About Us

What we explore

Reading

  • Auditing curriculum and resources for high-impact literacy practices, culturally responsive-sustaining education, and social emotional learning

  • Tailoring resources to meet the needs of students and align with current standards

  • Developing multi-media text sets across genres

  • Fostering skilled reading through rich read aloud with dialogic conversation, robust vocabulary instruction, shared reading, word work, and interactive writing

  • Implementing explicit instruction in systematic phonological awareness, phonics, and word study

  • Establishing a Reading Workshop that fosters rigor, independence, and agency through whole class, small group, and individualized instruction

  • Authoring knowledge building curriculum that supports reading skills and conceptual understandings

  • Administering and analyzing benchmark assessments, commercial screeners, diagnostics, and progress monitoring to plan for data-based instruction

  • Utilizing effective structures in conferring, guided reading, strategy lessons, foundational skills lessons, and whole-class mini lessons using both trade books and decodable texts to propel readers forward

  • Deepening comprehension through text-based discussion and writing opportunities

  • Utilizing partnerships and book clubs to foster student engagement and accountability

  • Creating units for content area literacy and interdisciplinary studies

Writing

  • Understanding writing process across text types to support independence 

  • Supporting emergent writers through oral language development, shared writing, guided writing, and interactive writing & drawing

  • Teaching grammar and word study to support foundational skill development and transfer into writing

  • Establishing a Writing Workshop that fosters volume and independence

  • Authoring genre-based units of study for Writing Workshop

  • Assessing writers on process and the qualities of good writing

  • Using mentor texts to teach students how to identify and analyze qualities of good writing and apply them with independence 

  • Conferring with writers to set goals and support skill development across genres

  • Establishing partnerships to support cooperative learning and lift the level of student writing

  • Supporting research-based informational and argument writing

  • Incorporating writing into the content areas

  • Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences

Teaching Methods

Disciplinary Literacy

  • Explicitly teaching discipline-specific close reading strategies within science, math, history and social studies to scaffold and support students as they tackle complex texts

  • Writing across text types within the content areas to increase engagement, comprehension and retention of information

  • Using AI responsibly for the real-world disciplinary writing tasks

  • Utilizing multi-media text sets to build knowledge and interpret visual media

  • Developing a lens for bias and misinformation

  • Bringing awareness to theory of mind in reading comprehension and understanding of diverse perspectives

  • Increasing engagement and relevance through connected current events

  • Employing the situation model in comprehension by planning for transfer through conceptual knowledge building

  • Ensuring standards-aligned teaching for disciplinary literacy

  • Implementing reciprocal teaching strategies to increase engagement and comprehension of disciplinary texts

  • Unlocking the power of interactive read aloud and whole class conversation and debate

  • Presenting newly-developed knowledge through collaborative projects, performances, and celebrations using various mediums

  • Infusing culturally responsive teaching practices across the curriculum

  • Understanding the Science of Reading and how it informs our instruction

  • Using gradual release of responsibility to support student skill acquisition

  • Teaching for conceptual understandings and transfer

  • Explicit teaching based on best practices of demonstration, explanation, guided practice, and inquiry for adequate scaffolding

  • Planning effective interactive read alouds, minilessons, strategy lessons, guided reading groups, conferring, shared reading, shared writing, interactive writing, and systematic, multi-sensory phonics instruction

  • Using a variety of teacher resources to effectively plan for instruction 

  • Incorporating strategies for social and emotional learning into every day teaching

  • Providing scaffolding and support for English Language Learners

  • Accommodating all learners

Who we are

Kirsten Widmer consults in elementary, middle, and high schools where she works with superintendents, administrators, and teachers to develop and implement reading and writing curriculum designed to engage all learners. She models instruction, coaches educators, and leads study groups in planning and implementing best practices in literacy instruction… (more)

Kirsten

Michelle Stone taught in New York City and Long Island public schools for over 15 years prior to consulting. In her national work with school districts, she customizes reading and writing curriculum and empowers teachers to successfully meet the ever-changing needs of their students in literacy… (more)

Michelle

Erik Lepis is a regional, national, and international presenter and literacy consultant based in New York City. He works closely with building and district leaders to help administrators develop a vision for literacy instruction, raise student achievement, and lead school-wide change through the teaching of reading and writing… (more)

Erik

In partnership

Annie is a literacy consultant working with schools regionally, nationally, and internationally. She collaborates with leadership to identify instructional goals rooted in data and leads hands-on, practical staff development to achieve those goals. In addition to leading workshops, study groups and site-based residences, Annie supports educators with writing and revising curriculum, and she fosters teacher leadership through coaching. She founded Taranto Consulting LLC a"er teaching in Honolulu and New York City and working as a staff developer for the Teachers College Reading & Writing Project. Annie…(more)

Annie

Where we’ve worked

New York — New York City, North Country, Long Island, Albany, Schenectady, Westchester, Putnam
Connecticut — Norwich, Trumbull, Ledyard, Hartford, Danbury
New Jersey — Passaic, Orange, Union, Monmouth, Middlesex, Sussex, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Mercer, Ocean, Somerset
South Carolina — Columbia
Illinois — Chicago Suburbs
Texas — Houston Suburbs
Maine — Portland
Oregon — Portland

United States

Washington — Seattle
California — San Fransisco, Los Angeles
Wyoming — Cheyenne
Wisconsin — Madison, Appleton
Maryland
Washington DC
Florida — Palm Beach County, Martin County, Clearwater
Michigan — Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor
Georgia — Atlanta, DeKalb
Louisiana — New Orleans
Tennessee — Memphis
Missouri — St. Louis
Colorado — Denver

International

Chile — Santiago
United Emirates — Dubai
Germany — Berlin China — Hong Kong, Xiamen Austria — Velden am Wörthersee Singapore

What people say

  • "I was so overcome with emotion at how hard my teachers had worked to apply all that they had learned from you this week. It was clearly evident that many of them had stayed after work to redo their walls, bringing those anchor charts back to the forefront. They also revised their schedules and established new routines to support their Workshops. I saw kids reading back-to-back; I saw teachers conferring softly with individual students; I saw interactive writing, shared writing, and more. It has been such an emotional week for all of us, Erik. Thank you for getting us recalibrated and heading back in the right direction! Eternally grateful"

    — Director of Early Childhood, Clearwater, FL

  • "I have been in the field for 19 years now and it was so refreshing to see someone so proficient, passionate, and dedicated to her craft. You were amazing to watch and I’m excited about trying the new things I took away from the session. As a former principal who returned to the classroom because it is what I love doing, I am glad to see that you truly love what you are doing. Wishing you the best always!"

    — Teacher, Jericho, NY

  • "Thank you for taking the time out of your summer schedule to come and inspire our teachers in Schenectady. Your key note and closing were amazing! I was inspired to stand up for my students and won’t soon forget the impact we have on those students who need us most."

    — 2nd Grade Teacher, Schenectady, NY

  • "Welcome back to Manhasset where both of you have cultivated a great professional relationship with our teachers and members of our admin team. The teachers involved in the Reading Pilot seemed to be off to a good start thanks to yesterday’s meeting as a significant amount was discussed."

    — Superintendent, Manhasset, NY

  • "I wanted to provide some feedback on the Conferring with Readers workshop on 12/1/15. I thought the workshop was outstanding and he was an equally strong presenter. The information was valuable, useful, and in line with what I had learned previously about reading conferences. I’ve already shared what I’ve learned with a number of teachers."

    — Principal, Medford Township, NJ

  • "A few weeks ago, I was named Elementary Principal of the Year for our district, and would not have been possible without you and the incredible work you have done with our staff. Parkwood has become a true staff development site due to the successful implementation of Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, and you are the force behind that. I hope you realize the positive impact you have on all of the people you train…you change their teaching forever. I cannot thank you or Terri enough for all you’ve done… "

    — Principal, Deer Park, TX

  • "Thanks so much for everything. You have made a significant impact on our teachers and most importantly on our students. Thank you!"

    — Principal, Manhasset, NY