2013-14 Professional

Development Services

Planning for professional development in the 2013-14 school year? The Chippewa River Writing Project can help meet your needs for high-quality, inquiry-based courses, school-based workshops and with our annual conference.

Save the Date for our 4th Annual Writing Conference

Fast becoming a tradition, our annual conference features a nationally-known keynote speaker and breakout sessions hosted by our own CRWP teacher consultants.

This year’s conference will occur on Monday, January 20th, 2014, and will take place at CMU’s state-of-the-art College of Education building.

Heinemann author and co-director of the Boise State Writing Project, Jim Fredricksen, will be our keynote speaker.

For more information about the conference, contact CRWP C0-Director, Elizabeth Brockman.

CRWP Mini-Courses

This fall, CRWP teacher consultants plan to lead one-month mini-courses on narrative, informational, and argumentative writing.

Using a hybrid format, participants will join us for three weekly meetings on CMU’s campus on either Tuesday night or Saturday morning, and then engage in online activities throughout the rest of the month.

For more information about these mini-courses, contact CRWP Director, Troy Hicks.

School-Based Workshops

Continuing in the NWP tradition of “teachers teaching teachers,” CRWP teacher consultants are available for half- and full-day professional development workshops that can be hosted at your school or district. With successful partnerships that have focused on digital writing, writing across the curriculum, and creating a writing workshop, CRWP can facilitate a variety of workshops for K-12 teachers. For more information, contact CRWP Director, Troy Hicks.

Jeremy Hyler, Penny Lew, Kathy Kurtze, and Troy Hicks work on a piece of writing at the 2013 CRWP Writing Retreat.

As spring comes to Michigan, we reflect on one particularly enjoyable weekend this past February. The East Bay Lodge in Prudenville, Michigan, on the expansive (and frozen) Houghton Lake was the site of our first annual winter retreat for teacher consultants from CRWP.  Eight members of the CRWP met for a three-day experience centered around fostering friendships and collegial discussions, and writing for both personal and professional purposes.

Friday night was time for reconnecting as friends.  As we visited and caught up on each other’s lives, both in the classroom and beyond, we found time to listen and laugh.  A  rousing game of WRITE-O (Kathy’s version of BINGO) led to personal writings that exposed facets of our private lives previously not revealed.  As we retired to our rooms, we took with us a new appreciation for each other.

Saturday started with continental breakfast around the fire, and a brainstorming of what we hoped to accomplish throughout the day.  Ideas were generated, shared via Google Docs, and to work we went! Some sat near the roaring fire, others tucked themselves into the cushiony chairs, and a few retired to the quiet of their rooms.  When pangs of hunger called, we reconvened for lunch and a read-around.  With finger snapping we applauded each other’s writing, offering compliments and suggestions.  Then, we were off to our respective areas to make changes and begin new projects.

Hours later, we drew together again, stirring the log fire to add warmth to the room, and then filling our talk with more ideas.  We generated a plan for Fall offerings, hoping to organize a session of one-credit classes that included a flexible venue and webinar offerings.  We pulled out calendars, sketched a plan, and dreamt up a series of sessions that could be offered and easily be repeated.  By dinner time, we were zealously preparing for a season of educational possibilities. Revived by dinner and conversation about everything but writing, we returned to our pre-dinner tasks with renewed vigor. Our mission: to design a brochure to advertise and promote our plan!

Once that was accomplished, we jumped into Google+ and set up a community, even hosting our first hangout! The objective is to meet each other in a digital space on a regular basis, hoping to keep connections alive throughout the year.  We designated the first Monday of the month as our day to meet, and agreed to a rotating list of topics.  Some may be to share strategies, others to talk about a book, and less formal ones to simply visit.  It will be kind of like any casual get-together—members reconnect, reinvigorate, renew our zest for what we do.  While we missed Tip-Up-Town, Houghton Lake treated us well and we look forward to continuing this tradition in years to come!

CRWP Co-Director prepares for her presentation at the NCTE 2012 Convention.

Since the inception of Chippewa River Writing Project (CRWP) in 2009, we have been involved at a national level, attending the National Writing Project (NWP) Annual Meeting and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention for the past four years. These national conferences attract many participants—nearly 600 attend NWP’s annual meeting, and over ten times that attend the NCTE Annual Convention.

As a new writing project site, CRWP wanted to send teacher consultants to national conferences to gain information about best practice and new trends in the teaching field, not only to help with their own classroom instruction, but also to help foster the growth of CRWP and the Summer Institute.  After a few years of attending these conferences, and renewing our excitement for the classroom setting, conversations post-conference eventually led to the submission of proposals.  Even as a young site, we knew we had something to offer other colleagues.

CRWP’s national presence began in Orlando in 2010, with an invitation to Site Director Troy Hicks and Co-Director Kathy Kurtze to present at the NWP Annual Meeting as a first-year site.  CRWP’s commitment to furthering writing and literacy education continued in Chicago (2011) and in Las Vegas (2012) with presentations by many teacher consultants.  Most recently, in Las Vegas, Teacher Consultants Jeremy Hyler, Erin Busch-Grabmeyer, Elizabeth Nelson, and Co-Director Penny Lew, along with Site Director Troy Hicks, presented “Writing, Technology, and the Common Core.” In this presentation, the genres of narrative, informational, and argumentative writing were discussed, along with ways to incorporate different types of technology, including Glogster, Prezi, and digital stories into writing instruction.

In addition, Teacher Consultants Andy Schoenborn and Amanda Smoker, along with Co-Director Kathy Kurtze, presented “Alternative Approaches to Teaching Argumentative Writing.” Using George Hillocks’ book, Teaching Argument Writing as a framework, these three discussed how argument can be taught in a classroom setting without falling into the 5-paragraph trap, utilizing Prezi, Public Service Announcements (PSA), Glogster, and Voki.

Finally, several teacher consultants have participated in NCTE’s Tech-to-Go, an on-the-fly conversation about digital learning tools.  Teacher Consultants – Elizabeth Nelson, Erin Busch-Grabmeyer, Andy Schoenborn, Amanda Smoker, and Site Director, Troy Hicks – have all offered their knowledge and experiences with various types of technology in the classroom.

In addition to our national presence, several teacher consultants have also presented in local districts and at statewide conferences, including Michigan Reading Association (MRA) and Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE), showing CRWP presence around the state as well.

Admittedly, it is common for all teachers to attend some kind of professional development.  As we continue to grow, we fully expect to expand our voice in area schools as well as at the national level at both NWP and NCTE.  Whether it is sharing our experiences about technology or guiding teachers in effective content instruction, CRWP is a presence that is here to stay.

(PDF Version of Flyer and Schedule)

Online Registration Form

The $90 registration includes workshop fees, continental breakfast, box lunch, and a copy of Barry Lane’s book, 51 Wacky We-Search Reports: Face the Facts With Fun. 0.5 CEUs available onsite for $25 (cash or check only).

Barry Lane

Featuring a virtual keynote conversation with internationally known author and speaker Barry Lane, we invite K-12 teachers, literacy coaches, and curricular specialists to join us for a day focused on “Literacy in the Content Areas: Common Core State Standards in Science, Mathematics and Social Studies.”

Conference sessions will be facilitated by Chippewa River Writing Project Teacher Consultants and Elementary, Middle and High School Teacher Teams from Mid-Michigan schools. Support for this event has been provided by the National Writing Project and CMU’s College of Education and Human Services.

The schedule features the opening keynote and four hours of concurrent sessions.

• 8:00 a.m. Check-in and Continental Breakfast
• 8:30 a.m. Virtual Keynote with Barry Lane
• 10:00 a.m. Concurrent Sessions Begin
• 3:30 p.m. Sessions Conclude

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, January 15, 2013

• Online with credit card
• Call with credit card: 989.774.3172
• Or mail participant names, school affiliation, and email with a check payable to CMU to:

Jamie Fockler
CMU Department of English Language & Literature
215 Anspach Hall
1429 S. Washington St.
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859

 Questions? Please contact CRWP Director, Troy Hicks.

Jim Burke

Join teacher, author, and educational leader, Jim Burke, for a day of inquiry based learning.

The Chippewa River Writing Project invites you to register for for a day-long workshop with Jim Burke. During this session, Jim will share his insights about inquiry based learning with secondary teachers. From asking essential questions to generating unit plans, join us as we discover ways to engage students in rigorous instruction that piques their interest, satisfies their curiosity, and leads to greater understanding.

Workshop Details

• The $50 registration includes workshop fees, continental breakfast, box lunch, and a copy of Burke’s book, What’s the Big Idea?: Question-Driven Units to Motivate Reading, Writing, and Thinking.
• 8:30 – 3:30 on Saturday October 20th, 2012
• Room location to be determined.
• Additionally, we are applying for .5 SB-CEUs for the workshop.

More About Jim Burke

A teacher for twenty years, Burke is also the author of nearly two dozen books and the creator of the acclaimed English Companion Ning. He has also won numerous awards, including NCTE’s SLATE Intellectual Freedom Award.

For More Information and to Register

• Register by credit card with our web-based registration form. (Link will open in new window with a secure CMU web form).
• Credit card payments will also be accepted by phone. Please call Jamie Fockler, CMU Department of English: 989-774-3172.
• Registration Deadline: Friday, October 5th. Registrations are transferrable, but not refundable.
• Additional support for this event is provided by the Michigan Council of Teachers of English.

The Chippewa River Writing Project aims to provide youth and fellow community members with unique opportunities to write and learn about themselves as writers.

This summer, we are pleased to offer four different camp opportunities, including a new camp for middle school students focused on writing and technology.

Together we’ll be sharing a love for writing. Let your child join us on an exciting journey through engaging activities as we live out our “writerly lives.”

Your $100 enrollment cost will provide transportation and admission to field trips, snacks, a writer’s journal, camp T-shirt, and a copy of our camp anthology, commemorating our published works. We ask that students  bring their own lunch each day.

Enrollment this summer is now closed.

What’s the Big Idea? – Seminar Series

Tuesdays, 4:30 to 6:30 PM at Mt. Pleasant High School
March 27th, April 17th, May 1st, Sept. 25th, and Oct. 16th, 2012

Click image for PDF version of the flyer

First, we welcome middle and high school teachers of writing as well as college and university composition faculty to join us for a five-part seminar series focused on inquiry based learning and Jim Burke’s book, What’s the Big Idea? Jim Burke will be the keynote speaker for the 2012 MCTE Fall Conference and will continue the conversation with us during for a one-day special event on Saturday, October 20th, 2012, at CMU.

In preparation, we invite you to join a seminar series to begin a conversation about inquiry-based writing instruction for secondary and college teachers. This series of seminars is sponsored by the Chippewa River Writing Project with support from a Teaching Development Grant from CMU’s College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Registration – including all five seminars, light refreshments, and a copy of What’s the Big Idea? – are included at no cost to the first 25 participants who register. Graduate credit or SB-CEUs will be available, pending approval.

What’s the Big Idea Seminar Series Online Registration

Clicking the above link will open a Google Form in a new window.

CRWP’s 2012 Open Institute

June 25 – 29, 2012
9:00 – 4:00 each day

Click image for a PDF version of the flyer

Second, we welcome all teachers, K-university, to join us for a one-week intensive institute this summer entitled “Teachers as Writers: Reflecting on and Responding to the Common Core.”

During the week of June 25-29, 2012 — with additional interactions online both before and after the institute — participants will work with CRWP teacher consultants to better understand the expectations in the CCSS, explore useful digital writing tools, and engage in their own personal writing. The daily schedule will include writing time, teaching demonstrations from CRWP teacher consultants, writing groups, and technology explorations.

There is no cost for attending the one week institute, and participants can enroll for 3 CMU Graduate Credits for ENG 513c (cost apx. $1400 for in-state enrollment) or SB-CEUs. Participants can choose to stay on campus in a dormitory, with weekly rates of approximately $150. The workshop will run from 9:00 – 4:00 daily, with optional evening activities.

CRWP Summer 2012 Open Institute Online Registration

Clicking the above link will open a Google Form in a new window.

CRWP Teacher Consultant Jeremy Hyler has created a resource on multimedia/multigenre writing for the NWP's "Digital Is" website.

Writing with cell phones and computers.

Writing about bodily functions and war.

Writing multigenre digital media projects.

This is how Fulton Middle School language arts teacher Jeremy Hyler gets 7th and 8th grade boys to enjoy reading and writing in his classroom.

According to Hyler, successfully motivating boys to write means giving them plenty of choices.

“Young adolescent boys are not given enough choices when it comes to reading and writing. I allow my boy students to write about murder, burping, farting, war, etc. I also give them different media to express their ideas, too, such as Wikispaces, Google Docs, Edmodo, Cel.ly, Glogster, Animoto, Toondoo and other 21st century tools” explains Hyler.

“If you don’t allow them to use technology, you will lose boys rather quickly. There are few adolescent boys who actually want to put a pencil in their hand and write on a piece of paper.”

Hyler describes reading as an important companion to writing, especially for boys, and allows his students ample opportunities to read and write about activities they are interested in.

To increase motivation, Hyler also focuses on his students’ writing as a whole, rather than just in terms of structure or surface errors. “I really focus on the positives in their writing to make them confident,” he says.

He also gives students plenty of opportunity to write every day using technology as way to further student engagement in more traditional literacy practices. For example, Hyler’s students use Glogster to create multimedia posters based on themes and characters from novels. They log in to Celly and Google Docs to create daily journal entries, store writing portfolios, and draft essays for peer and teacher review. Students complete multigenre research projects on topics of their choice using a wide range of technological tools. This year Hyler is adding two new technology tools to his students’ digital literacy repertoire: Animoto for digital storytelling and Edmodo for discussion posts.

But technology should not be used for its own sake, notes Hyler: “First and foremost, my students write every day in my classroom, and I write with them. I journal with my students and share with them what my mental process is as I write. They need to see how my writing process works as a model.”

For teachers who would like to learn more about using digital technology in their classrooms, Hyler suggests the National Writing Project’s web source Digital Is. The site contains collections of digital resources, created and posted by teachers, which can be adapted for classroom use, including Hyler’s own resource site on using multimedia and multigenre writing.

“As educators, we need to be open to different types of writing and be willing to call text messages, Facebook comments, tweets, blogs and comic strips writing,” says Hyler, who is currently writing his own adolescent fiction novel.

For teachers interested in learning more about how to motivate reluctant writers, Hyler suggests Ralph Fletcher’s book Boy Writer: Reclaiming Their Voices. This year, Hyler is forming a lunchtime writing club for boys, which he hopes will motivate more of his students to enjoy writing.

“Boys, in general, aren’t always comfortable sharing their writing with their classmates,” he explains.

“Bottom line—it is about giving the boys choices, and making them feel comfortable and confident in their writing.”

You can follow Jeremy’s blog, Jeremy Hyler 40, and his tweets @Jeremybballer

This article was authored by Karen Horwath.

SI teacher participant Jonathan Case puts the finishing touches on a portfolio piece.

While the 2011 Summer Institute may be drawing to a close, for Chippewa River Writing Project participants, the writer’s journey is far from over.  To many of these writers, E-Anthology is a tool that will help carry their experiences at the SI forward into the months to come.

Developed in 1997 by a group of teachers through the Dakota Writing Project, E-Anthology was adopted into the National Writing Project site in 2003.  Today, it offers more than 2,500 participants from over 100 local writing projects continual opportunities for growth and collegiality.    The purpose of E-Anthology is multifold.  Various forums allow writing project participants to share “day in the life” snapshots of their summer institute experiences with colleagues across the nation, as well as participate in pedagogical discussions concerning both teaching and writing.  For many of the CRWP participants, however, one of E-Anthology’s most attractive features is a forum that allows members to share and respond to personal pieces of writing they wish to develop further.

“I more accurately define myself as an Internet ‘consumer’ than ‘producer’,” confesses CRWP co-director Liz Brockman, “but posting on the E-Anthology makes me a producer–at least this once!”

This experience was shared by CRWP teacher participant Jennifer McDougall, who used E-Anthology to help polish her final portfolio project for the SI.  Receiving feedback from other NWP members on a personal narrative she had posted allowed McDougall to view her writing in ways she had not previously imagined.

“I was a little hesitant at first,” McDougall admits.  “I started reading and responding to pieces I saw posted from colleagues I was familiar with.  Once I got more comfortable, I picked a piece and just put it up there.  I asked for suggestions to improve it, and I really got some good feedback from someone I didn’t know in Pennsylvania.”

SI teacher participant Jennifer McDougall enjoyed exploring E-Anthology as a tool for developing her professional writing.

McDougall’s experience highlights what, perhaps, E-Anthology does best: it offers participants new avenues for growth both personally and professionally.

“It makes this community we share a lot larger,” McDougall observes.  “I love what we’ve been doing here at the Summer Institute, and this made the picture even bigger and more meaningful.  These are the kinds of sites that keep up going.”

For more information on the E-Anthology, or to learn how your site can participate, check out the National Writing Project’s website.

SI Participant Sheri Kuchek settles down to write at Mt. Pleasant's Nelson Park.

They gather in coffee shops, at libraries, at bookstores, and ice cream shops.  Sometimes you may find them huddled together at a picnic table in the park, pencils and pens scribbling feverishly across open notepads.  Other times, they may be settled at a corner booth of a local restaurant, quietly taking in the scenery of a hectic lunchtime rush.  Ask them what they’re doing, and they’ll all lend the same answer: “We are writers.”

Wednesday, June 29^th marked the third annual Writing Marathon for the Chippewa River Writing Project, headed once again by CRWP leadership team member Penny Lew.  For a full afternoon, Summer Institute participants gathered with friends and family to share their love of writing.  As participants divided into groups, each set forth with the task of exploring their world with the eyes of the writer, naturally drawing inspiration from the settings that surround them.  The journey took them beyond the campus of Central Michigan University, to shops, stores, parks, and restaurants all across Mt. Pleasant.

“It was fantastic,” Summer Institute participant Jonathan Case remarks.  “Having the opportunity to just sit and observe is something I normally don’t have the chance to do.”

Fellow SI participant Judy McAlvey echoes Case’s sentiment.  “The Writing Marathon awakened the writer in me,” she explains.  “In the area of observation, writers need to describe in detail.  Even by just listening to sounds, it helped me focus more on the things around me.”

SI Participants Rebecca Conway (left) and Angie Vandewarker enjoy the celebratory read-around.

Asked about her favorite Marathon experience, SI participant Angie Vandewarker recalls a quiet hour spent with a group of friends amid the sights and smells of a French-style bakery.  “The Marathon was wonderful—very informative,” she observes.  “A meaningful experience, and it went by so fast!”

As the Marathon drew to a close, participants reconvened on campus for a celebratory read-around with friends and colleagues.  Together, the lines shared served as a patchwork picture of the many different people and places making up the Writing Marathon.

For more information on the Writing Marathon and our Summer Institute, please see our wiki at http://www.chippewariverwp.wikispaces.com.