The mission of the Shenandoah Valley Writing Project is to improve both writing instruction and the use of writing as a tool to enhance learning in all content areas, preK-university.
We strive to elevate teachers to teacher-leaders and to raise the professional stature of classroom teachers. We also support and enhance the literacy of our surrounding area through programs for both young writers and adults in addition to our work with practicing educators. Learn more about the Shenandoah Valley Writing Project.
Write to Learn Conference 2020
Join your colleagues at this annual event at Shenandoah University. The 2020 conference will be held virtually. The SVWP Teacher Consultant workshop-style, demonstration lessons will be available asynchronously from September 5 -12. The Keynote and live Q&A sessions with the TCs will be available throughout the day on September 12.
Keynote speaker: Carol Salva, ELL Instructional coach, author of Boosting Achievement, and Abydos Writing trainer.
Certificates for professional development points will be distributed at the conference conclusion.
Virtual
Saturday, September 12, 2020
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
$75
REGISTER NOW
Our Practice
The central work of the project lies in the Intensive Writing Workshop where teachers closely examine and share their classroom practice. Teachers also write throughout the institute since their authority as teachers of writing must be grounded in their own personal experience as writers, persons who know first-hand the struggles and satisfactions of the writer’s task.
The teacher leaders of the project site also offer workshops, which can result in professional development points or courses which carry graduate credit. Programs for schools and districts are also developed to meet the shared literacy goals of the service area. Contact the Shenandoah Valley Writing Project.
Our young writers program, Project Write, serves students in grades 4-12 through both a summer workshop and daylong programs during the school year.
Background
The SVWP follows the model of the National Writing Project begun in 1974 by Jim Gray on the campus of University of California at Berkeley. The model has been replicated at over 200 university based project sites and is the oldest professional development program in America. Studies have shown that the model has been successfully taken to scale without loss in quality or outcomes.
The Shenandoah Valley Writing Project is confirmation of the vision of the first director at USC Berkeley, Jim Gray. When teachers teach each other what they gain from “the wisdom of practice,” students and communities benefit.