Join us next Sunday, March 15, at 8:00 p.m. ET for an #NCTEchat focusing on writing in K–6 classrooms. The conversation will be led by the leaders of the Elementary Section Steering Committee (ESSC) and the NCTE Early Childhood Education Assembly (NECEA): Tran Templeton (@trantempleton), Cassie Brownell (@brownellcassie), Haeny Yoon (@haenyyoon), and Roberta Gardner (@robertapgardner).
During the chat, the hosts will talk about the Donald H. Graves Award, which is given annually by the Elementary Section Steering Committee (ESSC) and recognizes teachers in grades K–6 who, through the teaching of writing, demonstrate an understanding of student improvement in writing. The 2019 award winner is Tiana Silvas, a fifth-grade public school teacher at PS 59 in New York City. Tiana’s honor is important as we also celebrate Women’s History Month during March.
The Committee has compiled this list of women authors for you to use in your classrooms:
- Angela Johnson (https://www.ajohnsonauthor.com)
- Candace Fleming (https://www.candacefleming.com)
- Erin Entrada Kelly (http://www.erinentradakelly.com)
- Grace Lin (https://www.gracelin.com)
- Hena Khan (https://www.henakhan.com)
- Jacqueline Woodson (https://www.jacquelinewoodson.com)
- Jasmine Warga (http://jasminewarga.com)
- Lauren Castillo (http://www.laurencastillo.com)
- Leselea Newman (https://lesleakids.com)
- Mitali Perkins (https://www.mitaliperkins.com)
- Oge Mora (http://www.ogemora.com)
- Traci Sorrell (https://www.tracisorell.com)
- Victoria Jamieson (http://www.victoriajamieson.com)
- Yuyi Morales (http://www.yuyimorales.com)
Resources Written By the Hosts:
- Visual Literacy: A Tool to Support Cultural Healing, Tips from Roberta Price Gardner
- LANGUAGE ARTS LESSONS: Discussing Racial Trauma Using Visual Thinking Strategies by Roberta Price Gardner
- Co-inquiry, Co-construction, Collaboration: The Emergence of Curriculum by Haeny Yoon and Tran Nguyen Templeton
- “The Imperial March” toward Early Literacy: Locating Popular Culture in a Kindergarten Classroom by Haeny Yoon
- Rewriting the Curricular Script: Teachers and Children Translating Writing Practices in a Kindergarten Classroom by Haeny Yoon
- “I feel terrible…”: Storying Power Differentials Across Relationships in the Elementary English Language Arts Classroom by Cassie J. Brownell
- Creative Language Play(gerism) in the Elementary English Language Arts Classroom by Cassie J. Brownell
The following questions will be shared during the Twitter chat, after introductions:
WARM-UP: Please introduce yourself and share a gif that describes how you feel when your students are writing. #NCTEchat [8:04 p.m.]
Q1: What makes writing an important part of literacy? #NCTEchat [8:10 p.m.]
Q2: The Donald Graves Award is given by the ESSC to recognize K–6 teachers who support children’s writing in transformative ways. How do you support writing in early childhood and elementary classrooms? #NCTEchat [8:18 p.m.]
Q3: @TianaSilvas, the 2019 Donald Graves Awardee, believes writing is a tool for resilience and agency. In what other ways can writing be used as a tool to create impact? #NCTEchat [8:26 p.m.]
Q4: Using sensitive writing workshops, which included a declaration of trust, choice, and respect for privacy/safety, @TianaSilvas witnessed the power of storytelling in children’s lives. How do you use writing to help create safe spaces for children? #NCTEchat [8:34 p.m.]
Q5: How have you modified writing instruction to support your elementary students? How have these changes impacted them & their writing processes? #NCTEchat [8:42 p.m.]
Q6: Effective writing teachers read and write themselves! What examples of writing—particularly from women and BIPOC—have inspired you and supported your ability to teach writing? #NCTEchat [8:50 p.m.]
We hope to see you there! Be sure to join us by using #NCTEchat.
Never participated in a Twitter chat before? Check out this guide to help you get started.