Securing an On-Site Staff DeveloperWe will host a Q&A session on Thursday, August 11 th at 8:15am in Milbank Chapel (1 st Floor Zankel) forthose interested in learning more about working with RWP. At this meeting you will learn about securing: Support for teachers to develop state-of-the-art reading and writing workshops with ongoing, site-basedstaff development in your school or district Support for principals and other administrators to deepen their knowledge of curricular leadership inliteracy Support for literacy coaches and reading specialists to develop methods of staff development and tomentor teachers Help designing and implementing school-wide (or district-wide) literacy planAccessing the RWP ResourcesThis year for the first time, the RWP’s Curricular Calendar is available for any school or district to use as yourown. We know that in the past, copies of the Curricular Calendar have been passed secretly from one eagerteacher to another, and that many districts have put in countless hours rewriting the Curricular Calendar into theirown words so as to benefit from the ideas within them without breaking copyright laws. <strong>The</strong> good news is thatanyone and everyone can now have full use of the Curricular Calendar for a nominal fee. Many districts aremaking the decisions to include this information on their district’s website and teachers across cities aredeveloping their own adaptations of these documents. <strong>The</strong>se documents are available on the Heinemann website:www.heinemann.com.Here is a brief description of these plans directly from the website: <strong>The</strong> Common Core <strong>Reading</strong> & <strong>Writing</strong> Workshopplans provide grade-specific yearlong curricular plans for reading and writing workshops that are carefully alignedto the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Growing out of the <strong>Reading</strong> & <strong>Writing</strong> <strong>Project</strong>’s community ofreflection and practice, these plans describe Lucy Calkins and her colleagues’ latest thinking and insights on howto teach the essential skills and strategies of proficient readers and writers; how to progressively build on studentlearning; and how to fully address the CCSS in your reading and writing workshops. Provided in an easilyaccessible electronic PDF format, these curricular plans can be quickly downloaded and immediately support yourreading and writing workshops.In addition to helping you meet and exceed the Common Core writing standards, the writing workshop curricularplans will help you craft a rigorous writing curriculum that:• responds to your writers’ developmental needs• increases the volume and quality of your students’ writing• empowers students to write with greater independence and purpose“We must remember that no matter the state standard or national goal for our teaching, the horizons we lead ourstudents toward are neither nearby nor narrow. We teach for no less than to offer our children ways to understandand make meaning of the world; we offer them skills and strategies for learning and for becoming morepowerful.”-Lucy Calkins17
About Our PresentersMelanie Brown is an upper grade TCRWP staff developer. She played a central role in the research that informed the seriesUnits of Study for Teaching <strong>Reading</strong>: A Curriculum for the <strong>Reading</strong> Workshop.Lucy Calkins is Founding Director of the Teachers College <strong>Reading</strong> and <strong>Writing</strong> <strong>Project</strong> and of the <strong>Reading</strong> and <strong>Writing</strong><strong>Project</strong> LLC, as well as the Robinson Professor in Children's Literature at Teachers College where she co-directs the LiteracySpecialist program. She is the author of many books on the teaching of reading and writing, including her trademark Units ofStudy books supporting K-2 and 3-5 writing and 3-5 reading. Her foundational texts also include <strong>The</strong> Art of Teaching <strong>Reading</strong>and <strong>The</strong> Art of Teaching <strong>Writing</strong>. Her other publications include One-to-One: <strong>The</strong> Art of Conferring with Young Writers, A Principal's<strong>Guide</strong> to Leadership in the Teaching of <strong>Writing</strong> (co-authored with Laurie Pessah) and Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parent’s <strong>Guide</strong>. Sheis also the series editor of the Workshop Help Desk. This past year, Lucy led a specialty course on developing performanceassessment tools aligned to the Common Core State Standards.Nicole Carfiro has worked deeply to support high needs learners, teaching at PS 18 in the Bronx. She has also served as aninclusion teacher. Nicole provides upper grade staff development in Deer Park, TX and Prospect, CT.Mary Ann Colbert, a former <strong>Reading</strong> Recovery teacher and director of literacy for a Bronx district, brings her knowledge ofprimary reading to the <strong>Project</strong>. She is a co-author of a book for parents entitled, Helping Your Children with <strong>Reading</strong> and <strong>Writing</strong>at Home. This year she will lead a specialty course on “Becoming Experts in Components of <strong>Reading</strong> Such As Interactive<strong>Writing</strong> and Shared <strong>Reading</strong>.”Kathy Collins, author of Growing Readers and <strong>Reading</strong> for Real: Teach Students to Read with Power, Intention, and Joy in K-3Classrooms, was a leader of the RWP’s K-2 reading work for several years. Kathy is a frequent guest speaker at the RWP andat national conferences.Rebecca Cronin is a primary staff developer whose latest projects center on developing reading and writing of fairytales inK-2 classrooms. Rebecca supports teachers across NYC and New Jersey, as well as in Deer Park, TX, Tiburon, CA, andGotesburg, Sweden.Alexis Czeterko received her masters from Teachers College. Before joining the <strong>Project</strong> as a full time Staff Developer,Alexis taught 5th grade in Westchester, NY and was a Dual Language teacher in Queens.Tiffany Davis–Nealy, an upper grade staff developer, was the recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award from theManhattan Chamber of Commerce. She has a special interest in supporting parents. In addition to her work in New YorkCity schools and across the country, Tiffany recently worked with schools in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Elizabeth Dunford received her MA in Literacy from Teachers College, Columbia University and served as a primary andspecial education teacher at PS 58 in Brooklyn before becoming a full-time Staff Developer. In addition to her work withNew York City schools, she leads staff development in Georgia, Florida, and Illinois.Mary Ehrenworth is a frequent keynote speaker both at local and national conferences. She is the author of Looking to Writeand co-author of <strong>The</strong> Power of Grammar. She is also co-author of two of the books in Units of Study for Teaching <strong>Reading</strong>: ACurriculum for the <strong>Reading</strong> Workshop, Grades 3-5 – Tackling Complex Texts and Constructing Curriculum. At the TCRWP, Mary servesas Deputy Director for Middle Schools. In this capacity, she oversees the <strong>Project</strong>’s work with middle school teachers,coaches, and principals, and is part of the leadership team working with Assessment Pro.Chantal Francois is an upper grades and middle school staff developer. She is a doctoral student at the Harvard GraduateSchool of Education and her research interests include urban schooling, adolescent literacy, and the intersection of literacyand identity. Chantal formerly taught in New York City public middle and high schools. She is co-author of Catching Up onConventions: Grammar Lessons for Middle School Writers.Shana Frazin taught both primary and upper grades in Los Angeles, and was a faculty member at Pacific Oaks College inCalifornia before coming to the <strong>Project</strong> as an upper grade staff developer. She has expertise in math as well as in literacy, anda special love for children’s literature.Brooke Geller is a lead staff developer, and she mentors staff developers. Brooke leads advanced sections at summerinstitutes, in addition to specialty and coach groups. Brooke supports schools in New Jersey, California, North Carolina, andthe Netherlands.18