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Content Area Writing Strategies. Understand. Do. Why should I use valuable classroom time for writing activities? What are some unintended consequences if I don’t use classroom time for writing? What are some concerns I have in using classroom time for writing?.
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Why should I use valuable classroom time for writing activities? • What are some unintended consequences if I don’t use classroom time for writing? • What are some concerns I have in using classroom time for writing?
Writing is a recursive process. Students should learn strategies for invention and discovery. Audience, purpose and occasion define all types of writing. Effective writing fulfills the writer’s intention and meets the audience’s needs. ALL teachers can use writing to improve content learning.
Directed Reading/Thinking Activity (DR/TA) How Can I Teach Writing in the Content Area?
Writing to Learn Think Talk Write
Writing to Learn Public Writing Short Spontaneous Exploratory Informal Personal One draft Unedited Ungraded Substantial Planned Authoritative Conventional Audience Centered Drafted Edited Assessable
I HAVE A FULL CURRICULUM TO TEACH - HOW CAN I USE WRITING TO SUPPORT, RATHER THAN REPLACE, ELEMENTS OF MY CURRICULUM?
A way of using writing to support elements of the curriculum is… • to identify thinking processes and create writing • activities to support them. • to find where writing naturally fits. • to show that students understand concepts. • to provide students opportunity to reflect on their • learning.
In 8th grade math, students keep a learning log as they progress through a unit. They use the log for not only recording information about how to solve problems but also as a place to reflect on their learning. The teacher helps students see the value of this by encouraging them to reread the entry from the previous day as review at the beginning of each class and modeling how they can use the learning log to help them prepare for a test on a unit.
In United States history, students create an oral history anthology covering the decades between 1930 and 1950 (with a focus on culture, history, and social issues) by interviewing people they know who were teenagers or adults during that time period. As part of a community service project, they then take the anthology to a nearby assisted living facility in order to give residents a chance to read the anthology and add reflections or insights that they had when reading and remembering their own lives. The students incorporate these reflections into the document as "that makes me think of a time…" narratives, and place copies of the anthology in the assisted living facility and the public library.
In marketing, students collect and evaluate brochures advertising local cleaning services. They analyze the brochures for effectiveness and use the strongest ones as models for brochures they will be creating for mock businesses.
In health, students research, design, write, illustrate and edit newsletters to be distributed through the school nurse's office which identify and discuss the effects of health problems related to teens on their overall or future health such as smoking, lack of physical activity, diabetes, body piercing, and sports injuries.
In Algebra I, students work individually in class to design a word problem to submit for a "class-generated" homework assignment to be given out the next night as review for an upcoming test. The teacher conducts 30-second conferences by stopping by each student's desk as he/she works and allowing the student to ask one focused question about the evolving word problem.
In Dance I, students are given a sample paragraph from a dance review which contains too many details. They are instructed to work in pairs to identify which details help move the piece toward its desired end and which just muddle the paragraph or take away from the main point being made. The students then discuss their responses with the whole group by explaining the changes they made and the reasons behind those changes.
In physical education, students write an essay on the topic "What are the consequences of parental violence at little league games?" as a way of exploring the notion of "sportsmanship." On the day they bring in a draft of the essay, they are instructed to "take the express and return on the scenic route." To do this, the teacher has them read through the essay and do the following: (1) add other details that have occurred to them and (2) read it again and put question marks by five details that may be appropriate to omit. The students then meet with a partner to discuss the five they chose and get feedback on which seem the most/least helpful to the progression of the essay.
In Automotive Service Tech I, students respond to the following cause-effect prompt: Create a how-to manual for teen drivers who want to know how they can make the engine of a new car maintain peak performance. Students are told that their language must be clear and concise in order to be effective, so they go on a "lazy word" hunt. Each time they find one of these vague or overused words they replace it with a more precise word.
Active Literacy RAFT Role – Audience – Format - Topic
RAFT Ideas for Student Products/Formats • Outline plans for a half-day workshop • Create a city-wide program and write an action plan for… • Design a brochure • Design a performance review form • Write an action plan • Develop a proposal • Design a flyer with a mail back portion • Write a corporate philosophy • Write an employee handbook section with guidelines on… • Write a letter of recommendation • Design and conduct a survey • Prepare a multimedia presentation
RAFT EXAMPLE ROLE: You work at a busy auto maintenance and repair shop. You realize that many car owners do not understand that their cars must have regular maintenance like oil changes, tune ups and brake checks. Audience, Format & Topic: You decide to produce a marketing piece to instruct car owners . Design a brochure on the topic of maintaining an automobile for car owners.
RAFT EXAMPLE ROLE: You are a health care assistant in a children’s clinic. Many young parents do not understand how or why their children’s ears become infected. Audience, Format & Topic: Design a brochure on the auditory process, the causes of ear infection and how ear infections are treated.
