My Portfolio
My Portfolio
Mauro
Bressi
This page lists and illustrates some of my accomplishments: awards I have received, curricula I have written, publications I have produced with students, and a book I recently wrote.
Christa
McAuliffe Fellowship
In 1999 I was awarded a Christa McAuliffe Fellowship in the amount of $12,142.00 to establish a writing center at John Dewey H. S. At right is the accompanying citation from the Regents of the State of New York, given to me personally by Carl T. Hayden, Chancellor of the Board of Regents. For details about the writing center please view My Writing Center
The
Good Society: Lessons from Modern Literature This is a book of
literary criticism for the high school student. It is designed to help the
student appreciate and understand five works of modern literature as well as
develop his/her own concept of the good society through interpretation,
analysis, and discussion of the works. There are study questions at the
end of each discussion and a chapter for practicing Part IV of the NYS ELA
Regents Exam. The works examined are 1. We the Living by Ayn
Rand 2. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
3. Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas 4. Fahrenheit
451 by Ray Bradbury and 5.Woman at Point Zero
by Nawal El Saadawi. This book may also be used by teachers as a lesson
guide. My hope is that the book will increase students' and teachers'
understanding of the five works and also stimulate philosophical discussion and
inquiry in high schools about the idea of the good society.
(unpublished, 112 pages)
English
Regents P. R. E. P.
Packet for Regents
Exam Preparation
This is a compendium of information and resources that helps teachers become familiar with and teach the new ELA standards. The resource includes the following chapters:
The New York State Learning Standards
Overview of the Regents Exam
Elaboration of The Exam
Vocabulary of Exam Prompts
Vocabulary of Genres, Writing, and Literature
Sample Tasks for Practice: Parts 1 - 4
Some Strategies for Instruction
A Guide to Assessment: The Rubrics
Some Quotations for Critical Lens Practice
A Unit Outline for Teaching Composition
Great Performances
At John Dewey High School
Models of Student Writing
Responding to the New E. L. A. Tasks
This publication serves as a companion to English PREP. It is a collection of the best Regents-type essays by students in my classes. These essays help students analyze and understand the qualities of excellent writing, especially in response to a particular Regents task.
Guide
To Instructional Program
The Writing Center
This guide is the organizing manual for the writing center. Its content is divided into two parts: Operational Procedures and Curriculum Guide. Following is a list of the sections under each part.
Part 1: Operational Procedures
General Policies
Student Referrals
Student Registration and Log
Role/Responsibilities of Coordinator
Workshops
Recruitment of Peer Tutors
Library Rules
Public Relations/Public Service
Part 2: Curriculum Guide
Rationale
Structure of the Writing Conference
Prescriptions for Improving Writing Skills
Student Resources
Teacher Resources
Dewey Journal
A Publication of Student Learning
Dewey Journal, a publication of the Writing Center, began as Dewey Digest in 1996. It was a publication of expository writing about a topic learned in any subject class. The collection of essays were culled from an assignment I gave in my composition class. I got the idea for the assignment from wondering how well students could explain what they learned in school. This assignment is an excellent way to teach expository writing, as well as a way to make students examine whether they have truly learned a topic by attempting to explain it. This is the cover of our 2nd issue.
The
Columbia Scholastic Press Association Award
For three years at John Dewey H. S. I was the faculty literary advisor to the school's art and literature magazine, Streams of Conscience. In 1993, my second year as advisor, the magazine was awarded first place in a city-wide competition.
Also Noteworthy
At John Dewey H. S. I helped design and establish the Publications Institute.
I regularly taught English in the Computer Science Institute at J. D. H. S.
I wrote a proposal and outline for an
advanced writing course at J. D. H. S.
The course was approved and installed as part of the English curriculum.
I have given a number of workshops on
writing, literacy, assessment, and other topics
at professional
development conferences and faculty meetings.
Mauro
Bressi
Edward R. Murrow