Veda McClain Consulting

Program Overview

The Literacy Improvement Project (LIP) is an interactive professional development opportunity that will engage faculty and staff in learning more about the practice of teaching reading and writing to children and youth.  Below are brief descriptions of potential topics to be included in the professional development sessions.  Please review them and decide which topics would be most appropriate and beneficial for your participants.

Reading Comprehension – The purpose behind reading is to understand or comprehend.  That understanding is often lost when students begin to need to be able to use their reading skills in order to learn new material.  This session will provide participants with actual strategies that 1) help students know when they are not understanding what they are reading; 2) develop ways to monitor their own reading comprehension; 3) identify and implement fix-up strategies to be used when comprehension breaks down.

Content Area Reading – Reading for information is quite different from reading narratives.  Content area reading (science, social studies, math, art, accounting, etc.) becomes more difficult as students progress in school.  Participants will be instructed in how they can best assist students in better understanding content area assignments through critical and inferential thinking and responding.

Writing - Does your writing reflect clear thinking?  Do you need help with sentence construction, grammar, mechanics, style, or usage?  Does your writing communicate what you truly want to say? Using participants' written content, instruction will be given to help writers write clearer and begin to understand how to communicate effectively.

Vocabulary Instruction – Knowing what words mean enhances reading comprehension.  For many students, a lack of adequate vocabulary hinders reading comprehension.  Using several word attack and word recognition strategies, participants will learn how to assist students in 1) increasing their vocabulary; 2) identifying word meaning; and 3) the purpose of wide reading.

Motivated Reading – Why is it that some children enjoy reading while others dread it?  Find out why there are children who are avid readers and others who are alliterate.  Learn how to help both groups of children achieve more in school with motivated reading.  Know what books to offer and how to help them read them.  A reading list will be provided and examples of appropriate reading materials will be shared.