I'm acomin,yes!

Hey all I really look forward to c-ing you all on the 9th. I've got some stories to tell ! Tad

I'm With Don

Hi you guys. I'm with Don. I really can't wait to see all of you. Please come to our first post summer institute gathering. I'm beggin' ya.

Sherrie

I Miss You Folks and Hope to See You Nov 9

Hi Everybody,

Hey, I'm totally psyched to spend an evening with everyone. Nov 9th is a chance to get together and share and reflect. It's going to mostly social (conversation and snacks). Please respond with a comment or new post to let us know if you can come. Can I count you guys to start calling each other and checking in? I hope to hear from you soon!

Don

Hey, everyone.

I am sitting at the OACHE conference in St. Clairsville now. I actually ran into Tia here! How is everyone doing? Is anyone planning on going to the workshop in November? Hope you are all having a terrific year!
Carly

November 9th Workshop: "An Evening of Conversation and Connections"

On Friday, November 9th, we at the Ohio University Appalachian Writing Project will be hosting the first of our non-summer events that are intended for our First Summer Institute Fellows. This workshop, which we are calling "An Evening of Conversation and Connections," will be shorter than most and held from 5:30-7:30 pm in our new and spacious Faculty Commons, third floor of Alden Library, where the Center for Writing Excellence and the Appalachian Writing Project are not located.

We will hold an event, gathering, or workshop once per season, so expect an update in the coming months on winter and spring plans.

On November 9th, we hope to catch up, share pedagogical strategies, collectively chart where we want our future workshops to head, and perhaps do a little writing on our own (which you probably saw coming!). We will have appetizers and we hope the evening will feel more informal than a usual daytime workshop in a classroom proper.

After 5 pm, you may park in campus lots that are marked Purple and/or Dark Green. We recommend lot #84 beside Clippinger Hall on University Terrace (see http://www.ohiou.edu/athens/parking/ for a parking map), but you have many options. The Clippinger lot is the one that most of you parked in this past summer.

If you can join us on November 9th, RSVP to Nathan Shepley at ns327905@ohio.edu by October 18th. If you have questions about this or other workshops, feel free to contact Nathan at the email address above or contact the AWP generally (awp@ohio.edu).

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you again!

Critical Annotated Bibliographies--2007

We now have several of the critical annotated bibliographies from the 2007 Summer Institute up. To view them, go here. As you can see, we've posted many but not all of them; some were more readily available than others. If you do not see yours and would like to make it available to others, please send a copy of it to Nathan at ns327905@ohio.edu or to awp@ohio.edu. Thanks!

Teacher Demonstration Materials

Hi everyone. I'm Nathan Shepley, a new co-director of the Appalachian Writing Project. During the presentation day of last summer's Institute, I slipped in for a few minutes, just after lunch I think, and was amazed by the readings I was lucky enough to hear.

Anyway, I'm writing to let you know that the handouts and guides that accompany your teaching demonstrations from the summer 2007 Institute are now available online. Go here, which will lead you to a simple supplemental AWP website, and once there, click on the link to download the pdf file.

Hope to see and chat with you more soon! Future workshops are being planned!

summer institute photos!

You guys are so photogenic! :)

enjoy!

Thank You

I just want to thank everyone in the group. This summer I learned a lot and I really appreciate the hard work that everyone put in.

I learned a lot this summer. I learned to teach writing, I learned to write, and I learned that my voice has meaning.


So again thank you!

An appropriate sentiment for our class this summer

My grandmother sent me this in a forward today when I got home. It seemed appropriate for us.

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight, and I didn't feel so hot.

My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems. He said just think in colors; Fill your plate with bright colors; greens, yellows, reds, etc.

I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&M's and sure enough, I felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy.




I am all for this diet.

Just to let you all know. I feel that since we are all very close, we should stay in touch! Summer is not over people...still lots of fun left before hell opens its gates in August. So lets get together. Remember that Blues Bash in Pomeroy is toward the last part of July and it is a great time. Come on down to the river. Court Grill is also a great place to meet and eat so we could do dinner some time. If any of you are ever in the Meigs county area and you don't give me a "holler" I will be personally offended. Don't be strangers! We all have our email addresses and numbers, lets use them!

Ape

Sorry!

I feel bad I was so late today. I'm just glad I didn't miss the readings by the rest of the class. They were great yesterday!! Have a super rest of the summer.

This is the Link for the Ohio WINS evaluation

If you go here
the link should take you to the Ohio WINS Eval Site.

Wednesday's Essays

I think the essays we listened to were amazing and so heart-felt. I appreciated being able to hear the author read them so I could get the true insight into the feelings behind them. I was blown away by the depth and emotion everyone brought out. I thought every single essay was fantastic and I am glad we were able to be allowed into their person. I have come to care deeply for each person in this class. It is inspiring to know that there are so many caring and loving people working with our students. I cannot express the warmth I feel emitting from this "family". Thank you everyone.

Yesterday, we shared our personal reflective essay. I can not believe that I read mine in front of everyone and I did not break down. I was very comfortable. I felt like everyone's personal essay was great! I am so thankful for all the people that I have met, everyone is great and very special to me. I can not believe in just this short amount of time,how close all we have become. I also cannot believe that writing seems like so much fun, so much easier, and how much more I am going to enjoy teaching writing next school year to all of my little children.What a great bunch of caring and loving people. I have learned so much and will take so much back with me for next year.

Reflective Essays

This was such an exciting and powerful experience. You could feel all of the emotions that came through. Everyone in the class has had triumphs and tragedies that have molded who they have become. When I heard everyone's stories I felt so inspired. The stories were so heart warming and unique. Each writer's voice sang out loud and strong. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for sharing your awe inspiring stories. You are all amazing and everyone can write!

I was totally amazed by how our fellow classmates were able to share about their personal lives. From listening to everyone, I felt like we are all family members. It was so powerful, but it was an excellent way to be able to relieve yourself as well. I felt like this was a counseling session. It was great and how powerful these essays are. I see now how this class was helped each and every one of us. It is very interesting and tells so much about each and everyone of us too. I am so happy to be a part of such a wonderful group of people/professionals. These are the times and memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. Thanks to everyone for such a great Writing project. Have a great rest of the summer:))

Also, I heard our Superintendent Mr. Anderson make that comment. He was quite impressed with the personal narratives and I believe they touched him as well even though he has not gone through the whole process with us. I appreciate that he took the time out of his schedule to come and spend the afternoon with us.

Emotional Rollercoaster

What a ride!!! I am just moved by the power and emotion behind everyone's narratives. What we pull out of ourselves huh! I love that we are all so close and comfortable. I love all of you!Thank you all for giving of yourselves. Thank you Donnie, Sherrie and Tallin for making this possible...bringing us all together to shape this family we have created.

Essays today

The personal reflective essays shared today left me in awe. Everyone had incredible paths that have made them who they are as a person and a teacher. It is really amazing to think that the things that inspired us and the tragedies we have all had to overcome have made us stronger as teachers and have truly made us sensitive to our students’ needs. It has been such a pleasure to spend part of my summer with all of you. Not only have I learned from each of you lessons that I can take back and share with my students, but I feel as though we have a bond. I could tell that everyone put their heart and soul into their paper, and that would not be possible if a caring and trusting bond was not present. I know that if I need help there are very caring people who are ready to assist. It’s nice to know, because we all need support. This has been a richly rewarding and unforgettable process, and I can’t imagine not being a part of it.

Emotions Soaring

Wow, what a day we had today! We went from Wacky Wanda to shaving cream to The Tooty Ta to laughter and tears as we shared our personal narratives. We have become such a close group that it will be hard to say goodbye tomorrow, for we all know too well that as we get busy we won't stay in touch like we want to although our intentions are good.

I can't wait to hear the rest of the narratives tomorrow.

Don, Sherrie and Talinn, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this experience. I appreciate your patience and understanding with me and the medical issues I had and am still dealing with. I have had professors in the past that would have said sorry about your luck, deal with it or get out. Thank you!!!!!

Talinn, as for evaluations, three words...bring the camera!!!

Mr. Anderson paid a compliment to all of us as we walked to the escalator. He said, " I can tell these folks are caring and have the best interest of students in mind. I wish we could bring all of them to Jackson City Schools." My reply was, "We would be an awesome team, any school district would be envious!"

Today

I just read through what everyone has posted so far about today's class, and I can honestly say I agree with all of it. :-) We have grown so close as a group it's hard to remember that we know very little about each others personal lives. I was very touched by Tonya's paper, and by Martha's and everyone else who read today. I cannot express what this class has meant to me. I have regained so much confidence in my writing and I am so excited about going back to my classroom in August and sharing what I have learned. So much of that is because of what I have learned because I knew all of you. I am very grateful for the experience and I am very humbled by what I heard in your papers today. I haven't had a tenth of the hardship that you have overcome and I don't know that I would have had the strength to persevere as you have. I am looking forward to tomorrow's readings.

Gina's teaching demo

I just wanted to compliment Gina on a great job today! I really enjoyed hearing how people like Gina teach children the love of literacy through the songs, rhymes, and stories. I hope that Gina will be able to return to that age group again as she certainly has a talent for getting little ones excited about learning.

Reading Day Reflection

Wow! That was really something. We are really a writer's group. Today was just incredibly powerful and emotional. Each and every narrative showed the reader to be a committed teacher and a gifted writer.

In some ways, I was kept thinking about my inquiry topic. I'm looking into a best 'practices approach' in High School literacy. Central to my paper is the question of what literacy is (in other words) who gets to define it. If Literacy skills that will secure college or employment, then aren't we just creating future workers to serve capital? That's a little scary? Furthermore what does this literacy mean if you have a sophomore who's failing her English class, but who writes in her journal and for friends and reads what interests her?

Or is Literacy a different set of skills?

If the definition of Literacy has some space to allow for WHAT STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY INTERESTD IN AND READING, then, it seems teachers can teach literacy skills to some of the struggling readers. Ann's reading, and some other touched on the subject of the classics and what ought be taught or not taught. To me this is central.

Thinking about it a little differently, didn't Sherrie, Don, and Talinn trick us into revealing we are all writers by offering a topic we are intimately connected to, know about, and want to share (in some cases). Namely we wrote about our life story.

The inquiry paper can be seen the same way, because we are exploring something central to our passion as a teacher/researcher. We can choose the topic. again this is central to drawing some reluctant souls in.

OK that's the longest blog i've written. I must be writing about something I care about...Oh, I am.

Sharing Our Stories--Some Thoughts

First of all, I was just completely blown away by the powerful stories I heard today. The depth of emotion (both sadness and humor) made those narratives so deeply personal. I was also amazed how so many of our stories, even though separate by author and style, shared some very common themes: love of reading, the role of writing in our lives, the support (or lack) of significant people in our lives, and our calls to the teaching profession.

Some of us got the calling early and some later, but I think we can agree that our students are the better for it. Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds in store.

Listening to narratives

I am blown away at the depth and character of each of you. Listening to your narratives was so powerful to me. Although we have been elbow to elbow for four weeks and I feel close to all of you, I have such an amazing insight after hearing you read your own stories. Thank you all for being so honest and open. What an emotional experience.
Thank you, Talinn, for the compilation of narratives and poems. What a treasure. Thank you, Don and Sherrie, for being so encouraging. I have felt very lovingly guided throughout the course. I am looking forward to being as nurturing to my own students.

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Great Teaching Demo #14

Great teaching demo, Tia (hope I spelled your name correctly). This demo had lots of application for many different disciplines (science, art, language arts). I would like to try this demo when I return to work in August. Thanks for the great idea!

So many of have asked about my soccer game last night, and i thank you for this support. i thought I might be able to give back by writing about the situation and the experience. Please forgive typping errors, as I'm just banging away at the keys and not looking at screen... So here goes... First I had some issues going in to the match. but second is to explain where i was and what i was doing. I'll write about this second issue first and then...

Professional soccer in our country has the
following rubrics::::

MLS: Major League Soccer
Teams like the Columbus Crew and Colorado Rapids

USL: United Soccer Leagues
Three divisions (USL 1, USL2, and PDL) I work as an assistant in the USL2 and as a sometimes referee and most times assistant in the PDL--Pro Development League.

Last night, I was an assistant referee which means i run on the outside (touchline) of the field and raise my flag if the ball goes out of bounds, or if there is aperson too close to the goal when someone kicks her/ him the ball-- referees call this offside. I also have to keep these professional players' attitudes in check which sometimes means that I raise my voice.

I have three more "pro" games this year ( and by the way, i've been looking at the screen and editing), so why couldn't Mozart find his teacher??

'Cuz he was Haydn.

Compare and Contrast TV Characters

I really enjoyed Ann’s writing assignment. I think my students will really respond to this activity. Using popular TV shows to help students compare and contrast characters is a great idea. It gets their attention, and they definitely have opinions about certain characters that they want to share. Using it as a teaching tool is simply a great way to get students thinking, writing and learning!

I really enjoyed the museum activity. There are so many different ways to use this idea. When we wrote about our ideas of good writing, they were all different. They were all very wonderful and unique, yet correct definitions of good writing. That's what made it so great. I love the fact that my students would get the opportunity to look around the room and check out everyone else's idea and to get a different perspective about the same topic. Lots of great ideas.

I really enjoyed the Loop Writing activity that Sherrie did with us. I feel that it is important for children to learn how to look at others point of view and I feel that this exercise really allows them to look and write from other's point of view as well as their own. It was a neat activity and you really don't realize how much you can write doing a fun activity like this. The children also will enjoy being able to express their views and hopefully learn how to look at things or situations that may be confusing to them. This activity could be used in alot of different ways and with younger children too.

Writing to Learn Thread

Although some people beat to the blog, please use this thread to leave comments about the writing-to-learn activities that we have done so far. Thanks!

Using Pictures

I enjoyed looking at the pictures Jackie brought to class for us to look at. Then we chose a picture to write a paragraph about.

My students would enjoy this as well.

This has been a great group of people to be with this summer, we have learned so much from each other and will be able to carry into our classrooms to try with even the most reluctant student.

I really did like the idea of microthemes, but Susan talked about that, so... Another favorite activity was the writing-with-a-hidden-purpose activity. Don had us write several paragraphs that were meant to convince him that our topic for our paper was worthy of our time and energy. We wrote very quickly and convincingly, I believe, taking a firm stand. Then he asked us if we could use this information in creating our opening paragraphs for our paper! What a great idea! It really focused my efforts! And, yes, I did use much of that writing in my opening. Thanks for the great idea! Also, thank you all for sharing what works and what doesn't. I feel like I'm learning so much about my attitude of writing from everyone, and I appreciate it immensely.

Microthemes

Of all the writing-to-learn activities, I like the microtheme idea the best. This will be one that I will definitely use and that I'll also share with other teachers to encourage writing in the content areas. Most of my colleagues in other disciplines do not like to do writing because they will have to grade the writing. The nice thing about the microtheme is it doesn't have to be graded.

I think my students will like microthemes because they are quite small and they will not feel overwhelmed with writing. It also takes away the evaluation factor so my students will feel some safety in their writing.

Writing to Learn--"Bizarro Don"

I think that my favorite writing to learn activity has to have been the justification of our inquiry question to "Bizarro Don". I think it was useful to get some experience in defending our work as authors. I like the idea of using letter writing in the classroom as well. It seems to take the focus off of the "ohmygod it's a paper" reaction and put it back into the focus of the assignment.

I think this activity helped me to focus my ideas and really figure out what I wanted to talk about and what I wanted to say about it. Now I can't figure out how I want to say what I want to say about what I want to talk about, but that's my blocking issue. Anyway, I can't wait to use it in my classroom.

Journal Activity

My favortite part of our time together as a group has been discussions and exchanging ideas. I plan on using the dialogue journal for most of my classes. I plan on purchasing many many notebooks to use with my various classes. I think it may take them a while to feel comfortable doing this activity, but the payoff should be great.

Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas everyone has shared.

Thanks for the kind words :)

Hi all,

Thanks for the kind words of praise following the teaching demo. Your haikus were really creative. I had fun.

Enjoy your weekend.

Thanks for the Writing Time :)

Sherrie, Don, and Talinn: Thanks for the time to write today--I think it has helped many of us focus on the inquiry paper.

Sorry I missed your demo

Hey Tad,

Sorry I missed your demo; from reading the blog it looked like it was very well received. I don't know if you've done any reading from Howard Gardiner and his work on the multiple intelligences, but I think you would really enjoy it. You seem to embrace the whole teaching to the multiple intelligences concept very well.

And I love Charlotte's Web; such a wonderful book!

Thanks for the Updates :)

Thanks everyone for the updates. It was just like being there. I really hated to miss yesterday because I was curious about what we would be doing with the scissors and our essays. I think this would be a great activity to do with students. It definitely takes the writer out of his/her comfort zone and makes us look at something differently. I think we often put a lot of ourselves in our essays and this task makes us stand back and look at the document objectively, much in the way a surgeon must look at a patient, cutting and sewing back together.

Or

Comment here about any random thought that is rolling across your brain right now.

Tuesday Blog

Comment here either about some advice you gave, some advice you heard, or some advice you would like to give about writing the inquiry paper.

April and Sue

April and Sue,

We missed you today! Hope you both are OK. This morning we spent literally cutting up our essays and having another person put it together. This afternoon Tadd did a great job with his teaching lesson of Charlotte's Web (I can't figure out how to underline this). Later we discussed, The River Earth, which we will continue doing on Tues. and Wed.

Take Care!

Today we cut our personal essays into paragraphs and had a person who had never read our essay to read and tape it back together in the way he or she read it or the way he/she thought you meant for it to be read. Many people didn't like this activity and voiced this. Some people were able to look at the reader's perspective and will make changes others chose not to and we were told that was ok.

In the loop

Let's see. Today we had a very traumatizing experience with the drafts for our reflective papers and some scissors (just kidding). We spent the morning working with our papers and made some very interesting revisions. I learned a lot. In the afternoon Tad did his teaching demo, which gave me some interesting insights to discussion with students, something I always want to do, but rarely get the results I'm looking for. He also sang for us, which was very cool. This afternoon we panicked about format and discussed the dark side of River of Earth. I'm hoping we get to the happy portion soon, despite how little happiness there was in the novel.

Today's class

April and Sue,

we started the day by cutting and pasting our Personal essays. If you have an urge to replicate the experience, allow a four year old to take a (kid-safe) scissors to your rough draft. Then you climb onto the roof of your house and launch the pieces into the lawn below. Hurry/scurry down the steps and collect as many of the pieces as you can, (don't worry about chasing down the ones blown down the street) then let your neighbor try to piece the essay back together.

Actually, the exercise was a little different than that, but in short the organizational method (most people used some sort of chronology in telling their tale), should be questioned and perhaps changed to suit the needs of the piece.

We all hope to see you two real soon.

Monday's Thread

Today, I would like you folks to blog a comment that would help April and Sue stay in the loop. Write a comment on something that you saw, heard, or thought today that would help them feel like they haven't missed anything too important.

haiku momma

April, Thanks for a great teching demo.

Poetry/ nature/ diversity all rolled into...

I took the idea straight home, and Adrienne started composing Haiku. She has two to speak of (she, too, broke the rules on her second try, You go Girl!).

She wants to teach the art to Adzuki our 8 yr old.

It's having an impact. Thanks Tad and fam...

April's Teaching Demo

Great job, April! You did a nice job teaching about haiku. I like to use haiku with my students as well--it seems to be a "safe" poetry format that doesn't make them shake at the knees. Maybe it's just the simplicity of them that they find comforting. I think it's a great way to teach vocabulary because the haiku format requires students to think about what words will work the best, both to convey a message and to meet the syllable requirements of the form. It was a fun lesson.

Cyndi's Haiku

Enchantment, Wonder
Appalachia Mountain Home
People, Places, Land

Smooth her hair falls free -
windswept leaves that tease the trees
She's the fallen leaves.

~April

Enjoy :)

On the ground a branch
filled with rot, decay, and death
life revealed below

Tawn's Haiku

Sounds involved in flight
Softly, silently winging
The owl's prey surprised

Ann's Haiku

Warm, moist heat hitting

my face like a wall everywhere.
I miss central air.

Gina's Haiku

Brisk cool leaves crunching
Munching bears, raccoons squirrels
Nestles warm cozy

Blogging for Thursday 6/28/07

Today, in honor of our creative selves and in honor of April's teacher demonstration, write and post a haiku.

who named the blog? blog?

I think Tea captured the spirit of today's reading in her response to the question: To whom does the text belong, writer or reader?

She said, at least I wrote it in my notes this way,,,

"They own it in different ways".

Then Rich captured the spirit, too, during blog time,he wrote something like

"I learned a lot today. I didn't learn a lot today"

Well I messed that all up, but it's on the blog, so look it up if you haven't read it yet.

Weds Thread #3

Use this thread to put your comments on "Binary Thinking" and other miscellaneous thoughts coming from today's discussions.

Weds Thread#2

Use this thread to comment upon Tawn's teaching demo and your thoughts about cooperative learning.

Weds Thread #1

Post a comment in this thread to discuss this morning's letter writing activity concerning your reading group book.

Lori's presentation

Hey alleveryone,

I'm writing from home, and I hope this makes it to the blog, b/c my computer is Quirky. Lori did a great job today. She modelled the most courage we've seen in front of the group. I know not a person would dispute her commitment to her kids and to this program. Just like Gina, she has demonstrated perserverance in the face of hardship/difficulty.
That's not to say, we all don't do it.
But these women have had to do it in front of the whole group. Bravo!

Lori's demo was cool. like way cool.

I journalled that third grade through non-traditional college students would love this teaching exercise. Look at how a bunch of teachers responded. it was cool to see the different generations remembering their Villains/ Superheroes. And the trading card concept was way cool, and will be borrowed.

Perhaps the most memorable was her technique for dealing with behavior issues. Can I borrow this, too? Tad


Let's keep up the great work.

Tuesday Discussions

This tread is for kicking around a little more any of the issues we talked about today including (but definately not limited to)

• Who is your favorite superhero or villian? (Thanks Lorri for the great demo!)
• What is private writing? What is public writing?
• What is a lens and how does it affect how we think about things that are "always true"?
• How do we take responsibility for facilating ideas in the revision process and not shut people down with too many technical concerns?
• Is "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" a political statement? Does this statement promote illegeal drug usage?
• Lorri had a terrific handout for dealing with behavioral problems. How would you use it in your classroom? Would you need to modifiy it to suit your particular needs?
• How do we get students to reflect upon what we are teaching instead merely review what we are teaching?

The Picture activity

For me when I seen the picture I had a complete story. It was however a little overwhelming. It was just that the picture provided so many rich details that I was kind of stuck. I felt a wave of emotion that it was actually hard to get past it. I think that in the future, a picture will make my writing so much easier.

Glad to be Back

Thanks to everyone who called to check on me over the weekend. I have only been with some of you for 2 1/2 days and you feel like great friends and staff members. You would be great people to work with. I wasn't sure I was going to get to come back and I feel like I am so far behind everyone else that I will never get caught up. I'll keep going and do my best and that is all I can do. Again, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

I loved Carley's lesson today with the relay games, my students would love that! Carley, I can tell that you are a GREAT teacher and I'm not saying that just because we interviewed for this class together!!

I enjoyed all the lessons with Jackie. She would be awesome to take a class with or to have a professional development day with at school!

The round robin exercise we did this morning was good feedback for me since I wasn't here on Friday and have not really gotten to talk to anyone regarding my thoughts for my inquiry paper.

Reflecting on Today

I like the carousel to a certain extent but I have seen that it could be a springboard for hurtful comments and hurt feelings, maybe I am just looking at the negative...ever the pessimist - that's me!

I have found that we as a group are beginning to think in similar patterns. When we were writing our poems, Susan, Rich and I all came up with the same "creek/crick" theme and it was almost spooky but very cool since we had no prior discussion about it.

Jackie is very inspirational. I got a lot out of her presentation. I thought that all of her writing prompts were very effective, also fun. I was not really that crazy on the children's book thing but it is because I didn't really get the best book. I didn't see the connection that I had hoped to see and it was a very sad book....I'm a crybaby!!!

3 things new and intersting

Today, one of the things that I found was really cool was the round robin or carousel writing. That was great to get some ideas from other people. I could really use this in the regular ed classroom. I will share this with the other teachers at the elementary school.

Another thing that I thought was awesome was Carly's lesson. I liked the Synonym game. That was a lot of fun. I have a couple of different thoughts. I could use this with my computer class. It would really help for vocabulary that they have to learn throughout the year. Another way that I could use it is with my Reading intervention class. I could use that same idea to teach vocabulary of what ever story that we are reading.

Lastly, Jackie Glasgow did a great job showing us everything that she showed us. I thought that the Reader's Theater was really cool too. Anytime that I get to hear someone else read is a real treat. I have used Reader's Theater and I have never had the opportunity to see anyone else do it before. Nor have I ever participated in it, so today was cool just to see that other people do it the same way that I do.

Today I want to say that Carly's did a great job on her teaching demo. I can adjust this for my first graders because we do synonyms and antonyms in first grade too From Jackie's presentation I received several ideas that I can take back and use in my class room. The when I was young is a great writing prompt. Children in the first grade can also do the Where I'm from. Little children could use a photo to write a story from. The one that Jackie used for setting plot,character, problem, predicate what will happen is a great way for those little first grades to work on the story elements. I loved her presentation. I loved the ideas the topic and of course all the children's books. I love children's literature

My Favorite Things

Wow!!!!! Today was a great day today. I learned so much. There were so many things to appreciate about today. First of all , I loved Carly's lesson. My students love games.and being competitive. This would be a great lesson to teach new vocabulary terms. You could have students find the synonyms or antonyms for each vocabulary word. Playing the race games was a blast. It was great time for us to unwind and have some fun so I know that our kids would love it. Another great thing about today was the "Carousel" lesson. There was some awesome feedback and revision. I enjoyed reading what everyone had to say. I felt the feedback was very beneficial. For me personally, this aspect of writing is the most helpful. I'm going to try this with my students as another way for them to receive feedback. Finally , I would like to give a big thanks to Jackie Glasgow for her fantastic lessons on Appalachian culture and using literature as a means to communicate and allow children to see the connection. This makes it "real". I especially enjoyed the pictures or faces of Appalachia, boy what a story they tell. I often use photographs in my lessons. There are so many different ways you can teach with pictures. I loved today.

Great Day!

I feel that today was really beneficial in more ways than one. The first activity of sharing about our research papers was so helpful. The comments on my paper were thoughtful and encouraging. It made me feel that my ideas were understandable, and everyone had an opinion on grammar/writing that I really want to consider as I write.
Jackie's pictures as a prompt for writing were exquisite. How appropriate for the study of Appalachia! I feel like I know some of those people. As Jackie said, with all the pictures available in books or on line, there's no end to the prompts specific to different units!
I loved the "character-in-the-bag" idea. I will use that just as it was presented. And the sleuthing for story elements from short paragraphs from the first chapter of the book - WOW! What a great idea! I think it would be neat to do that for a picture book the students are unfamiliar with, then read the book aloud, and let them find out the info as I read.
What a fantastic resource. Thank you for inviting Jackie! Totally enthralling!

6-25-07 new ideas

The first thing that I learned today was the actual difference and that there is a difference between collection and portfolio. I have used portfolios in the past and I think that they can be beneficial to the students. However, I think I will use student portfolios again this next school year, but I feel that I have identified the difference in a student collection, being myself and instructing the students what to put into it and now, I will allow them the choice of certain assignments. I really liked how Tawn explained what she used her portfolios for and how they led a student-parent conference. What a big relief for the teacher and all of the information is there.

The second thing that I knew, but at times we are told there should be no competition in the classroom between students. Well, it is o.k. and as we all know there are so many extra curricular activities outside of school that are competitive that even the younger children are learning about winning and losing, but I really and truly believe it is how you as the teacher approach the topic and how we address each other. Further, I have to say that Carly did an excellent job with her presentation. I really liked how she incorporated the resources into her lesson, because that to is a question or two on that wonderful test that we tend to teach toward.

The third thing that I learned today was from Jackie's presentation which was the parallel poem. I had never seen or heard of that and I really enjoyed when we have create our own. In the beginning, I was struggling with a start, but once you have it, it seemed to flow along. I am really trying to figure out a way to incorporate it with younger children and even thought about the more familiar nursery rhymes until they understand the parallelism. They will definitely have to learn how to read it amongst a group. I really enjoyed Jackie's presentation and she has left me with a lot of useful ideas and techniques to help engage the students.

It was a great day! WOW, it keeps getting better!

cool new stuff

I loved the carousel writing assignment this morning. I can not believe how quickly the time passed and how much I loved responding to everyone's topic. I feel that the paper I got back is so relevant and useful. I appreciate your comments and questions. Thanks for the help, guys!
I can't wait to try the index card literary elements thingy (OK, I really need a name for this). I think that my students will love this. I can sneak in all of the literary terms and get them excited about a book at the same time. Clever. I might also have them try to put the "puzzle pieces" in order and discuss chronological order with them, too.
The photo essays were very powerful. I can see how this could be used with the social studies teacher's history/geography lessons.

Responding

This morning's demo, completed by Carly, was a lot of fun. My students struggle with vocabulary. This game could help them make new connections with the vocabulary words. When Carly asked our class who had which word, students were very quick to let everyone know. I agree, too, that students are very competitive. They all have that drive to win. It is an assignment I will do in class with my students. I have to say, though, I felt awful. I let my team down. Sorry team!
I absolutely loved the photo essay. I can see how students will be drawn to certain pictures. I immediately wanted the picture that reminded me of Adam. Right from the start, I began thinking of what the little boy was thinking and deciding what I wanted to put down on paper to express those thoughts. When approached this way, writing becomes fun and pleasant, providing a time where students can write without fear. There is no right or wrong; it's what you think and feel. In my class, we complete poetry notebooks. Students include their own poetry, poetry from friends and family, published poetry, etc. They must also write a "why" page discussing the poems and explaining why these particular poems are important. The writing assignment Where I'm From is an assignment I am going to have them include in their notebooks or do as an introduction before beginning this assignment. I'm not sure yet. I do know how much I enjoyed completing it, and I think my students will respond to it in a very positive way as well. It was difficult to pick three things today. I loved all the ideas, and I can see how I can use these ideas in my classroom.

Home Pome

I wanted to share the poem I wrote while in Jackie Glasgow's presentation. We were given a sample poem. The stanzas began with I am statements... here is mine...

Home
I am from the tar-bubbled streets of Lake Marian,
sticky to a barefoot or bike tire.

I am from beneath the thorn tree,
puncturer of hundreds of soccer balls.

I am from down the hallway
second to last door on the end.

I am from the blue house, no
the brown house, the
eek! yellow, then
Quickly turned dark brown
Man-ufactured siding house,

The one with the black van in the driveway
telling us kids
Dad's Home.

By putting this poem up, I'm hoping to remind us of some of the techniques, and yes I like feedback.
Another technique was viewing photographs and writing about people in them.
I wrote...

The boys were forced to end their day early. Tulley had to watch the baby. We sat around bare foot and chested on the porch, while the shadows grew long. When the car pulled up through the dust, and the woman got out, Tulley began to explain that mom was down to the crick. The woman listened and then offered a coin apiece if she could take our picture. I'd give a coin-and-a-half to see that picture.

This presentation was rich with ways to explore culture through reading and writing.

Reflection of Monday

This morning, I enjoyed the pass-around, carousel, manual blog, etc. activity that we did with Don about the research paper topic/question. I think that this activity helped us all to realize that other people are also interested in finding out more about the topic that we had chosen. I was encouraged to read comments by particularly secondary people as they said they would also like to know what I found during the research for their own knowledge. I agree with Carly ( I think she is the person) who brought up that we would not have time to sit and talk to everyone about their topic and give them feedback. This is a great way to give and receive immediate feedback. I will plan to use this with my class next year.
Carly's presentation was great! I am glad to know that there are other teachers out there who think competition is OK. I have struggled in the past due to a co-worker who was totally against the competitive activities that I often do in class. Thanks Carly for a great demo and for the wonderful ideas.
Dr. Glasgow was a very enlightening speaker. I appreciated the point that she brought up about the present day conflict of whether to preserve the Appalachian culture or to force changes upon people. I loved all of the teaching ideas she gave us...they were so practical and adaptable. I also believe that as teachers in this area, we have a responsibility to introduce Appalachian literature to our students. This is new to me since I am not a native and I am excited to read and share with my kids this next year.

My new knowledge

I found today to be so full of great ideas. I though Carley's activity is a valuable lesson that I will definitely use with my students. I think after we did it as a class activity where they learn the steps then I can use it as a review or 15-20 minute time filler with synonyms, antonyms, or vocabulary. I am planning on trying the report bag idea we did as well. I think I will try it first with creating it after a unit. I will have the students create their own character bag and then have the students guess who it is. I will have the students put them on their desk and have the class move from one to another recording their guesses. The websites Carly showed us were awesome. This is something I will show the children how to use. They love going to the computer or using the spelling Aces we have during writing or free time.

Synonyms and Antonyms

One of the things that I have struggled with in the past two years is effective strategies for teaching vocabulary. In fact, it's the topic for my inquiry. I loved Carly's lesson today. What a great way of 1) getting the students up and moving in English class, something else I want to do, but often have trouble coming up with new ways to do so, and 2) engaging students in learning vocabulary. My students don't memorize vocabulary words for more than a week, if that, and extensive reading isn't practical as a focused lesson. I like this method, I will use it in my own classroom and I am looking forward to finding more strategies like it. :-) Thanks!

Oh the Things I Learned Today!

I learned a lot from Carly's teaching demo. I am definitely trying this idea with my students. I may even modify it to work with literary terms/facts. I liked this demo because it incorporated the teaching of academic content standards in a fun way. I can't think of a single student who would not enjoy this type of lesson. I also thought of lots of other ways to use the activity.

I also liked the writing carousel. I've done something similar to this with poetry, but I really thought this would be an ideal activity to use at the beginning of the school year to get students accustomed to revision and peer editing. This is an activity I'm definitely going to try, especially with my new Brit. Lit class. Since many of their major assignments will involve writing, I see this as a great way to get them used to writing daily and really doing reflective writing. Too often I see my students doing very superficial writing when I ask them to respond to a peer's writing sample (good job, I think it's great, fix your spelling), but I rarely see any in-depth thinking and responding.

I enjoyed Jackie Glasgow's presentation. I wasn't aware there was such a wealth of books about Appalachia. Who ever is doing the research paper on how Appalachian culture affects writing, Jackie seems like she would be a great source for advice or guidance.

Excellent website

I just wanted to share this website a friend/coworker sent to me during the year. It is a wonderful collection of useful information. It is a great resource I thought might be beneficial to you. I have it saved in my favorites.
http://www.deweybrowse.org/Teacher_Resources.html

Research Day

I loved having the day to work on my assignments. When starting, I was somewhat frustrated. Like my students, I thought it would be a snap to find everything I was looking for right away. Of course, that didn't happen; however, as I continued to work, I began finding things that I needed. I'm sure like all of you, I needed this time. Have a great weekend.

This blogs for Martha

I am just letting everyone know that Martha could not blog today, but however did work very hard at researching her topic!

Friday - Research Day

I have to say thank you for allowing the day to research and to informally meet with you. I have found alot of resources for my paper, however the down side to that is that I have a busy weekend ahead of me! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Rainy Day Library Blues

This has been a great day of discovery and finding just that one "perfect" article that deals with the topic. It's really great when you discover that you can actually find many articles pertaining to your specific interest and the "burning" question The rain is relaxing me too much. Good luck to everyone on their projects and remember to relax!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great weekend!

From Home

Sorry I missed guys, I had a family obligation. I know that I missed a great demonstration and I wish I hadn't. I did have a pretty interesting discussion about the way intelligence was thought of in the past versus what it is thought of at this time and the way that the intelligence tests haven't changed, or at least the ones that are most often used.

In the reading I was most disturbed by the hereditary factor that went into the theory of measurable intelligence from the very beginning. It's scary how much prejudice and elitism helped to develop these tests that we still give our students today.

I was hoping someone could help me out with a sentence in the text that I couldn't wrap my head around "If context mattered in learning, then the method needed to assess the strength of an association within a context was to be found in the degree to which a stimulus, such as an examination, produced responses that correlated with the outcome, such as performance in English." I think I understand what it means, but I can't seem to restate it in my own words, which, to me, means I sort of understand it, but not really.

April's Question

I understand your question about students who have been identified as having autism or aspergers syndrom. These children often have "normal" intelligence or even above the range of average. Yes, they do have communication issues and it is hard if not impossible to get a true IQ score of these children. I have worked with several of these students who do accell in mathematics. They are far above and beyond the other students in the class. Which then brings about the debate of what is intelligence? If we think it is communication, then "experts" say they are retarded.( A word that is offensive to some, me.) I f math is considered the defining factor than they would be considered brilliant. This is a question that often leads to a very intense discussion. I am a firm believer that intelligence can not be determined by a set of standards or an examination. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and we are a valuable asset to life. Maybe this is the idea behind the theory No Child Left Behind. Is there issues with the testing of this concept? Absolutely. Is it a good idea to expect and truly believe everyone can learn? Absolutely. I am very passionate about my job and my children. Can I make a difference in their lives? Can they learn and grow? Do they deserve my time, energy, and respect? ABSOLUTELY.

Crafting Authentic Voice

After this reading, I started thinking about just how power voice is. I even started wondering about my own voice and how it is perceived. I have never really thought about my own writing. This reading has triggered that thought process. How can I ask students to do this when I haven't done it for myself?

The teaching demos have been super so far, and I've learned so much. Each one of the demos has made an impression, and I'm constantly thinking of ways to adapt them to my sixth grade classroom. I really do appreciate the time we have to learn from our peers as well as our instructors. Thanks so much for that opportunity!

The class discussions and reflections give me a chance to "ruminate" a bit before committing to anything in my mind. I feel that the readings wouldn't be as meaningful to me if we didn't rehash them daily. I find myself looking forward to the discussion and reviewing of the journals with anticipation. Yes, the readings have been somewhat of a challenge, but I feel that I am gaining understanding - sometimes in spite of myself and my preconceived ideas.

Cyndi's Demo

I am the type of student that truly would enjoy this lesson if I were in your class. It provides students with the opportunity to get moving and interact with others. They make greater connections. I love these activities. As a high school teacher, I make every attempt to include lessons like this one. It was suggested that students be given the opportunity to just write when they get back to the classroom. I think it is a great idea. Great job. Not only was it very enjoyable but it was a wonderful learning experience.

Thursday Blog #3: Everything Else

This is the space to post comments, questions, and concerns about anything relating to the Summer Institute or any other mental flotsam flowing through the deep ocean of your mental consciousness.

Thursday Blog #2: Teaching Demos

This is the space to post your comments, questions, and concerns regarding this week's teaching demos.

Thursday Blog #1: The Readings and Class Discussion

This is the thread to discuss your comments, questions, and concerns regarding the reading assignments and their related class discussions.

Hello From Home Everyone

Hey Friends, I just wanted to let you all know that I am not skipping out on you. I am nursing a bad kidney problem that I let go for too long and the medicine has made me feel pretty sick. I will be there ready to write tomorrow morning!

And Tonya, from reading all of the posts it sounds like you had a fantastic demo and I am so sorry that I missed it. Perhaps if you have a spare minute during a break you might let me ask you a few questions about it? It sounds like I missed some good snacks too!

Tuesday after I got out of the doctor's office I stayed in bed which gave me ample time to finish all of the reading. It was a bit hard to get through in the beginning but became quite interesting into the second part of the assignment and I am really looking forward to discussion tomorrow. I hope you all enjoyed it too. I actually feel bad about complaining about it. Haha

I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Thanks for the "Good Vibrations"

I'm posting this after another long day, but I'm hearing "The Beach Boys" in my head. Thanks to everybody for keeping the energy going and the attitudes upbeat. And, oh, I'm loving the snacks, too.

By the way, since we're moving through so much material so quickly, keep in mind that this blog space is a good place to record comments, questions, and concerns that we may feel we don't have time for while we're in the midst of one of our active discussions. You don't have to wait til the end of the day to blog here; you can use the computer in the classroom to post during breaks or you can post from home if something occurs to you and you want to be sure to remember it later.

Tonya I really enjoyed your lesson today. You did a great job. I will probably use it with my first graders towards the end of the year. It was great.

Tonya's Demo

I really enjoyed your lesson and I will definitely use it in my own class. I know my students will love participating in these kind of activities. I am always looking for new ideas that are fun writing projects.

Tonya's demo

Very nice job today, Tonya! I loved the structure of your demonstration--I could see how this would work well in your classroom. You really take the time with your students so they comprehend what you're trying to do. I also enjoyed the way you introduce the standard (exaggeration/hyperbole) without making it boring for students.

Strawberry Shortcake

Thanks, Nancy. You put a smile to all of our faces the past couple of days. Great snacks! I love strawberry shortcake.

Tonya's Demo

Way to go, Tonya. You did a fantastic job at the Tall Tales Lesson. I had a great time listening and learning. I can certainly adapt the lesson for my students. Thanks!

Starting in on your Inquiry

Okay, let's say you have an inkling of an inquiry question and you're wanting to do some preliminary research -- test the waters to see what's out there on your topic. What do you do next?

One thing you can do is go to infohio.org. The URL is http://www.infohio.org/. This is a collection of research databases and other informational sources that the State of Ohio provides (for free) to all teachers and their students.

If you are working at your school next fall with your students, your internet access will take you directly to the resources available. If you are working at home (or even here at OU for some reason), you will need a username and password. The username for Infohio is "infohio" and the password is "explore."

Once you have access to the databases, try out EBSCO host (which you will find under "core collection"). I will be glad to show you individually how to use this system while we are meeting on Friday, but if you're adventurous, go ahead and try it out. The system is very easy to use and gives you lots of options for refining and narrowing searches for information.

Whose Da King of the Wild Things?

Oh, you know whose da king of the wild things.

reflective essay

I wasn't totally hating the reflective essay like I suspected I might. Wow, that sounds really negative. I have to admit, I was more than a bit intimidated. I was not sure where to start and was not looking forward to sharing my disorganized thoughts. I found that it was actually fun listening to the other teachers discuss their ideas. I appreciated their insights on my writing, as well. Thanks, Ladies.

Elbow Comments etc.

The reading today from chapter 1 of Elbow's book was personal and interesting. The discussion we had about the academic vs. personal narrative really challenged my thinking. I don't think anyone ever told me - or gave me permission - to be so personal in an academic writing. I like that option. The writing then is so much more reader-friendly.
Just like Ann's presentation yesterday, Martha's presentation today also gave me lots of ideas for projects for different stories that we read in the sixth grade. (We don't have art at our school either, so any art they get will be in our classrooms.) The giving of choices is empowering for students.
I'm loving all the discussion times as well as reflective writing times we are afforded in this class! I think I can do this!

Today was a very good day, actually today and yesterday both been good days. I was nervous at first but Don and Sherry and Talinn are really personable people,theyl are very good at helping people to fee lconfident calm and better about themselves. I am learning so much. I am really learning some self confidence, still nervous about the two writing assignments, but coming around to feeling a little bit better about it. I will have to say the one thing that has amazed me about this whole experience, is Peter Elbow and how personable he seems,he is a great writer, but the things he puts in his writings are things that I can relate to. What we read last night on pg. 13, the one thing that really got to me is "I think I see students being smarter, thinking more deeply, and handling words better when teachers look for their brilliance, treat them as smart, and support them in dealing with what is trying to cloud them over.

Martha did a wonderful job teaching the lesson today. It was very creative and a useful tool for anyone, if they modified it for their teaching areas. I think it could be great for a poetry unit for older students. There were so many good ideas and ways that it could be created for all age groups. Thanks Martha, a job well done!

I really enjoy our discussions. It is great to hear so many different points of view and brainstorm ideas and opinions together.

Nancy, thanks so much for the great food!

I have to compliment Martha on an outstanding lesson today. This lesson was so engaging for all of us. As I watched everyone in the class so involved in the projects, I felt like a kid again. I love that feeling of discovery. I try to invoke that feeling with every new lesson that I introduce to my class and I also thought to myself that this lesson could be adapted to any grade level. My students would love doing something like this with some of the stories that we read. Way to go , Martha and thanks for sharing this great lesson! I enjoy the discussions about our readings on Peter Elbow. His writing is thought provoking! There is a lot of new information to process., but I love new adventures.

Reflective Essay

I enjoy writing! However, I always face each writing assignment with dread becuase of the usual obstacles we all face. When beginning the reflective essay today, I was worried that it would be boring to the listener because I don't see my life has having anything "unique" or interesting for the reader to be interested in. So, I began the assignment by breaking it into sections and just writing reflections in phrases. I began by writing my perspectives on teaching, writing, and reading as a young child, as an elementary student, middle school student, highschool student, college student, grad student, and professional.
What I found may not be amazing to others but to me it was an eye opening experience. I realized that through my life my own obstacles kept me from pursuing the love of reading and writing. I began my life as a little person who loved books, loved reading and wanted to be a teacher. Through life's experiences and lack of opportunities, I think I put these passions to the side. Survival was more important than my love of reading and there did not seem to be time to do both.
Through the writing experience time today, I realized that my life is more in balance now as I am returning to the passions of my life, reading, writing and teaching. I hope that as an educator, I can be that "someone" that inspires my students to love reading, writing, and the love of learning despite their obstacles in life.

Options

I feel it is very important to allow students to have the opportunity to choose activities completed in the classroom. They need options and the opportunity to feel that they have some control. It creates ownership. Their projects, which includes reading, researching, writing and presenting are important to them. Like Martha's lesson, providing many options, including artistic ways for students to express what they have learned, is very important. It doesn't matter what grade level. During her introduction, I could hear the passion she has for teaching and for her students. I enjoyed the lesson.

Cutting and Gluing and Coloring!

Martha,
Thanks for the opportunity to glue and color today. I enjoyed seeing your lesson and loved hearing you read one of my all-time favorites! I also appreciate your insight about sequences. I will try your suggestions with my daughter!
Carly

Made It Through Day Two

I am an early childhood teacher who has a K-8 regular ed. certificate, a K-12 special ed. cert. and a K-12 Reading certificate. Our school district did away with six of our pre-k positions, guess who the first person was to be booted to the new reading program at the middle school. Martha's lesson this morning almost made me cry...I really miss the younger students! I know I am going to get many new ideas to get my 6th grade students to want to write, write, WRITE!!!

The people I shared my personal reflective essay with are pouring personal info into the project. I think we will have great essays if people feel comfortable sharing.

I am teaching on Thursday, I think I am going to go back to my comfort zone for this soooooooooo get ready to be five year olds!!!!!!!!

Well they sat us down today and just told us, start the writing process for your personal narrative essay. I was stupified because I hadn't done any thinking yet on this bucket. But when I heard the pattering of keys all around me, something clicked and i just started writing. Within two minutes, I was on my way with my ideas. All of a sudden, there were two or three ideas in this bucket and they were clinking together. Thanks writing gurus!

I was thinking of Brad Jordan when Sherrie was saying that the journal was linked with the feminine. Brad Jordan is a gansta rapper aka Scarface. He sings about his diary and the power of writing his thoughts down. His seminal album is titled, "The Diary". Here is a sample...

Dear Diary, I'm havin' a little problem with my mind stay, how many bullets would it take to make my mind straight?

And Public Enemy states. When I get mad, I'm gettin' down with the pad...give em something that they never had.

Tuesday June 19, 2007

Today was a good day. I enjoyed the discussions and Martha's lesson. I know she was stressing about teaching today, and I think she did a great job. When we did our reflections after the teaching demo, I wrote out a bunch of ideas that I thought I could use with Sendak's Wild Things book. I could have written more, but we had to move on. I plan to get back and add more tonight. Thanks, Martha for some great useful ideas. The other item that sticks out in my mind, is my different opinion about the Elbow reading today. After I read the text last night, I agreed with many of his ideas, and I could relate personal experiences with the thoughts. However, I thought at the end of the reading he was kind of rambling. (Please do not be offended all the Elbow fans.) After the class discussion, I found myself agreeing more and more with everyone's thoughts. Therefore, I need to go back and reread this information to see why I felt the way I did. I may see things differently, and I may not. I was tired and recovering from a migraine.

Martha's Teaching Demo

In reflecting on today's teaching demo by Martha, I thought it was quite an interesting lesson. I did think of alot of ways to incorporate this lesson with my students for the upcoming school year. I was very impressed with all of the different skills that the lesson touched on as well as relating it to a book which is not just a text book. Children will definitely love all of the hands-on activities since Art is to be incorporated in our individual classrooms. However, you could definitely have alot of fun with the writing activities as well. I did like the suggestion that Don made regarding that everything to accompany this lesson would not have to be graded or checked by the teacher. I liked seeing the work samples that Martha brought with her to display and set the stage for an elementary classroom. It was quite funny to see and hear the enthusiastic comments by the adults in this class when we were hanging their monster masks on the wall. Young child love to see their work displayed for others to view. Great Job, Martha!

Discussion about Peter Elbow

Before the discussion about Peter Elbow today, I had an idea about what I wanted to write about. Since then, I am not so sure that I want to do that.

I guess the idea is this, I realized that I have been looking at the tree. I need to take a step back and look at the forest. I completely forgot that a forest was even there.

Reflections from Tuesday, June 19

I want to reflect on several things from class today:

Martha's Teaching Demo: Wonderful--after watching Ann's presentation yesterday, I knew anyone following would feel great pressure. I thought the presentation was great. Martha knew her material and was so passionate about it. I really felt like one of her first graders. The activity was fun, and I think for some of us who teach older students, a great reminder that coloring, art, and creativity still have a place in our classrooms too.

Elbow's Illiteracy and Oxford and Harvard: I wrote lots of notes in the margin of my text on this section. On the one hand, I became very frustrated with Elbow--he seemed to vacillate back and forth on what is good writing and the criteria for writing. There were places where I got confused, particularly when he was talking about resistance. There were times I wondered, was he really resisting or was this resistance and way to cover for a lack of ideas. I've seen my own students do this: what they think is "I don't understand"; what they say is "I won't do it." On the other hand, when Elbow wrote about the compliant student, I could find so many similarities to what I see in school. In the margins, I wrote about how many of our valedictorians at Belpre are what I call procedural students (Elbow would call them compliant): these student do everything the teacher says, they follow directions, have a great work ethic, but haven't had an original or creative thought in years. When he compared these compliant students to the resistant ones, I pictured many students I've had in class who were so intelligent and insightful, but who resisted any form of compliance. I've often said to my colleagues that some of our troubled students, if given the right environment, should be the valedictorian because they are better thinkers.

Writing the Narrative: I know many are fretting this one, but I'm not. I felt very comfortable writing this narrative. The trick is I was writing about something I feel strongly about. I enjoyed listening to the other rough draft narratives. Question--will we be sharing the final drafts of the narratives? I think that would be cool if people feel comfortable with it.

Day 2: Sharing the Writing

My favorite experience today (besides getting to color in a graduate class) has been sharing my writing with the groups we got into today and listening to them share their writing. I like hearing other interpretations of our assignment and other ideas and experiences with writing and reading and education in general. As teachers we are learners after all. I don't know. It's interesting to hear about other life experiences. Particularly interesting simply as stories. Everyone has a story and it is personal and important to each person. I could really see that today in the sharing. Good class.

Space and More

Hello Friends,

Since I seem to be obsessing about writing space, I decided that I am going to do my research paper on space...well specifically "Tragedy as Writing Space." I am interested in this topic because I have often pondered that some of the best writing has come from the most traumatized writers. I thought about this a lot on the way home yesterday and last night when I should have been sleeping. Whew, the things we think about when insomnia strikes!

Also, Kudos to Martha! What a great lesson! The book is an excellent choice. The lesson was a blast. The activities were fun fun fun! There were so many of them and they covered all of the standards as well as the multiple intelligences. I had such a great time today.

I also want to give a great big "Thank You" to Nancy for bringing in the delicious snacks today!!!

Happy reading everyone! hahaha

My first blog

I really enjoyed the discussions today. It gave me a lot to think about. In my class, I strive to make it a safe learning environment, but I had not thought of making it safe for language. It is one of the lines I underlined in my book. I definitely will be using Ann’s lesson in my class. Great job, Ann.

Peter Elbow

I met Peter Elbow very briefly about five years ago. For someone who has studied composition, it was like being a guitar player and meeting Eric Clapton. :)

That Scary Research Paper Thing

A couple of you have mentioned a little trepidation about the research essay. Think about it as an inquiry paper. You are going to be reading and writing about a burning teaching question. Something that is close to your heart, or gets under your skin, or . .. .

At you won't be alone. You will have Sherrie, Don, and Talinn, as well as each other. We will give feedback, direction, support. No more worry, OK? Instead, put that energy into keeping that writer's log or notebook where the questions you want to read and write about get noted.

Thanks for a first great day guys.

Sherrie

June 18, 2007

Great first day, although I had a lot of difficulty with the computer. I enjoyed the discussions the most. It is nice to be in a room and be able to communicate in an area we are all interested in. Ann did an amazing job on teaching her lesson, which I plan to modify and use with my CD students. It is always nice to get input from other people.

CPorter

Sentence from Elbow's Inviting the Mother Tongue

I thought I'd share my sentence from the afternoon discussion from Elbow's Inviting the Mother Tongue:

page 341 Every teacher is familiar with the destructive effects of students stretching for an unnecessary "propriety" in writing.

My response: Trying to write "properly" stifles creativity and thought. I thought it was interesting today during the discussion that grammar instruction was in texts after 1850. If anything stifles creativity and thought, it's grammar instruction. I have students who are so worried about being "correct" that they fail to produce meaningful ideas. They will write sentences that are "safe" (grammatically correct) but terribly mediocre in content.

GREAT FIRST DAY

I am so glad to be with this wonderful group of people! I really enjoyed Ann's lesson this morning. I had forgotten what it was like to get to stand in line for ID's and hike up the hill to get to class on time!! The discussion on dialect really hit home, because my family lives in the western part of Virginia and makes fun of me all the time because I say "you guys" instead of "y'all".

Have a nice evening.

elbow love

isn't peter elbow the greatest?! when i read my first elbow article, it rocked my world. who says "academic writing" = "snore"?

Today's Class

I enjoyed Ann's presentation. I thought she did a great job. I do feel apprehensive about teaching next week. I am concerned about the class being able to "get into" my lesson on a fourth grade level. I am not sure how long it will take. I am teaching a lesson that is part of a longer unit. Therefore, in my class we would have already have done previous work on this activity. I am also starting to feel more comfortable (safe) with the class. It is hard for me to speak out. I am a lot more comfortable writing about the discussion then participating. This is a problem because then I am unable to receive further comments on my thoughts. I know I will feel better each day. Please be patient with me. Thanks to everyone.

First Day Recap

In reflecting on today's discussion, I felt that the discussion on the chapter from Elbow's book was quite interesting. I enjoyed hearing people share about their backgrounds and where they came from. The discussion on how people can be very judgmental on the way we look or the way we talk. I believe that people can be cruel by assuming or judging. I think that it is very beneficial to be able to share and take the time to discuss issues of concern, which can also be reflected in our classrooms. I have really enjoyed our first day and I feel very comfortable with everyone in this class. It has been it much easier for me. I am also very much interested in the future topics and discussions so that it may benefit my teaching career. Thanks again for the opportunity!

What sticks out in my memory was Ann's teaching demonstration. The video clips were exciting to watch, and I can see how this would liven' up an 11th Grade classroom and make learning fun. I was encouraged by her use of technology, and the creative use of other media to teach writing principles. I want to return to her dilemma she discovered when attempting to teach the standards. I mentioned in discussion that I went through virtually the same dilemma. Part of my own teaching demo will illustrate how I "have made the standards into something of my own." I wonder how many other teachers have made the standards in some way their own, so that they can teach them effectively. I'll be looking for evidence of this throughout the course.

Mother Tongue

I appreciated the discussion that we had today about the "mother tongue" and the implications that this has for our classrooms. I will certainly spend much time pondering the pros and cons of this theory. I am very aware of my "teacher attitude", which tends to lead me to "fix" the mother tongue instead of embracing it.
Looking forward to more discussion about this topic.

The Mother Tongue

I liked the reading that we had for today. I like the idea of letting writers be creative. I also want them to be respected in the world. So as we were talking today, there is a divide between the two. Preserving dialect I think is very important and something that needs some careful attention.

As I was reading the essay I kept thinking over and over again about my experiences as a writer. I can remember back in my high school days. I eventually figured out that all I had to do was start a paper of what ever kind it was. My teacher would then change and construct my paper for me. I spent a lot of time frustrated because what ever I wrote was never what I was trying to say. My teacher more times than not generally changed my paper to say what she wanted it to say.

Comfort and safety in the classroom with writing is an integral part of writing in the classroom.

I wouldn't mind reading some more information on dialect and how it has a part in the classroom.

Oh, today when Don was saying that grammar wasn't taught in the classroom before 1850 really blew me away. I had no idea that was the case. I guess I just thought that it always was.

Ann's Lesson

Ann is connected with the standards and has a clear vision of the interests of her students. She tied these two together beautifully in her lesson today. She began with her personal philosophy of how these standards should be taught, which validates her lesson. I also liked that she used specific "space" (which is such a perfect word to describe the boundaries she has set) to increase the comfort zone of the student. Bravo Ann!

I want to comment on the section of the Peter Elbow book, inviting mother tongue. Someone else said it today, that this is totally against what you think an English class would be talking about. How important it is to let people write in their mother tongue, makes me feel better about myself and more comfortable in the class. I am really starting to feel I will do o.k. in this class, that I do fit in. When we were ask to pick a sentence I picked the one on page 324, that said "if the words that come naturally from our mouth or pen are labeled wrong- we feel ourselves to have a problem. I agreed with so many things that were said today, not only is this going to be a great learning experience, but also a growing one. I am fee more comfortable with each thing that we do.This is going to help me be a better person and a better teacher, it is making me feel all the time I have already spent was time well spent. We did not discuss much today about the River of Earth, I knew that I would like that book and I really did.

Reflecting on the first official day of class,
I feel at home with the class and with everyone in the class. Having the opportunity to share our ideas and thoughts with the rest of the class is very satisfying . Getting the acknowledgement, the feedback that someone else feels the same way that you do about a particular subject is comforting. This, too , is the "safety" we were discussing earlier today. When you feel comfortable in a situation and not feel awkward about it, you are more apt to open up and express yourself, especially through your writing. You don't feel as vulnerable. Our students react in the same ways. I enjoy Wordsworth and the poem we read today was "right on" with the discussion!

Today's Comments

I still have questions regarding the "mother tongue" and its place in students writing. I can understand the free-flowing, creativity of using it, and I do support that, but I guess I still have concerns about the process of self-editing. The "safety" issue is vitally important, but I do feel that it can be addressed in the professionalism of the educator as well as the use of dialect. I think there is a place for the deliberate study of grammar, mechanics, and usage, maybe even in isolation, before it can be addressed in writing or reading. It seems to me that there are some things that must be learned before they can be used just like math facts. It doesn't mean endless worksheets, necessarily, but I do feel that there is value in stressing the basics of grammar, mechanics, and usage before, during, and after writing.

Today's Reading

In the reading from the Peter Elbow book today we talked about several sentences that everyone liked. Mine didn't seem relevant to the context of the conversation today, but I liked the sentence because it's one of my pet grievances with teaching to the test and the difference in what kind of an education is really needed to function in the world today versus the kind that was needed prior to the widespread use of the internet.

My sentence was "It makes me happy when students figure out how to get the help they need. This is a feasible knowledge, and it is crucial for success in future courses and jobs." To me, this is the real need that we are not addressing in schools, not teaching students information, but teaching them skills and patterns that help them find that information. We still seem to be under the impression that students must know all of these facts in their heads. While some facts should be readily available to most or all individuals, most are easily accessible online, or in other resource centers.

It seems to me that, especially in English, we should instead be teaching our students where to go to find the information they are searching for and, more importantly, how to evaluate the information they find to determine its validity and its value. These are skills that students need in the modern world to be productive citizens. Most businesses don't care if an employee has memorized the entire body of information they want him/her to have. Businesses want to know that he/she can access that information quickly and efficiently, that he/she can interpret that information correctly and come to conclusions based on it, and that he/she can condense large portions of that information into shorter sentences and paragraphs that are easy to understand.

Unfortunately, as I'm sure we'll be saying a lot through this course, we can't spend the bulk of our time on these ideas when we have to spend it teaching and reteaching our students terms for the test. It is the monster in the corner.

First Day

I truly enjoyed Ann's lesson. It was engaging and completely applicable.
I am also looking forward to getting the opportunity to work with you all.
And... Thanks Talinn and Don for the great snacks today!

My First Blog Attempt

Thanks for all the help, everyone. I'm finally "blogging"!! This day has gone by very quickly, and we've discussed lots of important "stuff"! I'm looking forward to the remainder of the class and learning so much about great writing. I would love to be a better teacher of writing as well as a better writer myself. I'm not quite as apprehensive as I was before, and that's a step in the right direction.

Hola Everyone!

OK Now I finally know how to post on this blog! yay

First Day--Lots of New Things

I really enjoyed several things about today: Ann did a fabulous job in her teaching demo. Don was right; she set the bar high for the rest of us. I also liked the discussion in the afternoon about Elbow's writings on SWE. I think we left with more questions than answers. Finally, the brave new world of technology continues to amaze and aggravate. It will get easier I'm sure.

Vicky I think I am finally blogging !I'm not sure ,I hope . I can not wait to get my teaching done.
Martha

I think I can

Hello everyone...I think I am blogging but am not sure yet.

Ann, I really enjoyed your lesson today. I am going to be very nervous and not as calm as you when my turn comes. My students would really enjoy this lesson. I took a class titled Heroes Journey. Have you heard of it? You do something very similar through the use of videos and comparing characters. Students really get into the lessons. I am now able to blog.

Man, the double-D is buzzing around the computer lab today. He's helping everybody. Look at me, mom, I'm blogging!

OU - AWP

Hello and I am letting you know that I can blog now! (not totally sure if I understand what I am blogging!!!) However, I have really enjoyed today being the first day of our class and look forward to the rest of it. I have found the discussions and reading materials to be very helpful to me and hope that I will this information will benefit me in my future teaching.

First Day

I am just so glad to get to today. This is such an open and comfortable group and it makes the whole experience better. It was so easy today to get up in front of the group and just talk to everyone, just like I do with my students. I really appreciate how supported I felt. So if you're nervous about your presentation, don't be. It's not bad, really.

The one thing I do feel nervous about is the research paper. I have all of these ideas for the narrative but I'm drawing a complete blank on the research paper. I know we'll talk about it later, but that is really my only anxiety.

Thanks again everyone for your support today!

Ann

Yes! I made it to the Blog

Hello everyone. I am glad that we have this avenue to communicate important thoughts.

Link for PreInstitute Assessment

Let's see if we can get there from here.

http://survey.education.uc.edu/websurvey/rws3.pl?FORM=2007_Pre-Institute

I am struggling to figure this out!

I have tried to fill out the survey several times. (no luck). Now I am trying to figure out how to Blog. Is that even the right lingo for this? Oh well, now everyone knows how technically challenged I am. I am a horrible speller and computer illiterate. However, I am excited to be participating in this adventure and developing my skills. I am looking forward to seeing everyone Monday.
Lorri

I am really excited about this class! I have already learned a lot - including (hopefully) how to blog.

C.Porter

Welcome to the AWP Blog and our summer together!

We are within a few days of the start of the Ohio University Appalachian and OhioWins Writing Project Summer Institute. I am thrilled that all of you will be our first set of AWP Teaching Fellows. I hope that by the end of our four weeks together you will wear the title of Teaching Fellow proudly.

It is hard to believe that it has been thirteen years since I last directed a National Writing Project site at the University of Mississippi. I remember the joy of working with others like you to this day. I still have many teacher-friends from those years. We stay in touch. We talk to each other about teaching and writing. We share our writing. We support each other when life and professional circumstances get tough. I am full of hope for similar experiences for us as we embark on our journey together.

So here is to the courage to learn, teach, write, and grow together.