+ Writing Across the Curriculum Presented by: Dr. Shannon Johnson, SBTL Allison Stringfield, Reading Coach

+ Group Activity Pick up the Pieces 1. When given the signal to move, locate three people that have the same fraction tile. 2. Once you have located your team members,you will sit at the desk with the percentage that matches your fraction tile. 3. Remove the contents of your envelop. 4. Assemble the puzzle pieces. 5. The completed puzzle will reveal the number of times students should be provided the opportunity to write per day.

+ Pick up the Pieces

+ Basic WAC Definition “Students use written language to develop and communicate knowledge in every discipline and across disciplines.” --Art Young

+ What WAC Is Not: An add-on to the school’s curriculum: it is a way to teach the curriculum. An add-on to the school’s curriculum: it is a way to teach the curriculum. Accomplished by assigning a research paper in every class Accomplished by assigning a research paper in every class Designed to add more work for you Designed to add more work for you Busy work Busy work An effort by Reading Teachers to have others do their work for them An effort by Reading Teachers to have others do their work for them

+ Some Overall Guiding Assumptions about Writing 1. Writing is a mode of learning. ** Assigning writing is a powerful mode of teaching.

+ --Writing Assumptions, cont. 2. Learning a discipline also means learning the particular ways of writing in that discipline.

+ Writing Assumptions, cont. 3. Informal writing exercises both complement formal writing assignments and are valuable in their own right.

+ Some Informal Uses of Writing Five-minute free writes at the start of class to focus discussion on the topic. A “one-minute essay” to summarize the most important points of class or to ask a question to be addressed at the next class meeting. An answer to someone’s question about a problem, process, or concept. As an exit ticket from class.

+ Some Uses of Writing Other than Research Papers Article Summary/Abstract Article Summary/Abstract Annotated Bibliography Annotated Bibliography Review of Literature Review of Literature Writing to explain how an answer was reached (math) Writing to explain how an answer was reached (math) Lab Reports Lab Reports Program/Exhibit Notes Program/Exhibit Notes Lesson Plans Lesson Plans News articles about disciplinary topic News articles about disciplinary topic “F.I.T” essays (Fact, Interpretation, Tie-in) “F.I.T” essays (Fact, Interpretation, Tie-in)

+ Think, pair, Stand Up and Share “A Science teacher in teaching students the knowledge that is Science as well as how to think, communicate, and solve problems like a scientist is initiating students into science as a discipline. Sometimes teachers fear that becoming involved in WAC means taking time away from Science—becoming an English teacher for 30 percent of the time—and they are understandably reluctant to do so.” “A Science teacher in teaching students the knowledge that is Science as well as how to think, communicate, and solve problems like a scientist is initiating students into science as a discipline. Sometimes teachers fear that becoming involved in WAC means taking time away from Science—becoming an English teacher for 30 percent of the time—and they are understandably reluctant to do so.”

+ What Do You Do with Writing Once You Get It? Respond: To give informal reactions to text. Assess: To see how a student’s, or a class’s, body of work lines up with program or institutional objectives. Evaluate: To compare work with some sort of marker, benchmark, or standard. Grade: To condense all data into one symbol. Bradley Peters, Northern Illinois U., Council of Writing Program Admin.

+ False Premises About Evaluation 1. Instructors should write a lot in the margins and between the lines. 2. Instructors ought to know and use many specific grammatical rules and terms if they want to comment effectively. 3. The most effective responses to student writing are instructor-written comments on the final copy. Joyce MacAllister, “Responding to Student Writing” 4. Every piece of writing needs to be graded.

+ Tips for Assessing Writing 1. Tie the writing task to specific pedagogical goals. 2. Give written assignments that include your criteria for grading to make your expectations clear. 3. Weight your grading criteria to reflect your course priorities. 4. Require more than one draft of an assignment.

+ Tips for Assessing Writing 5. Make good student papers available to illustrate features of strong work. 6. Set ground rules for yourself, and clearly convey to students what they can and cannot expect in terms of your response. 7. Develop a response rubric—a list of elements of the paper that you can check off. 8. Use evaluation options: choice depends on type, complexity, and purpose of assignment. Doug Hesse, “Response to Student Writing”

+ WAC Principles Students learn more when they are engaged with the subject. Writing is a unique tool for engaging students in learning. Not every piece of writing needs to be graded or lead to a final product for learning to occur. You are the best person to teach students how to use writing in your disciplinary field. Students will regard writing as important for all disciplines, and not just English/Reading, when they see other teachers valuing it as a means for learning and its necessity

+ Word SPLASH Writing AcrossCurriculumDiscipline DailyReading Use each key word from the presentation and write at least five lines that demonstrate your understanding of today’s topic.

+ Works Cited Bean, John. Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrting Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Bean, John. Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrting Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Burke, Kenneth. The Philosophy of Literary Form. 3 rd ed., U of California P, Burke, Kenneth. The Philosophy of Literary Form. 3 rd ed., U of California P, Emig, Janet. “Writing as a Mode of Learning.” College Composition and Communication 28 (May 1977): Emig, Janet. “Writing as a Mode of Learning.” College Composition and Communication 28 (May 1977): Hesse, Doug. “Response to Student Writing: Thirteen Ways of Looking at It.” Hesse, Doug. “Response to Student Writing: Thirteen Ways of Looking at It.” “Writing beyond Classes: Useful Strategies for Busy Professors.” Univ. of Denver. April “Writing beyond Classes: Useful Strategies for Busy Professors.” Univ. of Denver. April “Learning Pyramid.” National Training Laboratories. Bethel, Maine. The Abilene Christian University Adams Center for Teaching Excellence Oct “Learning Pyramid.” National Training Laboratories. Bethel, Maine. The Abilene Christian University Adams Center for Teaching Excellence Oct

+ Works Cited MacAllister, Joyce. “Responding to Student Writing.” New Directions for Teaching and Learning: Teaching Writing in All Disciplines, no. 12. San Francisco: Josey-Bass, McLeod-Porter, Delma. “Guidelines for Assessing Writing in Writing Enriched Courses: How to Mark Student Papers and Retain Your Sanity.” PowerPoint Presentation, McNeese State U., The National Commission on Writing. The Neglected “R”: The Need for a Writing Revolution. College Board, Writing: A Ticket to Work…or a Ticket Out, A Survey of Business Leaders. College Board, Writing: A Powerful Message from State Government. College Board, 2005.

+ Works Cited Peters, Bradley. Council of Writing Program Administrators Listserv. 24 Oct “Rubrics.” St. John’s Univ. 26 Oct t/co t/co reassessment/rubrics.print Young, Art. Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum. 3 rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.