WordFest 2008, an evening conference for educators in kindergarten through college, comes to the Capital Area Intermediate Unit in Summerdale from 5 to 8:30 p.m. October 23.
Designed to celebrate teachers helping others as they write and teach writing, the event is sponsored by the Capital Area Writing Project headquartered at Penn State Harrisburg. WordFest is free and open to all educators and writers.
In collaboration with the Intermediate Unit, the Capital Area Writing Project also offers WordFest participants three Act 48 Hours for a $30 fee. Attendees may select two different workshops from a choice of eight sessions featuring a variety of speakers and National Writing Project Fellows.
From 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., presenters will share workshops about closing the achievement gap, teaching clarity with building blocks, teaching writing to K through 3 students, and helping students step up to writing through personal narratives. Sessions during the second half include using Mother Goose rhymes to increase student literacy, combining music, art, and words to shape poetry, exploring multiple genres in children’s books to help students write in those forms, and using a Venn diagram to encourage writing poetry.
To register for Act 48 Hours and arrange payment, phone the Intermediate Unit at 717-732-8400 extension 8168. For WordFest 2008 information, contact Dr. Shanetia P. Clark at 717-948-6657 or Patricia Donaldson at 717-948-6383.
The Capital Area Writing Project is an outreach effort of the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education at Penn State Harrisburg. For more than 25 years, the project has been committed to practicing and teaching writing as well as nurturing professional growth, ultimately creating communities of student writers.
