Writing Across the Writing Across the CurriculumCurriculum
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Essential Questions
• Why is writing a critical component to student achievement?
• How can a K-12 educator integrate writing into his or her subject?
• In what ways can a K-12 educator assess writing across the curriculum?
Traditional Hurdles to WAC
• Fear of grading
• Limited assignments/tasks
• Time constraints
• “It’s not my job.”
Keys to Success
• Shared responsibility: not just the English teacher’s job
• Shared decision makingcreate accessibility, limit reaction
• Embed writing into every subject every day throughout the year; avoid artificial “writing days”
Research Says…• WAC movement started in the 1980’s• Students demonstrate higher levels of critical
thinking when they make associations, comparisons, and connections
• Writing activities commonly used across the curriculum give students the opportunity to make those connections. (Walker, 1988; Self, 1989;
Barr and Healy, 1988; Kurfiss, 1985; Steffens, 1988)
Research says…• Students need time to reflect in order to fully
assimilate and comprehend information.• Reflection writing across the curriculum is
essential to retention and application• This kind of writing is a way into
understanding through articulating. (Hamilton-Wieler,
1988)
Data says…
• Studies attest to the fact that writing improves higher-order reasoning abilities. Barr and Healy (1988)
• Pebblebrook improved eleven points in three years on the GHSWT as a result of a WAC initiative. (Penick, 2006)
Bottom Line:• "Schools succeed when the emphasis, by both
teachers and students, is on writing and thinking about relevant and significant ideas within the subject areas.” (Barr and Healy, 1988)
• Writing across the curriculum accepts writing, the need to develop it, and its role in learning as a function essential to thinking and communicating.
• Teachers at every level and in every subject must make writing a daily practice!
WAC-versus-WAD
• Writing across the Curriculum– Writing in all content areas in a given
school using similar methods, assignments, and forms of assessment
• Writing across Discipline– Writing specifically for a given content area– Unique form, vocabulary, style, citations
Types of Writing
• Expressive Writing: learning logs, journals, exit summaries and peer dialogues allow the student to write in his/her own vocabulary without fear of being "corrected."
• Product Writing: more formal products--essays, test question responses, and lab reports--most like what students have been taught to create in English class
Both used across the curriculum!
Productsadvice column dialogue illustration
autobiography diary interview
advertisement encyclopedia entry job application
announcement eulogy letter
book jacket informative essay mandala
campaign speech narrative essay map w/ legend
cartoon or comic strip
persuasive essay memory
CD cover eyewitness account menu
character sketch graph/chart monologue
collage greeting card movie review
descriptive paragraph
grocery list newspaper article
RAFT• Role of the Writer - Who are you as the writer? Are you
a Trojan warrior? A proton? An integer? The endangered bald eagle?
• Audience - To whom are you writing? Is your audience the American people? A friend? The nucleus? An equation? Readers of a newspaper? A local bank?
• Format - What form will the writing take? Is it a letter? An advertisement? A speech? A poem? A song?
• Topic + strong Verb - What's the subject or the point of this piece? Is it to persuade the jury to spare your life? To describe your relationship to electrons? To call for stricter logging laws?
Sample RAFTsScience
Role: a planetAudience: readers of advertisementsFormat: personal adTopic: describe self
GeographyRole: a canyonAudience: a plateauFormat: a letterTopic: explain how you are formed
PERole: basketballAudience: an alien from MarsFormat: instructionsTopic: list the rules of the game
MathRole: a rulerAudience: an antFormat: a poemTopic: explain purpose of measurement using millimeters
WritingFix's R.A.F.T. Writing Assignment Builders: Create your Own RAFTS Prompts for Math Class.
Why RAFT Works• Integrates reading and writing in a non-traditional
way• Asks that students take what they have read and
create a new product that illustrates their depth of understanding
• Incredibly flexible and offers limitless opportunities for creativity for both you and your students
• Easy differentiation; teachers can develop any number of possible RAFTs based on the same text that can be adjusted for skill level and rigor.
More Strategies• Composition Cubing:have students consider
a subject from six different angles.• Students describe, compare, associate,
analyze, apply and argue for or against a topic of your choosing.
• Students learn to examine a topic from a variety of perspectives.
Example of Compo-Cube
The Character of Achilles from The Iliad• Describe him• Compare Achilles to Trojan heroes• Associate him to Greek values• Analyze his motivations for war• Apply our contemporary definition of hero• Argue for or against his decision to leave
More Strategies
• Visualization: provide students with a visual prompt--an illustration, a slide, transparency, snapshot, etc.
• Students compose narrative, descriptive, persuasive, or expository responses to the visual text.
• Great exercises across the curriculum to reinforce voice, form, vocabulary, and style.
Open Prompts and Timed Writing
• Standardized Writing Assessments: – Third Grade– Fifth Grade– Eighth Grade– GHSWT– SAT Essay
• In order to scaffold successfully, we MUST incorporate timed prompts at every level!
Format of Prompts• Sentence 1: generalization about a particular
subject• Sentence 2: a question that leads students to
have a response to the topic mentioned in the first sentence
• Sentence 3: the directive with specific instructions for the task
Sample Prompt
Think about a club, sport, or activity
you’ve enjoyed at school. What would
you say to other students to persuade
them to join?
Write a speech to deliver to incoming
freshmen urging them to participate in
one or more extra-curricular activities.
Make Assessment EASYChecklists and Rubrics• Begin with a checklist for students. The
checklist then becomes the rubric. • No surprises for anyone involved!• Teacher provides clear expectations, and a
grade is based on how well product meets those expectations
Name____________________ Totally Terrific Teeth Checklist Designed 1/ 31/ 06 asl
Yes No Do I have these items in my book?
_ _ I have a title page that has a title, author and
illustrator listed.
_ _ I have a Table of Contents that includes the topics of
Going to the dentist, Brushing and f lossing, Healthy
f oods, Healthy teeth and pages listed.
_ _ I have a glossary with 5 words.
_ _ My glossary words are in bold print in the book.
_ _ I have captions f or pictures, and I have headings and
labels.
_ _ I have at least 2 sentences per table of contents
topic.
_ _ I have all of my pages numbered.
_ _ I have a variety of sentences to make my book
interesting.
_ _ I have checked my pages f or capitals and punctuation.
This is an example of a First Grade WAC checklist.
***H.1.6.1 Dental Care The learner will be able to recognize practices for proper dental hygiene.
Application level
It can be used as a formative grade if point value is given to the yes and no. Work smarter, not harder!
***H.1.6.1 Dental Care The learner will be able to
recognize practices for proper dental hygiene.
1 Approaching the
standard
2 Meets the standard
3 Exceeds the standard
Score
Table of contents Has a table of contents page with only one topic listed
Has a table of contents page with 3 topics listed
Has a table of contents page with more than 3 items listed
Topic development 1 sentence per table of content topic
2 sentences on most table of content topics
2 sentences for all table of content topics
Glossary 5 glossary words are included
5 glossary words are in bold print with 2 -3 def ined
5 glossary terms are in bold print with def initions
Mechanics Pages have correct capitalization and punctuation
Pages have correct capitalization and punctuation, all pages are numbered
Pages have correct capitalization and punctuation, all pages are numbered, title page is correct, sentences show variety and pictures have labels.
Total score A score of : 10- 12 pts = E 7 -9 pts = G 4-6 pts = S 0 -3 pts = N
•The checklist for students becomes the basis of the grading rubric.
•No surprises and better quality of writing within the end product.
This would be considered a summative grade.
More with Assessment
Easy/Fast Methods for All Content Areas• Door passes• Journals• Student logs
Examples would include:•How can I apply what I learned to another subject?
•I used to think…but now I know…
•What might happen differently if…(The High Performance Toolbox, Appendix 1 (pp. 355-357) 2003 Peak Learning Systems)
Other Quick and Easy Methods of Assessment
• Don’t grade every single assignment
• Grade part of an assignment
• Grade only one or two elements
• Use Highlighters to identify areas of strength and growth
Connections
• 6+1– www.writingfix.com
• Standardized Writing Assessments– www.gadoe.org–
• LFS Writing Components
Wrap Up
• Why is writing valuable for every content area and every level?
• How can a K-12 educator integrate writing and assessment into his or her classroom?
• How well can you recreate the magic that Shaggy and Wonder Woman displayed today?