Welcome Campers!
You’re invited to join us for four weeks of exploration and inspiration as we delve into the depths of creativity!
This camp is designed for educators who are eager to discover new ways of writing, unearth fresh ideas for the classroom, and embark on a writing adventure tailed for those with a sense of wonder! It’s about finding the writer inside of YOU who is just as eager to play and explore as your students — perhaps even more so!
We are excited to once again be offering this programing to teachers of ALL grades and at ALL levels of writing experience. Each week, we will focus on a different theme, guiding you through a series of engaging workshops, discussions, and writing exercises that are certain to reawaken your passion for writing and bring back the excitement of teaching writing when you return from summer. And what better way to do this than with the backdrop of a virtual writing camp experience!
Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting, this camps offers a supportive environment to explore your creativity, hone your skills, and connect with a community of like-minded teachers.
Are you ready to discover the writer within you? Join us on this exciting journey of what it means to be both a writer AND a teacher of writers!
Explore Uncharted Writing:
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Rise & Shine Campers
Tuesdays-Fridays @ 7 am CST
Join us in the morning for this one hour pop-in as you please writing session to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just mosey on down with your cup of coffee and write with your designated amp counselors for the week.
This is a time and space dedicated to your own personal writing journeys and you are encouraged to use this time according to your own needs!
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Writers Read Book Club
Dates & Times Vary
During our Writers Read Book Club, we will read Matt Haig’s novel The Midnight Library. The story follows the life of Nora Seed, who finds herself in a library between life and death, with the opportunity to try out alternate versions of her life and find the one where she truly belongs.
Each one-hour session will be loosely led by some guiding questions. However, Campers who attended Writing About Reading with Leigh Anne on July 8 will have the opportunity to share how we have written to make meaning as we read.
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Writing Workshops
Dates & Times Vary
Our camp experience centers on a journey through diverse writing workshops. We’ll embark on explorations in poetry, journaling, blogging, personal writing time and so much more!
Choose workshops that spark your curiosity and learn alongside our counselors and special guest speakers—published poets and authors actively engaged in their fields, eager to guide you on your own creative explorations. You can return to the classroom feeling like an expert as well!
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Fireside Chat & Challenge
Thursdays @ 7:30 pm CST
A more social outlet for those writers who enjoy taking on a challenge and having a chance to collaborate on writing.
Take some time once a week to meet up with your fellow campers to chat and challenge yourself in unique ways. Explore a new theme each week that will not only build your collection of mentor texts, but reinforce ideas and writing genres previously explored in workshops. You can find more details below.
The best way to grow as a writer is to show up to your writing every day.
Rise & Shine campers is just the way to kickstart your day with writing! Show up daily for either the full hour or pop in for 15 minutes — either way you’ll get a nice writing stretch in and begin the process of establishing a nice routine! Not only is the timing flexible, but the writing product as well. YOU bring the writing that YOU want to do: lists, letters, poetry, or prose.
Our rotating selection of camp counselors will welcome you onto our Zoom every Tuesday-Friday morning (8 am EST/7 am CST) for the duration of camp.
Week 1: July 09-12
Week 2: July 16-19
Week 3: July 23-26
Week 4: July 30-August 02
“Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out.” - Pam Allyn
Often during the school year we ask our students to read texts that they are expected to DO something with — whether that is a book report or a full-blown analysis. But when was the last time YOU tried writing based on the reading you’ve done?
This summer, we’re shifting the focus of our Writers Read Book Club to be about engaging with texts in ways similar to how we expect our students to and by the end of our time together have a better understanding for what it truly means to read as a writer and write as a reader.
Together, we will read an adult fiction book: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The story follows the life of Nora Seed, who finds herself in a library between life and death, with the opportunity to try out alternate versions of her life and find the one where she truly belongs.
Each one-hour session will be loosely led by some guiding questions. However, Campers who attended Writing About Reading with Leigh Anne on July 8 will have the opportunity to share how we have written to make meaning as we read.
Meeting 1 - July 8 Read Chapters 1-18.
Meeting 1 - July 15 Read Chapters 19- 36.
Meeting 2 - July 29 Read Chapters 37 to the End.
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Monday, July 8
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 9 am
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Book Club #1 - Writing About Reading (Leigh Anne) @ 11 am
Pre-Reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, chapters 1-18
Research shows that writing about reading improves comprehension. But how do we get kids to understand it doesn’t have to be the “broccoli of literacy?” It starts with teachers doing the work first. In this 1-hour workshop, you will learn authentic ways to write about your own reading so you can empower students to be thinkers and to ask questions and make meaning about what they are reading.
Tuesday, July 9
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Art of Letter Writing (Cheryl) @ 10 am
In this 1 hour workshop we will explore the ways in which handwritten letters can bring happiness and mindfulness back into your life. We will discuss how the simple act of slowing down our communication can lead to deeper and more meaningful thoughts. We will then engage in a bit of a letter writing challenge ourselves, using one of several letter writing prompts. Let's write a bit of ourselves down on paper and see where it takes us. You never know what impact you could have on someone's day! Then, make sure to join us for our special Mail Call on July 25!
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 5 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Wednesday, July 10
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Using AI to Connect Writers and Writing w/ Special Guest: Andy Schoenborn @ 9 am
Join Teach Write alumni and author of Creating Confident Writers, Andy Schoenborn as he leads a workshop on AI writing tools. AI tools that draw from large language models continue to complicate what it means to be and become a writer, as well as a teacher of writing. This one hour session will share strategies and examples for guiding students as they engage with AI in order to help them reclaim agency, as writers, over the technologies that they encounter.
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 6 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Thursday, July 11
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Poetry Toward Reclamation w/ Special Guest: Carlos Andres Gomez @ 10 am
Join Carlos Andrés Gómez (award-winning poet & author) for this workshop exploring how poetry can be a catalyst for reclamation: linguistic, cultural, narrative, and otherwise. Gómez will share some of his work and facilitate the close reading of poetry aligned with the theme.
Fireside Chat & Challenge: Leigh Anne’s Meet & Greet @ 7:30 pm
Let’s gather together to celebrate the start of another year of camp and make new friends! Come meet your fellow campers as we kick off our second year of summer camp. We will make sure to take the time to set some writing goals in addition to just taking them time to learn about your fellow campers and some of the exciting things waiting for you in the weeks ahead!
Friday, July 12
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Saturday, July 13
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 8:30 am
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Sunday, July 14
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 1 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
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Monday, July 15
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 9 am
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Book Club Meeting #2: Chapters 19-36 @ 11 am
Each one-hour session will be loosely led by some guiding questions as we read the adult fiction novel The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Campers who attended Writing About Reading with Leigh Anne on July 8 will have the opportunity to share how we have written to make meaning as we read.
Tuesday, July 16
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Writing Picture Books: Step by Step Guide to Crafting Your Own w/ Special Guest: Karen Nespoli @ 10 am
Join children’s book author and long time Teach Write member, Karen Nespoli, for this 90-minute workshop designed to get your creative juices flowing. I will walk you through children's book genres, foundations of storytelling with emphasis on character development and plot. Illustrations, cover and book design will also be discussed. Finally, you will put it all into practice by writing your first draft.
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 5 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Wednesday, July 17
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Nature Journal (Cathy & Christie) @ 10 am
Take an hour to slow down, observe and notice the wonder of the natural world through the experience of nature journals. Learn how to add nature journaling to your writing repertoire and your students’ writing practice as well. We’ll go over nature journaling basics and have a chance to give them a try. You will have the opportunity to share your journal entries and develop a game plan for your classroom or personal practice.
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 6 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Thursday, July 18
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Fireside Chat & Challenge: Heather’s BYOP Party @ 7:30 pm
This week we’re going on a scavenger hunt for poetry! You are invited to show up to our fireside with a poem (or two) in hand to share with the rest of the campers. We will not only read these poems aloud, but have a moment to share and celebrate why we love these poems AND/OR how we have used them in our classrooms. When you leave tonight it’s with a platter of new poetry to appreciate and love for yourself!
Friday, July 19
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Saturday, July 20
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 8:30 am
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Sunday, July 21
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 1 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
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Monday, July 22
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 9 am
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Playing Games With Writing (Erica) @ 11 am
Writing doesn’t have to always be serious and in fact many studies have shown that the act of play can have many positive benefits on mental health in adults. Join us as we bring together two of our favorite things – journaling and games – and play with the expectations we have of both! You won’t want to miss out on the fun that is to be shared with students when we don’t take ourselves too seriously!
Tuesday, July 23
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 5 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Wednesday, July 24
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Bringing Back Blogging (Erica) @ 1 p
This one hour workshop will focus on tips for bringing back your blogging practice and ways to transition from a writer's notebook to a successful blog post. I will share strategies for using blogs in the classroom and the impact it has had on my students. Finally, campers who attend this workshop will have some time to go back into their own blogs and create a post for today!
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 6 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Thursday, July 25
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Fireside Chat & Challenge: Cheryl’s Mail Call @ 7:30 pm
Earlier in the camping experience you may have started a bit of a letter writing campaign, here we are following up on that workshop. This evening we invite you to bring the pen pal letters and postcards you have sent or received during your time here and share them with the campers. Everyone loves getting mail and now seems like the perfect time to celebrate any postage we’ve received!
Friday, July 26
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Saturday, July 27
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 8:30 am
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Sunday, July 28
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 1 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
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Monday, July 29
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 9 am
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Book Club Meeting #3: Chapters 37-END @ 11 am
Each one-hour session will be loosely led by some guiding questions as we read the adult fiction novel The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Campers who attended Writing About Reading with Leigh Anne on July 8 will have the opportunity to share how we have written to make meaning as we read.
Tuesday, July 30
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Mind Your Mentors: A Poetry Workshop (Donnetta & Heather) @ 11 a
Mentor texts allow students to study writer’s craft, genre, and structure and are a great way to get students writing and utilizing what they discover. In this one hour workshop, you will be introduced to strong mentor poems and shown how to effectively study them. Participants will also practice using one of the mentor texts to write their own poem using the author’s craft and structure.
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 5 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Wednesday, July 31
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Beyond The Nature Journal (Cathy & Christie) @ 10 am
In this 75 minute offering we will begin with a shared nature journaling experience before shifting our observation skills from science and fact to creative and figurative. We will mine through our observations for images and connections to inspire further writing and work on a composition. Finally, we will discuss having your students use both their "scientist eye" as well as their "poet eye" to bring creative writing into science lessons.
Small Words & Small Critters w/ Special Guest: Tim Gels @ 6:30 pm
Join Teach Write alumni and Education Director of the Land Trust of North Alabama, Tim Gels, in this 90 exploration of the smaller side of nature. The natural world is oftentimes thought of as sweeping vistas, towering trees, or expansive views. During this workshop, though, we'll focus on the smaller aspects of nature as well as how to express what we see and feel in compact poetic forms such as couplets, haiku, tanka, and haibun. In addition, we'll experiment with combining poetry with visual imagery. Finally, we'll look at how resources such as field guides and other reference materials can provide inspiration and vocabulary for our work. Consider this an invitation to look closer at things we sometimes miss!
Thursday, August 1
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Self-Compassion in Nature Poetry w/ Special Guest: James Crews @ 10 am
Join editor, poet, and teacher James Crews as he shares poems and prompts from his upcoming book: Self-Compassion in Nature. Together we will read poetry, write in response to the poetry shared, and be in conversation about the process of arranging and sharing poetry in a meaningful way.
Fireside Chat & Challenge: Cathy’s Writing Into the Dark @ 7:30 pm
Let's gather together as day turns to twilight then night. You can write by a firelight, candlelight or flashlight as well as indoor or out. You are encouraged to bring a poem or two about night which will be shared with the group. We will pause to mindfully experience the change in light and the world around us as day ends. Following the shift, we will practice a quick writing exercise and a chat to share our writing and our thoughts about writing into the darkness.
Friday, August 2
Rise & Shine Campers (R&SC) @ 7 am
Join us in the morning to start your day off “write.” No check ins and no goal setting, just pop in with your coffee to write with your camp counselors for up to one hour.
Saturday, August 3
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 8:30 am
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
Sunday, August 4
Time To Write Workshop (TTW) @ 1 pm
1.5 hours each. Each workshop opens with a time to set and check on writing-based goals. We write for about one hour on any project of your choosing. Each Time to Write workshop ends with celebrations!
End of Camp Celebration Chat @ 7 pm
Every Thursday @ 7:30 pm CST
Week 1 / July 11 - Leigh Anne’s Meet & Greet
Let’s gather together to celebrate the start of another year of camp and make new friends! Come meet your fellow campers as we kick off our second year of summer camp. We will make sure to take the time to set some writing goals in addition to just taking them time to learn about your fellow campers and some of the exciting things waiting for you in the weeks ahead!
Week 2 / July 18 - Heather’s BYOP Party!
This week we’re going on a scavenger hunt for poetry! You are invited to show up to our fireside with a poem (or two) in hand to share with the rest of the campers. We will not only read these poems aloud, but have a moment to share and celebrate why we love these poems AND/OR how we have used them in our classrooms. Hopefully when you leave tonight it’s with a platter of new poetry to appreciate and love for yourself!
Week 3 / July 25 - Cheryl’s Mail Call
Earlier in the camping experience you may have started a bit of a letter writing campaign, here we are following up on that workshop. This evening we invite you to bring the pen pal letters and postcards you have sent or received during your time here and share them with the campers. Everyone loves getting mail and now seems like the perfect time to celebrate any postage we’ve received!
Week 4 / August 01 - Cathy’s Writing Into the Dark
Let's gather together as day turns to twilight then night. You can write by a firelight, candlelight or flashlight as well as indoor or out. You are encouraged to bring a poem or two about night which will be shared with the group. We will pause to mindfully experience the change in light and the world around us as day ends. Following the shift, we will practice a quick writing exercise and a chat to share our writing and our thoughts about writing into the darkness.
Camp Registration Information
Interested in joining this summer? Check out the plans available to you to make the most of your summer with Teach Write Summer Camp! Feel free to mix and match packages accordingly – there is plenty of room for customization so you can have the camp experience that is best for your schedule, budget, and needs!
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FREE with your Teach Write Academy membership!
Only applies if you are a current member of the Teach Write Academy or have purchased a membership by June 9.
You will need to stay enrolled in Mighty Networks through July’s payment.
The Teach Write Academy membership page will close on June 9.
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$100
Full Time Campers are here for the full experience – hence the name!
Full time campers will have the MOST access out of all of the packages and it’s the best deal because it also includes a month free membership to our Teach Write Academy in the Fall – meaning you can keep the fun of camp going into the school year and gain access to our ever-growing library of recordings and resources.
- Access to 19 Time to Write Sessions
- Access to 16 Rise & Shine Campers sessions
- Access to 4 Fireside Chat sessions
- Access to 3 Book Club Meetings
- Access to ALL 4 weeks of Teach Write Hosted and Special Guest Workshops
- Each week an email will be sent with links to Zoom Recordings of any missed Fireside Chats, Book Clubs, AND Teach Write Hosted and Special Guest Workshops
- 1 Month Free Pass to Teach Write Academy for August
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$30
The Day Camper is recommended for those individuals who only want to commit to one week of camp activities. Day Campers will be asked to select which week they want to attend AND will only have access to those workshops and events happening that week.
- Access to 2 Time to Write Sessions
- Access to 4 Rise & Shine Campers sessions
- Access to 1 Fireside Chat session
- Access to 3 Book Club Meetings
- Access to 1 week of Teach Write Hosted and Special Guest Workshops
- At the end of the week selected an email will be sent with links to Zoom Recordings of any missed Fireside Chats, Book Clubs, AND Teach Write Hosted and Special Guest Workshops
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$20
The Scout is a special pass that will allow you to come and go throughout camp without having to worry about attending a workshop. Instead you are just wanting some morning writing time and maybe a space to share writing in the evening. This is also a perfect add on to the Pop Up Camper if you are wanting to attend our Book Club meetings or Fireside Chats and only have interest in one workshop offering.
- Access to 4 Rise & Shine Campers sessions (NOTE: This does NOT have to be in one week)
- Access to 4 Fireside Chat sessions
- Access to 3 Book Club Meetings
- No recording will be available to Scouts
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$10
Choosing the Pop Up Camper is recommended for those individuals who only have one or two workshops that are of interest to them over the course of the camp experience. Pop Up Campers will be asked to select a SPECIFIC workshop from the 11 workshops offered.
- Access to 1 Time to Write Sessions
- Access to 1 Teach Write Hosted OR Special Guest Workshop
- No recording will be available to Pop Up Campers
Testimonials from the 2023 Camp Season
Questions?
Still not sure about something? Want to know more about our offerings this summer and what Teach Write is about? Please do not hesitate to email us: teachwrite.edu@gmail.com