Session A
A.1 | Poetry Potpourri: Engaging Students through Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking (6-12)
Andria Benmuvhar
Room # 313
Do your students have an aversion to poetry? Does it intimidate or bore them? It does not need to be that way. This session will explore a variety of ways to integrate poetry in your curriculum to engage students in the reading, writing, listening, and speaking of this art form. Participants will be exposed to some spoken word poetry to generate discussion, practice writing prompts that spark creativity, and explore book club protocols to use with a novels-in-verse unit. This session will also share an overview of annual opportunities to get students actively involved with poetry. Participants will walk away with concrete methods to integrate poetry in both a long-term, on-going fashion as well as a short term unit structure.
This is my 21st year of teaching high school English. I went through the GWP Summer Institute in 2005 and it changed my professional life for the better. My comfort zone as a teacher has always been writing instruction, but more recently the focus has narrowed to sharing a love of reading and writing poetry.
Andria Benmuvhar
Room # 313
Do your students have an aversion to poetry? Does it intimidate or bore them? It does not need to be that way. This session will explore a variety of ways to integrate poetry in your curriculum to engage students in the reading, writing, listening, and speaking of this art form. Participants will be exposed to some spoken word poetry to generate discussion, practice writing prompts that spark creativity, and explore book club protocols to use with a novels-in-verse unit. This session will also share an overview of annual opportunities to get students actively involved with poetry. Participants will walk away with concrete methods to integrate poetry in both a long-term, on-going fashion as well as a short term unit structure.
This is my 21st year of teaching high school English. I went through the GWP Summer Institute in 2005 and it changed my professional life for the better. My comfort zone as a teacher has always been writing instruction, but more recently the focus has narrowed to sharing a love of reading and writing poetry.
A.2 | Writing Across the Curriculum: Practical Strategies for Daily Lessons (3-12)
Matt Loomis
Room #314
Among other sources, this session will draw from the philosophy and best practices included in "The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades.” During this session, participants will focus on planning, assessing, and structuring writing activities more effectively and efficiently in all content areas. Teachers will also spend time working collaboratively in small groups to create examples of writing activities that can be quickly and easily put to use in all classrooms and curricula in order to assess content knowledge, facilitate critical thinking, increase reading proficiency, and improve writing skills on a daily basis.
Matt Loomis is an 8th Grade Social Studies teacher at Bayless Junior High School and an experienced presenter of professional development at the district, regional, and state levels, focusing on writing across the curriculum. He is dual-certified in Social Studies and English Language Arts (6-12) and believes that every teacher is a literacy teacher.
Matt Loomis
Room #314
Among other sources, this session will draw from the philosophy and best practices included in "The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades.” During this session, participants will focus on planning, assessing, and structuring writing activities more effectively and efficiently in all content areas. Teachers will also spend time working collaboratively in small groups to create examples of writing activities that can be quickly and easily put to use in all classrooms and curricula in order to assess content knowledge, facilitate critical thinking, increase reading proficiency, and improve writing skills on a daily basis.
Matt Loomis is an 8th Grade Social Studies teacher at Bayless Junior High School and an experienced presenter of professional development at the district, regional, and state levels, focusing on writing across the curriculum. He is dual-certified in Social Studies and English Language Arts (6-12) and believes that every teacher is a literacy teacher.
A.3 | End the Year with a Comma: Preparing Students for Summer Writing (PK-8)
Sarah Valter
Room #315
The last days of school don’t only have to be about closure. What if we treat the end a little more like the beginning of the year, building writing excitement instead of winding down? What if we plant the seed of being a writer both in and out of school? In this session, Sarah will engage teachers in the types of activities that will lead to a summer of writing, including co-creating anchor charts and resources to use with students, launching a summer notebook, "mining" existing tools to repurpose them for home/summer use, and exploring mentor texts that will reaffirm students' writing identities and highlight ways to write in the summer.
Sarah Valter is the district Literacy Coordinator for Lindbergh Schools in St. Louis, MO. In her two decades in education, Sarah has taught in the primary and intermediate grades, mentored new teachers, coached at the building and district levels, and led professional development in literacy. Since the spring of 2022, Sarah has collaborated as part of the co-author team for the Two Writing Teachers. She is also an adjunct instructor at St. Louis University, working with undergraduate and graduate students. She believes strongly that all children and adults should not only have the skills to read and write, but also the motivation to live as lifelong readers and writers
Sarah Valter
Room #315
The last days of school don’t only have to be about closure. What if we treat the end a little more like the beginning of the year, building writing excitement instead of winding down? What if we plant the seed of being a writer both in and out of school? In this session, Sarah will engage teachers in the types of activities that will lead to a summer of writing, including co-creating anchor charts and resources to use with students, launching a summer notebook, "mining" existing tools to repurpose them for home/summer use, and exploring mentor texts that will reaffirm students' writing identities and highlight ways to write in the summer.
Sarah Valter is the district Literacy Coordinator for Lindbergh Schools in St. Louis, MO. In her two decades in education, Sarah has taught in the primary and intermediate grades, mentored new teachers, coached at the building and district levels, and led professional development in literacy. Since the spring of 2022, Sarah has collaborated as part of the co-author team for the Two Writing Teachers. She is also an adjunct instructor at St. Louis University, working with undergraduate and graduate students. She believes strongly that all children and adults should not only have the skills to read and write, but also the motivation to live as lifelong readers and writers
A.4 | Gathering & Growing Through Reading and Writing:
Roundtable Session(K-Higher Ed)
Gateway Writing Project TCs
Century Room B&C
This year, teachers across the region participated in reading and writing groups around a variety of topics to read, write, discuss, and learn together. Attend this session to join the discussion and hear about their takeaways and application of new ideas. Topics will include expressive writing, food literacy, and the immigrant experience in America. The session will close with a book give-away and opportunities to sign-up to participate in future writing and book groups.
Roundtable Session(K-Higher Ed)
Gateway Writing Project TCs
Century Room B&C
This year, teachers across the region participated in reading and writing groups around a variety of topics to read, write, discuss, and learn together. Attend this session to join the discussion and hear about their takeaways and application of new ideas. Topics will include expressive writing, food literacy, and the immigrant experience in America. The session will close with a book give-away and opportunities to sign-up to participate in future writing and book groups.
A.5 | Building a School Culture of Literacy (K-12)
Jasmin Easterling & Leslie Hamm
Chamber Room
Literacy impacts the way we make meaning of the world around us. In a time when students are asked to think critically, read widely, write frequently, speak effectively, and listen intently, engaging students in literacy practices across disciplines becomes increasingly vital. In this session, participants will engage in conversations and activities centered on building a culture of literacy throughout the school community, as a collective. Centering teachers and learners as experts in learning spaces, we will begin to dream about what it could look like when an entire school collectively serves to create environments embedded in a holistic approach to literacy that challenges beliefs about both literacy and learners. This session will provide participants an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues to create and plan a school-wide literacy initiative.
Jasmin is currently a Graduate Research Assistant. She previously taught 6th and 8th grade English Language Arts and is a certified reading specialist. Her passion centers around literacy as a justice-based practice, humanizing children, and centering community as a space for mutual care and creativity.
Jasmin Easterling & Leslie Hamm
Chamber Room
Literacy impacts the way we make meaning of the world around us. In a time when students are asked to think critically, read widely, write frequently, speak effectively, and listen intently, engaging students in literacy practices across disciplines becomes increasingly vital. In this session, participants will engage in conversations and activities centered on building a culture of literacy throughout the school community, as a collective. Centering teachers and learners as experts in learning spaces, we will begin to dream about what it could look like when an entire school collectively serves to create environments embedded in a holistic approach to literacy that challenges beliefs about both literacy and learners. This session will provide participants an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues to create and plan a school-wide literacy initiative.
Jasmin is currently a Graduate Research Assistant. She previously taught 6th and 8th grade English Language Arts and is a certified reading specialist. Her passion centers around literacy as a justice-based practice, humanizing children, and centering community as a space for mutual care and creativity.
Leslie is currently a Graduate Research Assistant. Her roles in education have been centered around literacy, elementary education, trauma-informed practices, and relational coaching for educators.
