Keynote speaker Cathy Block
An intensive opportunity to explore a range of targeted topics awaits K-12 educators who attend the first annual University of Wyoming Literacy Education Conference, scheduled for Sept. 19-20 in Laramie.
Registration before Sept. 5 is $40 per person. Registration after that date is $50.
The inaugural conference will provide sessions of interest to K-12 classroom teachers; reading and literacy teachers, specialists, coordinators, and coaches; special educators; administrators and supervisors; instructional paraprofessionals; and teacher education students. The UW Excellence Fund in Literacy Education provided significant financial support for the event.
Texas Christian University faculty member Cathy Collins Block will lead two keynote presentations addressing general literacy topics. Block is the author of more than 250 research articles, books, and chapters covering comprehension development, vocabulary achievement, exemplary teaching practices and the effects of curricular initiatives on student literacy success.
Her first session will focus on "Newest Best Comprehension Practices: How We Can Create Success for All Generation Y Students." She will demonstrate several instructional practices to significantly increase comprehension for struggling, on-grade level and gifted readers.
Block's Saturday morning keynote will explore "Powerful Vocabulary Instruction: The Keynote to Literacy Success for All Students." This presentation will provide ways to help students uncover meanings of words.
Breakout sessions will cover such literacy topics as "Helping English Language Learners Learn to Read," "The Video Generation Meets Print: Helping All Readers Succeed" and "Writer's Workshop: A Practical Approach."
For a copy of the conference brochure, visit http://outreach.uwyo.edu/conferences/literacy/2008literacybrochure.pdf
To register for the conference online, visit https://oscse.uwyo.edu/eventmanager/OnlineRegistration.asp?EventCode=VAO.
Watch Jim Bauman, literacy education chair, talk about the conference at
http://multimedia.uwyo.edu/srni/JimBaumann.mov.
