July 19, 2024 — Barbara Davidson
We know that reading comprehension isn’t a skill we can teach—it’s an outcome we must enable. Yet the many skills and cognitive processes fueling comprehension rarely get their due. Reading strategies are often treated as the MVPs of reading comprehension, when in fact, it’s a team sport, and we need to honor all the players and how they work together.
This webinar series explores the unsung heroes of reading comprehension: writing, vocabulary development, and student discourse. Why is each a power player—and why is their impact greatest when they combine forces around content-rich texts as the star of the show? How can schools ensure that curricula are covering all of the comprehension bases most effectively?
Our speakers explain how these “musts” of reading comprehension combine to produce a sum that’s greater than their individual parts. They draw on real-life examples from curricula that have successfully harnessed this “team” approach.
WATCH WEBINAR 1: WRITING
Recorded: July 19 at 10:00am ET
Join Natalie Wexler (The Knowledge Gap), Doug Lemov (Teach Like a Champion), and Julia Cooper (SchoolKit) for a conversation on writing instruction as an unsung hero in reading success. They will explain why writing should be connected to content learning, exploring the learning science behind this power pairing. How does the act of writing about one’s learning deepen retention of the content? How does it support emerging writers in focusing on their craft? Speakers will share practical examples of connected writing instruction when it’s done well, and how to identify when a curriculum is weak in addressing this critical aspect of literacy.
Kristen McQuillan hosts this premier event in the Knowledge Matters Campaign’s “Unsung Heroes of Reading Comprehension” series.
Follow-Up Materials
Check out these follow-up publications from our webinar hosts:
- To Boost Learning, Weave Writing Activities Into Regular Instruction by Natalie Wexler
- Using Writing in The (Reading) Classroom–The Amazing Success of First Year Teacher Emily Fleming by Doug Lemov