Winter 2009

UNC Charlotte Writing Project Newsletter Mark Your Calendar!

PD Meeting Date: January 6, 2010 Time: 5:30 pm Location: Fretwell 223 Contact Cindy at cdianeur@uncc.edu

Book Study Teaching Writing That Matters

By Chris Gallagher January: Part 1 February: Part 2 March: Part 3 Location: WP Ning

Deadline for SI Applications Date: February 28, 2010 Send likely candidates to education.uncc.edu/wp/ to download the application.

Spring Conference Keynote: Chris Gallagher Date: April 14, 2010 Time: 8:30 am Location: Cone Center Contact Lacy at lamanshi@uncc.edu or visit education.uncc.edu/wp/ for registration info.

Open Teacher Research Meeting Date: May 3, 2010 Time: 6:00 pm Location: Wine Vault Contact Karen at khaag@bellsouth.net

Teacher Research Institute Date: June 21-24, 2010 Contact Karen at khaag@bellsouth.net or visit education.uncc.edu/wp/ for application info.

December 2009

CLASSROOM MOMENT Having recently returned from a wonderful NCCAT retreat called, “Creative Imagination,” I was full of energy and ideas on how to add more creativity into my classroom, and I had a greater understanding of why we need to live a creative life. When I returned to school there was one more week until Christmas vacation. I settled back into my routine of collecting papers, grading papers, writing lesson plans and reprimanding students for not turning in the assigned work. All of my creative energy took a backseat. My college prep class was reading Night, and much to my chagrin, they were struggling with this heart wrenching novella. I pressed on by having my students complete a found poem activity. The assignment was explained, examples were shown, modeling was done and then my students set to work. They were blessedly quiet for about 10 minutes or so, which is rarity for this class! Whenever I do this assignment I allow my students to decorate it, and put it on construction paper, and hang it on the door or around the room. At this moment one of my students looked at the clock with a little frown and said, “Dang this class went fast.” Another student responded to him and said, “Yeah that’s because we were having fun.” That last sentence stopped me in my tracks. As simple as this assignment was, these two 15-year-olds had just pointed out what education should be- fun. I thought over the previous week, all the fun we'd had and how much we'd learned. They were right: education should be fun. It was at this moment that I decided to add much more creativity into my classroom and allow my students to learn more through the power of the arts.

---Keia Pannell

TEACHER AS WRITER In 2010, UNCCWP will kick off a new initiative: “Teacher as Writer.” The goal is to create more space at our Writing Project site for teacher consultants to grow as writers and to stay-in-touch with their “writer selves.” We will create a Teacher as Writer group on our Ning where TCs can share their writing: personal writing, writing about their classrooms, poems, stories, etc. We will also be organizing writing “events” at which TCs can get together and write in communities. This will include in-person meet-ups and virtual meet-ups via Skype, Facebook, etc. Our first major event will be this summer’s SI Writing Marathon. TC Mary Kendrick will be our Teacher as Writer coordinator.

--–Mary Kendrick

SPRING CONFERENCE This year’s UNC Charlotte Writing Project Spring Conference will feature Chris Gallagher, author of Teaching Writing that Matters and Reclaiming Assessment.

Breakout sessions led by TCs will focus on creating assessments.

Talk to your colleagues about coming along with you. There will be an online book study open to all conference goers to sustain or frontload this professional development and to aid in obtaining a full 1.0 CEU credit.

Spring Conference is April 14 from 8:30 to 3:00 in Cone Center at UNCC. Parking and lunch are provided. Visit the website for registration info and to print the flyer.

Phoenix burns fiercely reduced to ashes reborn to live again Teacher accused of playing not teaching reduced to tears removed from yet another nest reborn to live again her cry a beautiful song ---Tony Iannone

Urban Sites Institute (pending) Date: July 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16, 2010 Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Contact Lacy at lamanshi@uncc.edu

Annual Writing Marathon Date: July 13, 2010 Contact Lacy at lamanshi@uncc.edu

FALL 2009 TECH CONFERENCE

Pictured above is GranVille Caldwell, Jr., conference goer from Harding University High School.

In October the UNC Charlotte WP hosted our third annual Technology Conference. Participants chose between advanced and beginner sessions. They worked with a range of web and computer based technologies in sessions about EPortfolios, Web 2.0 Applications, Social Networking on Ning.com, ETalking and E-Listening with Audacity, Digital Storytelling using Moviemaker and Visual Literacy with the SMART board.

Presenters were Lucy Arnold Perkins Jennifer Buckner Erika Bowen Sally Griffin Lacy Manship Jonathan Bartels

URBAN SITES Our site is submitting a mini-grant proposal to the National Writing Project to begin a new Urban Sites project, Literacy and Learning Narratives. The goal of the project is to explore composing technologies and think about our work with literacy in our own classrooms as well as with our work with teachers and students. As a part of this work, we hope to find space for the powerful voices of the students in high needs/ high poverty schools as they talk about their own learning and literacy, find ways to access the literacy and learning of these students beyond standardized tests, and find ways for the teachers to access their own learning and teaching beyond the test.

TCs who participate will work together in an Advanced Institute on July 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16 and during the school year. We will find out in March if we receive the grant. Interested TCs should contact Lacy at lamanshi@uncc.edu to get on the waiting list for the project.

Professional Development and Partnership Schools We’ve had several active partnerships with schools this fall. As we work with these schools and discuss what’s happening there, we are finding more and better ways to work with the school in our area. THANKS so much to these teams for their wisdom, their tenacity and their willingness to share ideas with us all.

Cotswold Elementary led by Cindy Urbanski Martin Luther King Middle School led by Lacy Manship and Cindy Urbanski The Morgan School led by Jennifer Buckner and Brian Kissel Concord Middle School led by Jeanneine Jones and Karen Haag Yadkin County Schools led by Cindy Urbanski and Mary Kendrick We are looking forward to beginning two new partnerships in January: Beverly Woods Elementary led by Lacy Manship and Tony Iannone White Water Middle School led by Lacy Manship and Sally Griffin The most exciting thing that has happened this fall in our professional development work is the deepening of our partnership with CMS through the efforts of ALL of our TCs. We had our first Professional Development Meeting in October. We discussed ways we could extend our professional communities within our schools and districts. That discussion as well as the very active on-line discussion that followed produced a plan of action to work with CMS to create PLC alliances. Lacy and Lil met with Katy Dula and Anne Renfrow. Cindy followed up with Katy Dula, and then Lil and Cindy met with the literacy group K-12 downtown. Talks are in place now about summer offerings in technology and up to FOUR Writing Project /PLC Alliances for CMS teachers in the school year 2010-2011. So, get ready presenters. We are going to need you!!

We would LOVE to do the kind of work we are doing in CMS with our other surrounding districts. It’s insider information about needs and structures that help us to do that. Check out the Professional Development group on our Ning! That’s the place to start talking about this stuff.

Please join us on Wednesday January 6 at 5:30 in Fretwell 223 for Pizza and our next professional development meeting! RSVP Cindy ASAP at cdianeur@uncc.edu ---Cindy Urbanski

TEACHER RESEARCH TEACHER RESEARCH UPDATE of news newson onthe theTeacher TeacherResearch Researchfront. front.First Firstofof Lots of we're so soproud proudthat thatMary MaryKendrick's Kendrick article, sent her all, we're the product of four years of TRon work, accepted article that she's worked for 4was years duringfor TR publication in the May 2010 issue of English Journal. to The English Journal. Her piece was accepted for Look for some interesting the May 2010 extra magazine.

Look reading for somebecause extra you know the author! interesting reading because you know the author!

Two Board Two of of our ourmembers membersbecame becameNationally Nationally Board certified, a goal they pursued vigorously! certified, a goal they pursued vigorously!

Congratulations Erika Bowen.

Congratulationsto toHeather HeatherBoteva Botevaand and Erika Where can you….

Bowen.

This summer, Brian Kissel, Tony Iannone and Karen Haag will co-direct Teacher Research JUNE 21-24. We Stay connected with other TCs? This summer, Brian Kissel, Tony Iannone and I will collaborated on writing a grant in hopes that Teacher co-direct Teacher Research JUNE 21-24. We Researchers will get paid for their work. Thanks to Find a place to share your classroom stories and writing of all kinds? collaborated writing grant inWe hopes that you Brian for doingonthe actualawriting! will keep Teacher paidthrough for theirthe work.

Get feedback from other TCs? posted onResearchers whether wewill get get funded Thanks to Brian for doing the actual writing!

National Writing Project or not. Funds are tight,We but willemphasized keep you posted on whether we get Stay in the WP loop? we the flexible scheduling we funded designed through the National Writing Project or not.

Funds last summer, Jane Hanson's one-pagers for capturing Talk about readings with other TCs? are tight, but emphasized flexibleinto smaller reflection, andwe dividing Teacherthe Research scheduling we designed last summer, Jane research groups.

DO IT ALL ON THE UNCC WP NING!! Join or visit today!

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We istried a Socratic Martin Luther King Middle School led by and Cindy confronting us. Our meeting February 8, January: Part 1 (Chapters 1 Lacy and Manship 2) Seminar where we learned how another research Urbanski February: Part 2 (Chapters 3, 4, 5) Monday 6-7:30 at the Wine Vault. As usual, all community worked.

With and a Part 3led(Chapters 6, 7, 8, 10) TheMarch: Morgan School

by Jennifer Buckner and 9, Brian Kissel researchers are invited.

On wine, May 3conversation we will have an April: Catch up led and beautiful setting, we managed to think through Concord Middle School

by Conference Jeanneine Jones and Karen Haag open meeting for prospective 2010 Summer TRs. some tough issues confronting us. Our---Karen next Haag Yadkin County Schools led by Cindy Urbanski and Mary Kendrick Contact Lacy at lamanshi@uncc.edu with questions. meeting is February 8, Monday 6-7:30 at the Wine Vault. As usual, all researchers are invited. On May We are looking forward to beginning two new partnerships in 3 we will have an open meeting for prospective January NWP ANNUAL MEETING 2010 Summer TRs. Beverly Woods Elementary led by Lacy Manship and Tony The UNC Charlotte Writing Project connected with the National Writing Project at its annual meeting in Philadelphia, November 17Iannone 20. Lil Brannon, Sally Griffin (our Tech Liaison), and Tony Ionone attended the invitational Digital Is Conference prior to the meeting Water Middles Schoolthe ledcountry.

by Lacy Manship andand Sally Griffin to learn more about all the technological innovations that areWhite happening at sites throughout Lacy Manship Cindy Urbanski joined Lil, Sally, and Tony at the annual meeting where they met with other sites of the North Carolina Writing Project, the The mostSites exciting thing that thisLeadership fall in our Reunion.

Partnership Schools Meeting, the Teacher Inquiry Network, the Urban Network, and thehas Staffhappened Development ourBrannon Mark your calendars now for next year’s meeting in Orlando! professional development work is the deepening of---Lil

partnership with CMS through the efforts of ALL of our TC’s. We had our first Professional Development Meeting in October.