Skillful, Reflective, and Connected: A Workshop for Secondary Humanities Teachers
Currey Ingram Academy
6544 Murray LaneBrentwood, TN 37027
United States
For nearly 50 years, Facing History’s approach to humanities education has balanced the mind, heart, and conscience. Applied to the study of literature and writing, their ELA materials integrate research-backed literacy skills development with social-emotional learning and civic education practices. Facing History & Ourselves offers turnkey ELA lessons, text sets, whole-school novel studies, and professional learning that can support your core curriculum and seize on opportunities that aren’t always fully realized.
In an age of disconnection and declining reading skills in secondary classrooms, TAIS is proud to partner with Facing History and Currey Ingram Academy to offer a day for secondary humanities teachers to experience these ready-to-implement tools and strategies.
This workshop brings humanities educators together to explore a research-aligned, student-centered vision for teaching reading that strengthens skills and deepens student connection.
Just in time for 2026-2027 curricular planning, attendees will walk away with:
- A science-backed vision for teaching reading across the humanities in grades 6–12
- Tools for designing a middle and upper grades structured literacy approach to authentic texts in ELA and social studies
- Strategies for using text sets to launch more developed readers into complex stories with confidence
- Experience with reflective reading structures grounded in the Facing History approach
- Inspiration for designing community-wide shared reading experiences
Target Audience: Middle and upper school humanities teachers; Librarians and literacy specialists; Division-level academic leaders; Curriculum and instructional coaches
Registration Options
|
Registration Options
|
Credits | Price |
|---|---|---|
|
TAIS Member - Science to Story with FHAO
|
6.00 (Professional Development Hours) | $170.00 |
|
FHAO Partner School - Science to Story Workshop
|
6.00 (Professional Development Hours) | $170.00 |
|
Guest - Science to Story with FHAO
|
6.00 (Professional Development Hours) | $250.00 |
Agenda
| April 13 | |
| 8:30 AM - 8:55 AM | Registration, Coffee, and Exhibitions |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM | Opening Session with Nicole Renner, FHAO Grounding ourselves in the science of reading as a vehicle for reflection, connection, and a meaningful culture of reading. |
| 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM | Break and Snack |
| 10:15 AM - 11:05 AM | Strategy Session A with Regan Anderson, Currey Ingram Academy Exploring cross-curricular applications of structured literacy principles for the middle and upper school classroom. |
| 11:15 AM - 12:05 PM | Strategy Session B with Lauren Boccia and Nicole Renner, FHAO Harnessing text sets to build background knowledge and deepen comprehension. |
| 12:05 PM - 12:50 PM | Lunch |
| 12:50 PM - 2:00 PM | Closing Workshop with the Facing History Team An experiential, SoR-driven reading workshop centering Facing History's reflective reading structures and All-Community Read of Being Heumann. |
| 2:00 PM | Closure and Dismissal |
Nicole Renner
Editorial Director, ELA at Facing History and Ourselves
Nicole Renner is the Editorial Director for ELA curriculum development at Facing History & Ourselves. She began her career as a high school English teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools after completing her M.Ed. at Peabody College. After leaving the classroom, she served as Director of ELA Learning at the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning & Equity, a small research center at Stanford University focused on the transformative power of authentic, curriculum-embedded performance assessment. For the last decade, in her roles at the Literacy Design Collaborative, Carnegie Learning, and now at Facing History, she has supported English teachers and their students to embody the values of human-centered education in all aspects of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Nicole lives with her family and a gaggle of pets in Austin, Texas, where she enjoys cooking, reading cozy fantasy and sci-fi, and attempting to stay cool through Texas summers in various swimming holes.
Lauren Boccia
Senior Program Associate, South Region & Civics Lead, Facing History and Ourselves
Lauren is a Facing History Senior Program Associate for the South Region as well as Civics Lead. She facilitates professional learning, partners with schools to support their Facing History and Ourselves programs, and is the coordinator for Facing History's Student Leadership Group. She holds a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Urban Education from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Before joining Facing History in this capacity, Lauren was a high school Facing History teacher at St. Agnes Academy in Memphis, Tennessee.
bridget riley
Program Associate, Southeast, Facing History and Ourselves
Bridget is a Program Associate for Facing History & Ourselves’ Southern Region. She is a former Facing History and AP English Language teacher whose career has focused on the healing power of art and history intersecting with life. While serving as a classroom teacher for 15 years, she brought diverse programming to her schools, expanded the Facing History and Ourselves’ Student Leadership Group, sponsored The Nashville Young Writers Festival, Poetry Out Loud, and Letters about Literature. She has served as a mentor teacher for Belmont University, Vanderbilt University, and Memphis Teacher Residency. Her master’s thesis, Outside the Membership: Waywardness, Exile, Memory, and Race in Wendell Berry’s Fiction, examines the role of imagination, compassion, and grace in preserving and healing fractured communities. She holds a BA in English Education and MA in English and American Literature from Sewanee.
Dr. Regan Anderson
Director of Community Outreach at Currey Ingram Academy
Dr. Regan Anderson is the Director of Community Outreach at Currey Ingram Academy. She oversees the Center for OutReach Education, Pathways to Proficient Reading professional development program, and ADHD Summer Treatment Program. She also serves as Faculty Chair for Research and Data Analysis. Prior to assuming this role, she worked as a teacher in Currey Ingram’s Lower School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rhodes College, a Master of Education in Special Education from Vanderbilt University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University. She also holds a certification as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist.