A Poem A Day » Lesson plan

Try It, You’ll Like It

WITS Houston — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:34:54 +0000

One of our goals at Writers in the Schools is to get kids to LOVE reading and writing. This is easier with some students than others. And for our more reluctant writers, sometimes we have to venture out into their world, allowing them to have fun with their imaginations. For kids who thrive on fare such as Captain Underpants or Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the challenge of writing a disgusting recipe or yucky menu is met with glee. Would you eat in this bistro?

Gross‐Out Menu

Drinks:
Wormy Water $.50
Maggot Margarita $2
Blueberry Booger Smoothie $1.50
Appetizers:
Moldy Mac‐&‐Cheese $10
Sautéed Spinach in Spit $15
Main Course:
Rubbish Ravioli $20
Mucus Meatloaf $20
Dessert:
Manure Chocolate Mousse $15

By Sasha, 3rd grade

Filed under: creativity, food, humor, Lesson plan

Teachers to Develop New Ideas on Digital Learning Day

jrwatson5 — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:30:40 +0000

Photo by ortizmiddleschool via Flickr

Schools across the nation are signing up for Digital Learning Day, a national campaign that celebrates innovation in the classrooms on February 1st. On this day, administrators, teachers, parents, and students everywhere will unite to discuss the ways in which technology has revolutionized the curriculum and exchange ideas on how to improve computer literacy.

Started by the Alliance for Excellent Education, Digital Learning Day empowers members of the education community with a number of resources and tool kits that are available on the group’s website. Their professional development offerings include interdisciplinary lesson plans, digital learning examples by district, and webinars.

Individuals are encouraged to participate in this free event no matter what their technical skill level. Best of all, colleagues who spread the word about Digital Learning Day can win a $100 grant for their classroom. Be the first Houston school to get on board with Digital Learning Day by signing up today!

Filed under: contest, creativity, education, event, Lesson plan, teaching, writers in the schools Tagged: digital learning day, Professional development, schools

WITS to Present at Inaugural Houston Arts Partners Conference

jrwatson5 — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:30:34 +0000

Writers in the Schools is a proud sponsor of the Houston Arts Partners inaugural conference, Shaping the Future of Education & Creating 21st Century Leaders, taking place on September 13, 2011 at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston as part of National Arts in Educations Week. The conference will bring together a diverse representation of 300 educators, administrators, researchers, and teaching artists for an inspiring and revealing hands-on experience in today’s best practices in arts integrated science, math, english and social studies curriculum. WITS will present 2 sessions on Teaching Writing the WITS Way covering curricula and pedagogy for students in grades K-12.

Young Audiences of Houston created Houston Arts Partners in response to a specific request from Houston area arts administrators for a more efficient and effective method to access arts educational resources in Houston. Steering committees comprised of arts organizations and school districts formed to help the nonprofit achieve its mission and purpose.

A primary goal of the Houston Arts Partners is to provide a suite of services through a unique website, www.houstonartspartners.org. This site fulfills the needs of arts educators with services ranging from centralized, online booking, to full service grant writing and customized collaborative program support. Visit the site today to learn more about the 16 arts organizations that are currently collaborating and to find out how you can become an arts advocate. While you are there, be sure to visit the WITS program page.

For more information about Houston Arts Partners, call 713.552.9345. To learn more about WITS’ professional development services, click here.

Filed under: art, creativity, Lesson plan, teaching, writers in the schools Tagged: Arts, Education, Houston, houston arts partners, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Professional development, training, workshops

WITS Writers Head Back to School

jrwatson5 — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:16:25 +0000

WITS welcomes new and returning writers to the 2011-2012 school year with two exciting afternoons of training on Friday, August 26th, and Saturday, August 27th. Renee Watson, author, actress, and teaching artist for Community Word Project, will kick off orientation with a workshop on Talking Back to the World: Empowering Students to Define Themselves through Writing and Visual Art. The WITS orientation is designed to inspire and prepare writers with new ideas for developing their teaching skills. To get a WITS writer in your class today, email Long Chu at lchu@witshouston.org or call 713-523-3877.

More about Renee

Renée Watson is the author of two children’s picture books, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen and What Momma Left Me, which were both selected for the 2011 Cooperative Children’s Book Center’s (CCBC) Choices list. Her poetry and articles have been published in Rethinking Schools, Theatre of the Mind and With Hearts Ablaze.

When Renée is not writing and performing, she is teaching. Renée has worked in public schools and community organizations as an artist in residence for several years, teaching poetry, fiction, and theater in Oregon, Louisiana, and in New York City, where she currently resides. Visit Renee’s website here.

Filed under: art, creativity, education, inspiration, Lesson plan, teaching, writers in the schools Tagged: Professional development, writer, writing

The WritingFix Project

Marcia — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:06:32 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

If you’re a teacher trying to figure out her first-day-of-school writing prompt, visit the Northern Nevada Writing Project (NNWP) for some wonderful, interactive writing lessons that will get you off to a brilliant beginning. The NNWP WritingFix page is set up for teachers and features many helpful ideas, routines, and practices for the writing classroom. Many of them involve art or other forms of fun, hands-on inspiration that will get students in the mood to write!

One of the best parts of WritingFix is YOUR STUDENTS. That’s right. NNWP posts high-quality lessons and resources provided by NNWP workshop presenters, but you don’t have to live in Nevada to take advantage of them! You are welcome to use these lesson plans, available online for free, and then report back on how they manifested in your classroom.

What’s the coolest part of WritingFix? YOU! You get to submit work by your students, and many of them are posted as student samples on the website. This is a fantastic publishing opportunity for your students. I used the countdown and count-up stories from WritingFix last year in my classroom, and they were a huge hit!

By Marcia Chamberlain, Writers in the Schools

Filed under: education, inspiration, Lesson plan, publishing, teaching, writers in the schools Tagged: Classroom, Education, Educators, K through 12, Lesson plan, student, teacher, Teaching Resources