CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Like their students, teachers across the country look forward to their summer vacation. But this summer, many teachers will be taking some of their time to continue learning or to provide enrichment opportunities for students. As it does each summer, the Lehigh Valley Writing Project (LVWP), a National Writing Project (NWP) site, is connecting local teachers with a variety of learning and professional development opportunities.
Among them is a 15-credit post-baccalaureate Specialist Certificate: Teaching Writing and Literacy. Similar in design to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's range of educational endorsements, the certificate is designed to afford educators deep study in all aspects of literacy instruction. Participants can also pursue their National Writing Project Fellowship with the optional three-credit capstone course.
LVWP is also helping educators across all grade levels and content areas understand and implement the new Common Core State Standards in Literacy, specifically writing, with a three-day academy offered July 15-17 or July 29-31. "Three Days/Three Modes" will explore, among other things, how to integrate the new standards through classroom writing, how to develop writing-to-learn techniques and understanding the curricular possibilities of the three modes (argument, informative and narrative).
Additionally, the campus' popular Summer Youth Camps return July 8-19 offering fun academic camps suitable for kids entering grades one through 12. Many of the camps, which include topics like "Detective Diaries," "Clay and Sculptural Creations" and "Rocketry," are designed and taught by LVWP fellows, with the remainder taught by Penn State Lehigh Valley faculty.
Serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and co-directed by local university faculty and classroom teachers, the NWP network offers teachers the opportunity to study the latest research on teaching writing and share knowledge, expertise, and effective classroom practices with one another.
For more information about any of these LVWP opportunities, visit www.lvwp.org.