Prosper Connects '26: Full Schedule

Prosper Connects 26: Your Ultimate Professional Learning Adventure!
Get Ready for the most incredible day of learning in Prosper ISD! July 30th at Walnut Grove High School | Over 300 Sessions Await!

Calling all educators! Prepare for a day packed with inspiration, innovation, and incredible learning opportunities. From the electrifying drumline welcome to the delicious indoor lunch options from the Walnut Grove cafeteria serving up a variety of food, this isn’t just another professional development day – it’s a celebration of education!
✨ Highlights:

👕Attire: Favorite Team Jersey, jeans, and comfortable shoes
🚍Grab the Shuttle from Rock Hill HS (16061 N Coit Rd, Frisco, TX 750) for easy parking (runs every 20 min)
🥁 Epic Drumline Kick-Off
☕Breakfast Options: Union Coffee and Baked Goods & Sonic
🌮 INSIDE Lunch options provided by Aramark and Hardy’s Cafe: Union Coffee, Cane’s, Chick-fil-A, Jimmy John’s, Sonic, Pizza Hut, Greens & Grains, Sushi, Taco Line, & Hardy’s Cafe
🧠 GT Credit Sessions Available (sessions that are orange = GT)
📚 Up to 6 Professional Learning Hours

8:00am CDT

Blackout Poetry- Art and ELAR! (97)

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT

1234

Have you wanted to lead your students in creating a unique piece of poetry and art? In this session, teachers will learn how to connect art and ELAR, working with school librarians, and the process of teaching a Blackout Poetry lesson. Teachers will not only learn how to present this unique lesson to their students but will also walk away with the resources and an original piece of their own Blakout Poetry, as well!

Speakers

Caitlin Freeman

Art Teacher, Prosper ISD

Becky Seiberling

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
1234

GT, K-2, 3-5

8:00am CDT

How to vertically Align and Implement the Use of an SPO. (157)

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT

1217

Using the Single Paragraph outline from The Writing Revolution, teachers will know how to strategically implement the graphic organizer across all genres. You will also see how it can be used across K-5 and how you can vertically align as a campus to scaffold year after year to help build stronger writers.

Speakers

Rikki McPhail

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
1217

GT, K-2, 3-5

8:00am CDT

Meeting the Needs of High Ability Students in the Elementary Classroom (286)

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT

2108

In this session, attendees will gain valuable insight and applicable resources to grow the potential of students who are ready to be challenged. Both ELAR and math content will be included. You will walk away with a plan to collaborate with your teammates and campus GT specialist to design impactful extensions requiring productive struggle to maximize potential.

Speakers

Cindy Duran

First Grade Teacher, Hughes

I spent one year as a GT specialist, during which I felt that I couldn't do enough in the few hours I had students. I currently teach a GT cluster first grade class. I have also taught GT cluster classes in second, third, and fourth grade. I still feel like I can never do enough... Read More →

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
2108

GT, K-2, 3-5

8:00am CDT

SpeedGeeking: Fast-Fire Strategies to Ignite GT Learners (126)

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT

2100

SpeedGeeking is a fast-paced, high-energy session where passionate GT educators share their favorite tools, resources, and strategies — all in just four minutes before the buzzer sounds. Think of it as a greatest hits collection for your GT toolkit. Whether our GT geek squad arrives loaded with a repertoire of must-have resources or zeroes in on their single all-time favorite, every round delivers fresh, classroom-ready ideas designed to hook your gifted learners and propel them into the heart of the learning. Walk away with practical strategies to spark curiosity, fuel cognitive breakthroughs, and ignite the kind of deep engagement that GT students crave. This is professional learning at its most dynamic — come ready to discover, think, and leave inspired.

Speakers

Shana Prugh

GT Specialist

Emily Kopeck

GT Facilitator, Prosper ISD

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
2100

GT, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

8:00am CDT

Teaching Up in Phonics in Kindergarten (294)

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT

1225

This course empowers Kindergarten teachers to "teach up"—moving past a one-size-fits-all approach to meet the needs of diverse learners. Participants will learn how to maintain the integrity of the core curriculum, while strategically accelerating phonics instruction for high achieving students.

Speakers

Amy Williams

Reading Specialist

I am and Amy Williams and I am so excited to be presenting at Prosper Connects this year! I have been in education for 26 years. I have just completed my 11th year in PISD in which I have been a reading specialist for the past 6 years. I have taught PK, K, 1st and 2nd grade as well... Read More →

Allison Zick

Thursday July 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
1225

GT, K-2

9:00am CDT

Dynamic Strategies for Primary Source (173)

Thursday July 30, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

1216

Primary sources are the "clues" of history, but how do we help students investigate them? Whether it’s an old photograph, a handwritten letter, a historical map, or a physical artifact, students need tools to unlock the story. In this hands-on session, you will experience versatile strategies that turn students into active investigators. You will leave with a toolkit to analyze sources with students throughout the year in Social Studies.

Speakers

Kaitlyn Cyranowicz

Paige Harris

Instructional Coach, Prosper ISD

Thursday July 30, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
1216

GT, K-2, 3-5

9:00am CDT

Enhancing your ELAR Planning with TeachingBooks (23)

Thursday July 30, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

1215

See how the district resource TEACHINGBOOKS can enhance your ELAR planning by curating reading lists by topic or theme, finding quality literature ideas that support specific phonetic skills, accessing author interviews to enhance Author Studies, and exploring Ready-to-use book activities for enrichment.

Speakers

D'Anne Mosby

Librarian, Propser ISD

D'Anne Dwight Mosby is a Texas Certified School Librarian, Teacher, Google for Education Certified Trainer, Pear Deck Coach, reader, leader, and lover of all things #edTech! She is a promoter of reading, learning, research, critical thinking, and digital literacy among students and... Read More →

Ann Busbee

Librarian, Baker Elementary

Thursday July 30, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
1215

GT, Pre K, K-2, 3-5

9:00am CDT

Inclusion in the Art Room. (245)

Thursday July 30, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

1235

This interactive session equips art teachers with practical, classroom-ready strategies to make art learning inclusive, culturally responsive, and accessible to students of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and learning needs. Participants will examine bias in curriculum and assessment and develop techniques for culturally sustaining pedagogy that honors students’ identities and creative voices. The session balances research-based principles with hands-on activities and ready-to-use lesson adaptations.

Speakers

Natasha Millard

Fine Arts Instructor, Prosper ISD

My name is Natasha Millard, and I have been an art educator for 16 years. I have had the joy of teaching artists of all ages, from 1 to 96 years old. My journey in teaching began at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, where I worked as an art instructor and curator intern, but I quickly... Read More →

Thursday July 30, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
1235

GT, K-2, 3-5, Pre K

10:00am CDT

Gifted, Not Busy: Shifting from Fast-Finishers to Deep Thinkers (elementary classrooms) (161)

Thursday July 30, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

2100

Gifted learners don’t need to go faster; they need to go deeper. When mastery happens in minutes, more of the same is just time-filling. Move beyond "busy work" by trading volume for intellectual complexity. This session shifts the teacher’s mindset from providing answers to leading investigations, ensuring every gifted student is met with the challenge they deserve. Come and learn a hands-on session designed to help you "Teach Up" without changing your core lesson plan. You’ll learn how to keep your GT cluster engaged with the same grade-level topics as their peers, but through the sophisticated lenses of an expert.

Speakers

Emily Kopeck

GT Facilitator, Prosper ISD

Thursday July 30, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
2100

GT, K-2, 3-5

10:00am CDT

Student Discourse for Elementary Students (49)

Thursday July 30, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

1212

Teachers of all subjects can explore how to level up student discourse, a reading comprehension strategy, to promote higher-level thinking daily. They'll walk away with small moves and practical steps that can empower students to take the lead of their own learning. This approach is inspired by Reading Academy and the book Teaching Reading Across the Day by Jennifer Serravallo.

Speakers

Maddie Smiga

Second Grade Teacher, Bryant Elementary

Lily Managan

2nd Grade Teacher, Bryant Elementary

Thursday July 30, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
1212

GT, K-2, 3-5

10:00am CDT

Teaching Up in Phonics in Second Grade (295)

Thursday July 30, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

1223

This course empowers Second Grade teachers to "teach up"—moving past a one-size-fits-all approach to meet the needs of diverse learners. Participants will learn how to maintain the integrity of the core curriculum, while strategically accelerating phonics instruction for high achieving students.

Speakers

Sarah Sullivan

Reading Specialist

Hi! I’m Sarah Sullivan, and I’ve been teaching for 15 years. I spent 13 of those years in second grade—which will always hold a special place in my heart—and I am now in my second year as a Reading Support Teacher. Phonics and literacy have always been my favorite parts of... Read More →

Karen Vann

Reading Specialist

I am proud to serve as a Reading Specialist in Prosper ISD. This is my eighth year in the district. I have been an Educator for over three decades serving as a Classroom Teacher, a Reading Coach, and a Reading Specialist. Teaching students to read is my passion! I enjoy helping... Read More →

Thursday July 30, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
1223

GT, K-2

1:00pm CDT

Enhancing your ELAR Planning with TeachingBooks (24)

Thursday July 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

1215

Speakers

Crystal Mccord

Erica Hamilton

Thursday July 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
1215

GT, Pre K, K-2, 3-5

1:00pm CDT

SpeedGeeking: Fast-Fire Strategies to Ignite GT Learners (127)

Thursday July 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

2100

Speakers

Shana Prugh

GT Specialist

Emily Kopeck

GT Facilitator, Prosper ISD

Thursday July 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
2100

GT, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

1:00pm CDT

Student Discourse for Elementary Students (50)

Thursday July 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

1212

Speakers

Maddie Smiga

Second Grade Teacher, Bryant Elementary

Lily Managan

2nd Grade Teacher, Bryant Elementary

Thursday July 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
1212

GT, K-2, 3-5

1:00pm CDT

Unit Planning with Purpose: Designing Phenomena-Driven Science Experiences (232)

Thursday July 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

1216

How do we shift our science classrooms from traditional "information delivery" to authentic student investigation? In this interactive 50-minute session, we will explore how to design instructional units with clear, inquiry-driven purpose. Participants will analyze the critical differences between passive teaching methods and active discovery , learning how to use real-world, observable phenomena as the "spark" for student curiosity. We will also examine how to map instructional sequences that intentionally build essential skills and lead directly to robust unit performance tasks. You will leave with a clear framework for planning lessons where students actively figure things out and construct compelling, evidence-based explanations.

Speakers

Stefan Birek

Elementary Science Curriculum Coordinator, Prosper ISD

Thursday July 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
1216

GT, K-2, 3-5

2:00pm CDT

Lettuce Talk about Words: Fresh and Crisp Vocabulary Activities for Every Learner (172)

Thursday July 30, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT

2100

Words matter — for every learner, in every classroom. Whether you're nurturing a gifted thinker hungry for depth or supporting an English language learner building their linguistic foundation, rich vocabulary instruction is the bridge that connects them both. In this collaborative session, an ESL specialist and a GT specialist team up to guide you through vocabulary activities that do more than build vocabulary — they build minds. You'll walk away with a collection of engaging, classroom-ready activities designed to stretch thinking, deepen understanding, and ignite a genuine love of language in all your learners. Great word work doesn’t just build vocabulary, it builds thinkers.

Speakers

Shana Prugh

GT Specialist

Lauren Crosslin

Thursday July 30, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
2100

GT, K-2, 3-5

2:00pm CDT

Teaching Up in Elementary Math (287)

Thursday July 30, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT

2103

Participants will learn how to use MAP data, essential TEKS, and district resources to teach up in the math block. Strategies can be preplanned on question 4 of the unit planner and used for routines, whole group teaching, small group instruction, or in WIN groups for advanced learners.

Speakers