2015 Saturday Session Workshops: Digging Deeper into the ELA Standards

Join us for coffee, breakfast, conversation, and engaged learning during our 5th annual Saturday Session Workshop Series!

Offered through a special collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, three questions will guide the sessions in this series:
January 10, 2015: How do we connect ELA standards to state writing tests?

February 7, 2015: How do we write argumentation through blended genres?

March 14, 2015: How do we utilize technology to produce and publish?

All workshops are led by practicing educators affiliated with the Minnesota Writing Project. For more information download the flyer from the link below.

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Cost: $50 per session - Graduate credit option available for attendance at all three.

Where: Minnesota Department of Education - Conference Center A - 1500 Highway 36 West - Roseville, MN 55113.

When: 9:00am - 12:30pm (see dates above) - Continental breakfast provided.

To register: Download & complete the 2015 Saturday Session Workshop Flyer.pdf. Send payment to MWP, 10 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 OR use our online registration to reserve a space.

Questions? Contact: mwp@umn.edu

Open to all interested educators. Come alone or bring a friend. Come to one or come to all!!

Next MWP Book Club book: The Burgess Boys

Our fall selection is a novel, The Burgess Boys, by Elizabeth Strout (author of Olive Kitteridge).

Set in both Maine and New York City, the book focuses on the relationship among three siblings, Jim and Bob Burgess and their sister Susan. Zach, Susan's son, gets into a world of trouble, and she calls on her brothers for help. The conflict involves the family but also the community as a whole that is grappling with the recent influx of Somali immigrants. In our times of dealing with many cultural differences, the book offers much to think about and to discuss!

Instead of a series of questions, we're posing only two: What was your reaction to the book: the characters, the conflict and the themes? How does the story relate to your teaching?

We'll start our on-line discussion on Monday, November 10, so start reading!

To become a member of the club, join Goodreads and then send an email to Debra Hartley (hartley@umn.edu) telling her that you want to join the MWP Book Club. In addition, if you have any questions about or suggestions for the book club, please let Debra know.

Our winter selection will be The Good Braider. More details will follow.

Give to the Max Day, 13 November 2014

The Minnesota Writing Project will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2015!
Please help us recognize our history and prepare for the next 25 years of teachers teaching teachers by giving to us on (or before) 13 November 2014, Give to the Max Day.

Your gift may provide funding for

....Fellowships for teachers in underserved areas to attend the MWP Summer Institute on the Twin Cities campus
....Opportunities for teachers to attend and share their best practices at regional and national professional development conferences
....A video showcasing the MWP's first 25 years of supporting the professional development of Minnesota educators

Double your donation: Friends of MWP will match your gifts dollar-for-dollar up to $350. Please help us meet this challenge and reach our goal of $1,000.

To contribute, go to the MWP giving page and click on the Make a gift to the Minnesota Writing Project online link.

Registration for Fall Workshop deadline is extended!

Registration for the Fall Workshop has been extended to Monday, September 29. We look forward to receiving yours!

Be among the first to use our new online registration!

Fall Workshop, 11 October 2014: Teaching with Connected Learning

Spend a day exploring the concept of Connected Learning with keynote speaker Paul Oh from the National Writing Project; the day includes an interactive learning experience and teacher demonstrations.

When: Saturday, October 11, 2014, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: Minnesota Department of Education, Conference Center A, 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN
Cost: $60. Includes registration, meals, and snacks
Register: By Monday, September 29 (note time extension); send payment to MWP, 10 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, contact mwp@umn.edu to reserve a place, or be among the first to use our new online registration

If possible, please bring an iPad or laptop to the workshop.
Fall Workshop Flier.pdf

MWP Online Book Club Reads <em>The Fault In Our Stars</em>

Join us for our online discussion of John Green's popular YA book, The Fault In Our Stars, starting on Monday, July 7.



To become a member of the club, join Goodreads and then send an email to Debra Hartley (hartley@umn.edu) telling her that you want to join the MWP Book Club.

If you have any questions about or suggestions for the book club, please contact Ann Thompson (thomp402@umn.edu) or Debra Hartley (hartley@umn.edu).

Author Talk - Sarah Stonich, Wednesday, June 25th, 2014

Author Sarah Stonich will be the guest presenter at this year's Mt. Olivet retreat for the 24th Annual Invitational Summer Institute on Wednesday, June 25th. Stonich's critically acclaimed novels include Vacationland and These Granite Islands.

See Stonich's website for more information about her work and contact Muriel Thompson (murielt@umn.edu) for more details about this author event.

MWP 8th Annual Fall Workshop - October 11th, 2014

Save the date! Our 8th Annual Fall Workshop will be held on Saturday, October 11th. We are thrilled to welcome Paul Oh, Senior Program Associate for the National Writing Project, who will speak about Connected Learning and other digital initiatives at NWP.

More details about registration, agenda, and cost coming soon!

2014 MWP Spring Writing Day

MWP will host a Spring Writing Day on Saturday, April 26, from 12:30-3:30pm in 12 Nicholson Hall at the University of Minnesota. There will be time for participants to write, share, and meet with an old (or new!) writing group.

Members of the MWP Online Book Club who can make it into the Twin Cities will also have time to meet face-to-face and continue a discussion on the first book, Pat Conroy's My Reading Life.

Please contact Ann Thompson (thomp402@umn.edu) if you are planning to attend.

The MWP Online Book Club

The Minnesota Writing Project has a new online book club through Goodreads. The MWP Book Club is a private group just for MWP Summer Institute participants and other educators associated with MWP, such as our collaborative partner, the Trondheim Writing Project.

To become a member of the club, join Goodreads and then send an email to Debra Hartley (hartley@umn.edu) telling her that you want to join the MWP Book Club.

Our spring book will be My Reading Life by Pat Conroy. By Friday, March 21st, Marsha Besch, the book club discussion leader, will post a few questions to stimulate our thinking as we read. Online discussion of the book will begin on Monday, April 14th. Club members are encouraged to have read at least half of the book by then.

If you have any questions about or suggestions for the book club, please contact Ann Thompson (thomp402@umn.edu) or Debra Hartley (hartley@umn.edu).

2014 MWP Open Institute: Writing for Social Justice

MWP will offer the following June course open to both degree and non-degree seeking students:

CI 5410: MWP Open Institute: Writing for Social Justice
June 16-20, 24, 27, 2014, 9:00-3:00


This 3-credit graduate course is open to teachers from any discipline, K-College, including those who have already attended the Invitational Summer Institute. The MWP Open Institute course will focus on writing for change and social justice, exploring themes of social justice through writing, teaching and learning. In addition to writing, participants will read from course texts such as Linda Christensen's Reading, Writing, and Rising Up and Teaching for Joy and Justice. For more information see the course flier: 2014 Open Institute.