The West Tennessee Writing Project (WTWP) presents “Light a Fire Under Your Chicken: Rejuvenating Teachers,” a workshop for K-8 teachers on reading, writing and portfolios.

The workshop is set for 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, at Camden Elementary School.

Bonnie Sunstein, associate professor of English and education at the University of Iowa and author of The Portfolio Standard: How Students Can Show Us What They Know, is the featured presenter for the workshop.

The day’s activities will also include interactive teaching demonstrations led by WTWP teacher consultants.

An energetic and practical consultant, keynote speaker and workshop leader, Sunstein works with departments of education, local school systems and conferences of teachers throughout the United States and abroad. Her hands-on workshops on writing, literacy, portfolios, teacher-research and cultural studies offer hands-on experience.

Sunstein will open the workshop with “Composing a Culture: Reading, Writing and Portfolios,” followed by two sets of concurrent sessions with WTWP teacher consultants.

Session topics will include: “First Steps to Writing in Kindergarten;” “Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket: Writing with Power Point;” “I Remember When ... A Family History Project: Helping Students Become ‘Keepers’ of their Family Stories;” “Round and Round and Round She Goes: Literature Circles in the Classroom;” “Artifact Portfolios: Illuminating the Invisible;” and “How to Convince Kids that Writing Can be Fun: Publishing and Technology in the Classroom.”

Pre-registration is encouraged. Early registration fee is $15 and the deadline is Feb. 14. Payment must accompany registration.

Please make checks payable to UT Martin and send registration to: Office of Extended Campus and Continuing Education, 110 Gooch Hall, UT Martin, Martin, TN 38238. Program and registration information are also available on the WTWP Web site at www.utm.edu/wtwp.

This workshop has been approved for inservice credit by some school systems. Please check with your supervisor to verify inservice credit availability.

If your school will pay for registration, supply the following information: contact person, name of school, mailing address and telephone number.

To learn more about this workshop or about WTWP, contact Renee Cooper, WTWP teacher consultant, Camden workshop chair and second grade teacher at Camden Elementary School, by e-mail at cooperr@k12tn.net.

This workshop is a program of professional development of the West Tennessee Writing Project and is held in cooperation with Camden Elementary School with the support of the UT Martin office of extended campus and continuing education.