On March 4, 2025, educators from across Maine gathered in Portland for the Solutionary Literacy Workshop, a full-day professional learning experience co-facilitated by authors Cris Tovani and Julie Meltzer. The workshop focused on equipping teachers with effective strategies to support student engagement, critical thinking, and literacy development through inquiry-based learning.

The day began with an overview of the workshop’s objectives, emphasizing the importance of fostering curiosity and engagement by encouraging students to explore meaningful issues. Educators examined how to build background knowledge using diverse texts and model strategies that support students in researching, reading, writing, discussing, and presenting their ideas.

In the first session, participants explored ways to spark curiosity and establish a “need to know” mindset in students. Educators learned high-impact practices to help students recognize the relevance of the topics they explore, ensuring deeper engagement with their learning.

The second session focused on modeling proficient reading strategies aligned with high-impact Science of Reading (SOR) practices. Teachers explored techniques to support students in reading and interpreting various types of texts – factual, argumentative, or narrative – enhancing their ability to engage with complex materials.

“This literacy learning workshop provided an opportunity to network with others and discuss engaging literacy practices to help close the reading achievement gap,” Nicole Smith, a fifth-grade educator from Madison, shared about the event.

After lunch, the workshop shifted to strategies for facilitating meaningful, text-based discussions. Educators learned how to guide students using texts as evidence to support their thinking and engage in structured, purposeful conversations.

The use of innovative literacy-based knowledge placements allows students to engage in productive conversation at their readiness level,” Renee Lloyd, a sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher, reflected. “I appreciate that this workshop provided me with useful literacy strategies I can use the next day.”

In the afternoon, educators explored vocabulary strategies designed to support students in making sense of discipline-specific texts. The session highlighted the role of vocabulary in comprehension, particularly when engaging with subject-specific material that may be unfamiliar to students.

The final session of the day encouraged educators to reflect on their students’ literacy needs and develop plans for integrating the strategies learned throughout the day. Participants assessed their available resources and discussed how to apply these new approaches to better support their students.

The workshop concluded with reflection on key takeaways and next steps for continued professional growth. Educators left with practical strategies for creating more engaging, inquiry-driven literacy experiences in their classrooms.

If you are interested in participating in similar professional learning opportunities, spaces are available in the Maine Solutionaries Project numeracy cohort, starting March 27. To learn more or to join, visit this link or contact Kathy Bertini, Maine Department of Education (DOE) Interdisciplinary Instruction Coordinator, at Kathy.Bertini@maine.gov.