June 2025
In this issue:
The free annual summer conference sponsored by the OSDE, InspireOK, will take place on June 27, 2025, in Norman. Register today!
- NCED Conference Center & Hotel (Norman, OK)
- Friday, June 27, 2025
- 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Register:
The deadline to register is June 12!
The following secondary English language arts workshops will be offered at InspireOK.
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The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Secondary English Language Arts
ChatGPT and similar AI websites provide many opportunities for secondary ELA teachers and students to play with language, but students also need guardrails. Come learn strategies and practices for using AI in English class including brainstorming, revision, mentor texts, and ethical expectations.
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Grammar Instruction in Secondary ELA: Crafting and Combining Sentences
Striving adolescent writers need explicit instruction to address their literacy needs. Learn evidence-based practices for teaching students how to imitate mentor sentences and how to combine simple sentences into compound and complex sentences. Ditch the grammar worksheets, and unlock the power of sentence imitation and combination!
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Prefixes & Suffixes & Roots, Oh My! Supporting Striving Adolescent Readers
Striving adolescent readers need explicit instruction to address their literacy needs. Secondary English teachers can use various strategies to help students unlock the power of affixes and Greek and Latin roots to determine the meaning of words. Come find out why morphology is for everyone!
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For teachers unable to attend InspireOK, these workshops will be offered as webinars in July from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Please note that a date and registration link have changed since last month. The AI webinar will now be held on Teams instead of Zoom; you will need to re-register. A special workshop on creative writing will exclusively be offered as a webinar on Monday, July 28.
Crafting a Creative Writing Course
Ready to inspire the next generation of writers? The high school creative writing elective now has brand-new competencies designed by Oklahoma English teachers to help you design a powerful, engaging course. Whether you’re already teaching this elective or dreaming of launching it at your school, join fellow teachers to explore the academic expectations and creative possibilities that will ignite your students’ passion for writing.
Date
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Title
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Registration Link
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Tuesday
July 8
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The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Secondary English Language Arts
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Register
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Tuesday
July 15
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Grammar Instruction in Secondary ELA:
Crafting and Combining Sentences
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Register
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Tuesday
July 22
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Prefixes & Suffixes & Roots, Oh My!
Supporting Striving Adolescent Readers
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Register
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Monday
July 28
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Crafting a Creative Writing Course
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Register
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See the April 2025 newsletter for more information about summer professional development:
The State Board of Education is authorized to award one or more grants annually to classroom teachers from funds available in the Public School Classroom Support Revolving Fund established pursuant to 70 O.S. § 1-123. A grant awarded under this section shall be used by the grantee teacher for the purpose of purchasing supplies, materials, or equipment for their class or classes.
A public school classroom teacher in Oklahoma is eligible to apply for a Public School Classroom Support Grant.
The award amount can range from $1,000-$5,000.
The grant must meet the following criteria:
- An articulated purpose for the requested grant that is intended to promote student learning in one or more content areas or skills.
- A specific plan for incorporating supplies, materials, and/or equipment funded by the requested grant into the applying teacher's course(s) for the stated purpose.
- Alignment of the purpose and plan for the requested grant with the Oklahoma Academic Standards.
The deadline to apply is June 30, 2025.
Last year, 610 teachers applied, and 26 were awarded a grant. Two of the grants were specifically related to secondary ELA--one from Jay High School regarding decodable text sets for secondary students and one from Elk City High School regarding an elective course entitled Mystery and True Crime Literature.
Learn more at the CLASS grants webpage and download your application today.
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The Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English will hosts its fall conference on Friday, October 24, 2025, in Oklahoma City at the MetroTech Springlake campus. The conference theme is Dream Boldly with Technology.
The keynote will be delivered by Kristin Ziemke, the recent co-author of the book, Read the World: Rethinking Literacy for Empathy and Action in a Digital Age.
Want to present a 50-minute breakout session? Proposals are due June 30.
Registration closes on October 1.
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The Office of Standards and Learning at the OSDE is excited to offer a free, self-paced professional learning opportunity for educators: Navigating the ELA Standards. This course was developed for any educators who want to deepen their understanding of the Oklahoma Academic Standards for English Language Arts (OAS-ELA).
This course provides information on the OAS-ELA, including their purpose, development, review process, historical context, and implementation. The course teaches learners how academic standards guide instruction and ensure students receive high-quality, evidence-based education. Completing this course will provide a foundational knowledge of the standard development process.
After completing this module, learners will be able to:
- Explain the purpose, role, and statutory requirements of the Oklahoma Academic Standards (OAS).
- Describe the process for reviewing and revising standards.
- Understand the guiding principles of clarity, coherence, and purpose.
- Identify the eight over-arching standards in English Language Arts.
- Understand how to read a standard code.
Access this professional learning at your convenience on . New users to OSDE Connect will create a free account to access this learning.
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On May 16, 2024, a vibrant community of authors, poets, illustrators, designers, publishers, and passionate readers gathered to celebrate Oklahoma’s outstanding literary talent at the 36th Annual Oklahoma Book Awards ceremony.
Awards were given for exceptional works in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, children’s and young adult literature, poetry, and the combined category of design, illustration, and photography. To be eligible, books must be written by an Oklahoman, center on the state, or feature an Oklahoma-related theme.
The 2025 winner for the children's category is When We Gather by Andrea L. Rogers. The 2025 winner for the young adult category is Find Her by Ginger Reno. Learn about all the finalists and winners at the Oklahoma Book Awards webpage.
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Writing Prompt
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Take a story you already know and create a menu that captures its plot, characters, and/or theme. Brainstorm which story you will use, and then draft some menu items for five to ten minutes. Include an appetizer, an entree, a dessert, and a beverage.
Need inspiration? Here is a menu for Goldilocks and the Three Bears, created by Claude, a generative artificial intelligence large language model. The results are surprising.
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Reading Quote
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