2021 Annual Convention Preview by National Council of Teachers of English

8/ 2021

WELCOME from NCTE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

EMILY KIRKPATRICK The NCTE Annual Convention is an opportunity you can count on every year for inspiration and education. As we continue to navigate the unchartered waters of teaching and learning in a pandemic, the event also offers consolation. Thank you to everyone in our community who has learned alongside us how to create and participate in an online setting that supports community and creates communal experiences that are as close as we can get to being together in person. We encourage you to absorb the amazing speakers and sessions described in the following pages and consider joining us at #NCTE21. An incredible team has come together to create the opportunities described in this preview, with even more to come as the fall progresses. A large team of peer reviewers read and considered thousands of proposals to assemble the breakout session choices. A network of authors, public leaders, and change creators has accepted our request to join literacy educators in conversation through our keynote sessions. All of this is guided by the theme created by this year’s NCTE Program Chair Dr. Valerie Kinloch; you’ll hear from her directly on page 3 of this brochure. I publicly thank NCTE staff and our partners who have responded brilliantly to my call to work together to create common spaces for our community in the most modern of senses. #NCTE21 builds on our prior success and the best is yet to come. Register today to be sure you are part of this exciting event. Come together with us November 18–21, 2021, for inspiration, healing, and learning that will carry us forward in service of students and a more just world. Emily

NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION • NOVEMBER 18-21, 2021

WHAT’S INSIDE

3 Welcome from the Convention Chair

5 Things to Know about the NCTE Annual Convention 1

4–5 Schedule & Registration 6 Make Your Case to Attend & Build Your Stack® 7–9 General Sessions

10 Elementary Experience 11 Middle Level Experience 12 Secondary Experience 13 College Experience 14–15 New NCTE Publications

The 2021 NCTE Annual Convention has a lot to offer! You will find all Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions in the Webcast Auditorium of the virtual Convention platform, which will house hundreds of sessions, including General Sessions, Featured Sessions, Section GetTogethers, Exhibitor Sessions, and more. You will also want to check out the On-Demand Sessions, which can be accessed during a time that is convenient for you—any day, any time. Here you will find poster sessions, roundtables, panel discussions, and more.

Don’t forget to visit our Exhibit Hall! Many exhibitors will offer giveaways, author meet-and-greets, and staff available to answer questions you may have.

If during the Convention you want a place to have a more casual conversation, check out our Networking Lounges.

Follow us on social media (#NCTE21 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) and scan the QR code for the most up-todate program and registration information.

THE COUNCIL CHRONICLE (ISSN #1057-4190) is published four times a year, in November, March, May, and September by the National Council of Teachers of English, 340 N. Neil Street, Suite 104, Champaign, IL 61820, as an exclusive benefit of membership. Periodical postage paid at Urbana, IL, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Council Chronicle, 340 N. Neil Street, Suite 104, Champaign, IL 61820. Copyright © 2021 by the National Council of Teachers of English.

WELCOME from VALERIE KINLOCH, PROGRAM CHAIR Thank you for your patience and support during these devastating times, and thanks for understanding our need to move the NCTE 2021 Annual Convention to a fully online format. When I announced the theme for our Convention, I shared “that we will collectively examine our teaching and discuss our research. That we will enter conversations wherever we are in our learning and in our knowing. That we will embrace opportunities to have necessary and difficult conversations about literacy and English language arts. That we will leave more knowledgeable, invested, challenged, and involved in the work of equity, justice, and antiracist teaching with students, with families, with communities, and with each other” (see https://tinyurl.com/2021-ncte-cfp on the NCTE Convention website). Let our community of educators gather, virtually, to examine meanings of equity, justice, and antiracist teaching through culturally relevant and sustaining frameworks. Let us exchange and embrace teaching and research ideas that justly center the languages, literacies, and cultures of students, families, teachers, and communities. Let us take up my friend and NCTE member Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad’s question, “How does our curriculum and instruction help students to learn about themselves or others?” by being motivated to practice criticality as “the capacity and ability to read, write, think, and speak in ways to understand power and equity in order to understand and promote anti-oppression.” And let us participate in what I believe will be an exciting, energizing, thoughtful, necessary, and creative Convention, filled with: ● curricula ideas that are actionable and innovative ● learning objectives focused on equitable practices and research ● conversations about ELA and literacy with practitioners, researchers, youth, and families ● ideas that align practices, principles, and scholarship with curiosity, joy, and purpose ● celebrations of antiracist teaching that ignite new and expand on existing commitments Whether you are a presenter or not, and whatever your role—classroom teacher, curricular director/ designer, school or district leader, student, researcher, author, publisher, sponsor, and/or someone wanting to deepen understandings of equity, justice, and antiracist teaching—I welcome you to our NCTE 2021 Annual Convention! Let us gather and cocreate a healthy, more just world for students, families, and ourselves. As we do so, let us hold tight to June Jordan’s belief that “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for” (see http://www.junejordan.net/poem-for-south-african-women.html). Welcome! All my best, Valerie Kinloch NCTE President-Elect and 2021 NCTE Annual Convention Program Chair

SC H ED U LE

All times below are Eastern Time (ET). Times below are subject to change.

OUR SCHEDULE INCLUDES: 200 Live sessions (including featured, general, and keynote) and Prerecorded/Scheduled sessions 300 On-Demand sessions available at any time throughout the Convention Content will be available online for 90 days after the Convention.

WEDNESDAY 11/17

SATURDAY 11/20

5:30–7:00 p.m. • Exhibit Hall Grand Opening 7:00–8:30 p.m. • Preconference General Session: Nikole HannahJones, Nikkolas Smith, Renée Watson

9:00–11:00 a.m. • Exhibit Hall Staffed Hours 9:30–10:45 a.m. • Live ALAN Keynote Session • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m. • Live General Session: Colson Whitehead 12:30–1:45 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 12:30–2:00 p.m. • Exhibit Hall Staffed Hours • Live Children’s Book Awards Keynote Session 2:15–3:30 p.m. • Live Secondary Section Keynote Session • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 3:45–5:00 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 4:30–6:30 p.m. • Exhibit Hall Staffed Hours 5:15–6:30 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions

THURSDAY 11/18 1:30–2:45 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 3:00–4:15 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 4:30–5:45 p.m. • Live Opening General Session: Michelle Obama 6:00–7:30 p.m. • Exhibit Hall Staffed Hours 6:00–7:15 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 7:30–8:45 p.m. • Live Section Events - Elementary Section Get-Together - Middle Level Meet-Up - Secondary Section Get-Together - College Section Get-Together

FRIDAY 11/19 8:30–10:00 a.m. • Exhibit Hall Staffed Hours 11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 1:15–2:30 p.m. • Live ELATE Keynote Session • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 2:45–4:00 p.m. • Live Middle Level Keynote Session • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 4:15–5:30 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 5:45–7:00 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 6:00–8:00 p.m. • Exhibit Hall Staffed Hours 8:00–9:15 p.m. • Live General Session: George M. Johnson

SUNDAY 11/21 9:00–10:15 a.m. • Live Children’s Literature Assembly Keynote Session • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. • Exhibit Hall Staffed Hours 10:30–11:45 a.m. • Live Affiliate Keynote Session • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 12:00–1:15 p.m. • Live Closing General Session: Amanda Gorman and Alfredo Celedón Luján 1:30–2:45 p.m. • Live National Writing Project Keynote Session • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions 3:00–4:15 p.m. • Live and Prerecorded/Scheduled Sessions CEL Convention* — “Leading with Balance: Achieving Harmony with an Ever-Changing World”

MONDAY 11/22 CEL Convention* — “Leading with Balance: Achieving Harmony with an Ever-Changing World” ALAN Workshop* — “Well Versed”

TUESDAY 11/23 ALAN Workshop* — “Well Versed” 4  2021 NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION PREVIEW  #NCTE21

*CEL Convention & ALAN Workshop require additional registration

REGISTRATION

SIGN UP Registration for the 2021 NCTE Annual Convention includes access to all General Sessions, live and scheduled sessions, on-demand sessions, and the Exhibit Hall. Convention content will also be available for 90 days after the event. Find the registration link on the Convention website: http://convention.ncte.org. Student registration requires current NCTE student membership and valid proof of student status. To receive the emeritus rate, be sure you are currently an NCTE Emeritus member. Rates increase after November 1, 2021, denoted by an asterisk. NCTE Member $199/*$229 Nonmember $350/*$380 Student Member $112/*$122 Emeritus Member $145/*$145

GROUP RATE: Groups of 10 or more members or nonmembers of NCTE from the same school or district can register for the Convention for $185 per person. Emeritus and student members will still be charged their applicable registration fee, but can be applied to the group list. Please email NCTEevents@ncte.org to request this pricing.

PAYING WITH A PURCHASE ORDER: Please contact NCTE Customer Service at 877-369-6283 or NCTEevents@ncte.org

NOT AN NCTE MEMBER YET? Save $151 on your registration by becoming a member today! Take advantage of this special opportunity to experience the value of NCTE membership all year long. Please note: All session participants, presenters, and attendees are required to register for the Convention.

CEL CONVENTION: NOV. 21–22 “Leading with Balance: Achieving Harmony with an Ever-Changing World”

ALAN WORKSHOP: NOV. 22–23 “Well Versed” * CEL Convention & ALAN Workshop require additional registration

MAKE YOUR CASE TO ATTEND Why You Should Join Us at #NCTE21 Attending the 2021 NCTE Annual Convention provides considerable opportunities for professional learning from the comfort of your home, office, or classroom. Typically, each November, thousands of literacy educators from across the country make the journey to a Convention that inspires their practice and rejuvenates their profession. They collect strategies and best practices for teaching literacy, language, and composition. They learn new ideas for delivering instruction that engages students and addresses the most pressing needs within the school and district. This year, we’ve created many of the same opportunities, featuring nearly 500 sessions (200 live and prerecorded/scheduled, 300 on demand). Attendees will have access to sessions for a full 90 days following the Convention! NCTE’s Convention is the most historic annual literacy gathering for teachers and educators. Now celebrating its 112th consecutive year, #NCTE21 connects educators to the most passionate and energetic minds in literacy. Attendees will hear from leading education voices as well as hundreds of national authors, all engaging together around the pressing topics of the field. Below, you’ll find a few tools we’ve put together to help you build a strong case for attending NCTE’s Annual Convention this November. For information on scholarships to cover Convention registration costs, please see https://ncte.org/annualconvention-scholarship-information/

FIRST TIME AT NCTE?

Again this year we’ll celebrate texts and provide inspiration for building classroom libraries with Build Your Stack. Several unique sessions featuring authors and educators talking about their favorite books and how to use them in the classroom will be on the program. While we are still finalizing the scheduled topics for 2021, here are a few examples from 2020: ● Asian American Texts That Don’t Reinforce Stereotypes ● Authors, What’s on Your Stack? ● Eating Your Cake: Text Sets to Spark Curiosity and Conversation ● Great New Picture Books and Graphic Novels You Might Have Missed ● Imagining a Better World through Stories of Love, Support, and Coming Together ● New K–12 Indigenous Texts That Belong in Your Classroom

Be sure to join us for a special First-Timers’ Welcome this fall. We’ll offer tips and information on how to get the most out of your Convention experience. You won’t want to miss it! We’ll share details when they’re available.

● Notable Verse Novels and Poetry Books for K–8 Classrooms

PARTICIPATION CREDITS

● Biographies and Memoirs: Meeting People while Socially Distancing

Plan to attend #NCTE21 with personal and school-based literacy goals in mind. Select sessions aligned to those goals and be prepared to explain how they will contribute to your professional know-how in these areas. NCTE provides a certificate of participation and has partnered with the University of San Diego to offer continuing education credits. Note that each state has different rules for recertification processes, so be sure to check documentation requirements prior to the Convention. See http://convention.ncte.org/2021convention/whyattend/ for details.

6  2021 NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION PREVIEW  #NCTE21

● Representing Latinx Students’ Multiple Identities in the Classroom

● Translanguaging in LatinX Children’s and YA Books ● Unapologetically Me: Characters Confidently, Courageously, and Proudly Themselves ● Undaunted Voices: BIPOC Novels-in-Verse ● Using Poetry to Explore Our Intersectionality

GENERAL SESSIONS Thursday, November 18 / 4:30–5:45 p.m. ET

MICHELLE OBAMA

MILLER MOBLEY

Michelle Robinson Obama served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. Mrs. Obama is the author of the memoir Becoming, a #1 New York Times bestseller that won an NAACP Image Award, was named one of Essence’s 50 Most Impactful Black Books of the Past 50 Years, and was selected as an Oprah’s Book Club pick. Becoming has been adapted into an edition for young readers and is the basis for Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice. She is also the author of American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America and recently contributed the introduction for Follow That Food!, a picture book tie-in with Waffles + Mochi, a Netflix children’s series from Higher Ground Productions, the production company she founded with her husband, former President Barack Obama.

Friday, November 19 / 8:00–9:15 p.m. ET

GEORGE M. JOHNSON

VINCENT MARC

George M. Johnson is the author of the upcoming memoir We Are Not Broken, to be published in September 2021. Johnson has written for major outlets, including Teen Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, NBC, The Root, Buzzfeed, Essence, Ebony, THEM, and The Grio. They have also served as Guest Editor for BET.com’s Pride month. They were awarded the 2019 Salute to Excellence Award by the National Association of Black Journalists for their article “When Racism Anchors Your Health” in Vice Magazine, and named to The Root 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2020. They are the author of the bestselling memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue.

Saturday, November 20 / 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m. ET

COLSON WHITEHEAD Colson Whitehead is the author of the forthcoming Harlem Shuffle. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten works of fiction and nonfiction, and a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, for The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad, which also won the National Book Award. His reviews, essays, and fiction have appeared in a number of publications, including the New York Times, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Harper’s, and Granta. A recipient of MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships and the 2020 Prize for American Fiction from the Library of Congress, he lives in New York City. CHRIS CLOSE

ge n era l session s Sunday, November 21 / 12:00–1:15 p.m. ET

AMANDA GORMAN

DANNY WILLIAMS

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in US history. She is a committed advocate for the environment, racial equality, and gender justice. Amanda’s activism and poetry have been featured on the Today Show, PBS Kids, and CBS This Morning, and in the New York Times, Vogue, and Essence. After graduating cum laude from Harvard University, she now lives in her hometown of Los Angeles. In 2017, Amanda Gorman was appointed the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word—a program that supports Youth Poets Laureate in more than 60 cities, regions, and states nationally. Gorman’s performance of her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration received critical acclaim and international attention. The special edition of her inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” was published in March 2021 and debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestsellers list. Amanda appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in February 2021 and was the first poet to grace the cover of Vogue in their May 2021 issue. She was Porter Magazine’s July 2021 cover star and received The Artist Impact Award at the 2021 Backstage at the Geffen Awards. Her debut picture book, Change Sings, will be published in September 2021, and her poetry collection, Call Us What We Carry, will release in December 2021. Please visit www.theamandagorman.com.

2021 NCTE Presidential Address

ALFREDO CELEDÓN LUJÁN During the Closing General Session, Alfredo Celedón Luján will deliver the 2021 NCTE Presidential Address. Luján is the president of NCTE as well as an English teacher at Monte del Sol Charter School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where his students were featured in a segment of CPB/Annenberg’s The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature. He hails from Nambé, northern New Mexico. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in education from New Mexico State University and his Master of Arts/English and Master of Letters from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. He has been a writer-in-residence at the Noepe Center for Literary Arts at Martha’s Vineyard and also with the multicultural Artist in the Schools Program in Alaska. He has been a recipient of three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was named one of New Mexico’s Golden Apple Award winners for excellence in teaching in 2015.

8  2021 NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION PREVIEW  #NCTE21

Preconference General Session Wednesday, November 17 / 7:00–8:30 p.m. ET

NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES, RENÉE WATSON, AND NIKKOLAS SMITH Before the Convention gets underway, attendees are invited to gather on Wednesday, November 17, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET, for a Preconference General Session featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones, Renée Watson, and Nikkolas Smith, the coauthors and illustrator of the forthcoming The 1619 Project: Born on the Water. This event is included in the registration price for all Convention attendees.

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine and the creator of the landmark 1619 Project. Hannah-Jones is author of the forthcoming The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story and the coauthor of the picture book The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, written with Renée Watson and illustrated by Nikkolas Smith. She also has written extensively about school resegregation across the country and chronicled the decades-long failure of the federal government to enforce the landmark 1968 Fair Housing Act. In 2016, she cofounded the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, a training and mentorship organization dedicated to increasing the ranks of investigative reporters of color. © JAMES ESTRIN

Renée Watson is a New York Times bestselling author. Her young adult novel Piecing Me Together received a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award. Her books for young readers include Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and Ways to Make Sunshine, which received the SCBWI Golden Kite Award. She is the coauthor of the forthcoming picture book The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, written with Nikole Hannah-Jones and illustrated by Nikkolas Smith. Watson has given readings and lectures at many locations including the United Nations, the Library of Congress, and the US Embassies in Japan and New Zealand. She is on the Council of Writers for the National Writing Project and is a member of the Academy of American Poets’ Education Advisory Council. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, and splits her time between Portland and New York City. To learn more about her work, visit www.reneewatson.net.

SHAWNTE SIMS

Nikkolas Smith, a native of Houston, Texas, is an Artivist, picture book author, and Hollywood film illustrator. He is the author/illustrator of The Golden Girls of Rio, nominated for an NAACP Image Award, My Hair Is Poofy and That’s Okay, and World Cup Women. He is the illustrator of the forthcoming picture book, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, cowritten by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson. As a Black illustrator, Nikkolas is focused on creating captivating art that can spark important conversations around social justice in today’s world and inspire meaningful change. Many of his viral, globally shared and published sketches are included in his book Sunday Sketch! The Art of Nikkolas. He also speaks on his Artivism at conferences, workplaces, and schools around the world, and leads workshops in digital painting, character, and movie poster design. He lives in Los Angeles, California. Learn more at www.NIKKOLAS.art. VANESSA CROCINI

ELEMENTARY EXPERIENCE

Teachers of our youngest students will find plenty to explore at #NCTE21.

ELEMENTARY FAVORITES:

WHAT KINDS OF SESSIONS CAN I ATTEND?

ELEMENTARY SECTION GET-TOGETHER— Hear from NCTE’s elected leaders who represent the Elementary Section and from the winner of the 2021 Outstanding Elementary Educator Award. Thursday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m. ET CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS KEYNOTE SESSION—The 2021 winners of the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children (Janet Wong), Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children (Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James), and the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Jen Bryant and Frank Morrison) will be honored. Then the 2022 award winners will be announced live! Saturday, Nov. 20, 12:30 p.m. ET CHILDREN’S LITERATURE ASSEMBLY KEYNOTE SESSION—Sunday, Nov. 21, 9:00 a.m. ET

From incredible authors and illustrators, to the leading experts and innovators in our field, every hour is packed with sessions designed just for you.

Over the course of the Convention, there are more than 150 sessions designated at the elementary level, but you might be surprised at the ideas you can glean from sessions at EVERY level. Here are just a few of the topics: ● Equity in Action: The Power of Reader’s Choice and Identity ● Pathways to Reading Conversations: Talking with Young Children about Books ● A Picture[book] Is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Diverse Picturebooks to Craft Critical Classrooms ● Children as Language Inquirers: Disrupting English Only Assumptions in Classroom Contexts ● From Classroom to Community: Social Justice in Action

WHAT IF I WORK IN EARLY CHILDHOOD? WILL THERE BE SOMETHING FOR ME? Absolutely! The latest and greatest in early literacy education can be found in more than 30 sessions in the Early Childhood Education strand. These sessions (marked with an icon in the full convention program) are specially curated by the Early Childhood Education Assembly of NCTE and focus specifically on issues and strategies for teaching and advocating for preschool and early elementary-age children.

LITERACIES AND LANGUAGES FOR ALL (LLA) There’s a strand of sessions at #NCTE21 chosen by leaders of LLA, an NCTE Conference of holistic educators who believe that ALL children deserve personally meaningful learning contexts in which their languages and cultures are valued and recognized as assets for learning. LLA members integrate theories and practices of social justice; critical literacies; digital, multimodal, and biliteracies; and inquiry- and project-based learning that embodies the work of 21st-century educators. 10  2021 NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION PREVIEW  #NCTE21

There is so much happening in the Middle Level at NCTE. From Section-specific events to a thoughtfully chosen program, you’ll notice an energized focus on crafting sessions that speak to the complexities of teaching students in the middle grades and bringing leading authors and educators to the podium. Discover new ideas, new tools, and new friends!

WHAT KINDS OF SESSIONS CAN I ATTEND? Throughout the Convention there are more than 200 sessions designated of interest to middle level educators, but you’ll find plenty of interest at other levels as well. Among the topics are the following: ● Authors Who Teach: Working for Equity and Justice at the Intersection of Education and Publishing ● Designing a Middle School Curriculum Rooted in the Values of Justice and Antiracism ● Middle by Design: Voices from the Middle Explores Design Thinking in the ELA Classroom ● Soaring above the Rim: Examining Historical Roots of Activism for Equity ● Finding Courage/Speaking Truth (Even When It’s Hard): Literature, Writers, and Classroom Connections

MIDDLE LEVEL EXPERIENCE MIDDLE LEVEL FAVORITES: MIDDLE LEVEL MEET-UP—Kick off your Convention experience with this gathering of Middle Level attendees that features speakers and the chance to hear from Section leaders. Thursday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m. ET ALAN AT NCTE—Hear from a popular author during this much-loved event on Saturday, Nov. 20, 9:30 a.m. ET. If you’re looking for even deeper immersion in YA lit, you might enjoy the ALAN Workshop, November 22–23; every registrant will get a box of books! MIDDLE LEVEL KEYNOTE SESSION—Friday, Nov. 19, 2:45 p.m. ET #WHYMIDDLEMATTERS is a series of incredible learning experiences on the program. This year’s sessions are ● “Why Middle Matters—Justice in the Middle: Poetry and Social Emotional Learning in the Antiracist Middle Grade Classroom” ● “Why Middle Matters—Justice in the Middle: Working toward an Equitable and Antiracist Future” ● “Why Middle Matters—Justice in the Middle: Historically Responsive Literacy as a Curricular Approach to Equitable and Just Teaching” ● “Why Middle Matters—Justice in the Middle: Bringing Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy into the Middle Grades Curriculum” ● “Why Middle Matters—Justice in the Middle: Using Literature and Curiosity to Disrupt Student Thinking”

SECONDARY EXPERIENCE

NCTE’s Secondary Section has selected a program with the best professional learning you’ll ever find, and a giant network of colleagues whom you’ll want to stay connected to all year long.

SECONDARY LEVEL FAVORITES:

Whether you love teaching poetry, the Bard, critical literacy, choice reading, disciplinary writing, or some other specialty of grades 9–12, this Convention has you covered.

SECONDARY SECTION PRECONVENTION SESSION—Wednesday, Nov. 17, 7:00 p.m. ET SECONDARY SECTION GET-TOGETHER— Thursday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m. ET SECONDARY KEYNOTE SESSION—Saturday, Nov. 20, 2:15 p.m. ET

WHAT KINDS OF SESSIONS CAN I ATTEND? More than 200 sessions on the Convention program are designated at the secondary level. Here are just a few of the topics that will be covered: ● Tell Me Who You Are: Memoir, History, and Racial Literacy in the High School Classroom ● Striving to Stay Ahead of the Code: Exploring Equity and Justice in Writing Assistance Tools ● The Time Is Always Now: NCTE’s QuickReference Guide to Anti-Bias and Antiracist Teaching ● Taking Interpretive Risks: Creating Antiracist Classrooms through Critical Literary Theory ● Digital Tools as Equity Tools: Empowering Student and Family Voices

I’M A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL—ARE THERE SESSIONS FOR ME? This Convention is rich with learning experiences for everyone who supports literacy learning both in and outside the school, but if you’re an instructional leader searching for the maximum learning experience, you’ll also want to take advantage of the offerings from NCTE’s Conference on English Leadership (CEL). Learn more about “Leading with Balance: Achieving Harmony with an Ever-Changing World,” CEL’s Convention November 21–22, at http://ncte.org/groups/cel/convention.

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NCTE’s College Section represents a wide diversity of experiences, reflected by a variety of Convention offerings. You’ll find sessions presented by members active in our Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) that address issues pertinent to teaching first-year writing and assessment in composition courses. You’ll also find sessions that are tailored to the needs of those who work in teacher education at the college level; these address teacher preparation across the preK–12 spectrum. If you teach college English, you’ll be intrigued by a range of interesting sessions on literature. There’s truly something for everyone.

WHAT KINDS OF SESSIONS CAN I ATTEND?

COLLEGE EXPERIENCE COLLEGE FAVORITES: FEATURED COLLEGE SESSIONS—The College Section has designed special sessions that address current issues in the field that reverberate through our classrooms. ELATE KEYNOTE SESSION—Celebrate the accomplishments of ELATE (English Language Arts Teacher Educators) members and enjoy a keynote address. Friday, Nov. 19, 1:15 p.m. ET COLLEGE WORKSHOP—Join us for an immersive learning experience for college teachers.

Throughout the Convention there are more than 200 sessions designated of interest to college-level educators. Here are a few of the topics: ● Contract Grading as Part of Building an Equitable, Antiracist Writing Classroom ● Owning Our Errors: From Authentic to Ethical Assessment

I’M A TEACHER EDUCATOR—ARE THERE SESSIONS FOR ME?

● Toward Antiracist Writing Pedagogies and Policies in One University Composition Program

The English Languages Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE) group puts together a special program with hundreds of sessions for those who are engaged in the preparation, support, and continuing education of teachers of English language arts/literacy. Sample session topics include

● Black Lives Matter and Antiracist Projects in Writing Program Administration

● Taking Interpretive Risks: Creating Antiracist Classrooms through Critical Literary Theory

● From the Classroom to the Professional Community: Addressing Antisemitism in English Educational Spaces ● (Re)envisioning Teacher Education for Preservice Teachers of Color through Women of Color Feminisms and Pedagogies

WHAT ABOUT RESEARCH? Each year the Annual Convention features a carefully selected set of sessions devoted entirely to current research in the field, bringing together different perspectives on critical issues. You will be able to search the Research Strand on our online program to explore more than 100 sessions.

● Antiracist Teaching with Young Adult Literature: Methods of Teaching Culturally Diverse YA Literature for Equity and Justice ● Being and Becoming Teacher Writers: Writing for Equity and Change ● #SayTheirNames: Naming as Literacy of the Self and Student Identity

NEW FROM NCTE Explore these recent and forthcoming titles from NCTE authors! Visit NCTE Central for the newest in books, quick-reference guides, and merchandise.

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You can order these publications online now at

https://store.ncte.org/. REGISTER AT CONVENTION.NCTE.ORG  15

Explore your professional home— experience the power of connection! The National Council of Teachers of English is home to thousands of teachers of English and language arts. There’s no better moment to get involved, increase your impact, and partner with NCTE to achieve the highest levels of professional success. NCTE membership keeps you connected to an extraordinary and diverse network of educators, researchers, and students. We are your trusted professional source for virtual and in-person events, books, and journals, as well as teaching materials and lesson plans that will spark your creativity and make you even more effective in the classroom.

Keep your membership active to get the best rates when you register for the Convention! Join NCTE today and save $151 when you register for the Convention at the member rate! https://ncte.org/join-ncte-community/ Members have access to these essential benefits: ● Hundreds of free members-only literary and professional development events and webinars, with guests such as Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, David Kessler, and Ruta Sepetys ● A subscription to The Council Chronicle, the quarterly magazine available exclusively for NCTE members ● Support when facing censorship challenges, including a direct connection to legal advice and a free guide, the Free Expression Educators Handbook ● 1,800+ issues in our digital journals archive ● Access to the all-new NCTE Connects online community, a platform to learn, share, and connect with your colleagues in a safe, members-only space ● Discounts on NCTE professional books, select products and services, and the 2021 NCTE Annual Convention, November 18–21 ● Access to life, health, auto, and professional liability insurance through the Trust for Insuring Educators ● Support for NCTE programs that benefit culturally relevant teaching, including the National Day on Writing, the African American Read-In, and teacher mentoring initiatives

Be sure to renew your membership and maintain ready access to all your member benefits!

E X H IBIT HA LL TIPS FOR VISITING THE EXHIBIT HALL 1

Plan your booth visits in advance. Check out the schedule and note the designated hours for the Exhibit Hall. Grab a snack, get comfortable on your couch, and stop into booths to hear about upcoming books, resources, and more.

Just because we are virtual doesn’t mean you can’t snag some books! Many vendors will be having giveaways throughout the Convention, so be sure to leave your business card when visiting a booth.

Vendors will be updating booth content throughout the Convention, so plan to visit and re-visit booths often!

Many publishers will host meet-and-greet opportunities with their authors throughout the Convention. When you visit a booth, textchat or video-chat the booth representative and ask about what they have planned!

EXHIBIT HALL GRAND OPENING Wednesday 11/17—5:30–7:00 p.m.

EXHIBIT HALL STAFFED HOURS Thursday 11/18—6:00–7:30 p.m. Friday 11/19—8:30–10:00 a.m.; 6:00–8:00 p.m. Saturday 11/20—9:00–11:00 a.m.; 12:30–2:00 p.m.; 4:30–6:30 p.m. Sunday 11/21—10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

2021 Annual Convention Preview

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