Fully planned, ready-to-use professional development for your staff!

Learning Goals for This Course

  • Overview of the reading workshop instructional framework

  • Introduction to the Fountas and Pinnell Reading Minilessons Book (K-5)

  • Introduction to minilessons and conferring tools

  • Collaborative planning time for grade level cohorts

What's included

  • On-Demand Video Lessons

    6 interactive modules. Each module is taught through videos that introduce each concept in bite-sized chunks. Stream the lessons to your staff at your convenience.

  • Handouts and Materials

    Downloadable handouts and editable Google doc links accompany each module.

  • Planned Learning Experiences

    Opportunities for reflection and planning with colleagues. Hands-on activities.

Course Curriculum

Take a peak at what you'll learn!

  • 01

    Module 1: Welcome to the course!

  • 02

    Module 2: Overview of Reading Workshop

    • Why Reading Workshop

    • Reading Workshop Structure

    • How's It Going?

    • Introduction to Minilessons

    • Characteristics of Quality Minilessons

    • Bonus: Thoughts Around Literacy Centers

    • Reading Brain: Minilessons Go This Way Artifact

  • 03

    Module 3: Cracking Open Our Resources

    • The Reading Minilessons Books: Getting Organized

    • Umbrellas and Minilessons

    • Management Minilessons

    • Literary Analysis Minilessons

    • Strategies and Skills Minilessons

    • Writing About Reading Minilessons

    • Tools: Mentor Texts, Anchor Charts, and More

  • 04

    Module 4: Let's Plan Ahead

    • Planning Tips

    • Accessing and Using the Online Resources

    • Creating a Month-Long Plan

  • 05

    Module 5: Zooming in on Minilessons

    • Materials for Module 5

    • Observation Protocol

    • Get Familiar With First Grade Lesson

    • First Grade Minilesson

    • First Grade Lesson Debrief

    • Jenna Reflects on Teaching Decisions

    • Get Familiar With the 4th Grade Lesson

    • Fourth Grade Minilesson

    • 4th Grade MInilesson Debrief

    • Annemarie Reflects on Teaching Decisions

  • 06

    Module 6: Next Steps

    • Bonus Lesson on Conferring Forms

    • Planning Options

Meet Your Instructors

Annemarie has a passion for growing readers, cultivating writers, and empowering teachers! She has 33 years of teaching experience--15 years as an elementary teacher and 18 as a K-6 literacy specialist/consultant in schools across the U.S. and Canada. During 7 of those years, she served on Lucy Calkins' Units of Study Team (TCRWP) and for the past 18 years, she has been an instructor for the Bureau of Education and Research (BER). She is also the founder of www.Teacher2Teacher Help.com, a website of free resources for elementary teachers. Her goal is to provide engaging, practical, and relevant strategies that inspire teachers to grow lifelong readers and writers in their classrooms.

Annemarie Johnson

Literacy Specialist

Meet Your Instructors

Jenna Furr spent the first seven years of her teaching career as a first-grade teacher. Jenna's classroom wasn't just a place for 6-year-olds to learn, but it also served as a lab classroom for her colleagues to observe reading and writing workshop. She found joy in teaching teachers and soon transitioned into a her district's Literacy Coach role supporting K-12 teachers across 7 schools. After taking a parenting leave to raise her three small children, Jenna was able to continue supporting teachers through literacy consulting opportunities. As a mother & teacher, Jenna is passionate about growing the love of reading and writing with her two favorite kinds of people…educators and children.

Jenna Furr

Literacy Specialist

FAQ

  • Who should purchase this course?

    This course is designed for schoolwide professional development. Administrators, curriculum specialists, or literacy coaches may use this course to lead PD for a school or district.

  • We usually have staff developers present to our staff onsite. Will this be as effective as live PD?

    We are so glad you asked! While there is no substitute for live interaction and human-to-human contact, we work really hard to make our courses engaging, interactive, and highly practical. And there are MANY advantages to purchasing "on-demand" courses. Here are three biggies: 1) You can use this course at your convenience. 2) It's not a "one-and-done"--use it as many times as you need for as many teachers as you want. 3) With the increasing difficulty securing substitute teachers, the on-demand PD option offers you lots of flexibility.

  • Yes, but why does this seem to cost as much as your live, face-to-face PD?

    Actually, we thought very carefully about pricing this course. Here were our considerations: 1) This is a full day, fully planned PD experience for your staff. All you need to do is print a few materials and press the play button throughout the day. 2) Unlike traditional one-and-done PD, you will have access to this course and its updates as long as it exists. That means you purchase it ONCE but can use it again and again with new staff members or as a refresher for existing staff members. We think you will agree that this is a BARGAIN!

  • If my school uses this course for a professional development day, how much time will we need?

    This course may be used as a full-day PD if you have about 6 hours available. Or you may choose to break the modules up over several sessions. You can tailor this course to meet your professional development needs!

  • How long do I have to access this course?

    How about for as long as it's around?! You are paying for unlimited access. You will get all the course content now and keep getting any changes or additions for as long as you want to stay in the course. No extra payments needed. Have a staff member who was absent? Have new staff member who missed the PD? No worries--they can participate in the course at a future day and you can keep everyone on this same page!

  • Does this course have an active instructor or a community?

    No. This is a completely self-paced course. We recommend appointing a facilitator to start and stop the course lessons, decide on break times, etc. Time suggestions are provided in the course. Many schools choose to purchase a live Q&A component in which one of the instructors will be available via Zoom to answer participant questions. This live session is an add-on purchase and will need to be coordinated with the instructors in advance.

  • I am a teacher educator. Can I use this course to teach my students?

    Yes! University students enrolled in a teacher preparation course are eligible for a discounted rate; this must be arranged by the course instructors. Just use our contact form to contact us and we will arrange a course-specific coupon code for your students.

  • Do you accept purchase orders?

    Yes! We accept purchase orders from U.S. customers for $25 or more, and from international customers for a minimum purchase of $99. Please contact us to request a purchase order before enrolling in the course.

  • What if I am unhappy with this course?

    We pride ourselves on providing quality professional development, and we want you to feel good about making this investment in your school's professional growth. If the course does not meet your expectations, contact us at [email protected] within 30 days of your purchase and we will give you a full refund.

More courses and products to come!

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