Illinois State Writing Project

In our world, every week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Still, in this hardest year ever for teachers, let's take a moment to sing out: "THANK YOU, TEACHERS!"

Our Teacher-Consultants say the Leadership Institute (Eng. 409.06, "The Writing Project") is like three four-day weeks of teaching, except all that time time is devoted to *your* interests as a teacher and to this tight-knit professional community. You get three weeks to read, learn, think, laugh, and write about things that are important to you and your teaching craft. And you join the growing professional network of ISWP Teacher-Consultants. Click "Send Email" to learn more.

We recently discovered this book by Thomas Newkirk, a tribute to Donald Graves, who revolutionized the teaching of writing to children in the early grades. See Graves's landmark 1983 book "Writing: Teachers and Children at Work."

Children Want to Write Donald Graves and the Revolution in Children's Writing

Welcome to the 2021 season of the Illinois State Writing Project: "Writing Adventures"! Summer 2021 will include two important events: For teachers, the Summer Leadership Institute June 7-24 (Mondays through Thursdays). For young authors, the Young Writers Camp June 14-18 (Monday through Friday). Click on "Send Email" to inquire about details. Please help us spread the word!

The Illinois State Writing Project is proud to be among 109 Writing Project sites nationally who offered professional education to support teachers in making the transition to remote instruction this year. The whole National Writing Project network provided a total of 3,343 hours of professional education in support of teachers since the onset of the pandemic.

Stories of Impact The power of writing extends beyond the classroom: expanding learning, impacting local communities, and helping build our common future. Here is a sample of our stories of impact