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:

• Creating and Sustaining Community in Online Environments | Aug. 10, 12:30-2pm

  A short presentation by Noel Stewart (Grapevine Elementary, Vista) followed by a discussion of what we learned building community online while teaching and learning online this summer.  (Appropriate for all grades)

• Offering Choice in Writing while Maintaining Curriculum Fidelity | Aug. 15, 9-10:30am

  Carla Trupp ( Felicita Elementary, Escondido) describes her journey of adapting her curriculum last year and how it impacted her writers.  She’ll share how she is adapting her curriculum online this year. (Elementary examples but adaptable for all grades)

• Making Connections through Writing: Writing Camp Teachers' Go-To Writing Lessons | Aug. 17, 9:30-11am

  Cathy Lachel and Allison Preve, Highland Ranch Elementary, Poway 

  In a time when we cannot be face to face, it is highly important to make connections and writing allows us that opportunity. This summer we facilitated our first Virtual Writing Camp, grades 2nd - 7th, and found a way to build community by using writing as a way to get to know each other. The following lessons are a sample of some writing tasks you can use in the first 20 days of school. These lessons could also provide you with a common language you could use in other subject areas, throughout the year.  (Elementary examples but adaptable for all grades)

• Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts | Aug. 22, 8:45-10:15am

  Laurie Stowell, Director San Marcos Writing Project, Cal State San Marcos. (Appropriate for all grades)

• Using Mentor Texts for Writing Dialogue | Aug. 22, 10:30am-12pm

  Bailey Steinhardt, King Middle School, Oceanside.

  While sharing effective writing strategies, Bailey will also incorporate Nearpod, Google docs, and Zoom breakout rooms for students to demonstrate their understanding and collaborate with their peers. (Appropriate for all grades) 
  

• Planning the Learner’s Journey with HyperDocs | Aug. 29, 10-11:30am

  Kim Frazier, retired, Army and Navy Academy.

  This workshop will provide a brief overview of HyperDocs and then highlight how HyperDocs can be designed with the learner’s journey in mind, emphasizing the value in planning a sequence of activities that guide students through the process of exploring, practicing, and mastering new concepts and/or skills. HyperDoc templates that represent a variety of paths to learning will be shared so that participants can practice this approach to distance and in-class instruction and apply it to their own curricula. (Appropriate for all grades) 
  

• Teaching Writing through Individual Writing Conferences in Online and Face-to-face Environments | Sept. 12, 10-11:30am

  Carrie Targhetta, El Camino High School, Oceanside.

  Carrie will share how she uses google forms to set up and track her writing conferences. (Middle and high school examples will be shared but adaptable to elementary classrooms.)
  

• Writing-to-Learn Hyperdocs: Planning the Learner’s Journey | Sept. 19 10:00-11:30am

  Kim Frazier, retired Amy and Navy Academy

  In his book The Six Academic Writing Assignments: Designing the User’s Journey, Jim Burke identifies the function of various types of writing-to-learn activities and identifies the skills they require. He also underscores the value of mindfully designing the user’s journey by envisioning the students’ destination and then mapping out how they will get there. This workshop explains how HyperDocs that incorporate writing-to-learn experiences can be sequenced. HyperDoc templates that focus on various types of writing-to-learn activities will be shared so that participants can practice this approach to distance and in-class instruction and apply it to their own curricula. (High school examples but adaptable for all grades)
  

• Follow your Passion: Literacy through Inquiry | Oct. 10, 1-2:30pm

  Jody Ordonez, Vista High School

  Passion projects and the research and writing through blogging that can come as a result.  Middle and High school student examples will be shared but adaptable to elementary classrooms.

• 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.

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SMWP 20th Anniversary Celebration: Postponed

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

SMWP In the News

• “Voices of Military Families”: A year long literacy partnership project
• Videos created by Stuart Mesa Students for the “Voice of Military Families” project
• Literacy and the Law
• Art = Opportunity              

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 2020 Website
  • Summer Institute 2019 Website
  • Summer Institute 2018 Website
  • Summer Institute 2017 Website 
  • Summer Institute 2016 Website
  • Summer Institute 2015 Website
  • Summer Institute 2014 Website
  • Summer Institute 2012 Website
  • San Marcos Writing Project 2011 Wiki

• Summer Institute Videos

  • 2019 Writing Marathon at the beach
  • 2018 Writing Marathon at the beach
  • 2017 Writing Marathon at the beach
  • 2014 Writing Marathon at the beach
  • 2012 Summer Institute
  • 2011 Summer Institute
  • 2010 Summer Institute
  • 2009 Summer Institute
  • 1st Year College Students

Contact Us

Laurie Stowell, SMWP Director
lstowell@csusm.edu

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