Catchin up from 3-5

Writing Across the Curriculum

Reader Response   Chapter 9

Content Area Reading Text

 

The opening header speaks volumes about this issue:

Writing facilitates learning by helping students to explore, clarify, and think deeply about the ideas and concepts they encounter in reading. (pg. 278)

 

This hits home with me as I have seen it many times in my own work as well as that of my students. If you truly want to learn a lesson, write it down. The more you write about a topic, the better you understand that topic. It is a simple mantra actually, yet it does work.

This chapter provides a diverse representation of writing techniques to be used I certain situations. Some I have had the pleasure of using here at UST in my grad classes. Others, I can see a place for them in my science curriculum.

 

For instance, Learning Logs were a daily tool used in SPED 750. It was a great tool to end the class period. It allows for reflection on what was yet fresh in your mind and write about it in a quick informal draft. SPED 750 added the “share and sign” portion. After your learning log was complete, share it with a classmate, initial and turn it in as an exit ticket. There is also the response journal. This is similar to what I am writing now as a reader response. This response writing provides me a way to record my thoughts before, during, and after reading an assigned text. The benefit of this response format is the blog post that offers a way to publish our thoughts for peer review.

 

Voices in the Classroom (pg 307) defines the challenge that Math teachers face when trying to blend high-level thinking skills with writing. The woman that teaches middle school math at my school has developed the P.O.W. Journal (Problem of the week). Every Monday she writes a word problem on the board for all her students to solve. First, they must record it in the Journal in the consecutive weekly format. The students are required to spend minimum of 5 minutes daily making notes or calculations in their journals as they peck away towards the answer. The journal itself is turned in on Friday for grading. It is graded on accuracy of answer as well as correct writing techniques that are applied to the weekly problem. This journal does not get graded. However, it is a popular assignment and bragging rights for correctness are held in the highest regard.