Participants will engage in learning about Direct Instruction program design, components of each program, and mock lessons. Language for Learning provides young learners with the knowledge and understanding of language they need to achieve proficiency and reading comprehension. This SRA oral language program teaches children the words, concepts, and statements important to both oral and written language, and helps enable them to extend this knowledge to other areas of their development. Language

Participants will engage in learning about Direct Instruction program design, components of each program, and mock lessons. Language for Learning provides young learners with the knowledge and understanding of language they need to achieve proficiency and reading comprehension. This SRA oral language program teaches children the words, concepts, and statements important to both oral and written language, and helps enable them to extend this knowledge to other areas of their development. Language for Thinking builds upon the concepts, vocabulary, and statement patterns introduced in Language for Learning. Carefully organized sequences of activities, exceptional vocabulary development, extensive practice, sequencing and retelling exercises, and inference activities set the stage for reading comprehension and the grammatical analysis of written language. Use Language for Writing to lead your students towards independence as writers. This revision and expansion of Distar Language III teaches not only writing skills, but also the vocabulary, sentence, and organizational skills that underpin good writing. Ongoing exercises support the development of specific writing skills by showing students how to write narratives, use specific words, make precise comparisons, summarize and retell, and proofread for punctuation, grammar, and usage. Participants will: Know the essential features of a Direct Instruction program. Understand the purpose and rationale for "Language for" Programs which includes: scope and sequence of essential skills taught, Direct Instruction teaching strategies and materials, and how to place students and monitor progress within the program. Practice, role play, and apply feedback regarding effective presentation of the programs. This session is intended for classroom staff who facilitate Language for Learning, Thinking, and/or Writing with students. Staff may include teachers, teaching assistants, and related service staff.
Satisfactory Completion: Credit for attending a course is based on your signature on the sign in sheet as well as sign out sheet. All virtual courses will be held via Zoom Meetings or Zoom Webinar. Once registered, an email will be sent a week before the session with the link and instructions on how to join the Zoom Meeting/ Webinar. If attending a virtual course, attendance is based on your virtual signature in and out of the session. You will be asked to type your full name into the chat feature on Zoom when you enter the meeting and again type your full name before you leave the meeting. Failure to provide a virtual signature in and out may result in partial or no credit. Live Zoom Webinars will track your attendance automatically. Participants are expected to attend the entire session to earn credit. Partial attendance may result in partial or no PD credit. All participants must complete an electronic evaluation of the class within two weeks of the session or final session to be sent a certificate. Individual courses may specify additional requirements for satisfactory completion, please check the course description for additional requirements.
Cost Information: Workshop fees are waived for NSSED employees, Member District employees, and parents of students in our member districts. For individual participants who do not meet the above criteria, this course participation fee is $75.00. All Registration or material fees will be billed directly to the school district that employs the participant after the session is complete or the first session in a series is complete. Individuals are asked to not bring payment to the session. Cancellations: There is no cancellation fee, though we ask for advanced notice to open the spot for another person. NSSED reserves the right to cancel any workshop due to low enrollment. Refunds: NSSED does not charge prior to the start of the course. If an individual attends the first day of a learning series but is unable to attend the remaining sessions, the school district that employs the participant is able to designate an alternate person. It is up the individual no longer attending the program to give their replacement the information learned in the first session. Member Districts include: Northbrook 27, Northbrook 28, Sunset Ridge 29, Glenview/Northbrook 30, West Northfield 31, Glenview 34, Glencoe 35, Winnetka 36, Kenilworth 38, Lake Bluff 65, Lake Forest 67, Bannockburn 106, Deerfield 109, North Shore 112, Township HS 113, Lake Forest 115, New Trier 203, Glenbrook 225.
Have a question? Check out the Professional Learning FAQs or contact professionallearning@nssed.org.