President's Message Education Matters - Open-Access Textbooks for Teaching Writing by Ryan Dippre
- Let's Build a Community of Readers by Caitlin Saras
IDEA Collective Blast from the Past - Northwords 1992: The Learning Gap
Book Recommendations Resources |
President's Message Education Matters - Open-Access Textbooks for Teaching Writing by Ryan Dippre
- Let's Build a Community of Readers by Caitlin Saras
IDEA Collective Blast from the Past - Northwords 1992: The Learning Gap
Book Recommendations Resources |
| Educator Opportunities - MCELA Webinar with Literacy Specialist Sarah Norsworthy, Ed.D., 11/6
- MCELA Conference: Cultivating Possibilities 3/21/25 in Portland, Maine. Early Registration Deadline 12/1/24
- Preconference event 3/20/25 Poetry Night at Portland Stage
- MCELA Webinar with UMaine Associate Professor of English/ Associate Director of College Composition, Ryan Dippre, 1/30
Student Opportunities - MCELA & MCSTOYA Student Writing Contest: Coming Soon!
MCELA Membership |
Educator Opportunities - MCELA Webinar with Literacy Specialist Sarah Norsworthy, Ed.D., 11/6
- MCELA Conference: Cultivating Possibilities 3/21/25 in Portland, Maine. Early Registration Deadline 12/1/24
- Preconference event 3/20/25 Poetry Night at Portland Stage
- MCELA Webinar with UMaine Associate Professor of English/ Associate Director of College Composition, Ryan Dippre, 1/30
Student Opportunities - MCELA & MCSTOYA Student Writing Contest: Coming Soon!
MCELA Membership |
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| MCELA President's Message |
MCELA President's Message |
Author: Patti Forster, NBCT, patti.forster@fivetowns.net, MCELA President, English Teacher Camden HIlls Regional High School, Rockport, Bay Area Writing Project Consultant |
Author: Patti Forster, NBCT, patti.forster@fivetowns.net, MCELA President, English Teacher Camden HIlls Regional High School, Rockport, Bay Area Writing Project Consultant |
Less is more. An apology. Our intent this year was to simplify our newsletter to improve readability and access to information. As sometimes happens, I got so excited about so many wonderful opportunities to share that I overloaded the October newsletter. Rather than making it easier to read, I’m afraid that I made it overwhelming, and many of you probably just moved on to the next email. Like a crow, I got distracted collecting too many bright shiny objects (BSOs). Our goal with this MCELA newsletter is to share information and opportunities from MCELA and beyond, but last month including too many BSOs probably made it difficult to focus on what was important and what mattered most to you. I used to bring too many BSOs into my classroom, too, overloading my curriculum with bright shiny activities. I learned to focus my lessons more explicitly on my learning targets when I did a deep dive into teacher clarity and learning transfer. I realize, now, that I need to apply this lesson outside of my classroom, too. I’ll work on my crow self this year for our MCELA newsletter, still sharing opportunities for ELA educators, but being more intentional in what and how much is shared. If you have ideas for how to improve our newsletter, please reach out! Always learning, Patti Forster MCELA President maine.ela@gmail.com |
Less is more. An apology. Our intent this year was to simplify our newsletter to improve readability and access to information. As sometimes happens, I got so excited about so many wonderful opportunities to share that I overloaded the October newsletter. Rather than making it easier to read, I’m afraid that I made it overwhelming, and many of you probably just moved on to the next email. Like a crow, I got distracted collecting too many bright shiny objects (BSOs). Our goal with this MCELA newsletter is to share information and opportunities from MCELA and beyond, but last month including too many BSOs probably made it difficult to focus on what was important and what mattered most to you. I used to bring too many BSOs into my classroom, too, overloading my curriculum with bright shiny activities. I learned to focus my lessons more explicitly on my learning targets when I did a deep dive into teacher clarity and learning transfer. I realize, now, that I need to apply this lesson outside of my classroom, too. I’ll work on my crow self this year for our MCELA newsletter, still sharing opportunities for ELA educators, but being more intentional in what and how much is shared. If you have ideas for how to improve our newsletter, please reach out! Always learning, Patti Forster MCELA President maine.ela@gmail.com |
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| | Open-Access Textbooks for Teaching Writing |
Open-Access Textbooks for Teaching Writing |
Author: Ryan Dippre, ryan.dippre@gmail.com,
Associate Professor of English and the Director of College Composition at the University of Maine
MCELA Executive Board Member |
Author: Ryan Dippre, ryan.dippre@gmail.com,
Associate Professor of English and the Director of College Composition at the University of Maine
MCELA Executive Board Member |
Building on theAI Repository materials I shared in the October newsletter, I want to highlight some more of theWAC Clearinghouse’s open-access teaching resources—this time, in the form of the excellent textbook seriesWriting Spaces. Writing Spaces is a set of textbooks (they are up to six volumes at this point) full of peer-reviewed chapters written by teachers of first-year writing in colleges and universities. Chapters have a wide variety of interests and themes. InVolume 5, for instance, Erin E. Kelly discusses “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Peer Review,” Jason McIntosh exploresassessment, and Danielle DeRise considers the role ofbias in writing. Teachers in search of accessible, thoughtful, and thorough material for different concepts, processes, and theories of writing can find much to work with. |
Building on theAI Repository materials I shared in the October newsletter, I want to highlight some more of theWAC Clearinghouse’s open-access teaching resources—this time, in the form of the excellent textbook seriesWriting Spaces. Writing Spaces is a set of textbooks (they are up to six volumes at this point) full of peer-reviewed chapters written by teachers of first-year writing in colleges and universities. Chapters have a wide variety of interests and themes. InVolume 5, for instance, Erin E. Kelly discusses “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Peer Review,” Jason McIntosh exploresassessment, and Danielle DeRise considers the role ofbias in writing. Teachers in search of accessible, thoughtful, and thorough material for different concepts, processes, and theories of writing can find much to work with. |
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| | Let's Build a Community of Readers |
Let's Build a Community of Readers |
Author: Caitlin Saras, csaras@lewistonpublicschools.org, Literacy Coach, Lewiston High School
MCELA Executive Board Member |
Author: Caitlin Saras, csaras@lewistonpublicschools.org, Literacy Coach, Lewiston High School
MCELA Executive Board Member |
This might be a little different from what you’re expecting. Articles about reading and writing are published everywhere, teaching our students to read and write and highlighting the importance of reading to our children at home. Yes, these things are incredibly important. But I want to take a moment to remind us of the importance of reading for fun for ourselves.
This is as much a reminder for myself as it is for our community of teachers. Summer--with its (slightly) more laid-back pace--is usually when I tear through the books that pile up during the spring. During the school year, it’s a different story. The workday leaves me tired and there’s still more work to do at home. Other obligations are pressing for my time. The thrillers and literary fiction I love so much feel like too much to handle on a weeknight. It took me over a month to finish Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, even though I’d been dying to read it and was hooked the minute I started it (I do recommend it, by the way).
There are plenty of articles out there about the mental and physical health benefits of reading. We already know that it helps us connect and feel empathy with others. NAMI California cites a study done by the University of Sussex that found reading can reduce stress up to 68% (2020). Reducing stress, even for a few minutes, helps our bodies and brains take a breath and let go. We also have many options for reading now. I am a fan of physical books, but e-readers and audiobooks make it easier than ever to take this time to unwind.
My love of reading is what brought me to the world of teaching English, and I know that I feel better when I go back to that love of reading for fun at home. I feel myself unwind with some quiet music and a book, and it gives me something to think about other than the stressors and unfinished to-do lists of the day. The Peach Cobbler Murder might not be groundbreaking, but it’s a light read in my favorite genre that is currently helping me relax before bed.
And even though these thoughts are about us reading for fun, I do also think about how reading for fun translates to the classroom...
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This might be a little different from what you’re expecting. Articles about reading and writing are published everywhere, teaching our students to read and write and highlighting the importance of reading to our children at home. Yes, these things are incredibly important. But I want to take a moment to remind us of the importance of reading for fun for ourselves.
This is as much a reminder for myself as it is for our community of teachers. Summer--with its (slightly) more laid-back pace--is usually when I tear through the books that pile up during the spring. During the school year, it’s a different story. The workday leaves me tired and there’s still more work to do at home. Other obligations are pressing for my time. The thrillers and literary fiction I love so much feel like too much to handle on a weeknight. It took me over a month to finish Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, even though I’d been dying to read it and was hooked the minute I started it (I do recommend it, by the way).
There are plenty of articles out there about the mental and physical health benefits of reading. We already know that it helps us connect and feel empathy with others. NAMI California cites a study done by the University of Sussex that found reading can reduce stress up to 68% (2020). Reducing stress, even for a few minutes, helps our bodies and brains take a breath and let go. We also have many options for reading now. I am a fan of physical books, but e-readers and audiobooks make it easier than ever to take this time to unwind.
My love of reading is what brought me to the world of teaching English, and I know that I feel better when I go back to that love of reading for fun at home. I feel myself unwind with some quiet music and a book, and it gives me something to think about other than the stressors and unfinished to-do lists of the day. The Peach Cobbler Murder might not be groundbreaking, but it’s a light read in my favorite genre that is currently helping me relax before bed.
And even though these thoughts are about us reading for fun, I do also think about how reading for fun translates to the classroom...
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| | IDEA Collective Educator Feature: Amanda West |
IDEA Collective Educator Feature: Amanda West |
Author: Amanda West, awest@msad41.us , ELA Educator at Penquis Valley Middle School, Milo, Maine and MCELA Executive Board Member |
Author: Amanda West, awest@msad41.us , ELA Educator at Penquis Valley Middle School, Milo, Maine and MCELA Executive Board Member |
How It All Began
A book introduction to one of my favorite group books Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate led to one of the most challenging conversations of my career.
Rural Maine students are not strangers to trauma and poverty. Research shows that low- income students in Maine account for 10% of the total population (Statista, 2023). This number may be small, but when the total population is approximately 1.3 million, 130,000 students are not having their physiological needs met. The percentage of students living in poverty in Piscataquis County is 14% (U.S Census QuickFacts, 2022).
77% of my students are considered economically disadvantaged and 8% are homeless.
Many more are raised by single parents or by legal (hopefully) guardians. Many face food insecurity. They frequently do not have access to running water or electricity. However, they could not get past their one difference in a 92% white school, race.
The Conversation
“Ms. West, I get what you’re trying to say but why are we supposed to care?” uttered John.
“Why don’t you care?” I responded in shock.
“He isn’t like us,” another responded...
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How It All Began
A book introduction to one of my favorite group books Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate led to one of the most challenging conversations of my career.
Rural Maine students are not strangers to trauma and poverty. Research shows that low- income students in Maine account for 10% of the total population (Statista, 2023). This number may be small, but when the total population is approximately 1.3 million, 130,000 students are not having their physiological needs met. The percentage of students living in poverty in Piscataquis County is 14% (U.S Census QuickFacts, 2022).
77% of my students are considered economically disadvantaged and 8% are homeless.
Many more are raised by single parents or by legal (hopefully) guardians. Many face food insecurity. They frequently do not have access to running water or electricity. However, they could not get past their one difference in a 92% white school, race.
The Conversation
“Ms. West, I get what you’re trying to say but why are we supposed to care?” uttered John.
“Why don’t you care?” I responded in shock.
“He isn’t like us,” another responded...
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| | 2024 Introduction & Reflection
By Beth Carlson, Nationally Board Certified Teacher/English Department Chair at RSU21, Kennebunk High School, bcarlson@rsu21.net, current MCELA Executive Board Member, and past president of MCELA
The Learning Gap: Why Our Schools Are Failing and What We Can Learn from Japanese and Chinese Education by Stevenson and Stigler (Simon & Schuster, 1992) documents a large-scale research study which examined elementary schools. As a secondary English teacher, the book was a good read for me, too. I thought the book would be depressing--you know, Americans are slipping in the world market, our infrastructure is eroding, kids aren't learning anything, and it's a downhill ride from here. But truthfully, I feel optimistic. Some reasonable, although controversial, ways of organizing our work are explored in the book.
Blast from the Past: November 1992 by Molly Schen, past president of MCELA
On the teaching profession. Most of us in the States have little time for interacting with other teachers. Contrast this practice with the Asian norm. During nonteaching time in China and Japan, teachers often prepare their lessons with colleagues in the "faculty room," a spacious room equipped with a desk for each teacher. "How could they collaborate on lessons?" I would ask myself. "Why would one language teacher who is working on a poetry unit want to share ideas with someone who is teaching journalism?" You have probably already guessed the answer. The curriculum is rigidly determined, so teachers are teaching the same thing at the same time. Prescriptive? Yes. Stifling? I thought so at first. Now I'm not so sure.
Imagine talking with three colleagues about ways of teaching a particular poem, knowing that tomorrow all four of you will be teaching the poem and that after class you'll share what worked and what didn't. That sounds to me suspiciously like a professional conversation!... |
2024 Introduction & Reflection
By Beth Carlson, Nationally Board Certified Teacher/English Department Chair at RSU21, Kennebunk High School, bcarlson@rsu21.net, current MCELA Executive Board Member, and past president of MCELA
The Learning Gap: Why Our Schools Are Failing and What We Can Learn from Japanese and Chinese Education by Stevenson and Stigler (Simon & Schuster, 1992) documents a large-scale research study which examined elementary schools. As a secondary English teacher, the book was a good read for me, too. I thought the book would be depressing--you know, Americans are slipping in the world market, our infrastructure is eroding, kids aren't learning anything, and it's a downhill ride from here. But truthfully, I feel optimistic. Some reasonable, although controversial, ways of organizing our work are explored in the book.
Blast from the Past: November 1992 by Molly Schen, past president of MCELA
On the teaching profession. Most of us in the States have little time for interacting with other teachers. Contrast this practice with the Asian norm. During nonteaching time in China and Japan, teachers often prepare their lessons with colleagues in the "faculty room," a spacious room equipped with a desk for each teacher. "How could they collaborate on lessons?" I would ask myself. "Why would one language teacher who is working on a poetry unit want to share ideas with someone who is teaching journalism?" You have probably already guessed the answer. The curriculum is rigidly determined, so teachers are teaching the same thing at the same time. Prescriptive? Yes. Stifling? I thought so at first. Now I'm not so sure.
Imagine talking with three colleagues about ways of teaching a particular poem, knowing that tomorrow all four of you will be teaching the poem and that after class you'll share what worked and what didn't. That sounds to me suspiciously like a professional conversation!... |
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| Bonus Picture Book Recommendation: |
Bonus Picture Book Recommendation: |
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Contact Hours=7 Early Registration Deadline 12/1/24! Questions? Email us at maine.ela@gmail.com |
Contact Hours=7 Early Registration Deadline 12/1/24! Questions? Email us at maine.ela@gmail.com |
Recording will be available, plus 1 contact hour certificate. |
Recording will be available, plus 1 contact hour certificate. |
Recording will be available, plus 1 contact hour certificate. |
Recording will be available, plus 1 contact hour certificate. |
Nominate an ELA educator who is a leader inside and outside of your school community. |
Nominate an ELA educator who is a leader inside and outside of your school community. |
MCELA's new award! Nominate an ELA educator who demonstrates excellent teaching at your school. |
MCELA's new award! Nominate an ELA educator who demonstrates excellent teaching at your school. |
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University of Southern Maine
Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education
Greetings!
Osher Map Library at USM (University of Southern Maine) is offering field trips, classroom map kits, and professional development opportunities at no cost to Maine educators: GRAPHIC NOVELS DISCUSSION GROUP Maine educators of grades 5-12 interested in discussing ways to integrate this graphic novel into their curriculum are invited to register. Participants will receive and read the book prior to the session. Books provided by Maine Humanities Council. - Book: Sapiens, A Graphic Novel, vol 2. by Yuval Noah Harari
- Location: held virtually over Meets or Zoom
- Date options: 11/4, 11/7, 11/13, 11/19, 11/21
- Time: 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM (1.5 Contact Hours total)
- Price: FREE, books provided by MHC and mailed via USPS
We are now scheduling free In-Person Field Trips and Virtual Workshops for the 2024-2025 school year! We have several ready-made themes available (listed at oshermaps.org/teach/visits/themes) and our team is happy to customize field trips to your curriculum. Schedule Visit: oshermaps.org/teach/visits/request
CLASSROOM MAP KITS We also provide Classroom Map Kits at no cost to Maine Classroom Educators. These mailable kits include high-quality printed reproductions of map sets as well as a variety of age-appropriate worksheet activities, answer keys, hands-on craft or game, and all necessary instructions. Please visit oshermaps.org/teach/activity-kits to see if we have a kit that fits your curriculum. |
University of Southern Maine
Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education
Greetings!
Osher Map Library at USM (University of Southern Maine) is offering field trips, classroom map kits, and professional development opportunities at no cost to Maine educators: GRAPHIC NOVELS DISCUSSION GROUP Maine educators of grades 5-12 interested in discussing ways to integrate this graphic novel into their curriculum are invited to register. Participants will receive and read the book prior to the session. Books provided by Maine Humanities Council. - Book: Sapiens, A Graphic Novel, vol 2. by Yuval Noah Harari
- Location: held virtually over Meets or Zoom
- Date options: 11/4, 11/7, 11/13, 11/19, 11/21
- Time: 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM (1.5 Contact Hours total)
- Price: FREE, books provided by MHC and mailed via USPS
We are now scheduling free In-Person Field Trips and Virtual Workshops for the 2024-2025 school year! We have several ready-made themes available (listed at oshermaps.org/teach/visits/themes) and our team is happy to customize field trips to your curriculum. Schedule Visit: oshermaps.org/teach/visits/request
CLASSROOM MAP KITS We also provide Classroom Map Kits at no cost to Maine Classroom Educators. These mailable kits include high-quality printed reproductions of map sets as well as a variety of age-appropriate worksheet activities, answer keys, hands-on craft or game, and all necessary instructions. Please visit oshermaps.org/teach/activity-kits to see if we have a kit that fits your curriculum. |
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Join Neal Shusterman, Lois Lowry, Soman Chainani, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Gordon Korman for a free professional development webinar on Tuesday, November 12, at 3 p.m. ET to learn more about how to select books for seventh- and eighth-grade students and why it’s important to ensure a continued love of reading during these formative years. Can’t join us live? Register to receive a link to the recording following the event. We've heard over and over from educators about how difficult it can be to navigate middle grade and teen books to find the ones with the most appeal for seventh- and eighth-grade students. Maybe you have an advanced reader who has torn through every middle grade book in your classroom library, or you have a struggling reader who needs something high interest but at an appropriate reading level. We've assembled an amazing list of books that you can feel confident handing your seventh- and eighth-grade readers! |
Join Neal Shusterman, Lois Lowry, Soman Chainani, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Gordon Korman for a free professional development webinar on Tuesday, November 12, at 3 p.m. ET to learn more about how to select books for seventh- and eighth-grade students and why it’s important to ensure a continued love of reading during these formative years. Can’t join us live? Register to receive a link to the recording following the event. We've heard over and over from educators about how difficult it can be to navigate middle grade and teen books to find the ones with the most appeal for seventh- and eighth-grade students. Maybe you have an advanced reader who has torn through every middle grade book in your classroom library, or you have a struggling reader who needs something high interest but at an appropriate reading level. We've assembled an amazing list of books that you can feel confident handing your seventh- and eighth-grade readers! |
Details for this year's contest coming soon! Check out last year's contest winners here: https://www.mainecela.org/2024-winners.html |
Details for this year's contest coming soon! Check out last year's contest winners here: https://www.mainecela.org/2024-winners.html |
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MCELA is an affiliate of NCTE and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
dedicated to supporting educators and literacy education in the state of Maine |
MCELA is an affiliate of NCTE and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
dedicated to supporting educators and literacy education in the state of Maine |
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