Tuesday, January 31, 2017

2017 Calendar of Upcoming Events! Get the details!



February 11, 2017 -   Disciplinary Literacies Showcase:  How to Really Prepare

Students for College and Career Writing Student Center, 9 am – 2 pm.
Join colleagues from across the disciplines and subject areas at both the secondary and college level to talk about writing—and about how we can help our students make smooth transitions across the grade levels and into the workplace.  Please register for the event here.

March 25, 2017 – Literacy for All – Classroom Research from the Teachers of the EMWP.
Student Center, Third Floor, 8:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The teacher consultants of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project have a 20-year tradition of conducting research in their own classrooms. They will share findings of literacy research in their classrooms during the 2016-2017 school year.  To register go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/classroom-research-in-the-teaching-of-literacy-tickets 31301480571

June 27, 28, 29 -  Everyday Advocacy: Student Center, 300. 9- 3 p.m.
In this workshop, we’ll help you become part of the conversation about school reform as you learn how to develop your personal stories into a public narrative, starting from anecdotes and building toward an action plan.  By the end of day 3, you should have an action plan to take back to your classroom and school. The workshop is facilitated by Dr. Cathy Fleischer, EMWP co-director, author of Teachers Organizing for Change, and lead developer for the Everyday Advocacy website. To apply, please fill out the online form by May 1, 2017

July 12-28 – EMWP Summer Institute: Initiatives in Writing – Student Center 320,
8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.daily.  Over two weeks of daily meetings and three fall meetings, this course addresses the three crucial roles of K-college teachers: the writer, the researcher, the literacy leader. 3 grad credits or 75 SCECH’s. Find the pre-registration at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bJt4TEN1Ac2Y6SV_ZOzJzwGbdHjpjPoyLSX7mCons3U/edit


Or call 734-487-0997 (weekdays after 4:00 p.m.)
Read more!

EMWP Summer Institute: Initiatives in Writing

by Bill Tucker, Director

What’s new to the 2017 Summer Institute?

·         It starts the day after Nerdcamp
·         It will be led by teacher consultants: Angela Knight and Kris Gedeon
·         It will be supported by EMWP Director Bill Tucker
·         It will require continuity meetings to qualify for credit or SCECH’s

What’s familiar in the 2017 Summer Institute?

·         It emphasizes writing, research, and leadership
·         It invites teachers of all subjects and levels, K-16
·         It invites returning teachers from previous summer institutes
·         It takes place in the familiar confines of the Student Center

A primary goal of the grant that funds our summer institutes is developing teacher leaders, so we are planning to make the EMWP more and more teacher-driven. If you’re looking for a leadership role or have ideas for expanding our reach, you should come with those ideas and prepare to step forward to help us achieve them.

If you just want to grow in depth and versatility as a teacher and writer, that’s fine, too. Rejuvenation is essential to leadership.

Application consists of pre-registration then final registration. Pre-register by submitting the attached, familiar application. This will set up a priority list for registration: first come, first served.

After March 1 we will invite the first 15 pre-registered to register officially with Extended Programs. You will be billed $550, but the National Writing Project will provide a $400 scholarship. This may be a reimbursement, but I am working to get you the $400 up front. It’s all in the bureaucracy.

We are excited to see what else will be new this summer. While we try to preserve the best of the summer institute, we also know that growth means change. Come grow with us!


Read more!

Classroom Research in the Teaching of Literacy K-college

by Bill Tucker

Our first local showcase of teacher research will be presented in the Student Center, March 25 from 8:45 a.m. to noon. This is our only Literacy for Life offering in 2016-17.

The EMWP has a 20-year tradition of classroom research. It began during the summer institute of 1997 when half of the teachers in the Institute proposed that we begin a teacher research group. Cathy Fleischer did not have to be asked twice.  She has held group meetings in her house monthly since that illustrious day.

This occasion will feature teachers from the summer institute of 2016, as well as experienced teacher researchers and, hopefully, teachers who are developing argumentative writers as part of the College-Ready Writers Program that began last summer.  Continental Breakfast will be served at 8:45 a.m. followed by an introduction and two sessions of research presentations.

Teacher Research should be celebrated, and with strong participation, we might make this conference an annual event. There is no charge, but please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/classroom-research-in-the-teaching-of-literacy-tickets 31301480571 so we know how many to expect.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Literacy for Life Schedule

Classroom Research in the Teaching of Literacy K-college

Location: Eastern Michigan University,
Student Center 300, 301, 310A SC 310B, 330 Mtg ; 350 MCL; 352 Mtg Room.
Park in Student Center Lot
Date: March 25, 2017 Time: 8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
SCECH’s available
8:45 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introduction
9:15 a.m. Session I
10:30 a.m. Session II
11:45 a.m. Wrap-up: Learn more about teacher research.

The teacher consultants of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project have a 20-year tradition of conducting research in their own classrooms.

Teachers (K-college) will share findings of literacy research in their classrooms during the 2016-2017 school year.

No charge for participation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Read more!

WritEL Grant Launches! Please Help Recruit!


by Sarah Lorenz

The WritEL grant has launched! This collaboration between the World Languages Department and EMWP is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. If you missed all the details earlier in the year, see the announcement below. Cohort I is underway with twelve teachers, but we are ramping up for a much larger group in Cohort II. We are hoping to recruit up to 120 teachers to be randomly assigned to either an August 2017 start or an August 2018 start (with data collection during ’17-18). Please consider joining us and spread the word to teachers and paraprofessionals far and wide.

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Eastern Michigan University a grant to increase the number of ESL-credentialed teachers in Michigan and study effective professional development for teachers of English learners. The WritEL grant will recruit teachers and paraprofessionals who currently work with English learners who wish to pursue an undergraduate minor, endorsement, or Master of Arts in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Teachers will be eligible for a scholarship of approximately 40% of their academic program in these areas. They will be involved in a research study of professional development that will examine the effectiveness of strategies for improving argument writing with English learners, as well as pursuing their program of study. The initiative intends to enroll 300 teachers over the program period. The partnering agency is the Washtenaw Intermediate School District and will recruit teachers from all over southeastern Michigan. All teachers and paraprofessionals in the region are invited to apply. The grant is renewable for up to five years, with total funding of over 2.6 million dollars.

WritEL is a collaboration between the Department of World Languages and the Eastern Michigan Writing Project. Dr. Zuzana Tomas is the Principal Investigator and Dr. William Tucker the Assistant Principal Investigator. Sarah Lorenz, Director of Professional Development at EMWP, is the Project Director. Kim Pavlock, EMWP Family Literacy Programming Director, will oversee family writing series at ten partnering schools each year. A community outreach coordinator and two instructional coaches will be hired to assist with program implementation. EMU preservice teachers will be involved with service learning/tutoring in after-school and community programs in Ypsilanti, funded by the grant. EMU’s Dr. Shawn Quilter will conduct the program evaluation, which is a quasi-experimental design. The National Writing Project’s national office at the University of California, Berkeley, has been commissioned to conduct the assessment of student writing.

K-12 teachers and paraprofessionals of all subjects who are/will be working with two or more English learners are eligible to apply, and should anticipate involvement for 2-3 years, or possibly longer, depending on their chosen pace of program completion. Cohorts will begin in January 2017, August 2017, August 2018, August 2019, and August 2020 (final year will be a condensed program). For more information or to apply as a participant, contact Sarah Lorenz, Project Director, at slorenz@emich.edu.

Read more!

Disciplinary Literacies Showcase

by Cathy Fleischer

There’s still time to register for this year’s Disciplinary Literacies Showcase: How to Really Prepare Students for College and Career Writing:  February 11 (Saturday), 9 am – 2 pm at the EMU Student Center.

Join colleagues from across the disciplines and subject areas at both the secondary and college level to talk about writing—and about how we can help our students make smooth transitions across the grade levels and into the workplace

Our day will include:
  •           An introduction to the research base and practical strategies underlying a Disciplinary Literacies approach to writing and writing instruction
  •           Workshops led by EMU faculty and area secondary teachers on approaches to writing in a variety of disciplines
  •           Content-area discussions between university faculty and secondary teachers
  •          Panel discussions with

o   University students sharing anecdotes of their transition from high school to college writing and how teachers can help those transitions
o   Workplace representatives from a variety of fields sharing how professionals in their area write and how we can all better prepare students for the writing they will do in their careers


Please register for the event here.


This workshop is free to all participants.  Please contact Cathy Fleischer (cathy.fleischer@emich.edu) if you have any questions.


Read more!

Inkstains Summer Writing Camp

by Aimee Grant

While teachers everywhere are busy wrapping up the semester and getting ready for the second half of the school year, many parents are already making plans and provisions for summer vacation. If your child or student loves creative writing, you’ll want to pencil in a week at Inkstains Summer Writing Camp. The middle school camp will meet July 10 - 14, 2017, and the high school camp will meet July 17 - 21, 2016.
At Inkstains, campers spend the week exploring creative writing genres, participating in a writing marathon, blogging and engaging in digital communication with fellow campers, and making yearlong, like-minded friends. The camp concludes with a published anthology of writing and a writer’s reception where every camper gets to read her or his piece for an audience of campers, friends, and family.


Find more information, along with a registration brochure, at http://www.emichwp.org/community-reading-and-writing/inkstains or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InkstainsSummerWritingCamp


Read more!