Buzzards Bay Writing Project (BBWP) at UMass Dartmouth's Center for University, School and Community Partnerships (CUSP) was awarded $20,000 in funding from the National Writing Project
The Buzzards Bay Writing Project (BBWP) at UMass Dartmouth's Center for University, School and Community Partnerships (CUSP) was awarded $20,000 in funding from the National Writing Project. The grant award will be put toward teacher and student professional development at B. M. C. Durfee High School in Fall River.
BBWP has developed a three part project that will meet the needs of teachers and their goals of fostering student achievement. At the core of the project is the philosophy that the best professional development happens with "teachers teaching teachers".
In the first part of the project, during the fourth term BBWP teacher consultants will work with two classes of junior year students at Durfee on the college application process. Students will be exposed to the style and nuances of college level writing and will develop skills that can be used to enhance the drafts of their college application essay.
The second part of the BBWP project includes 10 hours of professional development dedicated to teachers within the English Department. The focused professional development allows it to be specifically tailored to the needs of the individual teachers.
Finally, the project will culminate in a BBWP Special Summer Institute. Participants will write daily, present and experience demonstration lessons, and meet with response groups to share personal and professional pieces. Research, text and article readings, and discussion will help each participant identify and work on an inquiry question relevant to their own classroom practice.
BBWP teacher consultants administering this project include site director Diana Grady, inservice director Donna Callanan, grants consultant Dorothea Maynard, and Summer Institute director Kim Sutherland.
The Buzzards Bay Writing Project (BBWP) is a nonprofit K-16 professional development provider that serves teachers at all grade levels. The mission of BBWP is to promote exemplary instruction in writing for every classroom and in all disciplines. BBWP is part of the Massachusetts Writing Project (MWP), a statewide network of National Writing Projects.