Maria Walther has taught first grade since 1986. Along with teaching young learners, Maria inspires educators by sharing her knowledge through engaging professional learning experiences. The ideas she shares reflect her continued commitment to teaching, researching, writing, and collaborating with her colleagues. Maria earned the ICARE for Reading Award for fostering the love of reading in children. She has co-authored five professional books and the Next Step Guided Reading Assessment with Scholastic. Her latest book, The Ramped-Up Read Aloud, is published by Corwin. Learn more about her books at mariawalther.com and follow her on Twitter @mariapwalther.