What is the relationship between migration, race, and literacy? In this interactive session, we explore this question through stories from the educational lives of Black African immigrant and transnational youth. We’ll discuss how immigrant and transnational youth enter our classrooms with literate lives already in motion, carrying literacy practices that cross borders and are shaped by language, ethnicity, and race. Attendees will reflect on young people in their own contexts and explore ways to recognize and build on the literacies they bring with them. Participants will leave with practical approaches for centering all young people’s humanity, dignity, and freedom in literacy teaching and learning.

This interactive session will use a DBI (Document Based Inquiry), a strategy for engaging students with short text sets on any topic, that promotes motivation, critical reading and thinking, and dispositions of democracy like how to collaborate in ways that help students to support each other and to be “smarter together”. Participants will experience highly flexible strategies like reciprocal reading, patterned partner reading, collaborative strategic reading, literature circles and more that can enliven reading and teaching at any grade level and in any content area, all while experiencing a DBI and learning how to create one for your own classroom.

The prize winning “Double Helix of Reading & Writing,” a new theory of teaching, was first published in the journal Literacy. The Double Helix was created from analyses of teaching, influential theories, and robust scientific studies of reading. This talk gives unique insights into the creation of the Double Helix including its links with, and critique of, some seminal theories of learning. On the basis of evidence from research, examples of exemplary practices of teaching are given to contextualise the Double Helix, including the approach to teaching children how to crack the alphabetic code.

This session explores how teachers can use multimodal literacy practices (drawing, listening, recording, etc.) to support reading, writing, and literature instruction in secondary English classrooms. Dr. Nash will share contemporary research, lessons from his own classroom, and examples from student work.

Join Dr. Katie Sciurba as she facilitates an interactive session based on her research on reading and relevance, as illuminated through the literacy experiences of a group of young men of color over a ten-year span of time. Explore four dimensions of relevance - identity, spatiality, temporality, and ideology - and their connections to classroom practices in and beyond K-12 contexts.

Galway Kinnell said, “Poetry is someone standing up and saying, with as little concealment as possible, what it is for him or her to be on earth at this moment.” Carol Jago will explore the purposes of poetry and demonstrate practical methods for engaging students in reading, reflecting, responding, and writing about poems. She will also model ways of using poetry to inspire students to write their own poems. As they compose, students discover how poetry can be a vehicle for personal expression as well as for social change.

When people bring up “the research,” they don’t usually mean “an organized human exploration for meaning within vast amounts of information.” They usually mean THE answer. But if research is as human as teaching, why do some forms of research have so much more power and influence?  What would we know and be able to do if teaching and research had more interaction and collaboration with each other?  If information and influence went both ways? In this session we use 3 recent peer-reviewed articles focused on a single topic in literacy instruction to demonstrate and invite attendees to participate in putting new research in conversation with what we know from practice. Using a set of guiding questions and prompts we demonstrate a way to process and synthesize the three articles, while considering what we know, how we know it, and what we could do in classrooms to find out more. This process is made transparent through a handout with the protocol listed, as well as links to the articles and an organizer for generating additional ideas and connections for research in partners and small groups at the end of the session. 

Discover practical, research-based strategies to strengthen language and literacy instruction for multilingual learners through whole-class teaching, targeted small-group instruction, and AI-supported planning. This interactive session highlights classroom-tested scaffolds that promote oral language, vocabulary, decoding, reading comprehension, and writing across the curriculum. Participants will explore strategies to differentiate instruction, increase meaningful language use, and leverage AI to streamline lesson planning and create individualized instructional resources. Participants will leave with evidence-based strategies, adaptable scaffolds, and ready-to-use resources for immediate classroom implementation

With packed schedules and endless to-dos, you need smart, time-saving strategies. Join Maria to learn how picture books can be powerful springboards for cross-curricular learning. Discover read-aloud experiences that inspire inquiry and grow thinkers, tinkerers, and innovators. Walk away with simple STEAM learning experiences you can use right away, along with a list of engaging books to bring STEAM to life through literacy.

Books can serve as mirrors, windows, and doors (Sims Bishop, 1990) for students, but how do we ensure our classroom libraries truly reflect the strengths and experiences of multilingual and multicultural learners? With a special focus on multilingual learners, we'll examine book examples, discuss ways to integrate multiple languages, and share practical strategies for creating inclusive learning experiences with children's literature. Participants will leave with book recommendations and ideas they can immediately apply in their classrooms.

This presentation provides an analysis of what PEN America has dubbed “the normalization of book banning” in the United States. The talk will connect the last five years of censorship to broader historical trends and moments. Additionally, participants will learn about the civic engagement tactics that have been fruitful in fighting for intellectual freedom across the country. Finally, this presentation will invite audience members to craft an action plan they can take in their immediate context to secure the right to read in their communities.

A talk from Julian Randall on Spanglish, mirrors, and crafting authentic young characters. Drawing from his work as a poet and children’s author, Julian explores how writers can create young characters whose voices feel genuine, specific, and true to their experiences. He will consider the ways language, culture, identity, and lived experience shape a character’s voice, including the use of Spanglish and other forms of language that reflect how young people actually communicate. Participants will explore how writers can move beyond stereotypes and create characters who see themselves—and their worlds—reflected authentically on the page.

Legislatures across the nation have recently  adopted “science of reading” laws and invested heavily in teacher training, curriculum, and instructional approaches. Yet reading scores continue to decline nationwide, and the gap between students who are doing well and those struggling remains large. This session examines major U.S. policy initiatives in the past 25 years that focused on reading and considers why these policies had limited success in the past. We review research showing how factors beyond instruction influence children’s reading development and achievement. Education policy should address the social and economic conditions affecting children’s lives, and reading policy needs to be thought of more broadly than just curriculum and instruction. Children’s experiences with housing, poverty, health, and stress shape their learning  and in ways that public policy can address. Our argument is not that reading instruction is not important but rather that to be truly effective, policy efforts should take a more holistic approach, expanding from “science of reading” to the “science of learning and development.”

The adults who model literacy today help shape the readers, writers, and storytellers of tomorrow. In this interactive session, participants will explore research-based strategies for fostering positive reading associations that increase motivation, engagement, and reading identity. Through reflection, discussion, and practical application, attendees will discover how read-alouds, student choice, family engagement, and authentic literacy experiences empower children to find their voices and imagine new possibilities. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to create joyful, literacy-rich environments where every child can thrive as a reader.

Compton-Lilly explores the longitudinal becoming of a Chinese American child who was diagnosed in elementary school with Asperger’s Syndrome. While James’ early years of schooling were challenging, the researcher documents events, people, and social networks that contributed to James’ eventual success. James’ becoming was marked by past school experiences, the challenges he faced in meeting school timelines, his family’s history as Chinese American immigrants, and the draw of popular culture, which helped James to connect with his peers. Together these timescales highlight James’ longitudinal becoming over a 13-year period. Recommendations for teachers working with neurodiverse children will be shared.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will have the opportunity to create literacy interest inventories designed to capture the complexities of K-12 students' conceptualizations of relevance. Ideas for linking these inventories to engaging student-centered literacy practices will be generated.

In today's challenging climate of book bans and backlash against the importance of inclusive teaching, it can be hard to know how to engage in the necessary work we know all of our children need and deserve. Yet providing students with strong academic instruction and social consciousness raising are not mutually exclusive. In this session, we’ll discuss what learning is possible when we root our practices in anti-bias instruction. Together, we will define bias, identify how it informs teaching and learning, and engage in practices that are inclusive of diverse learners and experiences. Participants will reflect on the impact of biases on students and classroom practices. Practical strategies will be embedded throughout the workshop.

Reframe schoolwide literacy initiatives with improvement science. Use root cause analyses and PDSA cycles to engage in authentic problems of practice.

Discover practical, research-based strategies to strengthen language and literacy instruction for multilingual learners through whole-class teaching, targeted small-group instruction, and AI-supported planning. This interactive session highlights classroom-tested scaffolds that promote oral language, vocabulary, decoding, reading comprehension, and writing across the curriculum. Participants will explore strategies to differentiate instruction, increase meaningful language use, and leverage AI to streamline lesson planning and create individualized instructional resources. Participants will leave with evidence-based strategies, adaptable scaffolds, and ready-to-use resources for immediate classroom implementation.

Though originally intended for upper elementary students, this session shows how the work of Beers and Probst’s Notice and Note for Nonfiction can benefit comprehension of non-fiction texts for younger grades as well.

The best booktalks are those delivered from the heart. It’s the way we share our love and passion for favorite titles and books that inspires students and colleagues. Join children’s book author and librarian John Schu as he invites us to imagine the many ways books can foster connection and understanding. He’ll share some of the best new books and ways to easily incorporate them into your school reading culture to increase reading motivation, stamina, and growth.

What happens when young people and older adults create digital stories together? Drawing on the Connected Stories project, this session explores intergenerational digital storytelling as a way to support writing, digital literacy, relationship-building, and community connection. Participants will learn about an adaptable workshop process that invites storytellers to gather memories, compose across words and media, and share stories with authentic audiences. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for developing intergenerational digital storytelling partnerships for their classroom, schools, libraries, and community settings.

This presentation provides an analysis of what PEN America has dubbed “the normalization of book banning” in the United States. The talk will connect the last five years of censorship to broader historical trends and moments. Additionally, participants will learn about the civic engagement tactics that have been fruitful in fighting for intellectual freedom across the country. Finally, this presentation will invite audience members to craft an action plan they can take in their immediate context to secure the right to read in their communities.

Our students are bombarded with texts from a variety of sources each day, many developed by human actors and/or AI with an intent to deceive and manipulate them. This workshop will explore how required curricular topics can be taught in ways that promote engagement, open-minded inquiry, critical reading, news literacy, and digital literacies that can serve to promote hope, humanity and agency. We will focus on how a powerful method of reading called “Readers’ Rules of Notice” can be used to teach and guide critical reading of fiction, nonfiction, fake news, and AI generated texts at all grade levels.

Educators like you are doing remarkable work every day. Publication is how that work travels beyond your school walls. This hands-on workshop supports all writers, newcomers and experienced authors alike, in developing compelling manuscripts drawn from their own professional practice, whether that's a conference presentation, a classroom innovation, or a professional learning initiative.

Wisconsin’s literacy landscape is evolving, with research, policy, and practice shaping a shared vision and creating the context for coordinated implementation. Join the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Literacy for an inside look at statewide literacy initiatives, progress, and what’s ahead. Hear updates on the Statewide Literacy Plan, 2023 Wisconsin Act 20 initiatives, including the Early Literacy Coaching Program, and other efforts to improve literacy systems. Attendees will leave with ideas for strengthening collaboration through communities of practice and an increased awareness of statewide resources for advancing literacy for every Wisconsin learner.

Are your students blocked by a blank screen? Discover how the humble pencil, backed by cutting-edge brain research, unlocks creativity and reduces cognitive load during drafting. We won't stay analog! Learn to bridge those messy ink ideas into polished digital masterpieces. Whether through Google Docs, interactive videos, or Book Creator, we’ll explore transitioning students from high-touch thinking to high-tech publishing for an authentic audience. Walk away with a framework that scaffolds the writing process from private brainstorming to public pride for powerful, multimodal results. 

Educator well-being holds implications for teachers, students, school environments, and the local community. Additionally, educator well-being is a factor in teacher recruitment, retention, and empowerment. This qualitative case study prioritizes teacher perspectives to illuminate how arts integration facilitates professional integrity and helps us envision education that re-centers humans. Session attendees will learn about arts integration as a path to well-being for themselves and their students along with methods supporting arts integration as a pedagogical approach. Session will invite attendees to participate in activities promoting wellness; examples from arts-integrated classrooms will be shared.

Are you a busy educator trying to make sense of the endless stream of social media posts, blogs, and claims about what the science says—and doesn't say—about literacy teaching and learning? Are you inundated with literacy products marketed as "science-based," scripted programs that dictate instructional decisions for every child, and mandates that may not have been developed by literacy experts? This session is a lifeline for educators seeking to cut through the noise. Learn how to critically evaluate literacy research, instructional products, and policy claims using trusted peer-reviewed research, accessible professional reports, and high-quality webinars. Leave with the knowledge and resources to reclaim your professional judgment, make informed instructional decisions, and confidently advocate for the literacy needs of every child.

You know translanguaging matters, but how do you intentionally build it into instruction? This session moves beyond theory to practice by highlighting simple, effective ways to create opportunities for multilingual learners to leverage all of their language resources for learning. Participants will leave with concrete ideas that can be applied across content areas and grade levels to support multilingual learners' engagement, comprehension, and success.

What can teachers do when students balk at doing the reading? Teachers across the country are reporting that their students are disaffected, disengaged from school, barely putting in seat time, stuck in neutral. This may be a continuation of habits formed during the pandemic and/or a result of too much screen time, but the time for excuses is past. We need to help students rediscover their learning gear. In this workshop Carol Jago will demonstrate instructional moves that can help students increase their stamina and develop greater confidence in themselves as readers. Participants will learn strategies designed to “turn the page” on declining reading scores.

No matter where the pendulum swings, the perennial challenges at the heart of teaching reading stay the same. This session outlines patterns in international policy trends that indicate where policies about assessment, instruction, curriculum and achievement are heading, and what that means for educators navigating everyday decisions that impact students' opportunities to learn.

This workshop will explore how culturally responsive and sustaining workshop practices can speak to the diverse needs of our students by examining the potential limitations of current writing units and practices. Participants will walk through multiple examples of culturally sustaining workshop practices, discuss their potential impacts on diverse student writers, and consider the applications for their own classrooms, particularly in the context of AI and its impact on writing instruction.

Many students are getting ample attention to phonics principles and word learning but do not know how to utilize this knowledge in connected text. This session will showcase cycles of learning for early elementary students that help students see connections between word/letter learning and text.

Literacy teachers have long navigated mandates, approved programs, competing research claims, and the complex needs of actual students. Now, schools are increasingly asking them to use digital platforms, screen-based scripted programs, and new assessment systems designed to automate instructional decision-making. This session explores how educators can respond to increasingly digitally automated times without reducing professional learning to compliance or positioning teachers as implementers of someone else’s decisions. Drawing on research conducted in collaboration with teachers, participants will leave with collaborative routines for asserting pragmatic agency, interpreting policy, and sustaining responsive literacy practice.

Whose Stories Are We Reading? This session provides a framework and practical strategies for creating engaging, year-long multicultural literacy experiences that center Indigenous voices. Participants will explore the importance of authentic literature, intentional text selection, and collaboration with members of represented communities. Through classroom examples, photos, videos, and student work, attendees will see how connected lessons build cultural knowledge, vocabulary, and deep understanding over time. The session also highlights the importance of educator learning and preparation to ensure culturally responsive instruction honors Indigenous perspectives with accuracy, respect, and purpose.

We know learning should be fun, but how do we make it an experience? In this session participants will learn about how to create rich language experiences, positive interactions and active, exploration using a multi-sensory approach all while embedding letter-sound knowledge, handwriting, phonological awareness skills and writing into the play. This program evens the playing field for ELL, low income, and students with special needs by building background knowledge and vocabulary necessary for success. Come see how we transformed 6 traditional 4K classrooms into 12 theme-based play rich classrooms where our students thrive.

What happens when poetry moves beyond the ELA classroom? This session explores how sijo, a traditional Korean poetic form, can spark cross-curricular collaboration in art, music, and across grade levels. Participants will discover how students translate poetry into visual art, musical composition, and shared writing experiences. Through examples and practical strategies, educators will learn how sijo fosters creativity, builds community, and amplifies student voice across disciplines. Attendees will leave with adaptable project ideas and structures to support meaningful collaboration in their schools.

This professional learning session explores the power of culturally responsive literature and authentic representation in second-grade classrooms. Presented by Melanated Authors, the session highlights how seeing themselves in books can boost students' self-esteem, engagement, and connection to learning. Participants will learn how diverse books serve as both mirrors and windows, promoting inclusion, empathy, and academic growth. Through examples from Melanated Authors' books, educators will gain practical strategies for integrating diverse literature into literacy instruction, social-emotional learning, and classroom culture. Teachers will leave with actionable ideas for creating more inclusive and engaging learning environments.

For multilingual learners, oracy is the foundation of literacy and the key to agency. This session dives into research-based practices that prioritize student voice and collaborative talk. We will examine how different frameworks can be used to create inclusive literacy environments where students’ home languages are honored as assets. Attendees will leave with a toolkit of practical strategies to integrate oracy into daily routines, ensuring that every student has the confidence and the language to imagine and articulate their own future.

Reading and writing are two sides of the same coin, but most classroom instruction treats them as separate subjects. This collaborative session explores how intentional craft study of mentor texts transforms students from passive readers into purposeful writers. Participants experience a mentor text cycle that moves from reading like a reader to reading like a writer, identifying craft moves, naming them, and applying them in their own writing. The session bridges grammar, revision, and writing workshop instruction in one coherent framework. Participants will walk away with practical strategies for creating meaningful opportunities for students to use reading as a pathway to stronger writing.

The Professors of Literacy are back for another year of round tables at the 2027 WSRA conference! During this session, you will visit a rotation of four round tables that each feature a different evidence-based literacy strategy. This year’s topics include Effective Writing Instruction (Dr. Hiawatha Smith, UW-River Falls), Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping (Dr. Krissy Lize, UW-Milwaukee), Reading Fluency (Dr. Emily Hines, UW-Stout), Teacher Reflection (Dr. Amber Garbe, Dr. Polly Manske & Dr. Jackie Sernau, UW-Stevens Point), Integrating Wellness (Dr. Kathryn Allen, UW Oshkosh), and Cumulative Review of Vocabulary (Dr. Tom Knutson & Amy Wabiszewski, Carroll University).