Writing Across the Curriculum

Ideas for Engaging Students in Writing and Learning

There is unique power to be found in good nonfiction – the power to illuminate facts and make learning about the world delicious. That’s what draws me to it as both a reader and a writer. However, it is a challenge to write a nonfiction account in a manner that truly breathes life into the subject.

Michael O. Tunnell

Nonfiction• Nonfiction structures challenge

students to connect concepts, to organize, and to discover what they understand about a topic or idea.

• Writing nonfiction helps children hone their thinking and cement their understandings in unique ways.

Scavenger Hunt

List all the nonfiction structures and features you can find in the texts your group has.

Nonfiction Structures

• Question/answer• Cause/effect• Compare/

contrast• Problem/Solution

• Lists• How-to• Directions• Chronological

order• Description

Nonfiction Features

• Photographs with captions

• Sidebars with facts related to the text

• Headings in different sizes from the text

• Excerpts• Quotes by prominent

people in the field• Names, dates, facts,

figures, statistics, technical terms

• Table of contents• Glossary• Index • Introduction• Graphs • Maps• Boldface words• Diagrams with

labels• Bubbles with words

or thoughts

Nonfiction Features

• What did you learn from the feature?

• How does it help you as a reader?

• How does it help you as a learner?

• What do you notice about the frequency of the feature?

What methods do you use for teaching What methods do you use for teaching students to read and write those students to read and write those structures and features in your content structures and features in your content area?area?

Planning for Writing that Relies on the Acquisition of Knowledge

• Expect transfer of skills learned in writing workshop– Common language

• Expect students to use mentors– Study content writing

Qualities of good writing your students acquire through writing curriculum will impact their writing work in all content areas. For this to happen every teacher must see themselves as a teacher of writing.

Reading with Writers’ EyesSearching for Patterns

• Classification: The Nervous System

• Comparisons: Confucianism/Daoism

• Characteristics: Binoculars

Paragraph Patterns for Classification

• State the main category in one sentence• Use a colon to present the subcategories

as a series.• Subcategory 1 – function and

characteristics• Subcategory 2 – function and

characteristics• Subcategory 3 – function and

characteristics

Paragraph Patterns for Comparisons

• Use a semicolon to compare ___; ___.

• Use a comma + conjunction to compare___, but (however, on the other hand) ___.

• Use the both/and structureBoth ___ and___ (have something, do

something, are something) ___.

Paragraph Patterns for Characteristics

• A (whole) ___ consists of (a) ___ which serves to ___.

• The purpose of the (part) ___ is to ___.

• (Part) ___ and (part) ___ work together to ___.

Vocabulary Hats• Students need to be guided through

vocabulary that can wear more than one hat – have more than one meaning.

Content Vernacular acute The acute angel measures 70

degrees.Appendicitis can lead to acute pain.

value A value is the given measurement of quantity.

What is the value of a dollar in Spain?

Factor Factor the expression. Weather was a factor in my decision to cancel the party.

Vocabulary Hats

• Some words have a different meaning depending on the subject area.

Science Social StudiesAtmosphere

The atmosphere of the Earth is divided into temperature zones.

The atmosphere promoted nationalism and warfare.

Axis The Earth rotates on its axis. In WWII, the Axis of Powers were defeated on D-Day.

Culture A tissue sample was cultured in the Petri dish to diagnose the infection.

The culture of the Aztecs included polytheistic religion.

Making it Successful• Develop a bank of strategies

used in all classes.• Develop a common language

used in all classes.• Use strategies on a daily basis.• Model for students using teacher

and student samples• Bring student samples to the

table for discussions

Bibliography• Robb, L. (2004). Nonfiction Writing From the Inside Out. New York: Scholastic.• Benjamin, A. (1999). Writing in the Content Areas. New York: Eye on Education.• Daniels, H. (2004). Subjects Matter: Every Teacher’s Guide to Content-Area Reading.

New Hampshire: Heinemann.• Fletcher, R. Portalupi, J. (2001). Nonfiction Craft Lessons. Maine: Stenhouse.• Caulkins, L. (1991). Living Between the Lines. New Hampshire: Heinemann.• Burkhardt, R. (2003). Writing for Real: Strategies for Engaging Adolescent Writers.

Maine: Stenhouse.• Davis, J. & Hill, S. (2003). The No-Nonsense Guide to Teaching Writing. New

Hampshire: Heinemann.• Daniels, H & Semelman, S. ( 1998). A Community of Writers. New Hampshire:

Heinemann.• Harvey, S. (1998). Nonfiction Matters: Reading, Writing, and Research in Grades 3-8.

Maine: Stenhouse.• Allen, J. (1998). There’s Room for Me Here: Literacy Workshop in the Middle School.

Maine: Stenhouse.• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/WAC/• http://www.sfasu.edu/lalac/bibliog.html• www.ncte.org• Sorenson, S. Encouraging Writing Achievement: Writing across the Curriculum. • ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication Digest #62• http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/weeklytips.phtml/54