CGWP Conference Proposal

Below is the supplemental material I'm providing for the Coastal Georgia Writing Project conference in case it helps any of you with your conference proposals. This conference limits you to 100 words. I'm printing it for my portfolio and also putting it into the mail today for the conference. I'll be glad to share a room with anyone else who plans to attend. Blackwater Writing Project will cover the registration fee for any of this summer's Fellows who present at the conference.

Title: Playing with the Ancients: Using Imitation to Stretch Students’ Style

Session Description:
Students sometimes struggle with style, following the subject-verb-object sentence construction they know. However, ancient rhetoric encouraged imitation to stretch students’ style. This workshop lets participants practice with imitation for stylistic purposes. Participants freewrite and share their initial reactions to imitation. The facilitator then reviews ancient rhetorical pedagogy, focused mostly on Corbett’s use of imitation. The facilitator leads teachers through a series of imitation exercises, each one slightly more difficult. These exercises encourage writers to experiment with style and improve their grammar and writing. Participants will receive multiple handouts containing sources and connections to Georgia Performance Standards.