A one-hour PD writing experience in which the administrators are led through a WITS-type lesson with a professional writer. Participants will be led through a writing process that will begin with a creative entry point, including scaffolding that allows all participants to feel empowered to write, time to write to the prompt and share with others in the group. Q and A time and testimonials from other administrators will be provided.

WITS Collaborative is a job-embedded professional development writing model. A group of teachers work with a WITS writing coach on their campus for 50 hours during the course of the school year.  Teachers and writer meet during their PLC time to plan lessons and in their classrooms to co-teach the lesson. Through this cycle of writing experiences, the WITS writer engages both teachers and students into a learning community by sharing the same writing experience and creating a culture of writing on the campus.

A 60-90 minute PD writing experience in which teachers are led through a WITS-type lesson with a professional writer.  Participants will be led through a writing process that will begin with a creative entry point, including scaffolding that allows all participants to feel empowered to write and share with the group. Time will be allowed for teachers to discuss applications for their grade/content level and for Q and A.

A 3-6 hour PD writing experience customized based on the needs of the campus as expressed by campus administrators. Teachers will be led through WITS-type writing lessons that WITS use to engage students, give them a voice, and the writer’s craft tools to be successful as writers.

Through the hands-on experience of themselves as writers, teachers will participate in a variety of writing activities that include generating ideas, giving participants choices, and sharing revision strategies.

Writing for the self and sharing with others at the beginning of the school year, sets the stage for campus community-building and creating a culture of writing. Time will be given for grade/content teams to meet and discuss classroom applications.  Teachers are encouraged to bring their grade/content TEKS and scope and sequence pacing calendars.

A 90-minute focused writing experience that can be part of a year-long series or a stand-alone PD.  Customized with a focus for each session based on the campus needs as expressed by the campus administration.  Areas of focus might include (but are not limited to) generating ideas, how to build a lesson from a mentor text, scaffolding ideas to guide students to success, revision strategies, how to facilitate student-led writing workshops, and ideas on commenting on student work and conferring with students.

Time will be provided for grade/content level teams to discuss applications in their lesson plans.

A 6-12 hour writing workshop experience best employed by large campuses or several campuses joining together.  Perfect for schools within a feeder pattern.

Participants are given a choice of writing workshops to attend throughout the course of the conference. Topics for workshops will be customized based on the needs of the campus as expressed by campus administrators.

Within each workshop, teachers will go through the writing process from generating ideas to revising their work.  Time will be given for teachers to discuss classroom applications.

A 3-hour writing workshop for teachers who are currently working with a WITS writer in one of the WITS programs. In addition to being led through a writing activity, workshop facilitators will lead the group through protocols that will allow them to share their own WITS experiences and learn from the WITS experiences of others.

A 6-hour writing workshop held on-site at four of Houston’s most historic wards.  Participants will be divided into groups and visit wards on a rotation basis during the day.  At each site, a professional writer will lead the group through a writing experience that focuses on the history and unique nature of that ward.

This workshop approach is especially suited for a mixture of campus or district-level ELA and Social Studies teachers learning and writing together. Time will be allowed for discussion of classroom applications.

A 6-hour writing-in-science workshop held at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  Participants will be divided into groups and rotate through several different exhibits in the museum that focus on both the physical and life sciences.  At each exhibit point, a WITS writer will guide the group through a writing experience based on the exhibit and the real-life writing experiences of scientists (e.g. writing a lab report, a text panel for a museum exhibit or a narrative to explain a phenomenon.) Experienced museum personnel will be co-presenters. Time will be given for discussion of classroom applications.

This is a 3-hour writing and art workshop that will be held on-site at the Menil Collection.  Participants will explore the collection with stops at various points to use the art as a creative entry point into writing. Time will be given for reflections and discussions on classroom applications. This workshop is ideal for writing and art teachers and can also be used as a community-building experience for a faculty at the beginning of the year or a rejuvenating experience at the mid-year point.

This 60-90 minute workshop is designed to give teachers of all content areas a writing experience.  Participants will be divided by their content area and led in a writing activity that focuses on using a creative entry point to generate ideas, scaffolding activities to build confidence, and the opportunity to share writing with colleagues. Time will be allowed for reflection on the power of writing and on possible classroom applications.