Greater Cabarrus Reading Association

The Greater Cabarrus Reading Association held the following activities for February through
April 2017.
Seuss at The Mall: The Greater Cabarrus Reading Association sponsored the seventh annual
Seuss at the Mall. It was held on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at the Carolina Mall in Concord.
The event took place from 1:00pm- 4:00 pm. Several mall businesses supported the event;
Chick-fil-A, Crazy 8 and Books -A- Million It was a free event open to the public. Crafts,
literacy games and free books were given to all attendees. There were over 550 children in
attendance. In addition to GCRA members, students from Kannapolis Middle School Honor
Society were on hand to supervise the booths.
 March

Dr. Seuss Birthday at Target: On March 2, GCRA partnered with Target at Afton Ridge to
celebrate Dr. Seusss birthday. Crafts, games, oobleck, Jamba Juice and a Scavenger Hunt
through the store highlighted the event from 6-7:30 PM.
GCRA Book Club: On March 13th, a book club was sponsored after the GCRA board meeting.
The book discussed was The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller

GCRA Spring Into Reading Mini-Conference: On April 1st, GCRA held its second mini-
conference. Participants received half a literacy credit (.5CEU) for attending. The following were
presented:

Injury Prevention and Literacy: Community Connections

Presented by Maria Bostian, Author
Kannapolis Fire Department and Spot on Safety LLC

Bedo! Bedo Bedo!Whooosh! Whhhheee! Teaching Injury prevention through literacy, movement, and plain ole
fun doesnt just have to come from classroom instruction. Together, we will discuss community partnerships that
can enhance student learning.
In this presentation, we will explore works of childrens literature that can be incorporated in teaching safety and
injury prevention. We will brainstorm ideas for follow-up work and extensions. Last but not least, well complete
the session by discussing several community partners and what they have to offer to the learning experience.
What to bring to this session: A positive attitude, willingness to have fun, and your phone/camera (selfie stick
optional). We are going to create some true Kodak moments together!
Audience: Grades K-2, Teachers, Administrators, Parents

HOPE- An Evidence -Based Reading Strategy

Presented by Dr. Christina Christian
A.L. Brown High School
Kannapolis City Schools
 HOPE K-12 is an evidence -based formula that works in tandem with Common Core Reading Strands and reading
strategies. Study results show an increase in student comprehension scores, improvement in school climate, teacher
satisfaction and student demonstrations of positive character.
Audience: Grades K-12

Financial Literacy in the Classroom

Presented by Sara Purvis
Senior Financial Services Officer
State Employees Credit Union

SECU provides support to classroom instructors by bringing financial topics and literacy together in fun and
innovative ways. Our interactive presentations use printed materials, power points, hands on activities and stories to
meet the grade-level standards for financial education. We will be showing examples of classroom lessons,
interactive presentations and providing a list of services that can enhance teaching lessons and offer support to the
overall educational experience.
Audience: Grades K-12

Discussions Make the Learning Fun

Presented by Sara Newell
Kannapolis Middle School -ELA Honors
Kannapolis City Schools-AIG Coordinator

This session will teach multiple discussion strategies as well as how to maintain control of the discussions.
Participants will practice some of the strategies and leave the session with a lesson adapted for all grade levels that
can be used the next day.
Audience: Grades K-12

Creative Apps and More for the Integrated Classroom

Presented by Margaret Cuthbertson
Charles E. Boger Elementary, Second Grade Teacher
Cabarrus County Schools

In this session, participants will be shown how to use a variety of Apps so that their students can create meaningful
and creative products to display reading comprehension and much, much more.
Audience: Grades K-8, Reading Comprehension

Look Whos Talking: Academic Conversations for All

Presented by Mallory Hill and Jenna Busam
Charlotte Mecklenburg School System

Participants will learn practical strategies for supporting all students during academic conversations. We will
discuss and model ways to engage every student in dialogue across content areas, including math and literacy.
Participants will discover how academic conversations can lead to increased student achievement in written
comprehension.
Audience: Grades K-5

Step Up Your Game

Presented by Sara Newell
Kannapolis Middle School-ELA Honors
Kannapolis City Schools-AIG Coordinator
This session will focus on differentiation in the classroom; both the why and how to use it. This session will look at
differentiation by pace, product, depth, breath, delivery and grouping. For each type of differentiation, suggestions
will be provided. This session will conclude with participants discussing an upcoming lesson and a small tweak that
could be made to differentiate that lesson.
Audience: Grades K-5, Middle and High School Teacher

Foldables
for Note-Taking, Skill Building and Study Skills
Presented by Catherine Falkenbury
Salisbury High School History Teacher
Rowan-Salisbury School System
and
Barbara Falkenbury
Literacy and Learning Specialist
Cannon School

Are you looking for new ideas for to help your students take notes, learn skills and demonstrate understanding? With
a hands-on approach, participants will learn multiple instructional strategies that can be used to teach and reinforce
skills in all content areas. Be prepared to bring your creative side as you develop journal activities using glue,
scissors, paper, markers and crayons. Some folding skills are required.
Audience: Grades K-12

Young Authors County Celebration: On April 9, GCRA held its county celebration for Young
Authors. All recipients received a certificate and a copy of the county book. Five of the winners,
who were Judges Choices , read their entries. Guest Speaker, Maria Bostian, spoke about her
experiences with writing and being a published author. Maria is a member of the GCRA board.
Celebrate Literacy Awards were given to Target for their partnerships with GCRA co-sponsoring
three events and the refreshments for the YA celebration. Additionally, the Kannapolis Middle
School Honor Society was recognized for their support for the last three years with Seuss at the
Mall and J.N.Fries Middle School was recognized for their Powder Puff game and the donation
made from the gate receipts to GCRA to help support literacy events in the community.

Submitted by Barbara Falkenbury, Greater Cabarrus Reading Association President