2026 Elevated Teaching Summit

In this break-out, two different student-talk / vocabulary strategies will be demonstrated with attendees acting in the student roles. Krista Edwards and Emily Gonzalez will model strategies for Tier 1 Vocabulary Instruction, using lessons that they have used in the past and taught with improved student outcomes and student engagement. Krista will start with demonstrating a lesson pairing visual scaffolds to vocabulary acquisition, and Emily will demonstrate a strategy using physical movement in a World Language classroom to support vocabulary acquisition. Following these two demonstrations, there will be time for a debrief and conversation on how these strategies apply to your classroom and content. Teachers will leave with the confidence that they have actionable strategies they can implement immediately.

The Amplify Math program is designed to build conceptual understanding through problem-based and hands-on learning complimented by student discourse/conjecture. We have piloted the curriculum and have had time to synthesize its impact on our students, ourselves, and as a grade level. In our presentation, we recognize that some teachers may struggle with how to effectively integrate math manipulatives in ways that truly support the program’s instructional design rather than simply adding “extra materials.”

Our session will provide practical strategies for using manipulatives intentionally within Amplify Math lessons to strengthen conceptual understanding, support struggling learners, and increase student engagement. Participants will explore how physical tools such as base-ten blocks, fraction models, number lines, counters, and area models can be used to bridge concrete, representational, and abstract thinking within Amplify’s problem-based framework.

The session will include classroom examples, model lesson segments, and opportunities for teachers to practice selecting and using manipulatives aligned to specific Amplify activities.
Participants will leave with ready-to-implement strategies for helping students make sense of mathematics through hands-on learning while maintaining fidelity to the Amplify program.

This session will empower participants to motivate their students through relevant examples of STUDENT CHOICE through choice boards in Google Docs/Google Slides, REWARDS through tracker charts in Google Docs, and RECOGNITION through badges and certificates in Canva. Presenters will show several examples and allow attendees to make copies of resources that could be utilized in the elementary classroom. Come away from this session with new ideas and ready-to-use materials!

This session will empower participants to motivate their students through relevant examples of STUDENT CHOICE through choice boards in Google Docs/Google Slides, REWARDS through tracker charts in Google Docs, and RECOGNITION through badges and certificates in Canva. Presenters will show several examples and allow attendees to make copies of resources that could be utilized in the elementary classroom. Come away from this session with new ideas and ready-to-use materials!