Stegner Young Scholar's Writing Institute

The University of Utah College of Education (U-COE) and the Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) are co-sponsoring the 11th Annual Stegner Young Scholars’ Writing Institute (Writing Institute) to be held June 10-21, 2019 with funding provided by the Salt Lake Education Foundation, and the University of Utah College of Education. The Writing Institute invites secondary-level writers (particularly English language learners and those from first-generation families to attend college), as well as secondary teachers from the Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) to discover the power of writing by increasing achievement as writers and teachers. Students have the opportunity to experience college life during the two-week Institute. Their inspiration is influenced by the life and literary legacy of Wallace Stegner. Writing Institute Faculty from the U-COE and SLCSD support participants in a stimulating and challenging, social environment to learn and refine the art of effective writing and writing instruction. The Writing Institute’s research-based approach applies best-practices for strategic and process writing. The targeted outcomes are to (a) increase achievement for the participant writers and teachers of writing, and (b) provide an engaging academic outreach experience that supports students to become college-bound for the University of Utah.

Daily Format. For the two-week duration of the Writing Institute, attendees are immersed in writing workshops for four-hours daily (Monday through Friday) on the University of Utah campus in the College of Education. In order to successfully increase writing achievement, the institute size is limited to 60 secondary students (40-50 below- and 10-20 above-writing proficiency); and 10-12 secondary teachers (language arts), all selected from the SLCSD middle and high schools. Daily instruction is provided during the first week by the Writing Institute Faculty with the teacher participants gradually assuming the responsibility for the daily instruction during the second week. Student writing is guided in small groups facilitated by teacher participant teams. Students use evidence-based, strategy development to write and publish argumentative essays in their very own publication, Our Voices Magazine.