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WritingFix: Sponsors...The 2006-2007 AT & T Grant
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WritingFix also recommends these websites for writing teachers:


Corbett's Website



Dena's Website


NNWP's website


NWP's Website

The 2006-2007 AT & T Grant
a generous $25,000 helps WritingFix launch its Chapter Book Prompt Page and create an innovative lesson-building workshop

In August 2006, AT & T presented the Washoe Education Foundation with a $25,000 grant to support growth in educational technology. The picture at right shows Nevada Senator Bill Raggio receiving the check on behalf of the Washoe County Education Foundation from Cheryl Moss, Area Manager of External Relations at AT & T.

In October, the Washoe Education Foundation gave this money as a grant to the Northern Nevada Writing Project to help them create and host five 16-hour new workshops in Northern Nevada between January and May of 2007. These workshops not only exposed 100 Northern Nevada teachers to the new 6-trait resources at the WritingFix website, but they also helped build WritingFix's new 6-trait resource page: Chapter Book Writing Prompts. The picture at left shows WritingFix creator, Corbett Harrison, with AT & T executives Hal Lenox, Jr., and Cheryl Moss during a demonstration of the website.

Each of the 100 teachers enrolled in this workshop wrote an original proposal for a trait-based, interactive prompt inspired by a favorite chapter book excerpt.  The NNWP Technology Team took the very best of these proposed prompts and posted them on-line for all teachers to use. These AT & T -sponsored workshops were hosted at five schools in Washoe County, where supportive principals helped the NNWP coordinate the class. Schools that agreed to host were given the first chance to enroll their own teachers. Left-over spots were offered to teachers from neighboring schools.
The host schools:
  • Palmer Elementary (Sun Valley, Nevada.  Principal: Kathleen Diesner)
  • Lemmon Valley Elementary (Stead, Nevada. Principal: Troy Parks)
  • North Valleys High School (Reno, Nevada. Principal: Cinda Gifford)

 

All one hundred class participants received seven free chapter books (a $90.00 value), and members of the NNWP Technology Team presented examples lessons on the books that showed class participants how to propose their own lessons.
The seven free chapter books class participants received:
Lesson title: Writing Like an Artist Paints

Lesson's Mentor Text: Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

Focus Trait: Idea Development (using strong details)
Support Trait: Word Choice (selecting purposeful adjectives, verbs, and nouns)

Click on the lesson title or the image to read an overview and access the entire lesson and its resources.
Lesson title: A Character's Decalogue

Lesson's Mentor Text: Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Focus Trait: Voice (writing from a believable perspective)
Support Trait: Organization (imitating a structure)

Click on the lesson title or the image to read an overview and access the entire lesson and its resources.

Lesson title: So Much Depends Upon...

Lesson's Mentor Text: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Focus Trait: Voice (writing from a believable perspective)
Support Trait: Word Choice using words that voke imagery)

Click on the lesson title or the image to read an overview and access the entire lesson and its resources.
Lesson title: "Voicing" a Believable Account

Lesson's Mentor Text: The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers

Focus Trait: Voice (writing from a believable perspective)
Support Trait: Word Choice (using words that voke imagery)

Click on the lesson title or the image to read an overview and access the entire lesson and its resources.

Lesson title: Naming a Word

Lesson's Mentor Text: Frindle by Andrew Clements

Focus Trait: Conventions (punctuating for dialogue)
Support Trait: Word Choice (inventing words and choosing strong dialogue verbs)

Click on the lesson title or the image to read an overview and access the entire lesson and its resources.

Lesson title: Episodic Writing

Lesson's Mentor Text: Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Focus Trait: Idea Development (exploring themes and details)
Support Trait: Organization (experimenting with structure)

Click on the lesson title or the image to read an overview and access the entire lesson and its resources.

Lesson title: Settings with Moods

Lesson's Mentor Text: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (excerpts from chapter 3)

Focus Trait: Idea Development (using strong details)
Support Trait: Sentence Fluency (varying sentence types)


Click on the lesson title or the image to read an overview and access the entire lesson and its resources.

Each class participant received a copy of the Going Deep with 6 Trait Language Guide (a $25.00 value). This resource helped them create their own proposals for lessons for the website.

Class participants also received:
Resource title: Going Deep with 6 Trait Language

"This is a thoughtful and logical series of lessons which help classroom teachers integrate the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing into their teaching of writing and thinking. Kudos to the NNWP for funding and promoting this resource."

  --Robin Russell, Glenwood Middle School, MD
   

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