Reading Academic Outreach Program

Workshop schedule: The course will meet from 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. each day. The June 23-24 session is for teachers of grades 1 through 3; the June 24-25 session is for teachers of grades 4 through 6.

Location: Chaska High School, Chaska, MN

Cost to participants: $150 for a 2-day session. Includes workshop and materials fees.

Graduate Credit Available: 1 semester credit at an additional cost of $100.

Outside Requirements for Credit: Participants will develop a balanced literacy implementation plan. Details provided at workshop.

What will the workshop include?: You will be introduced to the Four Blocks literacy framework developed by Patricia Cunningham and others to support the belief that children need multiple and varied opportunities to learn to read and write. The philosophy supporting Four-Block literacy includes the understanding that children come to school with different literacy backgrounds and experiences as well as their own preferred styles of learning. For that reason, a multi-level approach to instruction is critical in order to address the needs of each child in the classroom. The Four Blocks provide different formats within each block to give support to struggling readers and to provide appropriate challenges to stronger readers.

The Four Blocks are:

• Guided Reading: a focus on using many types of literature to build comprehension
• Self-Selected Reading: using read-alouds and self-selected books at the reader’s own level
• Writing: modeling through mini-lessons and use of writer’s workshop
• Working with Words: practicing reading and spelling through interactive activities
  

Workshop Presenter: Jill Potts is an instructor in the Education Department at Gustavus Adolphus College. She teaches elementary methods courses including Language Arts Methods and Reading Methods. Jill has taught at Gustavus for four years, and was previously a teacher and curriculum coordinator for St. Peter Public Schools.