Red River Valley Writing Project Summer Institute 2013
ENGL 600
Participants will learn how writing can improve student comprehension of subject material in all content areas across the curriculum, at any grade level. Participants will learn a variety of instructional strategies that use writing to improve reading comprehension and content learning and will also engage in writing themselves as a way to reconnect with the process of writing as students experience it. The Summer Institute offers participants a place to read and discuss ideas about teaching writing and using writing to teach—plus time to write. Readings include common and grade-specific selections to meet the needs and interests of all teachers participating in the institute.
Participants will see teaching demonstrations by Red River Valley Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project, a 35-year-old organization dedicated to improving student writing through a model of “teachers teaching teachers.” It is a professional development network that serves teachers of writing at all grade levels, primary through university, and in all subjects. The mission of the NWP is to improve student achievement by improving the teaching of writing and improving learning in the nation’s schools.
Because we believe that there needs to be (and will be, according to initiatives now taking shape at the state level) greater collaboration between K-12 and higher education, we would like to invite multi-level teams to apply for our June 2013 institute. Ideally, these teams would include a content area teacher from higher education, two content area teachers from K-12, and one of our ELA TCs or a graduate student. We want to take this team approach to nurture conversations about writing across the public school/higher education divide. While we believe that we have sufficient interest from the various groups to form teams, we can also be flexible and make our program fit individuals as well.
Objectives:
- Participants will engage in the processes of writing across multiple genres.
- Participants will grow in understanding of teaching and learning writing through reading research and theory, reflecting upon their own writing processes and workshop experiences, and learning from other experienced teachers.
- Participants will research, plan, and present a demonstration for other teachers that provides instructional and curricular insights to improve the teaching of writing.
- Participants will demonstrate growth in giving response to writers, by modeling responses in class and by describing appropriate classroom strategies.
- Participants will become familiar with a wide range of print and on-line materials for teacher development and instructional use.