The following programs are not currently running but may provide inspiration for other educators. Please contact RCWP with any questions about these programs!
2021 Mid-Winter Mini-Conference
Our most recent Mid-Winter Mini-Conference, “Bringing NCTE to RCWP: Raising Our Voices” was held February 9th, 2019 on our campus at Michigan State University.
See below for information on our 2021 Mini-Conference!
The 2021 Mini-Conference, “Equity & Accessibility: Making Space for Writers” will take place virtually on March 27th, 2021 from 9am-12pm.
The day’s agenda includes:
- Sacred Writing (9:10am)
- “Creating Equitable and Hospitable Spaces: Approaches and Strategies for Face to Face Writing Assessment” (9:40am) by Jeff Austin, Skyline High School, Ann Arbor MI
Ann Burke, Michigan State University
Ellen Foley, Western Michigan University
Gretchen Rumohr, Aquinas CollegeSeasoned secondary and college instructors discuss successful face-to-face assessment. F2F assessment frees educators to co-create equitable literacy learning experiences with students, encourages agency, demystifies the grading process, develops the classroom community, and brings meaningful inquiry about writers’ own skills and practices, ultimately disrupting inequities and inequalities of traditional grading.
- “Advocating for Writers’ Language Practices Across Campus and Community: A Writing Center’s Language Statement Policy” (10:50am) by Grace Pregent, Michigan State University
Nick Sanders, Michigan State University
Trixie Smith, Michigan State UniversityWe consider non-classroom sites of teaching around intersections and interactions among language, race, class, and ideology in the context of a university writing center, including its outreach programs across campus and into the community. We invite participants to interrogate and unpack assumptions through structured moments of reflecting, writing, and dialoguing.
2021-22: College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP)
The Red Cedar Writing Project (RCWP) provided an exciting opportunity for teacher professional development focused on the teaching of/with writing in academic year 21-22. We shared the following information with educators:
We know that screen-to-screen learning, hybrid schedules, and teacher/student movement since March of 2020 created both positive outcomes and difficult challenges for our students, teachers, and school districts in mid-Michigan. This is why we are glad to be partnering with the National Writing Project to bring this opportunity to our Michigan school districts. This opportunity is part of our ongoing work with the College, Career, and Community Writing Project (C3WP) and is designed to build on the outstanding work you are already doing while also addressing any needs you might identify for your students, teachers, or programs.
This is an opportunity to focus on evidence-based argumentative writing that is designed to help prepare students for college, career, and community writing in a variety of genres and formats. At RCWP we have been working with the C3WP protocols for several years; the schools and teachers who have used this approach to teaching evidence-based writing have found it to be widely successful, both here in mid-Michigan and across the country. As this research brief explains, “The National Writing Project’s (NWP) College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP) is designed to improve students’ argument writing through intensive teacher professional development, instructional resources, and formative assessment.” All three independent studies designed to study the program’s effectiveness have found “positive and statistically significant effects on student achievement.”
Here are a few other facts to consider regarding how RCWP can work with both principals and teachers:
- C3WP has proven to connect to a wide range of standards and learning goals set by districts across the country. You can check an overview of these connections here.
- This approach works from grades 4-12+, and RCWP TCs have utilized this approach at all of these levels–upper elementary, middle school, high school, and college.
- Title I monies, including the American Rescue Plan or other learning loss funds can be used for this work in the state of Michigan
- Check out this whole issue of The Language Arts Journal of Michigan devoted to C3WP.
- An additional article from NWP about this approach to argument writing.
The National Writing Project’s proven College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP) provides an opportunity for you and your colleagues to engage in year-long professional learning through:
- An NWP course designed by master teachers across the country and proven to support teachers and students with teaching and learning argumentative writing; and
- Local RCWP Teacher Consultants as mentors and support throughout the course and with personalized professional learning. The program will include personal coaching/mentoring, feedback on unit designs and assessments, and collaboration with other teachers going through the same process.
This personalized professional development is only $1500 for the year.
Teacher Reboots
Teacher Reboots provided a dedicated space for learning and helping each other as teachers by sharing what is successful and challenging in our writing instruction.
Topics were chosen the night of the meeting after hearing from the audience. Pizza and soda were provided. Participants came prepared with whatever writing assignments they were working on with their students, such as lessons and student samples.
There are currently no upcoming Teacher Reboots, but we will notify the RCWP community on our website and through Facebook about future Reboots.