Hope Halfacre and Whitney Umbarger presents: Interactive Writing: The Power of a Simple Message
Phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, orthographic mapping, and concepts about print
are essential to building a strong literacy foundation. In this session, we will share a structure for
meeting the foundational literacy needs of diverse learners in your classroom through interactive
writing. Participants will explore the theory behind the how and why this high-impact practice can
be a powerful way to teach young learners. We will share instructional strategies, resources and
tools that teachers can use immediately in their classroom to implement interactive writing
effectively and efficiently.
Scroll down for video link and to access Certificate of Attendance
Hope Halfacre is a Reading Recovery trained teacher and a lead interventionist in her school district. She has 15 years of experience working in Early Childhood Education in both public and private schools. She taught first and second grades before becoming an interventionist. She has a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, a Master's degree in Divergent Learning, a Master's plus 30 degree in Technology for the Classroom and currently working on a Ed.S. in Administration for Teaching and Learning. She has also been a school level Teacher of the Year and a district Teacher of the Year finalist. In May 2021, she co-founded Education Dream Station with Whitney Umbarger, her co-presenter. They have a podcast for teachers, have presented at various conferences, and are currently writing a professional book for educators.
Whitney Umbarger is a Reading Recovery trained teacher and a literacy coach. She has 14 years of experience working in Early Childhood Education as a first grade teacher. She has taught traditional and Spanish partial-immersion first grade. She served as the school district's first Intervention Model Classroom where teachers could observe current strategies and best practices in Early Childhood Intervention. Whitney was a reading interventionist before becoming a literacy coach. Whitney has a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master's degree in Administration. She has also been a school level Teacher of the Year and has been a finalist multiple times. She co-founded Education Dream Station with Hope Halfacre, her co-presenter. They have a podcast for teachers, have presented at various conferences, and are currently writing a professional book for educators.
