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Meet Our 2026 Speakers
Mary McFarlin
Michelle Boucher
Mary McFarlin
Multicomponent Word Work: Integrating Morphology, Phonology, Syntax, Semantics, and Orthography
A literacy framework integrating phonology, morphology, and syntax into daily word work centered on Tier Two vocabulary.
Key takeaways:
Boost vocabulary and comprehension through integrated language instruction
Use tools like word sums, matrices, and spelling chains
Support students with dyslexia
Ashley Green
Michelle Boucher
Mary McFarlin
S.A.C.K. It Before They Sink: The Life Jacket Approach to Comprehension
S.A.C.K. Strategy (Scan, Annotate, Comprehend, Know) is a simple "life jacket" for helping students navigate complex texts in any subject.
Key takeaways:
Gain a versatile strategy for intervention, homework, and independent reading
Learn an approach that requires minimal
S.A.C.K. It Before They Sink: The Life Jacket Approach to Comprehension
S.A.C.K. Strategy (Scan, Annotate, Comprehend, Know) is a simple "life jacket" for helping students navigate complex texts in any subject.
Key takeaways:
Gain a versatile strategy for intervention, homework, and independent reading
Learn an approach that requires minimal prep
Leave with a ready-to-use "reading rescue kit"
Michelle Boucher
Michelle Boucher
Michelle Boucher
Beyond Skill Deficits: The Underrecognized Role of Anxiety in Reading Acquisition and Intervention Outcomes
Many students in evidence-based reading programs still struggle when anxiety and attentional barriers go unaddressed.
Key takeaways:
Identify how anxiety interferes with reading-related cognitive skills
Recognize signs of anxiety-driven
Beyond Skill Deficits: The Underrecognized Role of Anxiety in Reading Acquisition and Intervention Outcomes
Many students in evidence-based reading programs still struggle when anxiety and attentional barriers go unaddressed.
Key takeaways:
Identify how anxiety interferes with reading-related cognitive skills
Recognize signs of anxiety-driven avoidance
Apply trauma-informed strategies to boost engagement
Amy Jackson
Brittany Brewer
Jeanne Schopf
DE + CON + STRUCT + ING Morphology
An interactive look at explicit, systematic morphology instruction, essential for learners with dyslexia learning to read and spell single words.
Key takeaways:
Benefits of explicit morphology instruction
A structured lesson plan framework
Resources for lesson planning
Jeanne Schopf
Brittany Brewer
Jeanne Schopf
Reading in the Content Areas: Explicit Strategies to Boost Adolescent Literacy
Morphology, understanding meaningful word parts like roots and prefixes, is a powerful tool for reading development, especially for students with dyslexia.
Key takeaways:
Strategies for vocabulary growth & word recognition
How to design a morphology-based lesson
Ways to support English learners
Brittany Brewer
Brittany Brewer
Brittany Brewer
The Courage to Lead Literacy With Love and Language
Literacy instruction often stops at third grade, but the real hurdles for many students begin after. This session pushes secondary schools to make room for language screening and morphology instruction.
Key takeaways:
Spotting hidden language & decoding gaps in older learners
Using Greek & L
The Courage to Lead Literacy With Love and Language
Literacy instruction often stops at third grade, but the real hurdles for many students begin after. This session pushes secondary schools to make room for language screening and morphology instruction.
Key takeaways:
Spotting hidden language & decoding gaps in older learners
Using Greek & Latin roots to build vocabulary
Advocating for intervention time
Dorothy Leech
Dorothy Leech
Dorothy Leech
Syntax, Vocabulary, and Written Expression Magnify Reading Comprehension
A curriculum for blending short writing tasks into reading practice, showing how writing anchors new insights and helps students integrate them into what they already know.
Key takeaways:
Blending writing tasks into reading practice
Short writing activities that reinforc
Syntax, Vocabulary, and Written Expression Magnify Reading Comprehension
A curriculum for blending short writing tasks into reading practice, showing how writing anchors new insights and helps students integrate them into what they already know.
Key takeaways:
Blending writing tasks into reading practice
Short writing activities that reinforce comprehension
Why writing strengthens reading development
Hallie Cohen
Dorothy Leech
Dorothy Leech
Teaching Sentence Structure to Support Comprehension: Syntax, Vocabulary and Written Expression Magnify Reading Comprehension
A curriculum focused on reading comprehension at the sentence level, using syntax and vocabulary to help students derive meaning from text while reducing cognitive load for language-based learners.
Key takeaways:
Sent
Teaching Sentence Structure to Support Comprehension: Syntax, Vocabulary and Written Expression Magnify Reading Comprehension
A curriculum focused on reading comprehension at the sentence level, using syntax and vocabulary to help students derive meaning from text while reducing cognitive load for language-based learners.
Key takeaways:
Sentence-structure analysis for comprehension
Reducing cognitive load for language-based learners
Building word relationships (synonyms, antonyms, analogies)
Laura Garza
Dorothy Leech
Laura Garza
Morphology Matters: Advancing Dyslexia Intervention and Content-Area Literacy
Morphology, understanding meaningful word parts like roots and prefixes, is a powerful tool for reading development, especially for students with dyslexia.
Key takeaways:
Strategies for vocabulary growth & word recognition
How to design a morphology-based lesson
Ways to support English learners
Michelle Barringer
Michelle Barringer
Michelle Barringer
High Impact Vocabulary Lessons for Grades 4-8
Research-based strategies and classroom-ready activities to build vocabulary for middle schoolers who struggle with multi-syllabic words.
Key takeaways:
Vocabulary tiers & their effect on comprehension
Using morphology to determine word meanings
Tools like the Frayer model
Aimee Rodenroth
Michelle Barringer
Michelle Barringer
Invisible Struggle; Visible Impact: Supporting Students with Dysgraphia
A hands-on look at dysgraphia, an often-overlooked disorder affecting handwriting, spelling, and written expression, and how to identify and support it.
Key takeaways:
Early indicators of dysgraphia
How transcription difficulties affect writing
Evidence-based strategies & assistive technology
Misty Wilson
Michelle Barringer
Misty Wilson
Advancing Adolescent Literacy: Supporting Readers Across Content Areas
Evidence-based approaches that help struggling adolescent readers build foundational skills while accelerating learning across every content area.
Key takeaways:
Instructional practices across subjects
Literacy as a tool for learning in any discipline
Approaches for meeting all learners' needs
Rebecca Bush
Linda Farrell
Linda Farrell
If Literacy Stops in English, Students Struggle Everywhere: Practical Systems for Grades 4–12
Literacy often becomes siloed into English class after third grade, even though students face dense texts in every subject. This session shows how to align literacy support across content areas.
Key takeaways:
Where literacy becomes siloed in grades
If Literacy Stops in English, Students Struggle Everywhere: Practical Systems for Grades 4–12
Literacy often becomes siloed into English class after third grade, even though students face dense texts in every subject. This session shows how to align literacy support across content areas.
Key takeaways:
Where literacy becomes siloed in grades 4–12
Hidden language demands of secondary texts
Low-prep literacy routines for any classroom
Linda Farrell
Linda Farrell
Linda Farrell
Appropriate Assessment for Struggling Readers in Grades 4-12
Older struggling readers need different interventions depending on their specific difficulties, and the right one can only be found through appropriate assessment.
Key takeaways:
Major categories of struggling adolescent readers
A free diagnostic assessment tool (provided to attendees)
Matching interventions to each reader category