Our Super Saturdays use a "lab school" model, in which teachers and students participate in the presenter’s workshop lesson together in small groups, generally including the following: mini-lesson on writing craft, study of a mentor text, demonstration of innovative and engaging pedagogical strategies, large blocks of time for students and teachers to write, and sharing writing in small groups or whole group.

While each workshop can stand alone, students and teachers can draw much more meaning from each seminar if they have other seminars to build on. Furthermore, registering for the entire series saves you money and time.

Event Schedule
9:30-10:00am - Registration in front of Sweeney Hall Courtyard
10-10:30am - Writing Games Warm-up
10:30-12:30pm - Saturday Seminar lesson led by Teacher Consultant

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Course Descriptions

February 1 - Learning From Yourself: Using Portfolios for Writing Growth
How can you grow as a writer without someone to critique your work? Portfolios! Come learn how to use writing portfolios as a powerful tool for growth by reflecting on your strengths and challenges as a writer and setting goals for growth. Bring your recent writing, or just be prepared to reflect on some past writing experiences as we practice the cycle of reflection and revision to grow in our writing practice!

Jessica Asher is an AP Literature and Composition, ERWC, ELA3 and ELD teacher at Gonzales High School.

March 7 - "With A Little Help From My Friends”
Ever feel like you're on your own? Scared of trying something new in your writing life? Worried your readers just won't get it? I think I might have just the solution for you! Everything you've ever read can be a friend to turn to in a time of need. You might not know Jason Reynolds personally, but he's your writing friend any time you look through his stories and borrow ideas for how to write. So let's do that together. Let's look through a few passages, pull some craft moves, and try them on for size. You can get by with a little help from your friends. And any author can become your friend.

Todd Seal is an English and AVID teacher at Silver Creek High School in the East Side Union High School District.

April 4 - C3WP Craft Moves to Enhance Argument Writing
Enjoy an interactive session working in small groups to enhance argument writing. Discuss and practice craft moves to support a point you want to make, use the expertise of another to validate your thinking, put your spin on a concept from another text, and explore ways to develop a new line of thinking in response to gaps or missing information in a text. Practice these writing skills to help meet the academic demands of college, career and community writing.
Adapted from Joseph Harris’s book Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts

Jan Goodspeed is an English and Journalism Teacher for grades 9-12 at North Monterey County High School.