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©
Dena Harrison at http://denaharrison.com.
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Contact me!
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My Inservice Classes and Workshops for Teachers
In addition to my full-time teaching position, I also arrange for, create, and present during 16-hour inservice classes that are designed to help teachers become better writing instructors.
Since 2003, I have served as 6 Trait Coordinator for the Northern Nevada Writing Project. During the traditional school year, the NNWP hires me to do three things for Nevada teachers: 1) I create new classes on the six writing traits that can be offered as part of the NNWP's inservice program; 2) I coordinate (by scheduling, facilitating, and hiring teacher presenters) long-established 6-trait classes; 3) I present demonstration lessons at other Northern Nevada teachers' inservice courses.
During the summer, my husband and I also co-present workshops for teachers outside of Northern Nevada. If you are interested in bringing us to your state, district, or school, please visit my husband's workshop page at his website to learn about our workshops and to inquire about hiring us.
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Course: Building Student Writers, Trait by Trait
Intended Audience: K - 12th grade teachers
Next offered: January 2009
Course details: I inherited the job of coordinating this wonderful 16-hour course from my friend and mentor Carol Harriman when she retired in 2003. This long-running course has been offered every January in Nevada for the last two dozen years.
Each course participant receives a copy of the Northern Nevada Writing Project's Going Deep with 6 Trait Language Guide. We explore this wonderful resource together and try techniques from its pages in our own classrooms.
Presenters from Northern Nevada are hired (by me) to showcase some of their best 6 trait lessons for class participants. These presenters facilitate important conversations about using trait language with students.
Each time we offer this class, we explore different resources from the guide and we bring in different presenters, and many teachers have taken this course multiple times.
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Course: Using Chapter Book Excerpts as Mentor Text for 6-Trait Writing Lessons
Intended Audience: 3rd - 12th grade teachers
Next offered: April 2008
Course details: This is a wonderful class that I have been asked to present at many times in the past. The lesson I present is called So Much Depends Upon..., and it was inspired by the book Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.
For the 2008-2009 school year, I will become the official NNWP Coordinator of this inservice, which means I will schedule and hire presenters for all future sessions of this 16-hour inservice course.
During this course, seven teachers present original lessons they use with their own students. These lessons are inspired by excerpts from young adult novels and chapter books, and the teacher presenters show participants ways to skillfully use mentor texts while designing 6-trait lessons.
Based on the presenters' inspiration, each class participant designs his/her own original 6-trait lesson. Many of those proposed lessons are posted at WritingFix's Chapter Book Lesson Collection.
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Course Name: Innovative Projects that Give Students 6 Trait Language
Intended Audience: K - 12th grade teachers
Next offered: Spring 2009
Course details: My husband encouraged me to launch this new inservice class, which debuted in February 2008. The course evaluations were so positive that I will definitely coordinate this class again in the near future, and hopefully it will become an annual course here in Northern Nevada.
During this 16-hour course, my fellow Nevada teachers present innovative classroom projects that are designed to give students authentic ownership of 6 trait language. 6-trait trading cards, alphabet books, post-it notes, and board games are created by students as they explore deeper knowledge of how the 6 traits affect their own writing. Class participants create their own versions of these projects.
At future sessions of this class, participants will create original 6-trait projects that we plan to feature at WritingFix's 6 Trait Homepage. |
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Course Name: Using Picture Books as Mentor Text for 6-Trait Writing Lessons
Intended Audience: K - 8th grade teachers
Next offered: Fall 2008
Course details: My NNWP colleague, Kim Polson, coordinates this wonderful class. I am often asked to present my lesson, A Scientific Mishap, which is inspired by the book Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey.
During this 16-hour course, half a dozen teachers present original lessons they use with their own students. These lessons are inspired by some of the best picture books, and the teacher presenters show participants ways to skillfully use mentor texts while designing 6-trait lessons.
Based on the presenters' inspiration, each class participant designs his/her own original 6-trait lesson. Many of those proposed lessons are posted at WritingFix's Picture Book Lesson Collection.
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Course Name: The I-Pod as a Tool in the Writing Classroom
Intended Audience: 3rd - 12th grade teachers
Next offered: Fall 2008
Course details: I am so excited to be a part of this new project that was launched in February 2008 by the Northern Nevada Writing Project. We are in the process of creating a new collection of lessons (all that involve using a classroom I-Pod during some stage of the writing process) that will eventually be featured in an exciting new 16-hour inservice course.
The two lessons I created for this project--both of which I hope to present during future sessions of this class--are based on a song by The Cure and a song by the Dave Matthews Band.
You can check out the lessons that will be featured in this new class by visiting WritingFix's I-Pod Lesson Collection. |
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Course Name: Using Literature Excerpts as Mentor Text for 6-Trait Writing Lessons
Intended Audience: 4th - 12th grade teachers
Next offered: Fall 2008
Course details: Course details: My NNWP colleague, Tamara Turnbeaugh, coordinates this class, which was introduced to Northern Nevada in November of 2007. I was asked to present my lesson, Nash-ing the Animals, which is inspired by the poetry of Ogden Nash, and I expect to be asked to present again at future sessions.
During this 16-hour course, half a dozen teachers present original lessons they use with their own students. These lessons are inspired by excerpts from literature (both poetry and prose), and the teacher presenters show participants ways to skillfully use mentor texts while designing 6-trait lessons.
Based on the presenters' inspiration, each class participant designs his/her own original 6-trait lesson. Many of those proposed lessons are posted at WritingFix's Literature-Inspired Lesson Collection. |
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