Summer Literacy Institutes

ENGL 922.01, CRN 70443. Monday-Friday, 8:15am-2:30pm

In this immersive workshop, we’ll explore the transformative impact of modeling and sharing our own writing process with our students. Through writing exercises, selected readings, and collaborative discussions, we’ll navigate the balance of being both a mentor and fellow writer in the classroom. Throughout the workshop, we will select and complete writing assignments from our own curricula and immerse ourselves in drafting and sharing our progress and final copies. We will craft both exemplary and intentionally subpar examples of writing in the specific genres that we teach, creating ready-to-share mentor texts and corresponding lessons. This approach will also help us demystify the drafting and revising processes for our students and model the vulnerability required to share original writing in a group setting. This workshop is designed for educators who are excited to embark on, or continue, their own writing journeys while embodying the creative process for and with their students.

Ryan Bani Tahmaseb is a K-12 learning coach, curriculum developer, and author. His debut picture book, Rostam’s Picture-Day Pusteen, will be published by Charlesbridge in summer 2024, and his first professional book for educators, The 21st Century School Library, was published in 2021 by John Catt Educational. His writing has also appeared in publications such as Education Week and the Carolina Quarterly. He lives in Southern Maine with his wife and two young children.

ENGL 920.05, CRN 70953, 8:15am-2:30pm in person.

The Teen Librarian Toolbox of the School Library Journal website estimates that major publishers debut around 1800 first-run young adult literature titles per year.  How can English language arts teachers possibly keep up?  And even if we could, how would we match these YA books to readers, or bring these emerging titles into meaningful conversation within the classroom community? 

In Reading Together, we’ll explore the appeal of the ever-growing young adult literature options by reading selections that offer insight and vicarious experience into adolescence.  We’ll also identify reading programs and resources (such as the Global Read Aloud, YALSA, or pedagogical texts on teaching YA literature) that provide helpful resources for finding book matches for independent reading or starting points for thematic units.  Finally, we’ll also consider fun activities and approaches for incorporating YA literature into the classroom.

During this class, we’ll have the chance to read one YA book together and another as part of a book club, and to delve into a pedagogical text of your choosing.   In sharing our reading and exploration, we’ll gather a range of titles, resources, connections, and activities to share with—and engage—students.

Laura Smith, a Principal Lecturer in English at UNH, teaches courses in first-year composition, intro to literature, and English teaching, including Teaching Young Adult Literature.  She appreciates the welcoming and collaborative New Hampshire Literacy Institutes community and loves hearing your YA book recommendations!

July 16-18^th, June 25-27^th, August 22-23^rd

UNH-Manchester and on-site in schools

Sponsored by a U.S. Department of Education grant, the SLATE Institute focuses on bringing together teams of ELA, STEM, and EL teachers from the middle-levels. Teachers will work on inquiry in science and writing, as well as building stronger practices for working with multilingual students in their classrooms. Instructors will include experts in literacy, writing, and STEM from UNH. Teacher teams will have time to develop interdisciplinary collaborative curricular units with their teams. One of the goals of the Institute is build student interest in STEM through inquiry, while at the same time, gaining valuable experiences in reading and writing in the Language Arts and beyond. The SLATE Institute is a collaboration between the UNH Leitzel Center, the UNH Community Literacy Center, and the NH Literacy Institutes. Application only and available in schools that are currently part of the SLATE program. For more information, see https://www.unh.edu/leitzel-center/programs/stem-language-arts-teaching…

For grantees only.

922.03, CRN 70554, 8:15am-2:30pm in person.

There will be two additional classes online:
           Monday, July 29 and Friday, August 2, 3:00-5:00 pm

“To be a reader is to live the world in a thousand ways.” - Pernille Ripp

Reading is a call to action. When we immerse our students in engaging literature and invite them to ask thought-provoking questions, we allow them to lead their reading journey down an authentic path. What excites you when you are reading? Where do your questions about the world take you when you are reading? How does your thinking grow through reading experiences? Together, let’s discover, investigate, and celebrate these inquiries. 

Join us as we take a deep dive into reading through an inquiry lens. Together, we will:

• Immerse in rich, diverse children’s literature
• Intentionally explore the relationship between metacognition and comprehension
• Discover how reading and writing inquiry work supports deep cross-curricular learning
• Curate text sets and plan a reading inquiry to support an individual unit of study
• Create a demonstration of learning to share at a culminating celebration!

Ashley Healey is a National Board Certified Teacher out of Stratham, New Hampshire where she works as Teacher Librarian. An avid reader and writer, Ashley strives to build strong literacy identities in her students. She believes in student empowerment, finding joy, and being true to oneself. She engages regularly in professional growth through Learning Through Teaching and the Summer Literacy Institute. While she spends her school year with our youngest learners, for the past 11 summers, she has enjoyed writing alongside the 5th-8th grade writers at the UNH Writers Academy.

Based in Stratham, NH, Isabelle O’Kane is an educator invested in inquiry-based, student-driven, equitable, and joyful learning. She has spent the past seven years reading and writing beside budding literary minds, during which time she has grown as a reader and writer herself. Isabelle loves bookmaking with her students and celebrating the successes of our youngest authors!

Whitney Forbes is a first-grade teacher in Stratham, NH. Over the past thirteen years, she has taught diverse learners at the elementary level with an emphasis on literacy, advocacy, equity, and joy. Through inquiry and play, Whitney helps to develop her students' literary identities. Engaging in writing and reflection within and outside of the classroom have been powerful tools for Whitney's personal and professional development. She is excited to teach and learn at the Summer Literacy Institute alongside other passionate educators, readers, and writers.

ENGL 920.01, CRN 70842, 8:15am-2:30pm in person 

Do you groan when you hear your writing students utter the words, “I like it the way it is” about their drafts? We all want our students to embrace revision, but perhaps it should be no surprise, this revision resistance. Revision is messy, challenging, and can feel threatening and frustrating for any writer. So how can we help our students – and ourselves – be more open to it?

In this course, we will explore the idea of revision not as a single stage in the writing process – a step right after “drafting” and just before “editing” – but as a mindset that’s present through every part of our writing. We will actively cultivate our own mindset stances – including metacognition, perspective-taking, flexible thinking, and risk-taking – as we draft and revise different pieces throughout our week. Chris will share practical approaches teachers can use to make revision engaging, meaningful, and fun for their students, at any level. Participants will develop practices they can weave into their classes’ minilessons and pre-writing, drafting, conferring, and sharing structures. Along the way, we’ll make some manageable but powerful shifts that can foster a writer’s mindset in our students and help them move beyond revision resistance.

Chris Hall is the author of The Writer’s Mindset and learns everyday about writing and revision alongside his students in Oyster River School District in Durham, NH. Over the past twenty years, he has taught in urban, suburban, public, independent, and international schools, where he has helped young writers find authentic purpose, build community, and discover the power of their own words. Chris also served as a Heinemann Fellow, researching innovative writing practices within a cohort of dynamic educators from across the country.

Also offered as a non-credit workshop.