Assignments Matter 2.0 Task Jam Workshop

All Minnesota and North Dakota secondary teachers are invited to an Assignments Matter 2.0 Task Jam Workshop.

Workshop Details

Date: Thursday, July 16, 2015

Time: 9:00 a.m.--2:30 p.m.

Location: 310 Minard Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota

Facilitator: Karen Taylor, Red River Valley Writing Project/Horizon Middle School, Moorhead, MN

Description: Assignments Matter is a collaborative, knowledge-building and sharing experience that supports teachers in creating effective writing prompts for grades 6-12 across the curriculum based on the understanding that meaningful classroom tasks create powerful student results. Assignments Matter invites teachers to collaborate using tools from the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) as well as protocols and processes common in the National Writing Project teacher community to create writing assignments for use in their own classrooms and to share with one another and with teaching colleagues nationwide.

At the Assignments Matter 2.0 Task Jam Workshop, participants will be introduced to a framework for developing assignment prompts that are clear, concise, and connected with the Common Core State Standards.  Participants will generate and discuss classroom writing prompts paying particular attention to key concepts in the areas of reading, writing, synthesizing, and the application of content from all academic areas. Participants will also learn how developing effective prompts directly connected with the CCSS makes it easier to grade student work and how data from such assignments can help refine their teaching approaches. 

Who can Participate: The Assignments Matter Task Jam 2.0 Workshop is open to any middle or high school teacher in Minnesota and North Dakota.  You will be joining participants in RRVWP 2015 Summer Institute.

Registration, Parking, and Clock Hours: There is no charge for this workshop, but participation will be limited to the first 25 people who register.  Those who register before 3:00 Friday, July 10 will receive a pass for free parking. Registration will remain open until Tuesday, July 14, but later registrants will need to park on the street or pay for visitor parking on campus.  Those attending will receive a certificate of participation for 5.5 clock hours.

What to Bring: Those attending will need to bring a laptop/Chrome book/Google capable device and be registered for a Google account previous to July 16th.  In addition, participants should bring a printed copy or have electronic access to a writing assignment/prompt they have used with students in the past or hope to use during the upcoming school year.

Lunch:   Participants have lunch on their own from 11:45 – 12:45.  The student union on campus and businesses near campus are open for lunch.

Questions:   If you have any questions on the preceding material, please contact coordinator Karen Taylor at <ktaylor[at]moorheadschools[dot]org>.