Sunday, September 4, 2011

EMWP to Create Disciplinary Literacy Curriculum with Science and Social Studies Teachers

Co-Directors Doug Baker and John Staunton

In August nine teachers of English, Science and Social Studies met at the EMU Student Center to discuss opportunities of a $5,000 minigrant from the National Writing Project to pursue “understanding the disciplinary literacy demands suggested by the Common Core State Standards.” The grant, which draws on funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will support the teachers in the study and application of the specific literacies of the sciences and the social studies.




Co-directors Doug Baker and John Staunton will coordinate the efforts with two groups of energetic teacher consultants. The Science Inquiry Group will be led by Julie Blomquist (Emerson Middle School, Livonia), Heather Conklin (Chelsea High School, Chelsea), Julie King (Emerson Middle School, Livonia), Lauren Luedtke (International Academy, Bloomington Hills), and Jeff Taylor (Clague Middle School, Ann Arbor). The Social Studies Inquiry Group includes Andrea Gillies (Flat Rock High School), Michelle McLemore (Onsted High School), Judy Wycoff, (Allen Park High School) and Dawn Putnam (Chelsea High School).

Both groups plan to meet monthly and design research-based and classroom-proven lessons that teachers can implement with their students. By also linking the lessons to the Common Core Standards, which the state of Michigan has adopted, these EMWP teachers will strive to guide and inspire other teachers to offer curricular opportunities to students to meet subject area literacy goals and increase students’ awareness and knowledge of these disciplines.

EMWP will highlight the effort and products of these two groups of teachers as part of the Reading and Writing in a Decade of Standards series. The social studies group will demonstrate lessons on March 10, 2012, and the science teachers will follow up on April 14.




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