Red Clay Writing Project Grant
The Red Clay Writing Project believes that (1) writing teachers need to be writers and (2) the best teachers of teachers are teachers. Through our summer institute, open institutes, writing retreats, and Saturday workshops, we offer teachers a wide and engaging list of professional learning opportunities, many for UGA credit or state PLUs. All Red Clay Writing Project offerings are designed and implemented through the lenses of teacher leadership, teaching for social justice, and teaching in inquiry-based ways.
Our teacher consultants (teachers who have successfully completed a summer institute) provide ongoing professional learning for their schools and districts. As part of the country-wide network of National Writing Project sites, Red Clay Writing Project and its teacher consultants engage in diverse dialogues at state and national levels. That’s why we say “good things grow in Red Clay.”
- Sponsor
National Writing Project - Principal investigator
Stephanie Jones Professor, Educational Theory and Practice
Highlights
- Celebrating over 11 years supporting Georgia pre-K-12 teachers
- Is one of nearly 200 sites of the National Writing Project
- Has more than 200 teacher consultants serving northeast Georgia
- Offers summer institutes, ongoing professional learning, and a youth writing camp
- Supports teachers as leaders, writers, and researchers
Professional Learning Offerings
Summer Institute
An 18-day intensive summer experience that immerses participants in an exploration of all things writing. Teachers learn about and share ways to effectively teach writing, explore their own writing processes through numerous writing opportunities, sharpen their digital teaching skills, and engage in substantive dialogue on issues key to literacy education. Participants who apply and are accepted can have up to 3 graduate credits paid for by RCWP and can opt to pay for an additional three credits on their own.
Participants must apply and be accepted. They can then either enter a College of Education graduate program if they’re not already in one, or enter as a non-degree student. Red Clay Writing Project will pay for up to 3 credits and participants can opt to pay for an additional six credits on their own. All university fees are the responsibility of the student unless otherwise noted at the time of application. More information can be found on the project website.
Open Institutes
Week-long learning experiences that focus on selected issues important to literacy teaching. Recent OIs include developing powerful readers, integrating graphic literature into the curriculum, exploring ways to teach the Holocaust, teaching in dialogical ways, and making language study engaging. Each OI is worth 3 graduate credits.
Open institutes welcome all current and entering graduate students at UGA, as well as non-degree students. More information can be found on the project website.
Saturday Workshops
Held on Saturday mornings during fall and spring semesters, these workshops engage teachers in lively explorations of thoughtful and effective strategies for teaching in literacy classrooms. Recent workshops have focused on getting the most from writers’ workshop, reimagining traditional writing assignments, generating powerful mini-lessons, teaching for social justice, and interpreting graphic narratives. Participants qualify for professional learning units (PLUs).
Red Clay Writing Project also offers
- Camp Red Clay, a week-long writing camp for rising third- through rising ninth-grade students
- Overnight and daylong writing retreats to support teachers as writers
- Writing Marathons: three hours of writing, sharing, walking, and celebrating
- Opportunities for teachers to share and publish their writing
- Connections to national conferences and networks of teachers
- Consulting and professional learning resources for schools and school districts
Camp Red Clay requires registration and a fee for each child enrolled. Partial and full scholarships are available for parents seeking financial support. All other Red Clay activities are open to all teachers interested in learning more about their teaching and writing. Participants either pay nominal fees or nothing at all. More information can be found on the project website.
All Red Clay Writing Project institutes, workshops, and activities are facilitated by Red Clay Writing Project teacher consultants supported by the co-directors Eric Hasty and Stephanie Jones.