Thinking Beyond the Page: Developing Deep Comprehension
Are your students equipped to analyze, question, and think critically about the texts they read?
Comprehension is the heart of reading—and it goes far beyond understanding the words on the page. Join us to learn practical ways to help students move from surface-level understanding to deeper analysis, meaningful reflection, and critical thinking about what they read.
- Classroom Teachers 3-8
- Interventionists/Specialists
- Literacy Coaches/Teacher Leaders
Deep comprehension begins when students move beyond recalling facts or retelling the plot and start engaging with a text’s ideas in meaningful, complex ways. As they infer, synthesize, analyze, and critique, students build the confidence to express their thinking, contribute thoughtfully to discussions, and learn more from what they read. Over time, this deeper understanding also strengthens reading independence, helping students approach unfamiliar and challenging texts with greater confidence.
Outcomes
- Analyze high-quality, complex texts to identify learning opportunities to deepen students’ comprehending
- Teach students to apply background knowledge to strengthen text comprehension
- Develop questions and prompts to engage students in complex conversations about texts
- Craft purposeful questions and prompts that spark rich, complex conversations about texts
- Build students’ vocabulary to strengthen their understanding of what they read
- Use writing about reading to help students reflect, extend their thinking, and analyze texts more deeply
You’ll earn 10 clock hours for this training.
Linda Murphy, Associate Director, Literacy Programs
Linda Murphy has been a member of the Center for Literacy Teaching and Instructional Leadership for the past six years, serving as both an Intermediate Trainer and Associate Director of Literacy Programs.
Prior to joining the Center, Linda held a variety of leadership and instructional positions in New York school districts. Her experience includes serving as an intermediate school principal, Director of English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Reading, district trainer for Literacy Collaborative Intermediate, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, and classroom teacher.
Linda holds certifications in Elementary Education and School District Administration and brings extensive expertise in literacy instruction, leadership development, and educator professional learning.
Required Materials (mailed to you as part of registration)
- Prompting Guide Part 2 for Comprehension
Cancellation Deadline & Refund Policies
You have until one week before the first day of this offering to cancel your registration. The cancellation deadline is Thursday, November 5, 2026. There is a $50 cancellation fee. If you request a cancellation after the deadline, you will not be issued a refund. Substitution requests are acceptable. Please email centerliteracyteaching@lesley.edu if you have a cancellation or substitution request.
Registration Deadline
The registration portal closes at 5pm ET on November 9, 2025.
If you register within the week before the start of this training, you may experience delays in receiving the required professional text included with your registration and you may incur additional fees for expedited shipping.
Requirements for Participation
After the training, you will receive a certificate of attendance for your participation. To receive a complete certificate, participation during the specified times is required. Additional work may be assigned to meet the clock hours.
In-Person or Virtual Attendance
You may choose to attend this training in-person at Lesley University or virtually in real time. Should any of the conditions change and it is determined the training will be offered virtually only, you will be notified as soon as possible. We recommend that you contact us before reserving travel and lodging.
If you choose to attend in-person, the training room will have Lesley University’s HyFlex Classroom Technology to support an engaging learning environment for in-person and virtual participants. If you have questions about in-person or virtual attendance, please email us at centerliteracyteaching@lesley.edu.
On-Site Professional Development
We can deliver this training to your school/district. This option can be delivered virtually or in-person for a group within your school/district. For detailed costs, complete our online form to request this training for your school/district and we will contact you.
Interested in professional learning at your school or district? Schedule a meeting with one of our faculty trainers
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