Secondary ELA & Library Media News: October 2020

 

Dear Secondary ELA and Library Media Colleagues:

 

It’s been wonderful virtually meeting with those of you who oversee secondary ELA at your LEA or charter. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact Brenda McMurtrey, brenda.mcmurtrey@schools.utah.gov 

 

As COVID-19 continues to affect us all across the state in various ways and degrees, please remember that we’re all doing our best under unusual circumstances to support students, other educators, and ourselves. Remember to take several deep breaths (inhale, exhale, repeat) when circumstances seem overwhelming. All of those SEL exercises we use with students work well for us, too.

 

Please know that I’m always an email or phone call away to provide you with support. Thank you for all that you do to support ELA teachers and librarians in the state.

 

What are you currently reading, listening to, and watching?

 

My Current Reads: I’m still reading what I was reading in September! Don’t judge :) 

 

My Current Music Listen: Michael Kiwanuka

 

My Current Podcast Listen: Rabbit Hole (Description: What is the internet doing to us? The Times tech columnist Kevin Roose discovers what happens when our lives move online.)

 

My Current Watch: The Vote by American Experience

 

Teacher Spotlight

Lauren Merkley, Cottonwood High School

How long have you been teaching?

This is my sixth year of teaching high school English. I teach at Cottonwood High School, where I teach AP English Language and Composition and Creative Writing. I have also taught English 11, and English 11 Honors. 

 

Who/what inspired you to become a teacher?

I have always loved reading and writing, but that spark was fanned into flame by my AP English Literature teacher, Mr. Warren Wolfe, in my hometown outside of Chicago. His passion for literature was infectious; I still remember him pacing around the room excitedly reading a passage from Toni Morrison's Beloved. More than simply being exciting, however, Mr. Wolfe was empowering. He positioned his students' voices at the center of every class period, letting our ideas, reactions, analyses, and questions drive the study of literature; we were the engine of every day's discussion and work, not him. His classroom is a model for everything I hope my classroom to be. 

 

What has been the most rewarding part of teaching?

To me, the most rewarding part of teaching is watching transformations happen every day. Some students' transformations are modest and some are epic in scale, but either way: witnessing a student grow in their understanding of themself, the world, literature, language, or the human condition more broadly feels like a gift every day. Watching student's eyes alight with new understanding during a class discussion; observing a student revise their thinking or writing in response to a new insight or skill; listening to a group debate the merits of a text or an argument--these are the daily gifts that make me want to come to school each morning.

 

What are your hobbies/interests when you are not teaching

Unsurprisingly, I am a voracious reader. I devour novels, nonfiction, essays, poetry, and long-form journalism. I also love to run and hike, but the health benefits of those activities are cancelled out by my love of baking (and eating baked goods). 

 

What do you think is the most important thing about teaching ELA to kids?

We need to give kids frequent and meaningful opportunities for their voices to be heard. Whether through argumentative writing or creative writing, kids produce their finest work when they are given the reins to construct, revise, and determine the contours of their own writing. I have seen writers blossom before my eyes when they can design their own writing project for a self-chosen audience and purpose. Yes, they need instruction in writing skills. Yes, grammar and structure are important. But, teaching kids to make choices about structure, grammar, sequencing, and language in light of an authentic writing goal they have designed themselves? That's magic.

 

What is your favorite book? Author?

Favorite?! Very hard question. Instead, I'll include a couple that have bowled me over recently: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi; Black Swan Green by David Mitchell; Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner.

 

Scrible Webinar Recording & Office Hours

The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) is providing Scrible Edu Pro, a comprehensive research and writing platform, to all Utah K-12 schools via a statewide contract. 

 

USBE and Scrible hosted a training webinar on Thursday, October 8, 2020, to help you get started with and make the most of this new resource. The webinar recording and accompanying slides are posted at the bottom of the Scrible Utah webpage here: https://www.scrible.com/utah

 

Scrible Office Hour I is Thursday, October 29, 2020 from 3:30-4:30 pm MT 

Get help and answers to your questions, ideally after you've tried using Scrible yourself.

Register here for this upcoming Scrible Office Hour session.

 

Virtually Meet the Artists of New Utah Women's Suffrage Memorial

Have you ever wanted your students to visit a monument, memorial or sculpture that was dedicated to Utah women? Here's your chance!

To celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment and the 150th anniversary of Utah women's first votes in the year 2020, Better Days 2020 commissioned a Utah Women's History Memorial on the grounds of the Utah State Capitol that was unveiled on August 24, 2020. Called "A Path Forward," it honors the women who advocated for the expansion of voting rights here in Utah and across the U.S. To allow more students to experience the Memorial, Better Days 2020 put together a virtual field trip for teachers to use in their classrooms, available at this link. 

In connection with this field trip, we're also hosting a webinar with the artists who created the Memorial. Kelsey Harrison--MFA Sculpture from School of the Art Institute of Chicago--and Jason Manley-- MFA from University of Arizona--will join Better Days 2020 on October 30th at 10:00 AM to share their experience in creating the Memorial. This 30-minute webinar will provide students with an in-depth look at the process of designing and producing public sculpture and is not to be missed!

As part of the webinar, Utah students can "Ask the Artists"! The artists are eager to engage with students' questions about the Memorial, whether about the artistic process, the nuts and bolts of creating a large scale public sculpture, how the artists felt about the history, special experiences they had along the way, or anything else.  

 This special opportunity to "Ask the Artists" is time sensitive. Please submit questions by October 26 via email to info@betterdays2020.com with "Artists Webinar" in the subject line. We'll ask selected questions during the webinar, so please include the student's first name and school so we can acknowledge them individually.  

The webinar will be available online after October 30 for classes who aren't able to watch live. We look forward to having students experience this incredible work of art and to engage with the artists who made it a reality.  

 

 

 

NCTE Writes

 

The National Day on Writing is coming on October 20, and you’re invited to celebrate with NCTE! One way we’re celebrating is with NCTE Writes, a member-exclusive FREE professional learning opportunity aimed at providing ideas and inspiration around teaching writing!

Each weekday in October, members who sign up for NCTE Writes will receive an email that

 

 

Choices Matter: Complicity & Action During the Holocaust

Join us November 11, 4-7 pm, for a live online session with the experts at Echoes and Reflections.

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS FREE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP   

Holocaust studies remain relevant today as students confront questions of racism and power in our own time and place. These concepts can be applied in social studies and E/LA classes well beyond those focused on European history. 

Echoes and Reflections offers you truly outstanding resources for teaching in online and blended environments. Video oral histories, captured by Steven Spielberg's USC Shoah Foundation, are integrated throughout the curriculum. Please share this opportunity with your colleagues in E/LA, Social Studies, and allied teams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utah’s 21st Annual Do the Write Thing Challenge
(see attachments for more info)

The Office of the Governor and the Utah State Board of Education invite you and your students to participate in Utah’s 21st Annual Do the Write Thing Challenge.   

The Challenge offers 7th and 8th grade students across the state an opportunity to examine the impact of youth violence on their lives and then write what they think should be done to change the culture of violence. Personal responsibility is emphasized by encouraging students to make a commitment to do something about the problem. The program ultimately strives to help them break the cycle of violence in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods.  

Two writings per participating schools will be selected as state finalists and will be invited to attend a recognition luncheon where the top two authors will be announced in April 2021. State finalists will receive a scholarship deposit to their My529 Education Savings Account. The top two essays will be published and placed in the Library of Congress as Utah’s national finalists. 

Teachers are encouraged to incorporate the Challenge into their regular classroom curriculum.  Lesson plans can be found on the website at www.schools.utah.gov/prevention/dtwt. Rules, entry forms, and additional information are also available on this website. The following is a list of ideas for the classroom: 

The deadline for entries is January 15th, 2021.  The 2020 challenge involved more than 2,400 students participating in classroom discussions about youth violence with more than 1,100 submitting essays from 24 different teachers.  We look forward to increasing these numbers in the 2021 Challenge. 

If you have any questions, please contact Cuong Nguyen at cuong.nguyen@schools.utah.gov or call (801) 538-7790. 

We encourage your students’ participation and look forward to this year’s Challenge. 

Sincerely, 

Governor Gary R. Herbert 

 

UCTE Fall Conference

 

Friday, November 13

Virtual

Register for this fall's Utah Council for Teachers of English (UCTE) Conference! Allison Marchetti and Rebekah O'Dell, authors of Writing with Mentors and the popular blog Moving Writers, will be the keynote speakers! This year's conference will be offered at a reduced price, and we will offer professional development points for participating. Please note that we will not be accepting breakout session proposals this year due to the change in format. We look forward to your proposals for next year's conference and appreciate your willingness to share your great ideas with the UCTE community! 

 

Latinx KidLit Book Festival

The first ever Latinx KidLit Book Festival will be held virtually on Friday, December 4th and Saturday, December 5th, organized by members of Las Musas Books and a dedicated team of volunteers. 

This unique and free event will bring together Latinx kidlit authors and illustrators and engage readers and educators from all over the U.S. and beyond. This festival is for everyone–not just members of the Latinx community. All lovers of kidlit are welcome!

They are attempting to reach as many teachers and librarians as possible so students far and wide can tune into this amazing event. Personal invitations will be sent to librarians and educators in October. This invite will include links to educator materials to use with students before, during, and after the festival, as well as instructions on how to enter to win a class set of books by authors featured in the festival.

If you'd like this information delivered to your inbox, please fill out one of these forms:

Form for schools

Form for libraries

 

 Secondary Literacy Director Meeting Dates, 2020-2021

 

Mark your calendars! To receive a meeting invite, contact Brenda McMurtrey at brenda.mcmurtrey@schools.utah.gov

 

 

Join the Listservs

 

Want to stay in the loop of future newsletters? 

Join the Secondary ELA ListServ at https://lists.uen.org/mailman/listinfo/secondaryela or 

the Library Media ListServ at https://lists.uen.org/mailman/listinfo/library-media

 

UEN’s Learn @ Home Resources

 

Find many learn at home resources for educators, students, and families at https://www.uen.org/learnathome/

 

Have an item for the monthly Secondary ELA & Library Media newsletter, a research or teaching tip, or an educator spotlight nomination? Email brenda.mcmurtrey@schools.utah.gov by the first of the month.

 

Naomi Watkins, Ph.D.

Secondary ELA and Library Media Specialist

Utah State Board of Education

801-538-7616