Picturing Writing Summer Institute 2024
Week of June 24-28, 2024 via Zoom
Immerse yourself in captivating, highly scaffolded,
evidence-based methods for advancing students’ writing.
Join originator Beth Olshansky to experience the Picturing Writing process firsthand. Take a deep dive into the dynamic relationship between pictures and words across multiple genres. Learn proven methods to engage your wide range of learners while advancing their writing skills. Experience many unique layers of scaffolding afforded by this rich visual/verbal approach.
Witness for yourself “the magic” of bringing words and pictures together; then learn how to teach your students how to make their pictures “come alive.”
In my story, when I read it to the class, the animals came to life out of thin air! – Jared, grade 2
Picturing Writing: Fostering Literacy Through Art® is an innovative, evidence-based approach to teaching writing designed to meet the needs of your diverse learners. Through the use of simple crayon resist art techniques, the study of quality picture books, and an on-going Artist/Writers Workshop, this highly scaffolded, multimodal approach gives students access to visual as well as verbal tools for developing and recording their ideas. Because pictures offer a universal language, Picturing Writing allows students to enter the reading/writing process from a position of strength and enthusiasm. It provides an enticing, alternative pathway into writing for English Learners and others who struggle.
The picture has a lot of details which helps me write, so I can write more detailed things. – Oolena, grade 5
This year’s virtual summer institute offers several registration options to better accommodate individual needs. Teachers can still sign up for the much-loved weeklong intensive, exploring writing across 5 genres. Those who have already taken an Intro to PW can sign up for the more advanced research-based units. Teachers of younger students may choose to sign up for the foundational introductory units: Time of Day, Weather Poetry, Animal Trifold Units.
Picturing Writing is easily aligned with grade-level ELA Standards while also addressing content area curriculum. Supported by best practices and decades of independent research, this unique proven practice offers concrete visual tools to ensure your students’ success.
No previous art experience necessary!
Listen to teacher reflections.
Writing used to be hard for me, but now it’s easy. All I have to do is look at each picture and describe some things I see. Now writing is my favorite part of school.
– David, grade 2
Registration deadline: May 15, 2024
Picturing Writing Summer Institute
Location: Your home via Zoom
When: June 24-28, 2024
NEW REGISTRATION OPTIONS!
Intro to PW (Time of Day & Weather Poetry units) – 1.5 days
Time: M 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET, Tues. 8:00 AM – noon ET
*Cost: $750 (includes materials)
1 grad credit available
Intro to PW (Time of Day & Weather Poetry) PLUS Research-Based Animal Trifold Unit
Time: M 8:00-2:30 ET, Tues. 8:00- noon ET, and Wed. 8:00 – 2:30 ET
*Cost: $1050 (includes materials)
1 or 2 grad credits available
PW Research-Based Animal Trifold & Stories – 3 days
Time: W-F 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET
*Cost: $1050 (includes materials)
2 grad credits available
Full week: all 4 PW units across 5 genres – 4.5 days
Time: MWThF 8:00 AM- 2:30 PM; Tues. 8:00 AM – noon ET
*Cost: $1650 (includes materials)
3 grad credits available
Intro to PW highly recommended prior to taking second session.
*Cost includes all workshop art & instructional materials (teacher manual for each unit, PW mentor texts, posters & artists frame) shipped directly to you, plus access to online instructional videos.
Discounts available
Sign up with a colleague for $50 off your Summer Institute registration. Use coupon code PWSI-FRIEND *AND* add your colleague’s name to the Order Notes field at checkout.
Graduate credits
Graduate credits available through SNHU at $150 per credit; additional credits available for classroom implementation.
SNHU Credit (1)
SNHU Credits (2)
SNHU Credits (3)
Picturing Writing Classroom Kit options available
$555 for 20 students; $620 for 24 students
(plus $45 for shipping a 40+ lb. box)
Picturing Writing Classroom Kit for 20 Students
Picturing Writing Classroom Kit for 24 Students
Questions: Contact Beth at [email protected] or (603) 659-6018
Cancellations will be charged a $50 processing fee; Cancellation after workshop materials have been shipped will be charged $50 plus the cost of materials and S&H.
This workshop was honestly one of the best I have ever participated in, a beautiful combination of art and writing. The high-quality mentor texts, vocabulary and writing development, embedded content, and S.E.L. make this a highly useful project-based learning approach suitable for a wide range of learners.
– Sara, EL K-5, Rutland, MA
Picturing Writing has been one of the highlights of the first few months of school, not only for myself but also for my students. My class population consists of 8 students with Individualized Education Plans in Special Education and 6 students remaining in the general education classroom all day. I have 3-4 students writing at the first/second grade level. I had no faith in my students. I still feel terrible that I ever doubted them because what they have been able to produce this trimester is absolutely incredible. Their descriptive language has blown me away.
– Kelly MacDonald, fourth grade teacher
Picturing Writing offers an approach that engages, balances, and integrates all the components of reading development, including comprehension (visualization, understanding story elements, encoding skills, vocabulary both oral language and written) with writing development. Having implemented other themes through Picturing Writing, I can state that I’ve had the privilege of seeing children who resist reading and writing begin to develop a strong sense of themselves as readers and writers.
– Rachel Kuklinski, Reading Specialist
I have never felt like an artist and this workshop has made me feel so confident!
– Christina Russo, fourth grade teacher
This was the best workshop I’ve ever been to! I learned how impactful it can be to paint first – words come much more easily afterwards.
– Andrea Moreau, sixth grade teacher