Miss Jennifer Sassaman and Miss Amy Homeyer, teachers at Lincoln/Roosevelt School, recently attended the International Reading Association’s 49th Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada. While there, they were presenters at the pre-convention institute entitled, “Teaching Informational Text: Helping K-8 Students Comprehend What They Read.”
The institute was led by Dr. Maureen McLaughlin, professor at East Stroudsburg University, and included presentations by Dr. Glenn DeVoogd, of California State University, Fresno Dr. Martha Rupp Ruddell of Sonoma State University and Dr. Brenda Shearer of the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.
Miss Sassaman and Miss Homeyer were responsible for presenting two breakout sessions for teachers of grades 3-5. The first breakout session was on Teaching Information Text in the Intermediate School Classroom and the second was on Critical Literacy in Action: Classroom Applications for grades 3-5. During both sessions, they explained to the teachers how to use different comprehension and critical literacy activities in their classrooms and showed them examples of work that their students had done.
According to Miss Sassaman, “In both sessions, we received positive feedback from the teachers involved. We showed them the practical applications of theory that had been presented by the professors earlier in the institute.”
In addition to presenting, Miss Sassaman and Miss Homeyer attended a general session of the conference, where they heard presentations by Dr. Leslie Mandell Morrow, President of the International Reading Association (IRA), Governor Kenny Guinn of Nevada, Governor James McGreevey of New Jersey and actor, producer and author, Henry Winkler.
“I am exceptionally proud of Miss Sassaman and Miss Homeyer for being involved in such valuable educational endeavors,” stated Mr. Jack Curtis, Principal of Lincoln/Roosevelt School.