SoMLA 2023 Conference Program

Saturday April 1, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 1:00-1:50

Saturday April 1, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 1:00-1:50

All teachers in all subject areas at all grade levels have students speaking in class. Sharing book reports, talking about current events, showing solutions at the board, presenting research papers, sharing lab results, discussing, participating in Socratic seminars, practicing foreign language dialogues, making podcasts, and more are common. Few teachers, however, have specific lessons for teaching the skills needed to show students how to do those talks well. It shows. Teachers overwhelmingly agree that students do not speak very well. In this talk, Erik introduces a practical, multiple-trait framework for understanding and teaching the skills involved in all effective oral communication. Proven successful strategies and activities are explained enabling teachers to update activities they currently use to more purposefully and specifically teach students to be well spoken in class and beyond.

Join us to learn how you can use Lumio to transform your lessons and engage students in literacy instruction. Discover tools and activities you can use in Lumio to promote literacy skills with a focus on active learning, visual thinking, and student collaboration.

Thursday March 30, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 7:30-8:20

Featured Speaker Thursday March 30th 8:30-9:00 &amp; Friday March 31st 5:30-6:00

One of the major skills underlying the successful decoding of printed words is a purely auditory and oral skill. It may not be 'reading with your ears' in the literal sense, but the sounds we hear in words are what allow us to ultimately pull the print off the page with our eyes when we decode. The session will review the importance of phonological and phonemic awareness as young children are preparing to and beginning to read words. The presenter will then connect research to practice, providing participants with a multitude of fun and developmentally appropriate games and activities that can be used to build students' phonological and phonemic awareness throughout the school day.

Join us to close the evening with author Katrina Denise as she shares Stories that Touch the Heart and Soul. 

Friday Evening Guest Author: Inspirational Speaker for Young Authors

Join Author Katrina Denise as she shares inspirational tips for young authors. Katrina will share her path to writing children’s books along with ways her picture books and coloring book can be used to facilitate lessons related to theme, character and social emotional learning. Young authors and other guests will leave this session inspired to write and read each others publications.

Saturday April 1, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 11:00-11:50

Visit the Exhibitors! Access Exhibitors in SCHED. First, select the Sponsor tab then the Exhibitor tab.

Write Now: Getting Real with Literacy in the Classroom

Is writing something you love to teach or dread? Love it or hate it, writing is a necessity in education, regardless of the subject area. This workshop will explore how writing can be taught effectively through a number of venues including rap music, post it notes, commercials, peacock feathers, props, sports programing and social media. Learn how to effectively teach writing and have fun too!

Friday March 31, 2023 Young Author Celebration: Elementary Level 6:00-6:50

Friday March 31, 2023 Young Author Celebration: Middle School Level 6:00-6:50

Kelly Davis Young Author's Elementary Chair

Marilyn Barber Natalie Stevenson Young Author's Middle School Chairs

Each Fall, SoMLA announces its annual Young Author's contest for students in grades 1-12. Students may enter a poem or short story. In December, local chapters judge and select their top two winners for each grade, in each of the categories, poem and short story. In addition to chapters celebrating their top two winners, each chapter submits its first place winner for each category, in each grade, to be judged at the state level. During the month of January and February, the winning entries are judged and the top two winners are selected for each category. This session is to celebrate students in grades 1-5 who won first and second place at at the state level! A slides presentation will feature each winning author. Join us to celebrate our young authors! A digital anthology containing all entries will be available on the SoMLA website in April.

Each Fall, SoMLA announces its annual Young Author's contest for students in grades 1-12. Students may enter a poem or short story. In December, local chapters judge and select their top two winners for each grade, in each of the categories, poem and short story. In addition to chapters celebrating their top two winners, each chapter submits its first place winner for each category, in each grade, to be judged at the state level. During the month of January and February, the winning entries are judged and the top two winners are selected for each category. This session is to celebrate students in grades 6-8 who won first and second place at at the state level! A slides presentation will feature each winning author. Join us to celebrate our young authors! A digital anthology containing all entries will be available on the SoMLA website in April.

Saturday April 1, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 11:00-11:50

Saturday April 1, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 11:00-11:50

From Phonemic Awareness to Supporting Content Across the Curriculum

Cultivating Our Own Professional Literacy

Thank you Taylor Book group&nbsp;for being the sponsor of this special exhibitor session! From foundational skills (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) to integrating content across social studies and science curriculum; together we will identify various texts to support reading as you adjust to district needs. Participants will have access to various texts during this interactive session. Be sure to share this session with your science and social studies teachers! Participants will have a chance to win a full print or digital collection of the title choices and programs discussed. &nbsp;

Cultivating Our Own Professional Literacy. This session is a discussion of how we can use a theory of learning to guide our own teaching practices. Debra and Brian lead a discussion of what makes our practices effective, what makes change difficult, and ways to use the Conditions of Learning to support yourself in making instructional decisions that matter for learners. They will share ideas for extending this professional community of readers of Made for Learning.

We welcome you to SoMLA's 51st annual Conference! This is a perfect learning network to help you accomplish your professional goals. Engage with a variety of speakers, from across the country and around the world, as they bring their "best practices" to you . Select your favorite sessions relating to our theme "Cultivate Literacy Through Multiple Lenses". Rejuvenate your learning plan to make a difference each day focusing on literacy for all! SoMLA is here to help you grow and reach your goals. Enjoy the conference!

Conference Schedule at a Glance Conference 2023 Keynote Speakers Thursday Sessions Friday Sessions Saturday Sessions SoMLA Executive Board Conference Sponsors &amp; Exhibitors MSDE Credit Information Registration Zoom Support

4 5 6-10 11-16 18-39 40-41 42-43 44-45 46-47 48-49

Friday March 31, 2023 Young Author Celebration: High School Level 6:00-6:50

Friday March 31, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 6:00-6:50

Motivate and engage students to think critically through close readings of complex texts

Each Fall, SoMLA announces its annual Young Author's contest for students in grades 1-12. Students may enter a poem or short story. In December, local chapters judge and select their top two winners for each grade, in each of the categories, poem and short story. In addition to chapters celebrating their top two winners, each chapter submits its first place winner for each category, in each grade, to be judged at the state level. During the month of January and February, the winning entries are judged and the top two winners are selected for each category. This session is to celebrate students in grades 9-12 who won first and second place at at the state level! A slides presentation will feature each winning author. Join us to celebrate our young authors! A digital anthology containing all entries will be available on the SoMLA website in April.

Learn practical approaches to engage readers and enhance comprehension for developing critical readers and thinkers. Activities demonstrate how teachers can help students master different levels of text complexity and support critical thinking and reading skills in today’s classroom. Teachers will learn important questions to ask and how to set up a classroom that fosters this type of learning environment that is engaging for all students. Interest to teachers and school and district leaders of the middle school and high school grades.

Saturday April 1, 2023 Featured Speaker 1:00-1:50

Saturday April 1, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 2:00-2:50

Nurturing a Culture of Literacy Through Collaborative Experiences

From Foundations to Fluency: Learn What to Look for in Research-Based Reading Instruction

Are you a literacy leader? Are you relentless in creating literacy-rich environments where all learners can grow? Leave this session reimagining what it means to be literate, realizing what you can do to cultivate literacy development, and readying yourself for the challenge of helping every learner blossom. Share your experiences while noting new ideas.  . &nbsp;

Wishing will not make it so.  This is especially true when it comes to knowing how children learn to read.  Drawing on the most current reading science and research, we know that the human brain is not naturally hardwired to read.  Thankfully, we know what it takes for children to learn to read.  At Curriculum Associates, we've created an intentional instructional flow through Grades K-5 that builds students into phenomenal readers and pulls them into knowledge-building texts.  Our program, Magnetic Reading ensures that every student has what they need and every teacher has what they want: a focus on what is most effective at each grade level.  Join us for a tour of our all-new Magnetic Reading Foundations (K-2) and Magnetic Reading (3-5) programs!  Attendees will be entered into a raffle for a $50 Amazon gift card.

Saturday April 1, 2023 Featured Speaker 2:00-2:50

Visit the Exhibitors! Access Exhibitors in SCHED. First, select the Sponsor tab then the Exhibitor tab.

Cultivate Literacy Through the Lens of Multilingual Learning: Engaging Strategies for Success!

Through critical dialogue and shared exploration of classroom examples and resources, attendees will explore practical applications of the intentional use of strategies aligned to support multilingual student engagement in literacy using a multimodal approach to language. Attendees will explore how using a multimodal approach to language development supports literacy engagement, collaborative learning, and students’ bi/multilingual identities. Educators of multilingual learners through a process of self-directed learning will be able to: 1. Recognize literacy strategies aligned to different modes of communication (reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and representing) and its connection language and literacy development as a multilingual practice to nurture multilingual students’ cultural and linguistic contribution in litearcy learning spaces. 2. Make connections to the characteristics of literacy and language development that will support multilingual learners' language development and reading comprehension.

Thursday March 30, 2023 Exhibitor Session:Featured Speaker 7:30-8:20

Deepening Literacy Instruction Through the Science of Learning

While we have an amazing foundation of research that tells us what is essential for building a reader, the science of learning tells us the conditions that are necessary for learning to thrive and last. Participants will engage in learning about the evidence base for the Science of Learning and connecting those principles to the components of reading instruction. Professional readings and discussions will ground the session as well as video analysis to connect the research to practice. Come to learn more about how combining the science of learning with essentials for building a reader, have the potential to meet the needs of the whole child and support the development of independent learners.

IXL representatives Jill and Sharon will explore the platform to show teachers the magic of IXL and how to seamlessly differentiate their lessons for each individual student, align with state standards, &nbsp;and how to achieve the IXL effect.

Saturday April 1, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 12:00-12:50

Saturday April 1, 2023 Featured Speaker 12:00-12:50

Using Common Sense to Study Research and find Common Ground in Literacy Instruction

Thank you News-O-Matic for being the sponsor of this special exhibitor session! Help engage all K-8 learners with current nonfiction news with News-O-Matic! Learn how News-O-Matic helps students with multiple Lexile leveled articles, videos, accessibility tools and multiple language authentic Read Alouds!

Dr Bommarito maintains that we need to take a centrist stand. In this presentation he will explain what that entails. It is something that has never been done in the history of reading. We must draw on the ideas and practices of many different views about reading and find the best of those practices. We need to explore common practices, find common ground and use what we learn to ensure that all children get the reading instruction they need.

Saturday April 1, 2023 Keynote Speaker 3:00-3:50

Envisioning POSSIBILITY through the Eyes of an Educational BIG LEAP

POSSIBLE will forever be out of our view unless we are willing to step outside of our comfort zone to envision what COULD BE from varied angles. In this session Mary will use personal real life experiences over the last year to share insights on how we can accomplish this in a literacy world where change can cause discomfort but the rewards are great.

Dr. Mary Howard is often described as a “teachers’ teacher,” with special insight into classroom realities. An educator for over five decades, she combines experiences as a special education, Title 1 and Reading Recovery teacher, reading specialist/coach and Literacy Consultant. She is the author of RTI from All Sides: What Every Teacher Needs to Know (Heinemann, 2009) and Good to Great Teaching: Focusing on the Literacy Work that Matters (Heinemann, 2012). 

Thank you Okapi Publishing for being the sponsor of this special keynote!

Facebook Mary C Howard Twitter: @DrMaryHoward Website:<a href="http://www.drmaryhoward.com"> www.drmaryhoward.com</a>

Friday March 31, 2023 Featured Speaker 7:00-8:30

Friday March 31, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 7:00-7:50

How to Create an Interactive Book with Book Creator

Thank you Book Creator for being the sponsor of this special exhibitor session! Participants will explore how to use Book Creator as a tool for publishing creative works. Ideas for publication are endless. Navigating and tools used in Book Creator will be shared. Examples of products will be collaboratively shared. Consider using Book Creator for student and class books, recipe books, a conference program, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute a page in a book to recommend a favorite book they are reading! Join us for this engaging session and leave with digital book of recommendations for reading.

 In this session, we’ll talk about how teachers can use their limited one-on-one time with students to powerful effect. The magic of conferences begins with relationships. We’ll talk about strategies to get to know your students well – as people and as readers – so that conferences can be better tailored to each student’s specific interests and needs. Then we’ll discuss our non-negotiables for conferences so that students gain confidence, get to know themselves better as readers, and have a greater understanding of the steps they can take to increase their skills. Our session is designed for teachers working with students in grades 3-12.

You can earn up to 2 MSDE credits by attending 30 hours of sessions. This includes pre-conference sessions and sessions offered during the conference on March 30-April 1, 2023. Each credit is obtained by participating in 15 hours of sessions. (15 hours = 1 credit) Complete the form if you are interested in receiving MSDE credit. You may click directly on the form or scan the qr code to access the form.

Visit each exhibitor space in SCHED for information about company/products, videos,  "live" virtual hours, give-aways, and more.  Some exhibitors are available Friday between 9-5. Stop in at your convenience!

https://zoom.us/ Select the Tutorial "Basic In-meeting Navigation" for general Zoom navigation support.

"Show Me" Videos - Zoom Learning Center

We will be using the Zoom platform for conference sessions.  It is important you have the latest version of Zoom installed on the device you will be using.  It is also important you are familiar with basic Zoom features. We included Zoom tutorials for your reference.  

Thursday 5:30pm-9:00pm *5:30-6:00 Welcome and Orientation *6:00-6:30 Meet the Exhibitors *6:00-6:30 Conference Support *6:30-7:20 Keynote *7:30-8:20 Exhibitor Sessions: *8:30-9:00 Special Closing Friday 5:00pm-9:00pm *9:00am-5:00 pm Exhibits open ...drop in! *5:00-5:30 Welcome and Special Remarks *5:30-6:00 Conference Support *5:30-6:00 Guest Speaker: Young Author's Celebration... All Welcome! *6:00-6:50 Young Author Celebrations: ELEM, MIDDLE, HIGH *6:00-6:50 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker *7:00-8:30 Special Workshop with Monica Burns: Book Creator! Saturday 8:30am-4:30pm *8:30-9:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks *8:30-9:00 Conference Support *Keynote Speakers *Featured Speakers *Exhibitor Sessions: Featured Speakers *4:00-4:30 SoMLA Meet-up with Past President's

View All Featured Speakers <a href="https://vimeo.com/804970044">Be Happy! Watch the Video!</a>

Saturday April 1, 2023 Featured Speaker 10:00-10:50

Saturday April 1, 2023 Exhibitor Session: Featured Speaker 10:00-10:50

Story Groove: Help Students Comprehend and Craft Totally Gnarly Narratives

Beginning readers are not only learning how to read but they’re also learning what reading is all about. Learn how to use a range of age-appropriate trade books and original texts to excite young readers and provide meaningful support to beginning readers as they develop strong decoding skills, learn how text works to deepen their comprehension, expand their vocabulary, and grow their ability to think and talk about text. We will explore several resources to excite young readers!

In this session, author Trevor Bryan shares five simple, accessible and actionable concepts that will change how you think about, talk about, and teach narrative reading and writing.  The takeaways from this workshop will help your students to make meaning of the stories they read and make meaningful the stories they create. Reading and writing have always been related, this workshop will make the relationship clearer and more cohesive than ever before. If you are looking to strengthen your students’ comprehension and narrative craft skills, then this workshop is for you.

Thursday March 30, 2023 Keynote Speaker 6:30-7:20

What reading experiences have entertained you, provoked you, taught you, inspired you, helped you to see your own life more clearly, or connected you with others? As teachers, librarians, school administrators, and caregivers who love reading, we know what it feels like to fall into a book and let the world fall away. We have joyous reading memories, and we know how reading can sustain and inspire us. Now consider: When talking with children about their reading lives at school, are you likely to hear about this transformative reading joy? Or are you more likely to hear about reading logs, book reports, and standardized tests? For too many young readers, reading is joyless. It is something that is required of them, but not something that they choose to do. Here’s the truth: It is possible to teach children how to read well without killing their love for reading in the process. Donalyn will share how!

Donalyn Miller’s work champions self-selected independent reading, providing guidance and resources that foster children’s love of reading and the development of positive reading identities. A national and international consultant and bestselling author, Donalyn’s published works include The Book Whisperer (Jossey-Bass, 2009), Reading in the Wild (Jossey-Bass, 2013), and Game Changer: Book Access for All Kids (co-written with Colby Sharp, Scholastic, 2018) as well as articles in Gifted Child International, Education Week Teacher, The Reading Teacher, Voices From the Middle, Educational Leadership, Horn Book, School Library Journal, and The Washington Post. Recipient of TCTELA’s Elementary Language Arts Teacher of the Year (2011) and TCTELA’s Edmund J. Farrell Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award (2018) (for her contributions to the language arts teaching profession). Donalyn is also a co-founder of The Nerdy Book Club, an online community which provides inspiration, book recommendations, resources, and advice about raising and teaching young readers. Donalyn and her husband, Don, live in Texas atop a dragon’s hoard of books. You can connect with her on her website BookWhisperer.com, or on Twitter at @DonalynBooks.

Session Saturday Pre-Conference Presentations Meet the Presenters! April 1, 2023 12:00

Presentations were recorded and are assessible to conference registrants until August 30, 2023.

Debra Crouch and Brian Cambourne Title: Exploring our own Professional Literacy, Part 1 (Book Study)

Debra Crouch and Brian Cambourne Title: Book Study Part 2: Continuing our Professional Discussion (Book Study)

Dr. Keri-Anne Croce and Meredith Lashley Title: Examining How Play-Based Literacy Centers Build on Multilingual Learners’ Social and Cultural Capital Hongye Zeng Title:&nbsp;Multimodal Writing: Breaking the Language Barrier Wall Dawn Little Title: The Lens of Social Justice: Mini Units that Honor Identity, Appreciate Multiculturalism, and Value Critical Consciousness&nbsp; Debra Crouch and Brian Cambourne Book Study- Part 3: Continuing our Professional Discussion Rasha Alkhateeb Intern Supervisor Observations: Writing Opportunities for Preservice Secondary English Teachers

Dr. Shawn Washington-Clark Title: Cultivate Literacy through the Lens of National Boards: Seeing Yourself as an NBCT&nbsp;&nbsp; Clyde Boyer&nbsp; Title: The Power of Storytelling to Help Build a Better Future Kathryn Maitland and Dr. Leah Katherine Saal Title: How does this work?: Facilitating the Development of Disciplinary Literacies in Elementary Science Lessons

Saturday April 1, 2023 Keynote Speaker 9:00-9:50

We love our students and we care deeply about our jobs.  And we are stressed, exhausted, and overwhelmed. There is another way.  Let’s stop cataloging all the deficits and setting ourselves up for frustration. Instead, let’s use practical strategies to feel good and be good in our essential work as literacy teachers.  If we don't take care of ourselves, we won't have a chance to get better at all the other stuff, and we won't have the time, patience, or energy to teach well.  Our students deserve thriving adults in their lives. When we access strategies that help us stay happy and healthy in a demanding job, they will experience our best teaching selves, and they’ll see models of healthy ways to be in the world. This session will show you the way. 

Berit Gordon is an author of books for teachers, as well as a coach and supporter to schools across the country. Before consulting, Berit taught in NYC public schools and in the Dominican Republic. She is a graduate and former instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University.&nbsp; Her book, The Joyful Teacher, is a collection of tried-and-true strategies that empower teachers and help them create an even greater impact in their classroom. Her other book,&nbsp; No More Fake Reading, offers solutions for boosting stamina, joy, and skills among adolescent readers.&nbsp; Whether running workshops, leading coaching sessions, or working in classrooms, Berit strives to empower teachers so they can empower students.&nbsp; Her workshops are known to be engaging, fast-paced, and highly practical. When she’s not traveling to schools, she lives with her family in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Saturday April 1, 2023 Celebrate! 4:00-4:30

Welcome Past Presidents! Celebrate Another Year of Learning Together!

Raise your glass! Join us to celebrate SoMLA's 51st conference. We welcome SoMLA's past presidents to join us and "mingle" with friends, virtually! We thank all of them for laying SoMLA's foundation.

View sessions and earn hours towards MSDE credit! Session descriptions on next page.

<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/somla-2023-virtual-conference-cultivate-literacy-through-multiple-lenses-tickets-515539601827">EVENT BRIGHT: Conference 2023 Registration</a>

General Admission Member Registration $30.00 General Admission Non-Member Registration $65.00 General Admission College Student (Under Grad) $20.00 SPECIAL TICKET-Send Three Attend for Free: Administrators, send three staff members and you can attend for free! Register your three staff members, email kellydavis.davis@gmail.com to receive a special code for your free registration!

Name

Safari may block some audio or video from playing automatically and ‘read to me’ will skip these. You can configure this in Safari’s preferences.