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Michael Clay Thompson: Presentations & Workshops
Author and teacher, Michael Thompson is an empowering practitioner and presenter, a fount of practical ideas and inspiration.
Conference organizers, school administrators and teachers are advised to contact us well in advance to make booking arrangements.
“Michael Clay Thompson energizes teacher audiences with his passion for language and learning. Covering all aspects of educational reform, Mr. Thompson provides staff development that creates positive change in the classroom. His instructional strategies and programs are credible and reliable and teachers implement them with ease. His presentations always receive superior ratings from teachers in our state.” The late, Donna Darby, South Carolina Consortium for Gifted Education, South Carolina
Presentations for Conferences
Grammar as a Fun Form of Higher Order Thinking: In contrast to its stereotype as a useless, un-teachable, remedial subject, unfit for gifted minds, traditional grammar is a beautiful and practical form of higher order thinking about language. This approach views grammar as a magic lens for examining our own thinking-a perfectly metacognitive endeavor.
Teaching Vocabulary Directly! A compelling introduction to the importance of teaching vocabulary in two ways: the study of Latin and Greek stems and of the key words of the classics. If students are to master the academic stratum of vocabulary, they must have a direct program of advanced vocabulary instruction.
Workshops for Conferences or Schools
These are Introductory or motivational workshops, important for stimulating ideas for curricular change or for strengthening commitment to curriculum. Filled with great practical ideas for teaching and always popular with teachers.
One-day workshops for schools or one-session workshops for conferences:
Grammar: Choose from The Magic Lens, Grammar Island, Grammar Town, Grammar Voyage. Contrary to the stereotype of grammar as a tedious and useless remedial subject, traditional grammar is actually an exciting form of critical thinking about language. This presentation introduces a new concept about the nature and meaning of grammar, as well as a new approach to compacting grammar instruction so that it can be taught early and applied all year long.
Vocabulary: We are sometimes told not to teach vocabulary directly, but this presentation emphasizes the direct instruction of Latin and Greek based vocabulary, the words within our words, and also emphasizes the importance of the classic words, the venerable “big” words found in virtually all significant books for centuries. The workshop can function either with Word Within The Word at the upper grade levels, or Caesar’s English at the elementary level, or Building Language at the early childhood level.
Literature/Classics: Although classics have been dropped from the curriculum in many schools, this presentation advocates for classics as a central focus in the literature program. The nature of classics, the benefits they provide to students, and important techniques for teaching classics are emphasized.
Poetics: The Music of the Hemispheres. In formal language study we sometimes neglect to include poetics, but they are a powerful and central element in all great poetry and prose. This workshop explains why poetics must be a core component of formal language study, and teaches participants the elements of advanced poetics so they can take the knowledge back to the classroom.
(New) Correct Writing Workshop: Based on twenty years of highly academic classroom practice, this is a full-day workshop for middle and high school teachers on how the major components of formal language study make it possible for students to become good writers of formal academic prose. This workshop is not another collection of journal-writing activities. Rather, it focuses on the need to teach students how to write correct formal sentences, essays, and research papers; and it shows how formal writing is a multilevel art that includes and requires a command of formal grammar, formal vocabulary, formal literature, formal poetics, and other factors that make correct formal writing possible. This is a full-day, intense workshop that shows teachers and administrators how to face the real writing problems and that recommends necessary structural and practical classroom changes. The conclusion includes recommendations for teaching research paper writing to middle and high school students.
Two-day workshop: Grammar Institute for Teachers
This is a thorough grammar review for professional educators. There are many teachers who never got strong instruction in grammar in their own educations, but who see its importance and want a workshop to teach them grammar and provide a powerhouse of techniques they can immediately use in the classroom. Now that the College Board is putting emphasis on grammar in the SAT, this is the workshop that teachers need.
Book Adoption Workshop: Detailed Instruction in Program Delivery:
School systems who have adopted The Word Within The Word, Caesar’s English, The Magic Lens, Grammar Island, Grammar Town or Grammar Voyage like to have author workshops for serious program implementation training. A very effective way of adopting the vocabulary and grammar programs and improving standards throughout the school.
Booking Arrangements
For details of fees, and to book Michael Thompson for a workshop or presentation, contact:
Dr TM Kemnitz, Royal Fireworks Press Telephone: (845)-726-4444 Fax: (845)-726-3824 email: mail@rfwp.com
You also can contact Michael Thompson directly for more details of the presentations and requirements: email: mith@mac.com
