The National Day on Writing

from readwritethink.org

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Event Description:
To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, the National Council of Teachers of English has established October 20, 2009, as the National Day on Writing. To celebrate composition in all its forms, NCTE invites diverse participants to submit a piece of writing to the National Gallery of Writing, unveiled on this day.

from CHS:
National Writing Day

from NCTE:
About the Initiative
Ideas

from NWP:
How Local Sites Can Participate

from DePaul University:
Resources for Writers

Senior Writing Project (Fall 2010)

This week, CHS teachers will receive a copy of the Student Resource Packet for the Senior Writing Project (Fall 2010) from the HCPSS Office of Secondary Language Arts. This packet is also being distributed in English classes to ALL Centennial students, Grades 9-12. It describes the Senior Writing Project in language appropriate for a student audience.

Students may use writing artifacts they complete both in English classes and in various content area subjects this year for their required and cumulative English portfolios.

As the year progresses, teachers will receive more info about the Senior Writing Project from English colleagues, ITLs, and CHS administrators, AND if they sign up for the CHS Professional Development Strand facilitated by Shanea Bradley and Mag Polek:

• The HCPSS Senior Writing Project is now a required capstone assignment that demonstrates student growth in analysis, synthesis, process, research, and creative expression throughout the high school experience.
  
• This culminating, performance-based assessment of secondary language arts will involve all curriculum content areas in grades 9-12.
• The project requires seniors to revisit all four years of high school for the purpose of reviewing, assessing, and reflecting on their growth and development as writers in multiple subject areas from the freshman to the senior year.
  
• Beginning this fall, in order to facilitate their growth and progress as writers, students in grades 9-12 will collect writing samples (artifacts,documents) from multiple disciplines and periodically assess their improvement as writers through a series of written reflections completed in English classes.
  
• In addition, seniors will choose and submit/present a major product option (writing collection, reflective essay,podcast, PowerPoint, blog, musical arrangement, skit, painting, photo essay, sculpture) in English classes during the third quarter, thus allowing graduating seniors the opportunity to demonstrate their growth and writing prowess through a variety of media.
  

The continued support and effort of all teachers will strengthen our students' interdisciplinary network of literacy and writing skills.

Indeed, "We Are All Writers Now."

• http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/we-are-all-writers-now/