1. Strategic Writing Across the Curriculum in Grades 7-12
Christine LaRocco
International Center for Leadership in Education

2. Writing Across the Curriculum:
Two Parts
In every class, students should be involved in
writing to learn
learning to write.

3. Writing for Learning is
Different from Writing to Demonstrate Learning

4. Writing to Learn Different from traditional writing
Different goals
No polished finished product
Focused on higher order thinking, analyzing and summarizing.
Writing to Learn helps build relationships,
the third “R” between students and teacher.

5. Writing to Learn Journals and Learning Logs Lab Logs and Notebooks
Quick Writes
Short Narratives
Summaries
Dialogues

6. Learning to Write Essays Opinion editorials
Technical writing: proposals, observation reports, incident reports, product descriptions, process explanations….
Lab reports
Journalistic writing
Writing for presentations

7. Peter Elbow Students need “low stakes” writing to learn the content.
“The goal isn't so much good writing as coming to learn, understand, remember and figure out what you don't yet know.”
Elbow, P. (1994). Writing for learning--not just for demonstrating learning. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1-4.

8. Writing in response to course content helps students:
Think independently
Develop insight
Explore thoughts and feelings
Develop intellectual courage
Reason logically
Follow the thread of the lesson in their minds
Visualize a concept and make it more concrete by writing down their thoughts

9. Examples of Writing to Learn
Journals and Learning Logs
Quick Writes
Narratives
Summaries
Dialogues
Reader’s Logs
Double Entry Journals

10. Math Prompts: Content and process
Describe square root.
Describe the difference between parallel and perpendicular.
Tell everything you know about prime numbers
Describe the difference between area and perimeter.
Write a word problem that involves measuring square feet.
Describe the key idea of today’s lesson.

11. General Science Writing Prompts
Describe something you have done that involved science concepts.
What scientific concepts regarding the weather do you wonder about?
What is the greatest scientific discovery in the world, and why?
What scientific invention would you like to make that would help the most people?

12. Social Studies Prompts:
Why is it important that people have choices?
What does interdependence mean among the peoples of the world?
From what countries did people come to the U.S. during the 1800s?
What is your definition of justice?
What human rights should all people have?
If you could start a non-profit foundation to make a difference, what issues would you support?

13. Language Arts Prompts
What is the author saying about society in general?
What does the title of the reading imply?
How would I feel in this situation?
What different effects do fiction and non-fiction have on me?
How does this topic apply to my world?

14. Double Entry Journal Prompts
comparisons to information learned earlier
associations with information from other courses
Related personal experience
effects of this information when applied in the world outside the classroom

15. Responding to Writing to Learn
Collect after several entries
Check for Student Understanding
Chance to “Listen” to Students
Chance to “Connect” by Responding
Judge Whether Lesson Needs Re-teaching
Skim – Write Quick Note of Encouragement

16. Responding to Learning Log Entries:
“I remember when I felt that way about math.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll go over it again.”
“You missed a step right here.”
! 4 ☺ P

17. Learning to Write Rough draft, editing, final copy
Introduction, body, conclusion