Writing Workshop Transformed My Classroom by Lauren Spang

 Writing Workshop Transformed My Classroom

by Lauren Spang

Shortly after I was hired as a first-year teacher at Rostraver Elementary School in the Belle Vernon Area School District, I made the promise to myself that I would give back to the students of my hometown school district by providing them with the best possible education they deserve – just like my favorite teachers did for me when I was a student at BVA. However, like most beginning teachers, I felt an overwhelming sense of frustration and uncertainty, specifically in the area of teaching writing at the upper elementary grade level, and I knew I needed something more to enhance my teaching as I embarked on teaching a new grade level and subject area. 

An elementary teacher is often considered to be a “jack of all trades” because it is essential to be knowledgeable in all elementary subject areas, as well as knowing the most effective and efficient methods of teaching certain specific content areas.  As a child, I knew that I always had a special knack for learning grammar, as its importance was frequently emphasized in my household growing up with my mother and grandparents who are now retired teachers. Even though I knew that I enjoyed grammar and was familiar with the content, I still felt very unsure about how to teach grammar and how to assist my students with the application of skills in their writing. Upon networking with many others, I realized we were all in the same boat: confused and uncertain, and willing to try anything beyond simply circling and underlining words in a sentence and calling that “grammar/writing” instruction for the day. 

During that first year of teaching, I attended every workshop regarding ELA instruction that I could possibly find, frequently crossing paths with my revered coworker, Carol Frow, an 8th grade teacher at BVA Middle School and the current Executive Director of WPCTE. At the time, Carol and I didn’t know each other well, but we quickly formed a like-minded partnership within our school district and began collaborating about how to better our writing instruction in our classrooms. We attended a few sessions through the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 1 where we were introduced to a practice that “just made sense” to both of us. Val Piccini, a Reading Specialist and founder of the student Writing Project, Writers of Westmoreland, introduced the concept of Writing Workshop and how to implement mentor texts into our everyday ELA classrooms. Val referenced much of her research from the author, Lucy Calkins and Colleagues from TCRWP (Teachers College Reading and Writing Project), at Columbia University. More information regarding her curriculum can be found on the following website: www.unitsofstudy.com. When we learned of this practice, Carol and I were hooked: we fell in love with the idea of using a Writing Workshop in our classrooms. 

Over the years, I learned that the Writing Workshop structure of each lesson provides easy-to-follow scaffolding of higher-order thinking skills with minimal effort in lesson planning.  The Workshop Model was simple to implement because it was consistent and fit into my daily ELA schedule very nicely while juggling vocabulary and spelling instruction as well.  The initial implementation of the Writing Workshop completely transformed my classroom, and I was amazed at how positively my students responded to it.  Now, I have so much more confidence in myself as a writing teacher, and I thoroughly enjoy writing time because I know it is working. 

An overview of the workshop should look similar to the following structure: 

• Mini-lesson (first 10-15 minutes of class): the teacher models the skill through whole-group instruction. (I usually incorporate Mentor Texts and Mentor Sentences into this portion of the lesson by intentionally selecting models of texts that teach a particular writing craft or skill.  I especially like to tie-in the grammar skill with my mini-lesson introduction.)  The teacher may follow each mini-lesson by providing the students with additional guided practice, but that is completely optional. (Personally, I like to give my students some additional assistance before they independently implement the strategies they learned.) Guided practice can also be completed in small writing groups for students who need the extra practice.  

• Independent Writing/Conferencing (35-45 minutes): the bulk of the class period should be spent on Independent reading/writing while students have the opportunity to craft their writing.  During that time, I also conference with students individually or in small groups, and I encourage my students to peer conference with one another.  I typically provide them with peer conferencing checklists that give the students some autonomy while also holding them accountable to follow through with editing and revising one another’s writing.  If necessary, a mid-workshop reminder in the middle of the lesson may be modeled for a few minutes as well.  

• Share (last few minutes of class): students have the opportunity to share and celebrate the work they have completed that day.

Author’s Bio: Lauren Spang is a fifth grade ELA teacher at Rostraver Elementary School in the Belle Vernon Area School District. She has been teaching fifth grade ELA for nine years at BVA, and she completed one year of teaching third grade in the Elizabeth Forward School District before landing her full-time position in her hometown: Belle Vernon Area. She received her B.S. in Elementary and Early Childhood Instruction from Saint Vincent College in 2012, and then completed her Masters Degree in Elementary Special Education from California University of Pennsylvania, now known as PennWest University. During the Summer of 2016, she attended the Summer Institute for Teachers hosted by the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project at the University of Pittsburgh Falk School under the direction of Laura Roop and the late CJ Coleman. Lauren is a teacher-consultant for the WPWP and an active promoter of Writing Instruction in the elementary classroom setting.

Pursuing the Light at the 2022 NCTE Annual Convention by Amy Bouch & Carol Frow

Pursuing the Light at the 2022 NCTE Annual Convention

by Amy Bouch & Carol Frow

The 2022 NCTE Annual Convention theme was !Suenos! Pursuing the Light. We (Amy & Carol)  were able to pursue the light in so many ways—through collecting copies of books, chatting with authors, learning new ideas, networking with teachers across the country, representing our affiliate, and, of course, soaking in the southern California sun. 

The beauty of attending conferences is that it allows teachers to share ideas with other teachers. The beauty of writing this blog post is that it allows us to share those ideas with all of you. NCTE offers hundreds of sessions, so we are providing a quick list of some ideas that may be helpful to you.

Quick ideas to implement at any time:

• Icebreaker / Community Building:

• Talk for two minutes with a group to determine the most unique thing that everyone has in common.

• Create a book cover as if the book was about the student’s life. Include an author bio, a blurb, and cover art.

• Do gallery walks to share student work.

• Writing:

• Choose a topic (example: gratitude). Go to camera roll and choose a picture. Write about the picture and why it represents the topic.

• Snowball fight - Write a line, crumple the page, throw it, open a new page, write another line, repeat.

• Keep a list of information you Google to reference for topics to write about.

• Write one stanza with a set format and then have students each write their own verse. Compile all of the stanzas into one writing piece.

• Use picture books as mentor texts.

• Review setting by writing a “Where I’m From” poem.

• Celebrate writers. View Amy and Carol's presentation "Students in the Spotlight: Shining a Light on Students as Writers"

• Reading:

• Go to authors’ websites to see if they can virtually visit your class.

• Character Analysis - create a body biography and then decorate the halls of your school with them. Although this link is not from who presented the idea, it gives a good example and visual images of the project.

• Use the rich source of Indiginous writings to teach plot and culture at the same time.

• Use verse novels with students if you aren’t already. More are published each year!

• Include diverse authors in class; however, do not only focus on the tragedies. Show their triumphs or typical everyday experiences. A few great examples come from authors Lisa Yee, Kelly Yang, and Nic Stone.

• Host a book tasting.

We encourage you all to pursue the light and make connections at the 2023 NCTE Annual Convention since it will be in Columbus, Ohio! We are very fortunate for the close proximity of next year’s convention.  Plan ahead to pursue your light and make connections with amazing educators from all around the world!  See you there!

Amy Bouch (pictured left) is a reading-obsessed 8th-grade English teacher at Chartiers Valley Middle School. She is the President of the Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English (WPCTE) and a Teacher-Leader for the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project (WPWP). Amy is also the 2022 Grammar Teacher of the Year and currently serving on the NCTE Middle Level Section Nominating Committee. When she isn’t teaching, she is making her way through all of the U.S. National Parks and traveling the world with her husband. Connect with her at abouch@cvsd.net.

Carol Frow (pictured right) is a middle school educator of thirty-four years.  Currently teaching reading 7 and 8 as well as an advanced English 8 course, Carol also runs the drama, musical, literary magazine, and guides various reading competition teams at Belle Vernon Area Middle School.  She is the Executive Director of WPCTE, past WPCTE president and Executive Board Member, and is a Teacher-Consultant for the WPWP.  In addition, Carol is a member of PAECT, a 2021 KTI Star, and a member of  NSTOY - PA, where she was a 2014 finalist for the PA Teacher of the Year, is currently a TEACH mini-conference presenter, and a TEACH mentor.  Carol has been published in English Journal in November 2017 for her article, “Give Sorrow Words: A Lesson Learned”, which was co-written with a former student and has an upcoming publication in the book 8th Grade Ready, for the chapter  “Chapter Three: A Deeper Dive into Course Selection” ( forthcoming - June 2023).  In her spare time, Carol, like Amy,  enjoys traveling through national parks.  She spends her time with author-named felines and reads continuously!  Connect with Carol at Carol.AtenFrow@bvasd.net.

How an A.P. Summer Institute Informed my Teaching for All of my Students By: Hannah Lewis

Background

Last year was a year of change for me. Due to some personal challenges, I felt compelled to make a professional change, so I moved from my previous 8th-grade ELA position to a new position teaching 11th-Grade American Literature and A.P. Language and Composition. Along with this new role came an opportunity (and a requirement) to participate in an A.P. Summer Institute (APSI). For those who have been considering A.P. training, I have to say that, while it was an expensive professional development ($1,000 from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit), I found the experience to be incredibly valuable. From the program description, I expected the course to be fairly test-focused; however, what I learned not only prepared me to teach my A.P. course at a high level, but also transformed my teaching more generally.

The A.P. Language and Composition course focuses on rhetoric and argument, so the training focused on the rhetorical situation in a highly nuanced way–considering both the intended audiences and unintended audiences of a text; framing arguments in multi-dimensional rather than “two-sided” ways; and exploring the value in connecting texts to their larger contexts. While these were somewhat familiar topics to me, taught in the first-year composition course I teach at the Community College of Allegheny County, the depth into which we explored these topics and the ways in which we complicated them helped me to see them in a new light.

The Gift of Collaboration Outside our Districts

Before I discuss how the rhetorical situation has informed my teaching of American Literature, I’d like to say one more word of praise about professional development in general and the A.P. Summer Institute in particular. There’s something incredibly humbling about participating in a training full of enthusiastic and experienced English teachers. When I work in my Professional Learning Community in my district, I deepen my bonds with my colleagues, and we develop synchronicity. We grow to understand how we each think and teach. We begin to anticipate each other’s needs as we crunch data and refine assessments. However, when I’m in a room full of teachers that I don’t know so well, from different communities, schools, and styles of teaching, I become enriched in a different way. 

    One of my colleagues at this summer’s APSI teaches at a private Jewish school; another at a public district in Ohio; another has been teaching A.P. for years and was attending to refresh his memory and sharpen his skills; another teaches both A.P. Literature and A.P. Language. Even as I drank in all of the knowledge I could from these teachers, I was able to share very helpful and unique contributions from my context in a cyber charter school. In addition, our instructor, Dr. Brandon Abdon, encouraged collaboration while also bringing years of expertise and insights about the A.P. exams and scoring experiences. Experiences like this one can only happen when we reach outside our districts to our wider professional communities, including WPCTE (if you haven’t joined, now’s your chance–it’s free!), PCTELA, and NCTE. 

Bringing Rhetoric into the Literature Classroom (Everything’s an Argument)

After completing the APSI, I was able to look at my (new-to-me) American Literature curriculum with fresh and critical eyes. I was seeing rhetoric everywhere–the T.V. shows and movies I was watching were making arguments at me; the bumper stickers on people’s cars, the text messages I was receiving; and the product packaging at the grocery store all were making arguments. Of course, then, I could see that the literature I was reading to prepare for the course was making arguments, too. Some, like The Crucible, contained very explicit arguments but also more subtle and perhaps unintentional ones. The convergence of what we commonly call a “theme” and what we might call an “argument” had never been so clear to me before, but I had become convinced that, indeed, “Everything’s an Argument.” 

This year, I’ve used this insight to have students (at all of the levels I teach) conduct a rhetorical analysis of the Iroquois myth “The World on a Turtle’s Back” (available in my HMH textbook, Into Literature; a shorter adaptation on Newsela with a free account) analyzing the ways in which Iroquois storytellers used rhetorical techniques to transmit values to their audience. Students were intrigued and developed a much deeper understanding of the myth in particular and oral storytelling traditions in general, and they were more easily able to see the link between this text and other early American texts from European colonists such as “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” which attempted to do essentially the same thing–transmit values to the text’s listeners and readers.

Additionally, with my A.P. students, we’ve explored The Crucible at a much deeper level by analyzing the rhetorical situation, including the rhetor (Arthur Miller), his audience, and the context of the play. Students have unearthed patriarchal and racially insensitive arguments Arthur Miller (likely unintentionally) made in the text and even have the opportunity to “correct” them by rewriting a scene from the play to make their own argument for today’s audience. 

Finally, the understanding that “arguments are everywhere” has forced me to turn a critical eye to the curriculum we teach. When we present American Literature as a survey class to 11th graders, there is such a tradition of teaching Puritan rhetoric, then transcendentalism, then romanticism, etc., etc.; and there is such a tradition of hitting certain big names within each literary period. This canonical adherence in curriculum design makes an argument–that American Literature can be neatly packaged for consumption by limiting it to certain movements and that their “heavy hitters” (Edwards, Thoreau, Emerson, Poe, Whitman, etc.) are the arbiters of American Literature, culture, and tastes. When we present these texts in this way, we perpetuate that argument–unless we invite students to question it, to explore alternative ways of understanding American literary traditions. As I work to supplement the curriculum in various ways, I also encourage students–not just A.P. students, but all of my students–to question the sacredness of the authors we read–not only to appreciate their contributions but also to criticize their ideological assumptions when it’s appropriate. Most importantly, I’m working to invite students to make their own arguments and to see the arguments in everything they say and everything they create, from an essay in English or History to an Instagram post to a conversation with a sibling, parent, or friend.

Middle School Read Alouds by Jennifer Hertzog

 Middle School Read Alouds by Jennifer Hertzog

In preparation for the 2021-2022 school year, the English teacher on my team and I brainstormed how to increase the love of reading with our middle school students. The book that inspired us to even start thinking about this concept in middle school was The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller.

By the time students are in 7th grade, it is more difficult to instill a love of reading in them if they haven’t already found their love of books. So many times, projects are assigned, and it takes away the love of the actual reading. As a mom of three children, I thought about how much fun my kids and I have reading aloud. We enjoy using inflection and different voices and having those moments of connection with characters. I thought to myself: I can easily do this with my middle school students. 

I set aside 10 minutes every day for students to read independently, and 2-3 times a week I read to them for the first 10 minutes (sometimes longer). This time spent reading together was amazing. It got everyone settled and calmed down, and they were so excited when they knew I was reading to them. Specifically, when I was reading aloud A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, one student said they loved the way I read since there was some sarcasm and humor in the text. She said I was the perfect teacher to read the book. She also threatened to (jokingly) drop out of the musical if she had to miss a day of me reading for rehearsal. Needless to say, I worked around her schedule to make it all work. 

Over the course of the school year, I read aloud Eleven by Tom Rogers , I read Resist by Alan Gratz for a shorter option, I read some creepy tales, and I also read A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, and half of The Giver by Lois Lowry. The students finished that book in small groups. The students loved all of these books, and their eyes were glued to me as I read. Next year, I plan on reading these and finding a few more to read as well. There were short periods of time I didn’t read to them and they simply read independently. As a middle school teacher, I think there was always that thought that being read aloud to was “childish,” but not all children have grown up being read to, and it truly is something that all ages can enjoy. 

At first I thought this would be challenging while also getting through the required curriculum, but once I saw the enjoyment and interest in the students, I learned to slow down the pace for the curriculum. There were weeks I was only able to read one day a week based on my curriculum needs and others that I was able to read three days a week for the same reason. 

Overall, adding read alouds and independent reading to the beginning of every class has created a sense of calmness in the room.  Each child comes in and knows the expectations; there is not a rush to start class and no materials are needed right away.  I feel this has helped students that are anxious in school or anxious about Literature class if it is not their strongest subject. 

Jennifer Hertzog is a 7th grade Literature teacher. She is entering her 19th year of teaching and has been married to her husband James for 18 years. Jennifer has three children: Carys is in 6th grade and plays basketball, Sawyer is in 4th grade and plays dek hockey and ice hockey, and Koen is in 1st grade and also plays dek hockey. Outside of school, Jennifer travels a lot with her family for sports and loves going to the beach in the summer. She and her family are avid animal lovers and have two older cats and just added 2 new kittens to the family. 

A New Era by Carol Frow

 A New Era by Carol Frow

Where did summer go? Wasn’t it just the end of last school year? Didn’t stores just start to overflow with brand-new school supplies? Time surely does fly by! By now, most if not all of us, have returned to our classrooms full of new groups of students. Each year brings exciting new ideas and refreshing changes in our classrooms. 

Just as changes occur in our schools, changes also happen in WPCTE. Sadly, at the beginning of June, long-time Executive Director, John Manear, passed away. June also ended the terms of some Executive Board members and committee members, so new officer appointments were determined. Members of the Executive Committee and English Festival Committee also have some additions but are still looking for new active members. If any members are interested in joining these committees, please contact Carol Frow or Amy Bouch who are still leading this group but in different official roles.

The new board members will have a three-year term. Assuming the Executive Director role is Carol Frow, the former president of WPCTE and an ELA teacher at Belle Vernon Area Middle School. WPCTE’s new President is Amy Bouch, an English teacher at Chartiers Valley Middle School and WPCTE’s former Vice President. The wonderful new additions to the board include Vice President Hannah Lewis, a high school English teacher at PA Leadership Charter School; Secretary Denise Chybrzynski, an elementary gifted educator at Knoch; and Treasurer Kathy Roslonski, a long-time WPCTE member and accountant.

Another change in WPCTE involves geographical locations and logistics. Payment for various activities will now be handled by WPCTE’s new treasurer. The English Festival now has a new home at La Roche University. The English Festival Awards Brunch for last year’s English Festival will move to Carol Frow’s school, Belle Vernon Area Middle School.

So many changes have been happening, but thankfully, the world seems to be moving slowly back to a sense of “normal.” Schools seem to be returning to completely in-person instruction, students may be attending field trips again, and in general, the changes made to teaching seem to be returning to some of what had been typical in the past. It’s almost like returning to normal, almost to a sense of home.

That sense of “Homecoming” was the theme of NCTE’s summer gathering. Both Carol and Amy attended the event in Louisville, Kentucky, as part of NCTE’s Affiliate Leadership Meeting. There, they met with leaders from other affiliates to brainstorm and network, attended sessions to benefit instruction and curriculum, and heard authors Celeste Ng, Ruta Sepetys, and Matt de la Peña discuss the importance of story. 

Attending conferences leave us refreshed and invigorated. Please consider attending our state affiliate’s conference, PCTELA’s Cultivate on October 21-22 in Cranberry, and NCTE’s annual conference, ¡Sueños! Pursuing the Light! in Anaheim, California from November 17-20.

New beginnings are so exciting! Changes bring new possibilities, refreshed enthusiasm, and innovative ideas. WPCTE strives to be a professional home to all of our members. Let this year be the year that you connect with other educators more than ever!

Thoughts on Retiring (at 82) by Sister Rita Yeasted

My answer to Mary Oliver’s “Tell me what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” was easy: Teach. Beginning at La Roche University (then College) in 1980, I rose through the ranks to Distinguished Professor, but now I have once again become an adjunct, like so many others that I hired when I chaired the English Department for 33 years.

The first thing people ask teachers upon retiring is “What will you do now?” and I honestly responded, “Teach, I hope.” And that is what I have done. I just completed a short summer class on August Wilson and took 30 people to see “Two Trains Running” at the Public Theater. Life doesn’t get better than that. 

I have wanted to teach since I was 5 years old, coming home from school and trying to share with my younger sister all that I had learned. I entered the convent at 20 in 1959 and began teaching 5th grade at 23. I started teaching high school at 28. Beginning work on a doctorate in 1974, I continued to teach as an adjunct at Duquesne and St. Vincent College.

In 1980, I was hired at my alma mater as Assistant Professor and the Department Chairperson. Through all those years, I always taught at least one class, mostly working full time. And now I hope to continue to be in front of a class each term if my eyes hold out. Teaching has always brought me deep joy.

WPCTE recently lost another teacher, whose life in many ways resembled my own, my friend and colleague, our former Executive Director, John Manear. John loved teaching with the same passion I did. We “talked shop” for decades, and in the early years together kept the Western Pennsylvania Council (and PCTELA) alive when it seemed doomed to extinction. John was also active in NCTE, and brought the national conference to Pittsburgh twice, chairing it once. We often traveled together to NCTE conferences, and in the later years I looked out for him, making sure his motorized wheelchair was at the hotel and conference center. He inspired me with his determination to keep going when almost anyone else I know would have said, “Enough.” John never did.

John never wanted to retire. As his obituary reminded us, he wanted to die in his classroom and be carried out feet first. He died on the last day of school, two weeks after submitting his resignation letter.

John began the English Festival in Pittsburgh, having heard that Youngstown State had one. Excited at the prospect of getting students to read books and compete for prizes, he, Dr. Al Labriola of Duquesne, and then president, Mike Benedicta, went to Youngstown, and the rest is more than a quarter century of success. The last time I saw him alive was May 11 when we held the Festival at La Roche for grades 7-12.

John began his teaching career as a Christian Brother, who taught at what was then South Catholic High School, now Seton-La Salle. When he left the community, he continued to teach, always in Catholic schools (or the State Penitentiary) because teaching was his life. I understand that feeling. Motivated by a deep faith, John continued to teach when he could no longer walk. Teaching was a life force for him, as I think it is for me. 

One of my favorite poems is “To Be of Use,” by Marge Percy. The whole poem is attached below, but the words have always been a vision for me of what I wanted to be. I know it spoke to John as well. Percy captures the truth of classroom teaching in this stanza:

    I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,

who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,

who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,

who do what has to be done, again and again.

 

And that wonderful last stanza that always reminds me of teaching, “work that is real.”

 

The work of the world is common as mud.

Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.

But the thing worth doing well done

has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.

Greek amphoras for wine or oil,

Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums

but you know they were made to be used.

The pitcher cries for water to carry

and a person for work that is real.

   The past two years have been tough for classroom teachers—and our students. The profession I chose 60 years ago evokes less respect now from students, parents, and the public. Morale is low, and too many of our colleagues search for other jobs that pay more and are, seemingly, more prestigious. But I hope we look forward to the fall semester with a renewed spirit, with the words of Marge Percy somewhere on our desk.

To be of use… To be a teacher… What a noble vocation. Never forget what inspired you to become one.

Sister Rita M. Yeasted, SFCC, Ph.D.

Teacher

 

 

To be of use

BY MARGE PIERCY

The people I love the best

jump into work head first

without dallying in the shallows

and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.

They seem to become natives of that element,

the black sleek heads of seals

bouncing like half-submerged balls.

 

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,

who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,

who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,

who do what has to be done, again and again.

 

I want to be with people who submerge

in the task, who go into the fields to harvest

and work in a row and pass the bags along,

who are not parlor generals and field deserters

but move in a common rhythm

when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

 

The work of the world is common as mud.

Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.

But the thing worth doing well done

has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.

Greek amphoras for wine or oil,

Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums

but you know they were made to be used.

The pitcher cries for water to carry

and a person for work that is real.

 

A Reflection on English Festival 2022 by Benoni Outerbridge

 A Reflection on English Festival 2022 by Benoni Outerbridge

When Falk School first started participating in the WPCTE English Festival six years ago, we had only fifteen 4th, 5th, and 6th graders attend and compete.  This year, due to our school’s pandemic restrictions, we were unable to include the 6th graders, yet we still had fifty-two 4th and 5th graders attend and compete!  For us, it is a club.  We spent the year reading four books and had lots of fun lunch meetings where we discussed the books, tested our knowledge of book trivia with Kahoot!, hunted for matching pairs of cards, and practiced oral responses to insight questions.  On Friday, April 29, the day of the English Festival finally arrived.  The atmosphere in the Falk lobby was electric with excitement.  One group misunderstood their teacher, and in their eagerness boarded the bus immediately.  

Upon arrival at Seton LaSalle Catholic High School in Mount Lebanon, we heard from Ms. Elisa Carbone, this year’s featured author.  She talked about her life, her writing process, and in particular, how she went about researching and writing Poison in the Colony: James Town 1622.  Throughout the day, students had opportunities to meet Ms. Carbone, get their book signed, or have a picture taken with her.  Students were thrilled to meet a “real” author, and the experience gave them a way to see themselves as becoming authors someday.  After her presentation, we dispersed to fifteen different classrooms and got down to the business of competition.  There were a total of thirteen schools represented,  with about 250 students, and the way the Festival is organized, there is a winner from each of the fifteen rooms.  In the end, four of the twelve Falk teams won, but by all accounts, we all had fun.  Students enjoyed different aspects.  In addition to meeting Ms. Carbone and hearing her speak, some enjoyed the fact that the selected books were different from each other.  Others enjoyed the competitions.  Still others liked thinking about the insight questions that were posed for each book.  All around, it was a grand success, and next year, we plan to include interested middle schoolers. Participating in the WPCTE English Festival is a great activity for our students. 

Benoni Outerbridge has been teaching for many, many years, both in public and independent schools.  In 2008, he returned to school to get a Masters in Library and Information Science, and for the last ten years, he has been working as a librarian at Falk Laboratory School.