Connected & Invested: Our Path to Purposeful Connections and Redefined ELA Instruction

Join us—instructional and technology specialists—as we recount our journey to transform literacy instruction for grades 4-5 in our district. Along the way, we leveraged new partnerships, fostered unprecedented collaboration among teachers, and united our entire staff as one team working together. Our common goal: transforming literacy instruction into something that is meaningful, standards-aligned, highly engaging, and that happens with intention across every content area. We’ll tell you about the grand triumphs we experienced, such as our implementation of Expert Packs as a curricular resource, and how we encountered unexpected heroes, like the students who harnessed their newfound autonomy and enthusiastically took charge of their own learning. Our quest was not without its challenges. We’ll share how we had to learn from a few failures, correct a couple missteps, and even navigate the occasional antagonist along the way. Rest assured, we’ll offer ideas and materials that can be tweaked to meet the needs of any elementary-through-middle-school classroom whether you anticipate your story will be written solo or will include a whole cast of supporting characters. With each twist and turn of our narrative, we’ll present the concrete strategies and usable resources you’re craving so that you walk away empowered and prepared to embark on your own journey toward literacy magic.