Essentials I will get you and your team started with Reading Apprenticeship. Middle school, high school, and college educators will experience and learn new ways to create a positive learning community with student strengths and texts at the center, whether in-person or online. Both tracks will provide a solid foundation in the Reading Apprenticeship framework’s four dimensions of learning—social, personal, cognitive and knowledge-building—and the development of these interacting dimensions through metacognitive conversation.
This course is a Phase 1 Reading Apprenticeship professional learning opportunity and is equivalent to other Phase 1 courses and seminars.
Participants will learn to:
- Recognize and model for students the reading strategies you use as an expert reader in your subject area
- Engage students in understanding their own thinking processes—the power of metacognition
- Integrate and accelerate students’ subject-area learning and subject-area literacy
- Foster learning dispositions of persistence, stamina, problem solving, and collaboration
- Turn the sustained work of learning back to students, successfully
- Plan lessons that incorporate all dimensions of the Reading Apprenticeship framework
- Translate traditional classroom practices and tools into digital spaces and processes using video conferencing and online annotation tools (online track only)
Who should attend:
- Middle school, high school, and higher-ed educators of all subject areas
- Administrators, coaches, and instructional support personnel
- Teams of two or more are highly recommended
Description
Reading Apprenticeship Essentials I is available at your site or ours, online or in-person. It is designed to get you and your team off to a strong start with Reading Apprenticeship professional learning. Middle school, high school, and college educators will experience and learn new ways to create a positive learning community with student strengths and texts at the center.
In-Person Track
- Comprised of 3-day live institutes + more
- Full day (6-hour) sessions of immersive learning
- Builds community and models classroom strategy and implementation
- Teachers experience extended inquiry, collaboration, and reflection with colleagues
- Flexible in dates and sequencing (2-4 days) options for school /district buyout scheduling
- Available for small team / individual registration 1-2x per year
Online Track*
- Comprised of 9 two-hour Zoom sessions (total of 18 hours synchronous work)
- Multi-modal online classroom / course
- Builds uniquely powerful community in the digital space
- Provides extensive support for online instruction, including modeling of effective tools and strategies
- Includes team of 2 Reading Apprenticeship facilitators and a digital copy of “Reading for Understanding” for all participants
- WestEd hosts the course on their online learning platform
*Technical requirements:
- Operating Systems: Windows 7 (and newer), Mac OSX 10.6 (and newer), Linux – Chrome OS
- Computer Speed and Processor: Use a computer not more than 5 years old when possible, 1GB of RAM, 2GHz processor
- Internet Speed: Minimum of 512kbps
Location & Scheduling
Upcoming Opportunities
| Dates | Name | Location | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-23Jan 23–May 8, 2025 | Essentials I: Online | Online | Sign up online |
| 2025-06-23Jun 23–25, 2025 | Essentials I: Livonia, MI | In-person | Sign up online |
| 2025-06-23Jun 23–25, 2025 | Essentials I: San Francisco, CA | In-person | Sign up online |
| 2025-08-11Aug 11–13, 2025 | Essentials I: San Francisco, CA | In-person |
To get alerted of changes or future announcements, sign up for our mailing list.
You can also visit our Get Started page, or contact us to learn how to begin implementing Reading Apprenticeship professional learning, secure funding, and promote coherence across multiple initiatives.
For individual teachers or small teams of teachers who are requesting district funding to attend, here is a template letter that can be sent to district personnel.
Cost & Included Resources
- In-person registration fee: $1750
- Online registration fee: $1500
- This service is also available at your site or as a private course online — please contact us for pricing and to set dates that work for your team
Included course materials:
- Our best-selling book, Reading for Understanding
- A binder of professional readings
- Classroom implementation materials
Federal funding: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes four levels of evidence. The top three levels require findings of a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes. Based on the law’s definition, Reading Apprenticeship qualifies as a “strong” evidenced-based professional development model that states, districts and schools can utilize to advance their specific adolescent literacy initiatives. To support these efforts, state and local leaders can look to braid federal funding streams such as Title I, Title II-Part A and B, and Title III.
Refund policy: For individual registration sessions of this course, we offer full refunds up to two weeks prior to the scheduled course start. A 50% refund will be granted if the request to withdraw is received within the two week period before the course begins.
What's Next
After participating in this Phase 1 Reading Apprenticeship professional learning opportunity, you will be able to participate in Phase 2 services.