Schools & Districts The Comprehensive Guide to CommonLit's Professional Development Portal

Mar 14, 2023 • 6 min read

Ensure Success with CommonLit by Unlocking Over 60 Trainings for your Team.

Is your team planning to roll-out CommonLit' full digital library, benchmark assessments, or full ELA curriculum, CommonLit 360?

If so, CommonLit's Professional Development Portal is essential. The Portal includes:

15+ trainings to maximize your team's usage of CommonLit's digital library. These trainings focus on strategies for choosing reading lessons, supports for struggling readers, formative data tracking, and more.
45+ trainings to ensure success with CommonLit 360. This includes a 30-minute training for each ELA unit in the curriculum. By the end of that training, teachers fully understand the unit's content, writing outcomes, and pacing options.

Schools and districts can unlock this set of Professional Development resources with the purchase of CommonLit’s School Essentials, School Essentials PRO, or School Essentials PRO Plus packages.

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Below, you can review a full list of the training modules included in CommonLit’s Professional Development Portal:

CommonLit 360

These trainings focus on best practices for utilizing CommonLit’s full ELA Curriculum, CommonLit 360.

CommonLit 360: Unit-Specific PD Modules — 36+ modules

CommonLit’s team has created unit-by-unit modules to help teams that are eager to implement CommonLit’s full ELA curriculum. The unit-specific modules include informative videos and helpful tips for pacing and differentiation. There is unit-specific training for every unit: That is 6 PD modules per grade!

A slide from a CommonLit 360 unit-specific PD module with a video and questions about 7th grade unit 1. — *CommonLit 360’s unit-specific PD modules include helpful video overviews to get teachers ready to dive into each unit.*

CommonLit 360: Planning and Pacing within the CommonLit 360 Curriculum

In this CommonLit 360 module, we share strategies for making key planning decisions across a school year and within an individual unit. Within the CommonLit 360 Curriculum, teachers are provided lots of room for flexibility and choice. This module is designed to help inform those choices.

CommonLit 360: Introduction to Reading Instruction in CommonLit 360

In this CommonLit 360 module, we highlight the differences between the two types of reading lessons - Essential Reading Lessons and Supplemental Reading Lessons - included in CommonLit 360 units and review instructional strategies for each.

CommonLit 360: How to Teach an Essential Reading Lesson

In this CommonLit 360 module, we review the structure of the Essential Reading Lessons within CommonLit 360 curriculum and discuss best practices for preparing and teaching a successful lesson. We also share strategies for supporting students’ reading comprehension.

CommonLit 360: Tracking Student Progress and Providing Actionable Feedback on 360 Lessons

In this CommonLit 360 module, we provide an overview of the skills-based digital writing lessons within each CommonLit 360 unit that help prepare students to complete the end-of-unit writing task.

CommonLit 360: Facilitation Tips for CommonLit 360’s Vocabulary Sets

In this CommonLit 360 module, we review the research-based practices in CommonLit 360’s vocabulary lessons, the sequence for instruction and available materials, and tips for flexibly using them.

In this CommonLit 360 module, we learn about CommonLit 360’s Related Media Explorations, a unique lesson type within the curriculum that prompts students to explore the topic of the unit through the analysis of multimedia.

CommonLit 360: Strategies for Effectively Facilitating 360 Discussion Lessons

In this CommonLit 360 module, we explore the structure of CommonLit 360 discussion lessons and offer tips for facilitating effective discussions with your students.

CommonLit 360: Facilitation Tips for CommonLit 360’s Grammar Activities

In this CommonLit 360 module, we review the research behind effective grammar instruction and how it is incorporated into our ELA curriculum.

CommonLit Basics

This set of six trainings is designed to support educators who are new to CommonLit and help them master the basics of lesson planning with CommonLit.

CommonLit Basics: Finding the Perfect Lesson from CommonLit’s Library

In this training, educators learn tips for filtering and searching CommonLit’s library to find the perfect reading lesson.

CommonLit Basics: Planning Your First Lesson on CommonLit

In this training, we share information about the lesson planning resources that come with each CommonLit reading lesson, including assessment questions, discussion questions, related media, and paired texts. Then, we’ll share best practices for using those resources in a lesson.

CommonLit Basics: Customizing and Assigning A Digital Lesson on CommonLit

In this training, we share tips for customizing reading lessons on CommonLit. This training is ideal for teachers who are new to CommonLit’s digital platform and are looking for strategies to support struggling readers.

CommonLit Basics: Previewing CommonLit’s Student Experience

By the end of this training, teachers will have a full understanding of the student experience on CommonLit and will have resources that they can share with students to help them seamlessly navigate CommonLit.

CommonLit Basics: Introduction to CommonLit for Administrators

Training Snapshot: In this brief training, administrators will learn the key benefits of CommonLit’s digital literacy program.

CommonLit Basics: Overview of CommonLit for Teachers

Training Snapshot: In this brief training, teachers will learn the basics of what resources and tools are available through CommonLit’s reading program.

CommonLit Español

These trainings are designed to support Dual Language, ELL, and Spanish teachers who are looking to use CommonLit’s 800+ Spanish-language lessons.

CommonLit Español: Finding the Perfect Lesson from CommonLit’s Spanish Library

In this training, teachers learn best practices for filtering and searching CommonLit’s Spanish library to find the perfect reading comprehension lesson.

CommonLit Español: Planning Effective Lessons on CommonLit

In this training, we share information about the lesson planning resources that come with each CommonLit Español reading lesson. Then, teachers learn best practices for using those resources in their classroom.

CommonLit Español: Supporting Spanish Language Learners in a Dual Language Classroom

In this training, we share how CommonLit supports Spanish Language Arts. Then, teachers learn best practices for differentiating reading lessons in order to support struggling readers.

Advanced Lesson Planning Strategies

These trainings highlight a variety of advanced strategies for effectively utilizing CommonLit’s digital resources.

Scaffolding Reading Instruction Using CommonLit

In this training, we review tips for using CommonLit’s digital platform to scaffold instruction. Teachers learn more about how to promote the effective use of CommonLit’s Guided Reading Mode, text-to-speech tool, translation tool, and digital annotations in order to support diverse learners.

Choosing CommonLit Lessons for Homework

In this training, we focus on best practices for choosing reading lessons from CommonLit’s library to assign for homework.

Effectively Teaching One of CommonLit’s Supplemental Units

In this training, educators learn best practices for selecting, previewing, assigning, and customizing supplemental English Language Arts units on CommonLit.

A teacher and student sitting across from each other at a table, smiling. The student is working on a CommonLit lesson.

Advanced Strategies for Data-Driven Instruction

These trainings highlight a variety of best practices for utilizing CommonLit’s grading tools and formative data tools.

Using CommonLit Data to Determine Instructional Next Steps

In this training, we review tips for tracking formative data on CommonLit and share best practices for creating instructional next steps based on that data.

Utilizing CommonLit Data for Action Planning with Students

In the training, we share strategies for how to analyze CommonLit’s individual student data reports and strategies for using that data to have productive conversations with students.

Effectively Using CommonLit’s Assessment Series: Administering the Pre-Assessment

In the training, we give an overview about CommonLit’s Assessment Series, offer strategies for administering that benchmark assessment, and share strategies for analyzing your students’ data to inform instruction.

Family Engagement

Engaging with Families to Support Home Learning with CommonLit

In this training, we share strategies and resources for engaging with families throughout the school year.

Getting Access to the Professional Development Portal

CommonLit’s Professional Development Portal is included in our three paid packages.

This essential toolkit is a great way to help ensure that teachers can fully utilize CommonLit’s comprehensive program.

CommonLit School Essentials paid packages with professional development.

Next Steps

To learn more about pricing for CommonLit School Essentials PRO, our affordable package crafted to support schools and districts implementing CommonLit 360: