In an era of pre-packaged resources, how do we know if text-based units are high quality, user friendly, or a good fit for our context? What are the essential ingredients, what are good design principles, how many changes can, or should we make when adopting resources built by someone else, and how do we get it right if we want to build our own curriculum? This practical workshop will focus on:

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• Text appraisal and selection

• Reading formats

• Building fluency, independence, and stamina

• Discussion, questioning and strategy techniques

• Vocabulary instruction

• Integrated writing instruction

• Unit and lesson design principles, structures and worked examples

• Benefits and limitations of slides and how to read and discuss texts without them

• Curriculum alignment and coherence

• Ensuring simplicity and clarity for effective, flexible implementation

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Workshop [1 day or 3x 2 hours face-to-face]

National and state curriculum documents do not support us adequately when it comes to knowing what to teach and when. What should we focus on in each year of schooling? How do we establish a solid foundation without over-scaffolding students? How much should we focus on sentences and grammar? What about genre? How do we ensure knowledge and skill continue to develop across the years of schooling, and how do students become more independent and self-regulated as writers? This practical workshop will focus on:

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• Key curriculum concepts

• How writing priorities shift across the years of schooling

• What to teach when

• Scope and sequence principles

• Scope and sequence design

• Worked examples

• Supported, step by step scope and sequence development

 

 

 

Workshop [1 day or 3x 2 hours face-to-face]​​

Many students enter secondary school with reading abilities below grade level. By this point in their schooling, self-concept, motivation, and stamina can be impacted. How can we be more ambitious and rigorous in the design and delivery of our secondary curriculum when it comes to both foundational and disciplinary literacy? How can we achieve growth for all, and create classroom cultures where students see reading and writing as purposeful and productive pastimes? This practical workshop will focus on:

 

• How reading happens

• How writing happens

• Text selection and volume

• Reading volume, formats, and stamina

• Checking for comprehension

• Dialogic and strategic practices

• Teaching vocabulary

• Writing as a tool for comprehension and learning

• Collaborative planning, curriculum leadership and documentation

 

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Workshop [1 day face-to-face or 6x 1 hour online]​​​​​​​​

 

As many systems make changes via policy or practice recommendations, it can be hard to know where to start. How should we be spending our time? What is the optimal timetable? How do we strike the balance between building foundational skills and providing rich reading experiences? How does P-2 differ from 3-6? What are our best bets? How do we know if we are being effective? This practical workshop will focus on:

 

• Theories and models of reading

• Contextualising system policy and practice guidance

• Best bests in Reading

• Teaching word level reading and spelling

• Teaching reading fluency

• Teaching comprehension (vocabulary, text choice, language and knowledge rich classrooms, questioning, discussion, strategies, reading formats, gradual release)

• Reading-writing connections

• Timetables

• Curriculum concepts

• Assessment principles and practices

 

Teaching fluency and Teaching comprehension are both available as standalone full-day workshops.

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Workshop [1 day face-to-face or 6x 1 hour online]​

 

During a period of significant reform in the Reading space, it’s easy to lose focus on Writing, or forget that reading and writing are inextricably linked. As with reading, it’s hard to know what to teach when, what the most effective ingredients of a writing curriculum are, how much is too much when it comes to foundational skills like handwriting, grammar, and sentences, and when to begin to release students for more composition. This practical workshop will focus on:

 

• Theories and models of writing

• Contextualising system policy and practice guidance

• Best bests in Writing

• What to teach when and shifts in emphasis and proportion

• Teaching transcription

• Teaching sentences (including grammar and punctuation)

• Teaching paragraphs

• Teaching the writing process

• Teaching text types and features

• Revision and editing practices

• Assessment principles and practices

• Curriculum concepts and scope and sequence development principles

 

Teaching sentences is also available as a standalone full-day workshop.

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Workshop [1 day face-to-face or 6x 1 hour online]​

How do we make sense of achievement standards, content descriptions, our own in-house curriculum documentation and delivery, external assessment requirements, our own assessment schedule, and lesson level data? What are the most essential reading and writing skills to monitor and assess? Given reading and writing are so multifaceted, how do we weight particular elements when it comes to assessment and reporting? This practical workshop will focus on:

 

• Best bets for Reading assessment and curriculum design and delivery

• Best bets for Writing assessment and curriculum design and delivery

• Best bets for Speaking and Listening assessment and curriculum design and delivery

• Data collection versus data response

• Volume of data versus utility of data

• Filtering noise, normal variation, and meaningful shifts

• Goal setting for students, classes, cohorts, and schools

• Navigating the disconnects between best bets in literacy and national or state curriculum documentation

• Practical protocols for reporting periods

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Workshop [1 day face-to-face]

All too often we end up in middle leadership positions without specific training or concrete role descriptions. Arguably, Primary English leadership is one of the most complex roles in the school, because Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening each have so many moving parts and it’s the largest teaching time allocation. Emina has several years of Primary English leadership experience in her own school, but also partners with schools across Australia to develop rigorous leadership practices and processes to maximise their literacy outcomes. This practical workshop will focus on:

 

• Middle leadership

• Models of leadership

• Person and system approaches to leadership

• Leadership barriers and facilitators in schools

• Subject expertise for Primary English leadership

• Key Assessment responsibilities and actions

• Key Curriculum responsibilities and actions

• Key Pedagogy responsibilities and actions

• Leading people

• Leading change or implementation

• Managing competing priorities

• Leading a Multi-Tiered System of Supports

• Leading for impact (including goal setting and monitoring)

 

Workshop [1 day face-to-face or 3 days face-to-face available]

Via the Contact tab

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