Indiana Writing Project News

Upcoming Event: IWP "Shop Talk"

2012-02-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

Who: IWP Teacher Consultants and others interested in learning more about IWP and our work

What: "Shop Talk" (IWP's new informal discussion group)

Topic: Professional Learning Networks/Communities

Where: Puerto Vallarta on Tillotson in Muncie

When: Thursday, March 8, 6 p.m. -? (As long as the discussion moves and people are around--TC's can come and go as they need)

Contact: Jeri Tarvin (jeri.tarvin@libertyonline.org; 765-635-5656)

The Effects of Writing Workshop on Our Colleagues

2012-02-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

Writing workshop, Composition Camps, and the work of the Indiana Writing Project are not just transformative and empowering for the young writers we teach. Below is a reflection from seasoned classroom teacher Mr. Michael Evans who was energized and inspired by time spent in his school's Comp Camp.

I have always enjoyed writing: other people’s writing. From the time I first learned the alphabet and how letters were used to form words that I could read, writing was important to me. From reading the Sunday funnies and comic books, to writing stories using weekly vocabulary words and participating in spelling bees, I have appreciated how others, real authors, could fit letters together to form wonderful, meaningful, motivating words. I always wished that I could do it myself. Yeah, I had written some kid stuff to entertain my friends, but nothing I thought was any good. I certainly didn’t think of writing as a valid cross-curricular tool that could help my own students learn about engineering and technology.

When IWP Teacher Consultants Barb Miller and Stacey Chester suggested that I might like to attend the Cowan Composition Camp, my first thought was “oh, no.” But I had already used up all my excuses when attendance had been previously suggested and there was no alternative this time but to shrug my shoulders, dust off my pencil, and go. I’m glad I did! Not only did I discover a new way to use the writing I was already doing in class to benefit language arts, but I also found ways to benefit my students and my content. I actually broke through a barrier that I didn’t know existed as cleanly as a new chick breaks through its shell. I thought English classes were taught the same way as they were when I was in class back in 1959 - 1964. Was I wrong! Along the way I met some very talented and deep thinking students. Listening to their sharings of concerns and imaginations was one of the best parts of my experience.

Michael H. Evans

Technology Teacher

Cowan Jr/Sr High School

Writing to the Prompt: Preparing Your Students for I-STEP, Jan. 21

2012-01-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

Teaching students to be effective writers demands that we help them navigate the requirements of standardized test-taking. But we teachers do not always feel as if we know what advice and guidance to give our students. What can we do to help them feel confident that they have something to write about as they face that ISTEP+ prompt? How can we help them turn out a polished piece of writing within the fifty-minute time limit?

Join Susan Darling, veteran teacher and IWP workshop facilitator, to learn more about how student responses are scored using the Indiana's ELA Rubric, to practice scoring along with your colleagues, and to examine the problem of writing for an unknown reader/grader. These same concepts and activities are also easily adapted for the high school ECA and for SAT preparation.

Spend three hours with Susan in order to take home an especially timely unit on Writing to a Prompt that you can use over the next few weeks to prepare your students to shine on the writing portion of the 2011 ISTEP+ test that begins on February 28. In fact, invite a colleague who can implement this unit right along with you.

Writing to the Prompt: Preparing Your Students for I-STEP
January 21, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

More info: iwp.iweb.bsu.edu/profdev/saturday.htm

Nominate a Colleague for Summer Institute 2012

2011-11-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

Teacher Consultants, help us recruit a great class of educators for next summer's institute. Please go to the IWP website and nominate a colleague today.

Summer Institute Nomination Form

Meet the 2011 IWP Teacher Consultants

2011-07-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Here are the new 2011 Indiana Writing Project Teacher Consultants! Check out their display boards and look for them at upcoming IWP events.

Matt Balk

_________________________________________

Mark Bartmas
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Jay Bendes
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Amanda Croy
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Stacey Chester
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Janet Ellis
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Tess Evans
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Tracey Hoyer
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Meg McCreery
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Hollie Nicholson
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Drew Richardson
_________________________________________

Kristen Slone

Inservice Academy, July 19-20

2011-07-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

TC's,

Come join us to learn how to plan a great IWP workshop. We will actually plan a workshop you want to present, collaborate in order to rethink and revise that workshop to make an even better presentation, then practice our plans with each other---all in classical Writing Project style (i.e., plenty of food, laughs, and chocolate).

We will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 19 and 20, in Room 292 at the Bell Building, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you are interested in participating please contact Linda Walker.

Learn more at the IWP website.

Book Review of "In the Middle"

2011-05-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Nancy Atwell wrote In the Middle in 1998 through Heinemann Publishers, Portsmouth, NH. Having just read this masterpiece of a mentor text, I am sure that many who have gone before me have already gained much knowledge from this book. Although the length of the book can be daunting, the wealth of information inside is well worth the time and energy.

Atwell takes the reader through a mental voyage of how she set in motion shifting her classes over from the traditional writing and reading instructional models to Writing and Reading Workshop. She candidly shares her failures and successes. Atwell also excels at standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before her. She eloquently hands out the names of the mentors who influenced her on her teaching journey.

Full of details and great organizational tips, Atwell helps the new and veteran workshop instructor find many necessary and applicable tools to successfully work with students and the intricate details of Workshop. Craft, mechanics, organization and great examples are jammed into this reference guide.

One of the keys to Atwell’s workshop success is her clear examples of how she writes with and in front of her class. Penny Kittle, in Write Beside Them, mentions how her own class lacked depth, until she risked the writing process in front of her students. She credits Nancy Atwell for encouraging her to take on this challenge and take her class to the next level of risk in their writing through this modeling process.

I strongly encourage anyone who is seeking guidance in Writing or Reading Workshops to read or re-read Nancy Atwell’s In the Middle.

Reviewed by Jeri Tarvin, TC '10

Review of "The Book Whisperer"

2011-05-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

The first quote on the back of The Book Whisperer says it all: " . . . a primer of the heart on how to make reading magical again." ~ Carol Ann Tomlinson

We have to do what librarians have done for years. . . be experts of really good books for our students . . . guide them in the direction of their interests. We have to share the excitement and love of reading with our students. Basals, as a rule, do not do that. Donalyn Miller gives us the roadmap and encouragement to make the time to let students read and to make choices of what they read. You can still use the standards as a guide . . . you can sit in little book clubs and discuss the key elements of good writing as you are giving them the freedom to read. You still can use your school's assessments, because their reading will be better. . . they have practiced more reading by reading books than filling out worksheets. They have become excited about reading and aware of the good writing craft used by wonderful authors. With the emphasis on high ability students. . . giving them time to read is perfect. AND you can encourage and inspire even the reluctant reader. Thank you, Donalyn Miller, for inspiring me!

Reviewed by Shirley Thacker, TC '07

IWP at NWP 2011 Spring Meeting

2011-04-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

NWP Spring Meeting 2011
Indiana Network Representatives

(left to right) Jeri Tarvin (IWP), Tammy Taylor (IWP), Barb Miller (IWP), and Steve Fox (Hoosier Writing Project); not pictured Linda Hanson (IWP)

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The Tea Party wave, freshmen members of Congress, budget cuts, protests on the streets: The 2011 NWP Spring Meeting certainly had a much different mood from last year’s. But even so- perhaps because of these changing dynamics- our work on Capitol Hill this year felt more productive, and definitely more immediate.

After my first Spring Meeting in DC last year, I came away feeling the electricity that moves our legislative process. People in power who influence lawmakers had listened to my stories and testimony, and I left as satisfied as a champion debater who has crafted nine beautifully extemporaneous arguments. We spoke to assistants who were eager to hear about our work because they had teachers in their families, as well as those who were simply place holders for absentee education aides. But for each new audience, we altered our argument, emphasized a particular point, shared a special insight, and all in five minutes or less to allow others time to speak. It was a beautiful thing.

This year, our appointments gave me that same charge, but there was something more, something even better. This year, I felt that our words were not just a rhetorical exercise; they truly made a difference.

Perhaps it was because there are new people on the Hill to educate about NWP in general. Perhaps it was because there is more at stake, with funds already being slashed in the rush for fiscal responsibility. Perhaps it was because there are misconceptions about the nature of NWP and its classification as an earmark. Or perhaps it was because I know what to expect and am better able to pull my weight as a team member now.

Whatever the reasons, this year’s NWP Spring Meeting was an exceptionally energizing and rewarding opportunity to reflect on my work with IWP and students, and to share that enthusiasm and passion with a few people in our government who ultimately control education reform. And I think the others on the team felt the same.

This year’s five-person Indiana delegation was broad and deep. We represented site work in education both across levels K-18 and across program areas- from experienced teachers training classroom teachers, to new TCs integrating NWP principles in the classroom, to college faculty and TCs preparing future teachers, to writers sharing our findings with others across the country. Together, we made a strong impression on Indiana Members of Congress about how NWP already consists of exactly the kind of education that reformers are craving: It is innovative, accountable, transparent, and competitive.

This opportunity to share with legislators my understanding and appreciation for the work of NWP and its teachers gives me hope for our site, our network, and our national organization. With the support or interest of most Indiana Members of Congress, IWP will reorganize for the moment, and then move forward in new directions and with renewed momentum. I am honored to be part of that movement.

Submitted by Barb Miller, TC '09

Creating "The Typos": A Student Writing Club

2011-02-25T06:32:00.000-08:00

Late this past fall, we started our first ever middle/high school writer’s club at Liberty Christian School. After returning from an IWP meeting energized with this new idea, I began to inquire with several of my students if they would be interested in being part of a writing club. After a week or so of asking about student interests, I realized there was a need, so I set the first date. Our first Writer’s Club date was Thursday, October 28.

With more than a little trepidation, I anticipated our first meeting. I had no idea how many

would attend or who. I wasn’t exactly sure of the flow and pace I wanted for the meetings. I spent a lot of time wondering how, what, who, etc… As the newbie’s began to file into the room, they seemed as unsure of the event as I was. Once we started, all was right. Stressing the need to connect our reading to our writing, we started off our first discussion with; what are we reading? This was a fun time for all of us to share and connect with each other’s reading habits. Now, we start every meeting with this question. Sometimes students bring the books they are reading with them and sometimes they don’t, but either way, they love hearing about each other’s reading interests, including my own.

Once we have shared our current reading territories, I usually lead the discussion into writer’s habits, writing habits, genre discussions, writing observations, etc… The discussion usually is determined by what I observe in a writing group or something I think about my own writing through the week. I usually start the discussion with an observation and a question. For example; I have heard that writer’s have what is called writing environments. I enjoy writing with soft music, a keyboard, and little distraction. What about you? This usually gets students started. But, if I am hearing crickets because they are not responding, I break it down further, like: “Do you like to write with or without noise?”

Our discussions are informal, noisy, fun and informative. We learn a lot about each other, about writing and writers in general. Some discussions are more colorful than others, but all seem to send us into thinking mode. After our discussions, we spend a chunk of time writing–30-50 minutes. The last 30 minutes of our time together, the students circle up the desks and we share. Sharing our pieces is voluntary. We do not usually critique, but I have thought about adding that component more recently.

Our average attendance is about 15 kids, ranging from 7^th-11^th grade. We were meeting every other week, but now we meet weekly. At first we were meeting from 2:45-4:00, but we kept running over, so now our meeting time is 2:45-4:30. About a month or so ago, we came up with our club’s official title, The Typos.

We have had an author, Deborah Zarka Miller, visit our group. She has written several books, but just recently published her first young adult book, A Star for Robbins Chapel. We asked her questions about publishing, writing as a career, her favorite writing environment, her favorite writing genre, etc… We have several in our club who are aspiring writers, so this was a lot of fun and very informative for them. Next week, the chief editor of The Herald Bulletin, Scott Underwood (husband of IWP TC ’07 Tammy Underwood) will be attending our writer’s club. We have already written our questions in anticipation of his appearance.

After attending our ISI 2010 Reunion meeting last week, I came back with several ideas to apply to our club and for its future. I will keep you posted on our club’s development and events. The Typos Writers’ Club was so easy to implement and is easily one of the highlights of my week. I highly encourage you to initiate your own writer’s club.

Submitted by Jeri Tarvin, TC ‘10

Don't Forget to Join Us for the Indiana Network Retreat in February

2011-02-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Don't miss your chance to attend the annual National Writing Project Indiana Network Retreat on Friday and Saturday, February 25-26, 2011 in Indianapolis.

At the Indiana Network Retreat, you'll join friends from all six of Indiana's NWP sites. It will be a retreat that will invigorate you as a teacher-consultant, writer, and literacy leader.

The IWP site includes an online registration form and additional information about the retreat.

Book Review of "Shimmering Images"

2011-01-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

Lisa Dale Norton’s Shimmering Images, provides an engaging alternative to the now standard and more elementary techniques of identifying and accessing suitable topics for memoir writing. For middle and high schoolers, as well as adults, Norton has devised a visual metaphor that appeals to the visual-spatial writer as much as the verbal-linguistic one.

Norton’s concept is to capture watershed moments from our lives in visual depictions - rivers of life that bend and twist with each life-changing event. This aerial life “view from the mountaintop” encourages writers to use perspective, compassion, and reflection when writing about personal, life-changing events. Norton also tackles the issue of truth vs. honesty when dealing with potentially touchy subjects or memories. She finishes with a section on craft that is especially applicable to memoir writers.

In the middle or high school, classroom, I like to give students options of using butcher paper, sheets of letter paper taped together, or lengths of blank adding machine tape to create their rivers of life. Be sure to keep plenty of markers and colored pencils handy, as students may want to illustrate their rivers or color-code their annotations. Whatever media they choose, students can easily fold and tuck this writing tool into their sock drawer or tape it into their writer’s notebook to revisit often. And they will.
For guidance in writing meaningful memoir, get Lisa Dale Norton’s Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir, published by St. Martin’s Griffin in 2008 at Amazon for around $10.

Reviewed by Barb Miller, TC '09

Join Us for the Indiana Network Retreat in February

2011-01-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

Make plans to attend the annual National Writing Project Indiana Network Retreat on Friday and Saturday, February 25-26, 2011 in Indianapolis.

Join friends from all six of Indiana's NWP sites at the Indiana Network Retreat. It will be a retreat that will invigorate you as a teacher-consultant, writer, and literacy leader.

The IWP site includes an online registration form and additional information about the retreat.

Upcoming Comp Camp Opportunities for Your Children, Your Students, and You

2011-01-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

Indiana Writing Project's spring 2011 Comp Camp begins on Saturday, February 12, and will occur from 1PM-4PM on Saturdays until April 16. The camp is for students in grades three through six. For a registration form and further information, visit the "Writing Camps" page of the IWP website.

If you are interested in teaching Comp Camp in the future, please contact IWP. In the spring and fall, camp runs for ten Saturdays and is specifically geared towards students in third through sixth grade. During the summer, Comp Camp occurs daily for two weeks; separate camps are offered for students in grades three through six, and grades seventh through twelve.

Fall 2010 Comp Campers and Teachers

Youth Writing Camps in the News

2011-01-14T07:37:00.000-08:00

Shelbyville High School's second annual writing camp, led by Robin Sowder (IWP TC '02), was featured in the above Shelbyville News article entitled, "Happy Campers: Teens Seek Extra Writing Lessons".

The inaugural elementary- and secondary-level Comp Camps held in Alexandria Community Schools were featured in a story in the Anderson Herald Bulletin.

NWP 2010 Annual Meeting

2010-12-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

Indiana Writing Project at 2010 NWP Annual Meeting

Back Row - Liz Ralfe, Shirley Thacker, Barb Miller, Linda Hanson, Tammy Taylor, Linda Walker, Matt Hartman, Alena Bogucki
Front Row - Robin Sowder, Heather Abernathy, Linda Valley, Joy Dewing, Jaime Ellis

The Indiana Writing Project was proud to send twelve of its teacher-consultants and leaders to participate in the National Writing Project’s Annual Meeting, which was held this year in Orlando, Florida from Thursday, November 18 through Friday, November 19. During the two-day conference, teachers took part in sessions on a wide range of topics, including digital literacies, working with primary source documents, games for education and social impact, and arenas to publish student writing. Visit the NWP website for photos, videos, and additional highlights of the Annual Meeting.

Reflecting on lessons from the NWP Annual Meeting, Joy Dewing (IWP TC '04) shares, "The sessions at this year’s NWP Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida were ‘magical’ and gave me many ideas to bring back to our IWP site. TCs from the University of Illinois Writing Project shared their work with digital portfolios. Using flip cameras, each SI fellow creates a short (about 3 minutes) literacy autobiography video during the first week of SI. The videos are one of the artifacts posted on each fellow’s website. Writing completed during SI is also posted on the TC’s website. The digital portfolios make the fellow’s writing more visible to a wider audience. The presenters also shared other ideas for networking, including a “social network ice cream social” in which fellows learn about social networking sites, sign up for NWPi and the site’s facebook page, and meet TCs from other years while eating ice cream sundaes. They also suggested using itunesU to create podcasts of the demos or read alouds. To aid in collecting photos from the institute, they have a site Flikr site. When fellows take photos, they upload them to Flikr and tag them immediately. The Flikr site is linked to their Writing Project webpage so they have both a record of photos from previous summers and a constantly updating collection from the current year. A TC from the Spartanburg Writing Project shared how her site encouraged professional development through their use of technology. Instead of a daily log, the site uses a blog. She explained that the conversations that begin during the day continue into the evening during the Summer Institute. Their site also podcasts their author’s chair to share writing with a wider audience. A third idea this TC suggested was offering a Comp Camp focused on writing with technology for older students. She also shared the website pearltrees.com which helps to organize and link websites. I can envision our IWP site using Pearl Trees as a electronic “Wall of Begats”.

In another session called “Developing and Responding to Teaching Demos in ISI” TCs from Eastern Shore Writing Project shared how they’ve moved their demo lessons into inquiry lessons. IWP moved to this model a few years ago, so I was interested to hear ideas for how this idea was working at other sites. Our IWP site has used a team approach to coaching demo lessons for a few years. The TCs from Easter Shore bring back fellows from previous years as “thinking buddies”. These buddies work with 2-3 fellows and help them think about and develop their lessons. Using thinking buddies has freed up the SI co-directors and has improved their continuity. It has also given the fellows someone outside of the Institute to share ideas with and a connection to other TCs.
During a session called “Writing in ISI” I explored some of my “burning questions” about education and had the opportunity to write about education issues from different stances. The San Diego Area Writing Project TCs shared how they develop fellows for leadership through their fall and spring conferences. In the General Session Friday morning, Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer shared her own struggles in writing. She suggested that teachers need to “stop worrying about how to teach an essay and think about how [we] would write it” and reminded us that “we are writers because we write.” I’m looking forward to sharing her book with teachers in my school next semester. Friday evening ended with a social and appearances by Mickey, Minnie, Daisy Duck, and Goofy. Overall, this year’s NWP Annual Conference was a magical experience and left me refreshed and ready for another Writing Project summer!"

[Left] - IWP TC (2010) Jaime Ellis (second from right, in striped shirt) shares during a roundtable session at NWP.

Alena Bogucki, IWP TC '07, noted on her classroom blog that two of the biggest "Ah-ha" moments of the NWP Annual Meeting came during a roundtable session on digital literacies; she said, "I realized that perhaps 'new' literacy is something that has no official academic standard or assigned role in day to day life, but is an enrichment and illumination, a new means of being and communicating. It affects our lives and way of life before we know where the ripples will end or evolve into. New literacy is very personal and dependent on the user; it has not been canonized. As well, Bee Foster from the Area 3 Writing Project offered an astute observation that 'If it contains meaning, it's [an opportunity for] reading. If it requires a process to create, it's [an opportunity for] writing'; this informed my view of literacy in and out of the classroom." Bogucki added, "Attending and participating at the NWP Annual Meeting is such an uplifting, empowering experience; there is a tangible energy of purposeful action, collaboration, and collegiality at NWP."

"During the General Session one of the speakers said, 'It is not the harvest of writing that we celebrate, but the planting of seeds that will carry us on for years to come!' I have thought about that often since November," Shirley Thacker, IWP 2007 TC, reflected. She continued, "It isn't one piece of writing that is so important, but the excitement of the doing the work on perhaps a daily basis. We learned in SI that it isn't the writing that is so important, but giving our attention to the writer. Boosting their confidence, teaching them the craft, introducing them to wonderful mentor text that will inspire them to write. . . ultimately making that reading - writing connection. That will give them the power to believe that they are writers, they are authors, they are successful. . . to keep planting those seeds."

Looking ahead, IWP's Core Council is already making plans to get even more IWP TCs to next year's National Writing Project Annual Meeting, which will be held "in our backyard" - Chicago!

Nominate a colleague for Summer Institute

2010-11-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

TCs, do you have a colleague who would be a good fit for the Summer Institute? It's easy to nominate someone with the online form on IWP's website.

Visioning Retreat

2010-10-13T09:45:00.001-07:00

IWP Teaching Consultants, this Saturday we will be gathering for our annual Visioning Retreat to collaborate on our vision for the future of the site. What should we be trying to accomplish this year? How do we get where we want to be? Come be part of the discussion!

Meet the 2010 IWP Teacher Consultants

2010-07-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

Meet the new 2010 Indiana Writing Project Teacher Consultants. Learn about each Summer Institute fellow by reading their reflections on the SI experience, and checking out their project boards.

Leigh Bivens

"The fellowship and learning with other professionals at ISI has caused me to question my own philosophy of teaching writing and in turn will impact my classroom as I implement the best practices found in Writer's Workshop."

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Lindsey Cary

"The Invitational Summer Institute was a life-changing experience. Instead of being someone who writes, I became a writer! I can't wait to implement Writing Workshop in my classes. My students will start to see themselves as writers, too!"

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Rena Dossett

"It has been a very meaningful learning adventure in the Invitational Summer Institute of the Indiana Writing Project. I hope to be able to incorporate the Writer's Workshop philosophy and practice in all my future professional endeavors."

___________________________________

Jaime Ellis

"Writing workshop was just what I needed. I am excited to go back to the classroom because it has transformed me as a teacher, not just of writing, but of all the subjects. The kids are gonna' love it!"

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Steph Hedge

"It was a much needed reminder that, for all the wisdom I want to impart to my students, it doesn't mean a thing if they're not writing. My students need to just write. And I can't wait to give them the opportunity."

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Amanda Hosier

"The ISI has allowed me to spend quality time discovering how I want to teach writing in my classroom. I am positive, through the research and practice I've done in this class, that Writing Workshop will allow my students to become successful writers."

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Melody Ivey

"This summer with ISI, I have grown as a writer and as a teacher of writing. I think I got the best possible progression in going through Open Institute last summer and ISI this summer. I now have a rock-solid base that will spring me into becoming the ultimate teacher of writers!"

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Mary King

"This summer, I was immersed in the theory and practice of Writing Workshop and now am more convinced than ever that it is the best way to teach writing in our schools."

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Andrew Mishler

"ISI is the best Professional Development I have ever experienced. It has changed my philosophy of education and will significantly improve my curriculum. I have enjoyed working with all the members of the institute, and have gained some wonderful friends. We are the cool group!"

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Karen Neubauer

"Being immersed in the ISI, I see that the workshop format is not just for writers (or those who think of themselves as writers, but for writing. It's only by doing the work of writing in a community that supports it that we become better writers. I'm ready to trust the process and build community with my students."

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Anne Reagan

"ISI has been exciting, engaging, and entertaining. It has challenged me to look differently at myself as a teacher and as a student and pledge for change. I am inspired by the Fellows who have surrounded me this past month. I am grateful and blessed to be a part of it and to share in our growth."

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Jeri Tarvin

"Thank you ISI. Thank you for the shot in the arm I needed to brush off the cobwebs of my brain and challenge my teacher heart. Thank you for the camaraderie and fellowship I have experienced with the most intellectually stimulating group I have ever met. Thank you, ISI."

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Bill Valley

"The Invitational Summer Institute has created a new paradigm shift within me. It culminates by empowering student learning through Writing Workshop. I am equipped with best practices and dear friends to help - I am Write Man."

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Mandie Walker

"The Invitational Summer Institute has reminded me that I am a writer and of the love I have for writing. I am so excited to share my new knowledge and embark on an amazing writing journey with my students!"

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Summer Institute Facilitators:
Tammy Taylor, Linda Valley, and Jane Snider

The Power of Writing: A Reflection of ISI

2010-07-21T05:05:00.000-07:00

In ISI on Writing Workshop

by Bill Valley, TC 2010

Busy, incredibly busy
Learn, experience
Drink in every innuendo
Every phrase, new concept, and thought
Relishing the voice of sparks flying
Of what was said? I didn’t quite get that?
Wondering how this applies to my classroom
On new ideas in a crescendo of complete harmony
“I got it! I got it!” embarking on a new idea…

We new Fellows come with excess baggage
Loaded with thoughts
Pregnant with our fixed ideas
Wanting to share our best practices
Boast of our kids’ writings
Embolden to articulate our students’ works
Questioning the new ideas, concepts, trains of thought
That don’t quite sound right to our ears.
“What was that? What was that?” smashing preconceived ideas…

I stand alone in our group questioning my very being
Embarrassed to shame
Enlightened to hope
Stinging reality I am trapped in Standardized Testing
In the same old tired strategies
Driven by governmental mandates
Realizing I own the fact my teaching (methodology) misses the mark
Students don’t own their learning; or even care.
“It’s a failure! It’s a failure!” wondering why I even teach…

Suddenly, through time our thoughts begin to gel
Awed in inept wonder
Inspired in our very hearts
Writing we rise from the ashes a member of IWP
On the shoulders of the greats we read
Rejoicing in the words of the writing process
From Atwells, Fletchers, Katie Wood Rays
Co-Facilitators who foster Voice and Content and Craft
“We are writers! We are writers!” teaching with power –

Professional members of NWP!

Summer Reading for You and Your Students

2010-07-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

Based on the events of September 11, 2001, Love is the Higher Law, David Levithan’s newest novel, is the undeniable literary grandchild of John Hersey’s nonfiction masterpiece Hiroshima. Dually founded on the brutal, chaotic physical and emotional aftermath of history-altering days, Love is the Higher Law and Hiroshima are captivating accounts of the frank and bittersweet details of each respective anthropological catastrophe. As well, both texts employ character-specific chapters to recount that individual’s thoughts and well-being; this collage of characters’ perceptions and conditions works to communicate to readers the commotion and turmoil of the minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months following these turning-point days of personal and world history.

Chronicling the “before,” “during,” and “after” of 9/11 in the lives and relationships of three New York City teenagers, Love is the Higher Law is told through the male and female protagonists’ raw, poignant voices in independent, episodic narratives. While you may first notice the dramatic, panoramic photograph of the Tribute in Light radiating from the cover of Love is the Higher Law, the contents of David Levithan’s 2009 work of fiction also delivers. Levithan’s incorporation of conversations and e-mails between characters, intimate places and realities known only to New Yorkers in the attack’s immediate aftermath, the new-found meaning of song lyrics, and the uncertainty of “getting back to life as usual” combine to satisfy, and illustrate, the promise of the book’s abstract, beatitude title.

Reviewed by Alena Bogucki, TC 2007

This Week at the Indiana Writing Project

2010-07-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

This last week of June and first week of July finds the Indiana Writing Project's summer activities in full-swing.

Left - Comp Camp teacher Christie Dalton (TC 2008) listens as two students participate in Share Time. This summer, the elementary Comp Camp is being taught by Christie Dalton, and Maria Holden (TC 2001); the middle and high school Comp Camp teachers are Jenny Smithson (TC 2003) and Betsy Duckworth (TC 2008). On Friday, July 2, students' friends and families will enjoy the Celebration featuring read-alouds of students' published writing.

For more information about Comp Camp and to see students' writing published in an online anthology visit the IWP website.

Below - Fellows in this year's IWP Summer Institute are visited by teacher consultants and Open Institute participants during the Brown Bag Lunch on Wednesday, June 30.

Summer 2010 Advanced Institute: Teaching with Technology

2010-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

During the week of Monday, June 14, through Friday, June 18, the first of this summer's IWP Advanced Institutes offered teacher consultants the opportunity and support to explore various technologies and incorporate these new tools into their lessons and classrooms for the coming school year. "Teaching with Technology" was attended by Becky Thibodeau (TC 2005) and Gail Gayda (TC 2009), and was co-taught by Casey McCardle (TC 2008), Matt Hartman (TC 2007), and Alena Bogucki (TC 2007).

Throughout the week-long workshop, attendees learned about and experimented with blogs, Prezi, PowerPoint, Google Calendar, Weebly, and delicious. Here are links to some of the projects created by the "Teaching with Technology" participants: check out Becky's innovative Movie Maker log, and website; and, see the neat wordle art on Gail's blog, and the class website she is preparing for the new school year.

"Teaching with Technology" Advanced Institute
Front Row - Gail (TC 2009) and Becky (TC 2005)
Back Row - Alena (TC 2007), Casey (TC 2008), and Matt (TC 2007)

Computers and Writing 2010: "Virtual Worlds"

2010-05-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23, six representatives of the Indiana Writing Project (Matt Hartman, TC '07; Robin Sowder, TC '02; Barb Miller, TC '09; Jodie Scales, '09; Alena Bogucki, TC '07; and, Carrie Milliner, TC '01) attended the annual Computers and Writing Conference, which was held this year at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. During the two days, IWP teacher consultants participated in a variety of workshops, demonstrations, and discussions focused on new technology and applications for such programs within elementary, secondary, and higher education; the Computers and Writing program may be viewed here.

Buckwell University's Eric Faden began his lunchtime presentation with an amusing clip entitled "A Fair(y) Use Tale," which features soundbites and clips from Disney films to educate the audience about copyright laws and fair use guidelines.

If you are interested in collaborating to create a program session for the 2011 Computers and Writing Conference , "Writing in Motion: Traversing Public/Private Spaces," at the University of Michigan, contact IWP Site Director Linda Hanson.

Comp Camp

2010-04-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

The spring 2010 IWP Comp Camp concluded on Saturday, April 24, with a Young Authors Celebration. In addition to hearing readings by the Comp Camp authors, family and friends in attendance also enjoyed participating in a miniature writing marathon based on notable and historic sites across the Ball State University campus. Students received their own print copies of the group anthology at the celebration, and will also have their writing published in an online anthology.

Above - Spring 2010 Comp Campers

Visit the Indiana Writing Project website to get information about registering for future IWP Comp Camps. The upcoming summer 2010 Comp Camp will occur Monday through Friday, June 21 through July 2. Elementary-age students in grades 2 through 5 will attend camp from 9AM-12PM, and the camp for middle and high school students will occur from 1PM-4PM each day.

IWP at the 2010 NWP Spring Meeting

2010-04-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

From Wednesday, March 24, through Friday, March 26, the Indiana Writing Project was represented at the 2010 National Writing Project Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C. by IWP Site Director Linda Hanson, IWP Co-Director Linda Walker, and local teachers Barbara Miller(TC 2009) of Cowan High School and Alena Bogucki (TC 2007) from Alexandria-Monroe High School. Once at the Spring Meeting, the IWP representatives were joined by Kristin Katsu, a Teacher Consultant from the Hoosier Writing Project and a Language Arts teacher at Noblesville High School.

One of the main objectives of the NWP Spring Meeting was to share with legislators the unique impact the National Writing Project has on teachers, students, and learning. On Thursday, March 25, the delegation from Indiana shared the accomplishments and efforts of the six Writing Project sites across Indiana in the offices of U.S. representatives Brad Ellsworth, Andre Carson, Joe Donnelly, Mark Souder, Mike Pence, Dan Burton, and U.S. senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh.

Pictured from left to right:
Alena Bogucki (IWP TC), Barbara Miller (IWP TC), Kristin Katsu (HWP TC),
Indiana 7th District Congressman Andre Carson,
Linda Hanson (IWP Site Director), and Linda Walker (IWP Co-Director)

During the Spring Meeting keynote on Friday, March 26, Katherine Schultz, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, shared the research behind her 2009 book Rethinking Classroom Participation: Listening to Silent Voices. The final day of the NWP Spring Meeting wrapped up with a selection of roundtable discussions focused on issues related to the classroom practice, core standards, partnerships between sites and schools, research, professional reading, and the history of the National Writing Project.

The Power of Writing: In Her Own Words

2010-03-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Drops by Peace

Chapter One: Goodbye

“I don’t understand why we have to go, I love it here. There’s everything we need here.” I said, but I knew that I didn’t have everything I needed, a mom.

“I know you don’t want to go, but we have to go because we don’t have enough money and I need more help on the farm.” Dad replied.

“I told you I can help.”

“Sam,” he said looking at me. I could see the sorrow in his eyes. I knew he didn’t want to leave either, but I knew we had to. I looked away because if I looked any longer I would cry. I turned around and headed up the stairs to finish packing. I found Mama’s favorite book that fell from my nightstand. She gave it to me two weeks before she died.

I finished cramming everything into my bag I started to go down stairs, but I had to look at the empty room one last time. It seemed so plain. I heard the truck start so I ran down the stairs and out the door. It slammed shut and I got into the truck.

Dad was waiting, I could tell he had been crying and I knew why, we had to leave all the memories of Mama behind. When we started to pull out of the driveway, he looked at me and said, “Would you like to say goodbye one last time? And don’t forget Mittens.”

“Okay, I’ll be back.” I got out of the truck and hurried through the rusty barn door. Mittens came running towards me as soon as I opened the door. I picked her up and kissed her on the back. She meowed. I looked at the barn, there was cobwebs everywhere and dirt all over the floor. I loved it in here, I always wrote poems sitting on hay bales. Then I would send them to Grandma, she loved reading my poems.

I walked out, shut the old door, and got into the truck. We started to drive and after hours and hours of driving, we reached a small white house behind tall, green trees.

Chapter Two: New Home

This was my new home. I might never be able to see the farm again. It made me sad to think about never being there and that the farm would never be my home again, now it was just a house in the middle of fields and trees.

I grabbed my suitcase and Mittens, then I heard a screech. I looked up and saw the screen door opening. “You’re here!” yelled Grandma. Dad went over to her and gave her a hug. She squeezed him hard. I could tell because he had an awful look on his face, but he smiled. I laughed a little.
I picked up my bags and started for the door, but Grandma gave me a big hug. She does squeeze hard, but I felt safe in her arms. But there was one thing that wasn’t good about the hug, she smelled like Mama. It reminded me of that horrible night. The night Mama died. I hated that April night, it was raining hard. It was very dark outside. Only a few stars shined, the moon was covered by the clouds, and you could barely see anything through the rain. We were heading home from the doctor, but Mama never made it home because of that big truck. Mama and I were talking about the baby. I was hoping for a girl, but I’ll never know because Dad and I lost two people that night, Mama and Anna is what I wanted to name her.

When Grandma let go, I almost fell over. “Sammy, George! I thought you would never make it. I wanted to see my little Sammy for so long. I’ve been waiting for years, ten years ago since I’ve seen you two, it seems. Grandma said with a huge smile on her face.

“Oh Rosie, it’s only been a few months.” Dad said smiling, too. He laughed. He hadn’t laughed since Mama died. Four months ago Mama died, Grandma went to the funeral.

“Well, it has seemed like forever. Now let’s get inside before the storm hits.” I’ve hated storms after Mama died.

Chapter Three: Rain

It only drizzled after we went inside. There was nothing to do, so I watched it drop. It was coming down fast now. It made everything look different and blurry, and then it started to thunder and lightning.

Grandma came in and watched it with me for a few minutes, then she handed me a couple pieces of paper and a pencil. “ Write a poem for me.” I smiled and went onto the porch to write.
There were two rocking chairs, one for Grandma and one for Grandpa, but now it was only Grandma, with a small table in between. A few drops of rain hit me on my shirt. I could hear the rain pounding on the awning. I thought a little while about what to write about. Then I looked up at the rain, it was calm. There were puddles everywhere, it reminded me of Mama. She was calm.

Chapter Four: Mama

Mama loved it outside, the birds chirping and the bees buzzing. She loved painting, too. I’d never be as good as her. She liked to paint the outdoors most of all. I started out like this;

‘I’m writing this poem
Far away from home
Because my mama died’
I crossed that part out and put,
‘I’m writing this poem
Far away from home
I wish my mama didn’t die
Because I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye
I miss her so much’

I crossed all it out and then a drop of water hit the paper. I realized it was my tear. I tried to think of something else. I crumbled up the paper and went inside.

“School is about to start,” Grandma said as I threw the paper away.

“I know.”

“Well, you better get ready for it.”

“I will.” I felt sad thinking of Mama and the rain. Rain always made me feel gloomy, like I was tired of life, but I wasn’t. I love life and try to cherish every moment because I could die tomorrow. I might never see my family again. I went to my new room and shut the door.

Chapter Five: School

It was time for school tomorrow and it was already late. I made sure I had everything for school and went to bed.

In the morning I woke up early to feed Mittens, but of course Dad was already up drinking coffee at the small table. I got some cereal and milk, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and did my hair.
The bus was coming down the road when I got to the end of the driveway. My heart had butterflies in it. I was going to be the new kid.

The bus ride wasn’t bad and then when I got in Miss Daniels class, I was introduced to her class and everyone went around and said their name. There was another new kid in her class, his name was Alex. He was bald. He was also very shy and he didn’t say much.

“Hello,” I said as he sat in the empty seat next to me. He smiled, but didn’t say anything back.
School didn’t seem very long and when I got home Dad was at the store and Grandma was picking vegetables in the garden. I went to my room and did my homework. I only had to read a few chapters in our new book and a little bit of math.

When I finished, I remembered I had to write a poem, so I went outside, walked through the woods, and found a tree to sit in to write. Soon the leaves would change color and fall to the ground. I didn’t like fall or winter because I think it’s too cold and you always get sick. And you never feel good.

I decided to write about summer. How everything shines and seems happy. And how everything seems to be okay in the summer. I drew a small apple at the end, it wasn’t very good, but it was best. Mama was the best at drawing things.

Chapter Six: Cancer

Miss Daniels said she loved my poem and hung it on the bulletin board. Alex’s was the best poem though, it was about having chemo. I felt bad for him, he must hurt every day. Grandpa had cancer, that’s how he died. I couldn’t imagine having cancer.

When he came to the back of the room to sit down, I saw a small tear drop from his eye. I tried to make him feel better, “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t imagine-“ then I realized it made him feel worse because I saw more tears drip from his eye.

That night when I went home I told Dad all about it, he didn’t say anything back, but I could tell he cared and was listening.

Chapter Seven: Dream

Every night I pray for Mama, Grandpa and, Alex. I thought about all of them while I lay in bed. I had a little trouble sleeping, but sometime in the night I fell asleep. I had a dream about the night Mama died. It wasn’t raining, it was snowing and we slid off of the road and ran into a tree. I only remember part of it, but I woke up at the end of the dream right before Mama died in the hospital bed. It was sort of like what really happened, Mama lying in the hospital bed that she loved me right before I heard a loud beep. A million tears were running down my face. I couldn’t stand thinking about that.

That day at school Alex and I talked and I guess we became friends. He is really nice. His chemo has gotten worse. He told me that he didn’t feel good. He went home early that day.
When I got home I did my usual routine. For dinner we had green beans from Grandma’s garden, corn bread, chicken and ice tea. The cornbread was chewy, but the green beans were delicious.

I played with Mittens for a while, watching a movie. He fell asleep in my arms. I fell asleep, too because I woke up the next morning lying in my bed.

Chapter Eight: Alex

Alex came back a week after he missed school. He said, “I’m not doing so good, but I wanted to come to school.” Below his eyes he had dark circles and he was pale.

He came to school for a few more weeks, but Miss Daniels told the class that Alex has moved to find a place with a better hospital. I couldn’t help but cry, Alex had been my only friend. I hope he would get better, but what if he didn’t. I was thinking the worst things, but then I realized that things just happen for a reason, like how Mama and Grandpa died. Maybe Alex would get better and live life to the fullest or go to a better place, but I didn’t know what would happen because I can’t make things happen. Everything just has to go along, you can’t control life and if it’s not good you’ll be hurt, sad, and you’d miss what you had, but you would always have the memory and the love. That’s why you need to cherish every moment of your life because your life could end tomorrow or someone you know. Remember every little, happy moment of your life because you could lose all of it in a second. Your tears will drop, the rain will fall, and things might not turn out to be good, but live life and be thankful to have it.

About the Author - In Her Own Words

My name is Peace and I'm 11 years old. I live in Gaston, Indiana and born on February 3rd, 1999. I go to Wes-Del Elementary and I’m in fifth grade. I have two brothers, a sister, and my mom and dad. I have two cats, two dogs, and 3 horses. I love to write poems and stories, I love to be outside, taking pictures, and I love animals. My favorite colors are light blue, lime green, orange and yellow. I also like summer and spring, to draw and paint, do crafts, play volleyball, and read books. I’m inspired to write from reading. I love to write!

About the Author - In Her Mom's Words

I did tell Peace that she should put in her "All about the author" that she has an anxiety disorder called Selective Mutism (SM), but she didn't want to. But, when I asked her if you could write anything you wanted about the author, she said, "Sure." I didn't specifically ask about the SM, but she's a smart girl so I think she knew what I meant by the expression on my face. Maybe this is her way of it not being her, but somebody else to tell her story.

She only uses her voice around us....nobody else. No friends even if they are here (at our home). She has been this way since she was three years old. It seems sad to me, but she seems extremely happy. I know it bothers her because she cries and wants to be normal (like “the other kids” is how she puts it). My heart goes out to her and it is hard to be her mother and watch this daily. My hope is that someday she will be able to use her voice to just have a normal day.....to interact with the kids at school, to voice her opinion, to ask the teacher a question.....it has to be so hard being her. I could not imagine how hard it must be to have not talked to any of my friends at all since the age of 3 and now she is 11...... eight years of being silent. When will the silence end? That is all I really want to know. - Angie, Peace’s mom

Submitted by Shirley Thacker, TC 2007

2010 NWP Indiana Network Retreat

2010-03-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

During the last weekend of February, over forty representatives from the six Writing Project sites across Indiana gathered together in Indianapolis for the annual National Writing Project Indiana Network Retreat. Below, you will see a collection of photos featuring IWP Teacher Consultants involved in the weekend's activities.

Left - Tammy Taylor reads a mentor text while leading a teaching demonstration, which featured color-coding of feelings, dialogue, setting description, and action to guide revision.

Above - Shirley Thacker (TC 2007), Heather Poston (TC 2009), Jamie Stapleton (TC 2009), and IWP Co-Director Linda Walker compose letters and postcards to state representatives and senators to encourage support of IWP and NWP.

Right - Jenny Smithson (TC 2003) and Betsy Duckworth (TC 2008) work to set up the "National Writing Project Indiana Network" Community on The Learning Connection website.

Above - Jenny Smithson (TC 2003), Robin Sowder (TC 2002), and D'Anne Ettl (TC 2005) of the Indiana Writing Project participate in a breakout session on Saturday afternoon during the NWP Indiana Network Retreat.

National Recogition for IWP Teacher Consultant

2010-02-07T07:13:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Media Specialist Gwen Tetrick (TC 2006) and first-grade teacher Karen Duvall from Stony Creek Elementary School for recently winning recognition for a multi-faceted initiative to promote reading in Stony Creek Elementary School and the larger Noblesville community. Gwen and Karen earned the 2009 TEAMS (Teachers and Media Specialist) Award from Library Media Connection magazine and publishing company Gale Cengage Learning.

Check out the official accolades and view a brief film of Gwen and Karen describing their school- and community-wide program to encourage reading.

Upcoming Advanced Institutes for Summer 2010

2010-01-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

Advanced Institute I - Teaching with Technology

Occurring Monday, June 14 through Friday, June 18, this Advanced Institute offers the opportunity to get better at using computer technology in your classroom. If you find it hard to dedicate time to really learn how to use software or to figure out what to do with it, now is your chance to learn! Come play around with the technology, get comfortable with it yourself, and learn ways to use it with your students. We will start with tools as familiar as Microsoft Office, and then explore other tools such as Google Docs and movie-making software. No experience is required.

Advanced Institute II - Problem-solving the Writing Workshop: The How's and Why's

Occurring Monday, July 12 through Friday, July 16, this Advanced Institute will allow participants to explore the roots of common issues in the Writing Workshop spanning all grade levels. You will investigate and share what has worked for you and what you would like to improve in your own classroom's Writing Workshop.

Upcoming Saturday Seminars: Winter 2010

2009-11-24T05:25:00.000-08:00

On January 9, 2010, the Saturday Seminar entitled "Writing to a Prompt: Getting Your Students Ready for ISTEP" will be offered from 8:30-11:30AM. This session will aid participants in creating a writing cycle that approaches "writing to a prompt" as a manageable genre. This Saturday Seminar will be held in Room 292 of the Robert Bell Building, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 47306.

Additionally, on Saturday, April 10, 2010, IWP will host "An Introduction to Writing Workshop," especially for current undergraduates and those new to the concept of Writing Workshop. This seminar will include a 10:00AM-12:00PM session introducing participants to the features and structure of Writing Workshop; then, from 1:00-4:00PM, attendees will observe Writing Workshop in action during a visit to IWP's 'Comp Camp'. All activities for this seminar will occur in the Robert Bell Building on campus at Ball State University.

The Indiana Writing Project is proud to offer a special student registration fee of only $10 for each of our winter 2010 Saturday Seminars. You can register online or by contacting the IWP office via e-mail at iwp@bsu.edu.

The Power of Writing in Our Community: Veterans Day

2009-11-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

In commemoration of Veterans Day 2009, Jane Adams (TC 2009) encouraged her third grade students at Alexandria-Monroe Intermediate School to compose letters to the guests of honor at the school corporation's upcoming community-wide Veterans Day program.

Following the program, The Herald Bulletin newspaper featured the front-page article "Student's Letter Touches Guardsman". Visit the link above to read Dave Stafford's article that details the connection writing fostered between a student and a veteran.

National Day on Writing & National Gallery of Writing

2009-10-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

Check out the Indiana Writing Project Gallery, which was created as part of NCTE's National Gallery of Writing to celebrate the National Day on Writing, Tuesday, October 20, 2009. Join the fun by contributing your own writing and work from your students to our IWP Gallery. Please note submission guidelines when selecting pieces to share in the gallery.

The gallery will continue to accept submissions until June 1, 2010, and may be visited until June 30, 2010.

Visiting Indiana University Southeast Writing Project

2009-09-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

On Monday, June 15, I was fortunate to visit New Albany, Indiana and the IU Southeast Writing Project. Excitement was in the air as the new fellows were starting their Summer Institute and more than 25 Teacher Consultants were returning for the advanced institutes.

Dr. Kevin Sue Bailey welcomed me and made sure I had what I needed for my demonstration. It was my job to get the Advanced Institute Fellows writing this morning. Dr. Bailey opened with a read aloud and we did introductions using a simple activity of writing a memoir of our lives in exactly six words.

Then it was my turn. I presented to the group on using Poetry Slam—scaffolding spoken word poetry in the classroom. It was the same presentation I made at the Indiana Teachers of Writing Conference last year and at one of IWP’s Saturday Seminars, so I was comfortable with the material. This group of teacher consultants was energetic and fun! They were so engaged in the writing of their 6-Room Image Poems (ala Georgia Heard), that they had to be stopped to break for lunch.

I was taken out to lunch at a local restaurant called Tumbleweeds—wonderful food and a country atmosphere. When I returned, teacher consultants were scattered around the building in corners doing their own writing.

It was explained to me that every year at IUSWP they don’t actually have a topic for their advanced institute. All former TCs are invited to return to earn 3 credit hours. Those attending Advanced Institute for the first time split into a separate group (called the Level 2 group) after lunch for a book discussion on Literacy Leadership. Those attending Advanced Institute for a second, third, fourth, etc. time have additional writing time and/or conversation groups with other TC’s about what they are doing in their classrooms. Some collaborative action research projects have grown from these discussions.

The whole group comes back together again at the end of the day for a reflection time and we held a poetry slam with the poems the TC’s wrote that day. What a group of writers they are! Topics ranged from the life of a hummingbird to not being able to urinate in a dirty gas station bathroom. This was a wild bunch that is passionate about teaching, writing, and teaching writers. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this group!

Submitted by Jenny Smithson, TC 2003

Book Review of "A Curse Dark as Gold"

2009-09-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

The novel, A Curse Dark as Gold, takes place in Shearing, a small English village known for its textile industry in the early years of the Industrial Revolution. As one reads, the story starts to resemble Rumplestiltskin, but never makes you feel as if you are reading the same fairy tale. This novel reads more like historical fiction than fantasy. The characters and setting are well developed as the story is woven through the eyes of our protagonist, Charlotte Miller.

The details about the millwork, wool, and sheep are very convincing as we read further into the book. Although the location is fictional, one feels as if they can visualize each character and location. The valley is described with realistic people, dialect, businesses of the times, and towns that also sound as if they could be real enough to look up on a period map.

The names of the people in the story were equally interesting because they related to the jobs or the personality of the person or company, yet it was not so overdone to make one want to scoff and close the book. Charlotte Miller of course is a miller and our main character. She leads us through the story of village superstitions, as her skepticism slowly changes to acceptance of those things that are unexplainable. She generally chooses to be practical as she takes over the mill following her father’s death. This is unusual for a female during this time period. She discovers her father had done the best he could, but had also made some poor decisions that she needed to correct. Those decisions and her attempts to do right slowly entangle her in events that she can not control.

See if you can figure out where some of these names relate to the story: Uncle Wheeler, Mordant, Harte, Woodstone, Pinchfield, Stirwater, and Jack Spinner.

Enjoy the journey to another time while feeling a familiar sense of what might happen. You will be asking yourself questions as you read. This book is best suited to middle and high school students who are not uncomfortable with suggestions of magic and curses.

Check out a discussion between Elizabeth C. Bunce and her editor, Cheryl Klein,
from Klein's blog.

Reviewed by Robin Sowder, TC 2002

Summer 2009 Administrators' Workshop

2009-08-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

On June 29 and 30, ten administrators from seven schools in four districts gathered on the Ball State campus to increase their understanding of the Writing Workshop. One attendee, a superintendent, came with her six building administrators, and several principals had teachers spending part of their summer at IWP's Open or Invitational Institutes.

In addition to writing, attendees learned the details of state writing standards, discussed professional literature, and learned about the roles of administrators in supporting the teaching of authentic writing. Administrators had time to assess the needs in their home buildings and corporations, and design a plan to promote Writing Workshop in their schools. During the second afternoon, the participants visited IWP's middle and high school Comp Camp. The administrators were impressed with what they observed of Writing Workshop in action; one participant commented, "I felt like going into the classroom and watching an actual mini-lesson was really valuable. I was able to put the vision I had of it [Writing Workshop] into reality." Another administrator added, "I feel I can support great writing instruction."

For information about future Administrators' Workshops, please visit Indiana Writing Project website.

Meet the 2009 Summer Institute Fellows

2009-08-13T14:46:00.001-07:00

Meet the 2009 Invitational Summer Institute fellows; learn about them while reading their reflections on the SI experience, and checking out their project boards...

Jane Adams

"I teach 3rd grade at Alexandria Monroe Intermediate School. This summer in ISI I learned writing is important in all subjects – across the curriculum."

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Jennifer Fisher

"I teach 1st grade at Southside Elementary in Hartford City. I have learned so many great, terrific, and exciting things this summer that is it very hard to narrow it down to just one. If I have to narrow it down, I would say that it is that I/ we must not forget how important Writer’s Workshop is for both teachers and students. We are building a community of writers that “ache with caring”. I have found the writer within myself and I love it. There are so many stories playing around in my head that I want to write – nonfiction, fiction, family, friends, teaching… and I want that for my students. “No matter what have them write every day,” says Katie Wood Ray. I will cherish all of the wonderful, sweet, and terrific friends I gained and loved getting to know. Writing is magic, life is magic, our students are magic. Never forget how important we are and the mark we make in our lifetimes."

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Gail Gayda

"I teach 5th grade at St. Lawrence School in Muncie. I have learned so much, I didn’t know where to begin. I think foremost, I learned to love to write. And I became familiar with authors who I will continue to count on for help in setting up my workshop. ISI took me way beyond my expectation."

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Rachel Hartley-Smith

"I have an M.A. in English Creative Writing, and an M.A. in Telecommunications Digital Storytelling from Ball State. I teach first year English Composition with a focus on creativity and digital mediums. This summer I was able to focus and refine defining elements of my personal teaching philosophy. The Summer Institute gave me the opportunity to become part of a community that I will remember always."

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Melissa Messersmith

"I teach 3rd grade at Alexandria-Monroe Intermediate School. This summer I have learned how important the Writer’s notebook is and the components that make it great."

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Lori Mikel

"I teach middle and high school separate and inclusion special education classes at Selma Middle School. I’ve learned how to make writing more valuable in the classes my students take and to modify my own curriculum to help my learners work to achieve their greatest potential."

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Barbara Miller

"I teach English 10 and AP Literature and Composition at Cowan Jr./ Sr. High School. This summer at ISI I have refined my system of marking standard English errors on final drafts, and timed writing works, in conjunction with tracking student proficiency."

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Heather Poston

"I teach English 9, AP Literature, and Student Publications at Alexandria-Monroe High School. I have really enjoyed being immersed in writing and theory, and collaborating with so many amazing educators. I have rediscovered a love for writing that I’m excited to share with my students."

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Karla Riggin

"I teach 7th grade science at Selma Middle School. I will implement a writing strategy known as RAFTS into my science curriculum. I love to inspire my students to work smarter, not harder. Integrating writing and science does just that using creativity and imagination for communication."

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Julie Rinker-Bailey

"I teach English 9 and Muncie Central High School. I am a writer now!"

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Sarah Sandman

"I teach composition at Ball State. During ISI I learned how to better implement Writer’s Workshop into my classroom and how to conference with my students more effectively."

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Jodie Scales

"I teach 7th grade Language Arts at Selma Middle School. I will start the school year out with Fletcher’s book on the Writer’s Notebook. The Writer’s Notebook will be my catalyst into a true Writer’s Workshop environment."

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Emily Standridge

"I teach 1st year composition at Ball State. I’ve learned the important of playing with language."

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Jamie Stapleton

"I teach 8th grade Language Arts at Alexandria-Monroe high School. Through Writing Project, I have learned the importance of choice and audience not just for students, but for all writers."

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Carolyn Story

"I am a vocational teacher of the Dental Health Careers at the Muncie Area Career Center. I have learned many writing to learn strategies that will enhance my students’ comprehension of my content area. I can’t wait to implement some of these strategies with my upcoming class and see the positive results they will bring! I consider the new friendships I have made to be priceless!"

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Megan Wallace

"I teach junior and senior elective courses and AP Language and Composition. During ISI I’ve learned the importance of showing ourselves as writers to our students."

Summer 2009 Open Institute

2009-08-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Sixteen educators searched for knowledge of writing instruction, treasure made known to each of them initially by the reading of Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide written by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnne Portalupi. Curiosity whet and the desire for more knowledge of the best practice in writing instruction propelled the group of teachers to dig deeper into the research based best practices of Nancy Atwell, Donald Graves, Lester Laminack, Katie Wood Ray, Carl Anderson, and Lucy Calkins. Professional discussions provided additional clues to making sense of the complicated and sometimes confusing concepts of mini lessons, craft, extended writing time, record keeping, sharing, and assessment, the jewels that make up the treasure chest of the Writing Workshop. Who were these treasure hunters? What were the steps the treasure hunters took in their five day quest? How were they guided, developed, and challenged? Did they encounter challenges along the way that previously help beliefs in writing instruction?

Each participant of the 2009 Open Institute brought with them a desire to improve the quality of the writing instruction they provided for their students. But the experience, knowledge base, and reasons for attending the Open Institute of each teacher varied greatly. Some teachers, who were riffed by their home schools due to funding cuts, were hoping to increase their marketability in addition to increasing their writing instruction knowledge; others had observed a colleague successfully navigate the complicated path of standards based writing instruction tied to the Writing Workshop and wanted to learn how to navigate the path themselves; still others understood there was a better way to teach writing, but had little idea how to do it. Experienced ranged from kindergarten teachers to a community college instructor. Despite the differences, the quest for knowledge united the group into collaborative treasure hunters.

The Open Institute participants discovered effective instruction does not need to involve lengthy lectures, skills taught in isolation, and process writing. The brilliance of this knowledge jewel grew brighter as the participants learned about the facets of the Writing Workshop: the use of mini-lessons, daily writing time, conferencing, and sharing. Participants then observed the Writing Workshop in action by spending time each day in the Composition Camp conducted by fellows of the Indiana Writing Project. They witnessed student responses to mini lesson instruction and observed the sustained writing time needed for students to produce quality writing. Then participants became students themselves and experienced the effectiveness of mini lesson instruction after creating a necklace of memories after hearing the mentor text, The Memory String written by Eve Bunting. Each participant then became a writer when asked to select a memory from her memory string to retell in written form and share the writing with peers. Discussions centered on the importance of the teacher being a writer and the vulnerability a writer feels when asked to share his/her writing. Techniques for conferencing were practiced and discussed, illuminating the necessity of positive comments as well as constructive attainable goals for students to work toward.

The jewels of knowledge glowed brighter and brighter and magically increased in number as the Open Institute focused the participants’ attention on the creation of mini lessons. Guided by the wisdom of Katie Wood Ray’s Wondrous Words, participants dove into novels and picture books, mining craft from the expertly written text and they discovered that teaching writers about craft improves the content of all writing through revision. One participant realized that revision is really the “re-vision” of a piece of writing. Another remarked that she never realized that it was actually craft that improved writing. Still others discovered that any well written text can be mined for craft and can be used to teach several different types of craft. What a plethora of discovered treasure!

Participants were asked daily to reflect upon the day’s content, instruction, and insights through the use of exit slips, allowing them to discover the power of student reflection to instruction. Personal comments by the co-facilitators written on exit slips addressed individual concerns and questions, complimented insights and practices, and questioned previously held concepts creating a model of written dialogue that can occur between instructors and their students.

As the Open Institute neared its end, participants realized that the treasure chest of the Writing Workshop was huge! The jewels were multifaceted and complex. A five day treasure hunt was not going to be enough to uncover all the knowledge, but more research and further study was necessary and the experts would need to be consulted and referenced again and again to solidify understanding. The Open Institute concluded with the presentation of research based mini-lessons by each participant. Participants self selected topics for developments and each participant were coached and conferenced into the creation of a meaningful mini lesson that was shared with the rest of the group. Each participant left the Open Institute with 16 research-based mini lessons and a desire to learn more.

This is the second year Susan Darling and Tammy Taylor have co-chaired the Open Institute and they felt that their instruction and coaching flowed extremely well, even better than last year. A missing jewel in the Open Institute seemed to be the modeling with students piece. Tying the Open Institute together with the Composition Camp enabled participants to see the Writing Workshop in action this year. This marriage of the Open Institute and Composition Camp shows great potential and collaborative planning is essential for the union to be most beneficial to all. Our personal and professional relationship grew stronger through working together in the Open Institute. Susan and Tammy both look forward to future partnerships benefiting the Indiana Writing Project and each participant.

Compiled by Susan Darling and Tammy Taylor

Summer 2009 Advanced Institute: The Study of Craft

2009-08-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Using text from your own classroom, we will analyze the craft, read like writers, and develop lessons. Our text, What You Know By Heart by Katie Wood Ray, will guide our journey for the week. Our goal comes directly from Katie, “We need to know, by heart, what it is we are trying to teach when we are teaching writing.” Come “muck around” with the text you are familiar with and find new practical applications for the classroom.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Primary and secondary teachers came together for a week of conversation, learning, and sharing. Each teacher, the scope of experience ranging kindergarten to twelfth grade, eager to take Katie’s words, “know, by heart, what it is we are trying to teach when we are teaching writing” and apply it to our classroom curriculum.

The first day blossomed into rich discussion surrounding the contents of the book, What You Know By Heart. Writer’s notebooks, our own writing, and a clear understanding of choice dominated the morning conversation, while the afternoon gave way to the difficult concept of craft study thinking vs process study thinking. One participant made the analogy of heart vs standard. When looking at writing and curriculum it is useful to look at craft and understandings as synonymous, where you want to go – the outcome and strategies and process are how you get there – the authors purpose and thought process.

By the end of the day we realized the rough work ahead of us. Thinking about how we think does not always make for particularly easy curriculum development. “A line of thinking that begins with telling the stories of our writing experiences and ends with the development of writing curriculum that we can actually envision our students using in their work” became our mantra for the task before us. We would do all of this hard work keeping in our heart something we did know as teachers of writing, “there is no single, right, and magical process for writing.”

Enter Wondrous Words into our week.

To begin this hard work of analyzing the text we use in our classroom, we needed to look at chapters 9 and 8 from Wondrous Words. From these chapters came our guides and references for the mucking around we would do. In order to look at text, we needed to know what we were looking for. Knowing our classroom and our hearts as teachers, we began by looking at the “craft terms” Katie lays out in her book. By utilizing her list, we each made a list that would benefit our own work.

Next, we used three picture books, Night in the Country, Grandpa Never Lies, and Canoe Days to help us transition from “craft thinking to process thinking” according to Katie. This actually was harder than we thought. Realizing the illustrator puts his own spin on the story with pictures, we found it easier to work with the text minus the pictures first, identify the craft and then pull the book with the illustrations in later.

A suggestion was made for a fieldtrip to the Muncie Public Library. This gave us the opportunity to look at other books, see the craft, and discuss the use in the classroom. We were reading like writers! Although many of these books contained a wealth of craft, we knew our task remained – use the books in your classroom!

Mucking around with our own texts – finally!

The purpose of this Institute for each of us was the same, yet different. Yes, we wanted to take the text we use with our class, analyze the craft, read like writers, and develop lessons for those texts, yet the lessons were what set us apart. Keeping Katie in mind and how she uses text, we envisioned ourselves “pulling this book (our classroom text) out to show a ‘writing move’ to a student.” Then we began crafting our own lessons for our own classroom. Fingers flew across keyboards as each participant typed text and made charts of craft in each text.

Occasionally interruptions of “ah ha” moments would happen. Tammy noted, “There will be reading going on in the writing workshop as your students learn to read like writers.” Shirley made the analogy of an orchestra conductor, “you can bring it all together when you are the conductor, bringing the reading and the writing part together.” Alena commented, “We can include the speech and reading strategies and standards. We listen to the different pieces practicing.”

Submitted by Tammy Taylor and Linda Valley

Special Saturday Seminar: Writing to a Prompt

2009-08-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

A Special Winter Morning for TCs and their Colleagues:

Writing to a Prompt
January 9
8:30-11:30 AM
RB Building, BSU
$20 registration

Several years ago, IWP began to approach ISTEP writing as a genre, a genre we teach like any other writing application in the standards. We developed a four-week writing cycle that prepares students of any age to write on demand. January is a good time to start preparing students for Spring ISTEP testing, so mark your calendars now for the morning of Saturday, January 9.

The lead presenter, TC Susan Darling, helped develop the cycle and uses it in her class every year with impressive results. In one trial of this unit in a rural school, all but one third-grader scored 4,5 or 6 on the language development rubric and the sixth grade class scored higher than the state average. It works so invite your friends and colleagues.

You can register online or by contacting the IWP office via e-mail at iwp@bsu.edu.

Fall 2009 Saturday Seminars

2009-08-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

Wes-Del Elementary in Gaston, the home school of IWP Core Council President Shirley Thacker, has graciously offered to host three fall Saturday Seminar sessions, which will run from 8:30-11:30AM. The cost for the series is $100, but only $90 per person if three people register together; single sessions cost $35 each. Details about the sessions and registration information are online at iwp.iweb.bsu.edu. Below is the schedule of Saturday Seminars:

September 12 (two concurrent sessions):

Kindergarten News

Making Writing Workshop Work in Your Classroom

October 17 (two concurrent sessions):

K-1 Writing Workshop

Writer's Notebooks

November 14 (applicable to all levels):

Revision: Teaching Writing from Text

TCs: please share this information with interested teachers in your building as word of mouth is our best marketing tool.