I am pleased to write this letter in support of Literacy Support System's efforts to support New York City schools with outstanding professional development. I have known Mimi Aronson and Artie Voigt, the directors of the organization, for twenty years, both through work in New York City schools and through their participation in national literacy organizations. I know them to be knowledgeable and supportive of teacher professionalism, as well as to be hubs in a network of literacy experts from around the country. I have learned much from both of them, and most of the excellent literacy educators in the Tri-State area would say the same.
I also know many of the consultants who work with this organization, such as Carl Anderson, Dorothy Barnhouse, Susan Stires, Vicki Vinton, Joanne Hindley, and Shelley Harwayne. These are the very people that my writing project here in Texas employs, even for single days, flying them across the country, in order to attempt to provide teachers here with access to the quality of professional development offered on a daily basis by Literacy Support Systems. This team represents some of those who were and are in the vanguard in the teaching of reading and writing for the past two decades. These are national figures, and I know they are, first and foremost, committed to improving instruction for students in New York City schools.
As I'm sure the Department of Education is already aware, Ms. Aronson and Mr. Voigt and their colleagues are both respectful of teachers and also insistent on high-quality instruction for children. They have an amazing ability to support teachers in thinking through the detailed modifications to classroom practice necessary for literacy achievement. I enthusiastically support their application. Yours very sincerely,
Randy Bomer
Director, Heart of Texas Writing Project Associate Professor Language & Literacy Studies Department of Curriculum & Instruction The University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station Austin, TX 78712 512-232-4861
San Diego Unified School District
Thurgood Marshall Middle School 9700 Avenue of Nations(858) 549-5400
San Diego, CA92131Fax:(858) 549-5490
June 26, 2008
Respectfully To Whom It May Concern,
Hello.My name is Wendy Karch, and I am middle school teacher with San Diego City Schools.
I currently teach 6th and 7th grade English.Previous to last year, I taught 5th grade at Dingeman Elementary. Both schools are located in Scripps Ranch, California. Over the last five years, I have had the privilege of attending numerous workshops and writing conferences given by Mimi Aronson and Literacy Support Systems. As a new teacher in 2003, I benefited tremendously by the professional writing workshop sessions Mimi taught and facilitated. Her teachings equipped me with the foundation to teach using the true writing workshop model. Now, five years later, I consider myself a successful writing teacher as a result of the continued professional development I receive from Literary Support Systems.
Mimi’s expertise and knowledge of the writing process deepened my understanding to become an experienced teacher of writing.In addition to the research-based theory she presented, she provided necessary modeling within our classrooms to watch and hear what the process looks and sounds like.Moreover, Mimi provided me with excellent professional resources, mentor children’s books, and step-step lesson plans to launch each unit of genre study.More importantly, I learned how to write alongside my students each day to provide for strong modeling.
One outstanding message from Mimi’s workshops that resonates with me and is a cornerstone of my teaching of writing is the emphasis she placed on the need to regularly assess and confer with students.This critical piece of the workshop model is a must in order to better understand where they are as writers, and take them on a journey to deepen and expand their skills and stamina.As a result of the writing work I’ve done in my classroom over the last few years, I have moved students from basic to proficient, and many to advanced levels of mastery.
Mimi Aronson’s extensive knowledge and experience as a teacher of writing within K-8 classrooms, along with her excellent professional resources provide for effective, rich and successful writing conferences.
If you would like to contact me, I can be reached at wkarch@sandi.net. Sincerely. Wendy Karch Teacher
Exploring Literacy Instruction within the Content Areas Facilitator: Lauren Benjamin
Investigate and identify ways in which we can match up the teaching of reading, writing, and content in a manner that allows us to teach the writer, the reader, the researcher, etc. not simply the book, the topic, or the written piece.In other words, identifying ways in which we can use the workshop setting to be the vehicle from which to deliver content instruction while simultaneously addressing the needs of our readers and writers thus maintaining the integrity of the workshop.
To identify strategies for the teaching of reading and writing in conjunction with content areas To develop mini-lessons for teaching student readers and writers using both fiction and non-fiction texts in connection with content areas
To examine the integration of content into guided reading, shared reading, read aloud, etc.
June 25, 2008
To Whom It May Concern:
We are third grade teachers at PS 89 and we have had the privilege of working with Mimi Aronson for the last three years.In that time she has worked in our classrooms to develop and improve the reader’s and writer’s workshop as well as develop professional development to help us support the students’ academic success. In that short time we have noticed how our students work has progressively improved.Across the board, our students have developed better strategies and techniques for reading and writing which resulted in the increased enthusiasm towards literacy in general.Our “at risk” students who were once hesitant to write or were not creative in their work, all of a sudden found a new world to explore within their own writing. Furthermore, we’ve seen how her program has generated excitement among our colleagues who have participated in her program and who have tracked the progress of the students’ improvement over the last three years.Although hesitant in the beginning to change our teaching methods, Mimi’s dedication as well as the students’ success has made us really believe and support this program wholeheartedly.As teachers we have been able to raise the academic level of our third grade students and better prepare them for the state exams.Moreover, our participation in the many literacy workshops she has put together has enhanced our skills as teachers and generated excitement and interest among other teachers who have not worked with her as yet. Mimi Aronson is an invaluable asset to our school, and we are very excited to continue working with her in the future. Sincerely, Jaime DeVaney Stephanie Fortuna
