Mr. Michael Clay Thompson:  Homeschool Conference Speaker and Workshop Leader Details

• Language Arts: Reading
• Special: Academically Gifted

Grammar as a Fun Form of Higher Order Thinking
In contrast to its stereotype as a useless, un-teachable, remedial subject, unfit for gifted minds, traditional grammar is a beautiful and practical form of higher order thinking about language. This approach views grammar as a magic lens for examining our own thinking-a perfectly metacognitive endeavor.

Teaching Vocabulary Directly!
A compelling introduction to the importance of teaching vocabulary in two ways: the study of Latin and Greek stems and of the key words of the classics. If students are to master the academic stratum of vocabulary, they must have a direct program of advanced vocabulary instruction.

Grammar
Choose from The Magic Lens, Grammar Island, Grammar Town, Grammar Voyage. Contrary to the stereotype of grammar as a tedious and useless remedial subject, traditional grammar is actually an exciting form of critical thinking about language. This presentation introduces a new concept about the nature and meaning of grammar, as well as a new approach to compacting grammar instruction so that it can be taught early and applied all year long.

Vocabulary
We are sometimes told not to teach vocabulary directly, but this presentation emphasizes the direct instruction of Latin and Greek based vocabulary, the words within our words, and also emphasizes the importance of the classic words, the venerable "big" words found in virtually all significant books for centuries. The workshop can function either with Word Within The Word at the upper grade levels, or Caesar's English at the elementary level, or Building Language at the early childhood level.

Literature/Classics
Although classics have been dropped from the curriculum in many schools, this presentation advocates for classics as a central focus in the literature program. The nature of classics, the benefits they provide to students, and important techniques for teaching classics are emphasized.

Poetics
In formal language study we sometimes neglect to include poetics, but they are a powerful and central element in all great poetry and prose. This workshop explains why poetics must be a core component of formal language study, and teaches participants the elements of advanced poetics so they can take the knowledge back to the classroom.

Correct Writing Workshop
Based on twenty years of highly academic classroom practice, this is a full-day workshop for middle and high school teachers on how the major components of formal language study make it possible for students to become good writers of formal academic prose. This workshop is not another collection of journal-writing activities. Rather, it focuses on the need to teach students how to write correct formal sentences, essays, and research papers; and it shows how formal writing is a multilevel art that includes and requires a command of formal grammar, formal vocabulary, formal literature, formal poetics, and other factors that make correct formal writing possible. This is a full-day, intense workshop that shows teachers and administrators how to face the real writing problems and that recommends necessary structural and practical classroom changes. The conclusion includes recommendations for teaching research paper writing to middle and high school students.

Grammar Institute for Teachers (Two Day Course) 
This is a thorough grammar review for professional educators. There are many teachers who never got strong instruction in grammar in their own educations, but who see its importance and want a workshop to teach them grammar and provide a powerhouse of techniques they can immediately use in the classroom. Now that the College Board is putting emphasis on grammar in the SAT, this is the workshop that teachers need.

Book Adoption Workshop: Detailed Instruction in Program Delivery
School systems who have adopted The Word Within The Word, Caesar's English, The Magic Lens, Grammar Island, Grammar Town or Grammar Voyage like to have author workshops for serious program implementation training. A very effective way of adopting the vocabulary and grammar programs and improving standards throughout the school.

• BA: Washington and Lee, Philosophy,  Anthropology
• MA: Western Carolina, Gifted Education 
• Board of Directors: NAGC 
• Former Board of Directors: North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented 
• Board of Directors: North Carolina-South Carolina Future Problem Solving program
• Past President: Indiana Association for the Gifted 
• Former Editor: Our Gifted Children magazine 
• Lead Scholar: Javits Program for Language Arts for Gifted Children in Saratoga Springs, NY 
• Taught philosophy at North Carolina Governor’s School 
• Instructor: Cullowhee Experience for Gifted Children 
• Instructor: Northwestern University Learning Links for Gifted Children
• Teacher since 1969
• Author: Grammar Island
• Author: Building Language
• Author: Music Hemispheres
• Author: Sentence Island
• Author: Practice Island
• Author: Grammar Town
• Author: Caesar's English I, II
• Author: Building Poems
• Author: Paragraph Town
• Author: Practice Town
• Author: Grammar Voyage
• Author: Poetry and Humanity 
• Author: A World Of Poetry
• Author: Essay Voyage
• Author: Practice Voyage
• Author: Magic lens I, II, III
• Author: Word Within the Word I, II, III
• Author: 4Practice 1, 2, 3
• Author: Academic Writing 1, 2, 3
• Author: Poetry, Plato, Beauty
• Author: Poetry, Plato, Truth
• Author: Opus 40 
• Author: Jefferson's Truths
• Author: Relativity, Quanta, and Consciousness
• Author: Classics in the Classroom
• Author: Classic Words
• Author: The Conceptual Dialectic
• Author: Thinkers
• Author: The Heart of the Mind
• Author: The Sesquipedalian Neologist's Lexicon 
• Author: Lincoln's Ten Sentences
• Author: Free at Last