Are you wanting to improve students' written responses to non-fiction reading? Wanting ideas to guide students' use of the writing process for essay writing? Then this interactive session centering on the Cooperative Strip Paragraph (aided by additional Project GLAD® strategies such as Graphic Organizers, Comparative Input Charts, and Process Grids) is for you! You will take on the role of a student as we work to respond to a reading passage (or two) with our very own Cooperative Strip Paragraph. You will be able to refine your understanding of these strategies and dig deeper with them so that they can support your students with writing.

Want to bring the universe to your classroom? Come have a spin with rotation, dive deep into density, and have a massive amount of fun measuring mass! We will showcase inquiry-based science activities from a curriculum designed with NASA’s Universe of Learning resources, Explora, and Project GLAD® teachers. From maple seeds to floating vegetables, we will explore how science inquiry and language learning go hand in hand. Walk away with a curriculum to use in your next Project GLAD® space unit!

Come participate in a short problem-solving math lesson in Spanish to experience sheltering and scaffolding strategies that support your early language learners in having access to grade-level content. This session is designed for teachers who have zero to an intermediate level of Spanish. This session will give you concrete strategies and instructional moves that will strengthen the effectiveness of strategies you are already using, as well as build empathy for your language learners and their daily experience in our schools. The short lesson will be in Spanish. The reflection and share outs will be in English so participants can fully participate in the professional dialogue.

East Elementary School in Zion, Illinois began its OCDE Project GLAD® journey three years ago and they have never looked back! After having all staff trained, they decided to replace their language arts publisher program with content based, culturally and linguistically responsive Project GLAD® mini units. The increase in student engagement and achievement has been remarkable! In this session we will share these units, lessons learned, and next steps as they continue on their Project GLAD® journey!

Not GLAD® trained yet? Newly GLAD® trained? Been trained for a while and looking for a refresher? Then you have come to the right place! We are going to dive into the best strategies for K-3 teachers to start with when implementing GLAD® strategies into the classroom. We will also look at how to tie these strategies to units that you are already teaching, so that you are ready to rock next school year!