MRA Adolescent Literacy Summit 2015 

Welcome to the 4th Manitoba Reading Association Adolescent Literacy Summit.

Group Registration - For schools or school division groups.  To register more than one person at the same time, choose Register Now and register the first person.  Check the ADD button to include additional colleague registration information.  You can  up to 15 people at one time.  Receipt and confirmation will be sent to the first person on the list.

Meals - Lunch is included in your registration fee.  If you have food allergies or dietary concerns, please indicate this when you register.

Refunds

Hotel Accomodations:   The following hotels have a block of rooms held for April 11-12 at the teachers’ MTS rate.   Rooms will be held until March 31, 2017.  Please reference Adolescent Literacy Summit when you book.   

Victoria Inn - $129/night    Call 1-204-775-7651   Quote #725607 for discount    

HIlton Inn & Suites - $199/night     Call 1-204-786-0929     Quote "MRA Summit" for discount

Breakout Sessions - There will be a variety of breakout sessions held throughout the day as outlined in the conference program.  These sessions will be on a first come first serve basis for seating. 

Scent Free - We respectfully request that you refrain from wearing perfume/cologne/scented products at the summit.  Thank you for your consideration.

W1 - Critical Literacy: Reading, Writing, and Rising Up         Keynote Speaker:  Linda Christiansen          Linda Christensen will speak about critical literacy from the perspective of her four decades as a classroom teacher and coach, discussing both political and practical aspects. She will share the ways she works with students to examine how any piece of literature—from cartoons to children's books to the literature and history we read in class—either legitimates or talks back to what Chilean writer, Ariel Dorfman, calls a "social blueprint" about what it means to be men, women, poor, people of color, gay or straight.

W2 - Encouraging Writing and Reading          Featured Speaker:  Eric Walters          Eric will discuss techniques and strategies he utilizes as a teacher and writer to encourage students to become more enthusiastic writers and readers, starting with his beginning as a teacher who wrote to engage his own students.            

W3 - Reflecting on a New ELA Curriculum        Speaker:  Shelley Warkentin and Marlene McKay                   Reflective practice, collaborative inquiry and ongoing professional dialogue are key factors that support teacher and student practice in ELA.  In this session, Shelley and Marlene will reflect together on teaching and learning practices related to ELA, explore new developments in Manitoba English Language Arts curriculum, and consider the insights, inquiry, and pictures of practice that emerged during the pilot process.

WT4 - Writing That Really Matters, Rethinking How and Why We Teach Writing          Speakers: Michelle Honeyford, Amanda Borton, Jacquie Neufeld, Katya Adamov Ferguson, Cathy Oresnik, Chas Findlay, Robyn Grehan (University of Manitoba)          This session will feature a panel of teachers who will take us into their classrooms and into the writing projects that have mattered to their students.  Together we'll explore why we write:  how writing can expand students' understanding of and relationships with people, places, artifacts, concepts and issues that matter.  They will also explore how they teach writing: how writing connects to reading, inquiry, social justice and interdisciplinary studies and the interests students have in multimodal writing and publication.

W5 - Using Literature to Introduce Truth and Reconciliation in Secondary English      Featured Speaker: Niigann Sinclair          Would you like to use literature written by Aboriginal authors from across Canada as a means of exploring truth and reconciliation?  If so, this workshop is where you will want to be as Niigann Sinclair will examine how you may want to address this topic in a secondary English classroom and provide you with literature appropriate for a secondary English class.

W6 - Cool, Loud, and Everywhere: Being a Book Advocate         Speaker: John Schumacher          John Schumacher, AKA Mr. Schu, is internationally knows for his expertise in children's literature and for igniting a passion to read.  He will share his experiences in promoting a culture of reading among students, staff and parents.

W7- Author Panel        Facilitated by: John Schumacher          Authors: Eric Walters, Marsha Forchuk, Skrypuch, and David Robertson           

W8 - Ignite Presentations         Enlighten us, but make it quick!  Dynamic 5-minute presentations where a presenter speaks while  20 slides display for 15 seconds each, advancing automatically to support the speaker.  Join this fast-paced session to hear nine varied presentations showcasing Manitoba educators.  Breaks will provide an opportunity to network and dialogue.  Complimentary appetizers and cash bar for attendees at Ignite Presentations.      

T1 - Would you want to be a student in your own classroom?  Strategies to Engage All Learners     Keynote Speaker: Pernille Ripp        Pernille will help both novice and seasoned teachers create a positive, interactive learning environment where students drive their own academic achievement.  You'll discover how to make fundamental changes to your classroom so learning becomes an exciting challenge rather than a frustrating ordeal.  Attendees will discover practical strategies for how to build a working relationship with your students based on mutual trust, respect, and appreciation, be attentive to your students' needs and share ownership in the classroom.  This session is meant to inspire you, help you take some risks, and eagerly pursue your journey toward a classroom filled with passionate learners.

T2 - A Picture Book Taught Me This         Featured Speaker: Pernille Ripp          While picture books are a staple of the elementary classroom, there often is no place for them with our older students, yet these are the students that need picture books the most.  Discover how picture books can help older students close read, access complex content, conquer abstract thinking, become stronger writers, as well as spark their love of reading again all through the use of carefully selected picture books. 

T3 - Supporting the Teaching and Learning of Disciplinary Literacies in Manitoba       Speakers:  Shelley Warkentin           What if teachers explored how to apprentice students to their expertise as readers and thinkers in their subject areas?  What if schools were also able to create dedicated time and space for this literacy work to happen within and beyond the subject area classroom?  Participants will consider how schools have explored these questions through Reading Apprenticeship and Reading is Thinking.   

T4 - Using Comics for Healing and Reconciliation     Speaker: Richard Van Camp          Richard will talk about how he's using comic books and graphic novels to address some of the hardest hitting issues facing all communities and, at the same time, he braids his Tlicho culture, humour and insight into cultural resilience to create works like Kiss me Deadly, Path of the Warrior, Three Feathers, Spirit, The Blue Raven and the Eisner Award nomiated, A Blanket of Butterflies.

T5 - Bringing Comprehension Skills Alive       Speaker: Sandra McTavish          Are you trying to teach comprehension skills to your secondary English students, but struggling to bring skills like "monitoring comprehension" and "making an inference' engaging?  This workshop will examine the key comprehension strategies that effective readers use when making meaning from texts.  For each strategy, you will be provided with some fun, engaging activities that you could implement immediately in your own secondary English classroom with students at any level. 

T6 - Celebrating the Great Mystery of Life Through Story and Connection     Speaker:  Richard Van Camp           Tlicho author and internationally renowned storyteller, RIchard Van Camp, will share stories about his life that will inspire your own.  We promise!  Get ready for hilarity and awe.

T7 - Student Panel - Making Their Thinking Visible         Facilitator: Richard Van Camp        Join us for a fishbowl activity where students share their thoughts about critical literacy with author Richard Van Camp.  What challenges them?  How are they inspired and empowered by the texts they read?