Thinking, listening, talking: three of the main tenets of learning, no matter the content nor discipline. Structured conversations, called discussion protocols, make the difference in collaborative classrooms. However, many of our students just don’t know how - we haven’t explicitly taught them! Come and discover processes which could work for you right off the bat as you start the school year.
Educational consultant for the School Reform Initiative as well as former Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability for City Schools of Decatur, GA.Education: PhD; Elementary EducationED.S; K-12 Educational LeadershipM.Ed; Elementary Education
Wednesday July 23, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am CDT BNHS AC-1122775 Bobcat Blvd, Trophy Club, TX 76262, USA
Join us on a fun-filled adventure through the magical world of number tracks and number lines! This interactive session is designed for Kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers who are ready to level up their students' math skills and help them become number line masters. We'll journey through hands-on games, creative activities, and exciting challenges that encourage students to visualize, count, add, subtract, and skip count with ease. This session will provide you with practical strategies and playful ideas to take back to your classroom. Get ready to equip your young learners with the number line superpowers they need to conquer math challenges and have a blast while doing it!
Join us for an exciting adventure where we’ll use number lines to level up student fluency! In this fun and interactive session, 3rd through 5th grade teachers will explore how to use the number line as a powerful tool to help students model addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, rounding, and problem-solving with whole numbers and decimals. Think of it as your trusty map to navigate the world of math! Together, we’ll defeat math challenges, work through hands-on activities, and connect to curriculum resources. By the end of the session, you'll be a number line pro ready to conquer your next math quest!
Looking for strategies to get your students thinking, struggling productively, and truly processing their learning? This session will dive into practical ways to use Lead4Ward resources to create meaningful learning experiences that increase student success. You’ll leave with ready-to-use strategies that encourage deeper engagement, critical thinking, and student ownership of learning. Come ready to collaborate, reflect, and transform your instruction!
Uncover effective strategies for structuring essays, ensuring clear and cohesive arguments. Additionally, we'll explore techniques for elaboration, teaching students to deepen their analysis and provide insightful commentary. By the end of this session, you'll be equipped with practical tools to guide your students toward more analytical and well-structured literary responses
Perhaps you have caught yourself nodding your head as someone is talking about differentiation. Later you determine you’re not even sure if the two of you share the same definition of differentiation! In this session, we will use a clear, practical definition of differentiation to assess various lesson plans and consider our own next steps with differentiating for our students.
Educational consultant for the School Reform Initiative as well as former Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability for City Schools of Decatur, GA.Education: PhD; Elementary EducationED.S; K-12 Educational LeadershipM.Ed; Elementary Education
Wednesday July 23, 2025 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT BNHS AC-1122775 Bobcat Blvd, Trophy Club, TX 76262, USA
Get ideas for planning engaging and interactive lessons that get kids up and moving through simulations. We will look at unique ways for students to apply their knowledge in fun ways that requires critical thinking. These extension ideas are not multi-day projects, but 1 day activities that give students the opportunities to teach other students and learn in multiple ways.
Ready to level up your math teaching? In this session, we’ll explore dynamic, game-changing strategies designed to engage students in the wonder of mathematics through active exploration and deep thinking. Using three powerful frameworks—3 Act Tasks, Numberless Word Problems, and "Which One Doesn’t Belong?"—we’ll show you how to turn problem solving into interactive challenges that build curiosity, creativity, and conceptual understanding. Like leveling up in your favorite game, each approach is a new skill that transforms how students experience math.
Take the stress out of reading conferences and turn them into powerful moments of growth! In this hands-on session, you’ll discover how to plan with purpose, ask the right questions, track progress easily, and give feedback that truly moves readers forward. Walk away with practical strategies to boost student engagement and confidence—so every conference leads to real results!
You may have used a discussion protocol or two in a meeting at school with adults. Many of these discussion structures can be modified to be used with students of all ages. We will engage in several processes so you can feel what it would be like for the students you teach.
Educational consultant for the School Reform Initiative as well as former Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability for City Schools of Decatur, GA.Education: PhD; Elementary EducationED.S; K-12 Educational LeadershipM.Ed; Elementary Education
Wednesday July 23, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm CDT BNHS AC-1122775 Bobcat Blvd, Trophy Club, TX 76262, USA
Imagine book clubs where students aren't just reading, but truly engaging with texts, with each other, and with ideas that transform their understanding. In this interactive session, we'll dive deep into the art of fostering rich, meaningful conversations that go beyond surface-level comprehension.
