Secondary English Weekly #7
Volume Two, Issue Seven / October 7-11, 2019
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: READ, WRITE, AND DISCUSS POSTERS
ENGLISH TEACHERS NEEDED FOR CCS PILOT OPPORTUNITY
--You can see the "Request for Pilot" that vendors will submit on the CCS Vendor Page by clicking on Requests for Proposals, Qualifications, & Information.
DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE (DOK)
-You will find Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Documents for ELA at both of the Curriculum/Instruction Pages Quick Links (Curriculum/Instructional Resources 6-8 and Curriculum/Instructional Resources 9-12). They are located near the top of the Curriculum/Instructional Pages under the "CCS ELA Guiding Documents" heading.
-You also have sample AIR questions that are aligned to Standards and labeled by DOK level at the "Standardized Testing (AIR, ACT, and MORE)" Quick Link. These are in the "Grade Level Resources for the AIR Assessments" section under "AIR Assessments" and linked below.
AIR REPORT 2019-TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY WRITING
Weakness: On the Informational/Explanatory Writing items from the 2019 AIR Test, zero percent of students in Grades 6-12, with the exception of Grade 6 at 1%, scored 4 out of 4 for Purpose/Organization and Evidence/Elaboration. Although higher than percentages in 2018, we still have only 3%-9% of students in Grades 6-12 who scored a 3 out of 4 on both the Purpose/Organization and Evidence/Elaboration for Informational/Explanatory Writing.
In the area of conventions, our students scoring full points ranged between 29 to 45%.
How to Make Gains: The conclusion to be drawn is that our students need more practice with writing. The amount of writing our students do must increase. They should be writing daily and produce at least 6-9 longer pieces and 12-14 shorter writings throughout the year with an emphasis on response- to-text argument and informational essays. The Grade-level Curriculum Maps specify number of writings for each grade level. As called for in the Standards, students should be “writing routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.” In 2017, Dave Stuart, teacher and author, noted that increasing the quantity of writing was a common way to increase results on standardized tests. Writing should be driven by exemplars that focus on the protocols required to construct fully-developed essays with introductions, conclusions, transitions, and bodies that have evidence/elaboration). Literature Mini-Qs available through Clever by clicking the DBQ button include writing exemplars with every lesson. Researchers agree that American students need to increase the amount of writing they do in school and use exemplars as models if they want to become college and career ready. In an 2016 article in Education Weekly, Tanya Baker from the National Writing Project noted that too many schools are only requiring students to write single paragraphs and only 16% of assignments ask students to cite text to support for their thoughts and arguments. Mike Schmoker in his book FOCUS calls for the use of exemplars when teaching writing because they “demystify the elements of effective writing for both students and teachers like nothing else can.” Teachers should be sure to help students master the following:
-Write Introductions that contain a thesis or claim that controls the essay
-Write Conclusions that go beyond summarizing
-Use Varied Transitional Phrases that assist with progression of ideas/organization, between and within paragraphs
-Provide Text Evidence and Elaboration of Text Evidence in the body paragraphs—they must tie evidence to main point of body paragraph and overall thesis/claim.
Did You know That You Can Access Book Readings and Reader's Theater Items at TeachingBooks.net?
Collections to Support English Language Learners
- Complete Readings of Books & Poems All Grades (Once you are here, you can search by Grades 4-8 and Grades 7-12 using the "Grade Level" Filter on the right of the page.)
- Reader’s Theater Scripts All Grades (Once you are here, you can search by Grades 4-8 and Grades 7-12 using the "Grade Level" Filter on the right of the page.)
CELEBRATE THE NATIONAL DAY ON WRITING-OCTOBER 20
The National Day on Writing® (October 20), an initiative of the National Council of Teachers of English, is built on the premise that writing is critical to literacy but needs greater attention and celebration. Every year NCTE and enthusiastic participants around the world continue to grow this event. This October the National Day on Writing celebrates its 11th anniversary. Think about how you can celebrate in your classroom and look at these ways to get involved!
- Write something new or choose a piece you’ve already written; then share your piece with others using the #WhyIWrite hashtag. Remember that writing is not limited to what you can do with a pencil or pen. Your piece can be an audio recording or even a comic/drawing!
- Encourage your students, family, and friends to celebrate the National Day on Writing by doing some writing of their own. Consider ways you might write together.
- Talk to students you teach, your community, online or offline groups you belong to, and journalists/media you know about why writing matters. Interview them and write about their point of view, then post it online. Spread the word about the National Day on Writing and the #WhyIWrite hashtag. If you share your writing with NCTE, they will do what they can to share it more widely!
vote for your favorites and nominate books for next year's awards
The Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book Award program is designed to encourage students in Ohio to read literature critically, to promote teacher and librarian involvement in young adult literature programs, and to commend authors of such literature. The Buckeyes are one of the only state reader's choice awards in which students get to nominate the titles as well as vote on the final winners. The only adults who may submit nominations or votes are teachers and librarians who are representing a group of students from their school or library. This allows the Buckeyes to be truly a student-chosen award in all aspects.
Nominating occurs year-round, on the Buckeye Awards website, and voting is from Sept. 1-Nov. 10. The winners will be announced on December 1, so have your students go to www.bcbookaward.info to nominate, vote, and see past winners!
Below are the current nominees. Letting your students know that they have a voice in choosing the winner is built-in, real-world encouragement for reading the novels either in class or as independent choice reads. Also, Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down, a book we have in the warehouse for Grade 10, is a nominee in the Teen Division. If you have your students read it, be sure to have them vote for it as part of your unit:)
For Grades 6-8:
- Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
- Worlds Collide (The Land of Stories #6) by Chris Colfer
- Supernova (Amulet #8) by Kazu Kibuishi
- Restart by Gordon Korman
- The Burning Maze (The Trials of Apollo #3) by Rick Riordan
The Teen Buckeye Book Award nominees (for grades 9-12):
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi
- Wildcard (Warcross #2) by Marie Lu
- Renegades by Marissa Meyer
- Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
TEACHER PD OPPORTUNITIES AND CONTESTS
SOME CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS
-BULKBOOKSTORE $500 MONTHLY GIVEAWAY
-BULKBOOKSTORE LUNCH BAG GIVEAWAY
-WE ARE TEACHERS CONTEST/GIVEAWAYS
-SEPTEMBER TEACHINGBOOKS CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS
-WIN A COPY OF I'm Not Dying with You Tonight
NEW OPPORTUNITIES
FREE POETRY OUT LOUD TRAINING-OCTOBER 30TH
There will be a free training for all past and current teachers that are interested in learning more about Poetry Out Loud on Wednesday, October 30 4:30-6:30pm at Wild Goose Creative, 2491 Summit Street, Columbus OH, 43202. Here is the Poetry Out Loud Teacher's Guide and Ohio's Contest Schedule. You can GET YOUR HIGH SCHOOL REGISTERED FOR POETRY OUT LOUD HERE!
FREE DOWNLOADABLE AUTHOR QUOTATION POSTERS
AuthorSpeak™ posters from Prestwick House are available for free! Visit the English Teacher’s Free Library to download posters featuring great quotations from our favorite authors, including Henry David Thoreau, Shakespeare, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Edgar Allan Poe, and many more.
DIGESTING THE NEW FRAMEWORKS FOR AP LITERATURE AND THE 2019 EXAM WEBINAR
Authors Renee Shea and Larry Scanlon discuss the 2019 AP Literature exam results and how you can best prepare your students for the 2020 exam using your Literature & Composition texts. Register for the Webinar on Thursday, October 10, 2019 at 6:00 PM.
OTTERBEIN GRADUATE SCHOOL INFORMATIONAL SESSION ON OCTOBER 17TH
There will be an graduate program informational session at Otterbein University from 6-7:30pm at The Point (60 Collegeview Avenue, Westerville) on October 17th. Here is the link to register.
CURIOSITY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM: PURSUING ENGAGEMENT, LITERACY, AND ACTION THROUGH INQUIRY (Heinemann PD Presents a Multi-Day Institute, January 17-20, 2020 in Charleston, SC)
Over the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, there will be a practical and personal institute, presented by a team of nationally recognized author-educators: Harvey "Smokey" Daniels, Nancy Steineke, Chad Everett, Kristin Ziemke, and Sara Ahmed. The institute is a blend of keynote sessions, breakout workshops, and job-alike meetings, where you'll spend part of each day working in a group that matches your grade range. You'll also join a team of colleagues in a multidisciplinary inquiry project, drawing on the complex sights, spaces, people, and history of Charleston itself. ENROLL NOW! Enroll by October 29th and SAVE!
Groups are encouraged. Register three or more and save.
UNDERSTANDING TEXTS & READERS: STRATEGIES TO MAKE SENSE OF COMPREHENSION WORKSHOP ON OCTOBER 30TH
Jennifer Serravallo is coming to Cincinnati, OH to present a workshop based on her bestselling resources on the teaching of reading: Understanding Texts & Readers; The Reading Strategies Book; and A Teacher's Guide to Reading Conferences. This workshop will help you to make sense of text leveling and comprehension, and become adept at assessing and teaching to support student comprehension through conferences and small group instruction. DOWNLOAD BROCHURE
Comprehension instruction can feel challenging: there are reader variables, text variables, and figuring out how to make visible what's invisible in students' minds. In this workshop, Jen will help comprehension make sense. You will learn how to target what each student needs most within a set of comprehension goals and skills, practice selecting just-right strategies that will make a difference to help readers grow, and become familiar with several methods for supporting comprehension whether you meet with students individually or in groups.
OCTOBER OPPORTUNITIES
TEACHING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST
Join one of Echoes & Reflections free upcoming webinars and become equipped to teach about the Holocaust. The timely one-hour webinars are designed to help educators promote student learning and understanding of the Holocaust and its lasting effect on the world. Register today. Below are the webinars for October.
- Current Trends in Antisemitism 10/7 at 4pm
- Using Poetry to Teach the Holocaust 10/10 at 3pm
- Americans and the Holocaust: War and Genocide 10/24 at 4pm
- Understanding Kristallnacht 10/29 at 3pm
- Teaching with Testimony: Nazi Germany 10/30 at 4pm
THURBER HOUSE EVENINGS WITH AUTHORS & SPECIAL EVENTS FOR FALL 2019
Evenings with Authors is a series of readings and chats featuring nationally known bestselling authors. Included in the line-up for Fall 2019 are Alan Hlad, Tayari Jones, Brock Clark, Rafael Rosado, James A. Willis, William Matson/Crazy Horse family, Senator Sherrod Brown, Scott Woods, Mo Rocca, and Deidra Bair. Click HERE for tickets to any of the Thurber events. Below are details of the September and October events.
- William Matson and the Crazy Horse Family Author Visit. Join William Matson and Crazy Horse family elder Floyd Clown, Sr. for an inside look into the life of famed Lakota war leader, Crazy Horse. In partnership with Matson, the Edward Clown family, nearest living relatives to Crazy Horse, has recorded the family tales and memories told to them about their famous grandfather in Crazy Horse: The Lakota Warrior's Life and Legacy. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2019 7:30-9:00 PM @ COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF ART
- James A. Willis: My Strange and Spooky World Special Event. James A. Willis has been walking on the weird side of history for over 30 years. He will tell spooky and strange tales about the Buckeye State’s most unusual sightings and citizens—ghosts, monsters, UFOs, murderous villains, courageous heroes, and much more! Willis has authored more than a dozen books, including Ohio's Historic Haunts: Investigating the Paranormal in the Buckeye State, The Big Book of Ohio Ghost Stories, Central Ohio Legends and Lore, and Weird Ohio. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2019 7:00-8:300 PM @ THURBER CENTER
BRITISH NATIONAL DEBATE TEAM PUBLIC DEBATE AT CAPITAL UNIVERSITY
As we gear up for debate season, you may want to go see the British National Debate Team's public debate in Huntington Recital Hall at Capital University on Monday, October 14th from 7-9pm. This would be a great outing for those of you who want to form teams for our CCS Winter Debate Tournament at Capital and want to see debate in action. Let your students know about it, too.
OHIOANA AWARDS ON OCTOBER 17
The 2019 Ohioana Awards will be held in the historic Ohio Statehouse Atrium on Thursday, October 17, 2019, from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM and will include heavy hors d'oeuvres and complimentary drinks. Order Your Tickets Here ($60). The program will include remarks from the winners with book signing afterwards. Books will be available for purchase at the event for each of the 2019 Ohioana Award Winners.
- Fiction: Moriel Rothman-Zecher, Sadness is a White Bird
- Nonfiction: David Giffels, Furnishing Eternity
- About Ohio or an Ohioan: Wil Haygood, Tigerland
- Poetry: Marcus Jackson, Pardon My Heart
- Middle Grade / Young Adult: Ellen Klages, Out of Left Field
- Juvenile Literature: Jacqueline Woodson, The Day You Begin
- Reader's Choice: Rachel Wiley, Nothing Is Okay
- Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant: David Grandouiller
OFFICE HOURS FOR UNITS OF STUDY
(MIDDLE SCHOOL WRITING WORKSHOP SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCE)
Office Hours webinar series from Lucy Calkins and the TCRWP will occur on the first and third Thursday of the month at 4:00 PM (ET), Lucy will respond to questions you pose live regarding your use of the supplemental product for middle school-Units of Study in Writing. Each middle school has two sets of the workshops and with codes from the boxes, you can access the entire resource digitally. REGISTER NOW for the opportunity to discuss your burning questions with Lucy and to receive practical advice.Unlike last season, you only need to register for the fall Office Hours webinars once. When you register through the link above, you will receive a confirmation email and then reminder emails before each webinar with your personalized link to join. The next session is on October 17 at 4:00 PM.
TEACHERS COLLEGE READING AND WRITING PROJECT FALL SATURDAY REUNION
On October 19th, TCRWP will open their doors to thousands of educators from all over the country. It is a fast-paced day, brimming with workshops that can help you find horizons to work towards, whether your focus is on higher level comprehension, content area literacy, units of study in writing, assessment-based instruction, increasing student engagement, or bringing books to life. We offer keynotes and closings by renowned authors and leaders in the field of education and over 125 workshops led by senior Project staff, including Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, Amanda Hartman, Laurie Pessah and all TCRWP staff developers. The day begins at 9:00 a.m. at Riverside Church, one block west of Teachers College, and continues throughout the entire College. The day is free of charge, without registration. It is a gift offered to the TCRWP community. Learn More and Get Parking Coupon HERE.
Featured Topics:
- developing state-of-the-art classroom libraries
- teaching towards social justice
- phonics
- raising the levels of book clubs
- independence and agency with revisions
- supporting units of study
- managing workshop instruction
- teaching K-2 kids to write persuasive speeches and reviews
- argument reading and writing
- the best new fiction books
- writing about reading
Featured Keynote:Peter Reynolds
CORWIN'S FREE ONE-HOUR MONDAY AFTERNOON WEBINAR SERIES
You’ll be happy to hear that starting September 16, Corwin's free Monday Afternoon Webinar Series will resume. Book your space now; seats are already filling fast. This season you can look forward to live webinars with Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, John Hattie, Sugata Mitra, and Jessica and John Hannigan—to name just a few. It doesn’t get much better! Download the print schedule here. Register here. Below are the Webinars happening in October.
Building Behavior: How to Select and Implement Behavior Initiatives Monday, October 21, 2019 - 6:30pm-Presented by Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan & John E. Hannigan
What's Deep About Deep Learning Monday, October 28, 2019 - 6:30pm-Presented by Joanne Quinn and Michael Fullan
TEACHROCK WORKSHOP-OCTOBER 30TH AT NEWPORT MUSIC HALL
Little Steven Van Zandt is on the road with his band the Disciples of Soul, and they will be stopping in Columbus on October 30th at the Newport Music Hall. Teachers are invited to join the fun, for free. The doors open at 5pm; the workshop is at 6pm; the concert starts at 8pm. The workshop will be hosted by Little Steven and the TeachRock staff and will engage educators of all types with the TeachRock.org curriculum through which they can use music to inspire students--even if they’ve never touched an instrument. The interdisciplinary gathering hosts discussions and group activities, and all educators will come away with ideas to apply in both the short and long term. Attendees also receive free tickets for themselves and a guest to the Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul concert that follows.The workshop also features snacks, networking time, and a free, teacher-only edition TeachRock T-shirt for participants.
REGISTER HERE FOR THE COLUMBUS TEACHROCK WORKSHOP & CONCERT.
(I attended last year and had a fabulous time!!)
OCTOBER & NOVEMBER OPPORTUNITIES
TEACHINGBOOKS WEBINARS
TeachingBooks, the online resource that houses our lists of books in the warehouse and Secondary English Curriculum Office and gives you access to author and novel resources for any book, is newly designed for the 2019/20 school year. The following Webinars can help you learn the latest and greatest ways to collaboratively enrich the literacy work in your school. (There are also two live TeahchingBook Webinar trainings coming up for CCS-ony teachers during the Secondary English Supplemental Training Days on September 18th and 27th at Southland Center. Please see the top of this newsletter for more details.) To register for any of the Webinars listed below, click HERE.
Discover the NEW TeachingBooks!
‣Thursday-October 10 at 2:00 pm
‣Monday-November 4 at 4:00 pm
TeachingBooks: Collaborate, Customize, Communicate
‣Thursday-October 24 at 2:00 pm
‣Monday-November 11 at 5:00 pm
TeachingBooks: Set up for Success & Training
‣Thursday-October 31 at 2:00 pm
‣Monday-November 25 at 5:00 pm
Supporting ELL with TeachingBooks: Tuesday-October 15 at 3:00 pm
Make Your Library Talk with TeachingBooks Resources: Tuesday-November 19 at 3:00 pm
AMLE WEBINARS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS
Here are some upcoming AMLE Webinars. You may need to be a member to attend, but joining AMLE is a great idea for middle level educators.
The ABCs of the Middle Grades Mindset: 10 Terms to Create a Great School Presented by Dru Tomlin, Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 4–5pm ET
Join AMLE and Dr. Dru Tomlin as we examine 10 key terms and ideas that can help any teacher or leader create a great middle grades classroom and school. This engaging webinar will include concepts from Dr. Tomlin's forthcoming AMLE book, The Middle Grades Mindset: A Lesson Plan from A-Z. Join up for this webinar and develop your middle grades mindset!
Middle Schools: A Place to Belong and Become, Presented by Patti Kinney, Laurie Barron, Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 4–5pm ET
If we reduce down what research tells us about quality middle level education, two concepts rise to the top—belonging and becoming. Schools must be places where students feel they belong and are both respected and valued. They must also be places where students can become, where their academic and personal potential is recognized and nurtured. Based on the AMLE book of the same name, the authors, both award-winning former middle level principals, will share practical strategies they used to ensure their schools were a place where students could both belong and become.
NOVEMBER OPPORTUNITIES
2019 OHIO MIDDLE LEVEL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE, NOV. 7-8
REGISTER NOW for the 2019 Ohio Middle Level Association Conference, Thriving in the Middle – Planting Seeds for a Growing Tomorrow, Nov. 7-8, at the Columbus Hilton at Easton in Columbus.
AMLE ANNUAL CONFERENCE-NOVEMBER 7-9 IN NASHVILLE, TN
Registration & housing are now open! Special deals for teams and groups are available. The conference is designed around four powerful strands, helping you to customize your experience. You can now view online the featured sessions in each strand, presented by education experts and thought leaders.
NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION-NOVEMBER 21-24 IN BALTIMORE, MD
Registration is open for the Annual NCTE Convention. Register by November 11 for the best rates. There is a 20% discount if a school or district sends 10 or more teachers and makes a single payment to cover the balance of the invoice. Register your group here. The conference theme is Spirited Inquiry. You can now view online the featured speakers.
ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES
OCTELA REGIONAL MEETINGS FOR CENTRAL OHIO
If you don't want to wait until February to talk with other OCTELA ELA colleagues, contact our own Pattie Niese (pniese3300@columbus.k12.oh.us) to get involved in the OCTELA Central Region. Also, connect with the group on Facebook: Central Ohio Region for OCTELA.
2020 OPPORTUNITIES
OCTELA ANNUAL CONFERENCE-FEBRUARY 21-22 IN WORTHINGTON OHIO
REGISTER NOW for the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Annual Conference. Don't miss your opportunity to see this year's keynote speakers: Daniel Jose Older, Tony M. Vinci, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Tanny McGregor. The theme is Envisioning Our Future(s). The 2020s offer a fresh decade to envision new possibilities for teaching ELA and professional transformation: What might our future classrooms look like? Envisioning diverse future(s) across grade levels and specialized curriculum may conjure a mixed bag of hope, excitement, inspiration, and, well, maybe even a little bit of anxiety. So, in the spirit of meeting teachers’ and students’ needs in facing the new decade, OCTELA aims to create a space for open inquiry, sharing, and optimism. This conference inspires teachers to gather and discuss what they do best, what inspires them to keep pushing forward, and what strategies support authentic student learning. Check out more information on the OCTELA Conference Page.
HERE ARE SOME RECENT ARTICLES and WEBINARS FOR YOUR PERUSAL
- Promoting Active Reading Skills
- Encouraging Academic Conversations With Talk Moves
- Five Things Every Teacher Should Know about Vocabulary Instruction
- An essay written by AI fooled judges in a contest
What’s wrong with assigning books — and kids — reading levels
- Discover the NEW TeachingBooks! (Teachingbooks Recorded Webinar)
- Collaborate, Customize, Communicate (Teachingbooks Recorded Webinar)
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE 2019-20 POETRY OUT LOUD CONTEST & THE DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR THE POETRY OUT LOAD WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS
GET YOUR HIGH SCHOOL REGISTERED NOW FOR POETRY OUT LOUD HERE!
Poetry Out Loud (POL) encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary heritage and contemporary life. Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is administered in partnership with the State Arts Agencies of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Teachers, librarians, or administrators register their high schools each year with the Ohio Arts Council and organize contests with one class, several classes, or a whole school. Contests, workshops, and multi-media program materials, including curricula, are free. Poetry Out Loud is aligned with Common Core and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards. See more information at the Poetry Out Loud Ohio Page and at the Poetry Out Loud National Page.
FREE POETRY OUT LOUD TEACHER TRAINING
There will be a free training for all past and current teachers that are interested in learning more about Poetry Out Loud on Wednesday, October 30 4:30-6:30pm at Wild Goose Creative, 2491 Summit Street, Columbus OH, 43202.
Here is the Poetry Out Loud Teacher's Guide and Ohio's Contest Schedule.
HIGH SCHOOL DEBATE
IT ONLY TAKES TWO STUDENTS TO FORM A DEBATE TEAM. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET EVERY HIGH SCHOOL TO BRING AT LEAST ONE TEAM (TWO STUDENTS) TO THE 3RD ANNUAL CCS HIGH SCHOOL WINTER DEBATE TOURNAMENT AT CAPITAL UNIVERSITY. EACH SCHOOL CAN BRING UP TO 5 TEAMS (10 TOTAL STUDENTS).
Registration and Resources: Click HERE to access the debate folder with registration form and numerous resources for preparing your students to be great debaters. Be sure to register your school NOW even if you don’t yet know the names of students on your teams. That can be added later. The deadline for having all your names added is November 25th.
RESOLUTION Resolved: In the United States, colleges and universities should not consider standardized tests in undergraduate admissions decisions.
Debate Type: Policy This is a two-on-two debate that focuses on a policy question that hones a student’s research, analytical, and delivery skills. Policy debate involves the proposal of a plan by the affirmative team to enact a policy, while the negative team offers reasons to reject that proposal and stay with the status quo. Throughout the debate, students give constructive and rebuttal speeches and have the opportunity to cross-examine one another. Each Constructive speech is 8 minutes. Each Cross Examination is 3 minutes. Each Rebuttal is 5 minutes. Each team has 5 minutes of prep time that can be used during the debate. A judge or panel of judges determines the winner based on the arguments presented.
Debate Teams: Debate teams are made of two students. Those students prepare to debate both the affirmative and negative sides of the debate resolution. On the day of the debate, each two-person team will be told which side (affirmative or negative) they will be debating during each of the three rounds. Each school can bring up to five teams (10 students).
Date of Debate Tournament: Friday, December 6th from 8:30am-1pm Team Check-ins from 8-8:30am; Tournament from 8:30am-12:30pm (three rounds: 8:30-9:44, 9:50-11:04am, and 11:10am-12:24pm); Award Ceremony from 12:45-1pm.
Location of Debate Tournament: Capital University, Ruff Learning Center, 631 Pleasant Ridge, Bexley, OH 43209
DEBATE FOLDER: https://tinyurl.com/ccsdebate2019
MIDDLE SCHOOL DEBATE
The winter debate tournament for middle school will take place at Capital University on Friday, December 6, 2019. Here is the Middle School Debate Memo from Gifted and Talented with information regarding the tournament. Given the recent Board of Education policy in North Olmsted School district in Ohio to approve drug testing for middle school students, the resolution for the policy debate is
Resolved: The State of Ohio should require school districts to conduct drug testing on students in grades 6-12 who participate in extracurricular activities.
The middle school and elementary gifted resource specialists are available to provide resources and support particularly for teachers new to policy debate and debate in general. Please submit the Intent to Participate form included in the memo either electronically or fax (number on the form) by October 18, 2019. Additional information and resources will be sent to those who submit the intent to participate form.
2020 Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Speaker Contest
CCS will select one student speaker to represent the district at the 2020 Martin Luther King Breakfast, held on January 20, 2020 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Exhibition Hall C. The student chosen will get into the breakfast free and receive two complimentary tickets for his/her parents or guardians. The competition to become that speaker is only open to Columbus City Schools' students in Grades 6-12. CCS Superintendent Dr. Talisa Dixon will introduce our student speaker. SHARE THIS FLYER FOR THE MLK BREAKFAST SPEAKER WITH YOUR STUDENTS.
- Theme of Speech: Keep Moving Forward (This is MLK's call to inspire yourself and others to keep moving forward no matter what the circumstances.)
- Length of Speech: 3 minutes max.
- Deadline for Entry: Monday, December 9th
- How to Enter: Send, text, or share a recording of the student reciting his/her speech to Carla Mae Phillips (Southland Center, Suite 125, 740-228-1509, or cphillips3865@columbus.k12.oh.us) or make a request for Carla Mae Phillips to come to your school and record student speeches. Please put “MLK Breakfast” in the Subject Line when sending emails and texts and include the student's name, school, grade, contact information, and the teacher’s email & phone number.
2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Art, Essay, and Multimedia Contest
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission submission period is open for the 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Art, Essay, and Multimedia Contest! This year's theme is "standing for what matters." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leading voice against the injustices that affected minorities throughout the United States. For standing up against racism and bigotry, Dr. King had to face great adversity. He was arrested, verbally abused, and a target of many due to his civil rights advocacy. Despite this trouble, Dr. King never strayed from his mission and he continued to speak out against injustice. Dr. King’s great civil rights achievements would not have been possible if he had been intimidated by the possible dangers of advocating the truth. His actions show us that doing what is right may not be the easiest choice, but if justice is to prevail, difficult choices must be taken. On March 8, 1965, the day after “Bloody Sunday,” on which civil rights protestors were attacked and beaten by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Dr. King said: "A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.” His words remind us that our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Contest Entries: Dr. King was a leader because he spoke out when others were resigned to silence. Think about times in your life where you spoke out against an injustice. What impact did it leave on you and your community? Each participant in the art contest is invited to participate by creating work that creatively responds to the following question:
When have you had or will you have the courage to speak out for something that truly matters? For 2020 Contest Rules and the Official Entry Form, Click Here. To fill out the form digitally, save a copy to your computer first, then fill out the form.
The 2020 MLK Contest Deadline is December 20, 2019. All entries are required to be emailed or received by mail no later than December 20, 2019 at 5:00 PM. Please factor in holiday shipping times when choosing shipping options. Questions? Call us at (888) 278-7101
THURBER HOUSE PEN & TELL IT FOR GRADES 6-8
Pen and Tell It! is a one day workshop that exposes 2nd-8th graders to different themes and topics in their writing. Below is a schedule and short description of the class offerings for 6th-8th graders. For more information on pricing, location, classes for other grades, or to register, please visit http://www.thurberhouse.org/pen-tell-it.
6/7/8 GRADE
Creepy Campfire Tales, Sunday, November 3; 1:00-3:30 p.m. Instructor: Martha Bove
Have you ever heard a rumor so spooky that it made your spine tingle? We are going to create, pen, and illustrate our own urban legends using a fun and slightly sinister recipe that just might have you spooking yourself.
See Your Name in Print, Sunday, November 10; 1:00-3:30 p.m. Instructor: Jody Casella
It is hard getting published and we’re here to help. You will learn about publishing opportunities for kids, practice writing a piece, and get the tools you need to submit your work taught by a published author who has been where you are.
Curses! Sunday, November 17; 1:00-3:30 p.m. Instructor: Justin Martin
Curses, like rules, are made to be broken. We’ll explore folklore and folktales to concoct our own spells with their own system of punishment and rewards, and see if our characters can survive the day. (FULL-Waitlist Only)
-Due to popular demand, the 6th-8th grade classes filled very quickly last year, so don’t wait too long to register. Class size is limited.
THURBER HOUSE YOUNG WRITERS' STUDIO FOR GRADES 9-12
Young Writers' Studio meets every other week for two hours with author and English professor, Robert Loss. The first hour is filled with quality writing prompts and activities. Then, after a break for provided snacks (of course!), the last hour offers a chance to workshop pieces that students or others bring in. It's a safe, low-key, fun opportunity to enjoy writing and meet others!
Dates: October 8 & 22, November 5 & 19, December 3
Times: 6:30-8:30 pm at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Ave. Columbus, OH 43215)
Cost: $15 per session - can be paid in advance or at the door. A limited number of scholarships are available for this program. Email Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org
TEEN OPEN MIC NIGHT AT THURBER HOUSE
MADLAB THEATRE YOUNG WRITERS PROGRAM 2020-DEADLINE NOVEMBER 17!
SUBMIT YOUR PLAY HERE FOR THE 2020 MADLAB THEATRE YOUNG WRITERS PROGRAM. MadLab, a non-profit professional theatre in downtown Columbus, would like you to get your students involved in their Young Writers Program. Now entering their 9th year, they have worked with over 70 local high school students and produced almost 80 of their short plays. This 6-minute introductory video can tell you more about the program that began in 2011 as a way to help high school students grow as artists and playwrights, gain professional theatrical experience, and develop critical thinking and editing skills that will help them in the future. Each year, they select up to 10 short plays by local students to be produced in a festival. Over the course of 6 months students will:
Participate in writing workshops
See staged readings of their scripts by MadLab actors
Work with local and national playwright mentors to revise and improve their scripts
Experience a full-scale production of their scripts at MadLab
The Young Writers program is offered at no cost to the students. They are striving to reach new communities and populations with this program, and are willing to provide transportation, translation services, and anything else students who are selected might require. More information, photos, and videos from previous years can be found on the MadLab Website and the MadLab Submission Page. DOWNLOAD THIS FLYER TO SHARE WITH YOUR STUDENTS! DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 17th!!
WELLSPRING OF IMAGINATION 2019
DID YOU MISS THE FIRST SECONDARY ENGLISH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER?
Carla Mae Phillips
Southland Center, Suite 125
Email: cphillips3865@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12
Location: 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (380) 997-0463
Tim Wangler
Southland Center, Suite 125
Email: twangler8446@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12
Location: 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (380) 997-0462