2021-22 Book Studies
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Join the Maine Council for English Language Arts to study Sarah M. Zerwin’s Point-Less: an English Teacher's Guide to More Meaningful Grading. Last year we studied The Distance Learning Playbook, Grading for Equity and Flash Feedback. Zerwin's book Point-Less came up often as a resource that would be helpful in implementing many of the ideas: how do we evaluate students without grading everything? How do we make students feel more ownership over their own learning? How do we assess students without using points? Our goal is to provide teachers with a space to continue thinking and discussing how to use these new ideas in their own classrooms. Attendees will earn 2 contact hours for each meeting.
The Point-Less book study will be facilitated by MCELA teacher leaders Patti Forster, 2021 Knox County Teacher of the Year from Camden Hills Regional High School, and Courtney McCann, Marshwood High School .
Cost: Free for members, and $40 for non-members. We ask that participants provide their own copy of the book. Purchase the book via Heinemann for 30% off.
Our virtual book group will take place via Zoom over five evenings from 4:00 - 5:15 P.M. Our topics will be as follows:
Meeting 1: October 12 4:00-4:30
Click here to register!
Join the Maine Council for English Language Arts to study Sarah M. Zerwin’s Point-Less: an English Teacher's Guide to More Meaningful Grading. Last year we studied The Distance Learning Playbook, Grading for Equity and Flash Feedback. Zerwin's book Point-Less came up often as a resource that would be helpful in implementing many of the ideas: how do we evaluate students without grading everything? How do we make students feel more ownership over their own learning? How do we assess students without using points? Our goal is to provide teachers with a space to continue thinking and discussing how to use these new ideas in their own classrooms. Attendees will earn 2 contact hours for each meeting.
The Point-Less book study will be facilitated by MCELA teacher leaders Patti Forster, 2021 Knox County Teacher of the Year from Camden Hills Regional High School, and Courtney McCann, Marshwood High School .
Cost: Free for members, and $40 for non-members. We ask that participants provide their own copy of the book. Purchase the book via Heinemann for 30% off.
Our virtual book group will take place via Zoom over five evenings from 4:00 - 5:15 P.M. Our topics will be as follows:
Meeting 1: October 12 4:00-4:30
- Introduction to the book study, with schedule of meetings
- Discussion of current practices
- Focus questions provided for chapters 1 and 2
- Chapter 1: “Acknowledge the Problems With Points”
- Chapter 2: “Establish Clear and Meaningful Learning Goals”
- Chapter 3: “Plan the Work Students Will Do”
- Chapter 4: “Create a Classroom Culture of Feedback”
- Chapter 5: “Make the Learning Visible”
- Chapter 6: “Invite Students Set Goals and Reflect on Their Growth”
- Chapter 7: “Determine a Final Grade”
- Moving forward
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Forged By Reading book study details TBD
2020-21 Book Studies
Join the Maine Council for English Language Arts to study Matthew Johnson’s Flash Feedback: Responding to Student Writing Better and Faster—Without Burning Out. During this text study, we will discuss the challenge of providing students with effective feedback. As we reflect on this school year and prepare for the fall, our focus will be on practical strategies to make feedback more meaningful and efficient that we can apply to our work with writers right now. Attendees will earn 2 contact hours for each meeting.
The Flash Feedback book study will be facilitated by MCELA teacher leaders Renee Doucette, NBCT, Kennebunk High School and Courtney McCann, Marshwood High School.
Cost: $20 gets you access to the four Zoom meetings. We ask that participants provide their own copy of the book. Purchase the book via Corwin for 20% off.
Our virtual book group will take place via Zoom over four evenings from 4:00 - 5:00 P.M. Our topics will be as follows:
Meeting 1: April 6 from 4:00-4:30
- Introduction to the book study, with schedule of meetings
- Discussion of current grading practices
- Focus questions provided for chapters 1 and 2
- Chapter 1: "Giving Strong Feedback in Less Time"
- Chapter 2: "Giving Mre Effective Feedback"
- Chapter 3: "Making Feedback Memorable"
- Chapter 5: Democratizing Feedback"
- Chapter 4: Beyond the Text
- Discussion about how to move forward into the 2021-22 school year
The Maine Council for English Language Arts is committed to providing ways for teachers to stay connected and adapt to the challenges of this school year. Towards that end, we are in the process of planning a number of virtual events. Our first event is a virtual book group centered around The Distance Learning Playbook by Fisher, Frye, and Hattie. If you would like to receive a copy of the text, your cost to participate will be $30. This is a 30% discount from the list price offered by Corwin of $29.95 + $5.95 shipping and handling. If you already have the text, wish to purchase the e-text, or just want to join us to chat about these topics, the cost is $5. This will help cover our registration costs through Eventbrite.
Our virtual book group will take place via Zoom over three evenings from 4:00 - 5:00 P.M. Our topics will be as follows:
Day 1: Tuesday, October 27
Module 1: Taking Care of Yourself and Module 3: Teacher-Student Relationships from a Distance
Day 2: Tuesday, November 3
Module 5: Teacher Clarity at a Distance and Module 7: Planning Instructional Units for Distance Learning
Day 3: Tuesday, November 10
Module 6: Engaging Tasks and Module 8: Feedback, Assessment, and Grading
We will be offering two hours of contact time for each of the evenings you attend. The first meeting will be facilitated by two of our Executive Board members: Patti Forster, NBCT, a teacher at Camden Hills High School, and the author of “Teacher Clarity: It's about Purpose, Focus, and Letting Go” (The English Journal, July 2019) and Dan Murphy, NBCT, English Department Chair at Bonny Eagle High School. However, this will be an interactive group and we are hoping that others will help facilitate later meetings.
Events this year present unique challenges. Come join your colleagues, and let’s figure out some of the solutions together.
Our virtual book group will take place via Zoom over three evenings from 4:00 - 5:00 P.M. Our topics will be as follows:
Day 1: Tuesday, October 27
Module 1: Taking Care of Yourself and Module 3: Teacher-Student Relationships from a Distance
Day 2: Tuesday, November 3
Module 5: Teacher Clarity at a Distance and Module 7: Planning Instructional Units for Distance Learning
Day 3: Tuesday, November 10
Module 6: Engaging Tasks and Module 8: Feedback, Assessment, and Grading
We will be offering two hours of contact time for each of the evenings you attend. The first meeting will be facilitated by two of our Executive Board members: Patti Forster, NBCT, a teacher at Camden Hills High School, and the author of “Teacher Clarity: It's about Purpose, Focus, and Letting Go” (The English Journal, July 2019) and Dan Murphy, NBCT, English Department Chair at Bonny Eagle High School. However, this will be an interactive group and we are hoping that others will help facilitate later meetings.
Events this year present unique challenges. Come join your colleagues, and let’s figure out some of the solutions together.