PLWP Teacher Resource Wiki - Recently Updated Pages

Book Reviews

plwp — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:31:51 CDT

Read a good book about teaching literacy lately? Share your evaluation by writing and posting a review on our wiki. Our first submission comes from Liberty Usera, 2009 Teacher Consultant, who has reviewed Pass English Comp: The Study Guide for Critical Thinking, Rhetoric, and College Writing by Susan Ferguson, Missouri Western English Alum and Greater Kansas City Writing Project Teacher Consultant. (sue.ferguson@gmail.com; http://www.passenglishcomp.com/)

Read Liberty's review here.

PowerPoint Clock Timer Add In

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:42:21 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Alternatives to Grading Student Writing by Stephen Tchudi

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:19:53 CDT

Tchudi, Stephen, ed. Alternatives to Grading Student Writing. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1997. Tchudi's book presents a wide-ranging discussion of grading alternatives available for teachers of writing. Although no perfect grading system is espoused, many viable alternatives are presented. The essays collected in this volume are worth reading by both the veteran and novice writing instructor. Contributed by Janet Jelavich 1998 Invitational Participant.

After the End: Teaching and Learning Creative Revision by Barry Lane

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:19:31 CDT

Lane, Barry. After the End: Teaching and Learning Creative Revision. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1993. Not a step-by-step guide to teach the revision part of the writing process, rather a collection of useful techniques teachers can use to help students revise not only to improve but to create interest by the reader. Stacy Cole, 1999 Invitational Institute participant, considers this a "Bible." Applicable for every level. Contributed by Joyce Finch 1996 Invitational Participant.

Complex Sentence Lesson Plans

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:46:53 CDT

Email Jill at steinmetzjill@yahoo.com

Ways To Celebrate

MaryPLWPTL — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:40:53 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

National Day On Writing '09

MaryPLWPTL — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:39:52 CDT

This page is devoted to celebrating National Day On Writing October 20, 2009. We will continue to add pages to this section as our PLWP plan for celebration develops. Please use this site to share how you plan to celebrate this at your school. Feel free to add photos of how you and your students celeberate writing either here or on www.flickr.com. Look to join a group there called National Day On Writing or you can tag your photos ndow09 and individuals will be able to find them by doing a search on the ndow09 tag. Be careful of using students in photos. Check to be sure there is signed permission to do so.

10 way to....

MaryPLWPTL — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:05:49 CDT

You may add to this page by going to easy edit. Just add your suggestions along with the list. If you want to add other titles please do so.
10 ways to use paint samples.
1) Use them to have students write a real name poem from poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge.
2) Use them to stock a word pool. Use an old fish bowl or any large jar/container. You can stock the jar with paint samples or colored paper with words on them. You might even ask your students to contribute to the word jar. Use it the words as a writing prompt, or if stocked with content vocabulary terms use it as a vocabulary review. Allow the students to select 10 words and to write a story using those 10 words.
3) Use paint samples to develop diction and discuss labels. I discuss with my students how wonderful the titles of the colors are (woodsmoke instead of gray, moonshine instead of white). I then have them go through magazines and old dictionaries and newspapers to find 5 words or phrases they never heard before, 5 words or phrases they will use in conversation today, and so on. They then match the words they collected to a color (what color would go with the word luminescence?) and they have to label themselves, label their journal, label 5 things in the room, and they take the rest of their labels/paint samples out into the world. (from Vickey Meyer)

10 ways to use digital composition
1. Check out this site to see how a teacher used MovieMaker in lit. circles. http://www.sr2.k12.mo.us/swalker/CT.htm
2. Try a free downloadable copy of Photo Story 3 for a pared down version of MovieMaker.
3. Show the finger placement for a musical instrument, then record the note. Post so that students hear and see what is required.

10 ways to teach grammar?

10 ways to use a ning
1. Closed ning for SI work.
2. Technology Liaison networ connection Tech Friend ning.

Home

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:34:35 CDT

Because the National Writing Project’s core mission is “to improve the teaching of writing and improve the use of writing across the curriculum,” Prairie Lands Writing Project wanted to give its teacher consultants a venue for sharing information on materials and resources that have contributed to the success of their own classroom instruction. Our PLWP Teacher Resource Wiki is the result of this desire to reach out to colleagues with practical, concise information on books and web resources that have proven useful in helping us to improve our students’ literacy skills.

PLWP encourages all educators to visit the wiki for reviews and recommendations on Revolutionary Books and Teaching Tools that might also contribute to their classroom success. PLWP also invites users to make additional helpful comments about the books and resources already reviewed on the wiki.

Because this is an open source Wiki, you can add, edit, or comment on anything you see here. To begin, click on one of the pages in the navigation box on the left hand side of this page.

Resource URLs

MaryPLWPTL — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:21:05 CDT

Welcome to the PLWP SI2009 URL resource page. Please feel free to join the PLWP wiki and add any resource sites you find related to teaching writing in the K-16 classroom.
There are two ways to contribute: One, sign in and find this page to the left. Select the Easy Edit button with the pencil. Then edit this page by adding your suggested site with a short explanation of the materials to be found there.
OR You may sign in and scroll to the bottom and add a new thread. Just remember Save your contribution.It is all yours, so keep contributing through the coming year/years.
1. www.pics4learning.com copyright free pictures for use in an educational setting.
2. http://writingwithtechnolog.edublogs.org Mary Lee's blog site for three writing with technology workshops.
3. http://www.teachertube.com/ Much like Utube, but mostly videos created for and by teachers.
4. http://bhsca10.ning.com/ Lynn's ning
5. http://stjoeh2o.ning.com/ Science teacher at Benton School ning
6. http://virtualsouthside.ning.com/ Benton School ning
7. http://techliaison.ning.com/ A ning for National Writing Project tech liaison
8. http://nwpsiteleaders.ning.com/ National Writing Project ning
9. http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/ Kevin's Meandering Mind, a 6th grade National Wriing Project

Good Reads

MaryPLWPTL — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:34:34 CDT

Join, sign in and contribute to the list of good books you are reading or books you have read.

Hard Copy Reference Books

MaryPLWPTL — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:32:48 CDT

Welcome to the reference page. Again, join this PLWP wiki and contribute. Once you join you may edit this page by selecting the Easy Edit button and add your suggestions. OR You may scroll to the bottom and start a new thread.
Come join the SI09 summer scholars.
1. poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldredge This is a must for creative writing teachers in grades 3-16. She has suggestions that will work with a broad range of students as well as content areas.

2. Write what you See by Hank Kellner 2009 This book has 90 some photos and suggestions for writing prompts connected with those photos. There are a couple PLWP TCs acknowledged in this book for their contributions.

3. Looking to Write by Mary Ehrenworth 2003 Mary Ehrenworth uses the masters of art as writing prompts. This book could be used from 3-16 grades.

4. Writing Towards Home by Georgia Heard This book has multiple suggestions for teaching writing. A smart teacher could adapt her suggestions in grades 3-16.

5. Writing Our Communities Local Learning and Public Culture 2005 by Dave Winter and Sarah Robbins. This book contains writing ideas to create an awareness of the students own community.

6. Teaching The New Writing 2009 by Anne Herrington, Kevin Hodgson, and Charles Moran A number of teachers contributed to this book. This would be a good professional development book for career ladder or a book discussion group.

2009 PLWP Writing Retreat

MaryPLWPTL — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:00:00 CDT

Welcome "Room full of writiers"!
You may either upload your pieces as a thread or join this wiki and add a new page under this heading.
Feel free to add photos to the 2009 PLWP Writing Retreat album you will find by selecting the Photo option on the menu bar. Once on the photo page, select the Album tab to see the 2009 PLWP Writing Retreat album.
Mary Lee

Your Favorite Movie June 12

MaryPLWPTL — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:47:07 CDT

Post your choice of movie favorites by posting a new thread. If you would like to comment on someone elses post select post reply.

Summer Institute 09

MaryPLWPTL — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:45:02 CDT

Welcome Summer Institute participants PLWP Wet Paint Wiki.
You are welcome to join this wiki and establish a profile along with an icon. There will be pages added to this wiki as the summer progresses. Look for the page to add your favorite movie and a little about why you chose it.
Do so by scrolling down and posting a thread.

SI09 Favorite Movie

MaryPLWPTL — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:09:44 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Kudos

MaryPLWPTL — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:14:48 CDT

This page is to recognize PLWP TCs.
Cayetana, a 2008 SI fellow, has her introductory writing piece published on the Smithsonian Photography web site. There is an article on the NWP web site about this project. http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2773 To see Cayetana's piece go to http://click.si.edu/Contributors.aspx Scroll down to find her name. As you will see she is among a very talented group. This group's photos and essays can also be found on www.flickr.com.

Mary Lee Meyer and Kathy Miller are two of PLWP's own who are featured in a book Write What You See by Hank Kellner. This book discusses using photos as writing prompts. It is due out in April. Mary's blog http://writingwithtechnology.edublogs.org has been referenced on Kellner's blog and in some of the articles he has written for three other web sites about using photos as writing prompts.

Kudos to Heidi Mick and to Prairie Lands for being featured on the OPENING page of the NWP’s website (www.nwp.org) since December 15, 2008, in a “NWP in Action” article, “Missouri Teachers Create ‘TechKnowFiles’—Best Practices in Using Technology to Teach Writing.” The web article at http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2762 describes how we developed our ‘Files” and links to the teaching-with-technology online units on our PLWP site which were developed by Heidi (podcasts), Stacia Studer (blogs), Mary Lee Meyer (publishing an “I am” poem in PowerPoint), Rebecca Dierking (Word’s revising tool) Valorie Stokes (using web resources with graphic novels), and Amy Miller (wikis).
Kudos to Pam Johnston, Tori Grable, Christie Hofmeister, Sandra Pettit, Amanda Moyers, Joe Marmaud, Michelle O’Connor, Jennifer Vermillion, Patricia Brost, Amy Miller, Carma Burtnett, Erin Walker, Tom Pankiewicz, Debbie Schwebach, and Meredith Katchen for joining me and 15 other area teachers in participating in the national and Missouri Scholastic Writing Contest Preliminary Judging Sessions held in Blum Union on January 10 and/or 17. In two marathon Saturdays, we scored over 3000 At-Large and 193 Missouri Region personal essays, poems, senior portfolios, science fiction, short stories, short-short stories, dramatic scripts, journalism, and humor pieces submitted by middle- and high-school students from throughout the United States, including those from sixty different schools in Missouri. This was the first year that Missouri Region sessions and the sixth year that the At-Large scoring sessions have been held at MWSU—sponsored by Prairie Lands Writing Project with funding for scorers provided by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.
Kudos to Deb Schwebach and to Erin Walker for their leadership roles as associate coordinator and contest submissions coordinator for our Missouri Writing Region for the 2009 Missouri Writing Awards Contest. PLWP is the major sponsor of the Affiliate Region with the Missouri Writing Projects Network and the Missouri Association of Teachers of English. Missouri’s winning entries were selected from among the top entries scored at Western in a judging round on January 24 at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Winners and their teachers will be recognized at this year’s Write to Learn Conference where selections of students’ winning pieces will be prominently displayed. Kudos to Kelly Lock, Amanda Moyers, and Janet Jelavich for having students who are Scholastic Writing Awards Contest winners. (See attached list of winners, teachers, schools, categories.)
Kudos to Kathy Miller and Mary Lee Meyer whose teaching-writing-using-photos assignments are included in Hank Kellner’s Write what You See (Cottonwood press, 2009). Check out our PLWP copy of Kellner’s book or CD and read Kathy’s and Mary Lee’s assignments on p. 115.
Kudos to Kathy Miller, Stacia Studer, Heidi Mick, Terri McAvoy, and Debbie Schwebach for successfully conducting PLWP inservices in January (St. Joseph Literacy Academy and Excelsior Springs Writing Academy regroup meetings and Excelsior Springs Middle School Because Writing Matters Book Study).
Kudos to Mary Lee Meyer for creating a Kudos page on our wiki and for encouraging you to add yours to http://plwp.wetpaint.com/page/Kudos.
Kudos to Amy Miller and Stefanie Lyle for co-chairing this year's event; host Kyla Ward; presenters Meg Thompson, Dawn Terrick, Debbie Schwebach, Bill Church, Dana Andrews, Tina Janc, Vickey Meyer, Mike Cadden, Amy Miller, and Bob Bergland; workshop organizer Tom Pankiewicz; picture takers Mike Epperson and Mary Lee Meyer; event organizer Josie Clark; Pre-Service teachers and gofers Luke Akers, Jocelyn Clubine, Amanda Hash, Lisa Crawford, Denise Price, Amanda Rawlings, Katie Shobe, Holly Richardson, and Aimee Whitacre; and especially, teachers Vicky Bryan, Brrandon Haskey, Vickey Meyer, Sara Capra, Dustin Sollars, Mike Epperson, Debbie Schwebach, Emily Garrett, Tori Grable, K'lea Snyder, Melisa Harper, Ron Lathrop, Heidi Mick, James Miscavish, Ken Girard, Deb Moore, Kathryn Nichols, Sandy Veale, Joy Sherard, and Jill Steinmetz--for bringing their students!

KUDOS to Heidi Mick, our professional development director, and to Terri McAvoy, our PLWP program associate director for having been selected to participate in the National Writing Project's Invitation-only Partnership Institute, to be held July 15-20 at the Babson Executive Conference Center in Wellesley, MA. The purpose of the Institute, according to the NWP, is "to bring together a group of National Writing Project site leaders who have expertise in developing, providing, and sustaining long-term school partnerships and provide an opportunity for Institute participants to learn from each other’s work. In addition, we will together work to identify effective practices to disseminate throughout the NWP network."
KUDOS to Mary Lee Meyer for having her use of photos and writing ideas she shared with Hank Kellner author of Write What You See appear in the winter 2009 issue of the KCTE/LA Newsletter.
Kudos to Valorie Stokes for being chosen to serve a leadership role for the NWP Web Presence Conference.
Kudos to Jane Frick and Mary Lee Meyer for being selected to attend the Technology Resource Conference in Tahoe City, CA July 8-11, 2009.
Kudos to Tom Pankiewicz, for being part of the leadership team for the National Summer Institute director's retreat. Kudos to Dawn Smith, 2000 Invitational Institute, St. Joseph School District's 2009 Teacher of the Year! Dawn teaches language arts and serves as the department chair at Central High School.

Kudos to Stacey Meyer. Below is part of an award letter upon receiving these resources from the National Endowment of Humanities. Stacey submitted the grant request for these resources. Congratulations on being a Picturing America award recipient! Picturing America introduces citizens of every age to our nation’s history and culture by bringing great works of American art into classrooms and libraries. In a few months, your institution will receive a collection of 40 high-quality reproductions of American art, along with a Teachers Resource Book. Below is the site for move information. http://www.picturingamerica.neh.gov/. Kudos to Jane Frick, Josie Clark, Jen Vermillion, Tia Frahm and Stacey Meyer for serving as group leaders at the April 25, 2009 Shoot and Write Marathon held at Missouri Western State University campus sponsored by PLWP. Mary Lee Meyer, director of the PLWP Shoot and Write. See the photo gallery of this site for photos. See Shoot and Write page of this Wiki for resource information. Kudos to Stacey Meyer. Below is part of an award letter upon receiving these resources from the National Endowment of Humanities. Stacey submitted the grant request for these resources. Congratulations on being a Picturing America award recipient! Picturing America introduces citizens of every age to our nation’s history and culture by bringing great works of American art into classrooms and libraries. In a few months, your institution will receive a collection of 40 high-quality reproductions of American art, along with a Teachers Resource Book. Below is the site for move information. http://www.picturingamerica.neh.gov/. Kudos to Cayetana Maristela, Joyce Clark, Jen Vermillion, and Jill Steinmetz and their families for representing Prairie Lands during last weekend's May 9 Commencement ceremonies here at Missouri Western. Cayatana, Joyce, Jen, and Christie Hofmeister and Tia Frahm are our 09 PLWP Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing recipients; Jill is one of Western's first Master's Degree recipients, completing the MAS in Assessment: Writing Option--which includes 15 of the 18 hours in the graduate certificate--as part of the 33-hour Master's. Jill received the Graduate Certificate last December.

Super Technology Saturdays

MaryPLWPTL — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:43:58 CDT

PLPW held their first in a series of super technology Saturdays on April 25, 2009. There were 20 teachers who braved a chilly Spring Saturday to participate in the beta version of a shoot and write marathon on Western's campus. The group met in Eder hall for a short introduction and instructions. Mary Lee Meyer, PLWP TL, provided the activitie's introduction. Stacey Meyer, PLWP TC and art instructor, provided tips for taking photos. Tia Frahm, Jen Vermillion, Stacey Meyer, Jane Frick and Josie Clark were group leaders for the shoot and write. They also guided their group members on uploading photos and writing to Flickr.com.
Below are the sites of more information about the Shoot and Write Marathon http://www.missouriwestern.edu/plwp/sawfwf.pdf PowerPoint for the entire workshop http://www.missouriwestern.edu/plwp/sawfwf1.pdf How to use Flickr Storm and how to cite pictures from Flickr http://www.missouriwestern.edu/plwp/sawfwf2.pdf How to upload photos in Flickr http://www.missouriwestern.edu/plwp/sawfwf3.pdf Creating a profile and buddy icon in Flicir http://www.missouriwestern.edu/plwp/sawfwf4.pdf Creating a Flickr account and signing in Shoot and Write Discussion here has sites where some of photos and writing is public. http://techliaison.ning.com/

Teaching Academic Writing

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:33:46 CDT

Love Lost & Found by Bill Church

plwp — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:08:40 CST

Love Lost & Found We need a lost and found for love, a phone number, an answering machine, and maybe . . . maybe even the imaginary address of some shack, rotting, of course, beside rusted tracks in deep dust where no train has strained the rails for years. Or why not an abandoned bar, neon weeds, junked cars, graffiti-smeared glass still fogged by the gasps of long-gone lovers, their teary promises adrift in Dixie cup ships on puddled beer? We wouldn’t need elaborate pens, no chain link fences, cement blocks, or locks like at the animal shelter or stockyards. Walls and fences never held love anyhow. No, all we need is a stable place our quivering minds can embrace in this eternal lonely moment we’ve named Now. And we need no staff, really, just one friendly recorded voice. “Please describe this love you lost,” it will say. “Tell us where you last had it. Speak slowly. Details matter. Leave your number when you finish. And your name.” Then there’ll be infinite tape that automatically erases, rewinding with the whirring kindness of a caress. But in those hollow nights when darkness presses heavy as a boot heel on our throats, when each breath teases our lungs not to release it, and when each memory threatens to choke … well, those are the times I lie dead awake and long to climb cold moonbeams into sky. I cannot recall a reason to live without love And I don’t have enough drive left to die. Those are the times I laugh mad as a loon, understanding that hell is just another word for alone, that solitude is a synonym for sorrow, and that broken hearts are harder to mend than bone. In those times when Nothing seems too much to want, and Nothing would require too much ambition to be, when Nothing describes all I’ve finally become, when I am Nothing, and Nothing is me, well … that’s when I most think we need a love lost and found, a place we could call the one voice who would listen, who would take our number, take our name and in leave us hope that some night our phone will ring
and someone say, “I think I have what you’ve been missing.”