This professional development session is designed for K–3 teachers and focuses on strengthening the intentional use of "Zen Zones" or "Calm Corners" as tools for self-regulation, belonging, and skill-building rather than simple break spaces. Participants will collaborate around real classroom scenarios to problem-solve challenges such as avoidance, escalation, and inconsistent use, while exploring proactive structures and clear routines that support student success. Teachers will leave with at least one concrete, actionable adjustment to improve how calm down corners are taught, implemented, and integrated into classroom systems. Please bring a Chromebook and a student scenario you'd like to analyze.
In schools, belonging develops through the everyday ways students are invited to participate, interact, and contribute. In this interactive session, elementary educators will explore practical participation structures that help students feel safe, valued, and meaningfully connected to learning and community. Drawing on the Dignity Connectors framework, participants will experience classroom-ready strategies that strengthen engagement, reduce belonging uncertainty, and support positive classroom culture without relying on compliance-driven practices. Educators will leave with immediately usable structures for discussion, collaboration, feedback, and student voice that can be adapted across grade levels and content areas.
In this session, participants will explore MClass data and learn how to interpret the story behind the numbers to better understand student needs. Presenters will model a variety of data-driven routines and instructional practices tailored to different small group needs. Please bring a laptop and mClass login information.
Perfect for educators who are new to IXL, this session provides a guided introduction to the platform’s core tools and features for classroom instruction. Participants will learn how to navigate skill plans, assign practice, monitor student progress, and use real-time data to support instruction. The session will also showcase ways to differentiate learning and create meaningful student practice experiences. By the end, attendees will feel confident launching IXL successfully in their classrooms.
Educators will engage in practices that promote a Thinking Classroom. In this interactive session, educators will step into the shoes of students to experience firsthand the collaborative power of a Building Thinking Classrooms environment. Participants will work through high-engagement tasks at vertical non-permanent surfaces to experience how random grouping visibly shifts classroom dynamics and builds mathematical stamina.
In this session participants will learn about and engage with evidence-based strategies and activities that support the development of oral language skills critical to reading comprehension in the elementary years and beyond. Participants will review the connections between oral language skills and literacy development and explore low-prep, high-impact oral language activities designed for use in daily instructional routines. Please bring a laptop.
This professional development session is designed for K–3 teachers and focuses on strengthening the intentional use of "Zen Zones" or "Calm Corners" as tools for self-regulation, belonging, and skill-building rather than simple break spaces. Participants will collaborate around real classroom scenarios to problem-solve challenges such as avoidance, escalation, and inconsistent use, while exploring proactive structures and clear routines that support student success. Teachers will leave with at least one concrete, actionable adjustment to improve how calm down corners are taught, implemented, and integrated into classroom systems. Please bring a Chromebook and a student scenario you'd like to analyze.
In schools, belonging develops through the everyday ways students are invited to participate, interact, and contribute. In this interactive session, elementary educators will explore practical participation structures that help students feel safe, valued, and meaningfully connected to learning and community. Drawing on the Dignity Connectors framework, participants will experience classroom-ready strategies that strengthen engagement, reduce belonging uncertainty, and support positive classroom culture without relying on compliance-driven practices. Educators will leave with immediately usable structures for discussion, collaboration, feedback, and student voice that can be adapted across grade levels and content areas.
In this session, participants will explore MClass data and learn how to interpret the story behind the numbers to better understand student needs. Presenters will model a variety of data-driven routines and instructional practices tailored to different small group needs. Please bring a laptop and mClass login information.
Perfect for educators who are new to IXL, this session provides a guided introduction to the platform’s core tools and features for classroom instruction. Participants will learn how to navigate skill plans, assign practice, monitor student progress, and use real-time data to support instruction. The session will also showcase ways to differentiate learning and create meaningful student practice experiences. By the end, attendees will feel confident launching IXL successfully in their classrooms.
In this session participants will learn about and engage with evidence-based strategies and activities that support the development of oral language skills critical to reading comprehension in the elementary years and beyond. Participants will review the connections between oral language skills and literacy development and explore low-prep, high-impact oral language activities designed for use in daily instructional routines. Please bring a laptop.
Perfect for educators who are new to IXL, this session provides a guided introduction to the platform’s core tools and features for classroom instruction. Participants will learn how to navigate skill plans, assign practice, monitor student progress, and use real-time data to support instruction. The session will also showcase ways to differentiate learning and create meaningful student practice experiences. By the end, attendees will feel confident launching IXL successfully in their classrooms.
In this workshop, educators will be introduced to restorative circles as a proactive strategy for building classroom community, strengthening relationships, and addressing conflict. Participants will explore real classroom scenarios and gain ready-to-use tools for implementing restorative circles in their elementary classrooms.
This participant-led session will guide teachers to examine priority standards and how foundational skills develop over time across grades 3 and 4. Through structured discussion and skill tracing, participants will identify where key concepts build and breakdowns may occur. The session will invite educators to share and reflect on effective remediation strategies for students needing support, as well as enrichment approaches to extend learning. Teachers will collaboratively build a clearer, more coherent understanding of instruction across the grade band.
Every science classroom brings together diverse ways of seeing, thinking, and communicating about the world. This session explores how Amplify Science can open doors for students with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and other learning differences through strength-based, multimodal design. Teachers look at how hands-on investigations, collaborative sense-making, and visual storylines help neurodivergent learners build confidence and agency in authentic scientific work. The focus is on curiosity, access, and belonging, so every student can discover the scientist within themselves.
In schools, belonging develops through the everyday ways students are invited to participate, interact, and contribute. In this interactive session, elementary educators will explore practical participation structures that help students feel safe, valued, and meaningfully connected to learning and community. Drawing on the Dignity Connectors framework, participants will experience classroom-ready strategies that strengthen engagement, reduce belonging uncertainty, and support positive classroom culture without relying on compliance-driven practices. Educators will leave with immediately usable structures for discussion, collaboration, feedback, and student voice that can be adapted across grade levels and content areas.
If you find your students struggling to make speech sounds during Fundations and ELA work and want to know how to support their development, this session is for you! K-3 teachers will learn about speech sounds and their characteristics, as well as simple tricks and prompts to use to support students to correctly produce speech sounds in their classroom. Participants will engage in real time practice to identify sound errors and determine appropriate prompting to promote student success. Please bring a laptop and/or notebook for note taking if desired.
What do reading, writing, and coding have in common? More than many educators realize. Drawing on doctoral research examining the connection between early literacy and coding, as well as innovative ideas and tools explored at PETE&C 2026, this session will highlight the shared skills that support success in both literacy and computer science, including sequencing, communication, vocabulary development, and problem-solving. Participants will leave with practical strategies, technology tools, and classroom-ready activities for integrating literacy and coding across the early elementary grades. Please bring a laptop or Chromebook.
In this workshop, educators will be introduced to restorative circles as a proactive strategy for building classroom community, strengthening relationships, and addressing conflict. Participants will explore real classroom scenarios and gain ready-to-use tools for implementing restorative circles in their elementary classrooms.
This session, designed for grades K-5 teachers, focuses on using purposeful questioning to elicit student thinking in reading and writing. Participants will explore strategies that support young learners in developing voice and engaging in meaningful discourse. Emphasis is placed on building student autonomy through structured talk routines and intentional scaffolds. Educators will leave with practical tools and strategies for immediate classroom implementation.
Educators will engage in practices that promote a Thinking Classroom. In this interactive session, educators will step into the shoes of students to experience firsthand the collaborative power of a Building Thinking Classrooms environment. Participants will work through high-engagement tasks at vertical non-permanent surfaces to experience how random grouping visibly shifts classroom dynamics and builds mathematical stamina.
During this session, educators will learn how to incorporate Open Middle math problems in their classrooms. Open Middle problems afford students opportunities to strengthen conceptual understanding, develop perserverance, and communicate collaboratively with peers. Educators will walk away from this session with access to usable templates and problems they can implement immediately. Please bring a laptop and a pencil.
What do reading, writing, and coding have in common? More than many educators realize. Drawing on doctoral research examining the connection between early literacy and coding, as well as innovative ideas and tools explored at PETE&C 2026, this session will highlight the shared skills that support success in both literacy and computer science, including sequencing, communication, vocabulary development, and problem-solving. Participants will leave with practical strategies, technology tools, and classroom-ready activities for integrating literacy and coding across the early elementary grades. Please bring a laptop or Chromebook.
Participants will explore and reflect on DIBELS and LinkIt! data to support student literacy growth. We will discuss key ideas, research-based practices, and practical applications for planning effective small groups in order to nurture student progress. This will strengthen reading skills and help all learners grow and thrive. While this session is geared toward Kindergarten and first grade teachers, all staff members are welcome to join and participate. Please bring a laptop.
