Forwords provides programs that work with both students and their teachers. This work focuses on writing, speaking, and presentation skills, analyzing, critical thinking, and 21st century technology skills. Forwords teachers work as mentors and coaches for students and their teachers. Current Programs:

Forwords @ The Canal Alliance
Forwords has 3 programs which run concurrently at the Canal Alliance during the 2011-2012 year:
1. A portfolio project for the 80 middle and high school students. This project was implemented and is supervised by a ForWords teacher who is an expert in this area of literacy. The students are developing portfolios of their work including writing (journals, resumes, essays) artwork, school projects, etc. These portfolios will follow the students throughout their time at the Canal Alliance and be used both for students to reflect on their personal and academic progress and to use for job or school applications to demonstrate their work.
2. On going academic support for students is provided by ForWords teachers in targeted areas of need such as developing study guides for high school courses, mini-lessons on topics such as paragraph development, understanding test directions, etc. ForWords teachers conduct staff coaching sessions and teach side-by-side with Canal teachers demonstrating best practices.
3. The documentary film project on gender roles is currently underway with 35 middle and high school girls and boys. ForWords is working along with the Canal teachers to develop all areas of the project including lessons to teach understanding of the topic, bringing in University experts in the field to work with students, providing artists in residence to work with the students and their teachers, and providing all digital/technical assistance to complete the film.

Forwords IN THE SCHOOLS:
Forwords has two school programs for 2011-2012
1. SAN RAFAEL HIGH SCHOOL-ForWords is working with the Banyan Program, an integrated studies program, at San Rafael High School. This is a program for 60 ninth grade students and their 4 teachers, History, English, Science, and P.E. There will be 60 incoming freshmen next year; the current 60 students will continue in the program as sophomores.
The current ForWords involvement at San Rafael High School is the result of three years of work with selected teachers and the administration. The work there allows ForWords to make an impact in the school where many of the youth we serve are being educated.
During the first semester of this school year ForWords worked with curriculum development and lesson planning with the teaching team. We subsequently provided an artist-in-residence for the Renaissance project. Forwords teachers worked with the students to develop short plays that focused on ideas from their study of the Renaissance (i.e. “heretical” ideas that challenge the current authority). Students developed and wrote scripts, planned sets and costumes, wrote playbills and advertisements, rehearsed their speaking/dramatic skills, and performed their plays for the school and community.
Forwords is currently working with the Banyan team to develop their second semester project which is an integrated subject research project about the impact of corporations. Forwords will work at SRHS throughout this second semester.

2. HELMS MIDDLE SCHOOL-West Contra Costa School District (Richmond) Forwords is working this year in the Multi-Media House at Helms Middle School. This project is the result of three years of working with selected teachers and the school administration. This school serves a largely under-resourced community. The majority of the students from Helms go on to attend Richmond High School.
As in our other projects, Forwords @ Helms works to coach and mentor the seventh and eighth grade teachers in the MMH. We also work in the classrooms with students on a variety of projects involving aspects of writing, speaking and technology. Current examples of our work are a Science project involving writing science journals during the “egg drop” project-a study of force and gravity; a linear equation project involving graphing and excel spreadsheets about salaries, car purchases, and career choices; an English class project (7&8) working with the publishing of a poetry anthology and use of weekly writing workshop.