This newsletter has been created by Wayne RESA literacy consultants for literacy educators. In each issue, you will find Literacy Learning Network updates and information, statewide initiative updates, book synopses, teaching and coaching strategies, and upcoming professional learning opportunities. We look forward to partnering with you as we engage in best practices in literacy instruction for all students.
Literacy Learning Network Updates
Dyslexia Awareness, Instructional Strategies,
and Policy Implications
The Wayne County Literacy Learning Network is a collaboration of local stakeholders dedicated to ensuring equitable access to high-quality literacy instruction for all learners in Wayne County. Over the summer, a subcommittee of the network focused on understanding dyslexia in order to develop resources and support for our community. Through reading professional literature and engaging in discussions, the committee is creating a clear roadmap to ensure that all school districts and public school academies (PSAs) in the county receive the necessary information and support to effectively navigate the requirements of the Michigan Dyslexia Law.
In October and again in November, we invite you to participate in a full-day learning event titled Dyslexia Awareness, Instructional Strategies, and Policy Implications. This session will provide an overview of dyslexia, including its characteristics and how it impacts learning. Participants will explore practical classroom strategies to support all students and discuss the implications of Michigan’s legislation for schools. Instructional coaches, literacy leaders, and principals will gain insights to guide effective literacy practices and schoolwide support. We will continue to share updates as the Network and Wayne RESA develop and/or receive additional resources and information.
Coaching Connections
Cultivating Success: Launching a
Strong Year of Coaching
As the school year begins, coaches and principals stand at the threshold of transformation. It is a time brimming with potential, where relationships are renewed and the foundation for meaningful learning is set. In the book Moves for Launching a New Year of Student-Centered Coaching, authors Diane Seeney, Leanna S. Harris, and Julie Steele remind us that before we get into the deep work of coaching cycles, we have to start with building relationships, clarifying roles, and setting expectations. This approach, while it can feel slow, is the first coaching move toward long-term impact.
For coaches to be successful, the principal and coach must forge a solid partnership. Coaches and school leaders should co-create a shared vision of the coaching role, model the culture they hope to nurture, and authentically engage teachers from the start.
In Moves for Launching a New Year of Student Centered Coaching, the authors offer a structure and clarity through their fifteen intentional moves spanning the first 4 to 6 weeks. Each move is paired with practical tools, reflective checkpoints, and artifacts to guide both solo and collaborative reflection with principals.
Wayne RESA is excited to welcome authors Diane Sweeney and Julie Steele to Wayne RESA this year for a 4-day series on coaching. We invite you to learn more about this learning opportunity. During this series, Sweeney and Steele, will dig deeply into how coaches and principals can partner with one another to create meaningful systems and partnerships.
Statewide Updates
In support of PA 146, the MDE Office of Educational Supports-Literacy Unit has developed the Michigan Dyslexia Handbook: A Guide to Accelerating Learner Outcomes in Literacy. This comprehensive resource is designed to help educators, school leaders, and support staff build a shared understanding of dyslexia and implement effective, research-based practices that support all readers.
In partnership with the Michigan Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports Technical Assistance (MiMTSS TA) Center, MDE has completed all of the 2025 Diversity in Literature: The How and Why of Literacy Webinar Series. All six recordings are published and available on the MDE Literacy Professional Learning webpage.
The Michigan Reading Association is now accepting proposals for the 70th Annual Conference: Engaging Minds and Literacy for All – Every Learner, Every Voice, Every Story. Consider sharing your time and talents with literacy educators throughout the state.
MDE is now offering Lexia LETRS Volume 2 (Units 5-8)! This course is for anyone who has completed Volume 1 (Units 1-4) independently or with another entity and does not have the opportunity to continue with Volume 2. Learn more and sign up at https://www.lexialearning.com/michigan-letrs. Note: Any educator currently enrolled in a cohort under the state aid grant is signed up for the entire course (volumes 1 and 2) and should not complete this form.
Registration for LETRS Cohort 12 is open for elementary educators, early childhood educators, and administrators. Training for Cohort 11 will start in January 2026. For more information, including registration links, please visit the Michigan LETRS website.
The Michigan Reading Association is collecting writing pieces from young authors across the state of Michigan (one submission per school). Selected students will be honored and celebrated at the 70th Annual MRA Conference on March 8, 2026, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Lansing, MI. Please use this form to submit students’ work by December 19, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
Books and Strategies
Book Talk
Igniting Passion in Readers of All Ages
Twenty Questions
Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson
Award-winning author Mac Barnett and illustrator Christian Robinson have created a beautiful book that celebrates curiosity in Twenty Questions: Stimulating Curiosity and Creativity with Engaging Questions – For Kids Ages 4-8. This picture book invites children to wonder, imagine, and create stories from questions that are silly, surprising, and thought-provoking. Some of the questions will make the students laugh, while others offer the opportunity for deeper thinking. Along with the illustrations, each page sparks conversation. This book is perfect for reading aloud and invites kids to see questions not as problems to solve, but opportunities to explore. This is an excellent book to help build a climate of conversation and respect inside a classroom at the beginning of the year.
Poetry Comics
Grant Snider
Grant Snider’s Poetry Comics offers educators a creative and accessible way to bring poetry to life for students. Blending the visual appeal of comics with poetic verse, this collection makes poetry accessible for all readers. The book celebrates everyday moments, from the changing seasons to small, joyful daily events. It is written in a graphic novel format, organized by seasons, and includes both creativity and humor. It would be an excellent anchor text that teachers could come back to throughout the year, exposing students to poetry in a new and exciting way.
Spark
Chris Baron
In this highly anticipated novel for middle-grade readers, Chris Baron tells the story of Finn and Rabbit, two friends determined to save their local forest following a devastating series of wildfires. The scarred landscape is a constant reminder of the potentially enduring damage, but Finn and Rabbit have resolved to discover how the forest can be restored. While Rabbit’s uncle, a science teacher, is involved in a forest restoration study, the two friends simply cannot wait. They believe that the “forest heart” might be the road to restoring the natural landscape, so they set out to find it. Despite their many challenges, Finn and Rabbit will not stop until they can figure out a way to preserve what is left of their forest.
This Thing of Ours
Frederick Joseph
When an ACL injury abruptly ends Ossie Brown’s promising basketball career, he is forced to redefine himself. He finds that, with his athletic identity gone, he struggles to fit in at his mostly white, wealthy school. By encouraging him to join her acclaimed writing program, a teacher helps Ossie find a new path. Through the program, Ossie discovers a passion for literature and builds new friendships with people who value him for who he is, not just for his athletic ability. Unfortunately, a viral video created by some students that attacks “woke” culture threatens the teacher’s job and the program, and puts his new friends in danger, leaving Ossie to speak out and use his newfound voice.
Conquering Dyslexia: A Guide to Early Detection and Intervention for Teachers and Families
Jan Hasbrouck
Conquering Dyslexia: A Guide to Early Detection and Intervention for Teachers and Families by Jan Hasbrouck, Ph.D., provides educators and families with practical guidance for understanding and addressing dyslexia. This easy-to-read book draws on the latest research in neuroscience and explains how early detection and evidence-based interventions can significantly improve the outcomes for struggling readers. Dr. Hasbrouck outlines what dyslexia is and what it is not while offering strategies for early detection. The book also describes effective instructional practices and how schools can foster strong partnerships with families. Throughout the text, the author emphasizes the importance of ensuring that every child has access to the tools necessary to become capable and confident readers. This book is an easy read and would be an excellent choice for a community book study!
The Promise and Perils of AI in Education
Ken Shelton and Dee Lanier
In response to the rapid evolution of AI, authors Ken Shelton and Dee Lanier have collaborated to unpack the positive and negative impacts of AI within the educational sphere. They explore the bias and the digital divide that AI not only exposes but often exacerbates. Additionally, they urge readers to consider the ways that AI could potentially (and negatively) influence processes in academic settings, such as admissions into higher education institutions as well as grading and assessment across K-16+. Ultimately, in their last chapter, Shelton and Lanier encourage readers to move “Toward a More Equitable AI Classroom.” As Sharif El-Mekki, CEO for The Center for Black Educator Development, notes, ” Ken Shelton and Dee Lanier provide a moral compass, a clarion call and techniques for us to use AI for equity and justice.”
Noteworthy News
The Michigan Reading Association is back in Detroit! Join us for a one-day conference: Using Visual Thinking Strategies to Build the Reading Brain. This event will be held at the Detroit Institute of Arts on October 25, 2025, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Highlights include presentations on building the reading brain, using visual thinking strategies to enhance student engagement and proficiency, creative ways to stimulate reading and writing, and, of course, swag. Spots are limited, so register today!
The MCTE Fall Conference will be held this year on October 17, 2025, at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The theme of this year’s conference is Cultivating Voices in the English Classroom. Benjamin K Woocock, the MCTE President-Elect, describes the theme this way: “Everyone has a unique perspective about a range of topics, including, but not limited to, identity, diversity, literacies, the environment, global issues, the economy, politics, human rights, and education. These collections of voices come together in the English classroom as a wonderful garden to admire and learn from.” This year, participants will have the opportunity to learn from keynote speaker Lorena Germán, co-founder and Academic Director of Multicultural Classroom, and a host of other presenters. Learn more about this year’s conference here.
The 9th Annual Conference of the Reading League will be held from October 8-10, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. This conference aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the science of reading and its implications for teaching and learning. Keynote speakers for this year include Hilderbrand Pelzer III and David Share. Attendees will have the opportunity to choose from over 60 sessions led by esteemed educators, researchers, and authors, including Anita Archer, Zaretta Hammond, Joan Sedita, Andrea Turckenmiller, Jan Hasbrouck, and many others! For more information about this conference, visit their website.
Professional Learning
Tools to Make Your Teaching Life Easier
Padlet TA is an AI-powered tool that can save you time as you create a variety of high-quality materials, including lesson plans, rubrics, presentations, and classroom activities. Padlet TA also generates short links and QR codes, and it even includes fun classroom connectors. This free tool is worth exploring!
Wayne RESA Literacy Team
Michelle Wagner, Director of Educational Services
Mari Treece, Executive Director of Educational Services
If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, and you’d like to subscribe to it, please contact Laura Gabrion.
33500 Van Born Road • Wayne, MI 48184 • 734.334.1300 • 734.334.1620 fax • www.resa.net
Board of Education
James S. Beri • Mary E. Blackmon • Danielle Funderburg • Lynda S. Jackson • James Petrie
Daveda Colbert, Ph.D., Superintendent