Click the button to view all the amazing sessions at the 2025 CCIRA Conference!

Registration opens October 1st!

Meet Some of Our Friday Speakers!

Katie Kelly - Keynote

Katie Kelly will ask us "What if..." during her Friday luncheon. What if we engage students in reading to make a difference… to think deeply, speak freely, and take action for a better world? Join the co-author of Critical Comprehension and Reading to Make a Difference as she helps us answer this important question.

Cris Tovani - Luncheon

During her luncheon, Cris Tovani will help us see through students' masks and share strategies to help remove them. Come listen to Cris as she shares ways to get students to come out of their protective shells and get engaged. Read Chris's book Why Do I Have to Read This? to learn more about this important topic.

Lauren Castillo

In her sessions, Lauren will highlight her creative process for writing and illustrating picture books and chapter books for preschool to 3rd-grade students. Because Lauren had her own reading challenges as a child, she works hard to create books that bridge the gap between picture books and novels. Read these titles Lauren wrote and/or illustrated: Nana in the City, Nana in the Country, Our Friend Hedgehog chapter books 1 and 2, Just Like Millie, This is a Story.

Travis Crowder

Are you passionate about poetry? Travis will demonstrate the powerful links between poetry and reflection in his session on Friday. Be prepared to use poetry as a reflection to guide yourself and your students into thinking more deeply about reading, writing, and yourselves. Read Travis's book Reflective Readers: The Power of Readers Notebooks.

Lynsey Burkins

In her session, Lynsey will discuss using the read-aloud portion of your day as yet another opportunity to teach. Read aloud has the power to increase reading motivation and outcomes and get students to engage in whole-group reading instruction. It also gives your students the opportunity to listen to a continuous piece of text read by an experienced reader. Lynsey's books Classroom Design for Student Agency: Create Spaces to Empower Young Readers and Writers and In Community With Readers: Transforming Reading Instruction with Read-Alouds and Minilessons co-written with Franki Sibberson are sure to give you plenty of ideas to engage students.

Sara Alvarado & Ellin Oliver Keene

Are estimating, hypothesizing, and predicting all the same thing? Attend Sara and Ellin's session to learn how to integrate curriculums in elementary classrooms using thinking strategies. They will address the research supporting integration and participants will have time to plan for instuction in their own classrooms. Ellin's books The Literacy Studio: Redesigning the Workshop for Readers and Writers, Engaging Children: Igniting a Drive for Deeper Learning, Mosaic of Thought: The Power of Comprehension Strategy Instruction, and In The Moment: Conferring in the Elementary Math Classroom by Jen Munson give more insight into this work.

We have a new venue for the 2025 Conference!

DoubleTree by Hilton

3203 Quebec St., Denver

This new venue features a perfect layout for the conference. It's newly renovated with plenty of parking and on-site dining choices.

Costs for rooms and luncheons will be less too!

Help us spread the word!

We would love to see you and as many of your friends and coworkers as possible at this year's conference! Click the button to access the 2025 CCIRA Conference Flyer so you can share the details.

✅Email it the to your educator friends.

✅Hang it over the copier in your building.

✅Display it in the staff lounge.

✅Put copies in everyone's box at your school.

✅Do all of the above!

Want to join us as a vendor?

We are very excited about our new space for the exhibit hall at the Double Tree and would love to have you there! Click the button below to learn how to purchase space, advertise, or sponsor a part of the conference. Don't miss this opportunity!

Highlights for our 2025 Vendors:

• Cost this year is $700 for early bird registration that ends October 1, 2024. The price will increase to $800 after this date. 

• This year’s exhibit space will be in a large, lockable ballroom. It’s a beautiful, well-lit space, and easily accessible to all attendees.

• The exhibit hall will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Additionally, attendees may choose to set aside a time in their schedule to visit the exhibits. NO SESSIONS ARE SCHEDULED DURING SEVERAL OF THESE TIMES SO ATTENDEES CAN VISIT BOOTHS.

• Everyone will have a tablecloth, Wifi, and electricity included in the cost of the registration, along with free parking.

• We're excited to announce we'll again be using Goosechase. Goosechase is an interactive app designed to engage attendees, encouraging them to explore the exhibit hall and interact with you! Through Goosechase, we can track attendees' activities as they navigate the conference. You'll be able to contribute donations for prizes for participants who visit your booths. We'll reach out to you at a later date to create a unique "mission" for attendees to complete at your booth. It's lots of fun! 

• As vendors, there are many ways to sponsor an event during the conference. This can be as small as cookies for the attendees, or as big as sponsoring a special event. 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 a part of the conference experience that is relevant and valuable for both attendees and exhibitors.

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!!📢

Sparks in the Dark: Returning to Joy, Love, Curiosity, and Passion by Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney and 3 Ideas for Integrating Literacy into Science Lessons by Elizabeth Everett were recently added to the CCIRA blog. Please take a moment to also read From Empathy to Compassion: Reading to Make a Difference by Katie Kelly & Lester Laminack and Teaching the Writing That Students Need Now by Kelly Boswell. Other blog posts you will find are A Portal to Poetry and Wonder by Georgia Heard, Should We Use AI to Generate Mentor Texts by Carl Anderson and Matt Glover, The Art and Science of Reading by Jennifer Sarravalo, A Conversation with John Schu, and Nourishing Caregiver Collaborations: Families Know by Nawal Qarooni along with so many more! Most of the authors will be, or already have been CCIRA Conference presenters!!

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

Get the CCBA nominees listed below into your students' hands so they can vote on their favorite! Click the button below to find out more! Your students will love it!

Click the button to find a PDF of the 2025 nominees

and information on how to have students vote.

BookBreak has developed a national partnership of elementary and middle schools working together to bring best-selling author events to schools of all sizes, with a high school program on the horizon. We know how important it is for all children to be able to hear from authors, not just the small minority of schools that can afford top-dollar speaking fees. BookBreak pools resources of member schools to create 2 to 3 monthly online author talks from best-selling authors including Jeff Kinney, Lois Lowry, Jason Reynolds, Kate DiCamillo, Matt de la Peña, Katherine Applegate, Peter Reynolds, Mary Pope Osborne, and Dan Santat. Since our launch in September 2023, we've had 2,000+ participating schools and more than two million student views across the country, including from Academy SD, Jefferson County SD, Steamboat Springs SD, Summit SD, and Telluride SD in Colorado.

We also have an ADDITIONAL discount of 20% if three or more schools from a district have paying membership (any combination of elementary or middle schools) - as well as our BOGO initiative where schools that are classified as high-poverty (80% or more low-income family classification) receive access to BookBreak for FREE with each paying membership school in Colorado!

Contact Becky Brent for more information at becky@libraryc.org

or go to bookbreaks.org.

Nancy Fox Grant - Due September 30

The purpose of this grant is to encourage and support CCIRA participants’ efforts to involve families in a community celebration that incorporates practices that support literacy in children’s lives. Applicants may receive up to $500!

Model Literacy Award - Due October 10

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 November 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 2024 CCIRA Conference.

CCIRA Futures Award - Due November 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.

CCIRA's next Board of Directors Meeting will be held at the Lone Tree Hub on September 14th from 9:00-2:00. Please plan on being there if you serve on your local council so we can have important conversations and make decisions. An RSVP form will be sent out as the date approaches. Reach out to Michele Warner at warnermichele4@gmail.com with any questions.

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 2000 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