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Language Matters III: Talking Back to Morrison's Texts: From Reader to Writer–held in conjunction with the 5th Biennial Conference in Charleston, South Carolina, July 24-27, 2008.

In July 26, 2008, LMII teacher-facilitators Tonya Wells-Abari, Marjorie Lancaster and Frazier O’Leary conducted the workshop “Talking Back to Morrison’s Text: From Reader to Writer” at the Fifth Biennial Toni Morrison Conference (Toni Morrison and Modernism), held in Charleston, South Carolina. The primary purpose was to demonstrate ways to teach students how to analyze and write about Morrison’s work using new and innovative technologies.

The session included a discussion of many topics: why we teach Morrison to secondary students, challenges faced by students and teachers, and lesson plans for teaching students to write about the literature. Wells-Abari prepared a model PowerPoint as part of the workshop. The hour-long session was designed to mimic the structure of a high school teacher’s lesson plan. According to state and national standards in English/Reading, the lesson included the following necessary components: activator (warm-up), lecture, teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent student practice. Twelve conference participants attended the workshop.

Keynote Presentation

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