Certified Session Descriptions
Certified Session Descriptions
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Bringing History to Life Through Primary Sources
Bringing History to Life Through Primary Sources
8:15 AM to 3:45 PM | Social Studies, Literacy, Writing | PreK - 8
Description:
With an array of primary sources at your fingertips, you can help students connect to the past in ways that are unimaginable. Explore and experience our new TCM resource! Discover how teaching through the use of primary source materials will not only enrich your students’ understandings and give the past meaning, but it will also enrich your repertoire of teaching tools by providing relevance. With primary sources at your side, you can easily answer the oft-heard query “So what?” that comes from those students chasing away the “I hate history” blues.
Learning Intentions:
Build capacity and support teachers in utilizing primary sources from our primary source kits.
Consider strategies to engaging and enhance learning through the use of primary sources.
Success Criteria:
Gain knowledge about the different types of primary sources, when to use them, where to find them, and why they’re important for students through engaging in lessons and conversations.
Building a Culture of Readers
Building a Culture of Readers
12:30 PM - 3:45 PM | Literacy, Digital Literacy Skills, Differentiation of Instruction | PreK - 12
Description:
Is it challenging to get students to drop everything and read? Are you finding it hard to encourage reading for pleasure? Utilizing the District Sora ebook catalog discover strategies to build a culture of readers.
Learning Intentions:
Participants will learn how to use the SORA ebook platform.
Participants will learn strategies to engage readers in personal choice reading.
Success Criteria:
I can access ebooks on the Sora platform and understand how to use the filters.
I can utilize strategies to engage and motivate independent reading in my school/classroom.
Building a Gifted Program in your School
Building a Gifted Program in your School
8:15 AM - 11:30 AM | GT Programming | PreK - 12
Description:
Leadership matters! Strong leaders shape and influence experiences and outcomes for students. In this session, you will spend time understanding the “why” behind gifted education, the needs of gifted learners, and how to leverage your leadership to align with best practices in GT Program development using the AD12 GT Program Framework. Attending as a team will allow you to connect as a GT team, collaboratively evaluate your current GT Program Plan, and get a jump start on setting collective goals and actions for the coming school year.
Learning Intentions:
"The “why” behind gifted education and the needs of gifted learners
Impact of strong leaders
Best practices in GT Program development
Time to dive into the AD12 GT Program Framework
Success Criteria:
GT school teams will know they are successful when the can understand and align the GT Program Framework with their school goals.
Time to work with your team to evaluate your current GT Program Plan and begin working on a plan for the next school year.
Connections Matter
Connections Matter
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Cooperative Learning, Social-emotional learning | PreK - 12
Description:
This interactive workshop will focus on the power of connection circles and impromptu restorative conversations to foster a school climate in which youth and adults can thrive together! At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to describe the difference between conversation starters and conversation stoppers when working with youth, identify the components of and process for facilitating a connection circle, and pinpoint opportunities to use restorative language and explain how this is key in helping students advocate for their social-emotional needs.
Learning Intentions:
Participants will be able to describe the difference between conversation starters and conversation stoppers when working with youth.
Participants will be able to identify the components of and process for facilitating a connection circle.
Participants will be able to pinpoint opportunities to use restorative language and explain how this is key in helping students advocate for their social-emotional needs.
Cooperative Learning with Technology
Cooperative Learning with Technology
12:30 PM - 3:45 PM | Digital Literacy | PreK-12
Description:
Practice designing balanced lessons with digital tools and cooperative learning structures to increase student accountability, engagement, and achievement. Learn ways that your content can be enhanced with these powerful strategies, and how they can help build inclusive learning environments where students feel empowered to take risks and own their own learning.
Learning Intentions:
Explore ways that student engagement and achievement can be enhanced using digital tools and cooperative learning.
Identify how digital tools combined with cooperative learning contribute to an inclusive learning environment
Success Criteria:
Create balanced lessons using digital tools and cooperative learning strategies.
Crypto, NFTs and the Metaverse!
Crypto, NFTs and the Metaverse!
10:00 - 11:30 | Math, Tech Ed/Computer Science, Art, Music Business | PreK - 12
Description :
Blockchain. Crypto. NFTs. The Metaverse. Within the past few years, these buzz words have become legitimate game changers and market disruptors. This program will give a brief overview of what has come to pass already, what is here now but more importantly what is to come! You'll feel like you've just drank from the fire hose and leave with your mind blown with excitement and even more curiosity as to what these disruptors will continue to offer in the future!
Learning Intentions:
Attendees will understand the present and future capabilities blockchain of technology.
Success Criteria:
Attendees will be successful:
By understanding what the blockchain is
By recognizing the difference between various cryptocurrencies.
By being able to define what an NFT is.
By joining The Metaverse
Culturally Sustaining Literacy Instruction
Culturally Sustaining Literacy Instruction
8:15 - 3:45 | Literacy, Culturally Sustaining Instruction | PreK - 8
Description:
This course, intended for teachers of Literacy K-8, will engage participants in experiences that prepare them to integrate culturally sustaining (responsive) practices into their literacy instruction.
Participants will learn how culturally sustaining instruction creates inclusive learning environments, ensures equitable access and opportunity for all students and empowers students to own their own learning.
Learning Intentions:
engage in experiences that prepare you to integrate culturally sustaining (responsive) practices into your literacy instruction.
learn how culturally sustaining instruction creates inclusive learning environments, ensures equitable access and opportunity for all students and empowers students to own their own learning.
critically reflect on your own cultural competence.
Success Criteria:
Define Culturally Sustaining Instruction (in literacy)
Describe how identity and culture impact relationships
Explain how your cultural values impact teaching and learning
Describe the key components of Culturally Sustaining Instruction
Engage in collaborative structures and active participation to deepen understanding of the content
Explain the stages and strategies of culturally responsive information processing (Ignite, Chunk, Chew, Review)
Virtual Session: Discovery's Social Emotional Learning Center
Virtual Session: Discovery's Social Emotional Learning Center
12:30 - 2:00 | Science, SEL, and Digital Literacy Skills | PreK-5
ONLINE SESSION
Description:
Social-Emotional Learning is often described as the process through which children and adults obtain the interpersonal skills to identify emotions, set goals, show empathy, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Discovery Education’s Social-Emotional Learning Center presents a curated collection of resources that support professional development, SEL integration into classrooms, and student-facing digital content for all grades. Participants will learn how to navigate Discovery Education Experience’s Social-Emotional Learning Center in order to integrate resources into their classroom
Learning Intentions:
I can use the resources in the Social-Emotional learning Center in order to support the integration of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) into my classroom
Success Criteria:
I can navigate to content specific to my class / grade level
I can explore the variety of resources available in the collection
I can select resources that would be supportive to the social-emotional development of my students
Dyslexia Simulation
Dyslexia Simulation
12:00 - 2:00 | Literacy, Math, Writing, Differentiation of Instruction, Student Support Services | PreK-12
Description:
Participate in a simulation to learn more about dyslexia and what those with dyslexia often experience with reading, writing and processing. This simulation is designed to help individuals gain a better understanding of, and empathy for, those children and adults who have dyslexia.
We will also dive into learning about what dyslexia is, signs of dyslexia and have a beginning conversation about how to best support students with dyslexia.
Learning Intentions:
Know and be able to talk to what dyslexia is.
Understand the impacts dyslexia has on our students.
Understand strategies, supports and accommodations for students with dyslexia.
Success Criteria:
Be able to state what dyslexia is and is not.
Name impacts dyslexia has on students in your class.
Name 3-4 strategies, supports and accommodations for students with dyslexia in your class.
ELL Essentials: Content Literacy for Multilingual Learners
ELL Essentials: Content Literacy for Multilingual Learners
8:15 - 3:45 | All Content Areas | PreK-12
Description:
Teachers will broaden their understanding of how to support discipline-specific academic language in grade-level content. They will also determine sheltering strategies to best support literacy engagement for multilingual learners. Teachers will engage in tasks to determine the academic language in complex text as well as research-based instructional strategies to support literacy in content areas.
Learning Intentions:
Demonstrate my understanding of academic language development for multilingual learners through content literacy instruction.
Demonstrate my understanding of how intentionally planning for multilingual learners supports access to and engagement with complex text.
Success Criteria:
Apply my learning from Common Core Standards to generate ideas for classroom instruction.
Create a reflection statement for one Common Core Standards Shift that relates to my content instructional planning.
Identify the content academic language and thinking skills needed to engage in reading and writing tasks for my content.
Success Criteria for Content Lesson Planning:
Identify the academic language and thinking skills needed to produce a specific content task(s)
Identify and use sheltering strategies that support language development.
Identify and use formative practices to support language development.
Design and deliver a lesson’s think aloud for peer review and revision.
ELL Essentials: Comprehensibility
ELL Essentials: Comprehensibility
8:15 - 3:45 | All Content Areas | PreK-12
Description:
This training focuses on comprehensibility, specifically in the sheltering areas of learning intentions and objectives, selecting visuals, and engaging students in academic vocabulary. Both the professional learning and the school/classroom-based application are focused on applying the components of the Adams 12 ELL Essentials sheltering tool. English Language Learners require supported output to successfully apply their learning, which is why this learning experience incorporates elements of supporting ELL output and providing opportunities to apply new learnings (Zwiers and Soto, 2017) (Swain and Lapkin, 1995).
Learning Intentions:
Teachers will be able to demonstrate research-based instructional strategies that increase comprehensibility of grade-level content through applying the ELL Essentials.
Success Criteria:
Identify and apply the following strategies to increase comprehensibility:
Sheltering of learning intentions and success criteria.
Using effective strategies for teaching content through supported academic vocabulary.
Planning for meaningful visuals to support content
Using effective literacy strategies to support comprehension of appropriate and challenging materials.
ELL Essentials: Foundations
ELL Essentials: Foundations
8:15 - 3:45 | All Content Areas | PreK - 12
Description:
This professional learning session is designed to lay the foundation for supporting the needs of English language learners. It highlights research-based strategies and language supports to ensure every ELL in Adams 12 has equitable access to the districts guaranteed and viable curriculum. The session includes process thinking about the students and participants culture and possible implications surrounding having different cultures in the classroom. Participants explore the identification and placement process for ELLs and what language services students receive. Additionally, participants learn about the different types of ELLs in order to highlight the specific and unique needs of each.
Learning Intentions:
I can reflect on the impact of individual culture, identity, and personal experience to student learning.
I can determine who my English Language Learners (ELLs) are and identify their language proficiency level.
I can understand the progression of language learning and apply this to my instructional practice.
I can utilize sheltering practices (ELL Essentials) in order to provide access to content learning and language development for my English Language Learners.
Success Criteria:
I will identify how individual culture, identity, and personal experience to student learning.
I will utilize EWS to identify who my English Language Learners (ELLs) are and identify their language proficiency level.
I will explore the progression of language learning and apply this to my instructional practice.
I will identify sheltering practices (ELL Essentials) in order to provide access to content learning and language development for my English Language Learners.
ELL Essentials: Interaction and Production
ELL Essentials: Interaction and Production
8:15 - 3:45 | All Content Areas | PreK-12
Description:
This training focuses on interaction and production, specifically in the sheltering areas of sentence frames and stems, equitable discourse, purposeful grouping, and equitable access to grade-level content. Both the professional learning and the school/classroom-based application are focused on applying the components of the Adams 12 ELL Essentials sheltering tool. English Language Learners require supported output to successfully apply their learning, which is why this learning experience incorporates elements of supporting ELL output and providing opportunities to apply new learnings (Zwiers and Soto, 2017) (Swain and Lapkin, 1995).
Learning Intentions:
We will learn, understand, and apply five of the ELL Essentials to empower all students to find success in grade-level standards.
Success Criteria:
I plan and implement the use of sentence stems and frames for language production
I strategically incorporate equitable opportunities for student interaction to practice both content and language in my classroom
I use purposeful grouping to develop language and content knowledge
I intentionally plan for multiple opportunities for ELLs to demonstrate their learning
I select and provide thinking tools and strategies to support higher-level thinking for ELLs
Figuring Out the Essentials
Figuring Out the Essentials
8:15 - 11:30 | Secondary Math | 6-12
Description:
What do you want your students to know is the first question of a PLC. Do you ever wonder how to decide? This 3-hr session will allow you a chance to dig into one unit and start the journey to figure this out. Grab a colleague and get a jump on planning for next year.
Learning Intentions:
To learn how to determine what content needs to be addressed in a particular unit
Success Criteria:
Participants will be able to identify the main learning goals of a unit based upon standards
VIRTUAL SESSION: Getting Started with Discovery Education Experience
VIRTUAL SESSION: Getting Started with Discovery Education Experience
8:15 - 9:45 | Science, Digital Literacy, Writing | K-5
ONLINE SESSION
Description:
Participants will learn how to navigate Discovery Education Experience in order to locate resources to enhance teaching and learning anytime, anywhere.
Learning Intentions:
I can navigate Discovery Education Experience in order to locate
resources to enhance teaching and learning anytime, anywhere.
Success Criteria:
Login to Discovery Education through the district dashboard
Search for and save channels
Locate videos, texts, and images to use in my instruction
Getting Started with Mystery Science
Getting Started with Mystery Science
2:15 - 3:45 | Science, Digital Literacy | K-5
Description:
Participants will engage in a Mystery Science lesson to experience, firsthand, the power of inquiry in the science classroom. They will also navigate Mystery Science in order to locate mini and core lessons to enhance their current science instruction, and better understand how it integrates into the existing units of study.
Learning Intentions:
I can navigate Mystery Science in order to locate mini and core lessons to enhance my current science teaching.
Success Criteria:
Participate in and reflect on a Mystery Science lesson
Navigate to engaging mini lessons and grade level specific science units
Locate lessons that will enhance curiosity and inquiry
Getting the Most Out of Big Ideas
Getting the Most Out of Big Ideas
12:30 - 3:45 | Secondary Math | 6-12
Description:
Did you know that Big Ideas has interactive tools and games? How about a place where students can practice skills aligned to their unit of study? Have you used Big Ideas to intentionally practice the Standards for Math Practice? Join us in exploring how to use our resource to support student learning.
Learning Intentions:
To learn how Big Ideas can be used to create a supportive learning environment
Success Criteria:
Participants will be able to identify at least one tool from Big Ideas that they can use to impact student learning next year.
Let's Talk Careers!
Let's Talk Careers!
8:15 - 3:45 | Career Exploration | 6-12
Description:
Interested in sharpening your skills and resources with talking to students about their futures and careers? Learn how to have meaningful Career Conversations. Participants will gain a foundational understanding of career exploration and careers in Colorado, in addition to increasing their confidence and skill in having conversations with students of all ages.
Learning Intentions:
Understand your role as a career advisor
Learn how to establish trust and introduce the career conversation process with an advisee
Learn how to help an advisee explore their vision, values and goals while addressing constraints
Learn how to help an advisee explore interests and aptitudes
Learn how to help an advisee envision their future
Learn how to encourage an advisee to take action towards entering a chosen career
Learn how to support an advisee once action has been taken
Success Criteria:
Advisor is prepared to engage in a career conversation by understanding what an advisor does and recognizing their own assumptions and filters.
Advisor promotes hope and open mindedness, define relationship parameters, and explains the purpose and direction.
Advisor is able to help the advisee explore their vision, values, and goals as well as help advisees understand constraints that will influence their choices.
Advisor and advisee are able to identify and utilize career exploration tools and discuss results. Advisor helps the advisee to uncover skills, strengths, and interests as well as recognize personality, work style, and work ethic.
Advisee is able to explore the relevant labor market, work environments, and activities to better understand pathways of interest and is able to select a pathway.
Advisee is able to define a course of action and the advisor is able to provide encouragement, resources, support and accountability.
Able to identify reasons to celebrate and ways to support lifelong learning and career development
Leveraging Digital for Formative Feedback
Leveraging Digital for Formative Feedback
8:15 - 11:30 | Digital Literacy and All Content Areas | K-5
12:30 - 3:45 | Digital Literacy and All Content Areas | 6-12
Description:
Research shows that feedback is one of the most powerful strategies for advancing student achievement. Explore the tenets of high quality feedback and the digital tools available for providing effective and efficient feedback that moves learning forward. Learn strategies to create a classroom environment in which students embrace and learn from mistakes and welcome feedback not only from the teacher, but from their peers as well.
Learning Intentions:
Utilize digital tools to provide formative feedback opportunities that allow students to understand what they have done well and what they need to do to improve.
Success Criteria:
I can identify strategies to build a culture in the classroom that emphasize growth and learning from mistakes and feedback.
I can teach my students structures for providing effective peer-to-peer feedback.
I can provide effective feedback using one or more digital tools.
Positive Youth Development
Positive Youth Development
12:30 - 3:45 | Positive Youth Development | 3-12
Description:
PYD is an intentional approach that engages youth in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognizes and utilizes young people’s strengths; and promotes positive outcomes for young people, by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths.
Learning Intentions:
Participants will be able to explain adolescent brain development at a high level as well as the eight developmental tasks that happen in adolescence
Participants will be able to reframe adolescent behavior in a strengths-based manner
Participants will be able to identify ways in which youth can be engaged as partners
Success Criteria:
Participants can explain Positive Youth Development to a peer
Participants will establish a clear plan of action for implementing the PYD approach in their work with youth
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
8:15 - 9:45 | SEL/Mental Health | PreK -12
Description:
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) is a course focused on reducing suicidal behaviors by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention strategies. This training is designed for anyone who wants to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know.
QPR is an evidence informed program that teaches individuals how to:
Recognize the warning sign of suicide
Ask someone directly about suicide
Connect someone in crisis to proper mental health support
Learning Intentions:
Attendees will be able to:
Interprate data related to suicide in Colorado
Understand how this data informs prevention and intervention efforts
Identify the differnet clues someone contenplaiting suicide may exhibit
Identify strategies that will help build empathy and maximize listening when supporting someone in crisis
Understand the difference between directly and indirectly asking someone about suicidal ideation
Demonstrate how to directly ask someone if they are suicidal
Success Criteria:
Participants can:
Recognize the warning signs of suicide
Know how to offer hope
Know how to get help and save a life
Reimagining Writing
Reimagining Writing
8:15 - 3:45 | Writing | 9-12
Description:
In this full-day professional learning designed for secondary teachers, participants will engage as both “teachers as writers” and “teachers of writing.” We will use mentor texts to generate ideas and experiment with structure as we draft our own pieces of writing. As a community of learners, we will examine how we can broaden our use of mentor texts in our classrooms to elevate students’ writing at both the structural and sentence level.
Learning Intention
Reimagine our use of mentor texts, as writers.
Success Criteria
Form a community of writers who use mentor texts to elevate our craft
Examine mentor texts for structure and craft
Create an original piece of writing
Reflect on our practices as teachers of writing to refine our instruction
Teachers who are interested in continuing this learning can sign up on
PDExpress for a four-week Schoology course that will take place online between June 6 and July 3.
Summer Financial Fitness
Summer Financial Fitness
8:15 - 11:30 | Adult Learning | Adults
Description:
The summer is a great time to get your financial life in shape. Take the first steps today. Learn hands on basic tips and tricks that will help you improve your personal finances and maximize every dollar through budgeting, saving, and investing.
Learning Intentions:
Attendees will be able to apply basic money management tools to be able to improve their overall financial well being.
Success Criteria:
Attendees will set financial goals and start a plan to achieve their goals.
Supporting Digital Citizenship
Supporting Digital Citizenship
8:15 - 11:30 | Digital Literacy Skills | PreK - 12
Description:
What does digital citizenship look like, sound like, and feel like for our 21st century learners? Explore classroom practices, strategies, and resources to support the development of digital citizenship skills in all students. Learn how incorporating digital citizenship into daily instruction boosts collaboration skills and positively contributes to inclusive learning environments.
Learning Intentions:
Define digital citizenship and explain why it is an important skill for students to practice
Identify opportunities within content-driven instruction to practice digital citizenship
Explore tools and resources to support the development of digital citizenship skills
Success Criteria:
Develop a plan to incorporate digital citizenship into classroom instruction, routines, and expectations
Understanding Youth Homelessness
Understanding Youth Homelessness
8:15 - 9:45 | Differentiation of Instruction | PreK-12
Description:
This workshop will give participants the opportunity to learn about what homelessness looks like from an education lens and how homelessness and involvement in the child welfare system impact a student's access to their learning. Participants will also learn strategies and action steps they can take to create an environment that elevates learning for students who are experiencing homelessness and/or are involved with child welfare.
Learning Intentions:
Participants will be able to define homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Act
Participants will be able to describe how homelessness and involvement in the child welfare system impacts a student's access to their learning
Participants will be able to identify strategies that elevate learning for students who are experiencing homelessness and/or are involved with the child welfare system
Success Criteria:
Participants will develop a clear plan of action and set of strategies to differentiate for students who are experiencing homelessness and/or are involved in the child welfare system
VIRTUAL SESSION: Virtual Field Trips with Discovery Education
VIRTUAL SESSION: Virtual Field Trips with Discovery Education
10:00 - 11:30 | Science, Digital Literacy | K-5
ONLINE SESSION
Description:
Take students beyond the walls of their classroom with Discovery Education’s Virtual Field Trips. Students can travel to diverse locations, learning from farmers, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and more. Discover how to locate Virtual Field Trips and explore how these trips impact student learning.
Learning Intentions:
I can select a Virtual Field Trip that meets the needs of my students’ learning objectives.
Success Criteria:
I can locate Discovery Education's virtual field trips
I can consider how virtual field trips supplement classroom learning
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