Webinar Recorded: February 6, 2025.
We understand that reading comprehension is not a skill that’s easily taught or transferred from one text to another. Reading is an active process in which proficient readers integrate the ideas contained in texts with their existing knowledge to make meaning of what’s in print.
We are excited to announce the next installment of our Unsung Heroes Webinar Series, “Knowledge: Why It Matters.” In this session, we’ll dive deeply into how knowledge, as the unsung hero that drives all others, is the quarterback of literacy. Building and applying knowledge is more than a literacy strategy; it is a necessary condition for reading comprehension.
This webinar featured Dr. Susan Neuman of New York University, Dr. Margaret (“Moddy”) McKeown of the University of Pittsburgh, Standards Work Chief Program Officer Kristen McQuillan, and 7th grade teacher and curriculum expert Kyair Butts of Baltimore City Public Schools.
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Resources mentioned in this webinar
- Knowledge Matters Review Tool: A Guide for Evaluating K-8 Curriculum
- Books by Dr. McKeown
- The Handbook of Early Literacy Research (Neuman, 2003)
- All About Words (Neuman, 2013)
- Educating the Other America (Neuman, 2008)
- Giving Our Children a Fighting Chance (Neuman, 2012)
- Growing Knowledge Matters. A Lot. (Student Achievement Partners, 2021)
- The Usefulness of Brief Instruction in Reading Comprehension Strategies (Daniel Willingham, 2014)
- Developing Curriculum for Deep Thinking (The Knowledge Revival, 2025)
- 10 Ways Educators Can Bring Knowledge-Building Into Their Classrooms (ASCD, Knowledge Matters Campaign)
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