Writing Strategies for Every Subject

Writing across the curriculum is vital to literacy education at every level. It is a crucial communication skill and a powerful metacognitive strategy that helps students process their learning. Writing is an authentic way to assess students’ understanding of the material. By teaching students to think like members of various academic communities—like scientists, historians, or artists—we can engage them more deeply in the subjects we teach. This immersive experience helps students fully engage with the content, improving their communication skills by writing in various formats on different topics with diverse voices. The impact of writing across all subject areas is significant, and it can be a gratifying process for students.

English Language Arts (ELA)

Exposing students to exemplary texts and authors is essential to helping them write like writers. Reading multiple selections by the same author and attempting to emulate the writer’s style, voice, or process allows students to see themselves as writers.

For instance, a teacher in our school highlighted the works of Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate. The teacher played examples of Gorman reading her poetry aloud, and after discussing her literary techniques, students applied these techniques to their poetry. Gorman’s relevance, age, fame, and captivating poetry motivated students who might not have felt a connection to writing poetry otherwise.

Writing does not always need to be a formal assessment to be effective. Low-stakes writing, such as quick daily exercises, can keep students excited about writing without the pressure of publishing a finished product. For example, a rambling autobiography where students tell their life stories in a stream of consciousness can serve as an icebreaker or a warm-up activity.

Math

Writing about math helps uncover students’ understanding and possible misconceptions. Writing in math classes doesn’t have to be formal. Asking students to write a brief explanation or draw a picture explaining how they solved a problem can be an effective strategy. Alternatively, students can defend their decision to use a particular approach to solve a problem.

For a more extensive project, giving students a real-world problem, like winning a million dollars, can be a fun application of mathematics and an inspiring writing prompt. Students can calculate taxes, decide on the payout method, and explain their decision-making process on how they will spend the money.

Science

Students can practice writing like scientists by creating a website using key terms, pictures, and short, factual explanations to show their understanding of a topic. Writing about real-life examples of scientific concepts can also be beneficial. A nature walk allows students to take or draw pictures of science-related items and caption them with their knowledge.

Social Studies

Document-based questions (DBQs) are valuable at every social studies level. These prompts, accompanied by primary and secondary sources, ask students to make an argument, defend a position, or explain a concept using evidence from the documents. This can be done in younger grades using sentence starters or writing aloud with the teacher. Students can also use information from primary and secondary sources to write historical fiction, creating stories about fictional characters within a historical context.

Students can create posters or social media profiles of historical figures for a lighter writing integration. A teacher at our school did this activity for Black History Month. Students researched lesser-known African American historical figures, created profiles, and posted them on lockers. Students then gathered information by reading their peers’ writings to complete their assignments.

Strategies for Administrators

School administrators can promote writing across the curriculum by sharing a clear vision and expectations with teachers and staff, emphasizing that writing is essential in all subject areas. To increase teachers’ confidence as writers and writing teachers, administrators should model strategies and provide personalized professional development tailored to teachers’ subject areas and needs. Empowering teachers to lead efforts in infusing writing across the curriculum, starting with ELA and social studies departments, can help build a writing culture within the school.

Developing a school-wide writing framework that includes common terminology and process steps is crucial. Monitoring students’ progress and evaluating the writing program involves coaching teachers and students on interacting with writing data, including building portfolios that allow students to reflect on their writing progress over time and across genres.

Frequently Asked Question(FAQs)

What is the purpose of writing across the curriculum?

Writing across the curriculum aims to enhance students’ learning by integrating writing into all subject areas. It helps students process their learning, improves their communication skills, and provides a way to authentically assess their understanding.

How can writing be integrated into math classes?

Writing in math classes can involve brief explanations or drawings of problem-solving processes, defending the choice of a particular strategy, or more extensive projects like planning how to spend a million dollars, incorporating calculations and explanations.

What are Document-Based Questions (DBQs) in social studies?

DBQs are writing prompts accompanied by primary and secondary sources that ask students to make an argument, defend a position, or explain a concept using evidence from the documents. This method helps students engage deeply with historical content and develop critical thinking skills.

How can school administrators support writing across the curriculum?

Administrators can promote writing across the curriculum by sharing a clear vision and expectations, providing personalized professional development, empowering teachers to lead writing initiatives, and developing a school-wide writing framework with common terminology and processes.

Why is low-stakes writing important in ELA classrooms?

Low-stakes writing, such as quick daily exercises, keeps students engaged in writing without the pressure of publishing a finished product. It encourages creativity and allows students to experiment with different writing styles and techniques.

Conclusion

Writing across the curriculum is essential for developing students’ critical thinking and communication skills. We can engage students more deeply in all subject areas by providing authentic writing opportunities relevant to students’ lives and learning. Educators and administrators can create a robust writing culture that benefits all students with supportive strategies and a collaborative approach.