Events

2025-2026 Schedule

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Instructor(s): Peney E. Wright

Description of Activity: 

Tier 2 Virtual Professional learning. 

Prerequisites:

Completed at least one of the Tier 1 professional learning options:

• STEELS Experience for K-12 Educators
• Or Implementing the STEELS Standards: Developing Science Leadership Teams
• ENGINE 3D STEELS Educators Community of Practice (CoP)
• TIU 11 and District offered Introduction to STEELS

 

Strongly recommended: 

Read A Framework for K-12 Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts and Core Ideas (2021), free download

This ground-breaking research is the foundation of STEELS.

A copy of the Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) book is available at your school district’s STEELS Resource Library. Limited copies are available through TIU’s Lending Library.

PDE and PSU’s Ambitious Responsive Science Education (PARSE) collaborative universities team recommend AST as a foundational guide for the transition to STEELS.

FREE and 65 hours of Act 48 credit

We’ll be using Google Classroom to organize all sessions and participant sharings.

 

What is Ambitious Science Teaching?

Ambitious teaching can be learned. Ambitious Science Teaching supports students in tackling authentic and meaningful science phenomena with attention to students’ histories, social interactions, and local and global communities. Ambitious teaching requires that teachers develop deep commitments to student learning and a historical understanding of inequity in science and schools. Ambitious teaching takes practice. This research and website provides resources to develop a vision of ambitious science instruction for today’s complex K-12 classrooms, professional learning, and teacher education.

Ambitious Science Teaching is the “how” of teaching the STEELS Standards. How do I implement this pedagogy?

Questions to ask:

How is science done?

What counts as science?

Who gets to do science?

 

The Vision of Ambitious Science Teaching

The ambitious teacher “works with students’ ideas” over time. What would you experience in classrooms where ambitious teaching was the focus? You would see and hear:

• Teachers anchoring their instruction in complex and puzzling phenomena that are meaningful and relevant to learners. Teachers design science experiences so that science aims for justice and creates space for joy.
• Students engaging in multiple rounds of creating and revising scientific models, explanations, and evidence-based arguments, expanding ideas over time. 
• Teachers use a variety of discourse strategies with students to get them to think deeply and respond to each other’s thinking about phenomena, ideas, and multiple perspectives. 
• Students prompt each other to engage in sense-making talk during investigations and other activities because students are working to learn from each other’s perspectives. 
• Students’ ideas being represented publicly and worked on by the class as a collective science learning community. 
• Teachers use a variety of discourse strategies to support students in responding to one another’s thinking, build collaborative explanations, and broadly address issues of power and positionality in the classroom and science. 
• Students using evidence to advocate for student-centered uses of science based on multiple perspectives, ideas, and questions that have broadened over time. 
• Students reflect on how they learned and how they broadened what it means to participate in science together. 

 

Participants will read chapters and sometimes watch a video before attending a 90-minute interactive virtual session every 2-3 weeks. Sessions will be recorded in the event that a participant needs to miss one or two sessions. Collaboration with peers is essential as we make these shifts to STEELS. Attendees will apply concepts, strategies and tools within their classrooms, aligning one Spring 2025 unit along the way. Act 48 hours will be granted for all three components.

 

For a complete list of dates and topics, please click on Draft: Detailed Schedule for AST Virtual Book Study SY '25-26.

Zoom link details also listed. 

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This course is intended for anyone eager to understand more about the science of reading including classroom teachers, administrators, specialists, paraprofessionals, and families, and what it should look like in our Pennsylvania schools. This course also serves as part of the professional development requirement for all K-8 teachers as detailed in Pennsylvania legislation. While it is intended to address the Kindergarten through 2nd grade levels, the information is applicable to all beginning and struggling readers, regardless of age.

Facilitators: Lisa Kruse and Dawn Lynn
Contact: dlynn@tiu11.org, ekruse@tiu11.org or call 814-542-2501

Date: January 19 - April 19, 2026

Location: Virtual

10 Act 48 hours will be awarded.

This is a FREE event

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Executive functioning skills 101 is a training for educators of all 
ages and levels. This 2 day training will provide practical strategies 
to understand, support, and strengthen students’ abilities to plan, 
organize, manage time, regulate emotions, and sustain attention in 
the classroom. Through research-informed instruction and real- 
world classroom applications, educators will learn how executive 
functioning impacts learning, behavior, and academic performance 
across developmental stages. The training emphasizes proactive 
supports, scaffolding techniques, and inclusive practices that can be embedded into daily instruction, empowering educators to foster student independence, resilience, and long-term success while also enhancing their own instructional effectiveness. Multiple opportunities for hands-on practice and exploration is embedded throughout this training! 

Day 1 | Thursday, April 2, 2026 | President's Room at TIU11 9am-3pm 
Day 2 | Tuesday, May 5, 2026 | President's Room at TIU11 9am-3pm

Due to the depth of content being presented, this training is being offered across 2 days. You must attend both days in order to gain all of the content and receive full credit. 

*Act 48 hours will be offered for teachers. Lunch is on your own.

Please contact Betsy Cox (ecox@tiu11.org) or Denise Shugarts (dshugarts@tiu11.org) with any questions.

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Description of Activity:  
- Limit 3 teachers per IU 
- Must attend both sessions 
- Day #1 4/9/26 and Day #2 5/8/26 
1-4 pm 
Other seats may become available. 

Meet Jennifer Wiebert 
I help science teachers create and implement interactive notebooks and sketchnoting strategies that make student thinking visible. No fluff. Just research-backed, classroom-tested routines that actually work. 

Come learn how to engage all students with your science content! In this hands-on notebook training, you will learn how to turn ordinary notebooks into powerful sense-making tools. You will walk away with ready-to-use templates, visual frameworks, and simple structures that help students process—not just copy content. We will focus on how to take better notes, getting rid of worksheets, and many more strategies that are aligned to the STEELS. 

If you want students deeply processing instead of gluing in worksheets, explaining their thinking instead of filling in blanks, and truly using their notebooks as learning tools, then this training is for you! Come ready to design, and leave ready to implement.

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*NOTE: Because of high demand, we ask that you register for only ONE book study to allow everyone to participate

Lost at School 
Written by: Ross W. Green 
Facilitated by: Dawn Lynn 

Lost at School argues that traditional punitive discipline fails behaviorally challenging kids, who are often lacking crucial skills, not intentionally misbehaving; the book introduces the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) model, a framework for identifying lagging skills and solving problems collaboratively with children to build better relationships and improve outcomes. Greene provides practical tools for parents and educators to understand the root causes of behavior, improve interactions, and implement a more effective, compassionate approach to discipline.  

Dates: April/May 2026 
Platform: Zoom Meetings (Note: Link will be shared once you have registered) 
ZOOM TIMES:  
April 21, 2026 (3:30-4:30 pm)  
April 28, 2026 (3:30-4:30 pm)   
May 5, 2026 (3:30-4:30 pm)   
May 12, 2026 (3:30-4:30 pm)  
           
How It Works:  
Purchase a copy of this book before the book study (can be found on Amazon) 
At least two weeks prior to the first session, an email will be sent to registrants with the Zoom link and a syllabus with chapter assignments for each meeting. 
Read the book as outlined in the syllabus prior to ZOOM meetings and be ready to share your thoughts and ideas in the flexible discussion format. 
If you cannot be present for a ZOOM meeting, you will be required to provide a written summary of the session's content in order to receive your hours.  
A certificate with your 15 credit hours will be issued upon completion of the book study 

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This meeting is for District Special Education Directors and/or designees. Federal and state 
updates will be provided as well as training on various topics relative to special education. 
Information and resources from the Bureau of Special Education, Pattan and other activities 
that support the BSE initiatives in our schools will be shared. Training will be provided on a 
monthly basis in various topics.

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This meeting is for District Special Education Directors and/or designees.  We will share updates, information and resources from the Bureau of Special Education, Pattan and other activities that support the BSE initiatives in our schools.  Training will be provided on a monthly basis in various topics.

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Local professional learning and networking hour facilitated by TIU11 Team

Earn 1.0 Act 48 hour provided by TIU11

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Enhancing Core Reading Instruction (ONE DAY COURSE)

This course will present information and research about evidence-based reading instruction, and describe and model how to use instructional routines to enhance the delivery of core reading instruction in the areas of vocabulary and comprehension.  Systematic strategies and instructional routines designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of vocabulary and comprehension instruction in kindergarten, first and second grade will be described and practiced.  By the end of this course, participants will understand how and why using instructional routines can enhace current core reading instruction can lead to high student engagement strategies to increase student involvement, and implementing instructional routines to provide multiple student practice opportunities

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• identify the essential components of instructional routines related to active student engagement strategies, specific-word vocabulary instruction, personal recounts, narrative text instruction, and information text instruction
• plan a specific-word vocabulary lesson, a narrative text lesson, and an information text lesson 

Your school/district must have purchased ECRI materials to participate in this training

Upon completion of this training, participants will receive 6.5 Act 48 hours. If you would like Act 48 hours for this training, please be sure to select that option when you register.  If you have questions about registration, please contact Brooke Boonie at bboonie@tiu11.org

Presenters: Dawn Lynn, Lisa Kruse

Contact: dlynn@tiu11.org, ekruse@tiu11.org or call 814-542-2501

 

This is a FREE event

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Join fellow Transition Coordinators form across TIU 11 for an informal networking opportunity focused on sharing practical strategies, resources, and ideas to strengthen transition services.

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LAMP is an augmentative alternative communication (AAC) approach designed to give individuals who are nonverbal a method of independently and spontaneously expressing themselves through a speech generating device. This course will cover the components of LAMP: readiness to learn, engaging the learner through joint engagement, and learning language through a unique and consistent motor plan paired with an auditory signal and a natural consequence. Discussion will include how this approach addresses the core language challenges of autism (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD), device features that are beneficial to teaching language, and how to use those features to implement the LAMP approach. Videos will be used to illustrate the treatment components. 

PRC-Saltillo's language systems and devices will be used to illustrate treatment components; however, LAMP principles can be applied to other products. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES 
1. Define the role of readiness to learn and shared focus in the implementation of AAC with children with ASD and DD. 
2. Explain the importance of using motor patterning to develop motor automaticity for children with ASD and DD who use AAC. 
3. Examine multisensory convergence and the implications of how interference in this system disrupts speech and language development. 
4. Discuss implementation strategies for teaching children with ASD and DD to use AAC. 
5. Discuss strategies for analyzing the efficacy of communication treatment. 

Date: Friday, May 1, 2026 
Time: 8:30-3:00 PM 
Location: Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 
2521 US HWY 522 South 
McVeytown, PA 17051 
Room: President’s Room 

Lunch: PROVIDED/ ON YOUR OWN (1 Hour) 
Fee: $50.00 Non-TIU 11 Employees 

Additional Information: 
.5 ASHA CEUs 
5 Act 48 Hours 

If you have questions about this event, please contact: 
Staci Young 
TIU 11 Educational Consultant 
Email: syoung@tiu11.org 
Phone: 814-542-2501x1126

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*NOTE: Because of high demand, we ask that you register for only ONE book study to allow everyone to participate

ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD 
Author: Penn and Kim Holderness 
Facilitated by: Denise Shugarts  
Limited to 20 participants 

ADHD Is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD is a positive, research-backed resource that reframes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as a unique way of thinking rather than a mere deficiency. Award-winning content creators Penn and Kim Holderness use their trademark humor and personal anecdotes to explore what it is truly like to live with an ADHD brain, drawing from Penn’s own diagnosis and their family's experiences. The book aims to "reboot" the narrative surrounding the condition by shifting the focus from stigma and failure to inherent strengths like creativity, hyperfocus, and high energy.

May 5, 2026: ZOOM Meeting 3:00-4:00 pm  
May 12th-19th: Independent Work  
May 20th-25th: Independent Work  
May 26, 2026: ZOOM Meeting 3:00-4:00 pm  

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Join experts from across the state, along with fellow administrators, teachers, and staff of online/blended learning programs, for a day of learning and collaboration. 

Invited speakers include:

• Mark Walz - Sweet, Stevens, Katz, and Williams
• Christy Ruth & Cassie Brusch - MCIU 23
• And others

Open-ended collaborative sessions following each session will provide attendees opportunities to ask questions and collaborate with personnel from other districts.

Registration is free. Lunch will be provided.

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Check & Connect Mentor Training is a 2-day in-depth, competency-based training designed to provide Check & Connect mentors with the information, competencies, and skills needed to be an effective Check & Connect mentor at their local site. 

 

Participants will learn about and understand— The core components and elements of Check & Connect The role and expectations of the Check & Connect mentor The population of students they are mentoring and how to best meet their needs How to implement the "Check" and "Connect" procedures with fidelity The competencies and skills needed to be an effective mentor, such as: Building relationships with students, families, and school personnel Using data to determine interventions Reflective listening Problem–solving Engaging with families.

 

Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11

May 7th, 2026

8:30am-3:30pm

*Lunch will be on your own** 

When? Thursday, May 7th, 2026, 08:30 AM

Where? 2527 U.S. 522, McVeytown, PA, USA 

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*NOTE: Because of high demand, we ask that you register for only ONE book study to allow everyone to participate

Para/Teacher Book Study  

How it works:  
• Check out the book from the library or purchase it.  
• Read the book as outlined and be prepared to participate in a conversation via Zoom 
• Join ZOOM using the link provided https://paiu.zoom.us/j/91410791385 
*You will receive 4 hours of credit per Zoom session, 12 in total if you attend at 3 dates.

Book Study Meeting Dates:  
Wednesday, May 6, 3:30-4:30pm, chapters 1-4 
Wednesday, May 20, 3:30-4:30pm, chapters 5-8 
Wednesday, May 27, 3:30-4:30pm, chapters 9-12 

The Explosive Child   
Author: Dr. Ross Greene   
Facilitated by: Betsy Cox  
No Limit on number of participants  

What’s an explosive child? A child who responds to routine problems with extreme frustration—crying, screaming, swearing, kicking, hitting, biting, spitting, destroying property, and worse. A child whose frequent, severe outbursts leave his or her parents feeling frustrated, scared, worried, and desperate for help. Most of these parents have tried everything-reasoning, explaining, punishing, sticker charts, therapy, medication—but to no avail. They can’t figure out why their child acts the way he or she does; they wonder why the strategies that work for other kids don’t work for theirs; and they don’t know what to do instead. 

Dr. Ross Greene, a distinguished clinician and pioneer in the treatment of kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges, has worked with thousands of explosive children, and he has good news: these kids aren’t attention-seeking, manipulative, or unmotivated, and their parents aren’t passive, permissive pushovers. Rather, explosive kids are lacking some crucial skills in the domains of flexibility/adaptability, frustration tolerance, and problem solving, and they require a different approach to parenting. 

Throughout this compassionate, insightful, and practical book, Dr. Greene provides a new conceptual framework for understanding their difficulties, based on research in the neurosciences. He explains why traditional parenting and treatment often don’t work with these children, and he describes what to do instead. Instead of relying on rewarding and punishing, Dr. Greene’s Collaborative Problem Solving model promotes working with explosive children to solve the problems that precipitate explosive episodes, and teaching these kids the skills they lack. 

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Grounded in research-based practices, the program integrates Universal Design for Learning (UDL), blended learning, and Pennsylvania's Student-Centered Learning Blueprint to promote equity, learner agency, and instructional sustainability.  These sessions will cover reviewing components of student-centered learning and evaluate your district's needs to make it happen in your schools.

Zoom Link

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*NOTE: Because of high demand, we ask that you register for only ONE book study to allow everyone to participate

A Smile as Big as the Moon: A Special Education Teacher, His Class, and Their Inspiring Journey Through U.S. Space Camp by Mike Kersjes
Facilitator: Lisa Kruse
Limited to 15 participants
 

The inspiring true story of how one special education teacher got his class to Space Camp
"A heartening story, sure to inspire other teachers struggling with students who often seem beyond their reach." —Teacher magazine
Mike Kersjes always believed that his students could do anything—even attend the prestigious Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, where some of America's best and brightest high school students compete in a variety of activities similar to those experienced by NASA astronauts training for shuttle missions. The challenge was convincing everyone else that the kids in his special education class, with disabilities including Tourette's syndrome, Down's Syndrome, dyslexia, eating disorders, and a variety of emotional problems, would benefit from the experience and succeed. With remarkable persistence, Kersjes broke down one barrier after another, from his own principal's office to the inner sanctum of NASA, until Space Camp finally opened its doors. After nine months of rigorous preparation, Kersjes's class arrived at Space Camp, where they turned in a performance beyond everyone's expectations.

Book Study Meeting Dates: 
● Thursday, May 7, 2026 (7-8 pm) 
● Thursday, May 14, 2026 (7-8 pm) 
● Thursday, May 21, 2026 (7-8 pm) 
● Thursday, May 28, 2026 (7-8 pm) 
 

How it works: 
● Check out the book from the library or purchase a digital/hard copy 
● One week before prior to the start date, check your email for the Zoom link and syllabus 
● Be ready to share your thoughts and ideas in the flexible discussion format. 
● If you cannot be present for a ZOOM meeting, you will be required to provide a written summary of the session’s content in order to receive your hours. This is intended to be synchronous book study with opportunities for discussion amongst colleagues, as such participants are expected to attend a minimum of 3 live sessions to obtain course hours. 
● A certificate with your credit hours will be issued upon completion of the book study

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IEP Writing Essentials: For Corrections Ed Staff Only
Date: May 20, 2026
Time: 9:00-3:30 PM
Instructors: Staci Young, Tim Snare, Kelly Zurybida

During this in-person training, participants will learn about the special education evaluation process, compliance with special education timelines, the required elements for each section of the Individualized Education Program (IEP), as well as best practice considerations for preparing for and conducting an IEP meeting.

Following this training, participants will be able to:
-Identify the components of the special education evaluation and reevaluation process
-Understand the required participants in an IEP team and how frequently the IEP team must meet
-Describe the parent/guardian role as a member of the IEP team
-Determine the sections of an IEP that must be considered when checking “yes” in special considerations
-Summarize the required elements of the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance section of the IEP
-Interpret the circumstances under which a student's progress toward current measurable annual goals should be included in the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance section of the IEP
-Understand when secondary transition planning must occur for a student with a disability, the three areas of postsecondary planning, and how to develop postsecondary transition goals
-Summarize appropriate state and local assessment accommodations as well as criteria for eligibility for alternate assessments
-Develop measurable annual goals that are aligned with areas of need
-Understand the purpose of progress reporting and requirements for sharing progress data with caregivers
-Describe the requirements for ongoing data collection to determine if a student is eligible to receive extended school year services
-Summarize the purpose of related services and provide examples of related services
-Identify common components to inclusive educational practices
-Tell the difference between accommodations and modifications
-Understand the elements of the educational placement section of the IEP including the difference between regular education class and general education curriculum, amount/type of special education, and how to calculate amount of special education
-Describe considerations to ensure family engagement at an IEP team meeting

Additional Information:
Lunch will be provided
6 Act 48 hours will be awarded upon request

Contact Staci Young syoung@tiu11.org if you have any questions (or require dietary restrictions for lunch)

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Code.org K-5 CS Fundamentals: Fully supported, free computer science curriculum and activities for Elementary Teachers 
Regardless of what subject you teach, computer science is foundational knowledge for all students in the 21st century. Incorporating it into your classroom will give your students a huge leg up. Besides, this is a subject the kids love learning. With the help of this Code.org, no cost, one-day workshop for elementary school teachers, you will receive support in teaching computer science even if you have no prior experience. In addition, the activities are really fun!

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This meeting is for District Special Education Directors and/or designees.  We will share updates, information and resources from the Bureau of Special Education, Pattan and other activities that support the BSE initiatives in our schools.  Training will be provided on a monthly basis in various topics.

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Erin D. Gilsbach, Esq., provides an in-depth look at the legal requirements for initial evaluations and reevaluations.  Atty. Gilsbach is a nationally-recognized speaker on school law issues and a practicing school law attorney.  In this live, in-person session, she explores a wide range of topics on the issue, including legally-mandated timelines, types of assessments and information to be included in a legally-defensible evaluation or reevaluation, the role of a functional behavioral assessment in the evaluation process, when schools should seek specialized evaluators to complete an evaluation, common legal-defensibility issues regarding evaluations and reevaluations, handling parental requests for evaluations, and much more.   

Later in the session, Atty. Gilsbach does a deep-dive analysis of the legal parameters of independent educational evaluations (IEEs).  This will include exploration of the topics of when public schools might be required to provide an IEE at public expense, what parameters the IDEA sets for IEEs at public expense, and what policies and procedures public schools should have in place to address IEE requests.  We will also look at schools’ obligations when parents produce privately-funded IEEs.

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This meeting is for District Special Education Directors and/or designees. Federal and state 
updates will be provided as well as training on various topics relative to special education. 
Information and resources from the Bureau of Special Education, Pattan and other activities 
that support the BSE initiatives in our schools will be shared. Training will be provided on a 
monthly basis in various topics.

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SAP County Coordination Meeting

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Safety Care is a training program for all staff working with children, adolescents, or adults who may exhibit challenging or dangerous behavior.  Participants in this course will learn a wide variety of prevention, de-escalation, and physical management skills.  The goal is for participants to return to the learning environment and contribute to a physical and social environment that encourages behavior patterns that are positive and safe.  Please note that this is an initial training for those who have never been trained or who have not made the timely recertification time line.

There will be a $9.00 charge for materials and processing.

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This is a training program for staff working with children, adolescents, or adults who may exhibit challenging or dangerous behavior.  Participants in the course learn a wide variety of prevention skills so that they can each contribute to a physical and social environment that encourages behavior patterns that are positive and safe.  Please note that this is for recertification and you must be in compliance to participate: 1 year from your last training date and 3 months grace period.  

There will be a $9.00 charge for materials and processing

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*NOTE: Because of high demand, we ask that you register for only ONE book study to allow everyone to participate

It's Monday morning and George walks out of the front door to his car and a flat tire. This is the least of his problems. His home life is in shambles and his team at work is in disarray. With a big product launch coming in two weeks, he has to find a way to get it together or risk losing his marriage and job. Forced to take the bus to work, George meets a unique bus driver and an interesting cast of characters who, over the course of two weeks, share the ten rules for the ride of his life. In the process, they help him turn around his work and life, saving his job and marriage from destruction.

The Energy Bus, an international bestseller, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals ten secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment―at work and at home.

Build positive energy with vision, trust, optimism, enthusiasm, purpose, and spirit. Learn how to turn negative energy into positive achievement. Overcome obstacles and bring out the best in yourself and your team

The Energy Bus provides a powerful plan for overcoming common life and work obstacles and bringing out the best in yourself and your team. When you get on The Energy Bus, you'll enjoy the ride of your life.

How the Book Study Works:
1. Purchase a digital or hard copy of this book.
2. At least two weeks prior to the first meeting, an email will be sent to registrants including a syllabus with chapter assignments for each meeting.
3. Read the book as outlined in the syllabus prior to meetings and be ready to share your thoughts and ideas in a flexible discussion format.
4. If you cannot be present for a ZOOM meeting, you will be required to provide a written summary of the session’s content in order to receive your hours. This is intended to be a synchronous book study with opportunities for discussion amongst colleagues; as such, participants are expected to attend a minimum of three live sessions to obtain course hours. If you cannot commit to synchronous attendance on these dates please choose another book study option.
5. A certificate with your 15 credit hours will be issued upon completion of the book study.

2026 Book Study Information - The Energy Bus

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This training session will discuss effective math instructional strategies in K-12 classrooms.  Participants will explore matching instruction to student needs based on the instructional hierarchy of learning.  The session will include discussions on differentiation and time management within the allotted math block/period at the school and/or district level.  Emphasis will be placed on structuring how teachers can use effective instructional strategies to improve student outcomes in math.

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Match instruction to student needs, develop a walkthrough tool, and identify effective instructional strategies in the math classroom

Upon completion of this training, participants will receive 4.0 Act 48 hours.  If you would like Act 48 hours for this training, please be sure to select that option when you register.  If you have questions about registration, please contact Brooke Boonie at bboonie@tiu11.org

Presenters: Jared Campbell, Dawn Lynn

Contact: dlynn@tiu11.org or call 814-542-2501

 

This is a FREE event

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*NOTE: Because of high demand, we ask that you register for only ONE book study to allow everyone to participate

Out of My Mind written by: Sharon M. Draper

Facilitated by: Staci Young

 

Out of My Mind is a compelling and emotional novel that follows Melody Brooks, an eleven-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, who cannot walk, talk, or write, but has an extraordinary mind. Trapped in a body that won't cooperate, Melody has photographic memory, sharp intelligence, and a vibrant inner life that no one around her fully sees.

As Melody navigates school, friendships, and the frustrations of being underestimated, she discovers new ways to express herself an challenge the assumptions others make about her. Her journey is both inspiring and eye-opening, reminding readers of the power of communication, the importance of inclusion, and the strength it takes to be truly seen and heard.

Join us to dive into the story of Melody and examine the themes of resilience, inclusion, communication, and the power of seeing beyond limitations.

Zoom link will shared once you have registered.

Book Study Meeting Dates:

• June 9, 2026 (9:00-10:00am)
• June 11, 2026 (9:00-10:00am)
• June 16, 2026 (9:00-10:00am)
• June 18, 2026 (9:00-10:00am)

How it works:

• Purchase a digital or hard copy of this book. It can be found on  Amazon  OR use the free  online PDF
• At least two weeks prior to the first meeting, an email will be sent to registrants including a syllabus with  chapter assignments for each meeting.
• Read the book as outlined in the syllabus prior to meetings  and be r  eady to share your thoughts and i deas in a flexible discussion format.
• If you cannot be present for a ZOOM meeting, you will be required to provide a written summary of the  session’s content in order to receive your hours  .  This is intended to be a synchronous book study with  opportunities for discussion amongst colleagues;  as such,  participants are expected to attend a  minimum of 3 live sessions to obtain course hours. If you cannot commit to synchronous  attendance on these dates please choose another book study option.
• A certificate with your 15 credit hours will be issued upon completion of the book study.

 

If you have questions, please contact Staci Young, TIU 11 Educational Consultant

Email: syoung@tiu11.org

Phone: 814-542-2501x1126

Mobile: 814-514-9034

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