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“Writing To Learn” Back-To-School Drive-In Conference
Presentations by 2007 OWP Summer Institute Fellows
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Sarkeys Energy Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman


8:00 Registration / Refreshments     ~    8:15
Welcome / Quickwrite  A235

Session One:  8:45-10:00

P201    “Capture the Moment:  Using Pictures to Develop
Early Writing Skills”
Kelli Chastain, NBCT, Lake Park Elementary, Bethany

“What comes first, the chicken or the egg?”  This is
an age-old question. Likewise, early childhood
teachers might ask, which comes first, reading or
writing?  This presentation will demonstrate how to
generate writing and activate reading for authentic
purposes.  Come and experience how to use pictures,
photos, and daily work from each subject area to make
the reading and writing connection in the early
childhood classroom.

P203    “Structural Approaches to Reading, Writing, and
the Big, Bad, Scary Essay”
Nancy K. Davis, Carl Albert Junior High, Midwest City

This presentation provides ideas for teaching critical
reading strategies across the curriculum, devising
strong, complex sentences, and structuring
cross-curricular expository essays.  The writing
pieces are set up and can be applied or adjusted to
fit a variety of teaching levels. These ideas can be
applied to a major unit of study and or pieced apart
to suit daily needs for teaching reading and writing.

P207    “Motivational Strategies for Writing in Social
Studies”
Jonathan Wilhite, Roosevelt Middle School, Oklahoma
City

Many students come to school with a preconceived
notion of how BORING social studies is going to be.
They tend to think all social studies consists of is
doing worksheets, memorizing dates, and discussing
dead people.  This  presentation offers strategies
sure to motivate students to write in the social
studies classroom, eliminating the days of worksheets
and making social students relevant to their lives.





Session Two:  10:10-11:25


P 201   “Building Bridges: Helping Diverse Learners
Conquer Challenging Curriculum”
Cynthia Boyd, Northwest Classen High School, Oklahoma
City

Teachers feel considerable pressure to improve student
performance while, at the same time to make
challenging content accessible and meaningful to a
more diverse population of students. Helping students
build bridges with prior knowledge so that they
“connect” with the topic is crucial. Creative
strategies are in order. This presentation aims to
share a few that have worked for the presenter and to
inspire other teachers to find and create more of
their own.  The presentation is geared toward
secondary.


P203    “Tapping Student Creativity in Writing Through
Music”
Carolyn Haddock, Alcott Middle School, Norman

Music is a source of passion, an object of
fascination, or at least an enjoyable pastime in the
lives of most students.  In this workshop, teachers
will use the medium of music to engage and inspire the
creativity of their students in the writing process.


P207    “Rethinking Research:  Using Multiple Genres To
Engage Adolescent Writers
in the Research Process”
Brianne Johnson, Clyde Boyd Middle School, Sand
Springs

Research fun?!  Students need to master so many skills
for the 20 note cards they must make, the 5 sources
they must have, the paraphrasing they must know how to
do, the 5-8 page paper with MLA citations and
bibliography they must create.   Rather than causing
frustration and torture, the Mutigenre Research
Project allows students to choose their own topic and
relay the information they find in their research to
their reader in their own unique writing of multiple
genres.  This workshop will demonstrate how to reach
PASS objectives yet make research fun and rewarding
for students and teachers alike.


Session Three: 11:35-12:50


P201    “Baby Steps:  Building Classroom Community
through Writing”
Julie Hackett, Edmond North High School, Edmond

When students feel as though they are a part of a
classroom community, they are more likely to
participate and be successful in their schoolwork.
This presentation examines the importance of building
a community of learners within the classroom and how
to develop that atmosphere from the first day of
school.  It provides a variety activities centered on
writing to help teachers start building their
community right away.

P203    “Making Meaning Out of Math:
Using Writing to Develop Mathematical Understanding”
Lori Hollingsworth, Alcott Middle School, Norman

"I don't get it" is commonly heard throughout many
math classrooms.  Often times, students struggle to
self-reflect when it comes to math related concepts
and teachers get caught in self debate wondering if
the students truly grasp the material.  This
presentation suggests several ways to incorporate
writing into the math classroom, to aide students in
communicating their thoughts through writing, and to
help teachers gain a more complete perspective of
students' understanding.

P207    “Put a Little Greek in Your Writing:  Teaching
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos”
Wendi Jewell, University of Oklahoma, Norman

In order to successfully compose for academic
audiences and assess arguments presented to them,
students must be able to recognize some classical
rhetorical strategies.  Specifically, a firm grasp on
the concepts of ethos, pathos and logos enables
students to both effectively analyze the arguments of
others and to construct more sophisticated arguments
of their own.  This presentation will give teachers
activities to introduce students to these concepts,
and suggest possible extensions and translations for
other disciplines.