Friday at a glance
Conference schedule | April 26, 2024
7:30 AM | Registration, coffee, and music
8:15 AM | Keynote: Lorena Escoto Germán presenting Rehumanizing Literacy Through Antiracism
Antiracism has become a buzzword and even overused. It’s still a goal and a worthy effort, but it’s also lacking. Antiracism explains to us what we’re against, but it doesn’t articulate what we are for; what we are trying to build. It is also a single-issue effort, contrary to the complex ways in which systems of oppression work. We need to think deeper and more critically. Education that teaches the person, not simply a subject matter, equipping the person to treat other humans with dignity by using academic concepts is what we should be aiming for. In this keynote, Germán will explain what antiracist education can look like in practice, what it is we need to be designing, and where we can go from here.
10:00 AM | Morning Sessions
Choose from sessions that explore topics like nonfiction, connecting to readers, story trees, writing agency, syllabication, action research, morphemes, advocacy, read-alouds, school culture, multi-lingual learners, and more.
11:30 AM | Lunch Buffets
Join us for lunch at the
Liberating Literacies Luncheon featuring Jennifer Serravallo, Reading Strategies: Essential Teaching for Every Classroom
Families with Power Luncheon featuring Mary Cowhey and Josefina Rodrigues, Authentic Family Engagement through Literacy, or
Quiet lunch by the pool.
1:15 PM | Afternoon Sessions
Choose from sessions that explore topics like poetry, fluency, research roundtables, identity development, reading engagement, reluctant writers, active literacy, AI, inclusive children’s literature, compelling characters, and more
2:30 PM | Keynote: Lauren Wolk, 2024 MRA Children’s Literature Award Winner will present Feeling Our Way: Helping Children Fall in Love with Reading
A strong relationship with reading is complex. It involves the reader’s personality, experiences, expectations, and desires. And it engages the physical, the emotional, the intellectual, and the spiritual. But the key to helping young people become eager readers is simple: it’s a matter of trust and timing.
3:30 PM | MRA Business Meeting
Congratulations, by registering to the 2024 conference you are now officially a Massachusetts Reading Association (MRA) member, and all members are invited to join the Annual MRA Business meeting where new executive board officers will be seated.
