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Literacy Skills for College & Career Readiness:
A MY Access!® Users' Conference
Sponsored by Milwaukee Public Schools, Vantage Learning and Alverno College
Thursday and Friday, June 20th and 21st
Sr. Joel Read Conference Center, Alverno College
3400 S. 43rd Street
Directions to campus
Registration information
Conference Objectives:
• To share best practices in literacy instruction that support implementation of the ELA Common Core State Standards
• To emphasize the role of communication—including technology—in supporting college and career readiness skills
• To collaborate with colleagues around current topics in curriculum, instruction and assessment
Keynote Speakers:
Jim Vopat, PhD, is a teacher, author, world traveler, and advocate for social justice and quality writing instruction for all students. His keynote presentation on June 20th will focus on Writing Circles.
Harvey "Smokey" Daniels, PhD, has been a city and suburban classroom teacher and a college professor, and now works as a national consultant and author on literacy education. One June 21st, his keynote will focus on Literature Circles.
Who Should Attend?
K-12 Teachers, Administrators, Coaches, Reading Teachers, Support Teachers, Central Office Administrators and Specialists
Breakout Sessions
MY Access! – Panel
Hear from educators and MY Access! staff regarding the implementation and use of this 21st Century Literacy Tool, including a demonstration.
Technology to Support Literacy Instruction and Assessment
Discover a variety of technology tools educators can use to support literacy.
Literature/Writing Circles in Action
Teachers of reading and writing must read and write! Engage in literacy circles designed both to enjoy and to learn.
Circles-based Professional Development
Learn ways to plan and conduct professional development focused on circles; share ideas and tools.
Community-Building: Emphasizing Speaking, Listening & Discussing in the ELA CCSS
Employers state that oral communication skills are imperative to success in a 21st Century work environment. Learn strategies you can employ to support community while building essential literacy skills.
Writing/Literature Circles in the Classroom
Educators will share how they have successfully implemented and maintained circles in the classroom.
Integrating Art and Literacy: A Focus on Engagement and Rigor
Learn how to engage students, differentiate to meet student learning profiles, AND meet standards.
Learning on Display: Building Literacy by Building Classroom Exhibits
In this project-based learning approach, students acquire content standards, literacy skills, and important skills of collaboration, communication, problem solving, and creativity by designing displays for the public.
It STEMS from Planning: Integrating Literacy with STEM / Technical Subjects & Social Studies
Student success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math depends on the use of effective literacy skills. Learn how to plan to integrate literacy in content areas.
Keynote Follow-up Sessions:
June 20: Jim Vopat will further explore Writing Circles with an emphasis on non-fiction writing.
June 21: Harvey “Smokey” Daniels discusses Literature Circles focused on non-fiction reading.
Early Bird Registration (received on or before April 30): $75
Regular Registration (received after April 30): $100
Fee includes breakfast and lunch both days, and all materials.
On-line registration opens April 1. For more information, contact Julie Borgealt at 414-382-6435.
Detailed Biographies of Keynote Speakers:
Jim is a teacher, author, world traveler, and advocate for social justice and quality writing instruction for all students. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle, Jim began his teaching career at Carroll University in Waukesha. In 1986, Jim founded the Milwaukee Writing Project—one of the earliest sites of the National Writing Project. His involvement with the Writing Project allowed Jim to work with teachers at all grade levels throughout Wisconsin as well as in the Chicago Public Schools. This work led to Jim’s development of The Parent Project, a workshop-based approach to parent involvement. The Parent Project was cited in President Clinton’s America Reads Challenge as one of six parents-as-first-teachers national models. Jim was selected as a senior Fulbright Scholar to Sri Lanka from 1993-1996 in curriculum development. Between 2004 and 2006, he worked with parent-teacher leadership teams in Iwate, Japan.
Jim has published influential articles about writing in national periodicals as well as professional journals. His books include What Makes Writing Good, The Parent Project, More Than Bake Sales, Micro Lessons in Writing, and Writing Circles. There is also the Parent Leadership: In and Out of School DVD from Stenhouse publications featuring parents and teachers from MPS elementary and middle schools. Jim left his faculty position at Carroll in 2006 but continues his work with teachers as co-director of the Milwaukee Writing Project. Jim is an advocate for children’s art and has organized major exhibitions of children’s writing, drawing, and sculpture. All of Jim’s work and publications have been profoundly influenced by Wisconsin students and teachers who are featured prominently in his publications and presentations.
Harvey "Smokey" Daniels has been a city and suburban classroom teacher and a college professor, and now works as a national consultant and author on literacy education. In language arts, Smokey is known for his pioneering work on student book clubs, as recounted in Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups, and Minilessons for Literature Circles. Smokey has recently coauthored four bestselling books on content-area literacy: Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading; Comprehension & Collaboration; Subjects Matter; and Content-Area Writing. He is also coauthor of the new Best Practice, Fourth Edition and The Best Practice Video Companion as well as editor of Comprehension Going Forward.
Smokey works with elementary and secondary teachers throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, offering demonstration lessons, workshops, and consulting, with a special focus on creating, sustaining, and renewing student-centered inquiries and discussions of all kinds. Smokey shows colleagues how to simultaneously build students' reading strategies, balance their reading diets, and strengthen the social skills they need to become genuine lifelong readers.
Smokey earned his Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degrees, all from Northwestern University.
The 2013 Literacy Skills Conference is sponsored by:
