The inaugural Louisiana World Language Reading Conference will be held on…
July 23rd, 2026 (9 am to 4 pm) at
the South Branch Library,
in Baton Rouge, LA.
Registration is required and lunch will be provided to in-person attendees.
Attendees can earn up to six continuing education units (aka “CEUs”) by submitting the agenda and their certificate of participation (emailed to you after the event).
See below for further details and the conference agenda.
The library is located at 2210 Glasgow Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70808.
What’s unique about this conference?
One literacy mission, multiple instructional perspectives
Are you a language teacher who wants new tools for your literacy instructional toolbox?
Do you wonder how what you do in the language classroom connects to Louisiana’s larger push for literacy?
Join us for the Louisiana World Language Reading Conference!
This conference platforms speakers from a wide range of instructional backgrounds and approaches, all dedicated to supporting literacy and language development. Our speakers are language teachers, literacy specialists, dyslexia interventionists, and teacher trainers.
Together, they are answering the question “How can we support students in their world language literacy development?” from their own pedagogical perspectives and training.
If you’ve been wanting to explore new perspectives on literacy in your language classroom, this is the place for you!
Our Approach to Conferencing
At the Louisiana World Language Reading Conference, we prioritize…
extended conversations and networking,
hands-on application, and
small group coaching and collaboration.
To that end, our conference includes the following session types:
One-hour large-group sessions.
All presentations are live-streamed for virtual attendees.
9 presentation sessions to choose from!
One-hour small-group sessions.
Seminars are only available to in-person attendees (pre-registration required).
3 seminars to choose from!
Big-picture literacy vision.
Keynote by Shanna Beber, Executive Director of Literacy for the Louisiana Department of Education.
Live-streamed for virtual attendees.
Purposeful networking.
In-person and virtual activities, included guided reflections and structured mingling.
Meet education professionals from different instructional backgrounds than your own!
Conference Agenda
Click each row to show more information!
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In-person registration will take place in the main hallway. Bring your confirmation email to the table to be checked in.
Virtual attendees will receive the Zoom links a few days before the conference. Please do not share links with those who haven’t registered.
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Welcome address by Erin Fell.
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Darcy Rogers: Presentation title coming soon!
Presentation, Meeting Room 1
Description: Coming soon!
Catherine Théfenne: Making Time Visible: Annotating Verb Tenses for Deeper French Reading
Presentation, Meeting Room 2
Description: This presentation explores how annotating verb tenses while reading can improve students’ comprehension by making meaning more visible. Grounded in second language acquisition research, it demonstrates how guiding students to identify and label verb forms supports their ability to interpret time, sequence, and perspective in texts. Participants will see practical classroom applications, including modeling and scaffolded annotation techniques, that help learners recognize patterns in context. By connecting form to meaning during reading, this strategy promotes deeper processing, strengthens grammatical awareness, and builds student confidence with increasingly complex texts.
Suzanne Petty: Presentation title coming soon!
Presentation, Meeting Room 3
Description: Coming soon!
Corinne Nutt: Seminar title coming soon!
Seminar* (optional, in person only), Room 127
Description: Coming soon!
*Seminars are free of charge but require registration. Space is limited (in person only).
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Snacks and exhibitors.
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Corinne Nutt: Presentation title coming soon!
Presentation, Meeting Room 1
Description: Coming soon!
Michèle Braud: Presentation title coming soon!
Presentation, Meeting Room 2
Description: Coming soon!
Viviana Tracy: Yes, They Can Read That!
Presentation, Meeting Room 3
Description: One of the most effective ways to acquire a language is through reading meaningful, comprehensible text. Research supports that learners who read for pleasure experience growth in reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, spelling, writing style, and grammatical accuracy.
Come explore the possibilities of using comprehensible texts in the target language with novice-level learners! Learn how to break down texts and use backward planning to scaffold language in context for students’ reading success. Participants will also gain practical tips for building a classroom library, creating class texts, and implementing Free Voluntary Reading.
Using level-appropriate texts, whether teacher-created, class-created, or published materials, can help novice learners build confidence, reading stamina, and comprehension skills while encountering language in context. Selecting high-interest, comprehensible content gives students the greatest opportunity for success.
This session will demonstrate practical strategies for scaffolding texts through Acquisition Driven Instruction. Participants will learn how to break down readings into manageable chunks, support comprehension, and create engaging reading experiences that help novice learners become confident readers in the target language.
Wesley Wood: Seminar title coming soon!
Seminar* (optional, in person only), Room 127
Description: Coming soon!
*Seminars are free of charge but require registration. Space is limited (in person only).
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Networking and catered lunch for in-person participants.
See more here.
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Shanna Beber: Keynote Address
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Snacks and exhibitors.
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Wesley Wood: Presentation title coming soon!
Presentation, Meeting Room 1
Description: Coming soon!
Sandra Fetterman: Strategies for Successful L2 Reading
Presentation, Meeting Room 2
Description: Strategies for Successful L2 Reading is a professional learning workshop for world language teachers focused on strengthening reading comprehension in the second language classroom. Participants will explore strategies such as using context clues, identifying main ideas, building vocabulary, and reading for meaning without translating every word. Through collaborative activities and practical classroom applications, teachers will gain tools to help learners become more confident, strategic, and independent readers in the target language.
Alecia Davis-Hellmers: Digital Media Literacy in the L2 Classroom
Presentation, Meeting Room 3
Description: Many students today largely engage in reading in their L1 through digital texts - websites, social media posts, comments and captions - over traditional print texts. By incorporating similar digital texts in the L2 in our world language classrooms, we can provide comprehensible authentic resources that are relevant to our students’ interests and lives. Additionally, not only do these texts allow us to develop their reading abilities in the L2, the use of these digital texts also allows us the opportunity to develop and support digital media literacy skills in the L2 - such as being able to navigate online platforms in the L2 or thinking critically about why certain content has been posted. The purpose of this session is to share already-created digital media reading resources, as well as to provide guidance on how to select social media texts and build tasks that help develop both L2 reading and digital media literacy.
Darcy Rogers: Seminar title coming soon!
Seminar* (optional, in person only), Room 127
Description: Coming soon!
*Seminars are free of charge but require registration. Space is limited (in person only).
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Snacks and exhibitors.
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Michèle Braud: LDOE’s Novice Curriculum Framework
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Erin Fell, Margaret Piccoli, Caitlin Cornell: Study Recruitment Presentation
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Closing address by Erin Fell.