WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM A NEW FOCUS OF THE IOWA CORE
CURRICULUM OCTOBER 24, 2014 MARY HECK AND RACHELLE WIERSMA Slide 2
LETS WRITE! Math, Science, Social Studies, Health, Art, Music, FCS,
PE, etc. Everybody in the pool! Math, Science, Social Studies,
Health, Art, Music, FCS, PE, etc. Everybody in the pool! Lets focus
on a current event in the news: Winner of the Nobel Prize, Ebola,
ISIS, Enterovirus, sports events, stock market, or other topic of
your choice. Lets focus on a current event in the news: Winner of
the Nobel Prize, Ebola, ISIS, Enterovirus, sports events, stock
market, or other topic of your choice. Write for 10 minutes. Write
for 10 minutes. Writing is a great way to access prior knowledge.
What do you know? What dont you know? How did this help/not help
you write? Slide 3 HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT TEACHING WRITING? Is it a
bit intimidating? Slide 4 WHY DO WE NEED THE IOWA CORE AND WRITING
ACROSS THE CURRICULUM? Slide 5 WRITING IS USED IN MANY CAREERS Not
only is writing important during a students academic career, it
will also be important during his/her future occupation. Slide 6
EASY WRITING FORMULA: Introduction Tell the audience what youre
going to tell them. Body Tell them Conclusion Tell them what you
told them Slide 7 THE STANDARD 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY Paragraph #1-
Intro Paragraph #2 - Fact/Process Paragraph #3 - Fact/Process
Paragraph #4 - Fact/Process Paragraph #5 - Conclusion Did the
student answer the question posed or have a thesis statement? Was
there a logical flow to the writing? Did the writer back up
opinions with evidence, data, or quotations? Slide 8 YOU DONT HAVE
TO GRADE LIKE AN ENGLISH TEACHER! YOU dont need to correct every:
Punctuation Error Spelling Mistake Subject-Verb Agreement Comma
Error Let Turn It In make your job easier! Slide 9 CORE CURRICULUM
WRITING STANDARD FOR SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE WHST.9-10.2 WRITE
INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY TEXTS, INCLUDING THE NARRATION OF
HISTORICAL EVENTS, SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES/EXPERIMENTS, OR TECHNICAL
PROCESSES. Slide 10 INTRODUCE AND ORGANIZE IDEAS/CONCEPTS: FORMAT
(EX. HEADINGS) GRAPHICS ( EX. FIGURES, TABLES) MULTIMEDIA, FACTS,
DETAILS, DEFINITIONS, AND EXAMPLES. BASIC WRITING SKILLS: USE
VARIED TRANSITIONS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURES, LINK MAJOR SECTIONS OF
THE TEXT, CREATE COHESION, CLARIFY RELATIONSHIPS AMONG IDEAS AND
CONCEPTS. Slide 11 CORE CURRICULUM WRITING STANDARD FOR SOCIAL
STUDIES AND SCIENCE WHST.9-10.2 WRITE INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY
TEXTS, INCLUDING THE NARRATION OF HISTORICAL EVENTS, SCIENTIFIC
PROCEDURES/EXPERIMENTS, OR TECHNICAL PROCESSES. LETS REVISIT THE
CORE STANDARD AND SEE AN EXAMPLE OF A POSSIBLE WRITING TASK Slide
12 SCIENCE EXAMPLE Formalized Hypotheses Example: If I increase the
temperature of water, then the amount of dissolved oxygen will
decrease. Notice that this statement contains the words, if and
then. Then is followed by a prediction of what will happen if you
increase water temperature. If you always ask yourself if one thing
is related to another, then you should be able to test it.
Formalized hypotheses contain 2 variables. One is independent and
the other is dependent. The independent variable is the one the
scientist controls and the dependent variable is the one that the
scientist observes and/or measures. Rewrite 2 hypotheses using the
formalized style shown above. Single underline the dependent
variable and circle the independent variable in the If clause of
each hypothesis. When you are done, write one more original
hypothesis of your own using this form. Slide 13 ! ASSIGNMENT:
Rewrite 2 hypotheses using the formalized style Ifthen style..
Underline the dependent variable and circle the independent
variable in each hypothesis. When you are done, write one more
original hypothesis of your own using this form. 1)I think goldfish
grow faster with flake goldfish food.
_______________________________________________________ 2)Puppies
like playing with Frisbees better than playing with squeaky toys.
_______________________________________________________ My Original
Hypothesis: _________________________________________________ Slide
14 CORE CURRICULUM WRITING STANDARD FOR SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE
WHST.9-10.2 WRITE INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY TEXTS, INCLUDING THE
NARRATION OF HISTORICAL EVENTS, SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES/EXPERIMENTS,
OR TECHNICAL PROCESSES. LETS REVISIT THE CORE STANDARD AND SEE AN
EXAMPLE OF A POSSIBLE WRITING TASK Slide 15 SOCIAL STUDIES 1.
Brainstorm what students know about World War II. Accept all ideas.
2. Narrow the topic. 3. Help them create a thesis statement. New
Ideas and Information Slide 16 A POPPLET USES TECHNOLOGY TO HELP
STUDENTS BRAINSTORM A TOPIC Slide 17 NARROW THE TOPIC After viewing
and/or participating with the brainstorming session, the student
can select a specific area of focus. Then, the student can write a
thesis statement: Example: World War II could have been avoided if
the Treaty of Versailles had not required Germany to pay
reparations to France and England. Slide 18 AN EXAMPLE OF WRITING
IN MATH AN EXAMPLE OF WRITING IN MATH The student provides a
written description of their problem solving steps. (Proof
Paragraph) Slide 19 MATH Students could write a short paper on
someone who uses math in his/her job. Students could interview the
person selected so first person experience could be collected.
Construction Asphalt/Paving/Road Work Architect/Draftsman
Pharmacist CPA/Bookkeeper/Tax Preparer Slide 20 TECHNICAL WRITING:
Is a 4 step process: Is a 4 step process: 1. Planning - gather
information relevant to the project, document specifications, and
audience analysis 2. Writing -writing phase includes research,
interviews, creating graphics, and preparing a glossary 3. Delivery
- final document is sent to the Production Department (teacher)/
suggested formats are Canvas, One Drive, or other formats
acceptable to the instructor 4. Archiving - In a business setting,
the technical writing document is archived and/or published Slide
21 EXAMPLES OF A TECHNICAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT Select a piece of
children's software that contains poor documentation. Develop a
simple, one page set of instructions that students could use to get
started with the software Write a step by step set of directions
for installing a printer. Include 2 graphics/visuals. More advanced
assignment: Write/design a set of instructions for a process of
your choice. Use Power Point, Office Mix, One Note, or video to
present your instructions. If using video, provide a written
transcript. To further enhance the assignment, the writer could
create an Excel Online Survey in Office 365, a Survey Monkey, or a
Google Doc to accept feedback on the effectiveness of their
instructions. Slide 22 DISCUSSION BOARD (CANVAS) ADVANTAGES FOR ALL
CLASSES : STUDENTS HAVE A CHANCE TO THINK ABOUT A TOPIC BEFORE
DISCUSSING IN CLASS AND/OR PARTICIPATING IN A QUESTION/ANSWER
SESSION. DISCUSSION BOARDS CAN BE USED AS A FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT.
DISCUSSION BOARDS CAN BE USED AS A TICKET OUT THE DOOR OR A
CONTINUATION OF A DIALOGUE AFTER CLASS HAS ENDED. DISCUSSION BOARDS
MUST BE MONITORED CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE ALL ENTRIES ARE APPROPRIATE.
Slide 23 WRITING IS MORE THAN A CREATIVE PROCESS The practice of
writing can enhance the brain's intake, processing, retaining, and
retrieving of information. Through writing, students can increase
their comfort with and success in understanding complex material,
unfamiliar concepts, and subject-specific vocabulary. When writing
is embedded throughout the curriculum, it promotes the brain's
attentive focus to classwork and homework, boosts long-term memory,
illuminates patterns, gives the brain time for reflection, and when
well-guided, is a source of conceptual development and stimulus of
the brain's highest cognition. The practice of writing can enhance
the brain's intake, processing, retaining, and retrieving of
information. Through writing, students can increase their comfort
with and success in understanding complex material, unfamiliar
concepts, and subject-specific vocabulary. When writing is embedded
throughout the curriculum, it promotes the brain's attentive focus
to classwork and homework, boosts long-term memory, illuminates
patterns, gives the brain time for reflection, and when
well-guided, is a source of conceptual development and stimulus of
the brain's highest cognition. Slide 24 NOW ITS YOUR TURN! Write a
learning target. Create a lesson that supports this learning target
and encourages Writing Across the Curriculum. You may integrate
technology as a method of instruction: Voki, Popplet, Wordle,
Canvas, Powtoon, etc.
