Core literacy programs: Strengthen sessions
Professional development sets teachers and leaders up for success, whether they are new to or experienced with a program. Each Strengthen session promotes a deeper understanding of the program through targeted instructional practices.
Explore literacy Strengthen sessions by program below.
About Strengthen sessions
Support Amplify implementation with sessions that target specific instructional practices for teachers and leaders who are in year one and beyond. When you’re ready to schedule your Strengthen session, contact us. An Amplify expert will support you in selecting the session that best fits your needs in order to push student results forward.
Each package includes one Strengthen session. Additional sessions can be added as enhancements.
Amplify CKLA and Amplify Caminos
Built on the Science of Reading, Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) sequences deep content knowledge with research-based foundational skills. Amplify CKLA is a ¹ú²úÈý¼¶Æ¬“5 literacy curriculum that inspires curiosity and drives results, empowering all students with rich background knowledge.
Amplify Caminos is the perfect Spanish language arts partner to Amplify CKLA. The aligned programs combine rich content knowledge with systematic foundational skills instruction grounded in the Science of Reading that follows biliteracy principles, and supports multiple teaching models.
The table below lists Amplify CKLA and Amplify Caminos Strengthen sessions by package for Begin and beyond. Click the session title or scroll down to learn more about each session.
Begin packages
| Strengthen sessions |
| Ìý | On-site package (15 hr.) |
Hybrid on-site package (15 hr.) | Hybrid 10 package (10 hr.) |
Hybrid virtual package (15 hr.) |
VirtualÌý package (7 hr.) |
| One session per package | On-site,Ìý Ìý3 hr. sessions | On-site,Ìý Ìý3 hr. sessions | Virtual,Ìý Ìý Ìý1 hr. session | Virtual,Ìý Ìý 3 hr. sessions | Virtual,Ìý Ìý Ìý1 hr. session |
| Enhancing planning |
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| Enhancing practice |
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| Enhancing observations for leaders |
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| Supporting all learners |
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Begin: Enhancing planning for teachers
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Deepen your understanding of your next CKLA and Caminos unit by engaging in a step-by-step unit and lesson-planning protocol. Leave prepared to implement your next CKLA and Caminos units with a completed unit plan and internalized lessons for your particular biliteracy model.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Language: This session is facilitated in both English and Spanish.
Begin: Enhancing practice for teachers
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Practice implementing key lesson routines to strengthen your Amplify CKLA + Caminos instruction. Leave with guidelines for routines you can implement in your biliteracy classroom tomorrow.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Language: This session is facilitated in both English and Spanish.
Begin: Enhancing observations for leaders
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Sharpen your program knowledge to support educators with effective Amplify CKLA implementation. Observe a CKLA lesson in action and practice providing high-leverage feedback. Walk away prepared to provide educators with actionable feedback during your next classroom observation.
Prerequisite: Participants must complete the Program overview for leaders before attending this session.
Audience: Leaders (maximum 30 participants)
Practice packages
| Strengthen sessions |
| Ìý | On-site package (15 hr.) |
Hybrid 15 package (15 hr.) |
Hybrid 13Ìýpackage (13 hr.) |
VirtualÌýpackage (9 hr.) |
| One session per package | On-site,Ìý Ìý Ìý 3 hr. session | Virtual,Ìý Ìý Ìý 3 hr. session | Virtual, 1 hr. session | Virtual, 3 hr. session |
| Enhancing planning |
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| Enhancing practice | |
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| Enhancing observations for leaders | |
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| Small-group instruction |
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| Writing |
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| Supporting all learners |
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Practice: Enhancing planning for teachers
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Deepen your understanding of your next CKLA and Caminos unit by engaging in a step-by-step unit and lesson-planning protocol. Leave prepared to implement your next CKLA and Caminos units with a completed unit plan and internalized lessons for your particular biliteracy model.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Language: This session is facilitated in both English and Spanish.
Practice: Enhancing practice for teachers
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Practice implementing key lesson routines to strengthen your Amplify CKLA + Caminos instruction. Leave with guidelines for routines you can implement in your biliteracy classroom tomorrow.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Language: This session is facilitated in both English and Spanish.
Practice: Enhancing observations for leaders
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Sharpen your program knowledge to support educators with effective Amplify CKLA implementation. Observe a CKLA lesson in action and practice providing high-leverage feedback. Walk away prepared to provide educators with actionable feedback during your next classroom observation.
Prerequisite: Participants must complete the Program overview for leaders before attending this session.
Audience: Leaders (maximum 30 participants)
Practice: Data-informed remediation with the ARG/DERG
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Analyze a recent assessment to uncover students' gaps in code knowledge. Plan targeted small-group literacy lessons using data. Walk away with a deeper understanding of the Assessment and Remediation Guide (Grades ¹ú²úÈý¼¶Æ¬“3) and Decoding and Encoding Remediation Supplement (Grades 4–5), as well as a clear instructional plan for your intervention groups. Please note that for grades ¹ú²úÈý¼¶Æ¬“2, this would only apply if you are using both strands or the Skills Strand. To get the most out of the session, bring a recent class set of scored Amplify CKLA benchmark, unit, or formative assessments.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Practice: Writing
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Deepen your understanding of how to support students as they build writing skills in, and across, Amplify CKLA and Caminos. Leave this session prepared to teach an upcoming writing lesson in Amplify CKLA and/or Caminos based on your student work analysis. Bring samples of your students' writing responses from Amplify CKLA and Caminos to this session.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Language: This session is facilitated in both English and Spanish.
Amplify ELA
Amplify ELA is a blended English language arts curriculum designed specifically to support students in grades 6–8 and prepare them for high school and beyond. With Amplify ELA, students learn to tackle any complex text and make observations, grapple with interesting ideas, and find relevance for themselves. The table below lists Amplify ELA Strengthen sessions for Begin and beyond by package.
Click the session title or scroll down to learn more about each session.
Begin package
| Strengthen sessions |
| On-site package (15 hr.) |
Hybrid 15, on-site package (15 hr.) |
Hybrid 10 package (10 hr.) |
Hybrid 15, virtual package (15 hr.) |
Virtual package (7 hr.) |
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| One session per package | On-site, 3 hr. session |
On-site, 3 hr. session |
Virtual, 1 hr. session |
Virtual, 3 hr. session |
Virtual, 1 hr. session |
| Enhancing planning | |
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| Enhancing practice |
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| Enhancing observations for leaders | |
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| Teaching with print and digital |
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| Lesson-planning |
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| Pacing |
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Begin: Enhancing planning for teachers
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Deepen your program knowledge by unpacking learning ¹ú²úÈý¼¶Æ¬, key assessment moments, and student engagement opportunities from an Amplify ELA unit. Use backward planning to create a detailed plan for a unit of your choice and leave ready to begin the unit with your students.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Begin: Enhancing practice for teachers
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Experience a close reading lesson to increase your understanding of how close reading is taught in Amplify ELA. Uncover which teacher moves will support students in tackling complex texts. Leave with a strong understanding of how to facilitate a close reading lesson that encourages student collaboration, drives analysis, and deepens understanding.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Begin: Enhancing observations for leaders
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Elevate your program knowledge to support colleagues with effective Amplify ELA implementation. Leave prepared to identify key instructional elements in an Amplify ELA lesson, analyze data, and conduct effective classroom observations.
Audience: Leaders (maximum 30 participants)
Practice Packages
| Strengthen sessions |
| On-site package (15 hr.) |
Hybrid 15, on-siteÌýpackage (15 hr.) |
Hybrid 13 package (13 hr.) |
Virtual package (9 hr.) |
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| One session per package | On-site, 3 hr. sessions |
Virtual, 3 hr. sessions |
Virtual, 1 hr. session |
Virtual, 3 hr. sessions |
| Enhancing planning | |
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| Enhancing practice |
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| Enhancing observations for leaders | |
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| Writing: Improving through feedback |
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| Supporting all learners |
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| Data-informed instruction |
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| Teaching with print and digital |
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| Pacing |
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| Increasing student engagement |
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| Grading and assessment |
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Practice: Enhancing planning for teachers
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Deepen your program knowledge by unpacking learning ¹ú²úÈý¼¶Æ¬, key assessment moments, and student engagement opportunities from an Amplify ELA unit. Use backward planning to create a detailed plan for a unit of your choice and leave ready to begin the unit with your students.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Practice: Enhancing practice for teachers
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Experience a close reading lesson to increase your understanding of how close reading is taught in Amplify ELA. Uncover which teacher moves will support students in tackling complex texts. Leave with a strong understanding of how to facilitate a close reading lesson that encourages collaboration, drives analysis, and deepens understanding.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Practice: Enhancing observations for leaders
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Elevate your program knowledge to support colleagues with effective Amplify ELA implementation. Leave prepared to identify key instructional elements in an Amplify ELA lesson, analyze data, and conduct effective classroom observations.
Audience: Leaders (maximum 30 participants)
Practice: Writing: Improving through feedback
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Deepen your understanding of how to support students as they build writing skills in Amplify ELA. Leave this session prepared to provide targeted feedback that supports student growth in writing. Bring samples of your students' writing responses from Amplify ELA to this session.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Practice: Supporting all learners
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Learn how to effectively use embedded differentiated supports in Amplify ELA and the Classwork app to support all students—including English language learners, students with learning disabilities, struggling readers and writers, and advanced students. Walk away with a plan for supporting specific students within your classroom.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff (maximum 30 participants)
Practice: Data-informed instruction
On-site or virtual, 3 hours
Analyze your own student data and learn to turn Amplify ELA data into differentiated and targeted instruction. Walk away ready to use the data provided in the Reporting and Classwork apps to align embedded support to your specific student needs. This session requires educators to analyze student data, so please bring 4–6 weeks of student data from Amplify ELA's Reporting app to this session.
Audience: Teachers, instructional staff of grades ¹ú²úÈý¼¶Æ¬“5 or 6–8 (maximum 30 participants)
Get in touch with a PD expert
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