Working together to get writing right

Philosophical and practical reasons to support writing across the curriculum in high schools. A WebQuest for teachers.

By Kimberly Bowen

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• Living History - Civil War: After researching antebellum North Carolina and the role of North Carolina in the Civil War, students will write, edit, publish, and produce their own plays.
  

Related topics

• Learn more about English language arts and writing across the curriculum.

Legal

• September 2001: The North Carolina State Board of Education establishes the Grade 10 writing assessment.
• June 2002: The College Board Announces a New SAT to include a writing test.
• April 2003: The National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges Calls for a “Writing Revolution.”

The headlines hit us one after the other, leaving unanswered questions, confusion, and uncertainty about how to proceed. From politicians to businessmen, from school boards to college professors, everyone seems concerned about students and writing. In the face of this concern and increasing accountability, what can a high school teacher do? This WebQuest will help you find out.

Before you move on to the task, divide a sheet of paper into three columns to make a K-W-L chart. In the first column, write what you know about writing and writing in your curriculum area. In the second column, write what you still want to know. If you are doing this WebQuest with your colleagues, discuss your knowledge and share your questions.

Task

You are a member of your school’s leadership team. You are concerned about student literacy and writing and thinking skills. Although you are not an English Language Arts teacher, you think that students need to write and think critically in all classes. You have heard about writing across the curriculum and would like to see your school begin such an initiative.

You decide to approach the principal and the leadership team to discuss making writing across the curriculum part of your school improvement plan. Before your meeting, you want to make sure that you have researched this approach and have support to encourage others to endorse it as well. Each year, so many new “movements” try to pull the school in one direction or another, so you know that your colleagues may need to be convinced that this is the way to go.

As an optional extension activity, you can use your research to prepare a presentation and deliver it to your school faculty.

Process and Resources

Finish working on your K-W-L chart by filling in the last column with what you learn through your research of the sites below:

The Philosophical

• Key points from Because Writing Matters (National Writing Project). Because Writing Matters is a recent publication of The National Writing Project, a professional development network dedicated to improving student writing and learning by improving the teaching of writing in U.S. schools. This site summarizes the key points of this research-based book designed to present a vision of how our schools can help students become stronger thinkers and writers.
• “Reading, Writing, and Understanding,” Vicki A. Jacobs (Educational Leadership, ASCD). This article from Educational Leadership focuses on reading and writing as means for understanding content within disciplines.
• “National Commission on Writing Calls for a Writing Revolution” (press release for The Neglected “R”: The Need for a Writing Revolution). The National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges, a blue-ribbon group made up of university leaders, public school superintendents, and teachers, and assisted by an advisory panel of writing experts, reports that writing has been neglected in our public schools. The commission calls for dramatic increases in time and funds to support student writing at all grade levels and in all subjects.
• Improving Reading and Writing Skills in Language Arts Courses and Across the Curriculum,” Gene Bottoms and Amy Bearman (Southern Regional Education Board). This research brief offers thought-provoking statistics about the current status and importance of (reading and) writing in high schools and student achievement.
• “Encouraging Writing Achievement: Writing across the Curriculum,” Sharon Sorenson (ERIC Digest). This brief article offers an overview of reasons and ways to support writing in the content areas.
• Language and Learning Across the Discipline. This journal offers a forum for discussion about writing and communication across discipline. Although it is maintained by the WAC Clearinghouse at Colorado State University and focuses primarily on post-secondary programs, the articles offer information and strategies useful to secondary educators. Be sure to read “Wonder of Writing Across the Curriculum” by Art Young (Vol. 1, No. 1) and “Writing to Learn to Do: WAC, WAW, WAW — WOW!” by David R. Russell (Vol. 2, No. 2).

The Practical

• College Board New SAT 2005 Writing Section
• NCDPI Testing Section — Writing Assessment Website
• Informational Writing: Grade 10 Writing Assessment pamphlet (NCDPI Instructional Services Section)
• Informational Writing Across the Curriculum Matrix (NCDPI Instructional Services Division)
• Writing Across the Curriculum: Informational Writing pamphlet (NCDPI Instructional Services Division)

Self-Assessment

Of course, all of you made straight A’s, but exactly where on the A continuum do you fall? This rubric should help you assess your understanding of writing across the curriculum.

	Arrgh!!!	Apprenticed	Accomplished	Awesome
Ability to articulate philosophical reasons to support writing across the curriculum	I think I’m going to call in sick the day of the meeting.	I still think this is the thing to do, but I hope no one expects me to talk much if and when we take this to the whole faculty.	I’m ready to begin a conversation about the importance of writing to student success.	My notes and key points are in order; I’ve even brainstormed possible questions from nay-sayers and feel confident I can answer them in the meeting — and in the faculty lounge, too.
Knowledge and understanding of practical reasons — writing tests NC students will take in high school	That’s the English teacher’s job — I’ve got enough to do already.	Gee, those revised tests make me realize how much has changed since I was in school.	I see how my students can practice the writing and thinking skills they will need for success.	The skills the students need for those tests are some of the same skills they need for my discipline. Incorporating writing won’t mean more work — just some major changes in approach.
Presentation (optional)	Well, I included some general information and told them it would be a good idea. If they didn’t want to listen, that’s just a sign of the times — too much to do, too little time.	I made a cool PowerPoint presentation — with sounds and everything — and read them lots of quotations from the websites. They weren’t as interested as I hoped they would be.	I focused on key ideas that appeared on several sites, and I included both philosophical and practical reasons. I also included examples from the readings to relate to different content areas.	I included key ideas from the research and recruited examples of what some of our best teachers are doing now. We haven’t answered all of our implementation questions, but we’ve got a good start.

Conclusion

Of course, the true test of your endeavors will be the leadership team meeting (and then the faculty presentation) and your colleagues’ reactions. While writing across the curriculum might not be an immediate hit with all of your coworkers, count every additional person who asks you for advice or help with writing in their classes as a sign of success. And the day that one of your students (or even one of your colleagues) shares a writing experience from his or her class, be sure to give yourself a huge pat on the back!