Lowcountry Writing Project

Round 1 Sessions (8:15-9:45)

1A. But I Don't Know How to Teach Reading (Andrea Gallagher)
Whenever questions arise in academic circles related to reading or literacy, all eyes seem to turn to the English teachers, who rarely have any more training in teaching reading than other content teachers. If you are tired of not having the answers, join us on a path of personal professional development, drawing on resources from noted literacy experts like Ruth Schoenbach, Kylene Beers, Jeffrey Wilhelm, and many others. (Note: This session will be offered again in Round 3.)

1B. Do You See What I See? (Junius Wright)
Integrating visual and auditory media into the Language Arts curriculum can help fuel the fires of literacy by sparking students' curiosity and imagination. This session will use lesson resources, student samples, and hands-on activities to demonstrate how artwork, film clips, pod-casts, and music can be read and analyzed using the tools traditionally reserved for analyzing literary works.

1C. Enhancing Student Learning through Verse (Christy Wegmann)
This session offers practical ways to use poetry as a write-to-learn strategy.  Participants will get hands-on practice with a variety of kinds of poetry they can use to teach content.

1D. Scholastic Books
The folks from Scholastic Books share what's new at Scholastic and answer questions about book clubs and how teachers can build up their classroom libraries with free books. (Note: This session will be offered again in Rounds 2, 3 & 4.)

Round 2 Sessions (10:00-11:30)

2A. Are They Really Reading?: Active Reading Strategies for Improved Comprehension & Critical Thinking (Tracey W. Merton)
This session offers practical classroom strategies for engaging students in the reading process. Strategies include using reciprocal reading, post it notes and coding for journals and quick writes. Applicable to teachers of grades 6-12.

2B. Only YOU Can Prevent Readicide (Tom Thompson)
Is it possible that those of us who love books are unwittingly contributing to the decline of reading? This session invites participants to engage in some frank discussion about student responses to current classroom practices. Then, drawing on suggestions from Kelly Gallagher's new book, Readicide, it offers specific steps to help students (re)gain the joy of reading.

2C. We are Family: Using Book Clubs to Create a Family of Readers at Home and School (Christy Wegmann)
This session explains how to set up and manage family book clubs -- a way to bring families together with great books and great conversations. Participants will learn the format for the book club and how to use face to face meetings and a blog to communicate. 

2D. Scholastic Books
The folks from Scholastic Books share what's new at Scholastic and answer questions about book clubs and how teachers can build up their classroom libraries with free books. (Note: This session will be offered again in Rounds 3 & 4.)

Round 3 Sessions (12:45-2:15)

3A. But I Don't Know How to Teach Reading (Andrea Gallagher)
Whenever questions arise in academic circles related to reading or literacy, all eyes seem to turn to the English teachers, who rarely have any more training in teaching reading than other content teachers. If you are tired of not having the answers, join us on a path of personal professional development, drawing on resources from noted literacy experts like Ruth Schoenbach, Kylene Beers, Jeffrey Wilhelm, and many others (Note: This is a repeat of Session 1A.)

3B. What Are Teens Reading Today? (panel discussion)
If you'd like to encourage your students to read, but you aren’t sure what books to recommend, this session is for you. We'll have "book talks" about the books that kids are actually reading today, plus tips for building class libraries. If you've seen your students reading, be ready to share some book titles.

3C/4C. Digital Storytelling Lite: Using Microsoft Photostory for project-based instruction (Emily Elliott)
Harness the power of the digital age by using Microsoft Photostory as a vehicle for student expression and project-based learning. You will learn how to import images, narrate and save a Photostory movie file, as well as applications of this tool in a balanced literacy classroom.  (Note: This is a three-hour block; it takes up the Round 3 and Round 4 slots.)

3D. Scholastic Books
The folks from Scholastic Books share what's new at Scholastic and answer questions about book clubs and how teachers can build up their classroom libraries with free books. (Note: This session will be offered again in Round 4.)

Round 4 sessions (2:30-4:00)

4A. Preparing Students for AP English (Carol Hurt and Mary Catherine Lankford)
How can you best prepare your students for AP English Language and AP English Literature? Two teachers with experience teaching the classes and scoring the exams share their ideas for grading essays and teaching analysis, along with other tips for helping prepare students for these challenging courses.

4B. Storyboards: An Effective Tool for Teaching Reading Comprehension and Writing in the Classroom (Karolea Lucas)
Storyboards in the classroom? Sure! This session explains what storyboards are, how to make them, how to use them in the classroom and why they make effective tools to foster reading comprehension and to enhance and extend writing. Once the storyboard is complete, students have many options of where else they can take (or what else they can do with) their storyboards – regardless on the content area.

4D. Scholastic Books
The folks from Scholastic Books share what's new at Scholastic and answer questions about book clubs and how teachers can build up their classroom libraries with free books.