1996 Summer Institute Demonstrations

"Tabula Rasa"

This workshop addresses the interdisciplinary nature of teaching Language Arts as well as the cultural literacy that may result from incorporating literature with the fine arts. Additionally, this workshop addresses various ways of introducing the narrative, descriptive, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect essay. Moreover, this workshop will aid the facilitator in introducing creative writing into the classroom. Finally, this presentation will assist the student in finding and developing his/her voice as it pertains both to academic and creative writing.

"Avoiding Developmental English: What Students Need to Know Before They Reach College"

When grammar and mechanics are taught in isolation, much of the material is not retained. By incorporating grammar and mechanics skills into literature and writing lessons, teachers can improve students' retention levels. This demonstration will review the skills needed for beginning college English classes and will address methods for teaching these skills.

"Writing across the Curriculum Through a Multicultural Theme"

This workshop addresses writing across the curriculum. Uses of writing in all subject areas will be discussed through a multicultural theme. The basis of the workshop is the premise that the more children write, the better they write. Therefore, writing should not be isolated within the language arts block. In the workshop, participants will use components of the writing process in a variety of ways. Some of these activities will be interdisciplinary, meaning that they contain skills used or learned in more than one subject area. The participants will consider ways of adapting one or more of the activities of their particular grade levels and appropriate themes.

"Adapting Vocabulary Words to Writing Situations"

This exercise will attempt to examine methods of teaching vocabulary and to adapt newly-acquired words to writing situations. Students will recognize the importance of adding words to their sphere of language rather than just memorizing a word for the sake of receiving a grade.

"Will Felix Find Acceptance? An Artistic and Introspective Way to Compose Meaning"

This cross-curricular workshop attempts to share some "learned-in-the-classroom" techniques for helping students to think, create, adapt, edit, revise, and design--not necessarily in that order. Through the study of the body and the reinterpretation of the end of Theodore Weesner's "Irene, Goodnight," student will compose journals, review parts of speech, consider comparison/contrast, create their own comic strip, create puppets/dolls and props/backdrops to use n a puppet show or skit, create an alternative ending written in play format, act in a skit and/or puppet show, and share creative processes learned with the group.

"Tales with a Twist: Learning How to Support Your Point of View"

This workshop's main focus is to enhance students' critical thinking abilities by having them closely examine their own thought processes. Often, a middle-school student's understanding of a literary piece is measured primarily by direct recall questions; however, this testing process is not a true assessment of comprehension. Students need to be able to demonstrate their understanding of an author's inferred meaning by writing details to justify their point of view. They also need to be able to state and defend their position concerning debatable issues within literature.

An additional component of this workshop is to highlight different writing activities that can be used when teaching the novel, My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George. These activities can easily be adapted for use in alternate plan s of instruction.

"Laying a Solid Foundation: Letters to Words to Sentences to Stories"

This workshop will underscore the importance of ascertaining that students have a solid foundation upon which new knowledge can be built. Participants will engage in activities which illustrate how letters build to words, words build to sentences, and sentences build to stories.

"Structure, Process, and Organization"

Writing is more than a process of putting words on a page. Without planning, organization, and structure, writing is shapeless and its clear meaning is lost. This demonstration is designed to address the need to plan and organize writing by leading the participants through three exercises: a study of structure, using legos to build a bridge; a study of process and organization, using Play-Dough and Dough Fun Factories; and a study in organization, using a cut-and-paste exercise to construct an essay. The demonstration concludes by comparing the idea of formal organization techniques with less formal techniques and should include a discussion of how these techniques apply to each grade level.

"Perceptions and the Art of Descriptive Writing"

Man perceives, and then he conceives, and in that order. A direct relationship exists between writing and the extent to which it engages the senses, for all that we know and hope to know comes to us via one or more of the five senses. Inasmuch as the fundamental purpose of all writing is to communicate with a reader, the second most important skill an effective writer must possess, behind grammar and mechanics, is the skill to engage the reader's senses--to make the reader see, feel, hear , taste, and smell. This workshop then attempts to introduce students to the importance of choosing precise and appropriate sensory language in their writing by demonstrating first what is meant by perceptual stimuli, how it is ordered by the brain, and how it forms the basis for conceptualization and cognition. Then, through examining effective examples through literature, discussion, and a number of writing exercises built around the employment of sensory language, students will experience individual y and collectively the vital role sensory language plays in descriptive writing.

"Writing: A Tool to Increase Student Learning in all Subject Areas"

This workshop will demonstrate that writing opportunities for students can be provided in all subject areas. Various publishing techniques will be offered which can be used in countless ways. Writing should be used across the curriculum a s a tool to enhance and encourage maximum student learning.

"Exploring Writing Within a Theme"

This workshop utilizes a thematic approach to writing. It will demonstrate that writing within a theme can connect seemingly different areas of the curriculum for children. Thematic units also allow students to use what they are learning as a topic for writing. Using the ocean as a theme, the participants will see how the writing process can easily be incorporated into other areas of the curriculum. Although thematic units are typically used at the early childhood level, all activities may be adapted for use in the upper grades as well.

"Student Writing Portfolios: Classroom Uses"

Writing is a thinking and doing process, a process with many phases--all of them related and intertwined. Writing portfolios are an organized and purposefully selected collection of work that shows the students' writing achievement, effort s, growth, and attitudes. The participants in the demonstration will discuss and create writing portfolios that could be sued by the students in their classroom. Particular emphasis will be placed on purposes, kinds, and content of student writing portfolios.

"Building Community Through Research and Writing"

This workshop was developed to give students more awareness of the community in which they live. Too many times, students have no knowledge of what their towns have to offer and are too quick to judge with statements such as "there's nothing to do in this town" or "this town has nothing of offer me." As a result, many of the motivated students eventually leave the communities in which they were raised and leave leadership of the community to outsiders or non-qualified people. This workshop attempts to develop more awareness and community pride in students through various elements. The many activities developed here encourage students to learn more about their town, while developing research and writing skills. Narrative essays, comparison/contrast essays, letters, persuasive pieces, and other types of writing are stressed.

"Teaching Students to Write 'Good'"

The three-point purpose of this workshop is to introduce the participants to the Georgia Regents' examination, to discuss and execute a one-on-one tutoring session, and to address the problems and importance of peer editing.