Kane County Institute Day 2025

Come and hear about the books nominated for the 2026 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award! We'll book talk the new list of 20 nominees and share how you can use the books in your classroom and library.

Speakers

Ruth Gheysen

Friday February 28, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CST
Breakout Room 9 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level PreK-12

9:30am CST

Exploring the Science of Reading: Elementary

Friday February 28, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CST

Understanding and implementing evidence-based practices is crucial to fostering successful reading
development among students. This professional development session offers an immersive introduction to
the concept and methods of structured literacy. This session is tailored for K-5 General Education and
Special Education teachers, as well as administrators and curriculum coordinators who are new to the
principles of structured literacy and seek to enhance their understanding of effective literacy instruction
for all students.

Speakers

Kellyn Sirach

Reading Specialist, Illinois SLD Support Project

Kellyn Sirach is a passionate and motivated educator who has committed her career to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn to read. Over the past year, she has served as the Reading Content Specialist for the IL SLD Support Project developing professional development... Read More →

Illinois SLD Support Project

Friday February 28, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CST
Breakout Room 1 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level PreK-5
Subject Literacy

9:30am CST

Understanding the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan and What it Means for Advanced Learners

Friday February 28, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CST

The Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan and its implications support differentiated literacy instruction for ALL learners. This provides districts and schools "flexibility and local autonomy" in a "no one size fits all" literacy learning program and curriculum. This session will place a lens on the advanced literacy learner and how the Literacy Plan advocates for differentiated instruction and meeting the needs of advanced learners.

Speakers

Laura Beltchenko

Illinois Reading Council

Laura Beltchenko has been a classroom teacher, reading specialist, teacher and coordinator of gifted programs, and an associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction in a suburban K-12 school district. She is currently the Chair of the Illinois State Board of Education Advisory... Read More →

Friday February 28, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CST
Breakout Room 4 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level PreK-12
Subject Literacy

11:00am CST

Integrating Effective Writing Practices into Non-ELA Classes

Friday February 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CST

"Integrating Effective Writing Practices into Non-ELA Classes" is a professional development workshop
designed to equip educators across various disciplines with strategies to enhance writing instruction in
their classrooms. Tailored for teachers outside the English Language Arts (ELA) realm, this workshop
focuses on practical techniques for incorporating writing assignments, feedback mechanisms, and
literacy-building activities into subject-specific curricula. Participants will explore innovative approaches to cultivate students' writing proficiency while promoting deeper engagement and comprehension in non-
ELA subjects.

Speakers

Jess Rodriguez

Writing Specialist, Illinois SLD Support Project

Jess Rodriguez is an experienced educator with a diverse background in teaching and curriculum development. For the last year, Jess honed her expertise in educational strategies providing support as a regional specialist; however, she is excited to now embark on a new journey as an... Read More →

Illinois SLD Support Project

Friday February 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CST
Breakout Room 1 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level PreK-12
Subject Writing

11:00am CST

Powerful Partnerships: Teachers Collaborating with Librarians

Friday February 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CST

Breakout Room 9

Stimulate reading investment for students by generating a community of readers! Developing self-sufficient lifelong readers is not a mission that can be accomplished alone. As educators, we need a reading community for this task. Developing a powerful partnership between teachers and librarians will revitalize readers by reinforcing expectations for student reading, supporting self-selected choices, and explicitly instructing young people on how to access the school library with all its treasures.

Speakers

Dr. Niki Woodruff

ELA Teacher, BPS

As a dedicated educator who focuses on empowering my students to become readers and writers with a voice, my knowledge and expertise in YAL, as well as Student Voice & Choice (SVC), have grown exponentially. I have been in the field of education for over twenty years, completed a... Read More →

Diana Wolf

Friday February 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CST
Breakout Room 9 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level PreK-12

11:00am CST

Using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to Foster Student Critical Thinking and Collaboration

Friday February 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CST

The Question Formulation technique (QFT) provides a structured approach to assist students in asking questions, not just answering them. QFT words in concert with inquiry based learning and promotes learning engagement and meaningful discussion. QFT initiates the development of thought-provoking questions that assists educators understand how much prior knowledge their students know about a topic of study. It supports critical and creative thinking while fostering students' natural curiosity, motivation and engagement in learning. It is an excellent strategy for social studies and science for grades K-12. This is an interactive session so get ready to collaborate!

Speakers

Laura Beltchenko

Illinois Reading Council

Friday February 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm CST
Breakout Room 4 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level PreK-12
Subject Literacy

12:30pm CST

Creating the Write Path: Strategies for Supporting Emergent Writers

Friday February 28, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm CST

Throughout this training session, educators will be equipped with essential strategies for fostering the
growth and development of emergent writers in early childhood settings. Participants will explore
evidence-based approaches to nurturing writing skills, from pre-writing activities to guided writing
techniques. Through interactive discussions and practical examples, attendees will gain insights into
building a supportive writing environment and scaffolding instruction to meet the diverse needs of young
learners throughout multiple stages of writing development.

Speakers

Jess Rodriguez

Writing Specialist, Illinois SLD Support Project

Illinois SLD Support Project

Friday February 28, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm CST
Breakout Room 1 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level PreK-5
Subject Writing

12:30pm CST

Utilizing Paired Text and Text Sets to Present Challenge and Literary Analysis, Grades 2-5

Friday February 28, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm CST

Using paired text based on topics, or the exploration of overarching concepts and generalizations are methods of raising awareness of how texts having similar subjects compare as well as contract with one another to develop deeper levels of understanding. In this session we will explore how pairing texts and creating text sets (a bibliography will be shared) can benefit the development of higher order thinking as well as how story details and the integration of ideas can support literary analysis that is found in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness.

Speakers

Laura Beltchenko

Illinois Reading Council

Friday February 28, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm CST
Breakout Room 4 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level PreK-12
Subject Literacy

2:00pm CST

Effective Writing Instructional Strategies for Secondary Students: Recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse

Friday February 28, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm CST

The What Works Clearinghouse screened over 3,500 studies on writing instruction and developed
instructional recommendations based on the studies that met their rigorous criteria for research. These
evidence-based recommendations will be presented and broken down with specific examples and
strategies you can use in the classroom tomorrow.

Speakers

Jess Rodriguez

Writing Specialist, Illinois SLD Support Project

Illinois SLD Support Project

Friday February 28, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm CST
Breakout Room 1 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174

Host Organization Kane County Regional Office of Education
Grade Level 9th-12th
Subject Writing

2:00pm CST

Picture Books as Complex Text, Grades PreK-3

Friday February 28, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm CST

In this book-rich session, participants will experience the advanced messages that illustrations send in picture books. We will explore using observation and visual literacy, the physicality and structures of children’s picture books and the impact these structures support instructional practice and intriguing read alouds. We will take a purposeful, productive and thoughtful adventure in picture books to better understand the advanced comprehension implications illustrations convey that words may not reveal to the reader. This session supports a myriad of ELA Standards.

Speakers

Laura Beltchenko

Illinois Reading Council

Friday February 28, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm CST
Breakout Room 4 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174