New Workshop Designed to Meet North Carolina Writing Guidelines!
There's no doubt that building portfolios of cross-curricular writing helps students clarify, assimilate, and articulate what they've learned while providing opportunities for authentic writing experiences.  This workshop will explore the differences between narrative and expository writing and the application of these skills in all curriculum areas, with particular emphasis on expository writing.  Teachers will come away with powerful exemplars and everything they need to feel confident in planning and delivering instruction necessary to building cross-curricular portfolios.  We will also discuss how building portfolios provides opportunities for formative assessment and professional learning communities.

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• Greensboro, NC
  September 28

KINDERGARTEN-GRADE 1 WRITING WORKSHOP

This workshop is geared for teachers of kindergarten and grade 1, language arts specialists, and administrators.

Participants will learn how to:

• Explore the reading-writing connection 

• Examine the developmental stages of writing 

• Practice age – appropriate summarization skills 

• Recognize story critical elements 

• Share the power of vivid elaboration 

• Introduce games for vocabulary development 

• Recognize and build suspense 

• Use our portfolio assessment guide 

• Use literature connections

• Columbia, SC
  October 5

• Clayton, NC
  October 6

• Greensboro, NC
  October 7

• ACES Hamden, CT
  September 21
  January 25

• Allen, TX
  August 3

NARRATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

This workshop is geared for any teacher responsible for teaching narrative writing with a focus on grades 2-7. Understand the key characteristics of narrative writing as well as a proven, practical, research-based methodology that works in the real world of the classroom!

Come away with specific lesson plans with clear objectives that empower you to:

• understand the characteristics of a range of narrative types of stories:  character/problem/solution, personal experience, imaginative, realistic fiction

• explore the reading-writing connection

• learn specific strategies for writing entertaining beginnings

• write relevant, vivid elaborative detail

• build suspense

• develop fully-elaborated main events

• craft satisfying extended story endings

• receive powerful exemplars of narrative writing for classroom use

• address the personal experience narrative

• Columbia, SC
  September 15
  November 2

• Clayton, NC
  November 3
  September 23

• Greensboro, NC
  November 10
  September 20

• ACES Hamden, CT
  September 23
  October 26
  November 17
  January 26
  April 7

• Hickory, NC
  October 12

• Litchfield, CT
  October 20

• Mansfield, TX
  September 13
  October 14

• Mesquite, TX
  September 30

• Lewisville, TX
  October 7

• San Angelo, TX
  October 14

• Austin, TX
  September 30

• Houston, TX
  September 22

• Allen, TX
  September 9

• Lubbock, TX
  September 23

• Midland, TX
  September 28

EXPOSITORY WRITING WORKSHOP

This workshop is intended for teachers of students in grade 3 and above, or any teacher responsible for teaching expository writing. Understand the key characteristics of expository writing as well as a proven, practical, research-based methodology that works in the real world of the classroom!

Come away with specific lesson plans with clear objectives that empower you to:

• understand a variety of expository writing challenges:  informational essay/report, the "how to" piece, compare contrast
• explore opportunities for analyzing the organizational structure of the expository essay
• learn specific strategies for crafting strong introductions with attention-grabbing leads
• create clear, concise topic sentences
• generate a number of broad yet distinct main ideas
• write a variety of powerful supporting details
• construct conclusions in which main ideas are creatively restated
• receive powerful exemplars of expository writing for classroom use

• Columbia, SC
  September 16
  November 3

• Clayton, NC
  November 4
  September 24

• Greensboro, NC
  September 21
  November 11

• Hickory, NC
  October 13

• ACES Hamden, CT
  September 24
  October 27
  November 18
  January 27
  April 8

• Litchfield, CT
  October 21

• Allen, TX
  August 4
  October 5

• Mansfield, TX
  September 28
  October 26

• Houston, TX
  September 21

PERSUASIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

* persuasive essay * argumentative * critical stance

This workshop is geared for grade 6 - 8 teachers, language arts specialists, and administrators.

Participants will learn how to:

• Organize a persuasive essay

• Examine both sides of an issue

• Recognize and acknowledge the alternate point of view

• Use relevant information to support a particular point of view

• Understand the power of voice, tone, connotation, and word choice

• Generate convincing supporting detail

NARRATIVE WRITING CMT REVIEW

(Prerequisite:  At least one year's worth of experience using the Empowering Writer's Narrative Program)

This intensive workshop not only reviews all key skills for narrative writing - it also presents the timing/pacing strategies and prompt analysis necessary for students to become savvy, confident test takers.  Detailed lesson plans are included.