Archives of Conferences Past

Spring 2007 Conference

Oregon Council Teachers of English proudly held their fall Language Arts / Reading conference on Saturday, April 27-28, in Ashland, Oregon. The William Sullivan, keynote speaker, and a number of excellent breakout sessions.

Download the Conference Flyer (.pdf)

William Sullivan: fifth-generation Oregonian and author of ten books and numerous articles about Oregon, delivered a slideshow detailing his epic 1,361 mile solo backpacking trek across the sate of Oregon which resulted in his book, Listening for Coyote, chosen by the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission as one of the 100 most significant books in Oregon's history.

Breakout Sessions Include:

• Film as literature: developing visual literacy (6-12)
• Reading aloud allowed! (k-8)
• 25 reading strategies that work with for all students (6-12)
• Poetry love: getting reluctant students to write poetry (6-12)
• The nuts and bolts of writer's workshop: one elementary classroom teacher's philosophy and approach (k-8) . If you build it, they will write: secondary writers workshops (6-16)
• Grantwriting tips that work
• Update on children's and young adult literature (k-12)
• Experiencing poverty through literature circles and simulations (6-12)
• Using deductive reasoning to enhance writing instruction (9-12)
• How to actually enjoy revision and editing! (k-8)
• The poster project: creating an alternative, multidisciplinary approach to the traditional book report (9-12)
• Holocaust lessons for a broken world (6-16)
• Managing the writing process: online collaborative strategies (4-12)
• The flesh colored crayon: teaching about whiteness

Fall 2006 In-Service Conference

Oregon Council Teachers of English proudly held their fall Language Arts / Reading conference on Saturday, October 7, at Lake Oswego High School. The conference featured three keynote speakers and dozens of breakout sessions.

Download the Conference Flyer (.pdf)

Keynote Speakers:

• Tom Birdseye ~ "One Writer's Journey: How I Was Hugged, Hassled, and Haunted Into Reading"
  Tom taught kindergarten and fifth grade in Lincoln City and now lives in Corvallis. He contributed to the NCTE publication: Books that Invite Talk, Wonder and Play. His books include: Tucker; I'm Going to Be Famous; Attack of the Mutant Underwear; and many more.
• Carol Jago ~ "Reading Between the Lines: Writing Above the Rim"
  With more than 30 years of teaching experience, Carol is the director of the CA Reading and Literature Project at UCLA and writer of a weekly column for the Los Angeles Times. Her books include: Nikki Giovanni in the Classroom; Sandra Cisneros in the Classroom; With Rigor For All: Teaching the Classics to Contemporary Students; and many more
• Tim Gillespie ~ "The Joy of Teaching Blues"
  A published poet and fiction writer, Tim has more than 30 years of teaching experience - and is an instuctor at Lake Oswego High School. He is a teacher consultant for the Oregon Writing Project at Lewis and Clark and has a forthcoming book on literary criticism with Stenhouse Publishing.

Breakout Sessions Include:
- Using Lexiles in the Classroom (K-8)
- Creative Nonfiction: An Alternative to the Traditional Essay (9-12)
- Publishing in and From the Classroom (all grades)
- Booktalking: The Art of Hooking a Reader (all grades)
- Powerful Picture Books (K-5)
- Struggling Readers Can Become Wonderful Readers (2-8)
- Developing Successful Writers Using Technology (4-12)
- Teaching Grammar Pragmatically (grades 9-12)
- Adolescent Literacy: Reading Strategies for Middle School Students (4-8)
- What is Poetry Good For? Loving It and Wanting to Write It (6-12)
- Primary Reading: Behavior, Assessment, and Instruction (K-3)

NCTE Region 7 Northwest Regional Conference

Theme: “Building Bridges: Cultures, Literacy, and Lives”
March 4-7, 2006, Portland, Oregon

Three Pre-conference Institute

Improving Reading Achievement for ALL Students
—Susan Davis Lenski, Convener

Program Outline
Keynote Address: "Linking Informal Reading Assessment with Instruction to Improve Reading Achievement" — Jerry L. Johns, Northern Illinois University, Past President of IRA

Sessions:

• Organizing Instruction with Literacy Centers (K 3)
• Teaching Students to Read Fluently (Grades K 6)
• Scaffolding All Learners through Literature Circles (K 6)
• Classroom Tested Ideas for English Language Learners (Grades 4 12)
• Teaching Reading across the Content Areas (Grades 6 12)

Luncheon Speaker: Eve Bunting, Children's and Young Adult Author

• Using Miscues to Inform Instruction (K-5)
• What to Do When They Can't Read the Text: Differentiation Ideas (Grades 4-12)
• Using Technology to Foster Reading Comprehension (4 12)
• Using Standards as a Teaching Tool (Grades K 12)

Closing Address: "Real Reading Achievement AND (not or) Better Test Scores" — P. David Pearson, Dean of Education, UC Berkeley

Multicultural Children's and Young Adult Literature — Diversity in American Lives - Paul Gregorio, Convener

This one-day institute will present an update on recent multi¬cultural literature for children and teens. Audience: Teachers, librarians, and other interested educators, and parents.

• Definitions, resources, trends, issues
• Sharing of literature: book talks, author profiles, class¬room connections: African American Literature, Asian American Literature, Hispanic American Literature
• Panels of authors will talk about literature for: Elementary students, middle school students, high school students
• Possible topics may include: Growing up female, teens in transition, adventures in fact and fiction, techniques for promoting books, encouraging reading, reluctant readers, award-winning books

Luncheon Speaker: Eve Bunting, Author

Trying the Stafford Way — Paulann Petersen, Convener

The most encouraging of teachers, William Stafford urged us to use writing as a vehicle for exploration and inquiry. In that spirit of welcoming what might find its way onto a page, during this day-long institute we'll use some Stafford poems as spring¬boards for generating our own poems. Our goal will be to have each of us end the day with an outpouring of new work.

For writers of all levels of experience.

Download Conference Flyer (this large download requires Adobe Reader)

Fall In-service Conference
October 8, 2005
Lake Oswego High School, 2501 SW Country Club Rd.
Lake Oswego OR 97034

Keynote Speaker: Nancy Johnson
Western Washington University (Bellingham)
“Literature and Response: Honoring Writers’ and Readers’ Voices”

Keynote Speaker: David Stabler, Correspondent, The Oregonian
"Critical Madness: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Storytelling"

Download the Fall 2005 Conference Flyer (includes Registration Form)
(this download requires Adobe Reader)

Fall In-service Conference
October 14, 2005, Grants Pass High School

Keynote Speaker: Ingrid Wendt, Poet and Teacher

Spring Conference: Bend

In-service Conference, April 23, 2005
Inn of the Seventh Mountain, Bend, OR

Keynote Speaker: Ellen Waterston

Keynote Speaker: Kim Stafford

Download the Conference Schedule (this download requires Adobe Reader)

Fall Language Arts ~ Reading Conferences

October 2, 2004, Wilsonville, Oregon
Wilsonville High School

October 8, 2004, Grants Pass, Oregon
Grants Pass High School

Keynoters

Wilsonville: Eric Kimmel, Professor emeritus, Graduate School of Education, Portland State University
So You Want to Be an Author: The Writer's Life for Students (and Teachers)

Wilsonville and Grants Pass: Allen Webb, Professor of English Education, Western Michigan University
Literature's Special Power

Grants Pass: Susan Lenski, Professor of Reading, Portland State University
Teaching Students to Read Critically

Conference Registration Information

Conference Program - Wilsonville (this download requires Adobe Reader)

Conference Program - Grants Pass (this download requires Adobe Reader)

Linda Christensen will facilitate this interactive conference. She will work with her new book published by Rethinking Schools titled Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Writing about Social Justice

Learn more about the Ashland Literacy Conference