news & events

In addition to our 22nd Invitational Summer Institute, MWP will offer the following programs open to all teachers:

* Open Institute (JULY)

* All-School Assessment Workshop (AUGUST)

This week-long workshop will help teachers examine the possibilities for creating student-centered, collaborative learning opportunities with technology. Mornings will be instructional focus on technology and digital literacies for audio, composition, debate, drawing, image, mapping, music, presentation, research, slideshow, video, and writing (including iMovie, Comic Life, Ning, PB Works, Google tools). Afternoons will provide time for hands-on application of digital writing skills, as participants compose their own digital texts.

2012 MWP Digital Flyer.pdf

Minnesota Writing Project Open Institute
July 16-20, 2012 (9-3)

The Minnesota Writing Project offers an interactive workshop where teachers will participate in writing groups, consider the theory and practice of writing instruction, and examine current literacy issues. Visit MWP Open Institute Webpage or flyers below for more information.

2012 open 2012.pdf
2012 open registration.pdf

Creating a District-Wide or All-School Writing Assessment
August 7-8, 2012 (9-3)

This two-day workshop will enable district or school curriculum coordinators to develop an all-school or district-wide writing assessment. This is a hands-on workshop in which participants will learn how to create an effective prompt and set up in-house scoring. Opportunities will be given to select range finders and anchor papers and work with holistic as well as domain scoring.

2012 assessment workshop.pdf
2012 assessment registration (pdf)

Author Talk - Wednesday, June 27th 2012

Author David LaRochelle will be the guest presenter at this year's retreat for the 22nd Annual Invitational Summer Institute on Wednesday, June 27th, 2012.

LaRochelle has written several books for children and young adults, including Absolutely, Positively Not, and his most recent picture book, The Best Pet of All. See LaRochelle's website for more information on his work. Contact MWP to register for the event.

For more information on any of these summer offerings please contact MWP@umn.edu, 612-625-6323

Come sip coffee with colleagues as we spend one Saturday morning of each upcoming winter month to discussion and hands-on engagement with literacy topics.

Offered through a special collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, this year's seminar series includes half-day workshops that address teaching various genres of writing (explanatory, persuasive, narrative, & multigenre). Special focus will be given to implementing the recently revised 2010 MN English Language Arts Standards.

January 21st, 2012:
How to best support and expand explanatory/informative writing
February 11th, 2012:
How to best support and expand argumentative/persuasive writing
March 31st, 2012:
How to best weave narrative, poetry, and multigenre writing into academic texts

For more information on the individual workshops see registration form below.

COST: $45 per session -- Graduate credit option available for attendance at all three.
WHERE: Minnesota Department of Education -- Conference Center A -- 1500 Highway 36 West -- Roseville, MN 55113
WHEN: 9:00am - 12:30pm (see dates above) -- coffee and bagels will be served.

TO REGISTER:
Download & Complete the 2012 Saturday Sessions.pdf. Send to the address included.

Registration deadline is December 16th, 2011.

Come alone or bring a friend. Come to one or come to all !!

Join us on September 24th for the 5th Annual Fall Workshop.

This year's workshop will feature a reader's theater presentation of "The Great Hurt," an artistic exploration of the American Indian boarding school experience.

Morning activities will include breakout sessions devoted to discussions of the standards related to Minnesota American Indian writers in the 2010 Minnesota English Language Arts Standards--what they are and how to implement them in the classroom.

WHEN: Saturday, September 24th
WHERE: U of MN Continuing Education and Conference Center, St. Paul Campus
COST: $60--includes parking, breakfast, lunch and snacks

TO REGISTER: By Friday, September 9th, send payment to
MWP, 10 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive, SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Or contact MWP@umn.edu to reserve a place and bring payment on the day.

See MWP Fall Workshop 2011.pdf for more information.

Due to the popularity of the recently completed Second Saturday Workshop Series (offered through an MWP & MN DOE partnership), we are now offering an "encore" workshop focusing on Literacy in the Sciences. This one day workshop will be offered

WHEN: Saturday, May 14th
TIME: 9:00-12:30
WHERE: Minnesota Department of Education in Roseville
COST: $45.

Literacy in Science is a new feature in the 2010 English Language Arts Standards. Literacy will now be taught in science, social studies, and technical subjects, as well as in language arts. This session will focus on teaching literacy within the science curriculum.
• Explore the new literacy in science standards
• Learn strategies for doing literacy learning within your science content
• Learn how to support your students as they write informational text in science
• Participate in breakout sessions specific to elementary, middle, and high school science

Registration deadline is May 2nd. Saturday science wkshop.pdf for more information.

Author and editor Sheila O'Connor will be the guest presenter at this year's retreat for the 21st Annual Invitational Summer Institute on Thursday, June 23rd, 2011. O'Connor has written and edited several books, including Where No Gods Came, and her most recent novel Sparrow Road.

In addition to writing, she teaches creative writing at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and edits the journal Water-Stone Review. Visit Sheila O'Connor's website to explore more of her work.

MWP TCs who want to attend should contact MWP at mwp@umn.edu. Visit the Mt. Olivet website for more information on the site, its trails, services, and directions.

Come sip coffee with colleagues as we devote the second Saturday morning of each upcoming winter month to discussion and hands-on engagement with literacy topics.

Offered through a special collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, this year's seminar series includes half-day workshops that focus on different approaches to implementing the recently revised 2010 MN English Language Arts Standards:

January 8th, 2011:
How to use Best Practices in implementing the 2010 ELA Writing Standards
February 12th, 2011:
How to use writing to implement the 2010 ELA Media Production Standards
March 12th, 2011:
How to engage diverse learners in the 2010 ELA Writing Standards

For more information on the individual workshops see registration form below.

COST: $45 per session -- Graduate credit option available for attendance at all three.
WHERE: Minnesota Department of Education -- Conference Center A -- 1500 Highway 36 West -- Roseville, MN 55113
WHEN: 9:00am - 12:30pm (see dates above) -- coffee and bagels will be served.

TO REGISTER:
Download & Complete the 2011 Saturday Workshops REGISTRATION FORM.pdf. Send to the address included.

Registration deadline is December 20th, 2010.

Come alone or bring a friend. Come to one or come to all !!

Join us on October 16 for a challenging, yet relaxing, Saturday workshop for
past participants of the MWP Summer Institute.

At this year's workshop, "Exploring the Boundaries of Literacy Education," ideas will be popping (or maybe hip-hopping!) after the morning performance of "Enterbrainment Live!" by Frank Sentwali, the creator of Edu-Poetic Entertainment, a Twin Cities spoken word and music ensemble. John Albright (ISI 2005), a teacher who has incorporated Frank's program in his curriculum, will also share with us the benefits of spoken-word literacy activities.

Afternoon activities will include breakout sessions devoted to discussions of various hot topics in literacy: Diverse Learners, Common Core Standards, Digital Writing, and Writing Assessment

WHEN: Saturday, October 16th, 2010
WHERE: U of MN Continuing Education and Conference Center, St. Paul Campus
COST: $60 -- includes parking, breakfast, lunch and snacks

TO REGISTER: By Friday, September 24th, send payment to
MWP, 10 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive, SE, Mpls, MN 55455. Or contact MWP@umn.edu to reserve a place and bring payment on the day.

Agenda MWP Fall Workshop 2010.pdf

2010 Fall Workshop Sentwali.pdf

Congratulations to St. Paul science teacher, Susan Benjamin (ISI 2007), who has recently received a $10,000 Toyota Tapestry Grant to include robotics-based inquiry projects in the teaching of physical science . The project creatively titled "Robots Attack the Achievement Gap" draws on robotics instruction and problem solving to engage 6th graders in a variety of science and math learning adventures. As Susan further describes the project,

Typically, the subject of robotics is available to children only through after school programs or in a "gifted and talented" class. This Tapestry Project takes a different approach; special robotics instruction will be provided to the sixth graders at Achieve Language Academy with the lowest skill levels in math and science. These targeted students will then become the robotics experts in their science classrooms, where they will teach their peers while completing a series of Robotics Inquiry Projects. This Tapestry Project includes a week-long off campus experience at STARBASE Minnesota, where students will work to solve science and engineering problems in the context of space exploration. Finally, the sixth graders will work in teams to complete a Capstone Robotics Project that will require them to apply what they have learned about physical science and robotics to a real engineering problem from daily life. These final projects will be demonstrated to families and the school community at a Robot Celebration held in the spring.

Visit The Toyota Tapestry Grants homepage for more information on other award winning school-based projects and/or to learn how you can apply for your own technology and science learning adventure.

Visit Debra Frasier's website to explore more of her work.

Of special interest is Debra's growing collection of nature writing. Check out her River Journal to see photos and read about her canoe adventures, as she celebrates turning 50 by traveling 50 rivers.

For past MWP TCs wanting to attend, more registration information will follow as the event date approaches.

Visit the Mt. Olivet website for more information on the site, its trails, services, and directions. The one minute video tour is quite stunning!

MWP TC Ann Marie Mershon Publishes Another Book
Istanbul's Bazaar Quarter: Backstreet Walking Tours

The walks in this book will lead you to an enchanted world beyond the noisy hurly burly of Istanbul's Covered Bazaar. Ann Marie Mershon and Edda Renker Weissenbacher show you ancient caravan inns, hidden courtyards and gardens, the small workshops that still produce fine pieces in gold, silver, and copper along with the fascinating people who do the work. Let's face it, the normal tourist trip to the souk is a nightmare of touts, tacky goods and astronomical prices. Follow these walks and you will come away with the real Bazaar Quarter, not the tourist trap, magical right down to the old Ottoman birdhouses up under the eves. I bought the book before going to Istanbul and looked up Ann Marie Mershon when I got there. The guide is the next best thing to walking with her in person. No one has done such justice to the Quarter since John Freely's Strolling Through Istanbul. Trust them both and you'll be in very good hands.

Review from Tom's Bookhouse

This fall marks the beginning of our 20th year as a site for the National Writing Project. Join us at this year's workshop as we celebrate almost two decades of promoting student literacy through supporting teachers as writers and leaders.

Improving Student Writing through Teacher Leadership

Date: Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Place: Continuing Education & Conference Center
(U of MN, St. Paul Campus)

Registration Fee: $50 (includes continental breakfast, lunch, & parking)

Attending as a special guest this year, we will have Mary Ann Smith, National Writing Project Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs. We look forward to hearing about her experiences in Washington, DC, as she works with teachers, administrators, and students from across the nation.

To register for the workshop, send email RSVP to mwp@umn.edu and send workshop fee to: MWP, 10 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

Author and illustrator Lauren Stringer will talk with teachers at this year's retreat for the 19th Invitational Summer Institute on Thursday, June 25th, 2009. Stringer has written and illustrated several children's books including Winter is the Warmest Season, Red Rubber Boot Day, Mud, and her most recent book, Snow, authored by Cynthia Rylant. Visit Lauren Stringer's website to explore more of her work.

Registration:

The MWP event in June 2009 is open to the new summer fellows participating in the summer institute and to any other MWP TCs wanting to attend. The cost of this event is $25 and includes lunch, speaker, and access to grounds at Mt. Olivet Retreat Center to walk, hike, and write. To register, please email mwp@umn.edu stating your name and interest in coming. You can pay the registration fee upon arrival.

Visit the Mt. Olivet website for more information on the site, its trails, services, and directions. The one minute video tour is quite stunning!

Selective Summer Institute 2008 participants will have their second and final follow-up gathering at an overnight retreat on Friday and Saturday, February 27 and 28, at the Minnesota Humanities Center in St. Paul. The retreat will begin at about 7 pm on Friday and end at 1 pm on Saturday. All food and lodging will be covered.

The overnight gathering will be a time for catching up with each other in a more intimate setting while also sharing how the summer institute experience has played out in the classroom.

More information about the retreat will be sent to participants over email.

Using Digital Writing to Improve Students' Literacy Skills in the Secondary Classroom

Participants learned how to make the Web 2.0 accessible and practical for them and their students. Presenter Elizabeth Boeser uses blogs, wikis and social networks to augment regular instruction in a writing course where students work through face-to-face instruction and in an online environment. Teachers learned hands-on how:

• Blogs can replace traditional journals
• Wikis work as study guides, book projects & collaborative writing spaces.
• Ning social networks can be used for online role-play debate.
• iMovie HD can be used for video composition (if time permits)

When: January 14th, 2009 -- 9:00-3:00pm (8:30 coffee and bagels)
Where: Center for Writing computer Lab, 15 Nicholson Hall, U of MN campus
How much: $75 (includes parking and lunch)

Registration Deadline: January 5, 2009

Space was limited to 24 participants and registration was required.

Like many of us, MWP TC Sean Fleming, who teaches at the Bruce F. Vento School, has been busy balancing the life of both a teacher and a writer. Luckily for Sean, his writing efforts have received local acclaim with a "permanent presence."

Read some of the sidewalk poetry for yourself (Sean is featured on page 16 of poems):

Everyday Poems for City Sidewalks

Also, check out the recent WCCO & Christian Science Monitor coverage of this sidewalk poetry project and interview with Sean.

St. Paul Poet gets Poem Set in Sidewalk