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THE PHILADELPHIA WRITING PROJECT

A Celebration of Writing and Literacy

For more than 20 years, the Philadelphia Writing Project has convened A Celebration of Writing and Literacy, an annual conference presented by and for Philadelphia educators. 

Join local educators for a day of learning, reflection, and joy as we share promising practices and resources for supporting writing and literacy among young people! 

This year's conference theme is “Creating Brave Spaces in Schools and Communities: A Celebration of Writing and Literacy.” The conference is co-hosted by the Philadelphia Writing Project, the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia (TIP), Penn GSE, and the Penn Museum

Kid Writing: A Tool for Learning

Kid Writing is designed to accelerate the reading and writing skills of young learners through structured activities that help teachers individualize instruction and develop students’ phonics, spelling, and writing skills.

College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP)

The College, Career, and Community Writers Program engages middle and high school teachers in an inquiry around teaching and assessing academic argument writing in their classrooms. The three-day Advanced Institute focuses on a study of selected books and encourages teachers to explore and adapt curricular resources. Throughout the year, teachers will meet six times to discuss student work, collaborate on units, and explore ideas around the discourse of academic argument writing. Read more about the C3WP Research Report.

Learn more about the College, Career, and Community Writers Program

Kid Writing Resources for Teachers

The Kid Writing process was first developed in Philadelphia in the 1990’s by PhilWP Teacher Consultants Eileen Feldgus and her colleague Isabel Cardonick, former teachers in the School District of Philadelphia.

Their published work, Kid Writing in the 21st Century: A Systematic Approach to Phonics, Spelling, and Writing Workshop (Feldgus, Cardonick, & Gentry, 2017), is written for teachers who are interested in implementing Kid Writing in the classroom. 

Inquiry Communities

The Philadelphia Writing Project believes that teachers are best supported when they are provided the space to explore their practice in a collaborative setting with other practitioners. Establishing inquiry-based communities to better the teaching of writing has been a central tenet of PhilWP’s work since 1986. 

Teaching with Primary Sources

Since 2017, we have integrated sources and strategies from the Library of Congress' Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Regional Program into ourInvitational Summer Institute. In 2020, we sponsored an Advanced Institute on Writing, Learning, and Leading and partnered with School District of Philadelphia Learning Networks 2 and 11 to expand our leadership capacity around teaching with primary sources. Our work has been funded by generous PhilWP supporters and TPS Eastern Region grants. In 2020-2021, PhilWP TCs are planning a series of webinars on teaching with primary sources to support writing, inquiry, reflection, and justice-oriented action in our classrooms. If you have a webinar topic to suggest, contact Trey Smith

Literature Circle

Educators convene in a Literature Circle to discuss selected books often used in Philadelphia classrooms or books that support curriculum. A variety of themes are covered from year to year including gender in the classroom to cultural valuation in communities. Educators collaborate in a number of ways to consider powerful themes, strategies, and resources for literature.

Marci Resnick Teacher Fund

The Marci Resnick Teacher Fund awards are made in the memory of Marci Resnick, a longtime elementary school teacher, who was also director of the Philadelphia Writing Project and associate director of National Programs for the National Writing Project. Through her love of children, her passion for literacy and the arts, and her commitment to teacher networks, she brought excitement about learning to her students, her colleagues in Philadelphia, and thousands of teachers throughout the country. The Marci Resnick Teacher Fund was created to honor her life and work.

PhilWP Scholar

Since 1986, PhilWP has selected a teacher consultant to serve full-time as the PhilWP Scholar at Penn GSE. Supported by a fellowship provided in part by the Dean of the Graduate School of Education, the scholar spends two semesters on leave from the School District of Philadelphia to take graduate level courses through the Reading, Writing, and Literacy Program. To be considered for this opportunity, you must have successfully completed the Summer Invitational Institute. Interested PhilWP teacher consultants should contact the PhilWP office for more information. 

Publications Committee

The Publications Committee supports the publication of teachers’ writings in the PhilWP Journal. Interested TCs should contact the PhilWP office to learn more about opportunities to work with the committee.

Invitational Summer Institute – Hybrid Course

The Philadelphia Writing Project is open to all teachers in all Philadelphia schools. To become a Teacher Consultant and join our network of more than 800 teachers, you must complete the Invitational Summer Institute. Teachers who have successfully completed the Invitational Summer Institute are invited to take part in additional programs for PhilWP Teacher Consultants.

Read more about the Invitational Summer Institute

Read about the Advanced Invitational Summer Institute and how to apply here.