Professional Development

Short, Short, BIG! is designed to take the ambiguity out of writing instruction and for immediate classroom implementation. We are committed to your success and that of your students and have developed a Short, Short, BIG! Master Class to provide additional guidance, support and professional development. The SSB Master Class provides the opportunity to hone your instructional knowledge and skillset to create more effective writers, readers, and critical thinkers with access to our experts, Dr. Katie McKnight and Alan Sitomer.  

Our professional development is customized. We can create a SSB Master Class that will address the specific needs of your educational context.

PD Engagement Opportunities:

  • Conference Keynote Speakers

  • District or School Site Workshops

    • Full day or ½ day

    • Multi-Day Sequential (i.e. 2 days in a row back-to-back)

    • Multi-Day Over Time (i.e. 1 day per month for 5 months)

*References to School District Superintendents, District Literacy Coordinators, School Principals, VP’s and Classroom Teachers happily furnished upon request.

Our Areas of Specialty:

  • Grade bands 3-12

  • English Language Arts: Core Reading and Writing

  • Literacy Across the Curriculum/Content Area Literacy

  • Engaging Disengaged, Under-Performing Students

  • Evidence-Based Writing 

  • Reading Comprehension/Close Reading

  • Score Elevation for State Tests

  • Standards-Based Instruction

  • Academic Vocabulary 

  • Data-Driven Instructional Designs

Previous engagements include:

ILA: The International Literacy Association

ASCD: Association of Supervision and Curricular Development

NCTE: The National Council of Teachers of English

ALA: The American Library Association

NMSA: The National Middle School Association

National Title 1 Conference

Texas Library Association

The Urban Institute

Scholastic National Book Convention

The California Parent Teacher Association 

FCTE: Florida Council of Teachers of English

Asilomar Annual Education Conference

California Reading Association

The New York Public Library

SCTE: Southern California Teachers of English

Denver Public Schools

North Carolina State Superintendent’s Colloquium

Boys and Girls Club of America

Oregon State Reading Association

G.A.T.E.: Gifted and Talented Learning Conference

Georgia State Reading Association

CABE Bilingual Education Conference

Houston Independent School District

Enoch Pratt Public Library

Plus scores of schools and districts from Brooklyn to Oakland to Seattle... and even international!