Saturday Spectacular: Full Schedule

9:00am CST

Universal Design for Learning

Educators learn to align the way they recruit student attention and engagement, present information to a variety of learners, and vary the methods they use for students to demonstrate understanding. Educators will learn how to connect learning to experiences that are meaningful and valuable using the three UDL principles and nine checkpoints.

Speakers

Monica Alsaker

Special Education Instructional Specialist, ESC Region 11

Monica is a Special Education Instructional Specialist. She has a Masters' Degree in Inclusive Practices. She has experience with general education and special education for students in grades K-6. Her work focus is on meeting student needs across all academics especially lesson design... Read More →

Saturday February 5, 2022 9:00am - 9:55am CST
Zoom

One-hour Session, Teaching Students with Special Educaiton Services

Audience All Level
Subject Teaching Students with Special Educaiton Services

9:00am CST

Utilizing Assistive Technology in the Classroom

Participants will be given links to various switch activities, iPad apps, and instructions on how to create their own adapted books.

Speakers

Shannah Blankenship

Special Education Blind & Visually Impaired Specialist, ESC Region 11

I am a mom of 5 and have 6 grandbabies. I have a Masters in Education from Midwestern State University. I have been in education for almost 20 years. I have been a TVI for 10 years and a COMS for 3. In August of 2021, I took a position as a Special Education Specialist at ESC Region... Read More →

Saturday February 5, 2022 9:00am - 9:55am CST
Zoom

One-hour Session, Teaching Students with Special Educaiton Services

Audience All Level
Subject Teaching Students with Special Educaiton Services
Zoom Password AT

9:00am CST

Every day is Writing Day

Teachers will learn and practice how to use open-ended responses as a part of their daily lessons.

Speakers

Travis Whisenant

Director of Leadership and Support, ESC Region 11

Travis Whisenant is the Director of Leadership and Support for the Region 11 Educational Service Center and a Lone Star Governance Coach. He is also a former Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Principal, English Language Arts Teacher, and Writing Coach.

Saturday February 5, 2022 9:00am - 10:00am CST
Zoom

One-hour Session

Audience Middle School Teachers, High school teachers, bilingual teachers, Literacy, Mathematics, Teachers serving English learners, Teachers serving students in special education services

9:00am CST

Best Practices in Read Aloud in the Elementary Classroom

Does your Read-Aloud block mystify you? Would you like to learn more about the elements of a successful read-aloud? This session will equip you with the foundational knowledge of best practices and easy-to-use strategies to ensure student success that can immediately be brought back to your classroom. During this session, you will learn what happens during each part of a read-aloud as well as the student and teacher roles. You will walk away with confidence, knowledge, and door prizes

Speakers

Kasha Ashworth

Reading Academies Comprehensive Coach, ESC Region 11

With almost 30 years of education experience between them, Kasha and Rachel are both passionate about literacy and the doors it can open for students. They currently serve as Reading Academies Comprehensive coaches for ESC 11. They can't wait to share the joy of reading with you... Read More →

Rachel Hart

Reading Academies Cohort Leader, ESC Region 11

Saturday February 5, 2022 9:00am - 10:55am CST
Zoom

Two-hour Session, Literacy (English)

Audience Elementary
Subject Literacy (English)

9:00am CST

hAPPily Ever After

A little pixie dust and some bibbidi-bobbidi boo! You are cordially invited to a royal event that will transform your classroom engagement into magical experiences where your students use technology to create learning opportunities and projects that are sure to be grand. This hands-on session will address creativity, communication, and collaboration as well as give you learning station ideas and tech tools to take back to your early childhood classroom immediately. Please bring a charged device.

Speakers

Nicole Adkins

Early Childhood/Digital Learning Coach, ESC Region 11

Nicole Adkins has 10 years of experience in education. She spent 6 years in the classroom teaching first, second, and fourth grade as a self-contained teacher. Nicole spent three years serving as an early elementary literacy coach at Region 11 in Fort Worth, Texas. She currently works... Read More →

Saturday February 5, 2022 9:00am - 10:55am CST
Zoom

Two-hour Session, Educational Technology

Audience Elementary
Subject Educational Technology

9:00am CST

Number Talks in Early Childhood Math

Number talks are short, daily exercises aimed at building number sense and a student's ability to talk about his or her thinking in mathematics. The focus is not on the correct answer, but more so on all the possible methods of solving the problem. Join us during this session to learn more about this practice and how to set them up it in your early childhood classroom. This session is geared for any teacher or support staff member in Pre-K-2 as well as their instructional coaches. We will actively practice number talks so that you leave the lesson ready to implement them in your classroom.

Speakers

Kelsie Lumadue

Instructional Content Coach, ESC Region 11

Kelsie has over 10 years of experience in education in traditional public schools, charter schools, and statewide educational policy work. She is currently an Instructional Content Coach at ESC Region 11 in Fort Worth, Texas. Her professional learning sessions typically focus on early... Read More →

Saturday February 5, 2022 9:00am - 10:55am CST
Zoom

Two-hour Session, Mathematics

Audience Elementary
Subject Mathematics

9:00am CST

Sheltered Instruction Overview/Refresher

Sheltered Instruction (SI) is the bedrock of pedagogical methods in the bilingual classroom. Sheltered Instruction allows for content to be comprehensible so that students can master grade-level standards and academic language simultaneously! Whether you are brand new to SI or just need to brush up on some of the specifics, join us as we explore how to ensure that Sheltered Instruction is communicated, scaffolded, and differentiated in alignment with TEAs Language Program Implementation Rubrics. Moreover, we will explore a number of high-leverage best practices to allow students to develop their academic language across all four linguistic modalities (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing). Participants will create combined content and language objectives and incorporating SI strategies to their specific content and context.

Speakers

Gabriel Verrone

Instructional Content Coach, ESC Region 11

Copy of 3 HR Virtual Sheltered Instruction Academy Overview Refresher pptx

Saturday February 5, 2022 9:00am - 11:55am CST
Zoom

Three-hour Session, Serving English Learners

Audience All Level
Subject Serving English Learners
Zoom Password 207446

9:00am CST

Interdisciplinary Literacy

This session will provide participants with quick turnaround structured literacy strategies to promote socio-emotional learning, improve students’ outcomes, and increase the relevance and engagement for all learners.

Speakers

Reghan Russell

Campus Coach | Texas Instructional Leadership, ESC Region 11

Saturday February 5, 2022 9:00am - 12:00pm CST
Zoom

Three-hour Session, Literacy (English)

Audience High school teachers, Middle School Teachers
Subject Literacy (English)

10:00am CST

Shared Reading Snippet

Participants will have an opportunity to engage in a snippet of shared reading in order to help target TEKS and reading instruction. They will be able to apply their knowledge within all genres.

Speakers

Bettina Edwards-Wilson

Literacy Coach, ESC Region 11

BeTina Edwards-Wilson is the THL and ELAR 3-5 Literacy Coach at ESC Region 11.Before joining ESC Region 11, she gained valuable experience in Dallas ISD in various roles as an educator – Assistant Principal, Instructional Coach, and Instructional Specialist. Her passion is to help... Read More →

Saturday February 5, 2022 10:00am - 10:55am CST
Zoom

One-hour Session, Literacy (English)

Audience Elementary
Subject Literacy (English)

10:00am CST

Universal Design for Learning (repeat)

Speakers

Monica Alsaker

Special Education Instructional Specialist, ESC Region 11

Saturday February 5, 2022 10:00am - 10:55am CST
Zoom

One-hour Session, Teaching Students with Special Educaiton Services

Audience All Level
Subject Teaching Students with Special Educaiton Services

10:00am CST

Using el Dictado in the Literacy Block to Develop Cross-Linguistic Connections in English and Spanish

Using el Dictado in the literacy block to develop cross-linguistic connections in English and Spanish: In this session, participants will learn about el Dictado and how to implement it in the literacy block to refine language arts skills in both English and Spanish, as well as to develop students' metalinguistic skills.

Speakers

Paola Pineda

Instructional Content Coach/Reading Academies Cohort Leader, ESC Region 11

Paola Pineda’s love for biliteracy is widely known. Her love for her students has motivated her to advocate and promote educational excellence and equity through biliteracy education. Her personal experience as an immigrant from Colombia and as an English language learner has helped... Read More →

Saturday February 5, 2022 10:00am - 10:55am CST
Zoom

One-hour Session, Literacy (Spanish)

Audience Elementary
Subject Literacy (Spanish)

10:00am CST

Discovery Education - Explore the Basics

This session will provide you with various ideas and links to utilize with switches. It will also provide you information on how to make various sensory items to use in your classroom including a DIY Light Box and various items to use with your lightbox.

Speakers

Maria Collins

Digital Resources Consultant, ESC 11

Maria Collins is a Digital Resources Consultant at ESC Region 11. This is her 29th year in education, having served as a teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal. Maria loves empowering teachers to increase student engagement and learning by integrating digital tools... Read More →

Saturday February 5, 2022 10:00am - 11:55am CST
Zoom

Two-hour Session, Educational Technology

Audience All Level
Subject Educational Technology

11:00am CST

Every day is Writing Day (repeat)

Teachers will learn and practice how to use open-ended responses as a part of their daily lessons.

Speakers

Travis Whisenant

Director of Leadership and Support, ESC Region 11

Saturday February 5, 2022 11:00am - 11:55am CST
Zoom

One-hour Session

Audience Middle School Teachers, High school teachers, bilingual teachers, Literacy, Mathematics, Teachers serving English learners, Teachers serving students in special education services

11:00am CST

Shared Reading Snippet

Participants will have an opportunity to engage in a snippet of shared reading in order to help target TEKS and reading instruction. They will be able to apply their knowledge within all genres.

Speakers