We have recently been the lucky recipients of the Fund for Teachers learning fellowship grant.  Our fellowship focus is divided into two separate learning opportunities. The first opportunity will help us become more knowledgeable and comfortable with teaching writing. The second part of our experience increases our first hand knowledge of our country’s rich and diverse culture.

After looking extensively at our new Common Core standards, we decided to attend the Columbia University Teachers College Summer Writing Institute.  While there, we will focus on curriculum development and the structure of writer’s workshop. We will acquire strategies to help us teach various genres of writing, determine methods to hold students more accountable, and find ways to improve student writing through the use of quality text examples. We will then be able to apply these learning immediately in the classroom on our return.

Before and after the Writing Institute we will have the opportunity to visit historical sites around both New York and Washington, DC.  There are so many locations in these two cities that support our current curriculum standards.  We will have trouble narrowing down our focus!

Thank you again to Fund for Teachers and PEF for giving us this amazing learning opportunity.  We can't wait to share our learning experiences with our students and faculty!