Writings

**Writing Expectations of the Summer Institute**  Each Fellow will complete four writing pieces for the summer institute. Three of these assignments provide an opportunity to explore a variety of types of personal writing. The fourth assignment is more reflective and professional.   An example Jim Gray, Founder of the National Writing Project, gave at our 1996 spring meeting was of a man growing up during World War II whose best childhood friend had been a Japanese boy. This friend's family was outcast by the community following Pearl Harbor, and the negative remarks of adults caused the boys' friendship to end. The man came to think "Herbie" was a spy, and even though he didn't know what a spy was, he knew Herbie was now considered someone bad. The Japanese family was eventually taken to an internment camp, and as they were loaded in a truck to leave, Herbie waved good-bye. His former friend turned around and walked away without waving. Remembering this experience as an adult, the man wrote a short story called "The Day Herbie Became a Spy." He then wrote an imagined monologue of Herbie's father as he looked in the mirror while shaving and wondered how he could come under such attack when he considered himself a good American citizen. Last, the man wrote an historical essay analyzing the reasons behind America's reaction to its Japanese citizens.
 * I. __Three personal writing pieces__: ** Each Fellow will select a topic of personal relevance/interest and will compose three pieces around that topic. Each piece should explore the topic in a different way or a different genre.

It is up to the each Fellow to select a topic and to decide the ways in which he/she would like to explore that topic. Each Fellow should bring seeds for writing in his/her writing notebooks on the first day of our institute.

In the writing response groups, members will  Final “working” drafts of each piece will be submitted near the end of the third week (**//July 7t//**h). Fellows should identify the piece (or pieces) is/are the best to include in the Anthology (up to six pages in length, may be single spaced). Pieces should be submitted, printed on a laser quality printer.  //Position Paper: // Because NWP believes that all good classroom practice is based on sound theory and that successful teachers know why they do what they do, the position paper provides the opportunity to develop a personal theoretical statement supporting particular approaches to the teaching of writing. It is an opportunity to bring a number of ideas into perspective at this moment. It could also be a useful paper in explaining one's writing program to parents, administrators, and/or colleagues. //School Writing Policy Statement //: At this time, schools across the state of Michigan are attempting to respond to an increased emphasis on the teaching of writing at the state level. Summer Fellows may wish to draft a policy statement for their own school or district which could be shared with colleagues and revised in the local context. This statement could outline the beliefs and practices which guide (or could guide) the teaching of writing within the school/district. //Professional Journal Article: //Many professional journals are currently seeking articles about best teaching practices from classroom teachers. Summer Fellows may wish to prepare such an article for submission to a professional journal. The Director would be willing to help find a suitable journal. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Teacher Inquiry Project Proposal //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: Teacher inquiry acknowledges and values classroom teachers as instructional experts. Participants may wish to develop an inquiry project proposal to explore and analyze some aspect of the teaching of writing with their own students during the coming school year. Progress and results may be reported during the next year’s Saturday seminars. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Goal-Setting Paper: //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> After the intense experience of the summer institute, participants may wish to reflect on their own learning and set some specific goals for implementing what they learned in their own teaching situations. Goal-setting papers should be concrete and specific about the concepts learned and how those concepts will look in his/her writing program in the coming year.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">distribute early drafts of each piece to all,
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">read their works aloud to the group, and
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">receive thoughtful responses from their colleagues.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">II. __The Final Writing Assignment__ **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: This is meant to be a reflective piece which articulates beliefs and goals for a writing program for the coming year. It can be in any form. A few possibilities include a personal position paper, a school writing policy statement, an article for submission to a professional journal, or a teacher inquiry project proposal.

The fourth piece of writing should be submitted to the Director via email (nstander@nmu.edu) within two weeks of the final day of the institute (i.e., no later than July 23rd ). It is hoped that the due date will give each Fellow time to step back, reflect, and write this last paper with added perspective. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">