Date/Time
11/01/2019
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location
Seward Memorial Library
$40 (includes lunch if you register by Oct. 25!)
One representative from each current Read Aloud Partner can receive a discounted registration fee of $35!
Onsite registrations will be accepted and do not include lunch.
Keynote Speakers:
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
I Love You, Michael Collins (Skype)
With I LOVE YOU, MICHAEL COLLINS, Lauren Baratz-Logsted has created a heartwarming story about family and being true to yourself.
Cyndi Giorgis
Update Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook
Reading aloud has the potential to expand the horizons of every child. Through books, children are offered the opportunity to explore new vistas and visions; gain knowledge and understandings; and experience pleasure and empathy. As author Katherine Paterson states, “Read it to me is a test. Let me read it to you is a gift.” This keynote will present the research and rationale for why we read aloud to children of all ages and how it opens a world possibilities for them.
Megan Cox Gurdon
The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction (Skype)
Why Reading Aloud in the Classroom is Risky… in the Best Possible Way. Meghan Cox Gurdon shows how reading out loud offers a refreshing, fast-working antidote to the fractured attention spans, atomized families, and unfulfilling distractions of the tech era.
Breakout Session 1
A. What’s Going Down in Prairie Dog Town?
Alan Bartels, Author
“Prairie dog towns are marvelous magnets of life in the Great Plains, but so much of the magic happens out of sight, at night, and underground.” Alan will share a reading of his book and answer questions of the audience.
B. Picture Book Read Alouds
Carla Ketner, Chapters Books & Gifts
Reading aloud is widely recognized as the single most important activity leading to language development. Among other things, reading aloud builds word-sound awareness in children, a potent predictor of reading success. Carla will share picture books that are great for reading aloud.
C. Kearney Literacy Council & Partnerships
Elaine Batenhorst
Elaine and Luzy will speak about the many ventures the Kearney Literacy Council has taken through the years with the assistance of partnerships.
Breakout Session 2
A. Read Aloud Poetry for All Ages
Matt Mason, Nebraska State Poet
This session discusses how important it is to bring poetry to life by how it is presented when reading a poem out loud. The audience has one chance to understand the poem that way, so it’s especially important to incorporate a little emotion and liveliness so that listeners can connect. Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason will lead a discussion on poetry presentation as well as read poems of his own and others.
B. What’s New in Read Aloud?
Cyndi Giorgis, Author
Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook has been in print since 1982. The 8th edition of this well-known resource was published in fall 2019 and contains updated research as well as an extensive list of recommended books for reading aloud.
C. Nebraska Reading Improvement Act
Marissa Payzant, Nebraska Department of Education
This session will provide an overview of the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act, which brings a renewed emphasis to early literacy across the state. Participants will learn about the major requirements of the law including early screening, parental notification, individualized reading improvement plans, implementation of evidence-based interventions, and summer learning.
Breakout Session 3
A. Unite for Literacy
Mike McGuffee, Unite for Literacy
At Unite for Literacy, we picture a world where all children have access to an abundance of books that celebrate their languages and cultures and cultivate a lifelong love of reading. Mike deeply believes that all children have a right to experience the joy of reading, and that technology holds the key to book abundance for everyone.
B. Building Relationships Through Books
Sydney Jensen, Nebraska Teacher of the Year
This session highlights the ways teachers can use books to bring a learning community together through shared interests, discussion, and engagement. When our students feel represented in our curriculum, they are more likely to engage as readers and learners.
C. Beginning Readers and Early Chapter Book Read Alouds
Sandy Wallick, Lincoln City Libraries
Reading aloud builds motivation, curiosity, and memory. It helps children cope during times of stress or anxiety. Take children to places and times they have never been – enlarging and enhancing their worlds. Sandy will share with you her favorite books for reading aloud to children.
