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First priority for your summer? A bit of a break, and maybe a beach read. But summer is also the perfect time to prepare for the year ahead, and to invest in your professional growth.
During summer PD, you can take your time exploring the research-backed strategies essential to effective literacy instruction. There are lots of opportunities out there to dive deeper into everything from foundational skills and evidence-based practices to instruction based on the Science of Reading. Investing this time in your professional growth will help you not only align your methods with the most current research, but also equip you with tools to meet the individual needs of your students and create supportive learning environments in the fall.
Summer school for you: Teacher professional development
That said, we know you’d probably rather spend your summer building sandcastles than digging around for the right PD. That’s why we asked ʿAmbassadors—educators like you—to share their top teaching resources and professional development picks for the summer. Keep reading to hear their excellent recommendations!
Danielle Hawkins, former principal of Newfane Central School District in New York, shares the value of professional development opportunities offered by ʿfor educators.
“To support the teachers I coach and deepen my knowledge of the Science of Reading, I joined the beta test of to monopolize on the flexibility that summer provides.”
—Miracle Foster, Literacy Coach, Armada Area Schools, Michigan
“If you haven’t listened to the Sold a Story or Knowledge Matters podcasts, they are great places to start! I purchased The Knowledge Gap and The Writing Revolution books before the school year was even over! I have Shifting the Balance in my cart as well.”
—Stephanie Schuettpelz, Teacher, Marion School District, Wisconsin
“If you have a chance to participate in curriculum development, it's a wonderful way to dig deeper and get to know different features of each unit better.”
“Any online PD from The Reading League or Cox Campus is good. There are a TON of great podcasts out there, including Amplify’s Science of Reading podcast, and also Shanahan on Literacy, Melissa and Lori Love Literacy, and All for Literacy. Some great books are the Shifting the Balance books, The Knowledge Gap, Speech to Print, or Structured Literacy Interventions with Spear-Swerling.”
—Lori Gray, Program Coordinator, Office of Student Learning, Yelm Community Schools, Washington
“A book study.”
—Carla Cruse, Teacher, Rock Falls Middle School, Illinois
Back to school for teachers: Webinars to get you ready
Join our ʿexperts as they walk you through all of your program essentials and share their guidance on everything from getting started in the new school year to leveling up your implementation. These series are for everyone—whether this is your first or fourth year with Amplify, you’ll walk away having learned something new. There will be a webinar for each of the following ʿprograms:
- ʿScience
- mCLASS®ٱ®8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura
- ʿCKLA and Caminos
- ʿELA
- Boost Reading and Boost Lectura