Middle school narrative writing demands more than plot — it requires intentional craft. This session helps teachers prioritize the non-negotiables of narrative instruction, from generating compelling problems and solutions to guiding students toward purposeful control of ideas, organization, voice, and detail. Teachers leave with classroom-ready strategies that raise the rigor of narrative writing across grades 6–8.
Courtney grew up in London, Ontario where powerful experiences in her own schooling led to her passion for teaching and education.
That passion took her to Grace College in Indiana where she secured a BA in Elementary Education and landed her first teaching job at a nearby middle school. Courtney later returned to Grace as an Adjunct Professor of Education after earning her Master’s Degree from Olivet Nazarene... Read More →
Unlock the full potential of your middle school math curriculum with this comprehensive resource deep dive. This session walks educators through a powerful toolkit designed to boost student engagement and academic growth. Using high-quality materials from McGraw Hill, we will explore how to effectively manage online and print assignments, customize assessments to meet class needs, and integrate Desmos for deeper conceptual understanding. Additionally, we will cover practical workflows for using Annotate.net with iPads and maximizing the impact of ALEKS for personalized learning.
Help students move beyond surface-level reporting with a clear instructional approach to informative writing. Teachers will explore how to teach organizational structures based on purpose, embed text evidence and domain-specific vocabulary with elaboration, and craft introductions and conclusions that go beyond the predictable.
Courtney grew up in London, Ontario where powerful experiences in her own schooling led to her passion for teaching and education.
That passion took her to Grace College in Indiana where she secured a BA in Elementary Education and landed her first teaching job at a nearby middle school. Courtney later returned to Grace as an Adjunct Professor of Education after earning her Master’s Degree from Olivet Nazarene... Read More →
Unlock the full potential of your middle school math curriculum with this comprehensive resource deep dive. This session walks educators through a powerful toolkit designed to boost student engagement and academic growth. Using high-quality materials from McGraw Hill, we will explore how to effectively manage online and print assignments, customize assessments to meet class needs, and integrate Desmos for deeper conceptual understanding. Additionally, we will cover practical workflows for using Annotate.net with iPads and maximizing the impact of ALEKS for personalized learning.
Unlock the full potential of your middle school math curriculum with this comprehensive resource deep dive. This session walks educators through a powerful toolkit designed to boost student engagement and academic growth. Using high-quality materials from McGraw Hill, we will explore how to effectively manage online and print assignments, customize assessments to meet class needs, and integrate Desmos for deeper conceptual understanding. Additionally, we will cover practical workflows for using Annotate.net with iPads and maximizing the impact of ALEKS for personalized learning.
Unlock the full potential of your middle school math curriculum with this comprehensive resource deep dive. This session walks educators through a powerful toolkit designed to boost student engagement and academic growth. Using high-quality materials from McGraw Hill, we will explore how to effectively manage online and print assignments, customize assessments to meet class needs, and integrate Desmos for deeper conceptual understanding. Additionally, we will cover practical workflows for using Annotate.net with iPads and maximizing the impact of ALEKS for personalized learning.
This professional development session will equip teachers with practical strategies to implement literary circles using student choice texts across all subject areas—not just ELA. Participants will explore how choice increases engagement, supports diverse learners, and builds independence, while leaving with ready-to-use structures for immediate classroom application.
I taught English/Language arts for 16 years before becoming our school Librarian. My passion is building media literacy with students and helping them prepare to be impactful citizens in an ever-changing world.
Middle school writers present unique management challenges — this session addresses them head-on. Explore practical routines and structures that make writing time purposeful and consistent, build independent writing stamina, and prepare students to perform confidently on district-wide writing prompts. Teachers leave with concrete procedures ready to use from day one.
As a literacy consultant with Smekens Education, Didi Harris partners with educators to strengthen reading and writing instruction through practical, evidence-based strategies. Drawing on her experience as a classroom teacher, interventionist, and reading specialist, she helps teachers... Read More →
This professional development session will equip teachers with practical strategies to implement literary circles using student choice texts across all subject areas—not just ELA. Participants will explore how choice increases engagement, supports diverse learners, and builds independence, while leaving with ready-to-use structures for immediate classroom application.
I taught English/Language arts for 16 years before becoming our school Librarian. My passion is building media literacy with students and helping them prepare to be impactful citizens in an ever-changing world.
This is a designated session (not open to enrollment) as it is a 3-hour afternoon session for middle school leadership teams about the school-based training they will be involved in during the first semester of the 2026-27 school year.
