You don't want to miss this! Check out the incredible sessions available at the 2025 CCIRA Conference!

Cost to Attend

Full Conference $395

Friday & Saturday $315

One Day Only $275

Student $95

Retired $180

2025 Keynote Speakers!

Towanda Harris - Thursday

The Power of Curriculum Connections: A Pathway to Student Agency

In her keynote, Towanda will share the value and impact of making authentic curriculum connections using culturally responsive teaching practices that center students’ voice and yield agency. Her sessions will be an extension of her keynote and will include time for Q&A. Read her book The Right Tools: A Guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Implementing Classroom Resources and Practices.

Katie Kelly - Friday



Literacy Without Limitations: Reading to Make a Difference

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.

Ralph Fletcher - Saturday



Lifting the Chill from the

Writing Classroom

In his keynote, Ralph will remind us of the importance of choice in writing for our students and share ideas to bring excitement to the classroom. During his sessions, attendees will tap into their own inner writer and learn how important it is to have quality mentor texts in the classroom. Enjoy Ralph's book Joy Write: Cultivating High-Impact Low-Stress Writing before coming to the conference!

Book Your Luncheons!!

Katie Anthes - Thursday

From Polarization to Progress: Leading and Impacting in a Time of Challenging Polarization

Dr. Katy Anthes will help us build our “healthy conflict” muscles—muscles that allow us to be curious, disagree, problem solve, bring new ideas to bear, and then go have dinner with the people with whom we disagree. Being the former Commissioner of Education for the state of Colorado, Katy has plenty of experience with the polarization within our nation and our local communities, and has created FORWARD, an initiative to help us navigate these waters and bring the focus back to doing what's best for students.

Cris Tovani - Friday

Removing the Masks of Disengagment

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 Cris's book Why Do I Have to Read This? to learn more about this important topic.

Conference Notes!!

Need to Edit Your Registration?

Did you forget to sign up for the luncheons? Did you want to attend a session with a friend? Simply go to your confirmation email, click on the link at the bottom and type in your e-mail address and registrant ID or confirmation code. From there you'll be able to adjust your registration. Direct any questions to lisakahnccira@gmail.com

Looking for sessions to register for?

Let us highlight a few for you!

Dawn Smith & Jaque Coleman - 104 - Infinite Skies: Crafting a Comprehensive ELA Curriculum for Grades 9-12

Molly Babineaux - 106 - Build Your Own Assessments: Empowering Students to Demonstrate Deep Learning

Kelly James - 107 - From Picture Book to Literary Theory

Elizabeth Garlick - 154 - Unlocking Emotional Literacy: Nurturing Wellness Through Text

Jailyn Jenkins & Sathya Wandzek - 158 - Visibility Value: BIPOC Representation, Recruitment & Retention PEBC

Vicki Collet - 171 - Teaming Up for Collaborative Lesson Study

Jailyn Jenkins - 178 - Build a Monster: Reviewing & Refining Resources - PEBC

Krista Griffin - 179 - The Joy Project: Studying the Use of Joy Journals and Cohorts in the First 5 Years of Teaching

Andrea Wang (Invited Speaker!) - 191 - Student Memoir: The How and Why of Capturing Their Lives

Towanda Harris (Invited Speaker!) - 192 - "The Power of Curriculum Connections: A Pathway to Student Agency" Classroom Strategies and Q&A

Gretchen Schroeder (Invited Speaker!) - 193 - The Silent Majority: Giving Voice to Rural Identity in the ELA Classroom

Olivia Wahl, Heather Roberts, Tom Bateson, Wendy Bunker, &

Cris Tovani (Invited Speakers!) - 291 - From Lecture to Workshop: Harnessing English Language Arts and Social Sciences to Do Real Work in the World

Aman Sahota - 210 - Curriculum Aligned Experiential Lesson Plans

Tanisha Lee - 211 - WeWillWrite: Igniting the Urge to Write Through Social Collaboration

Lauren Castillo (Invited Speaker!) - 222 & 292 - An Author/Illustrator's path to publication: Her creative process and how to use her books in your classroom

Lynsey Burkins (Invited Speaker!) - 294 - Choosing Books for Instruction

Katie Kelly (Invited Speaker!) - 295 - Lighting the Fire to Spark Critically Curious and Compassionate Readers

Travis Crowder (Invited Speaker!) - 226 & 296 - Poetry and Reflection

Go on a Conference Goosechase!!

Going to the 2025 CCIRA Conference? Downloading the Goosechase app is an ESSENTIAL tool that will enhance your conference experience and will provide you with real-time updates, connections with fellow attendees, and opportunities to win prizes every day!

1. Download the Goosechase iOS or Android app.

(Pro Tip: Be sure to enable Push Notifications to receive real-time updates)

2. Log in. New to Goosechase? Sign up for an account or play as a guest.

3. Search for CCIRA 2025 Experience by code X4N9ZB or name CCIRA 2025 - The Sky is Never the Limit. Once you find your Experience, click Let's Go!

4. Create your player profile or join a pre-created profile.

5. Set yourself apart with a name and photo and click Save.

Prizes will be given to Goosechase participants every day, and top score receives free registration for CCIRA2026!

2025 Silent Auction

The 2025 silent auction is beginning soon! Funds raised from the auction will provide literacy grants and awards to educators. We need your help! Please bid on auction items, give a cash donation, or simply share the auction on your social media outlets. Bidding ends on Friday, February 7th at noon. NOTE: We will mail all gift cards to winners within three days of the end of the auction. Any items that are not gift certificates must be picked up at the CCIRA Conference on Friday, February 7th from 2:30-3:30 near the registration area. Not at the conference? No problem! Arrangements can be made to pick up items in the Denver area. Email hollyannabates@gmail.com to make arrangements.

A link to begin bidding will be coming soon!

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!!📢

Student Agency: Strategies to Build a Strengths-Based Classroom by Dr. Towanda Harris is the newest post on the CCIRA blog. Dr. Harris is also one of the speakers at this year's CCIRA Conference, The Sky is Never the Limit! In case you missed it, the Top 5 Blog Posts of 2024 have been posted. Check out other current posts such as Building Novel Connections: How to Center Book Clubs in Today’s Literacy

Classrooms by Dr. Sarah Valter and Term Projects: Exploring Choice Writing in a World of Standardized Testing by Brent Gilson. You will also find 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. Please take a moment to read From Empathy to Compassion: Reading to Make a Difference by Katie Kelly and Lester Laminack and Teaching the Writing That Students Need Now by Kelly Boswell as well. 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.

Star Grant - Due March 30

Do you want to try new reading/writing experiences with your students?

CCIRA has developed the STAR Grant Program just for you! Successful applicants will receive up to $500 to develop and implement reading

projects that will directly impact students. Click the button below to go to the

grants page of the CCIRA website. Contact Sarah Iversen with any questions.

Teacher as Literacy Learner Grant - Due March 30

Are you interested in promoting literacy by encouraging the teachers in your district to become active readers and/or writers? Apply for CCIRA’s Teacher as Literacy Learner Grant to earn up to $500 to cover materials to make this professional growth opportunity a reality in your school. Proposals should focus on the use of literature to build teachers’ professional knowledge, the power of participating in a book club as a means of building one’s love for reading, or the development of teachers’ writing skills as they take risks to find their own writing voice. Click the button below to go to the grants page of the CCIRA website. Contact Michelle Tillotson with any questions.

Local Activity Grant - Due April 1

Does your council have a great idea for an activity involving reading/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.

CCIRA's next Board of Directors Meeting will be held during the 2025 CCIRA Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Thursday, February 6th from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Please plan on being there if you serve on your local council. Dinner will be included! 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 1000 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