Durham Public Schools PL

Presenters: Brenda Blue | brenda_blue@dpsnc.net | K-5 Teaching and learning Coach
Location: Hillside High School Room 111
Description: The goal is to equip teachers with strategies to design and deliver lessons that purposefully increase student engagement and improve learning outcomes.
Subject Area(s): Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, ELA
Topic(s): Curriculum and Instruction, Equity, Explicit Teaching, Increased Rigor, Reading‚ Writing‚ Thinking‚ Speaking‚ Listening, Beginning Teachers, Culturally Responsive Practices, Differentiation/Scaffolding, English Learner Services, Exceptional Children, MTSS, Student-Centered Learning
Targeted Instructional Grades: 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade, 7th Grade, Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, 4th Grade, 6th Grade, 8th Grade
Targeted Roles: Instructional Assistants, Itinerant Teachers, Teachers

Presenters: Makenzie Yarborough | makenzie.yarborough@hmhco.com | HMH Coach
Location: Hillside High School Room 203
Description: This session is designed for teachers who may not know how to effectively utilize some of the components HMH. The facilitator will provide an overview of Structured Literacy for K-2 teachers and foundational literacy skills for grades 3-5.
Subject Area(s): ELA
Topic(s): Curriculum and Instruction, DPS Adopted Resources, Explicit Teaching, Assessment for Learning, Beginning Teacher Support, Differentiation/Scaffolding, Standards Aligned Instruction, Student-Centered Learning
Targeted Instructional Grades: 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade, Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, 4th Grade
Targeted Roles: Assistant Principals, Instructional Assistants, Principals, Mentors, Teachers

Presenters: Henrietta Scott | henrietta_scott@dpsnc.net | Interventionist
Location: Hillside High School Room 205
Description: The University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) offers professional development opportunities to help educators implement UFLI Foundations, which is designed for both core instruction and intervention for struggling readers. In this session, the facilitator will demonstrate how to teach all steps in a UFLI lesson. If you have a UFLI manual, please bring it with you.
Subject Area(s): ELA
Topic(s): Curriculum and Instruction, DPS Adopted Resources, Explicit Teaching, Reading‚ Writing‚ Thinking‚ Speaking‚ Listening, Assessment for Learning, Data Analysis, Differentiation/Scaffolding, Standards Aligned Instruction, Student-Centered Learning
Targeted Instructional Grades: 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade, Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, 4th Grade
Targeted Roles: Instructional Assistants, Specialists, Instructional Coaches, Interventionists, Mentors, Teachers

Presenters: Tamika Satchell | Tamika_Satchell@dpsnc.net | Teaching and Learning Coach
Location: Hillside High School Room 108
Description: This professional development session will focus on strengthening the I Do and We Do phases of gradual release by helping teachers plan intentional modeling, guided practice, and clear connections to the standards. We’ll focus on understanding the standards deeply, designing purposeful "I Do" models that show real thinking, and creating "We Do" tasks that actively move students toward independence. Teachers will walk away with concrete strategies to adapt team plans to fit their teaching style and their students’ needs, ensuring that what’s planned on paper powerfully impacts learning in real time.
Subject Area(s): Mathematics, ELA
Topic(s): Explicit Teaching, Standards Aligned Instruction
Targeted Instructional Grades: 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade, Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, 4th Grade
Targeted Roles: Teachers

Presenters: Julie Scott | julie_scott@dpsnc.net | K-5 Literacy Specialist
Location: Hillside High School Room 202
Description: Participants will learn how to effectively utilize the revised elementary literacy curriculum map to plan instruction for the first quarter. Through guided practice, they will pace out key content and cross-reference the standards being taught with the standards for which grades will be collected. By the end of the session, participants will have developed organized, standards-aligned lesson plans for the first quarter—providing a strong foundation for planning subsequent quarters with consistency and clarity.
Subject Area(s): ELA
Topic(s): Curriculum and Instruction
Targeted Instructional Grades: 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade, Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, 4th Grade
Targeted Roles: Teachers

Presenters: Tamika Satchell | Tamika_Satchell@dpsnc.net | Teaching and Learning Coach
Location: Hillside High School Room 108
Description: This professional development session will focus on strengthening the I Do and We Do phases of gradual release by helping teachers plan intentional modeling, guided practice, and clear connections to the standards. We’ll focus on understanding the standards deeply, designing purposeful "I Do" models that show real thinking, and creating "We Do" tasks that actively move students toward independence. Teachers will walk away with concrete strategies to adapt team plans to fit their teaching style and their students’ needs, ensuring that what’s planned on paper powerfully impacts learning in real time.
Subject Area(s): Mathematics, ELA
Topic(s): Explicit Teaching, Standards Aligned Instruction
Targeted Instructional Grades: 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade, Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, 4th Grade
Targeted Roles: Teachers