four for the series titled “The Art and Science of Effective Feedback." Key Takeaways Discover innovative ways to leverage feedback to differentiate instruction, ensuring that every student receives the support they need to thrive. Learn strategies for promoting student agency through feedback, empowering learners to take ownership of their learning and set meaningful goals. Explore the role of feedback in fostering a culture of collaboration and trust in the classroom, where students feel valued, respected, and supported in their academic journey. Gain practical tips for using feedback to drive intentional progress, guiding students towards mastery and deeper understanding of content. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Are you seeking practical strategies to leverage pre-assessment techniques to assess student writing and guide meaningful next steps? Pre-assessment allows teachers to gather baseline data on students' writing skills, strengths, and areas for growth before diving into instruction. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we explore how writing pre-assessments can be a window into students' areas of success and growth as well as how we can use those same assessments to collect various bits of information across the writing process. Get ready to transform your approach to assessing student writing and unlock powerful next steps for your students' growth as writers! Natalies’s expertise as a literacy consultant will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to analyze student writing and identify patterns, misconceptions, and specific areas of need to meet students where they are in their writing development. This is workshop two of three for the series titled “Unlocking Student Potential: Harnessing the Power of Ongoing Formative Assessment in Teaching Practices.” Key Takeaways Explore effective techniques for assessing student writing, including holistic scoring rubrics, analytic scoring guides, and portfolio assessments. Learn how to use pre-assessment strategies, such as diagnostic writing prompts, writing samples, and self-assessment tools, to gather valuable insights into students' writing abilities and needs. Discover practical strategies for analyzing student writing to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth, and for providing targeted feedback and support. Gain insights into the importance of ongoing assessment and feedback in fostering continuous growth and improvement in students' writing skills. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Are you looking to uplift your students' confidence and foster greater engagement in your classroom? Appreciation feedback focuses on recognizing and celebrating students' efforts, achievements, and unique contributions, fostering a sense of belonging and value in the classroom. Join Natalie Mitchell for this timesaving, to the point session as we explore the characteristics of appreciation feedback and develop a protocol for engaging in positive conversations with students. Get ready to elevate your teaching practice and empower your students with the gift of appreciation! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will empower you with the tools you need to develop personalized appreciation feedback approaches that will boost student confidence, motivation, and overall well-being. This is session two of four for the series titled “The Art and Science of Effective Feedback." Key Takeaways Discover innovative ways to leverage feedback to differentiate instruction, ensuring that every student receives the support they need to thrive. Learn strategies for promoting student agency through feedback, empowering learners to take ownership of their learning and set meaningful goals. Explore the role of feedback in fostering a culture of collaboration and trust in the classroom, where students feel valued, respected, and supported in their academic journey. Gain practical tips for using feedback to drive intentional progress, guiding students towards mastery and deeper understanding of content. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

Have you ever wondered how to help move your students from answering questions to exploring ideas? Encouraging students to engage in debate and discussion enhances their ability to think critically and articulate their thoughts, pushing beyond surface-level responses. Join Natalie Mitchell for this hands-on, interactive workshop as we uncover strategies that will elevate your classroom talk from “yes or no” answers to rich, idea-driven conversations, using tools such as talk stems and conversation mats. Get ready to empower your students to explore their ideas with confidence and curiosity! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will provide you with the tools and resources you need to shift student talk from simple answers to deep exploration of ideas, fostering a culture of intellectual curiosity. This is workshop two of three for the series titled “Classroom Talk: Navigating Talk as a Process for Exploration.” Key Takeaways Discover techniques to guide students from answering questions to exploring ideas. Learn how to foster a classroom environment that encourages debate and curiosity. Understand the use of talk stems and conversation tools to enhance classroom discussions. Gain insights into implementing talk strategies in both whole group and small group settings. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.

What types of background knowledge do your students bring to the table, and how can you build on them to enhance learning? Background knowledge not only influences how students comprehend texts but also plays a vital role in their ability to make connections and apply what they have learned. Join Natalie Mitchell for this timesaving, to the point session as we explore best literacy practices to develop students' background knowledge. You will also learn how to guide students in developing the crucial life skill of knowledge acquisition through effective use of text sets and research plans. Get ready to harness the power of background knowledge in your classroom! Natalie’s expertise as a literacy consultant will empower you with the tools and resources you need to incorporate strategies to build and utilize background knowledge that can lead to more meaningful and successful literacy outcomes. Key Takeaways Explore the distinction between prior knowledge and background knowledge and why it matters in literacy instruction. Learn how to identify and leverage diverse types of background knowledge that students bring to a literacy topic. Discover practical, quick strategies to enhance research planning in your literacy lessons. Gain insight into how to build a classroom environment that fosters ongoing knowledge development in literacy. Presented by Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell is a literacy consultant who has worked as a staff development expert and literacy coach for over a decade. With her foundational roots in elementary education, she helps educators develop powerful teaching practices while growing a love for literacy in their classrooms. Natalie holds a master's degree in educational leadership, and she works alongside literacy coaches, campus leadership teams, and program directors to strengthen community and school culture.