NWP Writing Strand at NCTE

Writing and Reading in the Content Areas

The NWP Annual Meeting is held in conjunction with the NCTE Annual Convention, which features a writing strand, Writing and Reading in the Content Areas, offered by the NWP. The strand of NWP workshops will be held at the Javits Convention Center, Level 1, Hall 1A, Room 1A11.

We encourage you to register for the NCTE Convention and attend Saturday’s NWP Writing Strand.

Improving Reading through Writing Strategies

8:00am - 9:15am Javits, Level 1, Room 1A11

"Show me a mind thinking" is my daily admonition to my urban students. In this session we will discuss "low-stakes" reading and writing that help students grapple with rigorous content and ultimately experience "high-stakes" success. Specifically, we will focus on getting students to read and understand a difficult piece, to write an intelligent, clear, and original answer to an open-ended question from an AP literature exam, and to prove that writing is thinking.

Presenter: James McDermott, Central Massachusetts Writing Project

Creative Content Area Instruction Is Not an Oxymoron

11:00am - 12:15pm Javits, Level 1, Room 1A11

This interactive session shows teachers how to engage students and build their critical thinking skills by asking them to take a perspective. Students read and write about their favorite places and then are able to read and write about more challenging places and topics in other disciplines. Participants will also learn how integration of technology (student-created CDs) and writing for a broader audience motivates students to produce their best work.

Presenter: Tammy Ranger, University of Maine Writing Project; Chair: Linda Garcia-Torres, New York City Writing Project; Recorder: Susannah Thompson, New York City Writing Project

Bridging the Gap: Meaning-Making in Academic Reading and Writing

1:15pm - 2:30pm Javits, Level 1, Room 1A11

While teachers and literacy experts recognize that reading and writing are intimately connected, that connection is not always obvious to students. In this workshop, the presenters will first outline strategies for making critical reading processes visible to readers with diverse skills and across disciplines. Then these strategies will be used to scaffold the similar meaning-making processes writers use when they compose academic texts.

Presenters: Peter Kittle, Northern California Writing Project; Rochelle Ramay, Northern California Writing Project; Chair: Virginia Moss, New York City Writing Project; Recorder: Luz Brito, New York City Writing Project

Using Genealogy for Research, Writing, and Developing Self Esteem in the Classroom

2:45pm - 4:00pm Javits, Level 1, Room 1A11

Participants will experience the power of primary source documents by working as history detectives to solve a genealogical puzzle. Join us to learn how a personal connection to history inspires students to advance both their knowledge and their literacy skills.

Presenter: David A.G. Johnson, Jr., New York City Writing Project; Chair: Laura Schwartzberg, New York City Writing Project; Recorder: Margaret Gerson, New York City Writing Project

Making Meaning in an Urban English Classroom Using Visualization Strategies

4:15pm - 5:30pm Javits, Level 1, Room 1A11

This interactive session will explore the use of strategies, such as “biography in a bag,” that support students as they read African American literature. Learn how these strategies are embedded in the work of theorists such as Rosenblatt, Smagorinsky, and Vygotsky. A bibliography of selected fiction and nonfiction titles will be distributed to participants.

Presenter: Bruce Bowers, Philadelphia Writing Project; Chair: Lucie Harris, New York City Writing Project; Recorder: Ariel Nadelstern, New York City Writing Project