One highlight for the EMWP this past year was a special fall conference devoted to writing across the curriculum that we co-sponsored with Eastern Michigan University: “Writing for Real: Writing for Professional, Social, and Exploratory Purposes.”
Twenty four presenters, most of them EMWP Teacher Consultants representing grades K – college, offered sessions on Saturday, September 27, 2008, for more than seventy five conference attendees on issues of how to engage students in writing for their future roles as professionals; how to frame writing projects that address community goals and problems; how to use writing to reinforce ways of observing, analyzing and discovering; and how to instill continuity in the writing curriculum across grade levels.
Carol Sliwka presenting "Using Persuasive Prompts in All Content Areas"This conference featured Elizabeth Birr Moje, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in Educational Studies from the University of Michigan School of Education as the keynote speaker. Professor Moje gave a keynote address on the topic of “What Does it Mean to Write ‘For Real’ in the Subject-Matter Areas? Learning from Writing in the Disciplines and Professions.” She also led a roundtable discussion as a follow-up to her keynote address. In her breakout session she and other teachers and pre-service teachers discussed classroom practices that help students begin to learn how to write in the ways valued in different disciplines and professions.
From sessions on “Making the Science Curriculum REAL for Kids” for teachers of students in grades 1-5 to “Tapping Adolescent Tendencies - Putting Persuasion to Work!” for teachers in grades 6-10 to “Writing for Real Experiences: Design Writing to Develop Confidence, Knowledge, and Professional Identities” for teachers in grades 3-college, the conference offered teachers of all grade levels from across the curriculum innovative and exciting ways to encourage and prepare student writers for life-long learning and writing.
Dick Moscovic and Linda Denstaedt presenting "Writing for Real Experiences"In addition to teachers from different subject areas and all grade levels, the conference brought together EMWP Teacher Consultants, Teacher Consultants from other National Writing Project of Michigan sites, and pre-service teachers from both Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan With teachers teaching teachers, the conference was informative, collaborative, and professionally rejuvenating. We are pleased with the success of the “Writing for Real” Conference, and we look forward to partnering again with EMU in 2009 to offer a second annual conference devoted to Writing Across the Curriculum. We hope you’ll join us.
Attendees enjoy Julie King's and Alyssa Pakulski's session, "Tapping Adolescent Tendencies-Putting Persuasion to Work"
Book Signing Announcement
Congratulations to Cathy Fleischer and Sarah Andrew-Vaughn, whose book "Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone: Helping Students Navigate Unfamiliar Genres" was published this January with Heinemann! The book shows how immersing students in one genre that they aren't familiar with helps them understand the concept of genre in general and strengthens their reading and writing.
--Heather Lattimer
The book signing will take place on February 12th from 4-5:30 in the EMU Student Center, 900 Oakwood St, Ypsilanti. The book will be on sale and refreshments will be served.
Do you have a special writing assignment or teaching idea that has worked particularly well with your students? We invite you to come to this Tap Into Writing session to share your assignment/idea—as well as the thinking behind it: especially the context of your class and the beliefs you have about writing that informed the assignment.
And are you interested in publishing this assignment or teaching idea? We’ll also use this get-together to introduce teachers to ReadWriteThink, the NCTE/IRA web site that both offers teachers an abundance of lesson plans and an opportunity to submit their own ideas for publication on the site. (Oh, and did we mention that ReadWriteThink pays a small honorarium for accepted lesson plans?)
Cathy Fleischer and Kim Pavlock will be your facilitators for this session. Cathy, a co-director of the EMWP, is also on the advisory board for ReadWriteThink. Kim, Coordinator of EMWP’s Family Literacy Initiative, is a reviewer for the site.
So, come join us for this sharing session. Please bring about 20 copies of your assignment/lesson/idea along with a paragraph or two on the thinking behind it. Let us know if you have any questions!
Haab’s Restaurant
18 W. Michigan Avenue
January 29, 2009
4:30-6:00
RSVP to Kyla Hurst (khurst1@emich.edu)
Reenacting local history can spark lively discussion and renew a sense of community pride across generations. Theater students were given options for their final project: create a set, design advertisements, write a script, or perform a monologue…for the community. Surprisingly several students in my first trimester elected the live performance. This was the beginning of the first historical walk-through for Onsted.
Students researched lives of Onsted residents, wrote monologues, and then performed them live as 3-5 minute monologues in period costume. Over a three hour period, four walking tours ensued, with over fifty community members coming for the live tour. Refreshments and local history artifacts encouraged community members to sit and reminisce while waiting for a tour or after completing a tour. To the students’ delight, several of the visitors stopped back between tour groups to exchange more information about each character from personal knowledge. Townspeople presented ranged from members of the Underground Railroad, town businessmen, school founders, town founders, and members of devoted town volunteers.
Cast and CrewThe common question from all was… When would the next one be? In today’s time, more than ever, understanding where we’ve come from and recognition of the people who got us here, as a community and a nation, is vital for a sense of peace, hope, and respect.
Congratulations!
The Language Arts Journal of Michigan, the bi-annual journal of the Michigan Council of Teachers of English, won one of the two honorable mentions for the 2008 Affiliate Journal Award (from NCTEintert link http://www.ncte.org/) for their Fall 2007 issue on "Digital Technology.” (Ohio won and British Columbia was the other honorable mention). Congratulations to the EMWP writers who contributed! Doug Baker was the editor, and Val Johnson contributed an article, "How a $49 Webcam Turned a Class Around and Saved my Sanity."
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Becky Sipe, who was permanently appointed as Eastern Michigan University’s English Department head this summer!
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Sarah Lorenz, who has taken a position as secondary school principal at Washtenaw Christian Academy in Saline. She will continue her work as Coordinator for Professional Development at EMWP.
Birth Announcement
Congratulations to Andrea Gillies on the birth of her son!
Derek Lee Gillies was born at 8:06 pm on November 29. He was 9lbs., 8oz. and 22.25 inches long!
Derek with big sister Kathleen
Summer Institute 2009 Announcement
The Eastern Michigan Writing Project 2009 Summer Invitational Institute will be screening applications until March 1st. Benefits in taking the Invitational include:
* Five Graduate Credits
* A stipend or fellowship towards tuition
* The status of Teacher Consultant of the National Writing Project
* New visions for the teaching of writing
* Opportunities to participate in vibrant learning communities
Pictures from the 2008 Institute
We welcome applicants from all disciplines and grade levels who are interested in learning and sharing theories about the teaching of writing. See the full brochure here, and the 2009 application form here.
Announcement
The Eastern Michigan Writing Project is inviting applications for 2009-10 positions! Click here to download the details of all upcoming EMWP positions.
Course Announcement
Litr 592: Poetry for Teachers (Summer 2009)
This course is aimed at current or future secondary teachers with an interest in developing their understanding of poetry and of the myriad ways in which poetry can be studied and experienced in the classroom. Placing equal emphasis on literary analysis and teaching methods, the course will focus on the study of formal elements in poetry, the relationship of form to content, historical or literary contexts, and poetic movements. In addition, the course will incorporate several short workshops run by expert secondary-school teachers of literature and EMU Creative Writing faculty, who will offer demonstrations and facilitate workshops on practical issues related to the teaching of poetry, such as: designing effective writing assignments, assessing students’ creative work, incorporating material from other humanities disciplines into a literature course, teaching to specific age groups, and/or helping students design outreach projects for their own classrooms and their communities to promote the teaching and learning of poetry.
The three-credit hour graduate course will meet for the first week of August, 2009, Monday, August 3, to Friday, August 7, 9am to 3pm, with prior on-line discussions of required readings and a final project to be submitted by the end of August. For more information, please contact Elisabeth Däumer at edaumer@emich.edu.
Kimberly Pavlock (kpavlock@emich.edu).
Creative Inklings
By Angela Knight
Creative Inklings was a half-day camp for students entering fifth-ninth grades at two
We did our best to transform the classroom into a writing area: pillows, bean bags, papsan chairs, colorful curtains, fake plants, and carpets. There were end table with clipboards, magazines, and community journals. Students and teachers sat on the pillows on the floors, and we wrote together. 
Iqra Nasir is a sophomore at HHS. She was the junior counselor for the middle level camp week, and helped out during the last two days of the elementary camp, and submitted the following thoughts about the camp for this article:
This camp gave middle school and elementary school students a chance to express their thoughts and feelings through writing. Students were also taught how to make their writing more unique. Teachers gave writing prompts designed to inspire students to write about what they see and hear.
The campers were taken on field trips to
As the week went by, teachers shared their ideas about how to improve writing skills, and how little things can make a bigger story.
The writing camp let the kids’ imaginations go wild. From comfy pillows to great shirts, this camp has given the kids a great opportunity to express themselves with the help of others. 
The encouragement and motivation throughout the weeks resulted in two anthologies. “Inspiration Creation” and “Thinklings of Inklings” are filled with poems, narratives, short stories, and much more.
Writing was a passion of these campers. So at the end each camper got to read their creation to their parents and friends at a reading party.
“If you wish to be a writer, write” by Epictetus was our motto.
Everyone who helped with this camp made it a true success.
Almedina Agic is an eighth grader at KMS, and wrote the following about her camp experience:
Camp was a great experience for me. I learned so much. The activities were creative and fun, but they also taught me a lot. We learned about the writing process in a whole new light. There were lots of laughs and lots of ideas. The writing marathon to
Jawaria Sarfraz is a seventh grader at KMS, and wrote:
Creative Inklings is the best summer writing camp, you can ever go to! When it's your first day of camp, you will get to introduce yourself to the classroom, and you'll also get your own little backpack, pen, journal, t-shirt, and name tag.
Friday was the last day of camp, and we had a celebration. We received our anthologies and shared with everyone. After that, we got awards and a group picture. This is what the summer writing camp was all about: fun and writing. If you join the Creative Inklings Summer Writing Camp, then that'll be one of your best moments in the summer!
Angela Knight was the co-director, with Tricia Maslowski, of the two weeks of writing camp. We are deeply indebted to Shirley Klokkenga, Aimee Grant, and Doug Baker at Inkstains for sharing their time and ideas to get us started.
Inkstains 2008: Writing in the Summertime at EMU!
By Sarah Soebbing
This past July, I had the privilege of facilitating the middle school week-long writing camp along with Shirley Klokkenga. Inkstains 2008 had extremely high registration in both the middle and high school camps; both camps had more students interested than we could accept. Campers and parents alike repeatedly recommended we extend Inkstains’ length and enrollment.
On the final day of camp, when families were invited to share pizza and listen to the students read from their anthology, several parents begged us to extend the camp for at least another week. Parents were blown away by the enthusiasm from their students, not to mention the amazing anthology of writing the students created in less than five days!
Students at the middle school camp enjoyed using many different writing prompts and situations as inspiration for their writing. Below students use mysterious images as starting points for writing their own mysteries:
The camp met in EMU’s student center, which provided large and inspirational windows for writing:
I brought my passion for blogging to this year’s middle school camp, in hopes to build even more of a sense of a “community of writers,” to create the chance for students to continue writing on their blogs and possibly stay in touch with each other after camp, and to provide an additional “space” in which the students could practice writing.
Modeled after the EMWP’s summer institute, I updated our
after each day with a re-cap of what we did and lots of pictures. And in addition, each student created their own personal blog that connected to our
Students were able to utilize the computer rooms in EMU’s library for writing and editing their pieces for the anthology, as well as updating their writing blogs.
One of the highlights of the week: the writing marathon! We explored EMU’s campus for interesting places in which to write: 
All week long we had local writers visit our camp as guest speakers. The students had tons of questions for all of our guest speakers, but were particularly in awe of Professor Heather Neff. Not only did she keep them mesmerized as she spoke, but she also offered the chance for them to read their writing and receive valuable feedback from her. We were all so grateful!
Heather Neff gave us tons of great advice, including:
"When you are at school, write for your teachers. When you aren't, write for yourself.”
During our discussion with Professor Neff about writing, and why it is important to us, these memorable student comments were made:
"If I get in trouble, I don't tell my mom. I write it down and put it next to her bed." - Rashika Ramireddy
"Paper doesn't laugh at you when you put your ideas on it." – Emily Loewer
I found the experience of Inkstains truly remarkable. There was a palpable feeling that the students really wanted to be there, and really wanted to grow as writers. I particularly remember a moment during our writing marathon, where student after student lined up with their writer’s notebook, desperately wanting me to read what they were working on and give them feedback. “Will you read mine next?” they begged.
The students were such a joy to work with. Their enthusiasm was infectious. I had more fun than I could have ever imagined. And how could you not, when surrounded by happy faces like these?
Killing the Blues: Optimism Returns
An Anthology of Teacher Narratives
By Deb Marsh
The Eastern Michigan Writing Project of 2007 was such an amazing experience for its members that we decided to write a book. We decided that a collection of teacher narratives would be useful to others as well as ourselves. It's available on Amazon.com and http://thewordsmithpress.com/ if you're interested in laughing and crying with us, sit down, open the book and enjoy!
A few “preview” quotes:
“This compilation of narratives is written by teachers who have reached out and cried, gotten up and laughed, sat back and wondered, and gone back again and again.” - Chelly Eifert
“Learning is the same for the adults as it is for the kids. While magic is not an ingredient, being rooted in the possible, as opposed to thinking of the impossibilities, helps move that learning forward.” - Nick Kalakailo
“This is not about grades; this is about something much more.” - Angela Knight
“As an eternal optimist, I foresee a time when writing is an integral and accepted part of every class and isn’t seen as the sole domain of the English teachers.” - Carol Sliwka
Kudos to Dingell
By Bill Tucker
Jim Schaefer, TC’04, shared this response to our July Writing Initiative with Congress. Rep. John Dingell (15th District) has been an active supporter of the National Writing Project for at least two years, signing the “Dear Colleague” sponsorship letter in 2006 and 2007.
Considering the cynical storm we have rained on the current Congress, I think Rep Dingell deserves our thanks for keeping abreast of the authorization bill for NWP. I append his letter below to show his thoughtful support of the bill that keeps the NWP breathing.
If you become aware of comparable support from other members of Congress, please send me the documentation, and we will make sure they will be recognized in our circle and around the state (wtucker@emich.edu).
Dear James:
Thank you for writing to express your support for the National Writing Project (NWP). I agree with you.
As you know, the NWP is dedicated to improving student writing through teacher development. Education is a top priority in this country and I feel strongly that one way we can improve the quality of our schools is by providing continuing education and development programs for our teachers. NWP has proven to be a wise investment that allows teachers to continue their education, and in doing so, helps them to bring new, fresh and better approaches to learning to their students. It is vital that we give every child the tools needed to succeed in a changing world and there is no better way to do this than by giving teachers the chance to learn new methods.
On August 3, 2007, Representative George Miller (D-CA) introduced H.R. 3357, legislation to reauthorize the NWP. The bill would increase the maximum federal share of payments for teacher training and authorize funding for the program through fiscal year 2013. H.R. 3357 has been referred to the House Education and Labor Committee. While I do not sit on this Committee, I will be sure to take your comments into consideration should the bill come before me.
Again, thank you for being in touch. For news on current federal
legislative issues, please visit my website at www.house.gov/dingell
concern.
With every good wish,
Sincerely yours,
- John D. Dingell
- Member of Congress
Enjoying Student Feedback
by Jim Schaefer
At the end of each semester, I ask my college composition students to compose a journal in which they share three or four insights that they discovered in their writing during the class. This serves as an invaluable source for reflecting on my teaching strategies and the quality of interaction with students in a specific class. I call this activity a “portfolio presentation,” since my students are asked to prepare this one-page journal after putting all their work (reports, journals, and essays) in chronological order.
I should mention that I divide the class up into small groups at the beginning of the semester and that there are three basic types of writing assignments: reports (one-paragraph responses), journals (one-page explorations of the topic of their choice), and essays (three typed pages on the topic of their choice). Throughout, I use the process method to cultivate students’ voices and their ability to “speak” from their hearts in all their writing tasks.
Here are some of the highlights of their comments. I would imagine that these comments run parallel to what many (if not all) of you also experience. I’m sharing the comments here, for I find myself compelled to read student feedback because it’s so enjoyable. I’m also sharing these comments here, in the context of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project and the National Writing Project, because they indicate how powerfully and effectively the process strategy works for students in their writing.
* Student A talked about how the process method helped her deal with the “emotional block” she faces when she tries to write—and how she was able to transcend that limitation.
* Student B “liked the fact that we could write whatever came to the heart” and that the combination of the workshop format and the other students in his small group helped him when he “was stuck on a thesis statement” or other technical issues. That student said the experience was “one of the most interesting I have ever been in.”
* Student C said that as she reflected on the semester, she could see how her writing had improved so she would “stay on topic much better,” with stronger focus. She added that she thought the class was “valuable” for “her education” because it taught her a lot about “formal writing.”
* Student D said he felt “more confident” about his writing because he was “given the freedom to express whatever I felt was important to me,” and that this freedom helped him “get a good writing process down” in which he could “better apply to subjects that I’m not so familiar with.”
* Student E said that he learned that “revision is your friend” and that “rewrites…and the looking at it [the essay] again lend themselves to clarity and better writing.”
So enjoy the student feedback. It contributes, as Greta Nagel comments in her book, *The Tao of Teaching*, to the “ageless wisdom” and “art” of teaching.
Writing: A Family Project
By Kim Pavlock and Cathy Fleischer
Since January of this year, we have had the privilege of presenting more than fifteen workshops for parents, teachers, and families through the EMWP Family Literacy Initiative. While we have received a number of requests in the past two years for our 90-minute workshop for parents and our 90-minute workshop for families, two schools (
Over the course of a month, students and families at each of these schools came together on four different occasions to listen to, write, and share stories about favorite places to play. Each workshop brought forth incredible energy and enthusiasm as the families talked together about their memories of play places, wrote stories and poems about those places, and worked hard to make these places come alive for their readers. Students learned about strategies like adding details, taking snapshots, choosing strong nouns and verbs, and writing good leads. Parents learned strategies and techniques for talking with their children about writing and ways to support their children as writers.
In the first of four sessions, we read stories and poems about favorite play places and invited the children and their parents to draw, brainstorm, and begin writing about a favorite play place. In the second session, we focused on revision techniques and introduced students and families to
In the third session, we focused on the finer points of polishing, introducing students and families to self and peer evaluation and offering checklists we developed based on their own school’s grade level expectations. During the fourth and last session, participants came together for a celebration of writing where families received an anthology of the students’ and parents’ writing collected and published by the Eastern Michigan Writing Project, had a chance to read their writing out loud, and sign autographs.
Just as writing is a key component to these sessions, so, too, is the time spent stepping back to reflect on what the writers are learning about writing and how to support student writers. We brought each session to a close with a discussion about the different strategies that we modeled and how the parents might adapt these strategies at home. And because a number of parents attending these workshops could not speak or understand English, we were fortunate to have had a Spanish translator present at each session to help us work with the families (provided by the schools).
We applaud the students for their work in developing and polishing their writing. And we commend the parents, too, for modeling the importance of writing by immersing themselves in the writing process as well and publishing a piece of writing in either English or in Spanish. For more information on how you can participate contact Kim or Cathy at familyliteracy@emichwp.org.
Inkstains Young Writers’ Summer Camps
Middle School – July 7-11, 2008
High School – July 14-18, 2008
By Doug Baker
Inkstains, EMWP’s Young Writers’ Camp for middle and high school students, returns for its fifth year. For the first three years, Tim Authier (now a vice principal at
This year, Aimee will once again direct the camp, and she plans to continue the energetic pace for this summer’s young writers. She has selected EMWP fellows (all certified local teachers) as instructors for the camps and is in the process of coordinating visiting writers and other events.
EMWP invites middle or high school students to apply for the camp, and teachers are asked to encourage interested students to apply. The application may be sent to the address below and should be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a teacher and a writing sample from the student. The camps will be hosted by EMWP and EMU at the new
Please email or send questions about the camps to:
Dr. W. Douglas Baker (douglas.baker@emich.edu)
Co-Director Inkstains Young Writers’ Summer Camp
Eastern
612 Pray-Harrold
For an online copy of the Inkstains brochure, visit http://www.emichwp.org/inkstainsbrochure08.pdf
Helping Families Love to Write
By Kim Pavlock
On Monday, June 9, 2008, Kim Pavlock and Deb Hetrick will present a parent workshop at 826michigan in
During the Inkstains Middle School Writing Camp, which takes place July 7 - 11, Cathy Fleischer and Kim Pavlock will offer two sessions for parents of students enrolled in the camp on the topic of “How to Support Your Middle School Writer.” The purpose of these workshops is to help parents find ways to support their child as a writer: by learning about best practices in writing instruction, by discovering specific strategies that parents can use to help student writers, and by doing a little writing themselves.
On Tuesday, July 8, parents will explore strategies, take part in a “parents only, mini-writing marathon” (much like the one their kids will experience on Monday), and learn tips for how to respond to kids’ writing. On Friday, parents will learn ways to talk about writing with students beyond the one-week camp. For more information about this unique opportunity for middle school parents, please contact Kim Pavlock at familyliteracy@emichwp.org.
Read more!
By Tricia Maslow
Two schools in the
As a result of this partnership, three teachers from
Staff members from both schools were given professional development time to:
The partnership enabled the staff from both buildings to volunteer to attend a Saturday workshop at
As a result of this partnership, the two schools will pilot two separate week long writing camps this summer. Creative Inklings will be held one week at the middle school for advanced writers in grades 7-8 and one week for the elementary level for grades 4-6. The camp will involve the students in a writing experience that is sure to be inspirational and memorable. During the week long camp, the writers will have the opportunity to:
· Experience a writing marathon.
· Write in a comfortable and encouraging atmosphere.
· Participate in reading and writing response groups.
· Contribute to an anthology that will be published by the week’s end with a celebration.
The camp teaching staff will gain professional development daily, and have the opportunity to teach mini lessons throughout the week. Then, once school starts in the fall, the 6 teachers along with the director and co-director will meet three times during the year to discuss what they are trying in the classroom, and support each other as they continue to try new writing lessons.
EMWP Representatives Seek Federal Support
By Debbie Young
Hundreds of Writing Project teachers, from all fifty states, and from all grade levels K-16, gathered in
Sarah Lorenz, (TC ’97), and I, (Debra Young, TC ’06), from the EMWP, joined other teachers from Writing Projects of Michigan to make a strong delegation who requested the continued financial support of the Writing Project by Congress. Teachers generally made appointments to meet with Congresspersons who represent the district where he or she lives, works, or where the Writing Project has served schools in the past. Sarah and I met with Rep. John Dingell, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Rep. John Conyer’s assistant, Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s assistant, and Sen. Carl Levin’s assistant.
Each visit was an amazing experience. In each case we were greeted warmly and made to feel that our opinions and experiences with the Writing Project are important. In our meetings, one consistent comment that was expressed by the politicians, or those who represented them, is that writing is an essential skill for today’s workforce. Many with whom we spoke with credit their own ability to write well as the means for getting them into the job positions they now hold.
Our meeting with Rep. John Dingell was very warm and friendly. It was especially meaningful to me when he recalled the 55 letters that I hand delivered to him one year ago during my visit to the 2007 Writing Project Spring Conference. My third graders wrote persuasive letters about social issues that concern them. He even made specific reference to a few of those concerns my students had expressed. Others from his staff also remembered the letters, and they made positive comments as well. These brief meetings do establish trust with the politicians whose decisions affect education so greatly. Fortunately, Rep. Dingell has been a supporter of the Writing Project in the past.
Perhaps the meeting that turned out to be the most fun was with Rep. Thaddeus McCotter. He had an intense interest in hearing about our work. McCotter, who you can tell loves to write himself, is a very funny man. During the visit he continually cracked jokes about the importance of writing. At one point he even called one of his junior staff members into our meeting and joked with him about writing. The young man who I’ll call “Henry” reluctantly approached Sarah and me. Mc Cotter told the young man, who was about twenty years old, “Henry, these women can teach you to write. They can even teach kids to write. You ought to listen to them!” Poor Henry barely broke a smile, and this led Sarah and me to conclude that McCotter was, indeed, quite serious about his remarks to Henry. In the context of the setting, it was funny because others in the office heard the Representative joking about writing.
Sarah was able to make a special connection with McCotter because she has done some Writing Project work in the school where his three children attend. Finally, near the end of our conversation with him, McCotter told his senior assistant, named
Hopefully, our pilgrimage to
Rep.Thaddeus McCotter (Republican), Debra Young and Sarah Lorenz
Read more!
