Classroom Teachers & After School Programs Staff Development Sessions Building Community and Developing Team Skills: Creative Writing and Performance This interactive workshop will explore innovative ways of using poetry and drama to develop literacy, collaboration and community-building skills as well as foster peer mentoring.  Through a hands-on creative project, this workshop will have a dual focus of exploring creative classroom management techniques and using poetry to develop performance skills.  This workshop will give you hands-on writing and performance exercises and ideas of how to encourage participants to write and work together to explore their voices and visions as a community. Building Community and Developing Team Skills: Creative Writing and Visual Arts This interactive workshop will explore innovative ways of using simple visual arts activities to develop literacy, collaboration and community-building skills.  Through a hands-on creative project, this workshop will have a dual focus of exploring creative classroom management techniques and using poetry in conjunction with visual arts activities. This workshop will give you hands-on writing and visual arts exercises and ideas of how to combine the two art forms to encourage students to work together to create a collective creative expression. Word Games and Homework Help with Community~Word Project  Levels One & Two Experience innovative methods of using creative word games and performance games to improve group dynamics and literacy.  This interactive workshop will give you ideas for exploring different ways of building vocabulary, integrating homework help into your group activities and using word games as beginning steps in getting after-school participants writing their own stories, poems and plays.  The workshop will also model how to develop creative classroom management techniques. NOTE: If your site has participated in this workshop before, please request Level Two, which will include time dedicated to curriculum development and how to further develop the arts and literacy exercises. Reading the World: Developing Literacy through Creative Writing and Image-Making This interactive workshop will explore innovative ways of using creative writing and visual arts together to help students develop tools for expressing their perspective on the world around them.  The workshop will model activities that combine neighborhood walks, photography, drawing and creative writing to lead students through reflecting on their surrounding communities while developing literacy, collaboration and community-building skills.  The workshop will also include ideas for presenting student workthrough creation of simple books and visual displays. Using Children¹s and Young Adult Literature to Develop Writing and Community Building Tools Experience innovative methods of using children¹s and young adult literature to build vocabulary, writing tools and team-building skills. This interactive workshop will give you ideas of how to encourage participants to use books to expand their vocabulary, exercises to encourage creative risk-taking with writing, and other activities using onsite libraries and book collections.  The workshop will also model read alouds, word hunts and group writing activities as a means to engage students in literacy.  This workshop can be adapted for elementary, middle and high school programs.