Spring Cover Page

May Flowers 

& 

A Spring of Opportunities

WritEL grant opportunity

Inkstains Summer Camp

Summer Institute

Everyday Advocacy 

Social Justice & Poetry

Fall 2017 English Options!

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WriteEL

The WritEL Grant, a collaboration between EMWP and EMU's Department of World Languages, is recruiting teachers for Cohort II, which begins in August 2017. The grant provides a 40% scholarship for teachers pursing an ESL endorsement via a graduate certificate or MA in TESOL. EL paraprofessionals can also get assistance for a minor in TESOL if they are pursuing a teaching certificate. Please consider joining the WritEL ranks or sharing information with those who may be interested. Some classes will be offered "NWP style," and others online or at EMU's Livonia location.

For more information, contact Sara Lorenz at sarahloren@gmail.com .

Read more!

Inkstains

By Aimee Grant

Warm weather is finally here, and that means that preparations for summer are underway. As you stock up on sunscreen and make final choices about which lake you’ll head to for your vacation, please take a moment to share brochures for Inkstains Summer Writing Camp with your middle and high school students.

The middle school camp will meet July 10 - 14, and the high school camp is July 17 – 21. Both camps are held at Eastern’s beautiful Student Center, and students get to spend a week surrounded by other like-minded writers. Campers go on a writing marathon, contribute to a camp blog, try out a fun assortment of creative writing activities, and culminate the week with a reading of their best piece published in the camp anthology.

Applications require a writing sample, often something students produce in class, as well as a short teacher letter of recommendation, so be sure to spread the news well before the June 19 deadline. Find all the details here: http://www.emichwp.org/community-reading-and-writing/inkstains

Read more!

Summer Institute: Engl 592

by Bill Tucker

What are you doing July 12-28? 

You could be at the Student Center 320, 
8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. daily. 

Three half-days in the fall, 
(based on your availability)

Institute 2016

          Current registration for the summer institute foreshadows a good range of grade levels and experience in the crowd. The only surprise is the absence of Institute repeaters, so we’re writing just to remind you that you’re invited.

          Just as always we’ll be writing “from our soles” (see SI 2013), we‘ll be sharing the best in professional reading, and we’ll have guests sharing their experience in literacy leadership.

          But we plan to engage teacher leadership in new places.. The Institute will be led by your colleagues Kris Gedeon and Angela Knight, who have assisted in several previous institutes, together and individually.  Bill Tucker will assist them for a change. It is one way we are inviting more teacher facilitation of the work of EMWP.

          [If you participated in the College-Ready Writers Program or plan to participate in the next generation CRWP, you have and will see more teacher leadership: Sarah Lorenz, Jeff Taylor, Dave Kangas, and Maggie Teal are among those who have spearheaded this innovative argument-from-sources writing program.]

          Kris and Angela are planning new ways to share our successful and problematic practices as teachers, as we both demonstrate and investigate the writing activities that most intrigue us. They realized that even our successes often call for more reflection and research in the context of the Institute. That work will continue into three continuity meetings in the fall.

          We think this summer will bring both novelty and nostalgia for you second-or third-timers, and we welcome your participation.

We will offer both credit and non-credit participation, with a $400 scholarship underwriting the cost either way.

Register for credit:http://www.emich.edu/extended/courses/index.php?term=201750&subject=ENGL&level%5Bgraduate%5D=on

Register for non-credit:https://emich.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassListing.ClassListingDisplay&int_category_id=6&int_sub_category_id=71       

Read more!

Advocacy

Everyday Advocacy

An Eastern Michigan Writing Project Summer Institute

                                    June 27 -29, 2017       9am – 3pm each day

Eastern Michigan University Campus, Ypsilanti, MI

Sadly, the ongoing conversation about school reform too often leaves out the voices of teachers—those who are most intimately acquainted with the day-to-day issues that impact students and their learning. We believe that these voices are essential ones for policy makers to hear, but we recognize as well the pressures on teachers to remain silent.

How can teachers safely enter the conversation?  In this workshop, we’ll help you become part of that conversation 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.

Who can apply? To apply, please fill out the online form (link below) by May 1, 2017.  If more than 25 apply, teachers will be selected based on three criteria: (1) commitment to the topic; (2) school and subject area representation (i.e., diversity in grade level; school location; school size, etc.); and (3) connection to the NWP network.

Is there a cost?  $75 for the three days.  Payment is due on the first day of the Institute.

Further questions? Contact Cathy at cfleische@emich.edu.

Registration link: https://goo.gl/forms/sWU9MBpBRFOJ7c4I2  Read more!

Social Justice Unit

by Shannon McLeod Mound

April is poetry month! I created these lessons for my twelfth grade English students, who attend a technical high school to study auto mechanics, IT, and other career-focused skills. This population is mostly made up of students who say they “hate reading” and are reluctant to write as well. Poetry is not something they’re typically enthusiastic about. I’ve tried to make poetry more relevant to my students by having them research social justice issues that are important to them and make those issues the focus of their original poems. The goal is to introduce poetry with lessons that first expose students to poetry that addresses social issues, then engage students in writing poems that reflect upon their chosen social issues.

Following the Process:

EXPOSURE: Students will define “performance poetry” and “social activism.” Then, they will listen to and read four poems: “Counting Graves” by the Steinmetz High School Slam Poetry Team, “OCD” by Nate Hilborn, “Advice to Rihanna” by Mahogany L. Browne, and “Arroz Poetica” by Arecelis Girmay. After they listen to/read each poem, they will write responses to questions about each poem’s topic, purpose, and success in a graphic organizer. We will discuss each poem and students’ responses as a class. I chose poems that dealt with a mix of both societal and interpersonal issues. Last year, students had mixed reactions, which inspired some interesting dialogue. I saved Girmay’s piece for last because it is the most challenging for students.( They tend to dislike the poems they struggle to understand.)

ENGAGEMENT: students will journal about whether they think writing can promote social justice. Then, they will read “Flint,” a poem about the water crisis by Flint youth poetry group Raise it Up! We discuss the poem, using close-reading strategies. Afterwards, students research social issues of interest and choose an article to read and annotate. This article will provide them with insight and inspiration for their first original poem. A very simple prompt with few stylistic restrictions would not be too intimidating for the class population. Students simply begin with the phrase, “It’s not right…” They can use this phrase for repetition throughout, or simply as a starter for their first line of the poem. For their second original poem, I have students focus on a more personal social issue and write a poem that uses the phrase, “The thing you don’t know about __________.” Prior years I had a few students write poems on police brutality, while another student wrote, “The thing you don’t know about football players.” These prompts allow students to engage in a wide range of topics. With assistance, students revise poems and then they each choose one of their pieces to perform for the class.

Samples:

Steinmetz High School Slam Poetry Team, “Counting Graves”

https://vimeo.com/1495072

Nate Hilborn,

“OCD”

https://vimeo.com/91387660

Mahogany L. Browne,

“Advice to Rihanna”

http://badilishapoetry.com/mahogany-l-browne/

Read more!

English Education for Fall 2017: Additional Offerings!

by John Staunton

I am writing to alert you to some of our additional offerings in English Education for Fall 2017.  Whether you are a graduate student in the MA English Studies for Teachers or MAT – English Program, an EMWP alum, or getting ready to start in your own classroom and interested in taking your teaching and inquiry to the next level, there is definitely something here for you. 

These are just of a few of the many graduate courses we offer in our various programs each year.   

______________

FALL 2017 ENGLISH EDUCATION AND ELECTIVE/COGNATE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT COURSES 

(These courses will work for degree requirements in both the MA in EST and the MAT-English programs; Cognates Electives in other graduate programs in English, as well as endorsements and graduate credit toward continuing professional development and your license renewal).

ENGL 518 Topics in English Education (Staunton) W 5:30-8:10

ENGL 530 Issues in English Studies for Teachers (Staunton) 

W 5:30-8:10

These two courses are cross-listed and will meet together.  Taught by Professor John Staunton, who specializes in Literature Pedagogy and is Co-Director of the EMWP, the class provides opportunities for students to explore the field of English education and issues of research and pedagogy in the discipline(s) (e.g., interpreting literature; reading/viewing multimodal texts; incorporating twenty-first century technologies; writing; assessing student performance; constructing theoretical frameworks and examining consequences for student learning, etc.) and to discover potential research topics and interests, or link class experiences to existing ones, and build connections between research and the student’s pedagogy.

                Contact Professor Staunton—that’s me!—for more information (jstaunto@emich.edu).

ENGL 508 Writing for Secondary Teachers (Tucker) 

T 5:30-8:10

A writing course for students teaching or preparing to teach in various disciplines in secondary schools. Students develop their skills as writers and learn how to teach writing in all content areas. Special focus on recent composition research, theory, and practices, and on strategies, materials and evaluation techniques.  Taught by Professor Bill Tucker, the illustrious Director of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project, this course is the perfect option for any teacher and teacher-to-be who wants to make writing central to their teaching,  no matter the subject area.

                For more information, contact Professor Tucker (wtucker@emicch.edu)

LITR 585 Literature for Teachers—NEW for FALL:  

TWO SECTIONS!!

Literature for Teachers combines study of particular literary content with discussion of methods for teaching. Subject matter varies by semester, focused either on a specific genre, literary period, or set of issues in teaching literature. Assignments and discussions of content will emphasize pedagogical approaches to particular literary studies and issues.

This Fall we are fortunate to have TWO sections of LITR 585 to offer, both will allow for immersive inquiry into literary pedagogy from two content areas of central importance to the secondary teacher:  Shakespeare and Multicultural Children’s Literature.

LITR 585/LITR 541—Studies in Shakespeare (Dionne) 

T 6:30-9:10

Taught by our intentionally recognized and global-traveled Shakespeare expert, Professor Craig Dionne, ‘Studies in Shakespeare” offers students opportunities for inquiry into Shakespeare, Culture, and Pedagogy through an intensive reading of representative plays of Shakespeare, and of relevant critical, historical and textual scholarship.

                For more information, please contact Professor Dionne (cdionne@emich.edu).

LITR 585/CHL 586 Multicultural Children’s Literature (Caponegro) 

W 5:00-7:40

Awarding-winning educator, Professor Ramona Caponegro’s “Multicultural Children’s Literature” course allows students to pursue advanced study of the literature for children and young adults by and about underrepresented groups in America, including history of multicultural writing for the young; major issues and controversies of multiculturalism; historical and cultural background of each group; and critical apparatus for the selection, interpretation, and evaluation of such literature.  If you are interested in adolescent and young adult readers and what they read, this is the course for you!

                Contact Professor Caponegro (rcaponeg@emich.edu) for more information.

WRTG 580  Writing, Teaching, and Public Policy  (Fleischer) 

R 5:30-8:10

Want to change the public discourse about teachers and writing?  Or want to find out how decisions about the profession get made?  This graduate seminar is for you.  Taught by Professor Cathy Fleischer, NCTE Imprint Editor for the Principles in Practice Series and tireless advocate for literacy learners and literacy teachers, this course focused on how public policy impacts writing instruction at the secondary and college level.  With an emphasis on genres and strategies teachers and citizens can use to write and speak publicly in order to add their voices to the conversation, you will leave this class with the tools and resources to make a change.

                Contact Professor Fleischer (cfleische@emich.edu) for more information.

Below are additional cognate courses of interest to teachers of Language, Literature, and Writing that can be used as restricted electives in the MA in English Studies for Teachers Program and/or used for the Teaching of Writing Certificate Program.  

WRTG 503 Rhetorical Theory and Teaching of Writing (Miller) 

W 6:30-9:10

Taught by our venerable Dr. Bernie Miller, this thematic course will have students read, study and analyze representative selections from classical, medieval, renaissance, and modern theorists. Emphasis on applying rhetorical theories to writing and language instruction.   This is the ideal course for the advanced secondary or two-year college instructor looking to advance understanding in rhetorical theory from within the practice of writing instruction. 

                For more information, contact Professor Bernie Miller (bmiller2@emich.edu).

LING 532 Sociolinguistics (Acton) 

W 6:00-8:40

Ever wonder how the way we use language affects the worlds we inhabit and our social spheres?  Professor Eric Acton’s “Sociolinguistics” class offers an analysis of the diversity in language caused by social factors, and the correlative influence of these linguistic differences upon society and social status. 

                Contact Professor Acton (eaccton1@eemich.edu) for more information.

LING 533 Psycholinguistics (Seely) M 6:00-8:40

Language:  It’s all in your mind.  Or is it? And what does that mean?  Taught by award-winning graduate educator, Professor Daniel Seely, this course is an introduction to psycholinguistics, the mental representation of a grammar, perception of language units, aphasia and other language abnormalities, first and second language acquisition, bilingualism, language and thought.  (Not open to students in speech-language pathology program). 

                For more information, contact Professor Seely (tseely@emich.edu)

For more information, contact John Staunton, 

(jstaunto@emich.edu or 734-487-0135)  

(Make sure to check our English Department Graduate Studies website over the summer for updates on these and additional courses in our English Department Programs.https://www.emich.edu/english/graduate/)

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Midwinter Updates

Welcome back to the eMUSE eZine

& 

Check out the upcoming events in the calendar at the right and the articles below!

Calendar of Upcoming Events
Classroom Research in the Teaching of Literacy K-12
WritEL Grant Launches!
Disciplinary Literacies Showcase
Upcoming Inkstains Summer Camp 
EMWP Summer Institute: Initiatives in Writing

Everyday Advocacy Opportunity
Updating Our Community 

Read more!

Launching Our Community

by  Geneva (Marsack) Korytkowski

Last year, emichwp.org was launched as the main site for all EMWP happenings, focusing on parents, administrators, and potential teacher consultants as the audience. There was an EMWP Teacher Consultant Community page which remained unused but had untapped potential. This past semester, the community page has been revised to focus on the current teacher consultants of the EMWP.

Teacher consultants will find pictures of events (perfect for your personal and professional use), archived summer institute websites, the EMWP blog that will launch at the end of the month, professional opportunities (job postings and education), fellow TC blogs, opportunities for teachers to continue being writers, the professional library catalogue, and more.

We hope to involve more of you in building the community site, especially when it comes to writing. The blog that will launch at the end of the month would feature at least one TC’s post which could be a reposting from your own blog. If interested, please contact Geneva at emichwp@gmail.com or gmarsack@emich.edu

Take a peek! http://bit.ly/EMWPtc or https://sites.google.com/view/emwp/home

Read more!

Everyday Advocacy

An Eastern Michigan Writing Project Summer Institute

                                    June 27 -29, 2017       9am – 3pm each day

Eastern Michigan University Campus, Ypsilanti, MI

Sadly, the ongoing conversation about school reform too often leaves out the voices of teachers—those who are most intimately acquainted with the day-to-day issues that impact students and their learning. We believe that these voices are essential ones for policy makers to hear, but we recognize as well the pressures on teachers to remain silent.

How can teachers safely enter the conversation?  In this workshop, we’ll help you become part of that conversation 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.

Who can apply? To apply, please fill out the online form (link below) by May 1, 2017.  If more than 25 apply, teachers will be selected based on three criteria: (1) commitment to the topic; (2) school and subject area representation (i.e., diversity in grade level; school location; school size, etc.); and (3) connection to the NWP network.

Is there a cost?  $75 for the three days.  Payment is due on the first day of the Institute.

Further questions? Contact Cathy at cfleische@emich.edu.

Registration link: https://goo.gl/forms/sWU9MBpBRFOJ7c4I2  Read more!

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

For more information: https://sites.google.com/site/emichwp/ Or wtucker@emich.edu

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.

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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.

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Please register at:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/classroom-research-in-the-teaching-of-literacy-tickets 31301480571

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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

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EASTERN SPOOKTACULAR NEWS!!

WRITELL GRANT FOR EMU!

&

EMWP Members To Attend NWP!

Read more!

WRITELL GRANT Boon for EMU

  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 WRITELL 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 opinion 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 Washtenaw and Livingston counties initially and expand to other counties as needed. All teachers 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. 

WRITELL 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!

Eastern Michigan Writing Project Descends Upon Atlanta

With our multiple grants in play, the EMWP will send six representatives to the NWP Annual Meeting November 17 in Atlanta.

Under the Teacher Leadership grant, Bill Tucker and Erin Umpstead will attend, hanging on for the NCTE Convention, which follows.

Under the College-Ready Writers grant, Jeff Taylor and Dave Kangas will attend and meet with other College-Ready Writers coordinators on Friday, November 18.  Under the new  WRITELL grant (for English Learners), Sarah Lorenz and Kim Pavlock will attend on Thursday and Friday.

Besides the reflection on the last year's work, the Annual Meeting provides a wide range of workshops on teaching writing for the many purposes we now address in our broadening professional development. 

Anyone attending NCTE is welcome to join this group for a Thursday evening dinner at an Atlanta restaurant. 

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