Speakers

2010 Annual Spring Conference, April 23-24th

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY:
POWERING MIDDLE LEVEL LEARNING

Keynote Speakers:

Rick Wormeli | Christian Moore | Superintendent Kip Herren

Margit McGuire | Presenters | Sessions

Authors' Room: Saturday afternoon, 12:30 - 3:30

• one of the first Nationally Board Certified teachers in America
• columnist for the National Middle School Associations' Middle Ground magazine.
• Author of the award-winning book, Meet Me in the Middle: Becoming an Accomplished Middle Level Teacher, Day One and Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle Level Teachers and Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom.
• Published Summarization in any Subject (ASCD).
• Wormeli's classroom practice is the showcase for the first tape of best-selling video series, At Work in the Differentiated Classroom.

http://www.stenhouse.com/html/authorbios_235.htm

• Author of The WhyTry Program
• internationally renowned author, speaker and advocate for at-risk youth.

The WhyTry Program was created to provide simple, hands-on solutions for:

•Dropout Prevention
• Violence Prevention
• Drug and Alcohol Prevention
• Truancy Reduction
• Increasing Academic Success

Margit McGuire

What Are We Doing Today?: Engaging Reluctant Learners through the Storypath Approach

This session provides hands-on experiences to demonstrate the Storypath approach introducing the elements of setting, character and plot—the basic elements of the curriculum structure. Storypath has demonstrated success in engaging students of low socio-economic backgrounds in literacy and social studies that students often find disparate and far removed from their own experiences. The integrative problem-based learning presented through the plot of the story engages reluctant learners in powerful understandings while applying literacy skills in real-life contexts.

Margit E. McGuire is Director and Professor of Teacher Education at Seattle University and a former president of the National Council for the Social Studies. She is the recipient of the Washington Award for Excellence in Teacher Preparation and has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to social studies. She is the author of the Storypath Program and is engaged in a number of research projects on the Storypath approach both in Seattle, USA and Sydney, Australia.

Goals

• To introduce the Storypath approach and demonstrate strategies for developing reading and writing within the context of the Storypath approach.
• To explore a successful strategy for teaching social studies through a simulation and problem solving approach.
• To explore how the use of narrative enhances student engagement and creates “the lived experience” and how such experiences engage students—especially students from low-performing backgrounds.

Social studies often suffers from “marching through a topic.” Students, especially students from low socio-economic backgrounds, see no purpose or connection from one bit of information to the next or any relation to their own lives or any reason to read and write well in social studies. The challenge is to create powerful social studies lessons that clearly articulate a purpose that students find compelling, worthy of their time and effort and in which they authentically apply reading and writing skills as they enhance understanding of a social studies topic.

Participants will explore how students use their imagination to think about social studies and the application of literacy skills. A brief overview of the approach will be presented demonstrating how students are confronted with the plot of the story and respond. When students are the characters in the plot and must answer questions, they become engaged and create personal meaning from such experiences

http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/mmcguire/web/
http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/mmcguire/web/Storypath_Catalog.pdf

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PRESENTERS in alphabetical order

A - B | C-D | E - G | H - J | K -L|M - S | T - Z

Backlund, Judy: Judy Backlund is a 30 year veteran teacher. She has been a classroom teacher, reading specialist, and ESL teacher, and now teaches Literacy Education at CWU. She has taught around the world and presented and facilitated training workshops locally, nationally, and internationally. She holds a Master’s in Reading.
Central Washington University – Washington
backlundju@cwu.edu

Backlund, Kari: Kari Backlund is currently in her 15th year of teaching. She spent 13 years teaching first grade and is currently teaching Title One remedial reading at Morgan Middle School. Kari has also taught early childhood and reading courses at CWU, and has served on a variety of teaching and learning teams at the school and district levels, including the Sudan Project, teaming her students with a school district in Sudan. Kari holds a Master’s in Reading.
Morgan Middle School – Washington
kbacklund@eburg.wednet.edu

Barnes, Taylor: Central Washington University – Washington

Burgess, Jan: Jan Burgess is a two term West Region Trustee to the National Middle School Board of Trustees. A retired middle school principal and former counselor, Jan consults nationally as part of NMSA’s school improvement cadre. Jan is the author of two books, her first was published by NMSA in 2008 and highlights professional development activities that form metaphors for focused improvement. Her latest was published by ASCD in 2010 and is about the critical importance of teacher leadership in effective schools.
NMSA Trustee – Oregon
NMSABoard@nmsa.org

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Dunn, Rob: Rob Dunn contributes greatly as a classroom assistant at the Discovery Middle Level Learning Center on CWU’s campus. He also assists in a supplemental math class for students performing below level at a neighboring middle school.
Central Washington University – Washington
dunnr@cwu.edu

Finke, Janet: Janet Finke, an Associate Professor of Literacy Education at CWU, earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington State and a Masters and PhD from the University of Illinois. She has experience teaching at a variety of grade levels, supervising student teachers, providing professional development workshops, facilitating grade level team planning, and presenting at national and international conferences.
Central Washington University – Washington
finkej@cwu.edu

Garcia Slagle, Ramona: Ramona Garcia Slagle is an educator with over 15 years experience as a bilingual teacher, Title 1 resource specialist, staff developer, and literacy coach. She partners with school districts and specializes in long-term sustainable professional development and curriculum planning. She has visited many classrooms modeling differentiated instruction for ELL’s and coaching teachers in best practices. Ramona has worked with teachers at all grade levels, Pre-K through 12, as well as at the college level. She is a successful academic language consultant who shares her enthusiasm and expertise with administration leaders, coaches, teachers, and students around the country.
Academic Language Consultant Konsult Garcia Slagle, LLC – Washington
rgslagle@hotmail.com

Graf, John: John Graf has been a middle level educator for 17 years. He has taught a number of subjects and has had great success with marginal students. For the past 3 years, he has designed and delivered Problem-Based Learning instruction at the Discovery Middle Level Learning Center on CWU’s campus.
Morgan Middle School – Washington
jgraf@eburg.wednet.edu

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Hanwright, Kara: Central Washington University - Washington

Henneberg, Susan: Susan Henneberg has been teaching and training for 30 years. She is particularly experienced with at-risk populations, and has developed programs for adult literacy, study skills, technology integration and project-based interdisciplinary curriculum. She currently teaches at a middle college high school located at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada.
Truckee Meadows Community College Magnet High School – Nevada
hennebergs@sbcglobal.net

Keil, Ashlee: Central Washington University - Washington

Knisely, Cindy: Cindy Knisely is the Key Peninsula Middle School NASA Explorer School Family Outreach Coordinator. She currently teaches 7th grade Literacy and 6th grade Mission Specialist. Through the NASA program Cindy creates activities centered on “Mission Specialists” which ranges from robotics to rocketry. Cindy is the recipient of the 2009 Stanley O’McNaughton Golden Apple Award.
Key Peninsula Middle School – Washington
kniselyc@psd401.net

Lafond, Delaney: Central Washington University – Washington

Ludwigson, Derek: Central Washington University – Washington

Milne, Betty: Betty Milne has been a math department head, administrator, Director of Middle School Education, and Superintendent in British Columbia, as well as an international presenter and author of math text books. She is now retired and is keeping her finger in education as a math consultant. Betty has presented at many NMSA conferences as well as the Middle Essential Conference.
Math Consultant – British Columbia
bettymilne@shaw.ca

McCain, Terrance: Terrance McCain is an associate professor in the Department of Language, Literacy and Special Education where he teaches Bilingual Education and English as A Second Language courses. Most, but not all, of his students are pursuing their endorsement in BIL/TESOL. Before coming to CWU he was and associate professor of Middle Grade Education at Western Kentucky University where he taught middle grade foundations, methods, and student teaching. Before entering university teaching he was a middle grade ESL teacher in New Mexico for ten years.
Central Washington University
mccaint@cwu.edu

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McGuire, Margit: Margit E. McGuire is Director and Professor of Teacher Education at Seattle University and a former president of the National Council for the Social Studies. She is the recipient of the Washington Award for Excellence in Teacher Preparation and has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to social studies. She is the author of the Storypath Program and is engaged in a number of research projects on the Storypath approach both in Seattle, USA and Sydney, Australia.
Seattle University - Washington
mmcguire@seattleu.edu

Moore, Christian: Christian Moore grew up in the Washington, D.C. area in a family of twelve children. By the second grade, Christian had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, conduct disorder, and severe learning disabilities. Despite overwhelming obstacles, Christian rose from special education to receive a master’s degree in social work. Today he is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Overman, Janie

Slyter, Eric: Eric Slyter has been researching medieval and renaissance arms and armour actively since 1993. As a professional performer with the theatrical group Seattle Knights from 1996-2001, he earned the titles of both Educational Director and Certified Instructor, performing at countless events throughout the Pacific Northwest and around the US. He has been featured on The History Channel and at the Seattle Art Museum, among many other accomplishments, including roles in three film productions.

Strow, Stephanie: Stephanie Strow graduated from Western Washington University in the spring of 2000 and began teaching her first class of 7th graders that fall. Three years later she earned her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and began training as a peer coach. As a peer coach, Strow was responsible for observing and dialoging with her colleagues about their classroom practices and planning for small group and whole group staff development. Additionally, Mrs. Strow is seen as a school and district leader, as well as a state leader, serving on the Washington Association for Middle Level Education Board. She has played an instrumental role in organizing the spring WAMLE conference to be held in Bellingham in 2009. Mrs. Strow is also a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, a professional honor society for women educators and the adviser of an O Ambassador Club that supports students in taking action on meeting the four millennium development goals for ending world poverty.

Talbert, Ben: Principal of Rainier Middle School, Auburn; board member-at-large of WAMLE.

Ware, Karen: Karen Ware has taught marginalized students at the high school and middle school level for the past 7 years. . Developing Problem-Based Learning curriculum for at-risk middle school students, she piloted a supplemental Language Arts Program. She is now an educator at the Discovery Middle Level Learning Center on CWU’s campus.

Authors' Room

These authors will be available for you to speak with them if you can get to the Rainier Middle School library from 12:30-3:30 on Saturday. You may also purchase some of their books!

Patrick McManus - "Everybody should read Patrick McManus."—New York Times Book Review
Some of his memorable books:
The Double-Jack Murders, A Fine and Pleasant Misery (1978), They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? (1981),
Never Sniff a Gift Fish (1981), The Grasshopper Trap (1985), Rubber Legs and White Tail-Hairs (1987)
The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw (1989), The Good Samaritan Strikes Again (1992), How I Got This Way (1994), Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing (1997), Real Ponies Don't Go Oink! (1999), The Bear in the Attic (2000), Kerplunk (2007), and Never Cry "Arp!" (1997) - a collection for younger readers

Christy Raedeke website
-author of Prophecy of Days - The Daykeeper's Grimoire

Jan Burgess

Teri Hall author of The Line
Cindy Knisely
Margit McGuire

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Washington Association for Middle Level Education
P.O. Box 20631
Seattle, WA 98102