"Number Sense and Math Problem Solving For Kindergarten Smarties": Peek into Angie’s classroom where students are developing math and problem-solving skills through story problems, thinking charts, counting collections, large-group games, and small-group activities. Gain ideas for how to choose problems for your classroom that help your students grow, record their strategies for solving problems, and share their thinking with others. Come away with real classroom tools that will enrich any math program.
"Morning Meeting-A Sweet Start": Angie invites you to discover lots of engaging new ideas to make the most of your morning meeting time. Take a fresh look at the morning message, calendar, and shared reading. Uncover fun, new ways to incorporate math and literacy skills into that jam-packed, first part of your kindergarten day. Angie shares video clips from the classroom, along with great morning meeting resources.
"Getting Dirty – What I’ve Learned from Teaching in the Forest": Just go outside they say… It’s easy they say… You see the mounting evidence proving the benefits the outdoors has on children and something is still holding you inside the safety of the four walls of the classroom. Jen Heyer has been an outdoor educator for five years and there have been numerous challenges; there are strengths and struggles to this change of learning environment. Hear anecdotal stories that will take you on the path of becoming an outdoor educator and see the benefits first hand.
"Finding Balance: Tips to Organize Your Classroom & Life" : Education is not for the faint of heart! You might feel like a juggler who has dropped all their balls. Crystal will remind you in this hope-filled keynote that it is totally worth it! As an educator, she gets your life and understands the demands and expectations you face every day. Crystal will encourage you, make you laugh and help you discover how to keep the joy in teaching. Let's find balance, organize our lives and learn to live our best lives.
"Phonemic Awareness and Phonics" : Can you hear me now? Phonemic Awareness is often the misunderstood layer of phonological awareness. Crystal will help you understand what phonemic awareness is, why it’s important and help you fill your tool box with fantastic phonemic awareness mini-lessons, songs, and activities. Help your students build a strong foundation of listening to help them become great readers with excellent comprehension skills.
"It’s Gonna Be ALL WRITE!": Writing can be scary for our new and emerging writers. Help them ease into it with Jessica’s collection of confidence-building tools. Gather new ideas and engaging activities for moving all levels of writers from worry to wonder.
"Integrate and Celebrate with STEM": Get ready to create and hands-on, problem-solving, design type of classroom your children want and need! In this interactive session, Jessica presents ideas, tips, and tools to incorporate into activities that ensure your students feel like successful engineers and real-world problem solvers!
"The H.E.A.R.T. of a Teacher": Being a teacher is no easy task. Join Jessica in this fun, inspirational, and uplifting keynote to truly discover what is included in the H.E.A.R.T. of a teacher. Leave feeling understood, appreciated, and full of JOY!
"1,2,3...C.R.T." (Sarah Miller and Malik Peer): Curious about culturally responsive teaching and equity? This session will introduce you to C.R.T. concepts and give you strategies and activities that you can implement in your classroom tomorrow! Learn what you are already doing and what more you can do that will benefit all kids.
"An Integrated Approach to Wellness – Mindfulness & Yoga in the Classroom" (Molly Nefstead): Are you looking for ways to provide social emotional support to your students? In this session, you will learn to integrate mindfulness and yoga into the classroom. Participants will learn about and try yoga based movements, breathing techniques, and guided relaxation. Other classroom activities that support social emotional wellbeing that can be woven into your day will be also be discussed.
"Engaging Students Through Music" (Mindy Foyer & Rebecca Cauthen): Learn to integrate music into your curriculum to create engaging learning environments for learners. From shapes and patterns to letters and sound recognition, discover how to enhance your classroom with music, while meeting the social/emotional needs of your students.
"Growing an Outdoor Learning Program" (Jen Hyer): Today’s kids are growing up at a moment when childhood is increasingly indoors and technologically enhanced. This session will give you ideas on how to create your own outdoor learning program for your students; teaching that is more play-based and nature-enhanced. Move past being the expert in your classroom and start facilitating authentic learning with your students in the great outdoors!
"I’m an Author. You’re an Author" (Mary Bleckwehl): Minnesota children's author, and former elementary teacher, Mary Bleckwehl, will discuss the importance of giving kindergartners experience to connect with their favorite book's author and see themselves as writers (and illustrators). She will share interactive ideas for accomplishing this as well as thoughts on getting an author to your class or school-even if budgets are tight!
"Let’s Talk Kindergarten" (Jordan Kindergarten Teachers): Join us for a round-table discussion of all things Kindergarten. Teachers in the classroom are the true experts, so come to have an open discussion and time to share amongst ourselves! Jordan Kindergarten Teachers would love to share how we set up our Kickstart to Kindergarten program where we bring students in for two days before school starts and use the information to even out our class lists. Discussion about “Begindergarten”, transitional Kindergarten, purposeful play, standards, students that fall through the cracks or any other “hot topics”.
"Math is the Name of the Game" (Jessica Travis): Math just got fun! Join Jessica as she shares hands-on ideas, engaging activities, and much more in this hands-on session about math! Make math come alive in your classroom again through your whole group, small group, and independent learning stations in your classroom!
"Teaching with Technology" (Crystal Radtke) : Join Crystal as she shares her favorite apps, websites and technology tools that will enhance your every day instruction in all subject areas while providing meaningful, engaging learning opportunities for your students.
"Why Do They Do That?" (Cheryl Smythe from A Chance to Grow): Wet sleeves and shirt collars? Meltdowns at clean up time? Explore the "why" behind common behaviors that tend to be labeled "misbehaviors" in your classrooms. Learn how the “why” behind the behaviors can help you better understand what the child is trying to tell you. Along with that understanding, educators will be equipped with tips and tricks to help ease the frequency or intensity of these behaviors ranging from shirt chewers to meltdowns at transitions.
"You’ve Got the Power! Goal-Setting to Support all Learners" (Chelsie Cabak): With our multiplying expectations for rigor in the classroom, finding a way to be sure all students are meeting the standards becomes increasingly challenging. Some students come into your classroom having never picked up a crayon, and some students come in reading, writing and doing multiplication. How can we help each one of these children grow? You can do it by incorporating the very powerful tool of goal-setting into the stations many of us already have in our classroom! You will involve parents in helping children achieve their goals, and you’ll be able to change students’ grades to “meeting the standard” numerous times a day! Once you start goal-setting with your students, you will never let it go! When you leave this session, you will have a plan and the materials you need to get started in your classroom.