Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum
Reading and writing have always been at the core of education. All grade levels and subject areas make use of reading and writing in some way. Whether it is writing out an algebra formula, reading a driver’s ed manual, reading and responding to text messages, blogs, or wikis, the need for fluent reading and fluid writing surrounds us every day. Teaching reading and writing skills starts in the classroom and is germane to every grade level and subject area.
Writing allows us to make a tangible document of our thinking and provides information to others without the writer even being present. Writing can and often does live on long after the writer stops contributing to it.
Reading can be a very personal and powerful pastime. Most of us have had significant moments with something we have read, whether it was a quotation that resonated with us, a book that we would want to have if stranded on a desert island, or even a children’s book that we can still recite from memory.
Reading and writing , of course, are not limited to school work and academic life. As adults, we write letters, submit proposals, read recipes, read and write blogs, read books and newspapers, and write for many purposes. In a nutshell, reading and writing allow us to participate in society.
Did you know?
The teacher plays an important role in the development and fostering of the fluent reader (Rasinski, 2004; Stahl, 2004).
When a reader perceives structure and organization in text material, learning improves and the reader is able to readily gain meaning from what is being read. The reader is better able to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information within text and make connections to real-life experiences which enhances comprehension (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001; Vacca & Vacca, 2005).
Teachers should develop classrooms as social and collaborative situations where students can share books, discuss books, write about what they are reading, and participate in book clubs and interest-based research groups (Bean, 2000; Alvermann, Swafford, & Montero, 2004; Edmunds & Bauserman, 2006).
When engaged in writing to assist in reading comprehension, students take notes, reflect in learning logs, write summaries, and list ideas (Pardo, 2004; Fountas & Pinnell, 2001; Knipper & Duggan, 2006; Moje & Speyer, 2008; Allen, 2004).
“If we say that reading helps us take in knowledge, with writing, we make it our own.”
—Harvey Daniels, Steven Zemelman, and Nancy Steineke, Content-Area Writing
The information below is based on ideas in the PLS courses Reading Across the Curriculum™ , Reading Across the Curriculum™ Online , and Writing Across the Curriculum™ Online .
Read on for a reading and writing strategy that you can implement in your content area.
Quick Writes Across the Curriculum
Quick Writes is a strategy designed to offer students an opportunity to reflect on their learning. This strategy can be used before, during, and/or after reading and can take anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes.
During Quick Writes, students can let their thoughts flow without concern for mechanics or revisions. They can write about what they learned, activate background knowledge, define or explain something, discuss problems they encountered, convey what they liked (or did not like) about a reading, and express how well they understood the concepts.
When possible, have students read no more than a page to a page and a half before doing Quick Writes, unless the article or story is of extremely high interest. Students at any grade level will begin to lose focus and concentration after a paragraph or two of challenging text.
Encourage students to use a variety of connections and types of writing when they do Quick Writes: a variety of summarizing/paraphrasing, personal connection ideas, drawing or charting information, and reactions to the text work best. If students only summarize, they may lose interest in the process.
Quick Writes are most effective when they are shared (and revised) with a partner. Look for opportunities to share Quick Writes often in your classroom.
Taking It Further
This article
shares how content-area teachers are masters of the writing required in their specialized disciplines.
These sample Quick Write starters , which do not involve reading, will get your students thinking creatively.
References
Allen, J. (2004). Tools for teaching content literacy. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Alvermann, D. E., Swafford, J., & Montero, M. K. (2004). Content area literacy instruction for the elementary grades. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Bean, T. W. (2000). Reading in the content areas: Social constructivist dimensions. In R. Barr, P. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson & M. Kamil (Eds.). Handbook of Reading Research, Volume III (pp. 629–644). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Edmunds, K. M., & Bauserman, K. L. (2006). What teachers can learn about reading motivation through conversations with children. The Reading Teacher, 59(5), 414–424.
Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2001). Guiding readers and writers grades 3–6: Teaching comprehension, genre, and content literacy. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Knipper, K. J., & Duggan, T. J. (2006). Writing to learn across the curriculum: Tools for comprehension in content area classes. The Reading Teacher, 59(5), 462–470.
Moje, E. B., & Speyer, J. (2008). The reality of challenging texts in high school science and social studies: How teachers can mediate comprehension. In Hinchman, K.A., & Sheridan-Thomas, H. K. (Eds.). Best Practices in Adolescent Literacy Instruction (pp. 185–210). New York: Guilford.
Pardo, L. S. (2004). What every teacher needs to know about comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 58(3), 272–280.
Rasinski, T. (2004). Creating fluent readers. Educational Leadership, 61(6), 46–51.
Stahl, S. A. (2004). What do we know about fluency? In McCardle, P. & Chhabra, V. (Eds.). The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research (pp. 187–211). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Vacca, R. T., & Vacca, J. L. (2005). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum (8th ed.). New York: Addison-Wesley.