Writing can be such an empowering experience, but oftentimes it is not that way for students. When we assign writing, students often approach it as an obligatory assignment for a grade, rather than art, argument, or a form of expression they are passionate or think deeply about. Dr. Christopher Emdin shared that “freedom is the ability to dream and be creative beyond what folks have molded you to be.” My goal for this session is to advocate for a kind of freedom that comes with writing.The strategies help students to write better and produce writing that their readers (including their teachers) enjoy and can deeply engage with.

This session aims to give insight into the sometimes stifling nature of the public school system, but also into the beauty that is often masked by the requirements of standards and dated curricula. It is often through the mandates of the undeviated common core structure that we lose the beauty of student voice. My job is to peel back the layers of public education that are caked up and hardened from the policy makers and curriculum creators who don’t get to experience the thrilling vibrations of the classroom.

This session will focus heavily on the theme of “Reconstructing Antiquated Systems” specifically within the classroom, but also in the communities of our students. The discussions and activities will highlight ways to revolutionize the literary canon, position students as knowledge seekers and experts on issues of social justice and institutionalized racism, and explore ways to combat stereotypes and create change within their schools and communities. This session will provide resources and suggestions for educators and also engage young adults in dialogue, artistic expression, and a charge to create change and start conversations in their own classrooms.

This roundtable will model strategies for reading and engaging in discussions about race through a rhetorical and critical lens. Through the use of culturally relevant, intellectually challenging, and thought provoking texts, the aim is to allow students opportunities for expression and to develop skills for citing evidence, identifying central ideas and theme, determining the meaning of words, and analyzing rhetoric. The presentation will also include elements of hip-hop pedagogy. Due to time constraints, the activities will only focus reading and speaking, but the presentations will include writing extensions for subsequent lessons.

English teachers putting the “lit” back in literacy! This session aims to provide engaging, rigorous, and culturally relevant activities to promote literacy in the forms of critical thinking, argument, and writing. Activities will include close reading strategies, hip hop pedagogy, and writing extensions. Come and explore literacy based assignments and activities that challenge students to think critically about challenging texts, engage in analytical discussions and write formal academic responses.