Preconference Workshops
PW.1
Pasadena ISD
Write to Reflect--Write to Renew: Exploring Writing as a Way to Replenish the Energy to Teach
- Writing IS a mode of learning; however, writing can also serve as a way to help teachers hold on to their compassion and motivation to teach. In order to be reflective practitioners, teachers must be engaged in writing that inspires them, renews their passion for the craft of teaching, and uses listing as a strategy for time management--all of which will replenish their energy to teach. Participants in this wprkshop will leave with writing prompts to use with their teams, departments, and faculties along with a time management strategy that will boost teachers’ productivity and performance. As educators, we must encourage and support each other. Writing serves as a way to nurture what’s in our hearts for teaching.
Highland Park ISD
Performance Poetry: Strengthening interpretation, reading, and writing of poetry through collaboration and the art of performance
- With poetry as a new component on the STAAR test, the need for students to be able to decode poetry is a pressing need. More importantly, this workshop will provide the tools to foster a gateway for students to discover their voices and participate in a creative outlet that spans the globe.
Allen ISD
Starting to Write
- Is it truly possible for primary students to take a piece of writing through the entire writing process? Do they really write independently? Can a young child work on the same piece for several days? Are they really able to use conferences as a learning vehicle? Are they able to self-publish? This is a tall order, but YES, they can! Come enter into a classroom full of 5-and-6-year-old writers who do all of the above on a daily basis (and joyfully)! See videos of these students in action, read their work, and walk along side them through the process. Be inspired by these children, and leave with tools you can use immediately.
PW.4
Fort Bend ISD
Have I Got a Session
for You!
- Say good-bye to boring persuasive essays! You know the ones I’m talking about--essays that put you to sleep and add up to zero fun. We’ll use Mélanie Watts’s, Have I Got a Book for You! as a mentor text to show students the power of persuasion. Learn specific strategies for teaching students how to interject voice into persuasive writing and walk away with do-it-tomorrow ideas for guiding your students through the process. Not convinced? Research shows that 100% of my participants noticed a dramatic increase in happiness after attending my class.
Keystone School
Re-Examining the Sentence: Moving Advanced Writers from Syntactical Variety to Rhetorical Effect
Once our middle and high school level writers have revised their sentence beginnings and lengths for variety, once they have experimented with Harry Noden’s palette of brush strokes and Carroll's ratiocination, how do we move them to the next level, to the consideration of syntax for rhetorical effect? Together, let’s consider strategies for helping students consider the rhythm and syntax of their words as a way to make their meaning memorable to readers.