Hudson Valley Writing Project: Summer Institute

NOVEMBER 7TH SATURDAY SEMINAR

WRITING FROM THE CORE OF OURSELVES

In a series of experiential teaching workshops, HVWP presenters will introduce innovative ideas for inspiring and engaging students and teachers in provocative, meaningful writing.

8:45 - 9:00 a.m. SIGN-IN REGISTRATION
9:00 – 10:20 a.m. INTRODUCTORY SESSION for all participants:

THIS I BELIEVE: Writing Personal Belief Essays
Mary Sawyer, facilitator
Ann Hovey, Denise Maltese, Kate Naughter, panelists

In the opening session, a panel of teachers who have taken inspiration from the National Public Radio series This I Believe will explore ways to use this essay form to address different curricular goals. They will share a variety of approaches to teaching essays of personal belief and examine resulting student work. Participants will have the opportunity to begin their own essay and consider how to adapt the assignment for their own contexts.

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. BREAK-OUT SESSIONS - Choose one:

JAMES MOFFETT IN THE 21st CENTURY:
Nurturing Spirit in a Technological, Test-driven Culture Denise Maltese, Onteora Middle School, Boiceville, NY

James Moffett's seminal text, Teaching the Universe of Discourse, was first published in 1968, but his theoretical framework is still valuable today. In this workshop, we'll use Moffett's frame as a tool to help us understand three premises of his work: student-centered learning; audience, abstraction, and today's role of technology; and the overarching theme of spirituality—an integral part of education, often missing in our high-stakes testing culture.

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE TEACHER, THROUGH THE EYES OF THE STUDENT: Building a Community of Writers in the Classroom Anita Rose Merando, Randolph School, Wappingers Falls, NY

What happens when a teacher becomes a student in his or her own classroom? Together we will write, read aloud, respond and reflect, first from the role of student and then from the role of teacher. In this supportive community, we will consider both the writer and the writing as we discuss ways to build students ownership and investment in writing

WRITING IS POWER: Teaching Children the Power of Writing Lynn Garthwaite Olsen, Garden Street Elementary School, Brewster, NY

In this workshop, participants will engage in a close study of line breaks as an observable example of students’ power as writers. We will examine our own writing and share possibilities for infusing writing discourse with opportunities to discuss power as we begin to develop a collective watershed of opportunities for students to recognize their power as writers.

THE SEMINAR WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE ULSTER BOCES CONFERENCE CENTER IN NEW PALTZ.

TEACHERS MAY DOCUMENT 3 INSERVICE HOURS BY REGISTERING ONLINE IN ADVANCE through the Ulster BOCES website: www.ulsterboces.org Click on the direct link to MyLearningPlan.com.

EDUCATION STUDENTS AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND AND NEED NOT PRE-REGISTER.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT HVWP: 845-257-2811.