Outreach/ Partnerships
San Marcos Writing Project

San Marcos Writing Project

San Marcos Writing Project

The San Marcos Writing Project (SMWP) is one of 190 sites of the National Writing Project (17 in California), which is a professional development network of teachers whose goal is to improve student-writing achievement by improving the teaching and learning of writing in the nation's schools.

The writing project is a resource for teachers and school districts. During the school year, writing project teachers can also provide professional development workshops for other teachers in their schools and communities. We host Open Institutes around relevant topics for two weeks in the summer or two to three day workshops during the school year. We also host Young Writer's Camps for two weeks in the summer at school sites around North San Diego County for students in grades two through eight.

Resources for Educators during School Closings due to COVID-19

Power Up for Online Teaching

SMWP Fall 2020 Online PD Series

We are here to share what we learned on our summer vacation! We had two online summer institutes and learned a lot about remote teaching and learning. We will model online teaching in each workshop and share tips for remote teaching. This free workshop series is supported by funding from the California Subject Matter Project.

Details may change; for the most up-to-date information, visit this planning page.

Workshops require a minimum of 10 participants to run.

Register for Workshops

Contact Laurie with any questions or concerns.

Workshop Dates and Information:

Peer Feedback: Responding using Lenses | Oct. 17, 9-10:30am

Jenna Wilson, Valley Center High School

How to set up middle and high school students to respond to each other’s writing by using different lenses by giving them ways to view a text to give targeted feedback
The Elastic Essay: Moving Through and Blending Genre | Oct. 24, 9-10:30am

Emilie Vancelette, Vista High School

The strategies are based on a book for elementary teachers: The Story of my thinking by Gretchen Bernabei in combination with a book we read this summer: Story Matters: Teaching Teens to use the tools of narrative to argue and inform by Liz Prather. (Middle and high school examples will be shared, but adaptable to elementary classrooms.)

Details may change; for the most up-to-date information, visit this planning page.

Workshops require a minimum of 10 participants to run.

Register for Workshops

Contact Laurie with any questions or concerns.

SMWP 20th Anniversary Celebration: Postponed

Postponed until Spring or Summer 2021. Details to be released.

SMWP In the News

Conferences

SD CUE 2013:
- Laurie Stowell: Common Core Reading and Writing with mobile devices
- Jo Ann Fox: App Differently Session, Twitter is a Teacher Superpower, Twitter Preso

Additional Information & Resources

ELA Common Core Inservice Options
If you are interested in becoming more familiar with the California Common Core State Standards, exploring strategies to align current teaching practices with the new standards, developing materials to use during the school year, and understanding how the new assessments could impact practice, invite SMWP teacher leaders to your school site! Learn more.
What is the Writing Project?
The San Marcos Writing Project (SMWP) is one of 190 sites of the National Writing Project (17 in California), which is a professional development network of teachers whose goal is to improve student-writing achievement by improving the teaching and learning of writing in the nation’s schools.
What is the Summer Invitational Institute?
The summer invitational institute is the centerpiece of the work of the writing project. All writing project sites offer a 20-day summer institute in the middle of the summer. The San Marcos Writing Project offers a five week, four days a week summer institute in July with a daily schedule of 8:30-4:00. Teachers apply and twenty to twenty-five are invited to attend. The invitational institute develops teacher leaders in the area of writing. All writing projects operate on a teachers-teaching-teachers model. Teachers attend the invitational summer institutes at Cal State San Marcos to share their own best practice and develop their own writing skills.
Who attends the Writing Project?
The San Marcos Writing Project serves teachers in kindergarten through twelfth grade in all disciplines. It is important for articulation about writing occurs across grade levels. There is also ample opportunity for discussions in grade-alike groups.
What happens after the summer institute?
All teachers who attended the summer institute come back together four times a year for reunions. These reunions often have guest speakers who address relevant writing topics. Teachers can also participate in book groups (books provided by the project) and/or writing groups throughout the school year. The San Marcos Writing Project offers a writing retreat at Mission Inn in Riverside once a year in the fall. We also offer an annual professional conference that writing project teachers can attend and present their best practice to other area teachers. Teachers suggest other means of support at the invitational institute. Teachers who attend the invitational institute can take advantage of the support of the writing project for the remainder of their professional careers.
What else does the writing project do?
The writing project is a resource for teachers and school districts. During the school year, writing project teachers can also provide professional development workshops for other teachers in their schools and communities. We host Open Institutes around relevant topics for two weeks in the summer or two to three day workshops during the school year. We also host Young Writer’s Camps for two weeks in the summer at school sites around North San Diego County for students in grades two through eight.
Summer Institute Website Archive
Summer Institute Videos

Contact Us

Laurie Stowell, SMWP Director
lstowell@csusm.edu

Nancy Pace-Skinner, SMWP Co-Director
mspsret@gmail.com