Leatherstocking Writing Project

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EVENT SCHEDULE

• 9:15 - 9:30 a.m. - REGISTRATION & REFRESHMENTS  
  9:30 - 10 a.m.  - Welcome
  10 - 11 a.m. - Workshop by guest speaker, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Teachers College, Columbia University
  11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. -  WRITING WORKSHOPS by local teachers (IRC Lecture Hall 1)

WORKSHOPS

Session #1
Writing Into the Day
Jennifer Flores, Milford Central School District
The purpose of this resource is to integrate daily argument writing into a class day by using short, sequenced writing into the day activities, sometimes called “bellringers.” These activities are designed to build toward a short argument that students write or, through extension, to a longer researched argument. These kinds of warm-up activities make efficient use of classroom time because they build fluency for students and, by sequencing the prompts, give students experience with more complex tasks. Because of the limited time it takes, Writing into the Day can be used several times over the course of the year as part of Routine Argument Writing.
Grades 3-12

Session #2
Case Studies Across Contents
Schwartz, Michelle - DCMO BOCES
Have you ever considered doing child studies with your students? In this session we outlined how research writing works across contents and how it can be used in these different content areas. Together, we looked at a child study that has been done using preschool children. 
Grades 9-12 (could also be modified for middle school students)

Session #3
“In Defense of Comics: Using Graphic Narratives to Promote Visual Literacy, Cross-Curricular Learning, and Close Reading”
Ryan Brosi, Unatego Central School District
Historically, the medium of comic art and storytelling has been viewed by many as a disposable form of entertainment and/or as a contributor to the decline in childrens’ reading ability. Thankfully, as comics and graphic novels become more ubiquitous in the classroom, this paradigm is beginning to shift and teachers are starting to see the value in them as educational tools. The purpose of this session was to discuss ways graphic narratives can be used to promote visual literacy and build a variety of other skills across multiple content areas in the classroom.
Grades 9-12 (Easily modified for Elementary and Jr. High)

EXHIBITION AREA: Catskills Regional Teacher Center

July 12, 2023: Translanguaging in the Classroom: Bilingual and Cross Cultural Pedagogy
Are you interested in supporting your students in bilingual and cross cultural pedagogy? How might you leverage students’ heritage languages into your content and class? This one-day workshop explored how educators can utilize students’ funds of knowledge to enliven and enrich your community of learners.

July 18, 2023: Imagining Better Worlds: Multidisciplinary Place Writing Across Grade Levels
How might we help our students imagine a better world? How might we help our students forge solidarity with others in seeking solutions to issues that challenge the sustainability of our communities and our wild places? This one-day workshop explored how teachers can engage students in critical place research on the places students find themselves emplaced or displaced.

July 19, 2023: “Hey ChatGPT, Can You Write My Essay?” The Implications and Strategies of AI for Educators
Like it or not, AI apps. like ChatGPT, have shifted the landscape for how teachers and students use new technologies to support learning. This one-day workshop involved conversations on the implications of AI for classroom teachers.

LSWP YA /Children’s Literature Book Club for Teachers

The Leatherstocking Writing Project at SUNY Oneonta welcomed video game developers going into 4th/5th grades, middle school, and high school on the campus of SUNY Oneonta for a week-long video game developer institute. Game developers got a chance to work with game design software, storytelling elements, and beta testing during this one-week institute with provided equipment and expert guidance from educators.

During the 2023 institute, game developers explored cooperative gaming models found in role-playing games. Developers along with institute leaders researched sustainability issues challenging the Oneonta area and created a cooperative quest where players worked together to solve the issue.