The National Writing Project at UNF
Who We Are
We are a collaborative network of educators with a shared mission of advancing student writing in the K-12 classroom. Housed at the University of North Florida, the Seven Bridges Writing Project is a growing community of elementary, middle, and high school teachers from districts in Northeast Florida and faculty from UNF’s College of Education and Human Services and the College of Arts and Sciences. Through our Summer Institute we aim to provide professional development that fosters student engagement with writing while supporting teachers as writers. We also host a Seven Bridges Professional Development Event one Saturday during the year and offer professional development for schools year-round.
The Summer Institute applies the National Writing Project’s philosophy of “teachers teaching teachers.” This three-day institute is designed to inspire and support K-12 teachers and district leaders in Northeast Florida to better their practice in offering engaging writing instruction to students. The Summer Institute also provides an opportunity to develop your voice as a writer.
The National Writing Project
The University of North Florida serves as the regional site for the National Writing Project (NWP). As the only NWP site in the region, we serve students and teachers across a 100-mile radius focusing on research-based ways to engage students in empowerment through writing. We serve stakeholders throughout the northeast Florida and southeast Georgia regions.
NWP Summer Institute
Join us for our three-day Summer Institute at UNF from Monday, June 24 to Wednesday, June 26, 2024
The National Writing Project at the University of North Florida, also known as the Seven Bridges Writing Project, is proud to announce its fourth annual Summer Institute, to be held on the campus of the University of North Florida. The Institute is open to all K-12 teachers in Florida and Southeast Georgia. Participants will attend general sessions on the teaching of writing, which also celebrates teachers as writers. These whole group sessions are followed by a series of interactive content and grade specific breakout sessions taught by UNF faculty and fellow teachers. Monday and Tuesday end with a final whole-group session and Wednesday ends with a celebratory catered lunch.
Come see what teachers have called the "best and most engaging professional development I've ever had!"
Applications for the 2024 Summer Institute are now open!
Format
Monday - Wednesday, June 24- 26, 2024
Participants will begin the day with a general session that includes time to connect and share ideas with fellow teachers. The afternoon sessions consist of a series of content-specific and interactive breakout sessions.
- Workshops are led by both UNF faculty and practicing teachers
- Breakout sessions are based on grade levels and writing topics
- Elementary and secondary sessions focus on practical strategies for engaging writing instruction
- Coffee and a light breakfast are provided each morning, and a full lunch will be served on Wednesday
Who can participate?
K-12 teachers and district leaders across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia
Costs
$75 for a three-day institute packed with practical teaching strategies that inspire a renewed passion for writing in and out of the classroom. Register now!
Benefits
- Participating teachers can earn professional development credits and will be given a Certificate of Completion on the final day
- Participating teachers can use this institute to partly fulfill an online graduate course
- Participants will be provided with free parking, coffee and breakfast, snacks, and a special SBWP notebook
- Participants become part of an ongoing reading and writing community and may be eligible to become NWP Teacher Consultants for their district
- Participants improve their practice in offering engaging writing instruction to students while also developing their voices as writers
Are you interested in using the Summer Institute towards a graduate credit?
For the first time we are offering an option that allows participants to use the Seven Bridges Writing Project Summer Institute to partly fulfill an online course titled "Writing for All Learners K-5" taught by Dr. Hale, co-director of the Seven Bridges Project.
For any questions please email Dr. Liz Hale at e.rozas@unf.edu.
The Seven Bridges Writing Project is accepting breakout session proposals!
If you have previously attended one of our Seven Bridges Summer Institutes or our Saturday workshop, we invite you to submit a proposal to present a 90-minute breakout session at the 2024 Summer Institute. We encourage sessions that are interactive in nature. Accepted presenters will have the registration fee waived in addition to receiving a stipend of $150.
To submit a proposal please submit the following:
- Your name
- Your School
- Grade level/s you teach or work with
- Title of Your Session
- Indicate whether this would be for Elementary, Secondary or K-12/General
- A paragraph that describes the topic and nature of your session. We encourage you to describe how the session will be interactive.
Send your submission to Dr. Liz Hale at e.rozas@unf.edu by April 30, 2024.
About Us
Linda Howell, Co-Founder of SBWP and Director of the Writing Program & Center
Linda is a native New Yorker who has adopted Florida as her home for many years now. When she is not directing the program and center, she teaches and researches writing pedagogy, first year writing, and fan and media studies. Her area of research is plagiarism and digital literacies. On her down time, she likes to watch food competition shows, movies, and produce fan fiction and fan videos. She is the momma to two beautiful orange tabbies, Sam and Dean. And yes, those names are inspired by Supernatural.
Elizabeth Hale, Co-Director
Dr. Elizabeth Hale is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the University of North Florida's College of Education and Human Services who previously worked for nine years as a teacher and literacy coach in Boston Public Schools. The author of two books on K-6 writing, her research focuses on supporting engagement with and comprehension of informational texts at the elementary and middle school level as well as using writing to deepen students' critical thinking about texts. Elizabeth received her Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her M.A. from Teachers College at Columbia University.
Kadesh Lauridsen, Associate Instructor
Dr. Kadesh Lauridsen is an Associate Instructor and Writing Consultant for the University of North Florida Writing Program and Center. She earned a Master of Arts in English (2006) and PhD in English (2012) from the University of Florida. She teaches first-year writing, creates curriculum for Summer Bridge Programs and First-Year Writing courses, and is working on creating a publishing forum for first-year students. . Her interests include Jane Austen and women's writing of the long eighteenth century. Kadesh has an entry forthcoming in the Cambridge Guide to the English Novel, 1660 - 1820.
