Castleberry ISD

Understanding and Analyzing the ELAR TEKS (K-12)

Target Audience: K-12 teachers, (highly recommended for first or second year teachers), ESL, G/T, SpEd

Date: May 30, 2024
Time:  8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description:  In this session, participants will learn how to analyze the seven strands of the ELAR TEKS and understand how the seven strands are interconnected. We will dive into unpacking the student expectations (SEs) and using the SEs to drive planning and instruction. Please make sure to bring a technology device. Resources and artifacts for the session will be digital.

Helping Struggling Readers, Grades 4-12

Target Audience: Grades 4-12, ESL, SpEd, instructional leaders

Date: June 10, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description:  Participants will build a knowledge base of foundational reading skills and learn how to interpret data to identify foundational reading skill gaps. We will establish how to determine appropriate strategies to target instructional needs and the best practices that support students through ongoing support. This session would be a review for those who have completed Reading Academies.

Connecting Reading and Writing in the ELAR Classroom (Grades 3-12)

Target Audience: 3-12 RLA teachers, ESL, G/T, SpEd, instructional leaders

Date: June 11, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: In this session, participants will explore the framework of connecting reading and writing in the ELAR classroom. They will dive deep into the process of using mentor texts to examine and analyze authors' craft from the perspective of a reader and writer. Participants will leave the session with a plan for integrating reading and writing through mentor texts. Participants will need technology for this session.

Implementing Fluency Instruction in Secondary ELAR (6-12)

Target Audience: 6-12 teachers, instructional leaders

Date: June 24, 2024
Time: 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Location: ESC11

Course Description: This session explores the components of fluency, its impact on reading comprehension, and how to implement effective fluency strategies in the secondary ELAR classroom. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of fluency and its key elements. They will analyze the relationship between fluency and reading comprehension and learn to evaluate and implement appropriate fluency strategies. By the end of the session, educators will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to enhance fluency instruction and improve overall literacy achievement.

Enhancing Instruction Through Effective Formative Assessments in grades 6-12 ELAR

Target Audience: 6-12 ELAR teachers, instructional leaders

Date: June 24, 2024
Time: 12:30pm - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: This session will focus on the effective implementation of functional formative assessments to promote student growth and achievement in English Language Arts and Reading. Formative assessments play a vital role in guiding instruction, identifying student needs, and fostering continuous improvement in the ELAR classroom. This session will explore the purpose of formative assessments and how teachers can leverage them to support student success.

Differentiated Instruction

Target Audience: EC-12, SpEd, CTE, instructional leaders

Date: June 13, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Differentiated instruction is a philosophy that governs teacher practice related to designing learning experiences that meet the needs of all learners. This session is aligned with FAPE, IEP Implementation, LRE, Instructional Strategies components of the TEA required self-assessment, and SPP indicator Education Environments (School Age).

Elementary (2-5) ELAR Writing Calibrations and Trend Analysis: STAAR and Beyond

Target Audience: Elementary 1-5 teachers, principals and other instructional leaders

Date: July 11, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: This professional development workshop is designed for teachers and instructional leaders who aspire to enhance their expertise in analyzing writing trends and refining student writing through thoughtful calibration. Through a hands-on and interactive approach, educators will gain valuable insights into the purpose and significant impact of trends analysis and calibrating writing.

Launching New Secondary Teachers Aligning Instruction to Math Standards

Target Audience: 5-12 Teachers, SpEd, instructional leaders

Date: July 22, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: This session will dive into the structure and development of the secondary Math TEKS. It will investigate vertical alignment and components of Knowledge Statements and Student Expectations. Likewise, this session will discuss how to build an engaging lesson that meets the standards and improves student outcomes. From standards to delivery, this session supports new teachers in building awesome learning experiences.

Launching New Secondary Teaches: Managing an Engaging Math Classroom

Target Audience: Secondary (5-12) teacher, SpEd, instructional leaders

Date: July 24, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: OK! Now what? This session will explore pedagogy and strategies aimed to improve student engagement. From simple tasks like "Which One Doesn't Belong?" to more complex activities like "3 Act Tasks," participants will discover the benefits of classroom discussions with regard to classroom management. This session is a must for teachers new to the profession.

CTE – Matt Miller and Artificial Intelligence for Educators

Target Audience: CTE teachers

Date: July 29, 2024
Time: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: AI isn't science fiction anymore. It's here, and it can help us teach and help our students learn. Join Matt Miller for an interactive day of learning for CTE teachers. Nationally acclaimed author and presenter Matt Miller will bring his hands-on learning to regional teachers. Bring a device to work on and plan to leave with skills you can immediately implement!

Ideas para un salón de clase bilingüe interactivo y rico en lenguaje 

Target Audience: Dual language teachers

Date: June 3, 2024
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Esta sesión será presentada en español. Los participantes comprenderán cómo el ambiente del aula y el comportamiento de los maestros impactan la creación de un aula rica en lenguaje. Los participantes examinarán y reflexionarán sobre las mejores prácticas de instrucción para estructurar, planificar y crear un aula rica en lenguaje a través de las habilidades linguísticas: escuchar, hablar, leer y escribir.

Region 11 Bilingual and ESL Summer Extravaganza

Target Audience: Dual language teachers, ESL teachers

Date: June 10, 2024
Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: This will be a day full of learning, affirmation, and collaboration! We will be offering 50-minute in-person breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon. The conference will offer three pathways for participants: Leaders, Teachers, and Paraprofessionals. A vendor fair will also be on-site to display products and resources that support emergent bilingual students.

Unlocking the Science and Art of Writing in the Spanish Biliteracy Classroom

Target Audience: EC-3 dual language teachers, instructional leaders

Date: June 19, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Join us for this workshop to unlock the Science and Art of Writing in the biliteracy classroom. You will leave the workshop with practical, efficient strategies, evidence-based practices, and routines to use in the Spanish literacy block, including the connection between literacy and writing, writing in the content areas, and explicit instruction.

ChatGPT: AI tools to Augment Language Acquisition for Emergent Bilingual Students (Virtual)

Target Audience: Dual language teachers, instructional leaders, SpEd teachers, ESL teachers

Date: June 24, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Location: VIRTUAL (ESC11)

Course Description: This session will give teachers and instructional staff tools they can use to specifically target the language acquisition growth of English Learners/Emergent Bilingual students. Participants will explore and discover how ChatGPT can be used in all phases of lesson planning, including: creating content and language objectives, designing interactive & structured discourse and providing focused scaffolding and differentiation. Furthermore, participants will discover how ChatGPT can be used to assist in language acquisition for specific students at their level of proficiency.

ChatGPT: AI tools to Augment Language Acquisition for Emergent Bilingual Students (in-person)

Target Audience: Dual language teachers, instructional leaders, SpEd teachers, ESL teachers

Date: June 25, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Location: ESC11

Course Description: This session will give teachers and instructional staff tools they can use to specifically target the language acquisition growth of English Learners/Emergent Bilingual students. Participants will explore and discover how ChatGPT can be used in all phases of lesson planning, including: creating content and language objectives, designing interactive & structured discourse and providing focused scaffolding and differentiation. Furthermore, participants will discover how ChatGPT can be used to assist in language acquisition for specific students at their level of proficiency.

All Systems Go: A Teaching and Learning Conference

Target Audience: EC-12 teachers, SpEd, instructional leaders, instructional technologists

Date: June 25, 26, and 27, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: At the ESC11 summer Teaching and Learning Conference, you will learn about accelerated instruction and support for all core content areas, including best practices in math, literacy, social studies, science, and special education. Our objective is to provide resources, support, and services that enable general and special education teachers and support staff to create an inclusive learning environment that allows learners to thrive rather than just survive. We will have a wide variety of sessions to choose from with various topics and strands. We will also have amazing keynote speakers, so you do not want to miss it! Lunch will be provided. Day 1 Keynote: Eric Sheninger Day 2 Keynote: Dr. Wes Dotson and panel discussion Day 3 Keynote: Howie Hua and Gerry Brooks. 

2024 Mathematics Academies

Target Audience: K-5 math teachers, bilingual, SpEd

Date: varies by grade level
Time: varies by grade level
Location: varies by grade level

Course Description: Each course is a three-day training that includes a stipend for attending all three days. Each course is grade-level specific. Teachers will (1) examine TEKS-based learning progressions and critical checkpoints for student understanding and (2) experience classroom-ready activities, including formative assessment and follow-up activities that account for learner variability. Teachers will build a toolkit of strategies and key questions through analysis of activities for students with disabilities, learners who seek to be bilingual and bi-literate, students struggling to learn mathematics, and learners identified for gifted services.

Think Like a Coder, Code Like a Thinker

Target Audience:T EC-5 teachers, instructional technologists, librarians

Date: June 12, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 11:30 am (EC-2) & 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm (3-5)
Location: ESC11

Course Description:  In this session about coding with younger learners, participants will explore resources and activities aligned with the updated Tech Apps TEKS as they expand and refine their preexisting knowledge of what coding is and how it applies to elementary students. Through hands-on activities and digital simulations using Discovery Education and programming bots, participants will engage in the thinking processes included in the new TEKS, including computational thinking, creativity, and innovation.

Little Steps, Big Adventures: Early Childhood Centers Series (Virtual Trainings)

Little Steps, Big Adventures: Early Childhood Centers Series (VIRTUAL Trainings)

Target Audience: PreK, Kinder, bilingual EC

Date: varies by course
Time:  varies by course, 10:00 am - 11:30 am OR 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Location: VIRTUAL - online

Course Description: Learning centers offer diverse hands-on experiences that promote cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth. During each session, we will explore ideas for a management system, feature literacy and language, emphasize inclusion, and plan for ideas to improve our featured center.

Loose Parts

Target Audience: PreK, Kinder teachers, para-educators, instructional leaders

Date: July 10, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Part of the Early Childhood STEM series.  Loose parts provide rich opportunities for learning, as they not only support all the developmental domains (cognitive, social, physical, and emotional) but also support the curriculum in an integrated fashion. The open-ended nature of loose parts provokes possibilities, allowing children to engage in creative and imaginative play that supports their learning and development. In this session, participants will have the opportunity to explore and experiment with loose parts and learn how to support student's academic and emotional development in a fun and engaging way.

Storybook STEM

Target Audience: PreK, Kinder teachers, para-educators, instructional leaders

Date: July 11, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Part of the Early Childhood STEM series. Your favorite storybooks come to life for students as they investigate intriguing topics based on the stories and characters. Explore a variety of ready-to-go investigations based on popular children's books. Create your own based on one of your favorites to share. We will all live happily ever after with a new collection of STEM activities for our classrooms.

Digging Data

Target Audience: PreK, Kinder teachers, instructional leaders

Date: July 11, 2024
Time: 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Part of the Early Childhood STEM series. Collecting, reviewing, and sharing data is an essential component of STEM activities. Join us to explore authentic data collection experiences and plan for your own classroom experiences that involve students in the process. Let's dig in!

Exploring and Experimenting with Coding in the Early Years

Target Audience: EC-2 teachers, instructional technologists, librarians

Date: July 15, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: This session will engage participants in collaborative, hands-on activities that introduce Pre-K-2 students to the thinking behind coding. Through unplugged activities, participants will learn strategies and access resources to help prepare students for success in an ever-increasingly digital society.

Curious Minds: Leveraging Student Interests and Intellectual Play to Foster Critical Thinking in Social Studies (G/T Update)

Target Audience: K-12 teachers, G/T teachers, instructional leaders

Date: June 13, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Curious Minds is designed to empower educators with innovative strategies for differentiating instruction and engaging gifted and advanced learners in the field of social studies. This course delves into the intersection of student curiosity, intellectual play, and critical thinking to create dynamic learning experiences that promote deeper understanding and exploration of complex historical topics. Throughout the course, participants will explore a variety of instructional approaches aimed at tapping into students' innate curiosity and fostering critical thinking skills.

Coloring Outside the Lines: Cultivating Creativity in Early Childhood

Target Audience: EC-5 teachers, G/T teacher

Date: July 24, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Welcome to "Coloring Outside the Lines: Cultivating Creativity in Early Childhood," a dynamic course designed to explore the intersection of giftedness, creativity, and curiosity in young children. In this engaging and hands-on learning experience, we will explore the realm of identifying giftedness in early childhood and discover effective strategies to foster creativity and curiosity.

G/T Update – ELAR on ICE: Inquiry, Creativity, and Enrichment in the ELAR Classroom

Target Audience:  K-12 teachers, G/T teacher, librarians, instructional leaders

Date: June 17, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: The ICE series is designed to provide content-specific instructional strategies to amplify core content for gifted and advanced learners. In this course, we will explore what inquiry, creativity, and enrichment can look like in 3rd- through 10th-grade ELAR classrooms. We will examine methods to promote inquiry and creativity in daily lessons, including choice boards, book trailers, and questioning strategies.

Elevate Biliteracy: Building Background Knowledge and Biliteracy Using English and Spanish Text Sets and Interactive Read-Alouds

Target Audience: EC-5 dual language teachers

Date: July 9, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Let's discover the potential of interactive read-alouds to build background knowledge and develop biliteracy. In this session, you will leave with a toolkit of practical read-aloud routines and text-based instructional strategies to enhance young learners' biliteracy development, content-area knowledge, and academic achievement in the PK-3 bilingual classroom. In addition, you will learn how to carefully select and order text sets to build conceptual knowledge and comprehend challenging texts.

Elevate Biliteracy: Building Blocks of Phonic and Spelling Instruction in the Spanish Language Arts Classroom

Target Audience: EC-3 dual language teachers

Date: July 22, 2024
Time: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: Join us as we explore the building blocks of phonics and spelling instruction that will impact your students' reading and writing skills. In this session, we will explore the relationship between phonological awareness, phonics, and spelling, research-based phonics and spelling routines to enhance classroom instruction, and the power of decodable books to reinforce phonics skills and decoding habits for early readers. This session will be delivered in English and Spanish. This workshop is appropriate for K-3 bilingual teachers and instructional leaders.

All Aboard! Early Childhood Beginning Teacher Academy

Target Audience: PreK, Kinder teachers, bilingual, SpEd (Register ONLY with administrator approval.)

Date: September 2024 through February 2025, five in-person sessions
Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Location: ESC11

Course Description: We will explore setting up your environment, instructional best practices, supporting language development, and assessing learning. In each of the five sessions, you will have the opportunity to practice and receive feedback. Classes are spaced out, so you will have time to practice your learning between sessions.

Gifted Minds, Gifted Reads: A Professional Book Study Series using A Teacher's Toolbox for Gifted Education (G/T 6-hour update)

Target Audience: K-12 teachers, librarians, G/T teachers, instructional leaders

Date: June 6 - August 9, 2024 (ONLINE, asynchronous)
Time: Complete at your own pace
Location: ONLINE through ESC11

Course Description: This self-paced series is designed for educators interested in exploring the latest research and practices in gifted education. This session will dive into Todd Stanley's "A Teacher's Toolbox for Gifted Education." This practical guide provides busy teachers with a toolbox of adaptable strategies to challenge gifted students. You'll explore various tools that can be put to use immediately in your classroom. Author Todd Stanley provides templates, charts, and video links that could make this guide your go-to resource for inspiring and supporting advanced learners. Please note that participants are responsible for securing their own copy of the book prior to the start of the course. Instructions for completing the course will be emailed to participants shortly before the course begins.

Castleberry employees should request approval from their campus administrator before registering for courses outside the district.

Upon completion, participants must upload transcript or certificate of completion and request credit in Eduphoria.