Summer Book Study

Building Writing Skills with Kindergarten to Grade Two Students

OECTA invites members to participate in a Summer Book Study: Building Writing Skills with Kindergarten to Grade Two Students, using the book Strive-for-Five Conversations by Tricia A. Zucker and Sonia Q. Cabell. Participants will be provided with a copy of the book prior to the first session, and will explore practical ways to expand oral language and connect to writing opportunities. Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 teachers will collaborate in building effective language resources, and/or implement new instructional strategies. We will empower your young writers by building a solid foundation where speaking and writing go hand in hand!

Using cross-curricular content and rich books, in both fiction and nonfiction, we will walk through the Strive-for-Five strategies with the intentional goal, "to model advanced language that prepares students for reading... To have longer, more substantive conversations that contain opportunities for student to push their thinking and model more precise language" (Zucker and Cabell).

Key Takeaways:

• Practical ways to integrate oral language that support explicit writing instruction
• Tools to help students transition from verbal to written expression with confidence
• Techniques for fostering a classroom culture of communication and collaboration

Book Study Dates:

Kick off - Part 1: Thursday, August 21, 2025, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Round up - Part 2: October 8, 2025, 4:00-5:30 pm

Register Now

Registrations are due no later than Wednesday, July 23, 2025, by noon.

Upon registration, the book Strive-For-Five Conversations will be provided to all participants.