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Intrigued by the prospect of presenting at ICTE 2020?

Sharing your wisdom and presenting in front of your peers is a rewarding and incredible experience. Those who presented last year reported that the experience was exceedingly valuable. Elena Silla, who presented at last year's conference, explains why you should consider presenting at this year's event.

Elena Silla reflects on presenting at last year's ICTE conference. She explains how the experience not only allowed her to share strategies that were working in her classroom, but helped her to learn from those who attended her session.

Ready to serve as a presenter at this year's conference?
Proposal deadline extended to January 1, 2020

What practice has been the most joyful for your teaching? What classroom activities spark joy in your students? What keeps you joyful and excited about teaching or about being a literacy educator? Consider drafting a conference proposal that showcases your favorite resource, practice, or curricula to support other teachers in making literacy learning a joyful experience for students.

As you draft your proposal, please choose one of the following formats:

Panel Presentation: 50-minute session featuring two or more speakers who will engage the audience around a common theme or question, leaving at least 10 minutes for audience questions and responses.
Workshop: 50-minute interactive session led by one or more speakers who will engage attendees in activities around a central topic, question, or theme.
Individual Presentation: 20-minute presentation led by one speaker; individual presentations will be paired by level, topic, or theme to make up one 50-minute session.

All proposals should include some element of interaction with session attendees. Please submit your proposal that identifies which type of session you are proposing and that clearly explains its relation to the theme Sparking Joy in Teaching. Proposals will be blinded and reviewed by the Proposal Review Committee.

Proposal Deadline: January 1, 2020 (11:59 p.m. EST)

Presenters are required to register for the conference and are encouraged to participate in all conference activities. Representatives from the Indiana Department of Education will be on hand to distribute educator PGPs to participants.

Ready to Submit? Access the proposal form here.

Great books to intrigue your middle school students

by Leigh Anne Eck, George Rogers Clark Middle School

We are now well into the school year, and I thought I would share with you what my students have been reading. I always enjoy seeing what books other middle schoolers are reading and getting new book recommendations for my own students. Connecting students with books is one of the best parts of my job. Hopefully, these recommendations will help get your students reading as we approach the second half of the school year.

Hideout by Watt Key
Twelve-year-old Sam finds a mysterious boy in a hideout in the swamp and finds himself telling small lies to his parents which leads to big danger.

Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman
Lara’s online life and real life become entwined, and when secrets become exposed, the backlash is more devastating than what anyone imagines.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
This is a coming of age story about twins, Josh and Jordan, who learn that breaking the rules of the game, on the court and in life, comes with a price.

Alan Gratz has quickly become the author to read this year.

Code of Honor tells the story about two brothers. One sends a video stating he is a terrorist, and the other tries to prove it is a lie because of their childhood code of honor.

In Grenade, Hideki, a member of the Blood and Iron Student Corp on the island of Okinawa, is given a grenade and told to go kill an American soldier. Ray, an American soldier, lands on the island and comes face-to-face with Hideki – a meeting that changes everything.

Refugee is about the harrowing journey of three young people in search of refuge from persecution in their own countries. Readers learn the stories of Josef, a boy in 1930’s Nazi Germany; Isabel, a Cuban girl in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015, and how each of their lives become a story of hope and beautifully connected in the end.

Dry by Neal Shusterman
The taps have run dry in California. Alyssa’s community has become a war zone as her family and neighbors turn against each other in search of water. When her parents do not return from a trip to get water, she finds herself having to make impossible choices.

Guts by Raina Telgemeier
This newly released graphic novel is a memoir where the author shares the story of how her stomach troubles were connected to her worries about food, school, and middle school friendships. It’s a story of growing up, facing fears, and learning that talking with someone about your anxiety is really okay.

Lead a #BestBook Discussion at the ICTE Conference

Which books bring joy to you and your students? In this new roundtable, presenters will share a brief summary of a middle grade or young adult book they love and/or love teaching. They will also present some ideas for teaching the book. Roubdtables will allow for a robust discussion around these #BestBooks, with the goal of inroducing each other to new books and new ideas for teaching these books!

If you would like to serve as a presenter or respondent for this session, please complete this google form.

NCTE News

The annual conference is this week! NCTE leaders are hosting sessions on classroom assessment and are excited to hear from members about "what you’re doing in your classrooms to shift the way we talk about assessment." There will be two committee-sponsored sessions. Learn more about these focused sessions here.

In this blog post NCTE member Danah Hashem shares reasons why educators should consider using student-created podcasts in the classroom. She argues this experience allowed her students "a fun and adventurous way to dive deep into the intricacies of creating meaning and intended impact through writing." Her post can be found here.

Don't forget to meet us at NCTE 2019!

Stop by to connect with the ICTE Executive Committee and other Indiana English teachers for a fun, informal meet-up at the Pratt Street Ale House, located across the street from the Baltimore Convention Center. Enjoy a drink and some snacks on us while you share your ideas for the ICTE and hear about what is happening with the affiliate! Let us know that you plan to join us at the Pratt Street Ale House by clicking the button below.

Meet us in Baltimore!

We Need You!
Volunteer to Assist with the 2020 Conference:

If you are interested in helping to organize the conference and working with a team to promote literacy in Indiana, please consider volunteering to assist with the planning and execution of the 2020 conference.

Volunteer to Help with the ICTE State Conference

Become a Member of ICTE

Did a supportive friend or colleague forward this email to you? Would you like to learn more about the benefits of being a member of ICTE?

Indiana Council of Teachers of English welcomes all literacy teachers and advocates at all levels. If you would like to join ICTE and receive encouragement, support, and information about literacy, instruction, and policy, click the button below and sign up. It's free!

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Contact us at IndianaEnglishTeachers@gmail.com

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