Keynote Presentations Topics
Structured Literacy in French Immersion: Bridging Two Fields That Rarely Talk to Each Other
Kim's signature topic, my signature topic: why most Science of Reading resources assume English-only instruction, and what structured literacy looks like when it's actually built for French Immersion.
The Science of Reading: What Every Educator Needs to Know
A grounding keynote on the research behind how children learn to read, and what it means for classroom practice, in any language.
Strive for Five: Building Oral Language for Every Learner
Why oral language is the foundation for reading comprehension and writing, especially for additional-language learners, and how to build it into daily instruction.
The Science of Writing: Why Spelling and Reading Instruction Belong Together
The research connecting spelling, handwriting, and writing instruction to stronger reading outcomes, and what that means for how we teach both.
Making Room for What Works: The Science of De-implementation
A practical look at the classroom practices research says to retire, and what to put in their place. As a former classroom teacher, I've done it myself.
Workshops by Grade
Kindergarten Workshop
Developing foundational, early reading skills, oral language development, and screening for students in Kindergarten.
Primary (Grades 1-3) Workshop
Building on foundational reading skills: oral language, word recognition, reading fluency, phonics and decoding with decodable texts, background knowledge, vocabulary, reading comprehension, explicit printing instruction, spelling, and writing.
Junior (Grades 4-6) Workshop
Strategies to build Tier 1 and Tier 2 French vocabulary, reading fluency, listening and reading comprehension, and spelling and writing skill development.
Intermediate (Grades 7-9), Interventionists & Special Education Workshop
Tier 2 and Tier 3 strategies for phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and spelling and writing skill development.
My Workshops
My workshops are grounded in the Science of Reading and structured literacy, and most are offered in both English and French
Introduction to the Science of Reading
This workshop offers an introduction to the Science of Reading and a structured literacy approach in the English or FSL context. I share the what, why, and how of evidence-based instruction and provide practical, high-yield strategies for students learning to read and write.
Who it's for: Teachers in K-3
Length: 60 minutes
Delivery: English and French
Oral Language Instruction Using the Strive-for-Five Framework
“The ability to produce and comprehend spoken language is one of the earliest predictors of literacy achievement.” — National Early Literacy Panel, 2008
Decades of research have established oral language as the foundation for later reading comprehension and writing success. Yet oral language development can sometimes be overlooked in the literacy classroom- or left to develop through exposure alone.
In this practical, research-informed workshop, Kim shares the evidence behind the critical role of oral language in literacy development, with particular attention to Additional Language Learners. Participants will explore five evidence-based oral language strategies that can- and should- be used in every classroom. Drawing on both the research and her own classroom practice, Kim demonstrates how these strategies can be intentionally embedded throughout the school day to strengthen students’ foundational oral language skills while supporting stronger reading comprehension and writing.
Participants will leave with practical routines and strategies they can begin using with students right away.
Who it's for: Teachers in K-3
Length: 60 minutes
Delivery: English and French
Structured Literacy: An Evidence-Based Approach to Reading Instruction
The first half covers the Decoding and Word Recognition strands of Scarborough's Reading Rope, with practical strategies for teachers of emergent readers. The second half covers the Language Comprehension strands, including oral language, vocabulary, and syntax, with strategies for teachers of all grade levels.
Who it's for: Teachers in K-3 with some background in the Science of Reading, reading intervention teachers, and junior-grade teachers of students who are not yet proficient readers
Length: 2 hours
Delivery: English and French
Introduction to Reading Science, Word Recognition, and Language Comprehension
A comprehensive session covering the Science of Reading and structured literacy, including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, encoding, and printing and handwriting, followed by a full hour on language comprehension research and strategies. Teachers leave with a resource list, a lesson plan template, and a clear understanding of what students need to become proficient readers and writers, in English or French Immersion.
Who it's for: Teachers of emergent readers and writers
Length: Half-day (3 hours)
Delivery: English and French
Read Alouds for Language Comprehension
This 60-minute workshop explores the power of intentional, interactive read alouds. Drawing on decades of literacy research, this session examines how thoughtfully planned read alouds can be used to explicitly develop the language comprehension strands of Scarborough’s Reading Rope (2001) and the language skills students need to become strong readers and writers.
Kim shares practical examples from her own classroom, demonstrating how she uses intentionally selects read alouds to build her students’ background knowledge, vocabulary, and understanding of complex sentence structures while engaging them in rich discussion and thinking.
Participants will leave this session with practical strategies they can use immediately, along with free Read Aloud planning guides to support implementation in their own classrooms.
Who it's for: Teachers of students in K-6
Length: 60 minutes
Delivery: English and French, with resources in both languages
The Science of Writing
Spelling instruction is closely linked to reading instruction; research shows spelling interventions can be more effective at supporting struggling readers than reading-focused interventions alone. This session covers the research on handwriting, spelling, and writing instruction, with practical, evidence-based classroom strategies.
Who it's for: Teachers in K-3
Length: 90 minutes
Delivery: English and French
Making Room for What Works: The Science of De-implementation
Six common classroom practices conflict with current research on how students learn to read and write, yet many teachers keep using them, at the cost of instructional time. Drawing on my own experience as a busy classroom teacher, I walk participants through the six practices I've de-implemented and the evidence-based practices I've put in their place.
Who it's for: Teachers in K-6
Length: 60-90 minutes
Delivery: English only
10-Part Science of Reading Learning Series
A comprehensive series for schools and districts committed to a longer-term structured literacy implementation. Ten monthly, one-hour sessions break the approach into manageable pieces: oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, reading fluency, vocabulary and morphology, background knowledge, syntax and grammar, encoding and spelling, and written expression. I've previously delivered this to Holliston School District (Maine), Brockton School (Vancouver, B.C.), and Holy Trinity School District (Saskatchewan).
Who it's for: Schools and districts implementing structured literacy long-term
Length: 10 monthly 1-hour sessions
Delivery: English and French
