Workshop Descriptor:

Mountain-climbing builds muscle and confidence. It is difficult, exhilarating, strengthening, fun, and challenging. Mountains often represent the "high spots" in our lives, the times during which we are prepared for the trips into the valley.

Valleys may be mentally challenging. We are surrounded by people and relationship problems. They often represent the "low spots" in our lives, times in which our character and resolve are tested the most.

The future stands before our students, promising a mixture of mountains and valleys. Preparation on the mountain will be tested in the valleys.
Preparation in the valleys will be tested on the mountain.

Problems in the form of family breakdown, terrorism, peer pressure, fears, depression, and substance abuse challenge will their progress. Those who survive will be able to make the right decisions, to appreciate laughter, and to value family, friends, faith, and beauty that help them grow strong. They will be able to climb on the mountains and grow in the valleys. They will know who to trust on their journey.

How can literature prepare our students for the journey ahead?

To prepare our children to walk safely into the future, we must guide them through the mountains and valleys of others through stories of others who have climbed before them, and we must allow them to climb mountains in the form of challenges in our classroom curriculum! Literature helps them develop keen perception so they can recognize dangerous foot-falls, grow strong in moral character, and value problem solving skills. Literature units provide the challenge to perfect their muscle in problem solving and character development. Characters in Crispin by Avi and the Texas Bluebonnet Award Books for 2004-2005 have been through the valleys and have climbed the mountains. They model strong character traits, present opportunity to develop and sharpen problem solving skills necessary to climb the mountains before them, to appreciate laughter in the valleys, and to demonstrate the faith required to step forward from the edge of darkness.

Let this award-winning literature lead your students into an active, integrated curriculum that is rich in character, reading and math skills, science, social studies, research, problem solving, internet projects, and FUN...all keyed into Gardner's Multiple Intelligences and TEKS objectives with the creative TAKS practice. This authentic learning will help improve your students' preparation for the future...preparation that values right over wrong from character to TAKS! (On a mountain, one wrong step can be disasterous. In life and in standardized tests, it can, too!)

Participants will receive a 230 page guide filled with unique, active ideas--excellent for literary circles as well as for individual and whole class interaction. Join us for a breath of fresh curriculum that includes laughter, songs, character building, and problem solving through literature.

Workshop Focus:
Using the twenty Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominated Books for 2004-2005 as a vehicle, this workshop will focus on infusing the TEKS into an integrated, character-based curriculum correlated with Gardners' multiple intelligences. Based on flexible, fluent, and creative thinking, the activities inspire and challenge students to develop problem solving skills. Practice on high level skills will be included in the newest TAKS format as well as through logic puzzles, real-life projects, music, and cooperative learning.

Participants will ~
...receive 6 hours of gifted and talented credit
...be familiar with the content and possibilities of each of the newest Bluebonnet Books.
...participate in problem solving extensions of the books.
...explore internet and library resources that enable students to grow skillful in research and project building.
...understand the importance of their role in weaving character into every aspect of a child's life.

Workshop Schedule

The Little Red Schoolhouse