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Learn about the importance of oral language and how to incorporate best practices into your classroom with these professional development session recordings and resources.
Learn about the importance of oral language and how to incorporate best practices into your classroom with these professional development session recordings and resources.
Session 1: Building Literacy Foundations with Oral Language
Session 1: Building Literacy Foundations with Oral Language
Session description below - select down arrow to the right
Facilitator: Dr. Danielle "Nell" Thompson, PhD CCC-SLP
Date: November 2025
Host: MT Reads / MT OPI
Learning Outcomes enhanced by topic specific breakouts:
Participants will gain the understanding and knowledge to...
Explain literacy development through a model that begins with oral language.
Build stronger Early Learning (4-year-old) environments with oral language assessment and data analysis protocols (within MTSS).
Examine early literacy instructional resources and protocols to ensure they address both sides of the Simple View of Reading.
Identify actionable steps for building eco-systems and instruction that are rich in language development.
Session Description:
Literacy, along with all learning and life skills, rests on a foundation in oral language, yet this critical domain is often underemphasized in early learning systems / MTSS frameworks. This session will equip and empower educators, MTSS teams, SLPs, and leaders to enhance systemic literacy protocols by understanding and leveraging the value of early oral language screening and instruction. Participants will learn how oral language skills shape lifelong learning and literacy outcomes, why early assessment and analysis matter, and how to design instruction that aligns with both language and code-focused components of reading development. Through real-world local and national examples and practical strategies, attendees will leave with the tools to enhance early literacy systems, communicate the “why” behind oral language screening, and take actionable steps to implement instruction that accelerates language growth for every learner.
Oral Language Session 1.mp4Session 1 Recording
Session 1 Recording
TRTG_OPI_Oral Language Briefing_11_10_25_Final.pdfSession 1 Handout
Session 1 Handout
Session 2: PreK-2 Schoolwide Implementation of Oral Language
Session description below - select down arrow to the right
Facilitators: Anne Penn Cox and Patti Durgan
Date: December 2025
Host: MT Reads / MT OPI
Session Description:
Building strong readers starts early! This session highlights how one small school successfully implemented language assessment, intervention, and curriculum to strengthen PreK–2nd grade literacy practices. Participants will explore practical tools, context-driven decision-making, and strategies for embedding language learning across classrooms. Leave with clear action steps and resources to support cohesive, language-rich instruction tailored to your own school community.
Oral Lang. CoP Session 2 Recording.mp4Session 2 Recording
Session 2 Recording
Oral Language CoP Session 2 Handout.pdfSession 2 Slides
Session 2 Slides
Session 3: Involving Families in Oral Language Development
Session description below - select down arrow to the right
Facilitators: MaryKate DeSantis & Joan Kelley
Date: January 2026
Host: MT Reads / MT OPI
Session Description:
Teachers Can’t Do It Alone: Mobilizing Families and Communities to Grow Language Beyond the Classroom
Improving children’s reading outcomes demands strong language and knowledge skills, but schools alone don’t have time to do all that skill building. So how can schools support children’s extra dosage of playful skill-building, beyond the school day?
Joan and MaryKate will present on their “it takes a village” model, creating realistic and productive school/family partnership programs that support reading development, age 3 to grade 3. You’ll see how the research points all schools in this direction, hear what they learned from implementing a real-world program designed to engage caregivers and support teachers, and feel how structured collaboration could lower pressure on educators and help families understand their playful role in the learning-to-read process.
Whether you’re a coach, administrator, or classroom teacher, you’ll walk away with strategies to motivate all the adults in a child’s life to become active partners in reading development. This is more than planning family outreach—it’s finding a way to activate the community for lasting impact.
CoP Session 3 Recording.mp4Session 3 Recording
Session 3 Recording
Code switching exercise handout session 3.docxCode Switching Handout
Code Switching Handout
Dual Capacity Framework.pdfDual Capacity Framework Handout
Dual Capacity Framework Handout
Session 4A, Grades 4-12: Productive Group Talk: The Power of Oral Language and Reading Comprehension
Session 4A, Grades 4-12: Productive Group Talk: The Power of Oral Language and Reading Comprehension
Session description below - select down arrow to the right
Facilitator: Jeanne Schopf, M.Ed., NBCT, C-SLDI
Date: Janurary 2026
Host: MT Reads / MT OPI
Summary:
Productive Group Talk: The Power of Oral Language and Reading Comprehension
This session explores how oral language development strengthens reading comprehension in secondary classrooms by deepening engagement, critical thinking, and academic language. Educators will learn to design standards-aligned lessons that use text-dependent questions, structured discussions, and purposeful dialogue to support comprehension across texts. Participants will gain practical strategies to create interactive, student-centered classrooms and enhance the impact of discussions for all learners, with guidance tailored for school leaders, instructional coaches, content teachers, literacy specialists, and special education and EL educators.
Brief Bio:
Jeanne Schopf, M.Ed., NBCT, C-SLDI, and Certified Explicit Instruction Trainer of Trainers, is a literacy expert, motivational keynote speaker, and educational leader with over 30 years of experience. A K–12 teacher, Literacy Coach, Reading Specialist, and Certified Dyslexia Interventionist, she transforms learning for both students and educators.
A Certified John Maxwell speaker, trainer, and coach, Jeanne empowers educators and leaders through meaningful connections and research-based professional development grounded in MTSS and the Science of Reading. She is the Founder of Pathways Towards Literacy, guiding schools in implementing evidence-based practices to ensure all students achieve literacy success, and serves as a consultant for The Reading League, CORE Learning, the 95 Percent Group, and the Transformative Reading Teacher Group.
Jeanne’s mission is to create pathways toward literacy, helping educators deliver high-quality reading instruction so every student can reach their full potential.
Session 4B, PreK-3: Oral Language Community of Practice
Session 4B, PreK-3: Oral Language Community of Practice
Session description below - select down arrow to the right
Facilitators: Lucy Hart Paulson, EdD, CCC-SLP and Shelby Damaskos, M.S., CCC-SLP
Date: February 2026
Host: MT Reads / MT OPI
Instructional Strategies in Oral Language Development
Session Description: This session will focus on instructional strategies that can be easily implemented in PreK-3rd grade classroom to increase oral language.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Lucy Hart Paulson, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, is an author and literacy specialist with a mission of bringing research to practice. She is also a speech-language pathologist with many years of experience working with educators and with students in a wide range of educational settings. In addition, Lucy was an associate professor teaching and conducting research in the areas of language and literacy development and disorders. She provides professional development using a broad-based perspective blending areas of language and literacy together resulting in effective, appropriate, and engaging language-based literacy instruction and intervention for all children. Finally, Lucy is the co-author of the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) for Early Childhood Educators, 2nd Edition, Building Early Literacy and Language Skills, a resource and activity guide for young children, and also for Good Talking Words, 2nd Edition, a social communication skills program for young children.
Speaker Bio: Shelby Damaskos is a dedicated speech-language pathologist based in Montana, specializing in early childhood and school-based settings. She is licensed by the Montana Board of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Shelby also serves as a board member for the Montana Speech-Language and Hearing Association (MSHA). With a deep passion for supporting young children’s communication, Shelby collaborates closely with educators, families, and caregivers to foster speech, language, and social development within everyday routines. Her work is especially focused in public schools and Head Start programs, where she helps create meaningful, engaging learning experiences that support children’s foundational oral language skills. Through her ongoing commitment to early intervention and inclusive education, Shelby strives to build environments where every child has the opportunity to grow, connect, and thrive.
Session 5, Language By Ear, Mouth, Eye, and Hand: Connecting Oral Language and Composition
Session 5, Language By Ear, Mouth, Eye, and Hand: Connecting Oral Language and Composition
Session description below - select down arrow to the right
Facilitator: Amy Siracusano, MS Ed.
Date: April 2026
Host: MT Reads / MT OPI
Amy Siracusano, MS Ed., founder and owner of Know Better Do Better Literacy, LLC., worked in public education for 25 years before becoming an international literacy consultant. Her career has included many positions: classroom teacher, Title I teacher, vice principal, and literacy specialist for the board of education. She has shared her expertise at national conferences, contributed to blogs and articles, and has been featured on podcasts covering a wide array of literacy topics such as assessment, dyslexia, reading, and writing. Amy also serves as an adjunct professor in the Reading Science Advanced Certificate Program at Brooklyn College in New York City. Passionate about empowering educators, her mission is to help ensure all students leave second grade with strong reading and writing skills by deepening teachers’ understanding of language systems and instructional practices. Amy resides in Southern Maryland with her husband, Joe, and their daughters, Lucia (18) and Isabella (16).
Session Description: Language By Ear, Mouth, Eye, and Hand: Connecting Oral Language and Composition
The Not So Simple View of Writing (Berninger & Winn, 2006) is the theoretical model that should guide oral and written instructional practices in the classroom. Composition is a mirror of students’ oral language abilities. They need to automatize their skills orally before they express their ideas by hand. Participants will learn that explicit instruction in both oral language and syntactic structures is crucial for developing written expression. The writing process is a recursive structure we can use to support writing production. Participants will leave the session with practical application approaches that can be used in the classroom tomorrow.
National Literacy Consultant, Founder and Owner of Know Better Do Better Literacy, LLC
www.knowbetterdobetterliteracy.com [knowbetterdobetterliteracy.com]
Adjunct Professor, Advanced Reading Science Certificate Program, CUNY at Brooklyn College
Acadience Training Specialist, Acadience Learning
CoP 5 Recoding 4-27-26.mp4Session 5 Recording
Session 5 Recording
Language By Ear^LJ Mouth^LJ Eye^LJ and Hand- Connecting Oral Language and Composition Spring 2026 Montana Amy Siracusano Handouts.pdfSession 5 Slides
Session 5 Slides
Other Resources Mentioned in Session 5:
Reading Universe- Free instructional articles, videos, instructional routines for educators on many topics including writing and literacy. Free student resources, too!
WVC Ed. -Writing, vocabulary, comprehension tools and much more. All research-based tools developed by William Van Cleave. Resources for Left and Right-Handed writers.
Iowa Reading Research Center- Handwriting Hub: Lifter and Clifter (Free Educator modules to teach research-based methods and resources for handwriting (manuscript letter and cursive formation).
The Writing Revolution- Great for an educator book study.
Florida Center for Reading Research- free sentence building activities.
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