March 27, 2009 - Bronx, New York

Poetry Unit of Study / Test-Prep with Real Books

Keynote Speaker: Douglas Florian

Douglas Florian has been producing welcome additions to children's literature for awhile, but his career during the last decade or so has marked him as one of the most memorable contemporary versifiers for young readers. Douglas Florian's books for children include: Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars; Zoo's Who; and Omnibeasts.

Featured Workshops:

Poetry Unit of Study Grades K–1, 2–3 and 4–5

Poetry is a core genre study for students of all ages. It is both a form and a genre as seen in our collection of books where the writers use the form of poetry to write memoir, fiction, essay, nonfiction, and a host of other genres. A unit of study in poetry invites an exploration of language and expression and reinforces important writing skills such as word choice, organization or shape, and sentence fluency. Together we will go through the writing process, from immersion, to drafting and revising, to editing and publishing. During this daylong workshop, teachers will explore the teaching of poetry and discover how students will naturally delight in the writing of poetry as they observe the world around them with wonder and awe.

10 touchstone texts
20 or more corresponding mini-lessons that take your students
through each stage of the writing process, from immersion to
generating ideas, revision, editing, publishing, and assessment!
10 book labels
1 storage bin
1 binder
1 Teacher’s Guide

Test-Prep with Real Books Grades 2–5

In this workshop participants will learn how to link essential reading strategies with the essential skills required of students in high-stakes testing situations and to deliver the instruction within a Reading Workshop framework.

Each registered attendee will receive a Whole-Group Instruction Lesson Set that you will be able to implement in your classroom. Each Unit includes:

9 touchstone texts
15 whole-group lessons, each focusing on a particular skill or strategy and connected directly to the 9 touchstone texts
9 book labels
1 storage bin

Presenters:


	RORY COHEN
	Rory taught in New York City Public Schools and in Long Island before becoming a staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University. While at the project, Rory mentored elementary teachers across the state, providing demonstration teaching and reading and writing curriculum planning. Rory is now a nationally recognized literacy consultant who specializes in primary reading and writing and an Educational Co-Director at Schoolwide, Inc.


	ILENE COHN
	Ilene holds a master’s degree in reading and is a licensed school administration supervisor. She received training at Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University and taught at the elementary level for 10 years using balanced literacy strategies. She has also worked as both a literacy coach and reading coordinator. Ilene is currently a national literacy consultant for public schools, specializing in the areas of reading and writing.


	MICHELLE WOLF
	Michelle is a lead writer and developer of the Writing Fundamentals Units of Study. She has worked on Long Island and in New York City as a teacher, staff developer, and literacy consultant. While with the New York City public schools, she served as a district mentor providing workshops for teachers and principals. Michelle has a vast knowledge of children's literature and has been instrumental in the development of the Schoolwide, Inc. catalog.


	ROBIN COHEN
	Robin is presently a literacy consultant in several school districts in the Northeast. She was formerly a reading specialist and staff developer in District 11 in the Bronx and at Liberty Elementary School (Nyack School district in Rockland County, NY). Robin was the 2005-2006 winner of the International Reading Association Exemplary Reading Award for New York State. She was the NY State Reading Teacher of the Year in 2002, and honored as an NCTE Educator of Excellence in 2001. Robin is also the originator of the Student-Run Bookstore project published in the American Educator and Parade magazines.

If you have any questions, please call us at 1.800.261.9964