Speaking Topics
- Using the arts, literature, and poetry to foster communities of belonging and well-being
- Creating "Windows and Mirrors Classroom" libraries and supporting identity development in young children through reading and writing
- Using artful read-alouds to deepen reading comprehension, support content area learning, and build background knowledge
- Creating learning environments that are inclusive, empowering, and culturally responsive
- Harnessing the power of mentor texts to teach writing in meaningful, transferable ways
Speaker Profile
Rebecca Bellingham (she/her) is the author of The Artful Read Aloud, and has taught PreK through 8th grade in both public and independent schools as a classroom teacher, a teaching artist, and a literacy coach for over two decades. As a university instructor, she has taught at both CCNY and Columbia University Teachers College on the integration of theater arts into the teaching of reading.
Rebecca currently partners with Veronica Scott to lead professional development in the areas of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), culturally responsive literacy instruction, and artful community building for schools, leadership teams, and community organizations.
Rebecca is also an artist who has performed on stages across the country. Her two-woman musical, "The Raft", a collaboration with acclaimed singer-songwriter Catie Curtis, premiered at Club Passim in Cambridge, MA and is currently in development.
Grades: K–8
