The �鶹ӳ����ý “Knights Write!” program, completing its 17th year at Arbor Ridge, sees �鶹ӳ����ý education majors spend a semester learning on-site at the elementary school while working one-on-one with an Arbor Ridge student to develop their reading, writing, and storytelling skills. At the end of the semester they present their finished poems and books to the rest of the class and celebrate the terrific progress they have made.

The “Knights Write!” program is another example of a partnership that offers extensive benefits for everyone involved. Arbor Ridge students get an opportunity to advance their writing skills and develop a mentor relationship with �鶹ӳ����ý students, �鶹ӳ����ý faculty including Dr. Roberts get to remain connected to schools and the needs of elementary students, and �鶹ӳ����ý teacher candidates get on-site experience in their future work environment as well as opportunities to work with students at different levels of competency and achievement.

“I think it is so rewarding for me to actually see our �鶹ӳ����ý students in action; they learn so much working with little buddies every week!” said >Dr. Sherron Roberts, professor of Language Arts and Literacy, and coordinator of the program. “Just to meet in a classroom adds a level of reality to their experience, and it raises their investment in themselves and their personal and professional growth. And there are so many layers of positive outcomes: the pre-service teachers love it, the (Arbor Ridge) teachers love it, the little buddies come in each week with a smile on their face, and the principal has hired many of our Knights Write big buddies, so she loves it. That makes it all worth whatever extra energy is expended. It’s a great experience for everyone.”

“It is an absolutely wonderful, educational program both for the young writing buddies and for us big writing buddies,” Ashley Manser, one of the �鶹ӳ����ý teacher candidates, told us. “During our classroom meetings we discuss different strategies and techniques to use when teaching writing to children, and then we apply and develop those techniques with our buddies. Not only did it allow us to practice our writing instruction, but we were able to see what works with our teaching style and what doesn’t. We had support from our professors when needed, and we were able to experience the joy of teaching. Each week before class, someone would share an ‘ah ha!’ moment with the class – moments when we saw the light bulb appear with our writing buddies. This was the most rewarding experience of all and reminded me every week why I am here doing what I am doing.”

The “Knights Write!” program is just one of the opportunities that CEDHP programs offer to give teacher candidates experience working directly in area schools with students.

The showcase is an opportunity for the �鶹ӳ����ý community to view the exceptional work of students from the First-Year Writing Program. The event featured student displays, panels and awards for best writings.

Three student panels allowed young researchers to share their work with an audience. Research projects presented during the panel sessions included “Spanglish and Its Effect on L1 and L2 Speakers,” “Combatting Internet Piracy,” and “Geocaching and the Use of Multiple Literacies.”

Students whose work had previously been published in �鶹ӳ����ý’s presented a glimpse of first-year writing at its best and were recognized by Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop.

José Fernandez, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, presented awards for best student displays to Vanessa Carrillo for best overall poster, “Religious Literacy;” David Sheets for best research, “Reality Networks;” Lindsay Schmit for best presentation, “Facebook and Self-Disclosure;” and Delaney Postma, honorable mention for her poster “Traumatic Brain Injury.”

�鶹ӳ����ý President John C. Hitt concluded the ceremony by presenting the Prize for Excellence in First-Year Writing to Lindsay Schmit for her research article “Personality and Its Effects on Facebook and Self-Disclosure,” published in the Fall 2012 issue of Stylus.

The prize includes a $450 book scholarship donated by Hitt and the Department of Writing and Rhetoric. Schmit, now a sophomore majoring in Pre-Clinical Health Sciences, was accompanied to the ceremony by her parents, Cathy and Dave, who drove from Fort Meyers to attend the showcase.

Marissa Penzato, now a sophomore Aerospace Engineering major, and Victoria Marro, now a junior majoring in Microbiology and Molecular Biology, were awarded first- and second-runners-up.

For more information about the Knights Write Showcase, the First-Year Writing Program or the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, visit .

Hosted by the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, the showcase is an opportunity for the �鶹ӳ����ý community to view the exceptional work of students from the First-Year Writing Program.

The event will include a panel of faculty members from across the university that will discuss their personal experiences with writing. Other panels will allow students to present their research on thought-provoking literacy and language issues.

�鶹ӳ����ý President John C. Hitt and Executive Vice President and Provost Tony Waldrop will present the Hitt Prize for Excellence in First-Year Writing to a student who had the best article published last year in Stylus, the department’s peer-reviewed journal. The student that receives the honor will be awarded a $450 book scholarship.

Launched in 2010, the Department of Writing and Rhetoric provides writing opportunities across campus to support a strong foundation for first-year writing students.

The department also offers writing-related assistance, training, and research opportunities to students and faculty from all disciplines. That assistance has been offered through the writing-across-the-curriculum program called Knights Write, as well as through the University Writing Center and First-Year Composition Program.

The showcase, which is open to the public, will be from noon to 5 p.m. in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union.

Launched in July, the Department of Writing and Rhetoric provides writing-related assistance, training and research opportunities to students and faculty members from all disciplines. That assistance has been offered through a new writing-across-the-curriculum program called Knights Write, as well as through the University Writing Center and First-Year Composition Program.

The event will include a panel of faculty members from across the university who will discuss their personal experiences with writing. Other panels will allow students to present their research on thought-provoking literacy and language issues.

�鶹ӳ����ý President John Hitt and Provost Tony Waldrop also will present the Hitt Prize for Excellence in First-Year Writing to the best article published this year in the department’s peer-reviewed journal, .

“This is an opportunity to celebrate writing and research that far too often isn’t given the opportunity to go beyond the boundaries of an individual classroom,” said showcase organizer Matthew Bryan, an instructor in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, which is housed in the College of Arts and Humanities.

“We’re excited to recognize the achievements of young writers and hopefully inspire future student writers, as well,” he added.

Organizers hope that in addition to highlighting student accomplishments, the showcase emphasizes the department’s important work.

“You don’t become good at writing by writing one time or in only one situation,” said Elizabeth Wardle, an associate professor and director of writing outreach programs in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric. “We’re trying to encourage a culture at �鶹ӳ����ý where students write often and in different contexts.”

The department is helping students by providing a strong writing foundation beginning in first-year composition courses, where they learn to understand how texts are constructed and to utilize the most effective writing practices. The department’s staff members, through Knights Write, are beginning efforts to collaborate with other �鶹ӳ����ý faculty members who integrate writing into their courses.

The goal of Knights Write is twofold:  Help students gain rhetorical dexterity and knowledge of how writing works in the first year, and help professors across the university consider how to incorporate writing into their classes to support learning and provide formative feedback to drafts.

The Department of Writing and Rhetoric has its biggest supporter in President Hitt, whose efforts to help first-year students succeed include reducing the size of freshman writing classes.

The President’s Class Size Initiative has reduced the number of students in first-year composition classes from 27 to 25, and is funding a three-year study comparing student writing in classes of 25 to classes of 19. This initiative also has increased funding for the University Writing Center.

Remote writing center consultation stations have been established in the �鶹ӳ����ý Library and at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management campus, in addition to regional campuses in Cocoa and Daytona Beach. Improvements to technology also allow for consultations to be conducted online using video chats.

The Department of Writing and Rhetoric plans to offer an M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition. In the meantime, faculty members teach courses in the English Department’s M.A. Rhetoric and Composition track. Some of the faculty members are also active members of the Texts and Technology Ph.D. program.

That’s one of the goals of an innovative series of changes in how the �鶹ӳ����ý teaches writing.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s new Department of Writing and Rhetoric will serve as a flagship program to coordinate comprehensive writing instruction and support across the university. As part of its mission, the new department will implement a “Writing Across the Curriculum” program called Knights Write to ensure students are prepared to write effectively in all of their courses.

To read more about the changes, click here.