Anne Diskin: Writing Expert and Consultant

Anne's Letter | Home | Upcoming Workshops | Registration/Credit Information | School/District Services




UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

SUMMER 2020 CLASS SCHEDULE IS PENDING

Please read letter from Anne here


ALL OF ANNE'S WORKSHOPS ARE ALIGNED WITH THE COMMON CORE

PLEASE NOTE:
Anne still has some availability in July and August to provide customized professional development for your school or organization. Please call or email for details.

ANNE CAN PROVIDE A CUSTOM-DESIGNED COURSE FOR YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES
With a minimum of 6 teachers, Anne will arrange to offer any of her courses at a time convenient for you. In addition, if you have a particular topic you'd like to explore, she can design a special course to meet your needs.

Contact Anne for details.
Email: anne@annediskin.com
Phone: 510-655-2468


CLICK HERE TO JOIN ANNE'S E-MAIL LIST to receive announcements for her year-round workshops.


OUTSTANDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

All courses are designed for: Teachers, tutors, resource specialists, literacy coaches, ELL and curriculum specialists, administrators, and parents. Please see the range of custom designed workshops and presentations that are available. School/District Services - Click Here.

Discounts:
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL:

DISKIN ALUMNI SPECIAL: You can earn another 3 units AND pay a reduced fee if you repeat a workshop! Contact Anne for details.


SUMMER SCHEDULE: Click on workshop title for course description or see below. Grade levels noted are approximate. ALL WORKSHOPS ARE RELEVANT FOR ALL ELA PROGRAMS AND TEACHING STYLES, INCLUDING READING/WRITING WORKSHOP




KEY INFORMATION:

1. University credit is available for all of Anne's classes:
See information regarding Optional University credit.
Credit Information - Click Here

2. Grade Levels:
Except for Giving Young Writers a Great Start!, which is designed especially for pre-K-1st grade teachers, almost all of the strategies in Anne's workshops can be applied to any grade level or content area, including secondary. In fact, the strategies are particularly effective with English language learners and struggling secondary students. If you have questions about whether a particular workshop will meet the needs of your students, please contact Anne.

3. Workshop Location:
You will receive the location address and directions once your registration and payment have been received.
  • Danville - convenient location very close to 680. Exit Sycamore Valley Rd.



COURSE DESCRIPTIONS (in alphabetical order)


NOTE: What follows are descriptions of some of the many courses Anne offers.
All are aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

ONLY A FEW COURSES ARE OFFERED EACH YEAR.





ANNE'S BOOK GROUP - A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades: 3-8


This is a chance for educators to come together to discuss an outstanding professional book - and get practical tips for implementing the key strategies/ideas in the text from Anne and each other.

Read the book in advance (and log your hours to receive University credit) - or you may attend before reading the book, to hear about all the great ideas anyway!

Summer 2019 book: Notice and Note, Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst. Published by Heinemann. Click here to read more about it.

This is a fabulous book that offers teachers and students concrete ways of closely reading any piece of literature. Whether you are reading a class novel or short selections, orchestrating student lit circles/book clubs, or implementing a Calkins'-style reading workshop, the strategies in this book can help your students become more engaged, critical readers.

From the publisher: In Notice and Note Kylene Beers and Bob Probst introduce 6 "signposts" that alert readers to significant moments in a work of literature and encourage students to read closely. Learning first to spot these signposts and then to question them, enables readers to explore the text, any text, finding evidence to support their interpretations.

Back to Top


ASSESSING WRITERS - A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades: K-8+

What are the best tools for assessing student writers, both formally and informally? How can we get students to self-assess and set goals for themselves? What are some effective, efficient ways to conference with students? Anne will share practical tips and terrific resources (including useful rubrics and checklists. Why recreate the wheel?).

Back to Top


BEST LESSONS - CRAFT OF WRITING
Grades: 1-8

Give students control of their writing by providing them with concrete tools to craft effective beginnings, endings, text structures, characters, settings, and more. Support students in becoming independent revisers who know how to play with the elements of strong writing.

Back to Top


CATCH UP WITH YOUR OWN WRITING!
(official University of the Pacific title: Enhancing Writing Skills in the Classroom PEDU 9042)

Grades: Designed for teachers of any grade level or subject


This is a chance for you to do any writing you don't have time to do during the school year -- journals, blogs, memoir, stories, samples of any writing genre, curriculum, articles, letters, books, poems, songs...Anne provides one on one support and minilessons that you can transfer to your teaching. Besides working on any writing you personally want to do (can be personal or curriculum related), the course provides an opportunity to think about the writing your own students do in the classroom.

Back to Top


EASE INTO THE COMMON CORE - A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades: K-12


Join Anne for a common sense, low-stress approach to implementing the Common Core ELA/Literacy standards. Included in this mini-workshop is an overview of the history and key shifts in the "core;" tips on how to read the standards and get to the "core of the core;" and recommendations for the best resources for implementation and assessment. Learn how to earn university credit for all the work you will be doing as you align your curriculum to the CCSS!

Back to Top


EVIDENCE-BASED WRITING (Argument, Opinion, Persuasion) - A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades: 3-8+ Might be appropriate for some 2nd graders


The Common Core State Standards build a K-12 progression where students gradually learn to master the use of evidence in their writing, whether to support an opinion/argument or to support the presentation of clear information. In this session, after a brief overview of the Common Core writing standards, we will focus on evidence - based writing that draws on nonfiction reading. Teach students how to plan for and develop a powerful persuasive argument using strong and appropriate evidence, transitions, and counter arguments.

Back to Top


GIVING YOUNG WRITERS A GREAT START!
Grades: Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st+
Second grade teachers are welcome


Day 1: Developing a Love of Writing
Create a joyful classroom environment where literacy happens naturally and where young children want to write. Learn practical, engaging strategies for developing writing fluency and confidence. Included is a look at spelling development and tips for communicating with parents. Is it possible to have a rich, engaging writing program and meet Common Core State standards at the same time? Absolutely.

Day 2: Playing with Words, Sentences, Narratives, Opinion, and Informational Writing
We will look at fun, developmentally appropriate ways to engage children in all kinds of writing, including the Common Core writing types.

Special Note: You can attend one or both days. Attending Day 1 before Day 2 is recommended but not required.

Back to Top


LET'S TELL STORIES! (Build Community and Improve Writing) - A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades K-8+
Second grade teachers are welcome


Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways for teachers and students to build relationships, create a positive classroom environment and foster SEL*. Help students discover that they have stories to tell, and show them how to build strong narratives as well as use mini-stories as evidence for opinion/argument writing. Tap into the magic of using oral story telling as a valuable pre-writing tool. Learn tips to make your own stories come alive! *Social Emotional Learning

Back to Top


NUTS AND BOLTS WRITING
Grades: 2-8+

Countless teachers consider the step-by-step strategies presented in Nuts and Bolts Writing as the foundation of their writing program. Give all students, including English language learners, the concrete tools they need to write clearly. (Note: While the focus of this course is expository writing, all skills can be applied to ANY genre of writing)

Day 1: Developing Vocabulary, Sentences, & Paragraphs
Day 2: Essays, Note Taking, and Report Writing

Special Note: You can attend one or both days. Attending Day 1 before Day 2 is recommended but not required.
*This course is also appropriate for teachers of middle and high school students needing basic skills.

Back to Top


PERSUASIVE WRITING -- A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades: 3-8+


Teach students how to plan for and develop a powerful persuasive argument using strong and appropriate evidence, transitions, and counter arguments.

Back to Top


Powerful Punctuation and Groovy Grammar
Grades: 2-8+

Give your students control over conventions with the most solid, engaging strategies and activities ever! Students can readily learn to edit their writing when they acquire a deep understanding of why we have conventions in the first place. We will play with punctuation, capitalization, run-on sentences and paragraphs, and other fun stuff (including how to weave conventions/grammar instruction into a writing workshop)! As of 2019, Anne will also include an introduction to using Mentor Sentences (a strategy developed by Jeff Anderson) for teaching students all aspects of writing craft, grammar, and conventions.

Back to Top


PUTTING THE "F-WORD" (FUN!) BACK IN WRITING
Grades: 2-8

Amidst standards, assessments, and a push for rigor and building writing stamina, we need to remember that all writers (especially children!) sometimes need short, engaging, low-stakes activities that are fun and make writers feel successful. Anne shares fun writing activities that will not only get your school year off to a great start, but will also keep motivation high all year.

Back to Top


READING & WRITING NON-FICTION
Grades: 2-8


Learn how reading expository text and writing expository pieces go hand in hand. As students learn about different text structures, they become more effective thinkers, readers, note-takers, and writers. We will focus on practical strategies for engaging all students in reading and writing across the curriculum. Several types of expository writing will be discussed, including, but not limited to summary, persuasive, compare and contrast.

Back to Top


READING INFORMATIONAL/NONFICTION TEXT IN THE AGE OF THE COMMON CORE - A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades: 3-8+ Might be appropriate for some 2nd graders


Learn powerful strategies for reading nonfiction across texts and across content areas. How to help students get to the gist of a piece, analyze structure and point of view, access academic and other challenging vocabulary, and summarize. We explore engaging strategies for close reading.

Back to Top


RESPONSE TO LITERATURE -- A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades: 3-8+


Teach students how to think and write powerfully about literary works. We will focus on the "language of interpretation" and giving students tools for citing both examples from the text and real-life experiences.

Back to Top


WORDS, WORDS, WORDS
Grades: Elementary and Secondary


Students need massive vocabulary to be successful readers and writers (and to perform well on standardized tests!). Spend a day with Anne learning powerful, engaging, research-based strategies for teaching academic language, content specific vocabulary, and the rich vocabulary necessary for comprehension and effective writing. Instill in your students a love of words and give them practical tools for figuring out words they don't know.

Back to Top


WRITING LIKE SCIENTISTS
Grades:3-8+

Real-life scientists and engineers spend much of their time reading and writing. According to the NTSA, "The Next Generation Science Standards combine literacy and language activities like validating evidence, constructing sound reasoning, discussing theories, and critiquing hypotheses to strengthen science instruction and shift classroom activities from recitation toward reasoning-based discussions."

What kinds of writing do scientists do? How do they communicate their findings? Join us as we explore practical strategies that enhance students' thinking and writing abilities while giving them greater knowledge and deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

Back to Top


WRITING SUMMARIES -- A 3-HOUR MINI-WORKSHOP
Grades: 3-12


Summarizing is one of the most important cognitive skills. Give students concrete tools for writing clear, concise summaries. You will love these strategies that help students figure out what is most important in a text. We will be focusing on writing summaries for non-fiction text in this workshop.

Back to Top



Anne's Letter | Home | Upcoming Workshops | Registration/Credit Information | School/District Services


Anne Diskin     Telephone: (510) 655-2468     Email: anne@annediskin.com