69th MRA Conference: Full Schedule

Add sessions to your personal schedule to register your attendance (Check-In).

10:30am EST

Reading, Writing, and Belonging: Creating a Culturally Responsive Classroom LIMITED

Saturday March 8, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EST

Building a classroom culture that values every student’s voice is essential for creating a meaningful literacy experience.This session explores how educators can embrace identities as readers and writers, using literacy as a powerful tool for self-expression, community connection, and skill-building.

Speakers

Heather Palmer

Literacy Consultant, Wayne RESA

Carrie Fromm

Saturday March 8, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EST
Grand Gallery F (DeVos Place)

Elementary (K-5) Literacy Coaching

Strand(s) Culturally Responsive Instruction, Disciplinary Literacy, Writing in the Content Areas

10:30am EST

Keys to Reading, Analyzing, and Writing Nonfiction LIMITED

Saturday March 8, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EST

Gallery Overlook A (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

We will explore educators’ new ideas about reading, analyzing, and writing nonfiction. Old strategies mislead classes: the 5-paragraph essay oversimplifies nonfiction. We will discuss the goals, structure, and development of complex modern essays, including scholarly articles. Participants will receive handouts with essay structures, lesson plans, and nonfiction writing assignments for students.

Speakers

Janet Ruth Heller

Past President, Michigan College English Association

Saturday March 8, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EST
Gallery Overlook A (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

Middle School to Post Secondary (6-12+)

Strand(s) Disciplinary Literacy, Writing in the Content Areas, Written Expression

1:00pm EST

Building Foundational Literacy Through Interactive Writing: A Collaborative Approach LIMITED

Saturday March 8, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Grand Gallery A (DeVos Place)

Breath in learning from shared experiences and express it through the collaborative process of Interactive Writing. This process engages students to co-create text, enhancing their phonics, vocabulary, and sentence structure skills in authentic contexts. This session provides practical, hands-on strategies aligned to empower educators with the tools to bolster foundational literacy development. Audience: PreK-2 classroom teachers, literacy coaches, administrators, special education, EL educators.

Speakers

Jill Erfourth

Elementary Literacy Consultant/Coach, Utica Community Schools

Susan Meadows

Elementary Literacy Coach, Utica Community Schools

Saturday March 8, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Grand Gallery A (DeVos Place)

Elementary (K-5)

Strand(s) Early Language and Literacy, Foundational Reading Skills, Foundational Writing Skills, Writing in the Content Areas, Written Expression

1:00pm EST

Reading Is a Passport to a World Without Limits LIMITED

Saturday March 8, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Grand Gallery F (DeVos Place)

This hands-on session will provide participants with research based practices and ideas in three areas of ELA instruction; how to build and utilize classroom libraries and engage students in literature, integrating literature across all subjects, and literacy models of co-teaching through partnerships with high schools and colleges. Participants will receive a book(s) and prizes!

Speakers

Mr. David Higgins

Principal, Dearborn Public Schools

Anfaal Shaout

Mariam Albachachy

Peggy Honer

Saturday March 8, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Grand Gallery F (DeVos Place)

Elementary (K-5) Literacy Coaching

Strand(s) Foundational Reading Skills, Language Comprehension, Writing in the Content Areas

1:00pm EST

Writing from Scratch: Whip Up Delicious Writing Lessons Your Students Will Eat Up! LIMITED

Saturday March 8, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

River Overlook C (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

Motivating our young writers to take creative "whisks" can be tricky at the elementary level. In this practical, you-can-do-it session, you will learn strategies for young writers to add some flavor to their writing. Through demonstrations, video clips, and oodles of ideas, you’ll be excited to go back to the classroom and try some of these writing recipes with just the right dash of fun.

Speakers

Shannon Anderson

Author, Brain Coach, Professor, Motivational Speaker, www.shannonisteaching.com

Shannon Anderson has taught for 25 years, from first grade through college level. She also served as the gifted coordinator for her school district and on the board of directors for the Indiana State Literacy Association. A highlight of her teaching career was being named one of the... Read More →

Saturday March 8, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
River Overlook C (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

Elementary (K-5) Literacy Coaching

Strand(s) Foundational Writing Skills, Writing in the Content Areas, Written Expression

2:30pm EST

Using Visuals and Poetry Writing to Illuminate Student Learning FILLING

Saturday March 8, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EST

Gallery Overlook D (Devos Place - Upper Level)

Come explore visual resources of an historical time, like photos from the Library of Congress. Next, participate in a poetry writing activity, starting with a group pantoum poem. Then create a pantoum, acrostic, or elegy, about a person, event, or place about that period. Leave knowing ways poetic forms help students express creatively their learning about the Five Ws and H of an historical era.

Speakers

Anna Roseboro

Mentor/Coach

Anna J. Small Roseboro is widely known for her work with groups like the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the Conference on English Leadership, the California Association of Teachers of English, the Michigan Council of Teachers of English, and the California Association of Independent Schools . With 40 years experience in public and private schools, she is a National Board Certified Teac... Read More →

Saturday March 8, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EST
Gallery Overlook D (Devos Place - Upper Level)

Middle School to Post Secondary (6-12+)

Strand(s) Assessment and Evaluation, Culturally Responsive Instruction, Writing in the Content Areas

10:30am EDT

Advancing Thinking through Writing Across Content Areas: Read It In, Write It Out! FILLING

Sunday March 9, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Grand Gallery C (DeVos Place)

This session will explore effective strategies for integrating explicit writing instruction across content areas. Participants will learn to implement explicit writing lessons that foster clarity and coherence in student writing, supporting them in connecting ideas, refining their understanding, and enhancing comprehension while emphasizing foundational sentence- and paragraph-level skills. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of how this structured approach enhances students' writing abilities and supports their overall academic achievement across content areas. Audience: classroom teachers 2-5, literacy coach, special education, admnistrator

Speakers

Jill Erfourth

Elementary Literacy Consultant/Coach, Utica Community Schools

Rae Cloyd

Sunday March 9, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Grand Gallery C (DeVos Place)

Elementary (K-5)

Strand(s) Foundational Writing Skills, Writing in the Content Areas, Written Expression

10:30am EDT

Writing Inside the Room: Using the Reading Rope, Content Knowledge, and Shared Experiences to Build Strong Foundational Writing Skills in K-1 LIMITED

Sunday March 9, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Grand Gallery A (DeVos Place)

This session will help early elementary teachers learn to simplify the process of teaching foundational writing skills by focusing on the separation of composition and transcription. The presenter will share classroom experience, strategies and resources to take writing from a stand alone subject to an integrated experience across the day.

Speakers

Nicole Cobb

Kindergarten Teacher, Almont Community Schools

Sunday March 9, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Grand Gallery A (DeVos Place)

Elementary (K-5)

Strand(s) Foundational Reading Skills, Foundational Writing Skills, Writing in the Content Areas

10:30am EDT

Empowering Literacy with Scaffolded Writing and AI Tools Across Disciplines FULL

Sunday March 9, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Gallery Overlook D (Devos Place - Upper Level)

Join us for an engaging and transformative session that delves into the profound impact of scaffolded writing and AI tools on literacy across all content areas. This session is designed to equip educators with practical strategies to enhance literacy instruction, support all learners, and integrate innovative AI tools into their teaching practices.

Speakers

Jenelle Williams

Literacy Consultant, Oakland Schools

Jenelle Williams joined the Leadership and School Improvement unit at Oakland Schools in 2017 following 18 years of experience in public schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She has served as a classroom teacher, IB Middle Years Programme Coordinator, teacher... Read More →

Sunday March 9, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Gallery Overlook D (Devos Place - Upper Level)

Middle School to Post Secondary (6-12+) Literacy Coaching

Strand(s) Digital Literacy, Disciplinary Literacy, Writing in the Content Areas

12:30pm EDT

Read STOP Write: Teaching Foundational Skills in a Middle Grades Multicomponent Reading Intervention LIMITED

Sunday March 9, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT

Gallery Overlook C (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

In this session, upper elementary and middle school teachers can experience a research based, multicomponent reading and writing intervention designed for middle grade students. This open source intervention uses science and social studies texts to integrate instruction in multisyllabic decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.

Speakers

Amy Edlefson

Graduate Student, Michigan State University

Laura Tortorelli

John Strong

Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo

Sunday March 9, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT
Gallery Overlook C (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

Middle School to Post Secondary (6-12+)

Strand(s) Foundational Reading Skills, Language Comprehension, Writing in the Content Areas

1:45pm EDT

Getting to the Heart of Disciplinary Literacy in the Secondary Classroom LIMITED

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT

Gallery Overlook B (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

In this two-part series, we’ll dive into the why and the how for integrating reading, writing and discussion in the classroom. Teachers will walk away with an understanding of literacy research and practical strategies for the classroom that link strong purposes for reading to focused writing tasks & discussions. Plus, participants will gain access to a toolkit of ready-to-use resources.

Speakers

Emily Toy

6-12 ELA and Social Studies Curriculum and Instructional Technology Specialist, Warren Consolidated Schools

Kevin Bullis

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
Gallery Overlook B (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

Middle School to Post Secondary (6-12+) Literacy Coaching

Strand(s) Disciplinary Literacy, Writing in the Content Areas, Written Expression

1:45pm EDT

Helping Students Connect to Text-Based Assessments and Facilitating Creative Essay Writing LIMITED

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT

River Overlook C (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

In this session, teachers will learn ways to help middle and high school students connect to informational texts. Teachers will then learn how to use those student connections to inspire students to write creative text-based assessment essays.

Speakers

Liz Ropp

Literacy Coach, KEYS Grace Academy

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
River Overlook C (DeVos Place - Upper Level)

Middle School to Post Secondary (6-12+) Literacy Coaching

Strand(s) Assessment and Evaluation, Writing in the Content Areas, Written Expression