Orientation

9:30 - 9:40

Welcome!

• The Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP) is a local site of the National Writing Project (NWP) at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (PennGSE). 

• The first Invitational Summer Institute (ISI) on Writing and Literacy was held in 1986.

• PhilWP is also a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) consortium member. This year's institute is funded, in part, through a TPS grant as well as through generous individual donations to PhilWP.

• This summer, we have partnered with 3 hosts for the ISI: Independence National Historical Park, the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP), and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

• In addition to the ISI, PhilWP sponsors a number of programs throughout the year for educators, students, and families, including Project Write; Scholastic Art and Writing Awards; Digital Discourse Project, Kid Writing; Black Girls Literacies Project; Youth Journalism Camp, Celebration of Writing and Literacy; College, Career, and Communities Writers Program (C3WP); and Literature Circles.

• The NWP has described the social practices of teacher consultants. These social practices are foundational to the ISI—and to participation in PhilWP as a teacher consultant (TC).

9:40 - 10:00

Introductions: Who is in the room?

• In breakout groups, talk about the space you're inhabiting right now, particularly the things we can see in your Zoom window.

• Serial Testimony

  • • Protocol (slide 13)

    • More about the protocol: Making space, taking time, sharing power (Mahabir, 2012)

• Sharing your pronouns/asking people's pronouns is a valued practice showing respect for the people with whom you interact.

  • • In 2016, the School District of Philadelphia released policy 252: "A student has the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that corresponds to the student’s gender identity.  

10:00 - 10:40

Reflecting Further on Teaching in These Times

• Reading: Pitts, J. (2020, May 15). Teaching as activism, teaching as care. Teaching Tolerance.

• Note Taking Document for Small Group Discussion

10:40 - 11:00

ISI Dates, Course Information, and Next Steps

• Overview of ISI

  • • Daily focus questions (slide 17)

    • Where we'll meet:

      • • Tuesday-Friday, June 20-23: Benjamin Franklin Museum, Independence National Historical Park

        • Monday-Tuesday, June 26-27: Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

        • Wednesday-Friday, June 28-30: African American Museum in Philadelphia

    • Key dates (slide 21)

    • Example ISI traditions (slide 25)

• To Do:

  • • Submit $150 Course Fee

    • Pick up bulk pack and 2 books

    • Sign up for NWP Teacher Studio and TPS Teachers Network

• Reflection: One word (slide 28)

11:00 - 11:30

Meet with Journal Group

• Exchange contact information

• Discuss how you'd like to organize your time as a journal group during the daily 45-minute journaling block