Expository Writing Instruction Summer 2026
2026-08-18 09:00 - 2026-08-20 14:30 (America/New_York) | Westchester Lower School Campus, 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY, 10605, United States
Date: August 18, 19, and 20, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET
Instructor: Betsy MacDermott-Duffy, MsEd & Ann Spataro, MsEd.
Grades: K-12
Location: In-person at the Windward Westchester Lower School Campus in White Plains, NY or virtual
Price: $650.00
Credentials: 16.5 Approved CTLE Hours
Description:
Expectations to meet rigorous writing standards begin in the early grades and extend through high school. In this course, Betsy M. Duffy, MS Ed, Special Projects Advisor to the Windward Institute, will present strategies for teaching expository writing in all content areas in grades K through 12.
This prominent writing program, developed at The Windward School, is based on large statistical research studies for best practices in writing and utilizes strategies outlined in publications such as the Elementary and Secondary Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Practice Guides (Graham, et al.). Approaches from Teaching Basic Writing Skills (TBWS): Strategies for Effective Expository Writing Instruction by Judith C. Hochman and TBWS Templates by Betsy MacDermott-Duffy are incorporated with findings from Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading (Graham & Hebert, 2010) and “Effectiveness of Literacy Programs Balancing Reading and Writing Instruction: A Meta-analysis” (Graham et al., 2017). This writing program can be implemented in general education and special education classrooms across grade K through 12.
Key Learning Objectives:

learn specific evidence-based techniques to add structure, coherence, and clarity to students’ expository writing
identify instructional guidelines for developing complex sentences, outlining, writing paragraphs and compositions, and revising and editing
gain examples that explicitly demonstrate how to teach foundational and organizational skills necessary to write an argumentative essay
develop an overview of how to plan an expository reading lesson as springboard to writing

2-DAY MATH INSTITUTE - From Fluency to Acceleration: Building Strong Foundations and Responsive Math Instruction
2026-08-27 09:00 - 2026-09-01 12:00 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/96336691248
Date: July 13 and 14
Presenters: Brian Poncy, PhD
Grades: 2-5
Location: Virtual
Credits: NYCTLE credits – 3 hours per full-day workshop, 6 hours for full institute
This two-day experience helps educators build strong math foundations through fluency and respond effectively to student needs. Day 1 focuses on embedding Tier 1 practices that promote accuracy, efficiency, and deeper understanding, while Day 2 centers on using data to match and adjust interventions. Together, the sessions provide practical tools to support all students in making meaningful progress.
Day 1: From Fluency to Impact: Strengthening Math Foundations Through Practice and Tier 1 Support
Description
How do students move from basic understanding to confident, flexible problem solving in math? It starts with fluency. In this session, we’ll explore why accuracy and efficiency with foundational skills matter and how fluency supports deeper learning by reducing cognitive load, increasing practice opportunities, and strengthening retention. Participants will then translate research into action by planning practical Tier 1 routines that build fluency, align across grade levels, and support all learners.
Key Learning Objectives

explain why fluency matters and how it supports student learning, retention, and transfer
connect fluency to deeper math understanding and success with more complex concepts
apply practical Tier 1 strategies to build fluency within daily instruction
use assessment to identify student needs and monitor progress
plan for aligned and sustainable implementation across classrooms and grade levels

Day 2: From Matching to Momentum: Using Data to Select and Strengthen Math Interventions
Description:
How can we ensure we’re choosing the right intervention—and know what to do when it’s not working? This session supports educators in using data to both match instruction to student needs and make thoughtful adjustments when progress stalls. Participants will explore the Instructional Hierarchy as a practical framework for identifying where students are in their learning (acquisition, fluency, generalization, adaptation) and selecting targeted strategies to support them. Then, we’ll build on this foundation with a clear, step-by-step problem-solving process to troubleshoot non-responders—examining factors like skill selection, instructional approach, practice opportunities, and student engagement. Teachers will leave with concrete tools and routines to confidently adjust instruction and accelerate student progress.
Key Learning Objectives

use the Instructional Hierarchy to identify student skill stages and match appropriate interventions
select and apply targeted strategies (e.g., structured practice routines) to build accuracy, fluency, and generalization
use a data-based problem-solving process to identify why a student may not be responding to intervention
adjust instruction strategically by examining skill alignment, instructional methods, practice (dose), and task difficulty
set goals and monitor progress to evaluate effectiveness and ensure students are making meaningful gains

Teaching Morphemes: Affixes, Roots, and Practical Classroom Strategies
2026-10-06 16:30 - 18:30 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/95317215339
For struggling readers, longer words pose a significant challenge. Morphology instruction addresses this by building connections between words, supporting spelling, word recognition, comprehension, and vocabulary development at the word, sentence, and passage level. It’s also embedded in most content-area knowledge, making it a valuable tool across subjects. Participants will explore the research behind this approach and leave with practical, classroom-ready techniques for teaching it.
Key Learning Objectives:

Define morphology as the study of the structure of words and explain how a morpheme functions as the smallest unit of meaning.

Distinguish between free morphemes (which can stand alone) and bound morphemes (which require a partner), and identify subcategories including prefixes, roots, and suffixes.

Differentiate between inflectional suffixes, which change tense or number without altering part of speech, and derivational suffixes, which change the meaning or part of speech of a base word.

Apply a grade-level morphology progression — beginning with inflectional suffixes in first grade and advancing through Greek and Latin roots in upper elementary — to sequence instruction appropriately for students.

Implement evidence-based morphology instruction using a structured sequence that includes reviewing previously taught affixes, introducing new content with student-friendly definitions and examples, and providing repeated exposures through word building and independent practice

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 4:30- 6:30 pm EST
Instructor: Kinjal Nicholls, MA
Grades: 3-8
Location: Virtual
Price: $120
Credentials: 2 Approved CTLE Hours

4 Day Multisensory Reading Instruction: PAF Fall 2026
2026-10-08 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-15 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-22 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-29 09:00 - 13:00 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/92417691753
The Multisensory Reading Instruction: PAF Reading Program is a systematic, structured program for teaching reading, spelling, and handwriting. It emphasizes explicit, multisensory techniques highlighted by the National Reading Panel (2000) and supporting research and incorporates the theories and practices of Orton-Gillingham instruction. This program is applicable for all students when started in the early elementary grades and as an intervention program for struggling readers.
Key Learning Objectives:

Understand the current research on the instructional methodologies that supports reading development.
Learn a comprehensive instructional sequence that teaches a systematic approach to word reading, spelling, fluency, and comprehension.
Practice planning daily lessons incorporating PAF strategies and resources
Incorporate curriculum-based assessments to evaluate student progress and plan for instruction.

The PAF Reading Program manual is included and will be shipped directly to participants.
Instructors: Colleen McGlynn, MsEd and Kelly Schmidt, MPS
Dates: Thursdays, Oct 8, 15, 22, 29, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST
Grades: K- 5
Price: $675.00 (PAF manuals included)
Credits: NYCTLE hours: 16

Register by September 24 to lock in the price above.

Registrations after September 24 will incur an additional fee of $25.00 for expedited handling and shipping of materials

Teachers as Agents: Using Ai to Create, Plan and Assess
2026-10-14 16:30 - 18:30 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/95547337597
This workshop is built around one idea: the teacher as an agent. Before any AI tool goes in front of a student, the educator sits in the designer’s seat, directing the tool and deciding what is worth keeping. This is not a general AI overview. Every segment is a build, and participants bring one real assignment and one content-area text to work with throughout the day.
The focus is on the three things teachers ask for most: creating classroom resources, streamlining grading and feedback, and supporting students who need scaffolds to show what they know. Participants build with Claude for Teachers, Brisk, and Gemini with Gems, then get oriented on Diffit, Snorkl, and SchoolAI for leveling texts, hearing student reasoning, and guiding supported practice. By the end, participants leave with materials ready to use the next morning, plus a curated resource bank for continued learning.
Key Learning Objectives:

Direct AI as a design partner to create rigorous, standards-aligned lessons and student-facing resources from your own curriculum.

Prompt Claude to generate interactive, web-based games and activities that run in the chat window, with no coding knowledge: math mini-games, vocabulary match-ups, science simulations, interactive timelines, grammar and fact detectives, and role-play interviews.

Generate and audit assessment materials, rubrics, targeted feedback, and leveled questions, keeping professional judgment at the center.

Use and adapt reusable Gemini Gems (via edugems.ai) for scaffolds, differentiation, and grading routines you will reach for weekly.

Know when to reach for Diffit, Snorkl, and SchoolAI to level texts, hear student reasoning, and guide supported practice.

Date: Wednesday, October 14, 4:30-6:30 pm EST
Instructor: Joan McGettigan, Ed.D
Grades: K-12
Price: $120
Credentials: 2 Approved CTLE Hours

Building Early Reading Strategies
2026-10-21 16:30 - 18:30 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/92061637460
This session helps educators translate research into engaging, print-based classroom practices — connecting sounds to print through game-based activities for early reading approaches and developmentally appropriate approaches to building motor skills essential for early writing. Leave with a fully planned, print-based literacy activity that integrates phonological awareness, early reading, and writing, ready for immediate classroom implementation.
Key Learning Objectives

Strengthen early foundational skills instruction by implementing routines that build sound–spelling knowledge, including letter identification.

Apply phonemic awareness skills to print-based activities that support early reading development.

Learn and implement early reading strategies that support decoding and meaning-making.

Develop and practice instructional approaches that support early writing skills.

Design integrated literacy activities that connect reading, writing, and play, including planning a print-based lesson that incorporates phonological awareness, early reading, and writing.

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 4:30 – 6:30 pm EST
Instructor: Dana Carr-Ford, MA, MEd
Grades: PreK-2
Location: Virtual
Price: $ 120
Credentials: 2 Approved CTLE Hours

Graphic Organizers to Boost Reading, Writing and Vocabulary
2026-10-22 16:30 - 18:00 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/92375246540
Graphic organizers are powerful tools that help students organize ideas, uncover connections, and tackle complex concepts with confidence. In this workshop, participants learn how to use visual frameworks, such as story maps, vocabulary grids, concept webs, and semantic maps, to make abstract ideas concrete and accessible. Through hands-on activities, discover practical techniques to scaffold instruction, boost engagement, and foster independent thinking. Leave with a ready-to-use collection of graphic organizers.
Key Learning Objectives

Understand the role of graphic organizers in literacy to support comprehension, critical thinking, and writing development.

Learn how to use story maps, vocabulary frameworks, concept and semantic maps to enhance student learning.

Discover practical strategies for using these tools to implement in all aspects of your literacy lesson: before, during and after instruction.

Gain techniques to make abstract concepts accessible and promote independence for diverse learners.

Date: Thursday, Oct. 22, 4:30 pm- 6:00 pm. EST
Instructors: Alison Leveque, PhD and Alicia Kempin, MS
Grades: 2 – 8
Price: $  90
Credentials: 1.5 Approved CTLE Hours

Think, Play, Solve: Math Games for Growing Young Mathematicians
2026-10-27 16:30 - 18:00 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/97353328449
Engaging math games can transform K–5 classrooms by building number sense, strengthening problem-solving skills, and fostering mathematical thinking. Educators will explore how to use high‑impact games to reinforce essential concepts across elementary grades. Experience games firsthand and discover how to use playful practice to promote reasoning, fluency, and student discourse. Leave with a toolkit of ready‑to‑use games that make math meaningful, active, and fun.
Key Learning Objectives:

Understand how math games support number sense, fluency, and conceptual understanding.

Gain strategies for selecting and adapting games to meet diverse student needs and skill levels.

Gain practical routines for integrating games into whole group, small group, and independent practice.

Explore techniques for using games to promote student discourse, reasoning, and collaboration.

Obtain a collection of easy-to-implement games for your classroom

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 4:30- 6:00 pm EST
Presenter: Samantha Downey, MsEd
Grade: K- 5
Location: Virtual
Price: $90
Credentials: 1.5 Approved CTLE Hours

The Power of the Quick-Write: Fast, Purposeful Writing Strategies for All Subjects
2026-11-09 16:30 - 18:00 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/96742246782
Quick-writes are short responses to structured prompts that can be used in all content-area classes at any point during a learning opportunity. Grounded in the reading-writing connection, this workshop explores how structured quick-writes support long-term retention and recall, progressive skill development, and fluency in thinking and writing. Drawing on research showing that sentence-level instruction leads to better, faster sentence construction, reduces cognitive load, and ultimately frees up resources for idea generation and organization. Participants will learn to design writing tasks that build composition fluency and leave with ready-to-use strategies and templates that are adaptable to any subject or grade level.
Key Learning Objectives:

Understand and articulate the reading-writing connection and how it encourages knowledge through the discovery of new ideas.

Apply sentence-level writing instruction within a contextualized skill framework so students can see how complex sentences are used in relation to real academic tasks across subjects such as science, social studies, math, and the arts.

Design and implement structured quick-write for use as Do-Nows, guided practice, exit tickets, and formative assessments.

Use the Sentence Doctor’s three-step protocol to help students diagnose sentence-level problems, choose a treatment, and revise their writing, framing revision as problem-solving rather than criticism.

Leverage quick-writes as formative assessment tools that increase student progress by focusing on daily learning, clear misunderstandings, create rigor, and improve motivation and engagement.

Date: Monday, Nov. 9, 4:30 PM-6:00 pm EST
Instructor: Betsy MacDermott- Duffy, MsEd
Grades: 3-8
Location: Virtual
Price: $90
Credentials: 1.5 Approved CTLE Hours

Close Reading Across the Disciplines
2026-11-16 16:30 - 18:30 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/95005294378
Close reading is a powerful instructional approach that helps students engage deeply with complex texts, develop critical thinking skills, and support their ideas with evidence. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the what, why, when, and how effective close reading instruction through research-based practices and live modeling. Through hands-on practice and disciplinary examples, attendees will leave with a practical toolkit for planning and implementing close reading experiences that strengthen comprehension, analysis, and evidence-based thinking across content areas.
Key Learning Objectives:

Understand the purpose and essential components of close reading and how it supports comprehension, critical thinking, and evidence-based analysis.

Learn how to select appropriate complex texts, anticipate knowledge demands, and plan scaffolds that maintain rigor while supporting student success.

Develop effective close reading lessons using text-dependent questions, purposeful annotation strategies, and formative assessment practices.

Apply close reading techniques across disciplines and leave with a toolkit of classroom-ready strategies to deepen student engagement and understanding of complex texts.

Date: Monday, Nov. 16; 4:30- 6:30 pm EST
Instructor: Dana Carr-Ford, MA, MEd
Grades: 3-8
Location: Virtual
Price: $120
Credentials: 2 CTLE credits

Game on: Literacy Games for All Readers
2026-12-01 16:30 - 18:00 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/99893240748
Make learning fun! Imagine phonics drills replaced by games your students actually ask to play again. This course shows you how to make that shift, grounding playful, competitive activities in the Science of Reading so every round builds real reading fluency, executive function, and motivation. Participants leave with a full toolkit of hands-on activities, group games, and curated virtual resources ready for Monday morning.
Key Learning Objectives:

Facilitate collaborative and competitive educational games—including Magic Square, Suffix Extravaganza, and Homophone Roller—to reinforce complex language patterns.

Utilize virtual platforms and generators such as Wordwall, digital interactive whiteboards, and custom puzzle makers to differentiate and scale literacy games.

Align classroom game implementation with the Word Recognition and Language Comprehension strands of Scarborough’s Reading Rope and explicit instruction models.

Create structured vocabulary lessons that explicitly teach letter-sound correspondence, Greek and Latin roots, affixes, and word-building matrices to enhance advanced decoding and spelling.

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4:30 PM -6:00 pm EST
Instructor: Kinjal Nicholls, MA
Grades: Prek-3
Location: Virtual
Price: $90
Credentials: 1.5 Approved CTLE Hours

Supporting Executive Function at Home: Building Time Management, Self-Regulation, and Independence
2026-12-02 13:00 - 14:00
Executive function skills play a critical role in helping children manage responsibilities, regulate emotions, and navigate daily challenges with greater independence. In this session, caregivers will explore practical strategies to strengthen key executive function skills, including time management, planning, organization, task initiation, and self-monitoring. Participants will learn how to establish routines, use visual supports, and implement goal-setting practices that help children manage tasks, transitions, and expectations at home. The session will also focus on developing emotional regulation and coping skills to support positive behavior and resilience. Caregivers will leave with actionable strategies they can immediately use to foster independence, self-regulation, and success at home and in school.
Key Learning Objectives:

Understand the connection between time management, self-regulation, and other essential executive function skills that support student success.

Learn practical routines, visual supports, and home-based strategies that help children plan, organize, initiate tasks, and manage transitions more independently.

Explore goal-setting and progress-monitoring techniques that enable children to break tasks into manageable steps and build ownership of their learning.

Identify effective strategies for supporting emotional regulation, coping skills, and positive behavior management at home.

Examine appropriate use of digital tools and technology resources that can help children develop executive function skills, manage responsibilities, and build independence.

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 1:00- 2:00 pm EST
Instructor: Jackie Britt- Friedman, PsyD
Grades: Grades 2–8
Location: Virtual
Price: $60
Credentials: 1 Approved CTLE hours

Using Progress Monitoring to Drive Reading Instruction
2026-12-03 16:30 - 18:30 | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/96626443722
Effective reading instruction depends on understanding what students know, where they are struggling, and how to respond. In this interactive session, participants explore the role of progress monitoring in daily reading instruction and learn how to use efficient, research-based assessment tools to measure word reading, language, and reading comprehension. Through the analysis of student case studies, educators examine formative and summative assessment data, identify instructional implications, and determine appropriate next steps for learning. Participants leave with a practical teacher toolbox of assessment-informed instructional strategies that can be applied across a variety of reading programs and curricula to support student growth and achievement.
Key Learning Objectives:

Understand the purpose of progress monitoring in the context of daily reading instruction through materials that align with targeted outcomes

Learn the most effective and feasible tools for word reading progress monitoring

Identify the distinct roles of language and reading comprehension measures

Engage with student case studies to collaboratively analyze formative and summative assessment results and determine implications for instruction

Take away a “teacher toolbox” filled with instructional strategies that align with progress monitoring data, ready to be implemented across various curricula

Date: Thursday, Dec. 3, 4:30-6:30 pm EST
Instructor: Alison Leveque, PhD and Dana Carr-Ford, MA, MEd
Grades: K-8
Location: Virtual
Price: $120
Credentials: 2 Approved CTLE Hours
