Writing Across the Curriculum
Many schools are placing an additional emphasis on reading and writing in their curriculum these days. This is a direct result of API scores and standardized testing. I think it is safe to say that any educator would agree that if a student cannot read or write well, they will probably not perform well on any test, let alone a standardized test!
When I first began my career as a math teacher, back in the 70’s, I had the mindset that the students would learn to read and write in their English classes. Not that this doesn’t occur in those classes, but I’ve learned over the years that all of us can help in this endeavor, no matter what course we teach. Having made this discovery after many years of teaching, I sought out teachers with whom I could collaborate and develop projects with.
For several years I worked with a guidance teacher and an English teacher. We developed the “I Search” paper. The guidance teacher would tal
k about careers, colleges, etc; the English teacher taught a unit on research papers and how to write them; I had the students write a 3-5 page paper on how mathematics related to the career that they had chosen. They could include all aspects of math: what they should take in high school, what they would need to take in college and how math would be used in their career on a daily basis.
In most cases the results were impressive. I had one student that wanted to be a musician write an incredible paper relating math to all the difference chord types, cadences, etc. It was absolutely amazing!
I want to encourage you, maybe even challenge you, that no matter what subject you teach, incorporate writing into your class requirements at least once a week.
February 21st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Great post!!
July 29th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Sounds like the National Writing Project! Wonderful! We absolutely MUST write across the curriculum because it is through writing that students begin to own their learning and express understanding. Well said!
Margaret McNamara
Teacher Consultant
for the Northern Virginia Writers Project
March 8th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
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October 5th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Its great to incorporate writing into mathematics. Students today do not get as much exposure to writing as they used to. Also, by having the students not only relate the writing to their core subject but also to themselves helps keep them engaged and interested.
October 12th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Students will write ‘better’ when it is on a topic they are genuinely interested in. We should learn to associate writing with experiences that give meaning to our lives. I also agree that “it is through writing that students begin to own their learning and express understanding”. Writing is the most profound way to learn! We can go back and read what we wrote long afterwards and capture meanings we had not seen when we were actually writing! Only through writing do we access the highest levels of learning and understanding…unless of course we belong to a non writing society in which case the rules are different and ‘writing’ can be symbols, memory, weavings, etc.
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June 16th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
I am thrilled to hear that teachers are actually incorporating writing across the curriculum. It appears that most students these days do not like writing, or they are just lazy. I found that utilizing a thematic unit that is high interest to the students, they really want to write and do well at it. For example, I developed a thematic unit on rocks and minerals and made the lesson come to life for my students; each student enjoyed writing a journal entry about one fact that they learned. Of course, I started out with baby steps, but eventually they were writing 3-6 facts each time they learned a new concept.
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