​The Orange County Department of Education values the work of educators focused on the area of Literacy and Language. OCDE will continue to offer a no-cost, virt​​ual Literacy and Language Network. These monthly meetings will provide a space for collaboration around current and emerging topics in English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Dual Language instruction.

​Reading development relies on the understanding that spellings represent the sounds that form words. Once students understand the phonetic system, they have a stronger ability to decode and encode. Sound-Spelling cards provide a systematic way for students to to anchor their knowledge about sounds (phonemes) and the corresponding spellings (graphemes). Series Objectives:

• Review common spelling patterns. 

• Explore the organization of languages to maximize instructional impact.​
  

​These sessions will provide strategy guides for specific grade level bands to support writing. Each session will identify, define, and provide examples of effective writing strategies and offer a list of resources related to each strategy.

Series Objectives: 

• Acquire specific and effective writing strategies to support the development of students as writers
• Understand the research basis for each strategy
• Explore resources to support the strategy
  

​This three-part series will support K-12 teachers, coaches, administrators, librarians, and library/media techs in understanding the idea that books can be Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors for students. This course will ground participants in the work of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, whose scholarly contributions serve as the foundation for acknowledging the need for diverse books, stories, and literature in our world.