Genesee Valley Writing Project

2008 GVWP Fellows

About the Summer Institute
The GVWP offers a four-week annual invitational Summer Institute, which is the centerpiece of the Writing Project experience. The GVWP awards fellowships to a group of experienced teachers from all disciplines and at all levels of instruction, kindergarten through university. Teachers participating in this four-week Institute will have the opportunity to study successful classroom strategies for teaching writing by participating in teacher demonstration workshops. They will read and discuss research in self-selected reading research groups and improve their knowledge of writing by engaging in a collaborative community of writers. Presentations and field trips during the Institute will highlight the local and national resources and expertise available through the National Writing Project network.

The 2009 Summer Institute will be held on the University of Rochester River Campus from:

July 6 through July 30
Monday through Thursday
8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Two mandatory Pre-Institute meetings will be held on Saturday, May 9, and Saturday, June 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the River Campus. In addition, follow-up meetings are scheduled throughout the year to bring Institute participants together for continued professional development and to plan Writing Project programs and activities.

Eligible Participants
The GVWP will accept up to 16 Fellows for the Summer Institute 2009. Applicants must be practicing teachers from any subject or grade level (PK-16) who embrace writing and literacy as central components of learning in the classroom and who are looking for innovative ways to integrate literacy practices into student learning. We invite educators from urban and suburban regions of Monroe and surrounding counties to apply for the Summer Institute.

Benefits of a Fellowship
During the four-week Summer Institute, Fellows will become part of a vibrant local teacher-centered community and learn new ways to teach and engage students in writing. Upon completion of the Summer Institute, Fellows will receive a $500 stipend and three graduate credits through the Warner School. Teachers also have the opportunity to become a member in the local and national network of Writing Project Fellows.

Criteria for Selection
Attendance at the Summer Institute is limited by invitation. Those selected will demonstrate:

• Successful classroom teaching
• Commitment to using writing in the classroom
• Openness to new ideas and approaches to teaching
• Willingness to write

How to Apply
Applications for the 2009 Summer Institute should be sent to the following address by February 27:

Ruthanne Vitagliano,
Director, Genesee Valley Writing Project
University of Rochester
Warner School of Education
1-337 Dewey Hall
Rochester, New York 14627

To receive an application or for more information about the Summer Institute, please call Ruthanne Vitagliano at
(585) 275-8361 or e-mail her at rvitagliano@warner.rochester.edu.
Applications also can be downloaded from the GVWP Web site at www.rochester.edu/warner/gvwp.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Qualified applicants will be invited for a 30-minute interview with the director/co-directors at the University of Rochester River Campus. All interviews will be scheduled by March 27. The final notification of the Summer Institute Fellows will be issued by April 18.