National Writing Project in New Hampshire

The National Writing Project in New Hampshire (formerly known as the Plymouth Writing Project), a site of the National Writing Project, is dedicated to improving the teaching of writing in our nation’s schools. Since 2002, we have offered summer institutes for the best teachers of writing in the state. Each summer we offer unique day camp experiences specifically for young writers.

This summer we are also offering a one week residential program for high school students. Students who attend will write in journals, write poetry, work with professional authors and illustrators, write on  computers, conference with peers and teachers, revise and publish their writing. The camps afford an opportunity to enjoy being part of a community of writers. Summer Camps for Young Writers and the Summer Institute for Young Writers are planned and staffed by National Writing Project in New Hampshire teacher consultants.

Brochure

Quick enrollment form for grades 3-8 camps (pdf)

NWPNH Summer Camp for Young Writers Grades 9-12 2013 reg form (pdf)

Please print the release of liability form for your child’s camp and the medical form below. Completed forms should be sent with your child on the first day of camp and given to the camp leaders. It is not necessary to mail these forms in advance. If you do not have access to a printer you must fill out the forms during drop off on the first day of camp.  NWPNH Medical Form (pdf)

Release of Liability form

Half Day Camps

The cost for each grades 3-8 half day camp is $125.00 per camper per session.

Peterborough– Peterborough Historical Society

Hunting for Local Treasures
Grades 3-8: July 22nd-26th  9:00-12:00

We all have stories to tell.  Using the resources and the grounds of the Peterborough Historical Society, we will build on the stories of others’ lives to create our own.  Young writers will discover and write about the local treasures in their families and their communities.

We will write from artifacts and our senses, from remnants of the past as well as what we find around us, sharing our stories as we begin to write our own history.  The camp will use the resources of the Historical Society’s “Monadnock Treasures” exhibit.

Camp Leaders: Jill Lawler is retired after teaching English at ConVal; she now works with teachers and students around the state through the National Writing Project of New Hampshire.  Liz Lawler has taught kindergarten, second and third grade at Antrim Elementary School for the past five years; previously she was a teacher in the Leadership Decisions Institute at Camp Kieve in Nobleboro, Maine.

 

Concord—Plymouth State University Center 2 Pillsbury St.  Concord
Grades 5-8: July 8-12  9:00-12:00

Painting with Words: Looking at Art and Language

We’ll look at how words compliment visuals and visuals compliment words. Art, photography, and our own creations will guide our words in short story and poetry. We’ll also explore how words influence what we see and what we convey to our audiences.

Camp Leaders: Kari Allen is a teacher consultant and the youth program leader for the NWPNH.  Arlene Taranow is a teacher consultant for the NWPNH.

Hollis–Hollis Primary School

Stories and More: Nature Writing (Grades 3-5)

June 24-28 Monday-Friday 9:00-12:00

What do you wonder about?  We ask questions and observe.  Writers will use their keen senses to observe and explore wonders of nature.  Bring your imagination, your curiosity, and creative energies to explore stories of our summer wanderings.

Notebooks and Nature (Grades 6-8)

July 1–5  Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 9:00-12:00; Wednesday 9:00-2:00 (No camp on July 4th)

We will create journals and collect writing ideas that spark a writer’s imagination.  As we explore nature, we will fill our notebooks with ideas, stories, poems, songs, and pieces of our lives.

Camp Leaders:  Nancy Bernard is a reading specialist at Hollis Primary School.  She enjoys her after school writing club where students share stories from their heart.  Karen Roduta is a reading teacher at Greater Lowell Technical High School, where she is also involved in the school’s interdisciplinary Literacy Action Team.

Laconia—Woodland Heights Elem. School
Grades 3-5: July 29-August 2 9:00-12:00

Hats Off to You; You’re a Writer Writers will discover the sheer pleasure of creating fun characters for their stories by using a variety of props such as hats and costumes that will spark ideas for individual and group writing pieces. Indoor and outdoor explorations will be combined with the study of the literary devices of expert children’s authors to jumpstart our writing.

Camp Leaders: Patricia Browher is a fifth-grade teacher at Inter-Lakes Elementary School. She is trained in the Integrated Instructional Model (IIM) and loves to combine music and the visual arts with the teaching of writing.  Janet Caouette is an avid writer who has published a book and enjoys poetry readings. She finds that nature is the inspiration for much of her work.

Meredith—Inter-Lakes Elementary
Grades 5-8: August 5-9

Make Your Writing Come Alive!  If you like to write and you enjoy using technology, this is the summer camp for you!  At this camp, you are guided through the writing process to produce a final piece.  You can choose to make your piece into a movie by narrating your writing and adding in photos and videos to illustrate it or you can turn your story into a video game using an easy-to-learn computer program.  This camp requires extra time for you to publish your story using technology, so Tues.-Thurs. you’ll need to bring a bagged lunch.  This camp runs an additional 6 hours, so there is an additional cost of $25.00.

Camp Leaders:  Patty Browher enjoys mixing writing with the arts and technology. This year she has facilitated several writing workshops for children at the Meredith Public Library and recently hosted a Family Writing Night at Inter-Lakes Elementary School where she teaches 5^th grade. Katelyn Browher currently teaches students in 6^th-8^th grades in Germantown, Maryland.  She recently lived in Romania as a Fulbright Scholar.  She especially likes to write about travelling and adventures. With her students, she likes to make writing fun by creating games and collaborative stories.

Sunapee-The Fells

Grades 7-10  July 29-August 2, 9-12:00

 Writing the Landscape focuses on writing that is about nature and inspired by the natural world. Participants will explore the beauty of the Fells and use it as a catalyst for their own writing.  Instructors will lead participants through a rich historical landscape of woodland and lakefront trails and gardens. The published works of John Hay and the land itself will jumpstart the writing, which will be revised and shared within the group.

Camp Leaders:  Amanda Leslie is a NWPNH fellow and Colby Sawyer College writing  instructor. Tammis Coffin is the Coordinator of the John Hay Ecology Center.

Plymouth—Plymouth State University

Full Day Camps

Stories and More: Nature Writing 

Grades 3-5: July 8-12   9:00-3:30

What do you wonder about? We ask questions and observe.  Writers will use their keen senses to observe and explore wonders of nature.  Bring your imagination, your curiosity, and creative energies to explore stories of our summer wanderings.  We will hike surrounding nature trails for inspiration.

Notebooks, Photography, and Nature

Grades 5-8: July 15-19  9:00-3:30

We will create journals, take pictures, and collect writing ideas that spark a writer’s imagination.  As we explore nature, we will fill our journals with poems, stories, songs, ideas, and pieces of our lives.  We will also explore how words influence what we see and what we convey to our audiences.  We will hike in surrounding nature trails for inspirations.

Plymouth State University camps run for an extended day and cost $225/camper per session.

Camp Leaders: Jessica Marrone is a 5^th grade language arts teacher at Hampstead Middle School in Hampstead, NH.  She enjoys taking pictures, and is inspired to write poetry based on her surroundings.  John Edmondson is a 6^th grade language arts and social studies teacher at Hampstead Middle School in Hampstead, NH.  He is also a newspaper columnist in Southern NH who enjoys writing about the many facets of his own life.

Residential Camps

 Summer Institute for Young Writers (residential program)
Grades 9-12: July 14-19
Plymouth—Plymouth State University

The purpose of this program is to form a community of writers to share in the art of writing. Together we will read as writers and explore genres of writing, including poetry, prose and memoir. We will engage in conferencing and workshopping of our pieces to refine our craft. Writing will be published, and the pro-gram will end with a ‘Showcase of Writing’ event on Friday, July 19th.

The PSU Summer Institute for Young Writers (residential program) Grades 9-12 costs $550 per student.

Meg Petersen
Attn: NWPNH Summer Writing Camps
MSC #40 17 High Street
Plymouth, NH 03264

Special Discounts: Register by June 1, 2013 and receive a $10 discount! High School students register by June 1, 2013 and pay only $500.

Family Discount: $10 off the tuition of each additional child from the same family.

Check out writing from students who attended the 2009 and 2010 PWP Plymouth writing camps.

For More Information:
contact Kari Allen
email: kari.diederich.allen@gmail.com