Welcome to the 2025 Pretzel Winter Institute! Please select sessions appropriate to your role! Most sessions will be held at Freeport Middle School and Freeport High School while a few will be at Empire Elementary School and Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School. Remember to check session descriptions the night before the Institute to confirm times and locations. If you have any questions, please contact Alex T. Valencic, our Professional Learning Coordinator, at alex.valencic@fsd145.org. Thank you!
Sign up or log in to bookmark your favorites and sync them to your phone or calendar.
Add sessions to your personal schedule to register your attendance (Check-In).
Through collaborative planning exercises, real-world examples, and reflective discussions, participants will learn how to seamlessly incorporate WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Inqury, and Reading) strategies into various subjects at the middle and secondary level. By the end of the workshop, educators will have a toolkit of innovative approaches to enhance their curriculum, support diverse learners, and foster a more interactive and inquiry-based learning environment. Attendees should bring a copy of a lesson they will be teaching in the near future that they can WICORize during this session.
Through collaborative planning exercises, real-world examples, and reflective discussions, participants will learn how to seamlessly incorporate WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Inqury, and Reading) strategies into various subjects at the elementary level. By the end of the workshop, educators will have a toolkit of innovative approaches to enhance their curriculum, support diverse learners, and foster a more interactive and inquiry-based learning environment. Attendees should bring a copy of a lesson they will be teaching in the near future that they can WICORize during this session.
This module is designed to give elementary teachers a better understanding of three strategies (KWLA graphic organizer, Costa’s Levels of Thinking, and Philosophical Chairs) that they can implement right now to expand the use of inquiry within their elementary classrooms.
This module is designed to give teachers a better understanding of three strategies (KWLA graphic organizer, Costa’s Levels of Thinking, and Philosophical Chairs) that they can implement right now to expand the use of inquiry within their secondary classrooms.
