on-demand workshop

Test-Ready Writers

This workshop will reveal proven strategies, scaffolded mini-lessons, and ready-to-use resources that make rigorous response writing manageable—for you and your students.
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WORKSHOP DETAILS

Learn how to:
What you’ll take away:
  • Target the beyond-the-text thinking students must execute and communicate in writing.
  • Teach students to support short constructed responses with a clear answer, relevant evidence, and meaningful explanation.
  • Guide students beyond simply identifying evidence to explaining and commenting on it.
  • Strengthen extended responses where students have to compare or synthesize ideas across multiple texts.
  • Push students beyond surface-level observations when composing argumentative and literary analyses.
  • Prepare students for the academic vocabulary found in prompts to ensure they respond in the correct genre and with the appropriate information.
  • A comprehensive list of skills students need in order to read, think, and write at the level required for rigorous state tests.
  • A clear framework for teaching constructed- and extended-response writing across ELA, science, and social studies.
  • Six places where a short writing lesson could fit within the day/class period.
  • Lessons that shift students from copying too much from the text to citing only the strongest, most relevant evidence.
  • Lesson concepts that lead to synthesizing—versus simply summarizing.
  • Tools for teaching students how to accurately decode the academic vocabulary within writing prompts.
  • Ready-to-use classroom resources and scaffolded mini-lesson ideas.

Who should enroll?

  • Grades 3–12 ELA teachers
  • Science and social studies teachers
  • Instructional coaches, curriculum coordinators, and instructional officers
  • SPED, ML, Title I, and intervention specialists
  • School principals
  • District curriculum directors

WHAT YOU GET

On-Demand Videos

Relevant & engaging presentations

Downloadable Handout

Full-color
note-taking guide

Secret Site

Lifetime access to
digital resources

Completion Certificate

5.5 hours of
PD credit

PRICING & GROUP RATES

$169/person

Group of 15 or more?

Email us or call (888) 376-0448
for custom pricing.

WHAT OTHER
EDUCATORS SAY

Practical strategies with resources to match. You all have professional development down
to a science.”
RYAN ASHER
Chief Academic Officer - Versailles, KY
I feel more prepared to dig deeper into skills that will help my students perform better on state testing.
MEGAN JOSEPH
Teacher - Vincent, OH
The content presented will help me better prepare my students not only for the state assessments but future grade-level expectations.
DAWN TURNER
Teacher - Commiskey, IN
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Meet the PRESENTER

Kristina Smekens

Nationally recognized literacy consultant, author, and founder of Smekens Education
A celebrated educator, author, and literacy consultant, Kristina Smekens has built a reputation for using enthusiasm, humor, and common sense to equip K-12 educators with simple and effective strategies for teaching reading and writing.

As president and lead consultant for Smekens Education, Kristina is constantly developing new strategies to help teachers meet the demands of today’s College and Career-Ready Standards. She shares those strategies with teachers across the United States and beyond through on-site professional development, seminars, and an always-growing pool of print, digital, and video resources.

TOP QUESTIONS ABOUT ON-DEMAND WORKSHOPS

What is included with my registration?

  • Access to the workshop video for one full year.
  • 5.75 hours of dynamic workshop content.
  • A downloadable copy of the workshop handout.
  • Lifetime access to classroom-ready digital resources.
  • A completion certificate for 5.75 hours of continuing education credit.

Once I register, when does my access start?

You may select the date that you wish to begin your access, as soon as the next business day.

How long do I have access to the workshop?

Once you enroll in the online workshop, you can access the videos for one full year. The self-paced format means you determine how fast or slow you move through the workshop.

Your workshop registration also comes with lifetime access to exclusive digital resources in the “Secret Site” that accompanies this workshop. Here you’ll find classroom-ready worksheets and blackline masters, along with videos and articles to take your learning further. Teachers love the way the “Secret Site” helps them implement what they learn in the workshop.

Can I share my workshop with colleagues?

Online workshop sharing is not allowed. Our Terms of Use specify that one registration fee allows access for just one person. However, we are happy to offer group discounts. Give us a call at (888) 376-0448 to get the details.

Can I get continuing education credits?

Most likely! With prior approval from your school district, participants may receive credit for up to 5.75 hours of professional development for completing each of the workshop videos. A Certificate of Completion is provided to participants when they complete all aspects of the workshop. For possible Illinois-approved credit, please contact our office.

Can I receive Illinois-approved credits?

Smekens Education is a for-profit entity located outside of Illinois, and as such is not eligible to administer state-approved PD credit for webAcademy workshops. However, local school districts in Illinois may award credit when educators participate in professional development from Smekens and other for-profit, out-of-state entities. Please contact your district to determine if continuing education credit may be earned by participating in professional development events sponsored by Smekens Education.

Can I earn graduate-level units for this workshop?

Thanks to a partnership with the University of the Pacific, educators who complete each of the videos in a webAcademy workshop are eligible to pursue 1, 2, or 3 graduate-level units. (Graduate-level units cost is separate from registration fees. Units are $62 each.)

Graduate-level units offered through the University of the Pacific are non-degree units which are designed for professional certification renewals and salary step increases. (These are post-baccalaureate professional development semester units of non-degree graduate level and are not applicable to a degree at University of the Pacific.) To learn more, contact us by email or call (888) 376-0448.

What if I'm unhappy with the workshop?

We would never want you to be unhappy! That’s why every online workshop comes with a 100% money back guarantee. We are convinced the simple and effective strategies will transform the way you teach so we stand behind this workshop with full confidence. If you aren’t satisfied, contact me within the first ten days of your purchase, and I will give you a refund immediately. There are no additional forms to fill out, and there will be no delay. Just call (888) 376-0448 and ask for Brady or email me directly. We believe so strongly in this online workshop that we give you our personal promise of a speedy, hassle-free, no-questions-asked, total and complete refund.