As young readers enter middle and high school, teachers will expect them to understand different kinds of texts: Primary source documents, scientific charts and graphs, poems and novels rich with symbolism. Experts in each of those disciplines—history, science, and literature—communicate their ideas differently. How can subject-area teachers help students understand those differences to become strong readers in all the content areas?
Attend this forum to gain:
- An understanding of literacy in various content areas
- Insights from researchers and practitioners who’ve implemented innovative strategies to teach reading in science and history
- An opportunity to talk with EdWeek journalists about our reading coverage, ask questions about reading policy and practice, and weigh in on the topics you’d like to learn more about
First time K-12 Essentials Forum attendee? Learn more about our free virtual forums.
Agenda
2:00pm ET
Welcome & Introduction
We’ll highlight key insights from recent reporting on reading instruction and literacy in various content areas.
Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
2:10pm ET
Interactive Session: What Is “Disciplinary Literacy?”
Assistant Managing Editor Stephen Sawchuk will lay the groundwork for the discussion by probing your knowledge of reading across subjects.
Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
2:20pm ET
Industry Perspective: The Science of Reading for Adolescents: Evidence-Based Strategies for School Leaders
Sponsor content provided by Lexia
Join Lexia literacy expert Carey Sweet to explore the latest insights from the science of reading, emphasizing its critical role in supporting literacy growth for adolescent readers. By breaking down Scarborough’s Rope into discrete language comprehension and decoding skills, she’ll highlight practical strategies for addressing diverse learning needs as students transition from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’. Discover how evidence-based approaches can drive differentiated, equitable instruction and lead to measurable, long-term improvements in literacy outcomes for older students, helping administrators implement effective interventions across their schools.
Join Lexia literacy expert Carey Sweet to explore the latest insights from the science of reading, emphasizing its critical role in supporting literacy growth for adolescent readers. By breaking down Scarborough’s Rope into discrete language comprehension and decoding skills, she’ll highlight practical strategies for addressing diverse learning needs as students transition from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’. Discover how evidence-based approaches can drive differentiated, equitable instruction and lead to measurable, long-term improvements in literacy outcomes for older students, helping administrators implement effective interventions across their schools.
Carey Sweet
Senior Education Advisor,
Lexia Learning
Carey Sweet is a literacy expert with over 25 years of experience in education. She is currently serving as president of the Florida Reading League and is on the board of the Florida Literacy Association. Formerly the deputy director of Just Read, Florida! at the Florida Department of Education, Carey led literacy initiatives and co-authored Florida’s B.E.S.T. ELA Standards. She has been a National Board-certified teacher and a district literacy coach and now partners with state and district leaders to advance literacy using evidence-based practices grounded in the science of reading.
2:30pm ET
Panel Discussion: The Literacy Demands of the Science Classroom
Assistant Editor Sarah D. Sparks will host a conversation with teachers and researchers about why reading science texts differs from reading in other fields. You’ll hear about innovative lessons some teachers have designed to deepen students’ understanding how scientists present and communicate their findings.
Sarah D. Sparks covers the teaching profession and pedagogy for Education Week.
Cassandra Smith
Postdoctoral fellow in Special Education,
University of Missouri
Dr. Cassandra Smith has been a member of the Linking Science, Math, & Literacy for All Learners team hosted by the University of Missouri since 2019. Her research focuses on identifying, developing, and disseminating evidence-based algebra instruction and intervention practices for secondary students with disabilities. This includes supporting pre-service and in-service teachers implement evidence-based mathematics practices.
Jeannie Sneller
Science Teacher,
Southern Callaway County, MO
Jeannie Sneller teaches middle school science to students of mixed abilities in Southern Callaway County, Missouri. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology, a masters in Curriculum and Instruction, and a master’s in Education Technology and Instructional Design. Jeannie participates in Linking Science, Mathematics and Literacy for Diverse Learners (LSML4AL), a program hosted at the University of Missouri and funded by NIH/SEPA. She has contributed to LSML4AL by developing multimodal STEM text sets, mentoring teachers in PD, and helping collect research data for publications. Her work is featured on the program website, in Science Scope Magazine, and on EdWeek.org.
Delinda van Garderen
Professor of Special Education,
University of Missouri
Dr. Delinda van Garderen’s research interests focus on students with learning disabilities, struggling learners, visual representations in mathematics word problem solving, STEM literacy, argumentation, and teacher practice and development. Her recent research projects include teacher professional development to integrate STEM literacy in instruction, how students and teachers use representations to solve mathematics word problems, student development and intervention in number (e.g., conservation of quantity, numerical magnitude), and use of Universal Design for Learning to plan instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners in science.
3:15pm ET
Panel Discussion: Literacy in History: It’s All About Bias
Staff Writer Sarah Schwartz will host a conversation with social studies experts. They’ll discuss how one of the most important literacy skills students learn in history is how to consider the context primary and secondary sources have—including the biases their authors bring to the table.
Sarah Schwartz is a reporter for Education Week who covers curriculum and instruction.
Joel Breakstone
Co-founder and Executive Director,
Digital Inquiry Group
Joel Breakstone is the executive director of the Digital Inquiry Group (DIG), a new education nonprofit. He directed the Stanford History Education Group for 10 years before spinning it out of Stanford to become DIG. He leads DIG’s efforts to research, develop, and disseminate free curriculum and assessments. This work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and The New York Times. He received a Ph.D. from the Stanford Graduate School of Education and previously taught high school history in Vermont.
Matt Sekijima
Middle School Social Studies Teacher,
Los Angeles Unified School District
Dr. Matthew J. Sekijima is a lecturer in UC Irvine’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program and a social science teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). He is a member of the LAUSD History-Social Science Leadership Team, tasked with piloting and evaluating new history curricula. Dr. Sekijima’s teaching has also been featured in LAUSD professional development programs to highlight student participation and discussion techniques. His research interests include student and teacher learning motivation, professional development, and culturally relevant pedagogy. Before joining LAUSD and UCI, he was a team lead on the Google (Waymo) Self-Driving Car Project and an assistant language teacher for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. He holds a B.A. with honors in political science from the University of Washington, and an M.A. in teaching and Ed.D. in educational leadership from the University of Southern California.
3:45pm ET
Interactive Session: What Do You Want to Learn About Reading? Tell Us!
Assistant Managing Editor Stephen Sawchuk, Staff Writers Sarah Schwartz & Lauraine Langreo.
Education Week has published four special reports on reading in the last five years, focusing on foundational reading; the link between reading and writing; reading comprehension; and our latest on disciplinary literacy. In this special interactive session, we will take any questions you have about these topics. Bring the questions about reading that niggle in your brain. We’ll do our best to answer them!
Education Week has published four special reports on reading in the last five years, focusing on foundational reading; the link between reading and writing; reading comprehension; and our latest on disciplinary literacy. In this special interactive session, we will take any questions you have about these topics. Bring the questions about reading that niggle in your brain. We’ll do our best to answer them!
Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
Lauraine Langreo is an Education Week staff writer, covering education technology and learning environments.
Sarah Schwartz is a reporter for Education Week who covers curriculum and instruction.
3:55pm ET
Closing Thoughts
Hear the big takeaways from this forum.
Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
