Poetry and Art
This interactive workshop is designed to promote creativity in the classroom through poetry and art. Teachers will be introduced to a variety of strategies to teach creative responses to works of visual art and photography. This workshop includes a power point presentation of paintings and photographs as well as poems written in response to them. Participants in the workshop will receive sample assignments and resources for teaching poetry-art in the classroom.
Strengthening Reading through Culturally Relevant Literature
This workshop provides teachers with methods and strategies for strengthening students’ reading skills through teaching culturally relevant literature. Teachers will be introduced to a variety of methods and strategies to strengthen students’ reading and writing skills through culturally relevant texts. Joan Parker Webster, in her book Teaching Through Literature, defines culturally relevant texts as literature in which students “can see themselves… represented accurately and respectively.”
The Creative Process
This workshop on the Creative Process is about the inspiration and the discipline of being a writer or artist. Steven and Reefka discuss their collaborations in creating the books and traveling exhibits Borderlines: Drawing Border Lives and The Magic of Mariachi. They also share insights into their creative processes and provide tips and techniques as well as valuable resources on how to stay in touch with your creative self. The workshop also includes information on how to establish yourself as an artist or writer.
