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Since 1994,
Writers in the Schools (WITS) has brought professional writers to public
schools to inspire students' understanding of the human experience through
reading, writing, and performance. WITS writers-in-residence
work with teachers to create a curriculum that gives students an entire
class each week to create, present, and receive peer feedback on their
writing.
Ha Jin, Jack Prelutsky, Adam Gopnik, Frank McCourt, Pam Houston, Terry Tempest Williams, Christopher Paul Curtis...these are just a few of the authors who visited a local public school this year or last through the WITS program. From Frank McCourt's hilarious account of his teaching career, to Terry Tempest William's moving group writing activity with students at the Hutch School (for students living in Seattle while a family member receives treatment at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance), each visit makes its own kind of magic. By bringing authors and students together, WITS provides relevant role models for writing. Serving as role models on a weekly basis in classrooms are local professional writers, such as current Seattle Poet Populist Jourdan Keith. Every Tuesday, Jourdan visits Cleveland High School to spark students to write, give them feedback on their work, and encourage them to share the results. In 24 schools, for 8,300 students and 200 teachers, WITS is making a difference every day, one young writer at a time.
WITS has proven to inspire student and teacher excellence in reading and writing; to improve students' writing, confidence, and interest in writing; and to establish the foundation for a lifelong commitment to the language arts. Over the past decade, WITS has reached more than 50,000 students and 800 teachers, creating a lively and growing community of writers in our region. Read our annual evaluation summary to hear what students and teachers have to say about WITS.
For more information about WITS, please contact Elizabeth Ames Staudt, Program Manager, at 206-621-2230 x13 or elizabeth@lectures.org. Frequently
Asked Questions About WITS |