The Primary Conferene 2009

The Primary Conference is now FULL and on-site registrations will not be accepted. You may also be interested in "The Write to Learn Conference" to be held February 25-27, 2010 at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, MO Registration opens for The Write to Learn Conference on November 6, 2009.
How can you get ALL of your students to become proficient, successful readers and writers?
Well, what if you could spend two whole days in the same room as three of America’s top literacy experts, where they spill their very best secrets for literacy success? What if you went back to your classroom and put into practice even a fraction of those secret strategies? How would you feel if you looked in your students’ eyes and saw the joy and sense of accomplishment they felt as a result of suddenly “getting it?” And would that look be worth two days of your time? You bet it would! And it’s no fantasy, either. Announcing the 2009 Primary Conference An intensive, two-day Institute with three world-renowned literacy experts: Ellin Oliver Keene, Lester Laminack, and Debbie Diller. To be held November 12-13, 2009 at the Stoney Creek Inn and Conference Center in Columbia, Missouri.
	Your Speakers:
	Ellin Oliver Keene Ellin has been a classroom teacher, staff developer, and adjunct professor of reading and writing. For sixteen years, she directed staff development initiatives at the Denver-based Public Education and Business Coalition. In addition, she served as the Deputy Director and Director of Literacy and Staff Development for the Cornerstone Project at the University of Pennsylvania. Ellin is the author of the acclaimed Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Readers’ Workshop. She has also written To Understand and Assessing Comprehension Thinking Strategies, as well as numerous chapters for reading textbooks and articles for education journals. Ellin works with schools around the country and serves as a consultant to Heinemann Professional Development. She lives with her husband David, daughter Elizabeth, and two dogs who think they are in charge, in Denver.
	Lester Laminack Lester is a former professor at Western Carolina University, where he was an award-winning teacher of literacy education. He is also an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English and served for three years as the co-editor of the NCTE publication Primary Voices. In addition, he served as an editor for Teaching K-8 magazine and wrote the Parent Connection column for three years. He is currently editor of the Children’s Book Review Department of the NCTE journal Language Arts. Lester’s academic publications include Learning with Zachary; Spelling in Use; Volunteers Working with Young Readers; The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts (And They’re all Hard Parts); and Learning Under the Influence of Language and Literature, several of which he co-authored with Katie Wood Ray. In addition, he has published articles in journals such as The Reading Teacher, Science and Children, Language Arts, Primary Voices, and Young Children. Lester is also the author of four children’s books: The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins, Trevor’s Wiggly-Wobbly Tooth, Saturdays and Tea Cakes, and Jake’s 100th Day of School.
	Debbie Diller Debbie has been an educator for over thirty years and has taught Pre-K through 10th grade. Her experience includes that of a classroom teacher, Title I reading specialist, literacy coach, and national consultant. Debbie is the author of Making the Most of Small Groups, Literacy Work Stations, Practice With Purpose, Beyond the Names Chart, and Spaces and Places: Designing Classrooms for Literacy. She has also published articles in The Reading Teacher and The State of Reading. Debbie is a popular conference speaker who is well-known for her presentations on literacy work stations. She also uses her understanding of child development and literacy in her work with teachers and administrators in districts across the country. Debbie lives in Houston, Texas with her husband Tom and their great dane, Hercules. They have two children in their 20’s, Jon and Jessica, who have taught them much about life and literacy. Day One: Lester Laminack and Debbie Diller Day Two: Ellin Oliver Keene and Debbie Diller

How can you get ALL of your students to become proficient, successful readers and writers?

Your Speakers: