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    Blog, NYCWP Blog

    New Feature: NYCWP Forum

    September 4, 2014

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    Announcing the NYCWP Forum!

     

    One of the great things about being an NYCWP teacher (or as we sometimes call ourselves in-house, “Writing Project People”) is that you are part of a community of like-minded, creative, enthusiastic teachers.  Anyone who has ever participated in an NYCWP workshop series or Summer Institute knows what a valuable and transformative experience it can be to talk, work and share ideas with other teachers.  Our community contains teachers of grades Pre-K through 16 as well as those who teach in undergraduate and graduate classrooms.  We are teachers of history, literature, science, math, and, of course, writing.  We work in all five boroughs, the surrounding tri-state area, and sometimes other states.  We also have international participants who can lend their unique voices to our conversations.  We are a group that is diverse, but not disparate.  And we have so, so much to gain from talking to one another.

     

    One of the biggest concerns we hear from our Summer Institute participants is that it can be difficult to sustain their friendships and continue to support one another after the summer ends and the school year beings.  Life gets in the way; people lose touch.  While we have an active listserv that many members appreciate and use, we wanted to provide a central conversation for not only those who have participated in NYCWP activities in the past, but also for those who are interested in learning more about the Project or who are uninterested in using the listserv.

     

    Please join the conversations at the NYCWP FORUM, where you can share ideas, information and opportunities with other NYCWP teachers, as well as ask questions, get feedback and organize meetups.

     

    We hope to see everyone there!

    NYCWP Blog, Steal This Idea

    Call for Submissions: Steal This Idea!

    September 4, 2014

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    Steal This Idea is a roundup of submissions from NYCWP-affiliated teachers; this section of our website will be updated frequently with great lessons and activities that you can use in your classrooms.  Reading Steal This Idea will give you access to the ideas and innovations of a wide range of classroom teachers of all grades and content areas.  The title says it all: if you like an idea you find there, bring it to your own classroom and make it your own!

    Steal This Idea started as a component of the NYCWP newsletter and has become an NYCWP tradition.  However, this tradition relies on you to help!  We need you to send us ideas that you would like the community to have the opportunity to steal.

    • Have you done something in your classroom recently that went really well?
    • Do you have a great idea for a lesson, unit or essential question?
    • What’s a foolproof activity that everyone should have in their tool kit?
    • What is your favorite thing that you do in your classroom?

    Send us your ideas–along with any accompanying images that you may have–and an optional headshot to admin@nycwritingproject.org with the subject line “Steal This Idea” and you may see yourself featured in the Steal This Idea section!

     

    *Note: By submitting an idea, you are claiming ownership and authorship of the idea.  If you would like to send us an idea from a professional book you have read, please cite the source.  If you co-designed the lesson, activity or idea, please offer credit to your team members, as well.

    Blog

    From the Director’s Notebook: Changes

    September 4, 2014

     

    NYCWP Director's Notebook

     

    September 4, 2014

    Dear NYCWP Community,

    This week marks the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year as well as my first full school year as the Director of the New York City Writing Project.  This fall has brought many changes, both within the Project and within your schools.  Teachers are coming back to a new class (or classes) of students, which is always an exciting and slightly anxious experience.  Teachers and administrators who work within the New York City Department of Education are also walking into a school year under a new contract that restructures the school day and heavily emphasizes professional development.  Some of you are working in new grades, in new content areas or in new schools.  The weather is changing, and soon, so will the leaves.  Whatever changes this year may bring for you, professionally or personally, I am certain that you’re looking forward to the newness; NYCWP teachers are like that.  First and foremost, please accept my best wishes for this coming school year.

    Changes have abounded at the Project this year, too.  Our new year begins in July at the NYCWP, so some of these changes took place over the summer, while others are just starting to roll out.  I am thrilled to inform you of these changes, which I feel create more opportunities for teachers who are either affiliated with or interested in the NYCWP.

    One obvious change is our website redesign, which began this summer.  While the site is still being constructed and new pages, posts and interactive components are being added every day, I am heartened that the Project now has a site that is completely interactive.  In addition to clearly designated sub-sections for teachers, administrators and students who would like to learn more about the NYCWP, there are several features that I hope you will all take advantage of.  One feature is this blog, which will be updated by members of the NYCWP community several times per month in an effort to keep you updated of our goings on, offerings and ideas.  Another feature is our new Community Forum, which provides a space for teachers, administrators and NYCWP staff to communicate with one another about issues surrounding their classroom practice.  Please visit the boards, post an introductory message, and peruse the content, which is being added daily.  It is free to create an account to post or you may link your username to one of a variety of forms of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to circumnavigate the signup.  I look forward to conversing with you all there.

    Another major change, which took place this July, was the redesign of our Summer Institute.  This year the Project welcomed back five past ISI participants to serve as coaches for 15 ISI first-year participants.  In addition to supporting the ISI and working in a community of practice, these teachers also are in the process of designing and creating new NYCWP workshops to be offered throughout the year.  One such offering, a hybrid (online and in-person) workshop that will be launched in the winter, is especially exciting because it provides an opportunity for those who would like to participate in an NYCWP program, but who have time or travel constraints, an opportunity to do so.  More information about this hybrid class will follow in the coming months: another great reason to bookmark our site and check it frequently.

    This year, the NYCWP is also expanding its offerings to provide professional development workshops at Lehman College on Chancellor’s Professional Development days.  Our first round of workshops are in the process of being solidified and will be held during your school’s Election Day PD on November 4th–exactly two months from today!  If you are a teacher who is interested in attending this PD, please keep your eyes on the website for information that will be released in the coming weeks.  If you’re an administrator who would like to sponsor participation of a teacher or a cohort from your school, please contact us at newyorkcitywritingproject@gmail.com.

    I could go on and on, but I recognize what a busy time this is for teachers (and for us at the Project!), so I will leave my announcements at that for now.  Please enjoy your first few weeks of the new year.  September is an exciting and inspiring time, and I know that the 2014-2015 school year will be a fantastic one for all of you.

    Best wishes,

    JkH signature_email_size copy

     

     

     

     

    Jane K. Higgins

    Director, NYCWP

    Steal This Idea

    STEAL THIS IDEA: People, Places, Times and Things

    August 20, 2014

    In their notebooks, students should make four headings:  People, Places, Times and Things.  Students are then asked to list four childhood memories that relate to each of these headings. Here are some suggestions to get kids going: A person who/whose: I hated; death made me the saddest; I respected very much as a child; taught me something important; my feelings changed about. A place where:  I had to fight for the right to be there; I was hurt (emotionally or physically); I felt like I did some growing up; I liked to watch what people did. Something that I: did to cause a terrible accident; had a fight about; was angry about; don’t like to remember. A time when: I had to learn to stand up for myself; I did something that made me look smart and my parents look stupid; my mom or dad wanted to kill me; I was scared to death. These childhood memories can drawn upon for future writing activities and can be particularly useful for generating ideas for memoir writing that the student may not have thought of on their own.  The list can also be expanded upon to add other memories at a later time. This activity can be used to tie in to a read aloud or a class text.  Find people/places/things/times that relate to the moments in or thematic content of a text and have students write to these memories before reading to activate prior knowledge and personal connections.


    Steal This Idea is a roundup of submissions from NYCWP-affiliated teachers; in this space you will have access to the ideas and innovations of a wide range of classroom teachers of all grades and content areas.  The title says it all: if you like an idea you find here, bring it to your own classroom and make it your own! Steal This Idea started as a component of the NYCWP newsletter and has become an NYCWP tradition.  However, this tradition relies on you to help!  We need you to send us ideas that you would like the community to have the opportunity to steal.

    • Have you done something in your classroom recently that went really well?
    • Do you have a great idea for a lesson, unit or essential question?
    • What’s a foolproof activity that everyone should have in their tool kit?
    • What is your favorite thing that you do in your classroom?

    Send us your ideas at newyorkcitywritingproject.org with the subject line “Steal This Idea” and you may see yourself featured in this section!

    Steal This Idea

    STEAL THIS IDEA: Book Pitches

    August 20, 2014

    Once every few weeks, put students into mixed groups and allow them to give a five minute “pitch” for a book they recently finished.  They should give a summary, mention a few high points (or low points) and share their opinion of the book.  The other students in the group are permitted to ask questions about the book.  A list of “to read” book suggestions can be made and posted in the classroom for various levels, nonfiction books and choice books to help students who are having trouble selecting what to read next.


     

    Steal This Idea is a roundup of submissions from NYCWP-affiliated teachers; in this space you will have access to the ideas and innovations of a wide range of classroom teachers of all grades and content areas.  The title says it all: if you like an idea you find here, bring it to your own classroom and make it your own!

    Steal This Idea started as a component of the NYCWP newsletter and has become an NYCWP tradition.  However, this tradition relies on you to help!  We need you to send us ideas that you would like the community to have the opportunity to steal.

    • Have you done something in your classroom recently that went really well?
    • Do you have a great idea for a lesson, unit or essential question?
    • What’s a foolproof activity that everyone should have in their tool kit?
    • What is your favorite thing that you do in your classroom?

    Send us your ideas at newyorkcitywritingproject.org with the subject line “Steal This Idea” and you may see yourself featured in this section!

    Steal This Idea

    STEAL THIS IDEA: Revision “Telephone”

    August 20, 2014

    Revision “telephone” can help students to change the wording of lines or sections of their writing that they’re having trouble saying the way they want to say them.  Students should select a sentence from their writing that is giving them difficulty.  They read the line aloud and then they go around the circle, with each student changing the way the sentence is written/said but keeping the meaning/essence in tact.  This allows the students to envision the different ways that their ideas can be stated and find the ones that are most powerful.  Analyze for where the meaning changes (for better or for worse) to make sure choices are purposeful.

    This activity can be done in small groups or with the whole class.


     

    Steal This Idea is a roundup of submissions from NYCWP-affiliated teachers; in this space you will have access to the ideas and innovations of a wide range of classroom teachers of all grades and content areas.  The title says it all: if you like an idea you find here, bring it to your own classroom and make it your own!

    Steal This Idea started as a component of the NYCWP newsletter and has become an NYCWP tradition.  However, this tradition relies on you to help!  We need you to send us ideas that you would like the community to have the opportunity to steal.

    • Have you done something in your classroom recently that went really well?
    • Do you have a great idea for a lesson, unit or essential question?
    • What’s a foolproof activity that everyone should have in their tool kit?
    • What is your favorite thing that you do in your classroom?

    Send us your ideas at newyorkcitywritingproject.org with the subject line “Steal This Idea” and you may see yourself featured in this section!

    Steal This Idea

    STEAL THIS IDEA: A New Twist on Active Listening

    August 20, 2014

    You probably already have your students using active listening protocols in your classroom, but have you thought about other ways that you can use active listening in your classroom?

    Try using written active listening as a note taking strategy.  Having students jot in their notebooks things like “I heard so-and-so say…” helps students get the feel of active listening and to view the thoughts of their classmates as “noteworthy.”  This is also a way for the teacher to check the listening of the group and see what students are taking away from small-group and full-class discussions.

    In order to generate discussion after an information-based read aloud, students can use active listening–either written or verbally with a partner–to monitor for meaning and comprehension.  Students can break into groups or work in their notebooks to say/write “I heard Mrs. Crabtree say…” and jot down what they remember.

    Active listening can also be used in response to text, which can support students in using text-based evidence.  After listening to a reading passage read aloud or reading independently, students may say to a partner/group or write in their own notebook, “I heard the author say…” and restate something they heard, learned or read.


     

    Steal This Idea is a roundup of submissions from NYCWP-affiliated teachers; in this space you will have access to the ideas and innovations of a wide range of classroom teachers of all grades and content areas.  The title says it all: if you like an idea you find here, bring it to your own classroom and make it your own!

    Steal This Idea started as a component of the NYCWP newsletter and has become an NYCWP tradition.  However, this tradition relies on you to help!  We need you to send us ideas that you would like the community to have the opportunity to steal.

    • Have you done something in your classroom recently that went really well?
    • Do you have a great idea for a lesson, unit or essential question?
    • What’s a foolproof activity that everyone should have in their tool kit?
    • What is your favorite thing that you do in your classroom?

    Send us your ideas at newyorkcitywritingproject.org with the subject line “Steal This Idea” and you may see yourself featured in this section!

    Steal This Idea

    STEAL THIS IDEA: “What You Have Heard Is True”

    August 20, 2014

    Looking for a good “getting to know you” writing prompt for the beginning of the school year?

    Ask students to start a piece of writing with the following statement:  What you have heard is true.  See where their pens take them from there!


     

    Steal This Idea is a roundup of submissions from NYCWP-affiliated teachers; in this space you will have access to the ideas and innovations of a wide range of classroom teachers of all grades and content areas.  The title says it all: if you like an idea you find here, bring it to your own classroom and make it your own!

    Steal This Idea started as a component of the NYCWP newsletter and has become an NYCWP tradition.  However, this tradition relies on you to help!  We need you to send us ideas that you would like the community to have the opportunity to steal.

    • Have you done something in your classroom recently that went really well?
    • Do you have a great idea for a lesson, unit or essential question?
    • What’s a foolproof activity that everyone should have in their tool kit?
    • What is your favorite thing that you do in your classroom?

    Send us your ideas at newyorkcitywritingproject.org with the subject line “Steal This Idea” and you may see yourself featured in this section!

    Main Page

    Poetry Reading at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe

    July 28, 2014

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    For the last several years, the New York City Writing Project has sponsored a celebration of student writing at the historic Nuyorican Poets Café.  The Café has been called “the most integrated place on the planet” by Alan Ginsberg and serves as a venue to present groundbreaking works of literature, music, theatre, performance art, poetry and hip-hop.  Its mission is to champion both established and rising artists from “every background imaginable.”

    This year’s event took place on May 10, 2014 and consisted of participation from 15 students representing 8 schools, all of which have a current on-site NYCWP teacher-consultant.  Students read original poems in a historic venue to their peers, teachers, families and classmates, as well as to members of the NYCWP community.

    For more information about this and other NYCWP programs, please contact newyorkcitywritingproject@gmail.com.

    Main Page, Uncategorized

    Youth Voices

    July 24, 2014

    14737038875_549a5d8e0b_zThis year the NYCWP made great strides to expand its offerings to young writers in our Youth Voices programming.  This development has become possible through grants totaling $50,000 from the Hive Digital Media Learning Fund of the New York Community Trust and the National Writing Project.  The 2014 Youth Voices Inquiry Project will directly engage 30 students and 10 teachers from schools throughout New York City, with a particular focus in the Bronx, in using reading, writing and digital media to explore their interests and passions. YVIP provides both an intensive summer program at Lehman College and a school-year academic extension for participating teachers and students. The program will recruit from the network of teachers and schools that are currently active in the New York City Writing Project. Lehman College will provide laptops and other technology for participants to use each day. In the Youth Voices Inquiry Project, students and teachers will work as co-learners connecting personal passions with academic learning and civic engagement. They will create digital essays, stories, and poems; analyze and produce videos and podcasts; and design coding projects. Among other things, the project will serve as a laboratory to explore the relationships between interest-based and disciplinary learning. Program outcomes will include open curriculum projects, YVIP-focused episodes of BronxNet’s Open 2.0, and new understandings about learner-created digital badges.  For more information, visit www.youthvoices.net.

    Our Youth Voices Summer Inquiry Project ran from July 8 – 24, 2014.  Students and teachers learned alongside each other over 12 wonderful sessions.  Students were encouraged to use technology to help them learn more about their interests and passions, to write, and to read the work of other students.  They also designed digital badges to award to one another, learned how to use HTML scratch, and made lasting friendships with other students throughout New York City.