Hundreds to Attend English Dept. Events

By Sherry Kughn
News Bureau

March 11, 2004 -- The Jacksonville State University English Department will offer three spring and summer projects to teachers and middle-grade students.

Available are: The Writing Instruction Technology Conference, Writing Project Summer Institute for Teachers, and the Language Arts Olympiad.

The Writing Instruction Technology Conference (WIT) is set for Sat., April 10 with registration between 8-9 a.m. Studied this year will be grammar taught in two sessions of concurrent lessons. The first sessions are free. Lunch and the second sessions costs $20. Registration forms can be obtained by calling 782- 5411 or 782-5412.

Forms submitted by mail should be sent by April 1; phone registration by April 5.

The keynote speaker, Martha Kolln from Penn State University, will speak from 9:15-10:15 a.m. Her topic will be "The Grammar Left Behind" and will cover "Travails grammar has been through," "How can I apply grammar to the other parts of the English/language arts curriculum?", "How can I teach grammar to my students when I never learned it myself?", and other questions teachers may have about the teaching of grammar.

Kolln has degrees in English and Linguistics and English as a Second Language. She has written several books about grammar, including Grammar Alive!, Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects, Understanding English Grammar, and Language and Composition: A Handbook and Rhetoric.

The Writing Project Summer Institute for Teachers will offer a $1,100 stipend and three to six hours of earned credit toward a graduate English degree to a select number of teachers.

Applications may be obtained by calling 782-5409 and must be returned by April 23. Classes begin on June 30 and end on July 27. Participants will attend class Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. The project includes intensive writing and reading opportunities. Teachers will study current theory and practice in the teaching of writing and reading. Participants will write and share their writings with other teachers, and will publish an anthology of their best work.

The Language Arts Olympiad will attract about 500 fifth through eighth graders on April 29. Areas of competition will be public speaking, end zone grammar, literary clues, team trivia, and essay. In the past, schools from throughout Northeast Alabama have sent one to several teams. Teachers who wish their students to take part should call Gloria Horton at 782-5409 or email her at ghorton@jsu.edu. All events for the Olympiad will take place in the Stone Center for Performing Arts.

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Sherry Kughn may be contacted at jsu7635k@student-mail.jsu.edu.

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