Reading Rocks! Facilitator Training

This discussion is designed for teachers or GT coordinators who will be facilitating one of the Reading Rocks! online book discussions. Reading Rocks! is a shared service with CESA 5 member schools. Participation is open to all CESA 5 students with gifts and talents in the academic domain of ELA. Participation is open to member schools. While readings will target pre-teens in grades 5-6, participation is not limited by grade level. Participation in Reading Rocks! requires a member school to facilitate one monthly web-based book discussion. The purpose of the online book chats are for students to:

Interact in engaging conversations with other enthusiastic readers & dialogue with other avid readers students from other schools as well as your local classmates
Promote reading and discussion using textual evidence to support claims
Provide scholarly, thought-provoking dialogue
Expand vocabulary

Reading Rocks! is designed as an anchor activity for avid readers who may ask the question “I’m done with my book, what should I do now?”

Facilitator training will include:
1. Overview of the goals of reading rocks
2. Student participation guidelines
3. Teacher information
4. Parent letter
5. Review of 2012-13 booklist
6. Introduction to Edmodo online collaborative tool including:

• CWTAG/CESA 5 Edmodo facilitator account login
• adding/removing students
• awarding badges
• making an assignment/posting questions
• editing/deleting posts
• monitoring posts

7. Developing "thick" critical thinking questions
8. Posting the student evaluation form

Cancellation Policy: Registered participants will receive a full refund if they cancel before 10 working days before an event, minus any material costs that have already been incurred. Because of our commitment to the trainer and the food vendor, participants who cancel less than 10 working days or do not attend, will be billed the full fee. CESA 5 reserves the right to cancel any event. Registered participants will be notified via email if a cancellation occurs and will receive a full refund. Inclement weather policy: Every effort will be made to hold an event. CESA 5 will notify participants via email as soon as possible if an event has been canceled due to weather conditions.