The 2023 STAAR® Summer Institute
$199.95 – $500.00
We are pleased to announce that James Pace Early College High School will be the host to the JANE SCHAFFER WRITING PROGRAM® (JSWP) STAAR Summer Institute from July 31 through August 4, 2023. Open to Hanna ECHS, Lopez ECHS, Pace ECHS, Porter ECHS, and Rivera ECHS, educators, participants will enjoy selecting one or a series of professional development workshops to help them prepare high school students to master the writing standards for the STAAR and beyond!
To pay, please contact the following person at your school to obtain the P.O. Number:
Hanna ECHS — Mr. J. Chavez
Lopez ECHS — Mr. F. Garcia
Pace ECHS — Ms. L. Howell
Porter ECHS — Ms. E. Medina
Rivera ECHS — Ms. A. Guzman
Title: The Short Constructed Response (SCR) for SCIENCE Teachers
Date: July 31, 2023
Time: 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Participants: Science Educators
Grades: Biology
In this four-hour training, science teachers in Biology will learn the Jane Schaffer® Methodology and how it applies to writing in the science classroom. Science teachers will (1) learn strategies for teaching students how to compose well-constructed sentences related to the science curriculum with specific, appropriate, and relevant evidence; (2) practice the JSWP® method with grade specific TEKS; and (3) design STAAR® writing prompts to integrate into the science curriculum without altering the scope and sequence during the school year. Teachers are asked to bring their textbooks and laptops.
Title: The Short Constructed Response (SCR) for SOCIAL STUDIES Teachers
Date: July 31, 2023
Time: 1:00 – 5:00 P.M.
Participants: Social Studies Educators
Grades: U.S. History
In this four-hour training, social studies teachers in U.S. History will learn the Jane Schaffer® Methodology and how it applies to writing in the social studies classroom. Social studies teachers will (1) learn strategies for teaching students how to compose well-constructed sentences related to the social studies curriculum with specific, relevant, and appropriate evidence; (2) practice the JSWP® method with grade specific TEKS; and (3) design STAAR® writing prompts to integrate into the social studies curriculum without altering the scope and sequence during the school year. Teachers are asked to bring their textbooks and laptops.
Title: The JSWP® Methodology and Related TEKS for RLA Teachers
Date: August 1, 2023
Time: 8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.; Lunch – 11:45 to 1:00
Participants: Reading and Language Arts Teachers (Grades 9-12)
This is a JSWP PRE-REQUISITE course if the participant is a
- First Year Teacher
- Brownsville ISD New Hire
- Teacher Not “Officially” Trained by JSWP
- Veteran Teacher Wanting to Become a Trainer (don’t add this bullet to website)
This professional development day is devoted to teachers learning the official JSWP® methodology to lay a solid foundation and to build teacher confidence throughout the week. Teachers will learn how to teach their students the JSWP® terminology and color-coding through student interactive activities. Teachers will also learn and practice the successful JSWP step-by-step writing process that has been a staple in English language arts classrooms across the nation and abroad for almost four decades. Teachers will understand how each graphic organizer in the full set that accompanies the JSWP method addresses multiple TEKS and experience the interconnectedness among close reading, writing, editing, and revising. Educators will leave this workshop not only prepared for the remainder of the STAAR® institute, but also qualified to teach close reading and writing beyond STAAR.
We also invite to this workshop JSWP veteran teachers and coaches who have experience using the program in their classrooms and who would like to extend their knowledge and skills to become a JSWP OnSite or National Trainer. Please contact Dr. Deborah Louis at info@janeschaffer.com for more information.
Title: Informational Writing (LITERARY) for RLA Teachers
Date: August 2, 2023
Time: 8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.; Lunch – 11:45 to 1:00
Participants: Reading and Language Arts Teachers (Grades 9-12)
Pre-Requisite: August 1 workshop (First Year Teacher, Brownsville ISD New Hire, and/or Teacher Not “Officially” Trained by JSWP)
This professional development day focuses on preparing students for success in analyzing LITERARY WORKS to facilitate the students’ abilities and skills to read closely and to annotate, plan, organize, and develop logical and insightful short and extended constructed responses. Focusing on poetry, since it is the genre that tends to pose the greatest challenge to young readers and writers, teachers will learn strategies to help their students deconstruct poetry and communicate in writing their analysis. Teachers tell us that this day reminds them of why they wanted to become an English teacher! Teachers are asked to bring literary works, such as novels, dramas, short stories, and poetry, that they plan to teach in the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year.
Title: Informational Writing (NONLITERARY) for RLA Teachers
Date: August 3, 2023
Time: 8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.; Lunch – 11:45 to 1:00
Participants: Reading and Language Arts Teachers (Grades 9-12)
Pre-Requisite: August 1 workshop (First Year Teacher, Brownsville ISD New Hire, and/or Teacher Not “Officially” Trained by JSWP)
This professional development day is devoted to providing RLA teachers with strategies to guide their students in the close reading, prewriting, and development of short and extended constructed responses for NONLITERARY WORKS. Participants who attend both August 2 (LITERARY) and this workshop will have the added benefit of understanding and teaching the scaffolding of reading and writing skills for students to respond successfully to a prompt, whether that prompt requires a student to analyze a single passage and write a short constructed response or compare/contrast two passages in order to write an extended constructed response.
Title: ARGUMENTATIVE Writing for RLA Teachers
Date: August 4, 2023
Time: 8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.; Lunch – 11:45 to 1:00
Participants: Reading and Language Arts Teachers (Grades 9-12)
Pre-Requisite: August 3rd Nonliterary Workshop
Being able to develop an effective argument is an important skill for students in a controversial world. Argumentation builds upon informational writing; and, therefore, the culmination of this institute focuses on the argumentative essay or correspondence required on the STAAR as well as advanced courses. Teachers will learn and practice strategies for teaching the argument, including a thesis statement, concession, counterargument, and refutation. Also, participants will learn key argumentative concepts, such as ethos, logos, pathos, audience, purpose, and occasion.
Writing is about thinking, and the goal of the JSWP® Summer Institute is to help Brownsville ISD teachers develop discerning thinkers as well as skilled writers!