Description

Teach informational writing through an evidence-based approach 
that engages all learners, no previous art experience necessary!

Sponsored by the North Dakota Council on the Arts in partnership with Central Regional Education Association, this new Picturing Writing virtual Pumpkin Life Cycle Workshop offers an engaging seasonal writing unit that utilizes proven Picturing Writing strategies and practices. It addresses ELA Standards for informational writing, reading, speaking, listening and language as well as the Next Gen Science Standards for Structure and Function and Interdependent Relationships Within Ecosystems. It offers yet another model for integrating Picturing Writing across the content areas. 

This experiential workshop will introduce (or review) Artists/Writers Workshop and the crayon resist painting process along with supplemental art techniques. As an informational writing unit, teachers will learn how to elicit facts from visual and written resources, embed facts into their paintings, and then read their pictures to access detail and description. With a focus on the use of strong verbs and adjectives, participants will discover the power of using image and text to empower their students as writers.

Developed by Beth Olshansky, Picturing Writing is an innovative, evidence-based approach to teaching writing designed to meet the needs of a wide range of learners. This highly scaffolded, multimodal approach gives students access to visual as well as verbal tools for developing and recording their ideas. Because pictures offer a universal language, Picturing Writing allows students to enter the reading/writing process from a position of strength and enthusiasm. It provides an enticing, alternative pathway into writing for emergent writers, English Learners, and others who struggle with reading and writing.

Graduate Credit: Optional Cafeteria Credit available through Valley City State University.

Registration Deadline: September 5, 2024

"I have used Picturing Writing with Multilingual/Multicultural students and it was very effective. Students are immediately engaged with the painting activities and it allows all students, including those at beginning levels of proficiency, to start a lesson with success. It's amazing how much language can emerge from all students, including those new to English and those at more advanced levels."
- Mari Rasmussen, ND EL Teacher & Co-President of Dakota TESOL