Building Readers Who Want to Read

AFTER YOU ATTEND THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

• Understand the key role of the school librarian in supporting early literacy development.
• Understand the potential impact librarians can have on addressing the current literacy crisis.
• Define the science of reading and differentiate it from other early literacy teaching methods.
• Identify and apply the "big six" literacy skills and competencies.
• Develop strategies for effective collaboration between librarians and classroom teachers to increase student literacy rates.
• Design literacy-focused activities and programs that can be implemented in a school library setting.

THIS COURSE CONSISTS OF 5 ON-DEMAND MODULES:

Module 1: The Librarian's Role in Literacy Development

What is the role of the school librarian in helping children develop early literacy? What kind of impact can librarians have on the current literacy crisis? This opening module discusses practical ways librarians can get involved in promoting and developing student literacy. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of the scope of your role and how best to make a positive difference at your school.

Module 2: The What and Why of the Science of Reading

What is the science of reading and how is it different from other methods for teaching early literacy? What are the “big six” literacy skills and competencies, and how can you apply them at your school? This module covers the foundations of current literacy research and offers tips for helping students gain confidence while reading.

Module 3: Making Sense of Book Selection Aligned with the Science of Reading

How can you help readers select books for different purposes? How can you critically evaluate and select texts that better align with the science of reading? This module explores book selection strategies that support reading accuracy, automaticity, knowledge building, and reader motivation. Topics include decodable texts, limitations of early leveled texts, and when to encourage students to move toward more complex texts. You’ll leave better prepared to recommend titles that support both the science and joy of reading.

Module 4: Librarian and Teacher Partnerships to Promote Literacy

How can librarians and classroom teachers partner together to increase student literacy rates? This module focuses on strategies for integrating the library more fully into classroom instruction through intentional collaboration. You’ll leave with a plan for building and maintaining meaningful partnerships that center student literacy.

Module 5: Literacy-Enriching Library Programming

What types of activities or programs can you lead in your library to support literacy? This final module highlights successful school library programs and provides both large- and small-scale ideas you can implement right away. You’ll leave with practical strategies to engage students and foster a lasting love of reading.

COURSE ADVISOR & INSTRUCTORS

Dr. Katie Egan Cunningham, Professor and Program Director of Teacher Education at Sacred Heart University

Dr. Katie Egan Cunningham supports teachers to bridge the science of reading with the joy of learning. She is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Teacher Education at Sacred Heart University where she teaches courses in foundational literacy skills, dyslexia, children’s literature, and social and emotional learning.

Katie is the author or co-author of five books for educators including Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. She has degrees from Princeton University, New York University, and Columbia University. Katie lives with her husband, two sons, and Goldendoodle in the woods of Connecticut.

COURSE INSTRUCTORS

Dr. Elizabeth Dobler, Professor at Emporia State University in The Teachers College and author of Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet Inquiry

Jess Hesselberg, Youth Services Librarian, Bemis Public Library in Littleton, CO

Tim Jones, School Librarian, 2025 School Library Journal School Librarian of the Year, 2024 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, and the 2023 NAMLE K-12 Media Literacy Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Rita Reinsel Soulen, PhD, Assistant Professor, MLS Library Science, Interdisciplinary Professions, College of Education, East Carolina University

Vincent Hyland, Library Coordinator, North Brooklyn, Office of Library Services NYCDOE

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

This course is geared toward elementary librarians serving preK–3rd grade students.

THIS WILL BE A SELF-PACED, ASYNCHRONOUS COURSE.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

This course includes 5 modules, each designed to take approximately 3 hours to complete. You can move through the content at your own pace and on your own schedule. You will earn 15 hours of professional development credit and a School Library Journal certificate of completion.

ON-DEMAND ACCESS

You'll have access to all course materials for six months after the start of the course.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Complete the course and earn 15 professional development credit hours. We provide a certificate that is emailed to you.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video sessions feature auto captioning. Please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration if you require any special accommodations. We will make our best efforts to facilitate them.

SUPPORT

For support with online courses, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.

DISCOUNTED RATES ARE AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY

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GROUP RATES

We offer discounts for groups of 3 or more.

For larger groups of 15 or more, we offer the option to apply group rates across multiple courses to receive significant discounts. For more information, select Bulk Course Credits Packages in the form below.

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