READING FIRST IN VIRGINIA

Returning Users

If you are a returning user of our website, Log In here.

New Users

We invite teachers, principals and coaches in the state to create your own accounts on the Reading First website so that you are ready to enroll in an event when you see one announced. You will also be included in state mailings through our website. Watch for new professional development materials!

Comprehension Institute

The first Comprehension Institute was held at the Hotel Roanoke on June 18 and 19. Two hundred teachers in school teams met for a day and a half to think about how they could extend reading instruction to the content areas. The welcome was delivered by Mark Allan, Director of Elementary Education at the Virginia Department of Education. Featured guest speaker for the first half-day of the institute was Dr. Tom Gill from West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Teachers spent the second day in small groups, working with a simulated PALS class to design instruction, examining text sets, and designing instruction for the content area. See our slide show of the institute.

A second Comprehension Institute was held in Richmond on July 29 and 30. This one was open to any teacher in the state; places at the institute were in great demand!

Academies

Teacher Reading Academies are free professional development opportunities, open to all K-3 teachers, K-12 special educators and other professionals in our schools who work with children in the primary grades. Information in the academies reflects scientifically-based reading research. Teachers can earn recertification points for attendance and can elect to complete a 3-hour graduate course after the academy.

In summer 2008, we offered five K-3 Teacher Reading Academies and two academies for grades 4-12 Special Educators. Academies begin in June and extend across summer to early August. Please check the Academy Listing page for dates and sites. See photos of the Academies

Academy Follow-Up Course (EDIS 589)

The Academy Follow-Up Course (EDIS 589) is a 3 - hour graduate level course designed for K-3 teachers and special education teachers who have taken a Teacher Reading Academy through the University of Virginia.

Workshops

Our workshops are hands-on and interactive follow-ups to teacher reading academies. They are designed for teachers who have attended a Teacher Reading Academy and want more information on the topics of Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Comprehension and Vocabulary, and Fluency.

Conferences

Conferences are offered several times a year and are open to all teachers in the state.

Comprehension Institutes for Fall ~ NEW

We are pleased to announce that the comprehension institute will be offered again, twice this fall and twice in the spring. This event, open to anyone, focuses on best practices related to differentiating instruction for the content reading areas. We offered this institute last summer as a half day conference combined with a day of workshops (small groups/hands-on activities). During the upcoming academic year, the workshop portion of the institute will be offered on Saturdays only. Please download the brochure to see dates and sites. Or check the Institutes menu button at the top of this web page for more information. You will need to register for an account on this website to enroll in one of these outstanding offerings.

Professional development opportunities

We are pleased to announce the dates and sites for our 2008-2009 professional development opportunities. You can download a flyer[pdf] here. Please, you have to create an account on the RF website to be able to enroll in academies, institutes, and workshops; all enrollment takes place through this website. We look forward to our next year of working with teachers in the state.

Teaching Reading in the Content Areas

This summer, we offered the first institutes that focus on teaching reading in the content areas using multi-level text. Our Professional Development pages now contain information that follows up on the institute. At this time, you will find teaching demonstrations, strategy tips, and resources to help you teach reading comprehension. We will be posting downloadable handouts from the Institute soon! Please log into your own account, select Professional Development from the side menu, and visit the professional development site

Fall Graduate Class

For those teachers who wish to take their reading academy experiences to the graduate course level, please see the attached flyer for specific information regarding registration dates and tuition costs for the Fall 2008 EDIS 589W Reading First in Virginia: Effective Literacy Instruction. This class is appropriate as follow-up for all academies.

Click here to download flyer.

Click here to consult the Announcements Archives

eLibrary

In the eLibrary, you will find up-to-date internet resources on topics of interest to teachers related to research-based reading instruction.

Instructional Slideshows

Reading First photographers create Instructional slideshows of best practices to share with you.

Lectures

For information on the George Graham Lecture in Reading and other professional opportunities, visit Lectures.

About Reading First in Virginia

This summer is our 6th summer of presenting Teacher Reading Academies, our second summer for the Special Ed Academy for Teachers of Struggling Readers, our first summer to offer on-line academies for ELL teachers, and our first summer to bring two NEW Comprehension Institutes to the state. The professional development office is busy with supporting existing initiatives and building new ones for the teachers in our state

The new Comprehension webpage will be "unveiled" in June and will contain videos of comprehension strategies and model teaching to help teachers with the most difficult aspect of teaching reading: building comprehension. Please check back in June....log in to your own page and open the Professional Development link on the side.

Photos of the first Special Education Academy for Teachers of Struggling Readers, July 2007.

Walk through some past academies.

Contact Reading First in Virginia

Copyright 2005-2006-2007-2008 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. The University is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This information is subject to change without notice. For questions or comments on the content contact Reading First in Virginia. For questions or comments on the site itself contact the Webmaster.