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ConnectionsEnglish Department - College of Humanities and Fine Arts

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Newsletter of the Western Massachusetts Writing Project

Western Massachuset ts Writ ing Project Volume 27, number 1, September 2019

WMWP Supports Young Writers in Summer

WMWP Summer Leadership Inst itute 2019

By Jennifer Murphy

This summer, the Western Massachusetts Writing Project hosted summer writing programs for local youths. These sessions, led by WMWP teacher-consultants, were held simultaneously in South College of UMass Amherst during July and included writing, learning, and visiting campus venues. These tuition-based programs offered many needs-based scholarships so that all interested students, ages 8-17, could participate.

Last summer, WMWP ran just

one of these programs. This year, two more sections were added and all three were at capacity. This is all part of an initiative by WMWP to add more youth and family programming.

The Summer Youth Writing programs are also another way that the WMWP offers teachers who have completed the Summer Institute opportunities to further professional development and to apply acquired skills to a classroom setting. This year's facilitators were WMWP TCs Molly Watkins,

By Jen DiGrazia

My experience in the two-week long Summer Institute program has been resonating with me ever since. I arrived the first day in July, sweaty and shaking. It was insanely hot, construction was everywhere, and parking in the Garage was challenging. My pass didn?t initially work, I was terrified of being late, and I was driving my step-son?s car because the transmission on my Subaru had conked out the previous day. Tantamount in my mind, however, was that my partner and I were struggling with our 11-year-old son, who has a Bi-Polar diagnosis and who had erupted in an angry manic episode that lasted the entirety of my time at the institute.

Participating in the WMWP Summer Institute is something I always meant to do. I had earned my Ph.D. from the English Department at UMass Amherst in 2005 and been mentored by Peter Elbow, Anne Herrington and Charlie Moran, some of the founders of WMWP. My current position as the Composition Coordinator at Westfield State University and as a professor in the English Department means that I regularly encounter potential and aspiring secondary education teacher candidates. However, I put it off until Beth Rothermel, one of my colleagues who had been active in teacher education at WSU and in the WMWP, recently retired.

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Young writers inspired by the gardens

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We're looking for teacher-writers!

Did you know that WMWP has a monthly partnership with the Daily Hampshire Gazette newspaper? Each month, a WMWP educator is a featured Chalk Talk columnist writ ing

about the classroom, the educational landscape or some aspects of learning.

Would you like to be a writer this year? Contact WMWP Outreach Co-Director Kevin Hodgson for more details. Email: [email protected]

Kelly Norris and Elena Buttgereit.

Meanwhile, another youth summer program took place at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, where an ongoing partnership between WMWP, the Armory and Springfield schools has led to a fifth year of week-long writing activities with a historical theme. This project is part of a larger initiative between the National Writing Project and

the National Park Service to encourage more place-based curriculum connections.

The program is free for students at the Duggan Academy in Springfield, and the camp was funded by the Armory and Springfield schools. The camp is facilitated and organized with WMWP teacher- consultants Kevin Hodgson and Harriet Kulig, along with

Springfield Armory Ranger Scott Gausen,

and staff members from Duggan.

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? Young Writers

Students and teachers at the Armory Camp explore historical images

WMWP Secures Grant for Youth ProgramsWMWP has been selected by the Library of Congress 2019 Literacy Awards Program as a Best Practice honoree. This award of $5,000 recognizes WMWP's achievement in the promotion of literacy and in the development of innovative methods and effective practices in the field. The award will be presented in Washington, D.C., on October 31.

The Literacy Awards Program honors organizations that have made outstanding contributions to increasing literacy in the United States or abroad.

"We believe your organization serves as a unique and inspiring model for others seeking to advance literacy and literacy awareness," the award letter states.

WMWP?s Youth and Family Programs Co-Director Jenn Murphy spearheaded the application process. Although the award is unrestricted, WMWP plans to use the funds to support development of youth writing initiatives.

Read more about the award at www.umass.edu/wmwp.

Watch a video of Armory Camp: https:/ /www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Hgh6WcVEI&feature=youtu.be

View writing from the UMass Summer Camp: https:/ / sites.google.com/view/wmwp2019summeryouthwriting

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Western Massachuset ts Writ ing Project Volume 22, number 2, September 2017 Western Massachuset ts Writ ing Project Volume 27, number 1, September 2019

Rewrit ing the ScriptHow to Make Change in Classrooms, Schools and

Communit iesWMWP's Annual Best Practices in the Teaching of Writing Conference

Keynote by Dr. Declan O'ConnorSaturday, October 5, 2019

South College, UMass Amherst

6 professional development hours 12 PDPs available with extension

$60 Registration Fee($30 for full-t ime undergraduates)

Fee includes morning refreshments and luncheon

Register onl ine at www.umass.edu/wmwp!Western Massachusetts Writing Project has a proud tradition of featuring selected workshops by its newest Summer Leadership Institute class and veteran teacher-consultants at its annual Best Practices conference. This year?s program includes ten morning workshops, followed by a luncheon featuring keynote speaker Dr. Declan O'Connor. Five additional workshops will be offered in the afternoon.

Schedule 8:00 Coffee & Registration 8:30 A Workshop Sessions 10:15 B Workshop Sessions 12:00 Luncheon & Keynote Address 1:30 C Workshop Sessions 3:00 Closing & PD hours certif icate pickup

A Sessions (8:30-10:00)

A1. RESEARCH WITH PURPOSE: CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM

Emmalie Dropkin

Students around the world are struggling to understand and come to terms with what climate change means for their lives. This workshop will present an approach to teaching research and persuasive writing that asks students to consider how climate crisis will impact daily life ? their careers, communities, fashion, sports, and more ? and to communicate that knowledge to audiences who can act on it. The workshop will include interpersonal and tactile exercises to engage people of any age in talking about climate change, plus concrete assignments, exercises, and resources that can be adapted for any setting. Engage students in writing by reminding them that writing can help save the world!

A2. USING DIGITAL TOOLS TO CLOSE READ

NONFICTION TEXTS

Tom Fanning, Nicole Godard, Kevin McKenna

Teachers will combine Kylene Beers and Robert Probst?s Notice and Note signposts for reading nonfiction texts with the free Google Extension InsertLearning, an application that allows teachers to turn any web page into an interactive lesson. Teachers will learn to embed opportunities for students to annotate or answer questions as they read an online article, keeping a look out for signposts like ?Absolute or Extreme Language? or ?Numbers and Stats.? Participants will use these tools as their students would, then switch to teacher-mode and prepare lessons for their own classroom use.

A3. INTRODUCING L2 WRITING TO ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Marlon Perez

This workshop provides a dynamic model to engage students in vocabulary learning, pre-writing transition, and creative writing. Each activity focuses on creating opportunities for students to enhance and practice listening, speaking, writing, and reading.

A4. DO OVER: FICTIONALIZING OUR LIVES TO EXPLORE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

erin feldman

This workshop is an opportunity to write with peers and have fun with words in a low-stakes, high- acceptance environment. Leaning on writing activities

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from Natalie Goldberg and Tim Clare, among others, we will use fiction writing activities to re-vision and rewrite a scene from our own lives. This writing practice is meant as a tool for reflecting upon and (possibly) transforming teaching and writing practices.

A5. CULTURAL VARIABILITY: IMPLICIT BIAS AND STUDENT EMPOWERMENT

Momodou Sarr

We all have stories. Our stories are our narratives, written by our experiences and our environments. We also have implicit biases. These subtle or subconscious beliefs we were socialized into also influence our actions and decisions in our daily interactions with adults as well as students in our classrooms. As educators, we work with an incredible diversity of learners every day. What was your journey like through the education system? Through personal reflection and small group discussions, we will explore our own journeys through the education system using a cultural lens in order to be aware of our own stories and design learning environments that embrace our learners? stories, empowering all learners to reach high expectations.

Refreshment Break (10:00-10:15)

B Sessions (10:15-11:45)

B1. BOOK GROUP MEMBERS SHARE THEIR LEARNING AND LESSON PLANS

Kelly Norris (and others)

We will begin with some writing prompts to engage participants in thinking about this topic, then share some key points or insights we got from the book, The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys. A few members of the book group will share ideas that sparked a lesson plan or a shift in pedagogy or curriculum, then participants will interact with some resources from the book. Finally, participants will make and share a plan for action.

B2. GOOGLE APPS FOR RESEARCH, COMPOSITION, AND PRESENTATION

Tom Fanning, Nicole Godard, Kevin McKenna

In this workshop, teachers will build digital presentations with content collected from online nonfiction sources. Close reading is supported by the highlighting tool in the Read & Write for Google extension. (Read & Write for Google is free for teachers; it can be purchased for schools or district-wide.) Participants will research three sources and collect their highlights into three Google Docs. Next, notes are consolidated into a Google Doc table, then composed into bullets on Google Slides. After polishing the slides

with images, color, and animation, participants create a screencast video. For extra credit, build your own Google Site and publish your video! Bring your own topic or choose from a list provided by the presenters. Printed instruction packets will be available as take-aways.

B3. REWRITING YOUR CURRICULUM: EMPLOYING THE STATION ROTATION MODEL TO ADD VALUE AND IMPROVE OUTCOMES

Karl Hartshorn

The workshop focuses on learning stations, more specifically the station rotation model of learning stations. While this model is often employed in elementary schools or discussed in the context of blended learning, the focus of this workshop is using the model in a high school classroom to provide structure while maintaining curriculum fluidity, improve feedback, make big classes feel smaller, increase technology use, and diversify curriculum, especially for students who benefit from kinetic, active approaches to learning. Teachers will leave the workshop with resources and references to support the use of the station rotation model in their own classrooms.

B4. UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE THROUGH EXPLANATORY WRITING

Ericca Lucht

This workshop will engage participants in a variety of explanatory writing activities aiming to enhance understanding of science topics. Science images, paintings, cartoons, and comics are the basis of the explanatory writing. Integrating these forms of imagery with explanatory writing in the science classroom aims to better support students in the understanding of science topics.

B5. WRITE NOW: PRACTICE WHAT YOU TEACH

Jenn Murphy

Did you know that research shows that the most effective teachers of writing are writers themselves? Are you an educator who wants to write but feels uninspired? This workshop is for you! Engaging writing exercises will help you awaken your dormant writer self. A composition book will be your canvas. You will begin to fill it with art and writing activities (collage, drawing, poetry) that you can also use in your classroom. Come join us on this creative journey!

B6. ENGAGING STUDENTS IN CIVICS THROUGH AUTHENTIC LEARNING PROJECTS

Matthew Venditti

Perhaps there is no better way to learn about civic engagement than to introduce students to authentic

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Western Massachuset ts Writ ing Project Volume 22, number 2, September 2017 Western Massachuset ts Writ ing Project Volume 27, number 1, September 2019projects that work to engage students with their community and the world. This presentation will focus on strategies and methods for introducing real world civic projects in the classroom.

Luncheon and Keynote Address at UMass Campus Center (11:45-1:30)

C Sessions (1:30-3:00)

C1. ADAPTING FOR NEW LEARNERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR: HOW TO SUPPORT THE TRANSIENT STUDENT

Erin White

Teachers will explore strategies for including transient students into the classroom culture and curriculum at any point in the year. Teachers will draft their own welcome packets and learn strategies to engage students who may have gaps in their education or did not start the year with the rest of the class. By the end of this workshop, teachers will see the importance of creating an inviting culture with a unique take on cyclical review, reflection writing, and improving understanding for new and old students alike.

C2. THE WRITE ANGLE: USING THE WRITING PROCESS TO UNLOCK STUDENT THINKING IN MATH CLASS

Johanna Wilbur

Math class should not be a writing-free zone. There is much to be gained from having students write during the development of their math learning. We will use the stages of the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) as a structure for teaching and evaluating math writing in the classroom. This interactive workshop merges presentation with opportunities for teachers to interact with the math itself, try out some strategies for writing in the area of math, and brainstorm together about its relevance and

applicability in their own classrooms. Types of math writing, strategies for supporting math writing in particular, and a list of resources will be shared with participants.

C3. PLAYWRITING FOR CHANGE

Jorge J. Rodriguez

This workshop will explore how play-writing can offer high school students tools to depict social issues and a platform to call for social change. The workshop will model a unit that takes students from reading a short play exploring racial relations in the USA to using dramatic techniques in the writing of a monologue or short scene that explores a social issue of interest or concern to them. Participants in this workshop should expect to discuss topics in self-identity (race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, among others), write short dramatic pieces, and perform dramatic writing (their own and that of others).

C4. GAME OF TOMES: USING GAME-BASED LEARNING PEDAGOGY TO TEACH WRITING TO MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

Joe Costello

Reading and writing are social and cultural practices, not purely cognitive or literary ones. Students who come to school with established privileges supporting writing proficiency have greater access to further practice, teacher feedback, and pathways to improve than other students. A game-based learning approach to teaching writing creates a learning environment that controls for factors like cultural bias and provides equitable opportunity and access for students who need practice the most. This workshop explores the benefits of teaching writing using game-based learning strategies. Participants will learn more about the theory behind this practice and will have time to play a level of a middle school writing workshop "game."

C5. SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE REUNION

Best Pract ices Keynote: Dr. Declan O'ConnorDr. Declan O?Connor is the current and founding principal of Chestnut

Middle School, Talented & Gifted, a grade 6-8 public school whose student achievement rose from the ninth percentile in Massachusetts to the 65th percentile in five years. Dr. O?Connor has been an educator in Springfield for 25 years. Dr. O?Connor believes that hiring and supporting the highest quality of teachers is the single most important investment he can make for students. He also believes that successful schools exist where the leader tends to the learning and provisional needs of its teachers. He insists that in schools where teachers thrive, so do students. Dr. O?Connor believes that all students are talented and gifted, and when taught by skillful and caring teachers who hold students to high

expectations, student potential is unlimited.

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Book Group Explores Diversity and BiasBy Kelly Norris

This summer, a group of teachers formed to read The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys (Corwin). A quote from the authors explains the need for this book well: ?Schools that routinely fail Black boys are not extraordinary. In fact, they are all-too ordinary.

If we are to succeed in positively shifting outcomes for Black boys and young men, we must first change the way school is 'done.' That?s where the eight in ten teachers who are White women fit in...?

The study group is the result of the Charles Moran Teacher Leadership Fellowship, which this year was given to Kelly Norris, who led the group.

The book is broken into three parts: Understanding, Respecting, and Connecting.

The first part addresses how teachers can better understand their own whiteness as well as the

narratives surrounding black boys, and how both work together to impact dynamics in a classroom.

The second part aims to help teachers respect the diversity of black boys, as well as their families and communities. And the third is all about connecting student success and failure to school structures and classroom strategies.

In addition to reading and discussing the book, participants were able to bring their questions to a professional anti-racism trainer, who spoke with the group several times through video chat.

Central to the group?s discussions were issues of discipline, curriculum, language, and classroom norms. Further topics addressed were how to incorporate more physical activity in the classroom, strategies for advocating for black boys when to do so is to disrupt the status quo, and creating counter-narratives about black boys that teach all students. We look forward to learning more at the group?s presentation at the fall conference!

Participants in the WMWP Book Group, led by WMWP TC Kelly Norris

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WMWP Fal l /Winter Planner

Western Massachuset ts Writ ing Project Volume 22, number 2, September 2017 Western Massachuset ts Writ ing Project Volume 27, number 1, September 2019

WMWP Summer Leadership Inst itute 2020 Details and application forms will be available on the WMWP website soon.

Visit www.umass.edu/wmwp/ for more information.

Best Pract ices in the Teaching of Writ ing:ReWrit ing the ScriptSaturday, October 5, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.South Col lege, UMass AmherstWMWP's annual fall conference features three rounds of concurrent sessions, plus a luncheon, awards, and a keynote speech by Dr. Declan O'Connor. Registration fee: $60 including luncheon ($30 for full-time undergraduate students). Register at www.umass.edu/wmwp. 12 PDPs or 1 credit available with extension option. (See full conference details on pp. 3-5.)

WMWP Execut ive Board Meet ingsThursday, September 26, 4:15-6:15 p.m. Five Col leges, Inc., 97 Spr ing Street, AmherstExecutive Board meetings are open to all WMWP teacher-consultants. Come and participate in discussions about inquiry topics and planning sessions for WMWP programs! Please let us know you are coming by e-mail to wmwp@engl ish.umass.edu. Winter and spring meetings will be scheduled, locations TBA at WMWP website

Mapping the Seasons: Exploring HistoricalPeriods through Writ ingThursdays, Oct. 3, Dec. 5, Jan. 9, March 5, 4-7 p.m.Spr ingf ield Armory National Histor ic Si teThis course will provide K-12 educators opportunities to immerse themselves in the extensive primary source materials at the Springfield Armory with the goal of designing lessons that engage students in multiple disciplines, including the "STEAM" subjects as well as social studies and ELA. Lesson-design projects will integrate standards from the new Massachusetts history framework. Registration fee: $25. 22.5 PDPs or 1 credit available. Register at www.umass.edu/wmwp.

Civics Literacy Leadership Inst ituteTuesdays, beginning October 15, 4:15-6:45 p.m. Col laborative for Education Services, Nor thampton The Civics Literacy Leadership Institute, a PK-12 program, reflects the 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework's focus on civic engagement. Participants will practice strategies to teach civics, create model lessons, engage in action research, and present professional development workshops. Registration fee: $500. 90 PDPs or 4 credits available. For more information, please visit: https:/ /www.umass.edu/wmwp/calendar-events

Science Literacy Leadership Inst itute Mondays, beginning October 21, 4:15-6:45 p.m. Ludlow High School WMWP?s Science Literacy Leadership Institute, a PK-12 program, reflects the Massachusetts Science, Technology, and Engineering Framework's emphasis on scientific reasoning. Participants will practice strategies to teach science literacy, create model science lessons, engage in action research, and design and present professional development workshops. Registration fee: $500. 90 PDPs or 4 credits available. For more information, please visit: https:/ /www.umass.edu/wmwp/calendar-events

WMWP Writ ing Marathon: Celebrate the Nat ional Day on Writ ingSunday, October 20, 1-3 p.m. Spr ingf ield Armory, Federal Street, Spr ingf ield Join educators in celebrating the National Day on Writing with this free program that uses the Springfield Armory National Historic Site for inspiration. Registration is encouraged, and registered teachers will receive a small stipend from the Springfield Armory. Register at www.umass.edu/wmwp.

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'Write Out ' For The Nat ional Day On Writ ing (And Get Your Students Writ ing, too)

Celebrate the National Day on Writing on (or near) October 20th. This event is hosted by the National Council of Teachers of English, along with the National Writing Project and other organizations. A recurring theme for the past few years has been the question of "Why I Write."

This year, the National Writing Project is hosting the second round of its "Write Out" initiative in collaboration with the National Park Service. Write Out is a free, online, collaborative initiative that will offer educators and young writers a variety of activities to explore a sense of space and stories

through place-based writing strategies. Write Out takes place in a two-week cycle of events, and begins on Sunday, October 13, and concludes on Sunday, October 27. The National Day on Writing takes place right in the middle of Write Out, and educators are encouraged to either bring students outdoors for writing activities or launch classroom projects that look at rural and urban spaces, recreation and historical places, and more.

To find out more, visit the Write Out website, and sign up for updates and information: https:/ /writeout.nwp.org/

And Join Us For a 'Day on Writ ing' MarathonThe Western Massachusetts Writing Project and the Springfield Armory National Historic Site -- longtime partner organizations for professional development and youth summer camps -- are hosting an open Writing Marathon at the Springfield Armory to celebrate the National Day on Writing on Sunday, October 20, from 1-3 p.m.

Educators will be invites to explore the historical museum, which is located on the grounds of Springfield Technical Community College at One Armory Square in Springfield.

Participants in this free event will use history and primary source materials as inspiration to write and to explore.

The Armory will also provide small stipends to teachers who register and attend the Writing Marathon. The amount of stipends will depend on the number of people who attend.

If you have never visited the Springfield Armory or if you have a desire to write with WMWP colleagues, this event is for you. Registration is recommended via the WMWP website: https:/ /www.umass.edu/wmwp/

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Join a WMWP Leadership Team! All WMWP programs are created for teachers by WMWP teacher-consultants in teams led by our co-directors and professional development coordinator. These teams meet face to face two or three times a year and otherwise communicate online.

Please consider joining a team? your experience and expertise are needed! To volunteer, send an e-mail to [email protected].

WMWP Leadership Teams

- Summer Leadership Institute: Chris Rea- Teacher Programs: Emily Lent Hemingway- Youth and Family Programs: Jenn Murphy- Outreach: Kevin Hodgson - Language, Culture, and Diversity: - Momodou Sarr- Technology: Tom Fanning - Professional Development:

Jane Baer-Leighton

WMWP Tech TipsClose Reading Using Apps and Extensions

By Tom Fanning

As part of our explorations of the intersections with technology and literacy, WMWP technology leaders seek to provide resources for teachers to explore and use with students.

Here, we examine two approaches to close reading for online content. Close reading is central to developing effective literacy skills, especially with nonfiction.

First is Inser tLearning (IL), a free Chrome extension. Next is an examination of a third grade research and presentation project which utilizes the Read & Wr i te for Google (RW4G) extension to support reading of online content. RW4G subscriptions can be purchased for school or district-wide groups, and is free for teachers.

Insert Learning (IL) is a tool for enabling close reading of webpages. Student work can be viewed in two ways: answers to direct questions or discussions on text by students. Or, you can view student insertions and annotations on the actual website and add your comments.

Here are the steps involved in using IL for close reading: (Note: there are video tutorials at IL website.)

1. Select your nonfiction website as a source.

2. Determine the process of your activity. You may want students to highlight certain information, such as quantitative data in yellow, statement of fact in green, author?s opinion or or conjectures in pink, etc. Attach a sticky note to the title to embed instructions.

3. Insert questions to stimulate close reading and to provide formative feedback to you. As the teacher you can pick a strategic location in the article for the question. Insert the question to cause students to stop, reflect, reread and respond.

4. Give students access to the article by sharing the link or posting through Google Classroom.

5. Allow students to insert sticky notes to flag information or to write a quick memo regarding content in a passage.

6. Embed discussions to let students share thoughts with each other.

7. View or grade student work. Also, brief comments can be can be inserted on their websites, and this can be another way to slow them down and read deeply.

If you are looking to build skills while engaged in a research and presentation task, then what follows is

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a description of a project using Read & Write for Google (RW4G). At my school this year, third graders did a nonfiction research project on famous African Americans. This project required them to close read for specific information:

? date and location of birth and death

? challenges they had to overcome

? and lifetime accomplishments

Students chose or were assigned a famous person and given websites to gather research from. They used the RW4G highlighter tool to identify the targeted information: birth/death/date = yellow; challenges = blue; accomplishments = pink. Notes were collected and saved in a Google Doc using the Collect Highlights button.

During this process we observed close reading being sustained over extended periods. We could give feedback if we detected notes that were too vague or did not align with the three subtopics.

Students transferred notes into a table distributed through Classroom. The table had two columns and four rows - the top row read, ?Topic? and ?Notes?. Rows two through four were for the three subtopics. Students could copy and paste from these Docs, or write in paraphrased information.

Next, students were given a template in Google Slides in which to build a presentation with slides designated as Title, Birth/death/ location, Challenges, and Accomplishments. Students transformed notes into slides, with appropriate design for presentation and sharing.

To differentiate this task, we added an optional step to create a screencast video in which students narrated their slides. Throughout this process, teachers and support staff could monitor student work, give feedback and modify the process as needed.

Although the complexity and depth of information gathered varied from student to student, all remained engaged and maintained focus on the information they collected with the RW4G highlighting tool. At each step we saw students becoming more confident and self-directed.

? Technology Tips

Participants in WMWP?s College, Career, and Community Writers Program spent a week at the UMass Center in Springfield planning new ways to incorporate argumentative writing into their respective curriculums. Through C3WP, teachers and students research, consider, and analyze various sources and points of view in order to come to a conclusion that is grounded in evidence.

Typically when we think of argumentative writing we hear and tend to focus on the word argument and its layers of meaning. We imagine and relish the fight, and the defense of one side in a disagreement. This kind of thinking is also present in our students.

The spectacle of a debate supersedes at times the important skills we need to teach and that they need to master. Our society values the

entertainment of a fight rather than an intellectual and civil debate.

This type of dichotomy is nowhere in sight with C3WP. Rather than grandstanding, there is an emphasis on showing students how to better use research and facts to back up their beliefs. We also focus on how argumentative writing can be used to instill a sense of civic responsibility in our students.The use of mentor texts, images, videos, and other ?texts? exposes our students to the rich discourse that happens with many issues in our democratic society.

We are teachers during a time of political, social, environmental turmoil. In light of this difficult moment, C3WP's emphasis on respectful listening feels profound. Argumentative writing, sounding at first blush like a disagreement, becomes an opportunity for dialogue and a path towards understanding.

C3WP: A Profound Learning ExperienceBy Antony Marando and Rebecca Serlin

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I expected to do professional work during my time at the Institute through my project. Indeed, I developed a questionnaire I will distribute to former WSU secondary education alumnae seeking input about the gaps they perceived in their writing pedagogy instruction at WSU. I also developed a draft of a course syllabus, taking advantage of my fellow participants? expertise to get input about how to best develop the course.

In addition to me, Kate and the two Institute leaders, high school ELA teacher Chris Rea and high school Biology teacher Hollington Lee, we had a special education instructor, a reading Teacher, a middle school ELA instructor and a high school ELA instructor.

The most important part of the Institute, for me, came from producing the personal writing piece. That first day of the Institute, we were given time to write. Eager to escape the pain of my son?s most recent mental health incident and allay my own jitters, I dove into the professional writing and spent two hours on my project. While it wasn?t unproductive, it felt stilted, as if I was writing with only a piece of my more public persona. That same day, we met in writing feedback groups for the first time. Peer review is a standard facet of my own teaching, and I was both excited and nervous to hear their writing and share my own.

The reading teacher shared first. She wrote a poem (usually my least favored genre) questioning her own role in our tumultuous political landscape and beautifully balancing observation with personal experience and inquiry. Suddenly, I wanted to write something entirely different myself.

Her poem felt like it was speaking truth, and the vulnerability she showed help to set me free. The rest of my writing time involved my professional project, but I also deeply invested in a personal piece of writing about my son. In ?Power and Personal Writing: Disruption, Disjuncture and (Dis) Ability,? I poured out my frustration, my fear, my questions about our very fraught, very personal

and potentially shameful experiences with our son--in educational settings and at home. I raged against the system while trying to paint a picture of him that captured him in all of his quirky intelligence and wit. I wanted to show the beauty and the struggle. I asked questions about mental health, disability and teaching writing. When I shared that piece for the first time, my voice shook. I said, ?I don?t know if I?m

saying something others want or need to hear or if I?m just writing

about this experience.?

It was quiet after I read. Holly said something like, ?You?re already giving me a different view of the parents of some of my own students. Because of hearing this piece, I?m thinking of them and my approach to them, differently.? Other group members were equally responsive.

I got so much from my summer institute experience, professionally and personally. The most important aspect was the joy I got from being part of a community of writers, people who both represented all levels of the educational spectrum and who valued writing. For the first time in a long time, I felt heard, and I reaffirmed for myself why I don?t just facilitate writing, but need to write--professionally and personally. In the best of spaces and worlds, even when they hurt and are uncomfortable, these different parts of ourselves can productively inform one another.

? Summer Inst ituteContinued from page 1

Participants in the 2019 Summer Institute

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WMWP on Social Media: Stay InformedWMWP has an active presence in various social media platforms in order to better share information and focus on the art of teaching, as well as feature your work as educators. You can find, follow, and friend us at these sites:

Facebook:http:/ /www.facebook.com/westernmasswp

Twitter : https:/ / twitter.com/WesternMassWP

Instagram:https:/ /www.instagram.com/westernmasswp/

Web:https:/ /www.umass.edu/wmwp/

Submit a proposal: https:/ /www.emailmeform.com/builder/ form/YRi3HJx0L6KtkmGB

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