WVU WRITING
PROJECT
INVITES
YOU TO BE OUR GUEST
Wednesday, 9-3:30, July 13, 2005
For a full-day seminar with outstanding
teacher and author
GRETCHEN BERNABEI
Reviving the Essay. Gretchen Bernabei has taught grades 4 - 11 in San Antonio public schools for 20 years. She spent nine months "working backstage" at the Texas Education Agency's Division of Student Assessment, where she participated in the thoughtful test-building process. Since that time she returned to her real passion, classroom writing, and learning and inventing remediation strategies for students at all levels. Many of you will know her books, Why We Must Run With Scissors: Voice Lessons in Persuasive Writing (co-authored with Barry Lane) and Reviving the Essay – How to Teach Structure without Formula.
This invitation-only seminar sponsored by the West Virginia University Writing Project will help you humanize and conquer writing assessment with parent-pleasing, score-raising, kid-friendly exercises that actually help students become better writers! Come fill your notebook with practical ideas to create a class full of fluent writers whose voices ring loud and clear on tests or any assignment that crosses their desks.
You will learn to:
· Capitalize on your students’ strengths and experience to model word choice and language specificity.
· Discover ways to use persuasive writing assignments to solve problems in our schools and communities.
· Connect literature with test readiness without ever saying so.
· Knock your students’ socks off with a ten-minute, six-step, reading-writing exercise.
· Use Gretchen’s Ba-da-bing technique for constructing sentences that put the reader into the moment.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2005
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Erikson Alumni Center – free WVU parking - Lunch included
Why Give Up a Summer Day?
As Gretchen travels across the county she leaves a trail of teachers and administrators talking:
“Gretchen restores my faith in my own decision to be a teacher. Absolutely, positively useful information”
- Ms. Kim Grauer, 11th grade teacher, San Antonio, TX
“Using Gretchen’s ideas for only 5 weeks, our school’s TAKS scores jumped from 31% passing with 13% commendable to 97.5% passing with 44% receiving commendable scores. This far surpassed our expectations.”
- Mr. Jacob Saucedo, Texas Elementary School Principal
RESERVE YOUR
JULY 13 SPACE TODAY!
Enrollment for this special event is limited! It’s a fun, free day of professional development where you will work with a nationally renowned teacher and author while networking with area teachers. We need your reply as soon as possible (and no later than July 6, please).
BONUS: The
first 5 teachers to RSVP will receive a free copy of Gretchen’s latest
book: Reviving the Essay – How to Teach Structure without Formula.
Please RSVP by July 6 to Mary Vasquez, English Department, WVU:
Phone 293-3107 x 33410 or
E-mail: Mary.Vasquez@ mail.wvu.edu
Please include the following information when you reply:
¨ Yes to July 13, 9:00-3:30 (lunch included), at the Erickson Alumni Center!
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Home Address: _____________________________________________________
My School, Grade, and Subject:________________________________________
¨ I will also be bringing a guest:
Guest’s Name:______________________________________________________
Guest’s Home Address:_______________________________________________
Guest’s School, Grade, and Subject:_____________________________________