Bisti Writing Project Mini Grant: Planning and Budgeting Process Programs

 

The work of the Bisti Writing Project is to invite and support

a community of teachers who write and writers who teach.

 

Please submit this form to BWP directors at least one month in advance of your project. 

Send to:  Vicki Holmsten, holmstenv@sanjuancollege.edu

 

  • SLAMMIN’ THE SPOKEN WORD & Getting our Words Out: Tibbetts Middle School Collaboration

 

NARRATIVE

  • UNM spring 2009 children’s literature students and Tibbetts Middle School students have partnered in practicum experiences since FALL 2005. During Fall 2008, sixth and eighth graders have been involved in literature circle discussion of books such as Night, Diary of Anne Frank, Stones in Water, Dogsong, Prince of the Pond. UNM students serve as literary coaches, guides on the side in prompting and grooming middle schoolers in making personal, textual and global connections in the relevance of the stories they read.

 

Farmington Public Library is a valuable community resource and our UNM students partner with the library by contributing to their ongoing programs, attending their programs or volunteering at their hosted programs.

 

This Spring 2009, we are planning to invite Tibbetts middle schoolers in another literary experience, focusing on poetry. Twenty-five students in Leah Finch’s eighth grade Language Arts class and twenty-three Kelly Hanon’s seventh grade Language Arts class during 4th period (1:55-2:35pm) from February through May 2009.

 

Acknowledging that children are natural poets and that poetry is a natural form of expression, middle school seventh and eighth grade standards and benchmarks will be addressed during this creative project. Further, the project will provide an authentic and relevant learning opportunity that recognizes and validates students’ stories and experiences as curricular content and context for learning.

 

FPL Teen Zone (TZ) hosts a Poetry Slam each April in celebration of Poetry Month with award-winning New Mexico Slammers officiating the slam. Prior to the evening slam, teens are invited to a poetry writing workshop conducted by NM slammers. Spoken word poet and author, Lee Francis, of the Albuquerque Slammers and Silver City Slammers have conducted past poetry slams at the TZ and will also officiate the April Poetry Slam this year.

 

PROJECT DETAILS/TIMELINE (Spring 2009)

The vision of the project is collaborative and multifaceted.

FEB. 9 or 16     Lee Francis and two fellow slammers will perform one hour Slam Poetry performance for Finch

1:55- 2:55pm     and Hanon’s 4th period combined seventh and eighth grade Tibbetts Middle Schoole students who will participate in the project. The performance will introduce the spoken word art form followed with discussion of their creative writing process from start to finish and ending with student questions.

FEB 9-MAY 8   During the months of February, March and April, Tibbetts students will:

1.       explore various poetic forms through reading, writing and the creative writing process;

2.       maintain a poetry journal for writing, editing and collecting their own poems for sharing and performing;

3.       work with UNM literary coaches at least once a week on Mondays from 1:55-2:35pm;

4.       participate in peer writing conferences and teacher writing conferences;

5.       participate as performer and/or audience member in a culminating Tibbetts School Poetry Slam in May for students and family.

 

Leah, Kelly and Frances will communicate weekly about student writing, observations, student progress, planning and preparations. Frances will be the liaison with the Farmington Public Library, Teen Zone and Andrea Kristinas.

 

Project Community Collaborations include:

 

APRIL 18         FPL will host the 2009 Poetry Slam workshop and performance on April 18 officiated by New Mexico (Saturday)            award-winning Poetry Slammer Lee Francis among others. Tibbetts students will be invited to this  

community event as audience and/or performer.

 

 

MARCH 7        Poetry Slam for the community hosted by Andrea Kristina’s on March 7 or 14 in anticipation of

   or 14             April 18 Teen Zone Poetry Slam at FPL.

 

MARCH 6        Teen Zone publishes an annual literary Zine, Blended, and Tibbetts’ students will be encouraged to submit deadline           their poetry for publication. Poetry submission forms will be provided to Kelly and Leah for their students

and are also available online on the FPL Teen Zone webpage at www.blendedzine.com.

  

TUESDAYS      Teen Zone also sponsors a Poetry Writing Night on Tuesdays at 7pm. Tibbetts students will be encouraged 7pm                        to check this out as an opportunity to hang out with other teens who write poetry in building their own

supportive writing community. Kelly, Leah and UNM literary coaches may want to let students know when they will be at the library on Tuesday evenings.

 

MARCH 16       UNM literary coaches will provide bookmaking workshop as a repository for students’ completed poems.

 

BUDGET $800

  • BWP grant will provide for the transportation and small stipends for Lee Francis and two other poets to perform for Kelly Hannon and Leah Finch’s seventh and eighth graders on Feb. 9  or 16, in addition to 38 writing journals.

 

    • Round Trip Travel from Albuquerque to Tibbetts Middle School   ŕ  $1.70 gas X 360 miles =  $612.00
    • 3 poetry slam performance stipends for Lee Francis and two other Albuquerque poets $50 X 3 = $150.00
    • Purchase of inexpensive journals for Tibbetts Student Poets            ŕ     38 journals @ $1.00 = $  38.00

(Although there will be 48 students combined, some students may already have journals or opt to provide their own.)

 

    • This collaboration relies on matching funds from:
      • Farmington Public Library – hosting the April 18 Workshop & Poetry Slam and providing visiting poets with stipend, lodging and meals.
      • Andrea Kristina’s Coffee House – providing meals and beverages for visiting poets moderating Community Poetry Slam performance (March  7 or 14)
      • Tibbetts Middle School – providing classroom space for UNM students
      • University of New Mexico – printing costs incurred during project
      • Marriott Hotel – Donation of one night stay following Andrea Kristina’s Community Poetry Slam performance (March  7 or 14) for visiting poets.

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

  • Non-paid project leaders:
    • Frances Vitali, fvitali@unm.edu, UNM San Juan Center, 4601 College Blvd.| 566-3480 | 566-3482 (fax)
    • Leah Finch | lfinch@fms.k12.nm.us |Tibbetts Middle School, 312 E. Apache | 599-8613
    • Kelly Costanzo-Hanon |khanon@fms.k12.nm.us | Tibbetts Middle School, 312 E. Apache | 599-8613
    • Frances Vitali will be the liaison for coordinating payments for the project.

 

EVALUATION PLAN

  • Evaluation will be assessed in the following ways:
    • How students maintain their poetry journal with ideas, drafts and final revisions. How willing they are to initiate and sustain their own writing?
    • Student poets will be responsible for a minimum of three poems representative of different genre and styles. How many students fulfill or exceed this minimum requirement?
    • What is the level of participation as an audience member and/or performer at the Teen Zone Poetry Slam/workshop, Tuesday Poetry Nights?
    • Attending Andrea Kristina’s Community Slam (if deemed appropriate, in advance by the moderator)
    • How many student poets submitted their work (and how many pieces) to the Teen Zone Blended publication deadline?
    • UNM literary coaches will also be evaluated according to their planning, preparation and coaching their student poets. Weekly discussions of their coaching plans will be shared and discussed with their peers, Kelly, Leah and Frances. All coaches and teachers will maintain their own writing poetry journals.

 

AFTER-PROJECT REPORT & DATA REPORTING FORM

  • The BWP mini-grant required after-project report will include a brief narrative summary and the data reporting form of the project by May 22, 2009.