2026 Conference Info!

Reasons to Attend CCIRA’s Annual Conference:

• Experience three days of in-depth collaboration with fellow educators from across the country in a rich literacy setting.
• Deepen your skills in reading instruction, writing instruction, student engagement, and leadership while learning alongside leading authorities in ECE-12 education. 
• Our keynote speakers represent a wide range of voices in education today. For the upcoming 2026 conference, we have Penny Kittle, Katie Kelly, Gravity Goldberg, Colby Sharp, and John Schu.
• Our luncheon speakers are incredibly knowledgeable. We are welcoming Cara Mentzel and Ashlee Saddler for the 2026 conference. 
• Because your time is valuable, CCIRA offers a variety of choices for attending which include:
• Full conference (Thursday-Saturday)
• Friday & Saturday
• Saturday only (Saturday includes breakfast)
• Groups of teachers can register using a single invoice when their school and/or district is paying the conference fees. (Contact Lisa at lisakahnccira@gmail.com for information.)

Look Who's Coming To

The 2026 Conference!

Thursday

Jen Vincent

Join us at the CCIRA Conference to learn from Jen Vincent, a passionate writer, educator, and National Board Certified Teacher. With extensive experience in special education, multilingual learning, and middle school literacy, Jen empowers students to live the life of a writer. She is the founder of Story Exploratory and author of Living the Life of a Writer: 6 Practices Student Writers Have, Know, and Do. Don’t miss her sessions, packed with student-centered, inquiry-based strategies to inspire authentic writing and storytelling in your classroom. Learn more at storyexploratory.com and @storyexploratory on Instagram.

Sarah Zerwin

We’re thrilled to welcome back Sarah Zerwin to the CCIRA Conference! A veteran high school language arts teacher and educator with decades of experience across Colorado, Illinois, and Washington, Sarah brings insight, passion, and practical strategies to every session. In 2026, she will lead two must-attend sessions: Help Readers Envision Themselves as Meaning Makers and Use AI to Co-Construct the Literacy Classroom with Students. Always a favorite among attendees, Sarah’s sessions are full of actionable ideas to energize your teaching. Learn more about her work at SarahMZerwin.com.

Carl Anderson

Learn from one of the world’s leading experts on writing instruction! Carl Anderson—internationally recognized author, consultant, and former classroom teacher—has spent three decades helping educators inspire young writers. At the 2026 CCIRA Conference, Carl will lead two powerful sessions: “The Secret to Teaching Students to Write Well? Teach with Mentor Texts!” and “Five Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement in Writing.” Don’t miss this chance to gain practical, classroom-tested insights from the author of How’s It Going? and A Teacher’s Guide to Mentor Texts. Your writing instruction—and your students—will thank you!

Friday

Amiee Buckner Haisten

We’re thrilled to welcome Aimee Buckner Haisten to the 2026 CCIRA Conference! An experienced educator with a deep understanding of language arts instruction, Aimee has inspired countless teachers and students to find joy in both reading and writing. Many educators know her for her beloved books Notebook Know-How and Notebook Connections, and now she’s back with her latest work, Sentence Digs: Teaching the Reading and Writing Connection with Syntax and Semantics (available December 2025). Don’t miss the chance to learn from Aimee as she shares fresh insights and practical strategies to strengthen the reading–writing connection in every classroom.

Cris Tovani

We are honored to welcome Cris Tovani back to the CCIRA 2026 Conference! An internationally recognized consultant and award-winning educator, Cris has spent nearly four decades helping teachers engage students in authentic reading, writing, and thinking. The author of five influential books—including Why Do I Have to Read This? and I Read It, but I Don’t Get It—Cris brings a wealth of classroom wisdom and practical strategies to every session. Join her for “Planning and Prepping Aren’t the Same: Strategies to Get Students to Dig into Reading, Writing, and Discussing” and “Talk as a Tool to Grow Thinking,” where she’ll share powerful ways to ignite deeper learning for all students.

Don't miss out on our fantastic luncheon speakers! Be sure to purchase your tickets when you register!

Thursday Luncheon

Friday Luncheon

Cara Mentzel

Join us for a lively luncheon with Cara Mentzel, author of the memoir Voice Lessons: A Sisters Story and co-author, with her sister Idina Menzel, of the delightful picture books Loud Mouse and Proud Mouse. Drawing on her 15+ years as a literacy specialist and classroom teacher, Cara brings humor, heart, and real-world insight to her session, The Complete Idiom’s Guide to Being a Literacy Educator in 2026. Through engaging stories and clever use of idioms, she’ll help you reflect on what matters most in teaching and how to transform ordinary moments into extraordinary ones. You’ll leave this luncheon inspired, reenergized, and ready to bring fresh creativity into your classroom!

Ashlee Saddler

As a national leader in education and professional learning, Ashlee draws on 18 years of experience as a principal, district leader, and mental health professional to help educators reconnect with their passion and purpose. In her luncheon, Power Up: Reignite Passion, Purpose, and Possibility, she will guide you through energizing exercises, actionable strategies, and powerful insights to awaken your drive, realign with your purpose, and unlock new possibilities for yourself and those you lead. Leave ready to hit refresh, reignite your vision, and make a meaningful impact in your classroom, school, and community.

Looking For Professional Development?

Dr. Katie Kelly will be presenting at the conference and has dates right before or after our February event when she can come to your district or school. Check out her flyer below!!

Join Us As a Vendor!

Mark your calendar for our 2026 CCIRA Conference on Literacy! We encourage you to join us as a vendor for the 2026 Conference in Denver, Colorado, February 5-7, 2026.

As a vendor you'll be part of one of the largest literacy conferences in the region. The conference will be held at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel Denver on Quebec Street. The hotel offers several amenities including a large locked ballroom for exhibits, comfortable conversation areas, restaurants, and accessible parking. 

This year’s theme will help educators “Hit Refresh” and inspire them to reorganize, reconnect, and "re-vision" their practice. Our exhibit hall will offer vendors limitless opportunities to interact with approximately 600 educators, invited speakers, authors, students, and other vendors. The exhibit area is spacious and centrally located within the conference itself.

Exhibit registration is now open. Click the link below to join us as a vendor for the 2026 Conference on Literacy! *Your space is not reserved until you have both registered and paid for your booth. 

Highlights for our 2026 Vendors: 

PRICING/SCHEDULE:

● Cost is $800. 

● The exhibit hall is in a large, lockable ballroom. The space is well-lit, and easily accessible to all attendees. 

● The exhibit hall will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday. In addition to the 7-8:45 time slot (before Keynote), we have specifically scheduled times for attendees to peruse the hall:

7:00-8:45 am

10-10:30

12:00-12:30

1:30-2:00

● Attendees will have opportunities to visit throughout the day as their schedules permit. 

● A table with a skirting and tablecloth, Wifi, and electricity, and free parking are included in the vendor fee. 

GOOSECHASE:

● We will be using Goosechase once again for our event. It is an interactive app designed to encourage people to explore the exhibit hall and engage with vendors! Goosechase allows us to track attendees' activities throughout the conference. We invite you to contribute donations for prizes that will be awarded to participants who enter Goosechase activities. Each vendor will create a unique "mission" for attendees to complete at their booth (we'll reach out later with details). It's lots of fun and increases booth perusal! 

SPONSORSHIPS/ADVERTISEMENTS:

● As vendors, you can sponsor an event during the conference. This can be as simple as providing cookies for the attendees or perhaps sponsoring a special event during the day and/or evening. You can look at our website for options and contact Lisa Kahn, Executive Director, to discuss opportunities and sponsorship details. 

● Advertisements in the conference program can be purchased at the time of registration. 

We remain committed to making the exhibits an important part of the conference experience. Exhibits at the conference are relevant and valuable for both attendees and vendors.

Please register now to reserve your space! Please do not hesitate to contact CCIRA with any questions.

Anne Cook (Exhibitor Chair)    

annecook59@gmail.com         

Mary Jo Ziegman (Co-Chair)   

mjziegman@gmail.com 

Show Your CCIRA Pride – Shop Our Store!

Looking for a way to celebrate literacy and support CCIRA at the same time? Check out the CCIRA Store! We have a great selection of t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags—perfect for showing your CCIRA pride at school, at home, or on the go.

You can have your items conveniently delivered straight to your home, or choose free pickup at the 2026 Conference—either way, it’s easy to get your favorites. Best of all, every purchase supports CCIRA and helps us continue our mission to promote literacy.

Don’t miss out—browse the store today and snag your favorite items!

Become a CCIRA Ambassador

CCIRA Ambassadors are passionate, lifelong learners who bring our mission and vision to life. We’re looking for classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators who are eager to connect, inspire, and support literacy education.

By volunteering just six hours of your time, you’ll receive free registration to the 2026 conference as a thank-you for your service. Join us in advancing literacy through research-based instructional practices and helping ensure every learner has access to the power of reading and writing.

Visit CCIRA.org to sign up today and make a difference in literacy education!

The NCTE Conference

is in Denver!

Dear Colorado K-12 English Teachers and Education Leaders:

In November, Colorado English educators have the rarest of opportunities for premier professional development and enrichment. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) will hold its 12th Annual Convention in Denver, November 21-23, bringing over 8000 world-class teachers, scholars, and authors to our own backyard. The theme is “Dream Boldly,” and our own Colorado Language Arts Society is the local host.

The conference will feature hundreds of concurrent sessions led by the field’s experts, including many from Colorado. (Perhaps including you!) There will be strands for all levels of English teachers and professors: elementary, middle, secondary, two-year college, college and university. .Participants will experience workshops, demonstrations, and research presentations on state-of-the-art topics such as:

• Artificial Intelligence 
• Best practices for teaching reading, writing, communications, multimodal literacies
• Literacy development for civic participation and for workplaces
• Teaching students from multiple backgrounds, including second-language learners
• Literature and recent outstanding books

In addition, some 300 authors will talk about their works, sign books, and be available for conversations. Some 150 exhibitors will showcase the latest books and teaching resources. Keynote sessions will include internationally renowned speakers. Recent speakers, for example, have ranged from Tom Hanks and Kate McKinnon to Tara Westover and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Featured speakers for Denver will be announced soon. Information about them will appear at https://convention.ncte.org/speakers/.

We enthusiastically invite all English educators to join colleagues from around the nation and the world! We urge leaders at department, district, and system levels to support your teachers’ participation—and come yourselves, as have 1000 department chairs, curriculum leaders, principals, and superintendents in recent years. This is the highest-level professional development you might experience, and at a convenient bargain; more comprehensive than the cost of a single visiting speaker.  

For complete information about the convention, please see https://convention.ncte.org. There you’ll find registration materials and costs, the convention program, and other information. Or please contact one of us!

Sincerely, on Behalf of the Colorado Language Arts Society,

Jan Stallones and Jill Adams

NCTE 2025 Denver Local Arrangements Co-Chairs

Suzette Youngs, Doug Hesse, and Ellen Clark

Preconference and Promotions Committee

Colorado Children's Book Nominees Are Out!

2026 Nominees

Here are the nominees for the 2026 Picture Book and Junior Book categories! Be sure to have these books available in your school so your students can read, enjoy, and cast their votes for the 2026 winners!

Click the button to find a PDF of the 2026 nominees

and information on how to have students vote.

CCIRA Professional Development Blog

All Things Literacy

The CCIRA blog features a wide variety of nationally renowned literacy experts, as well as talented practitioners from across Colorado. Check out the posts on https://ccira.blog/  

📢New Blog Alert!!📢

Read our newest blog posts We Are Teaching Writers, by Jen Vincent, Ice Cream, Penguins, and Other Thoughts on the Growth Mindset, by Cara Mentzel, and Digging Deeper with Sentence Level Instruction: Teaching the Reading and Writing Connection, by Amy Buckner Haisten. We are excited to have Jen, Cara and Amy presenting at the 2026 CCIRA Conference!

Please also take time to read this poignant tribute to an amazing educator and fierce advocate for teachers: In Honor of Karen Hartman

Additional posts by previous speakers include:

• Respond to the Creativity Crisis by Teaching Fantasy Writing by Carl Anderson
• Boost Student Comprehension Through Intentional Movement by Gravity Goldberg
• True Student Voice: Helping students be better speakers by Erik Palmer
• Reading Identity Matters: A Broad View of Foundational Skills by Hannah Schneewind and Dr. Jennifer Scoggin
• Conferring With Young Writers by Ralph Fletcher
• Student Agency: Strategies to Build a Strengths-Based Classroom by Dr. Towanda Harris
• Sparks in the Dark: Returning to Joy, Love, Curiosity, and Passion by Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney
• From Empathy to Compassion: Reading to Make a Difference by Katie Kelly and Lester Laminack

If you are interested in submitting a guest post to the CCIRA blog, please contact Hollyanna Bates. hollyannabates@gmail.com

Did you know that CCIRA does more than just host an excellent conference? We provide funding for literacy initiatives around the state!

Local Activity Grant - Due February 1

Do you have a great idea for an activity involving reading or writing instruction, or promoting literacy in schools? If so, you can fill out the application for the Local Activity Grant (formerly the Council Development Grant). This grant is awarded three times a year. Due dates for applications are August 1, February 1, and April 1. Click the button below to go to the grants page of the CCIRA website. Contact Jessica Endres with any questions you may have.

Model Literacy Award - Due December 1

CCIRA sponsors a Model Literacy Award to recognize outstanding language arts programs in schools. The awards will showcase effective literacy instruction in schools. The exemplary reading programs will also serve as models for other schools. State recognition will be given to schools that meet the established criteria. The award of a plaque and $1,000 will be presented at the CCIRA Conference. The schools receiving this award could expect on-site visitations from interested people.

Fannie Stabenow Award - Due December 1st

Do you know someone who has significantly contributed to CCIRA and the mission of the organization? If so, nominate them for the Fannie Stabenow Award! The award is presented to the winner at the 2026 CCIRA Conference.

CCIRA Futures Award - Due December 1st

To honor past presidents, who are now deceased, CCIRA annually recognizes a teacher in their first five years of teaching reading. One successful applicant each year will receive a certificate and a $300 cash reward. There are no restrictions on how the recipient may use the cash award.

Put it in your calendar now! CCIRA's next Board of Directors Meeting will be held at the 2026 CCIRA Conference on Thursday night at 6:00p.m. Please plan on being there if you serve on your local council or as an ambassador. Dinner will be included, and Cris Tovani will be our guest speaker!! There will be an RSVP form sent out as we get closer to the conference. Please reach out to Michele Warner if you'd like to join us.

Ellin Keene Presented at CCIRA's Fall Leadership Meeting

We were thrilled to welcome literacy expert Ellin Oliver Keene to the CCIRA Board of Directors Fall Leadership Meeting! Ellin shared research-based strategies for helping students move beyond brief responses and engage in original, meaningful writing connected to extended texts. Her session emphasized the importance of reading connected texts over time, focusing on fewer concepts, and giving students ample opportunity to practice seven key comprehension strategies: Determining Importance, Monitoring for Meaning, Asking Questions, Inferring, Synthesizing, Connecting to Background Knowledge, and Creating Mental Images.

Welcome to the Executive Committee, Katie!

Katie Rupp is a St. Vrain grad who, after 22 years teaching elementary school, has made it back to St. Vrain! Katie loves helping kids become engaged and enthusiastic readers. Her most recent degree is a Literacy Specialist endorsement from the University of Louisville. She is a Louisville Writing Project and Kentucky Reading Project Fellow. Integrating social studies and civic education is important in Katie's classroom. She is thankful for the fellowships she received through The Olga Lengyel Institute and Mikva Challenge. Katie is a curious and passionate learner. She loves adventure and traveling with her husband and their 3 daughters. She also likes to bake and read. Katie will be joining the Executive Committee as our new Partnership Chair. Welcome Katie!!

Make a Difference in Literacy Education - Volunteer With CCIRA!

CCIRA is always looking for passionate volunteers to help support literacy education in meaningful ways! There are many opportunities to get involved, including:

📌 Executive Committee & Board of Directors – Help shape the future of CCIRA through leadership roles.

📌 Annual Conference – Assist in running one of the most impactful literacy conferences in the country.

📌 Local Councils – Engage with your community to promote literacy initiatives.

📌 Ambassador Program – From outreach to event coordination, there’s a place for everyone!

Volunteering with CCIRA is a fantastic way to connect with fellow educators, develop leadership skills, and contribute to a cause that transforms lives through literacy.

Interested? Contact CCIRA President, Michele Warner, today!

CCIRA is a non-profit organization that works to empower literacy educators. As a non-profit organization, we appreciate support in a variety of ways:

• Donate
• Support a Conference Scholarship Opportunity
• Leverage fundraising programs to earn CCIRA money
• Volunteer with CCIRA

Raise Funds for CCIRA!

CCIRA Partners in Empowering Literacy Educators

TOP REASONS TO PARTNER WITH CCIRA

• Over 600 conference attendees will learn about your partnership with CCIRA.
• Our educator community will see your support on our webpage.
• Visitors to the CCIRA website will learn about your organization and its events.
• Our combined support of literacy will impact students across our state and neighboring states.

CCIRA collaboratively encourages, supports, and advances literacy through research-based instructional practices to increase literacy access to all.

All people will be empowered to critically engage in our changing world by developing and utilizing literacy skills throughout life.

CCIRA.inc. | ccirainfo@gmail.com | ccira.org