This discussion post is used in conjunction with EYPD Education courses. The purpose is to increase awareness on the specific topic that may coincide with courses.
Writing Across the Curriculum: What, How and Why
Why Write Across the Curriculum?
“Writing is an absolute imperative for success with the Common Core,” said Steve Peha, founder of Teaching That Makes Sense.
Learning to write, and write well, is a crucial life skill. Not only does it help one succeed in school, it’s vital to success in the “real” world too. Writing has become essential in today’s wired world. We communicate through the written word on a daily basis via email and text.
And when today’s elementary and middle school children enter the work force, they will be expected to know how to fire up their computers and write coherent, intelligent content pretty much no matter what field they choose.
In addition, studies have shown that writing helps boost student achievement across the board because it actively engages children. It requires them to take in information, organize their thoughts, sort through all of the information they’ve received and then process it. “Writing is the most extensive brain workout a kid can get,” said Mr. Peha. “It includes reading, logic, motor coordination and if writing for an audience, social emotional intelligence.” In other words, there are a lot of benefits to writing:
- Writing aids retention. It helps children remember and understand material much more than passive forms of learning like reading and listening. “Writing helps with mental recall,” said Mr. Peha. “It cements a concept in a kid’s brain more than anything else.”
- Writing increases the depth of knowledge on a subject and helps students master any specialized vocabulary or terminology related to the topic.
- Writing develops critical thinking skills. When a child has to research something, organize her thoughts and then write about it in a clear, concise way she’s flexing her mind.
- Writing promotes independent thinking. In order to write, you have to have a point of view.
Writing Across the Curriculum: What, How and Why
- Writing is a great way to engage all of your students! You won’t just hear from the kids who are always throwing their hands up.
- Writing helps teachers monitor student progress and gauge their strengths and weaknesses. “Writing lets you know where your students are at more than any test,” said Mr. Peha. With regular writing assignments as part of your curriculum, you don’t have to wait for a big exam to see if the kids are getting it.
- Writing helps you see gaps in instruction so you can adjust your teaching to insure that all of the students get what you’re talking about!
- Writing saves you time! Writing can be a very efficient way to cover multiple standards at once because it is such a complex, multifaceted task. In science, for example, you can get a glimpse of students’ hypothetical and procedural thinking by analyzing a written lab report.
Mr. Steve Peha, founder of Teaching that Makes Sense, is quoted as saying that “Writing is the most extensive brain workout a kid can get.” This article had several good suggestions for ways that I can incorporate writing into my lessons and help my students ‘workout their brains’. I especially liked the idea of Think-Pair-Share where the students can talk over their ideas or reservations with each other.
My school district has encouraged us to write across the curriculum in the past. I loved the concept for many reasons. One, it made teachers communicates with each other. It is not often that a math and English teacher works on curriculum together. It gives us a sense of ownership and obligation to help our students apply concepts from one subject and apply in another. Second, it challenges the students to stretch their ability and apply knowledge. Lastly, it allows teacher to monitor progress and gauge their strengths and weaknesses according to the Writing Across the Curriculum article.
When I think about writing in math class, summarizing and note taking comes to mind. According to Marzono, says these skills promote greater comprehension by asking students to analyze a subject to expose what’s essential and then put it in their own words. According to research, this requires substituting, deleting, and keeping some
things and having an awareness of the basic structure of the information
presented. I’ve also used two column note taking to generate non-linquisitic representations.
I love how it engages all students, not just the ones who love to answer out loud in class.
My school district has encouraged us to write across the curriculum in the past. I loved the concept for many reasons. One, it made teachers communicates with each other. It is not often that a math and English teacher works on curriculum together. It gives us a sense of ownership and obligation to help our students apply concepts from one subject and apply in another. Second, it challenges the students to stretch their ability and apply knowledge. Lastly, it allows teacher to monitor progress and gauge their strengths and weaknesses according to the Writing Across the Curriculum article.
My district has encouraged writing across curriculum the last two years. I believe this is a great strategy to use in school systems. First, it allows students to work on writing skills in all classes. I believe this allows students to not just view writing as, “My English teacher makes us write!” but as all teachers make them write. Writing is vital in life and if students do not have the skill set when they leave school they will be set up for failure. Writing across the curriculum will allow students to have more exposure, time and practice to develop fluent writing skills.
Our district encourages, and mandates, that students write across the curriculum. We encourage students to increase their writing abilities. The first step we take is to encourage students to speak correctly because we understand that students tend to write how they talk. We use six of the practices mentioned in the article. The most widely used practice is quick writes, followed closely by journal writing.
We have seen some success, not as much as we hoped, by writing across the curriculum. As we become better in our teaching practices, then the students should become better in their writing.
I have had a good experience, in the past, working with fellow teachers to include everything from projects, readings, handouts, etc in my class. History is easy to work in other subjects, so teaching across the curriculum is not a problem for me. Doing the Harlem Renaissance – Art, Music, English Literature. A section on scientists, hit up the science teachers for old hand outs they no longer use. I use the ACT prep book in the different sections as home works and bell ringers, so I try and pull out things that go along with what we are doing, not to mention, that alone is teaching across the board. It helps with the state tests, ACT Prep, and English II test.
I have also had my students write in my class, Math and Science. In the beginning it was very different for them, but after a few months of that they all were able to put their thoughts down on paper when it came to solving problems. I love to read how they find the solutions because it is always different from mine or another classmate. I believe writing across the curriculum is extremely important and beneficial for all student types.
Over the years, I attempted to impress upon the teachers the importance of writing in a math classroom. Maybe this school year journaling 3 times a week could assist students in making meaningful connections between what they already know and what they are to learn in the current instructional lesson as well serve as a way to make speaking and listening in cooperative learning groups easier.
I always enjoy reading my students’ fresh perspectives on history lessons that we have discussed in class. Very often, my students will write about a topic they enjoyed and that they researched on their own time of their own volition. I am always pleased with the level of thought that my students put into their writing, so I plan to integrate writing more in my history classes.
Writing across the curriculum allows for the students to be engaged in a higher level of application. It also allows for teachers to collaborate to have integration of the subjects being taught. Steve Peha said, “Learning to write, and write well, is a crucial life skill.” I could not agree more. Many times, due to the curriculum being so rigorous, we give long assessments with many questions. I feel writing is a crucial aspect in life and should be incorporated as much as possible. If students are not practicing their writing as much as they can, they will miss the opportunity to become good writers. When I taught, I realized when my students would gather their thoughts and information about a specific lesson being taught, they gained a better understanding. It also allowed them practice writing their responses instead of just answering questions. Steve Peha also said, “Writing is the most extensive brain workout a kid can get.” With Common Core being all about application and explanation, writing gets the students to those levels. If a student can explain their thoughts or the processes of their solutions in a written response, they are partaking in an extensive assignment. I love the idea of writing across the curriculum because I want my students to be able to not only write in my classroom but also in the real world.
As an English teacher, this blog makes my heart so happy! I remember as a 10th grade World History student that my teacher made us write out discussions and essays as test questions, and I remember how much I learned from that class as opposed to classes that required only fill in the blank answers and multiple-choice questions (even though there is definitely a time and place for those types of questions!) I’ve never thought about writing as “brain workout” as Mr. Peha says in the article, but I see how true that statement is. The fact that writing incorporates so many different skills and ways of thinking makes it a necessary learning tool for any subject. Using writing to assess learning allows the teacher to truly see the depth of knowledge a student possesses about a subject. Not only that, but students have to think critically throughout the writing process. Probably the most compelling point the author makes in the article is the relevance that writing has in preparing students for the real world. In most any profession, students will be required to write.
Writing across the curriculum provokes excitement to express what students are thinking. Teaching my kindergartens how to write is a fun experience. Steve Peha states that “Writing is the most extensive brain workout a kid can get.” I think writing across the curriculum provokes an excitement in learners to build on gaps in student achievement the learning process. Writing helps little minds stay engaged to express their thoughts. It motivates my students to apply independent thinking. The important factor in writing is to learn how to communicate and be actively engage while learning. Writing helps my kindergarteners to expand their depth of knowledge while building the critical thinking skills needed to improve as a writer.
After reading this article, I understand the importance of writing in math class. It allows for more practice in writing and gives students a greater chance at learning to express themselves.