This document discusses how writing can help students learn and process content at a deeper level. It provides perspectives from experts that writing requires students to struggle with details and ideas in a way that leads to stronger understanding. When students write about content, it helps them organize, analyze and communicate their knowledge. The document suggests teachers model writing activities for different subject areas and provide feedback to help students improve. Effective writing assignments demonstrate students' mastery of key concepts through use of vocabulary and clear explanations.

1. Welcome
Please sit with
your
content teams

2. Writing to
Process
Challenging your
students to think
through writing

3. Writing to Process
•Do you think that writing helps
students to process and
understand content at a deeper
level? Why or why not?

4. What do the experts say?
“If students are to make knowledge their own, they must struggle with
the details, wrestle with the facts, and rework raw information and
dimly understood concepts into language they can communicate to
someone else. In short, if students are to learn, they must write.”
- National Commission on Writing, as quoted in “Writing Next”
“We need to move it forward, in conversations appropriate to the
disciplines, to using writing in order to learn. When students are
afforded the opportunity to use writing to develop understandings, sort
out ideas, and engage in discussions within the community of the
classroom, students are likely to develop a deeper understanding of the
underlying principles.”
- Carol Jago, “Writing is Taught, Not Caught”

5. What do the experts say?
“Writing, however, is not just a method of communication
and expression. Several researchers have found that, much
like reading, improving one’s writing skills improves one’s
capacity to learn.”
-National Institute for Literacy
“Until I read what I have written, I don’t see the holes in my
logic, the missing steps, or the rambling thoughts. Writing
informs me that I only have a cursory knowledge of the
content when I need a deep one. Simply put, it doesn’t let
me cut corners.”
-Vicki Urquhart, Using Writing in Mathematics to
Deepen Student Learning

6. Nichols Jr. High
8th Grade 2014 STAAR
Level 2 Satisfactory Recommended Satisfactory Advanced
58% 61%
77%
46%
27%
17%
35%
17%
11%
3%
19%
5%
Science Math Reading Social Studies

7. What do we do about it?
Roles of Writing:
1. A skill that draws on the use of
strategies (planning, evaluating,
and revising a text) to accomplish a
variety of goals.
ENGLISH teacher’s role
2. A means to extend and deepen
students’ knowledge; it acts as a
tool for learning subject matter.
CONTENT-AREA teacher’s role
-Recommendation #11: Have students write for content area learning (use
writing as a tool for learning)

10. So, what’s the big difference?
•Describe the impact of the 13th
amendment on the citizens of the
U.S.
•Describe how the structure of a
plant cell allows it to capture
sunlight.

11. Do my students really need to write?
• What does your brain do when you write?
– Processes information
– Organizes information
– Analyzes information
– Reports/Communicates information

12. What does writing to process look
like?
Math
Write to Explain
Using reasoning and problem solving skills, the
students can write to:
-explain the process for solving a problem
-justify the reasonableness of a solution
-compare and contrast closely related concepts, such as integers and
rational numbers
-analyze mathematical relationships

13. What does writing to process look
like?
Science
Write to Explain
Students can write to:
-explain a procedure in a lab
-explain the steps in the scientific process
-predict trends
-collect, record, and analyze information

14. What does writing to process look
like?
Social Studies
Write to explain, analyze, and
describe
Students can write to:
-explain sequencing of events
-identify/explain cause and effect relationships
-distinguish between key concepts, people, or events
-summarize the essential components of a topic
-draw inferences about a topic

15. What does writing to process look
like?
Reading
Write to respond, explain, and
analyze
Students can write to:
-draw inferences and conclusions about a text
-make predictions based on events of a text
-respond to a text (analysis of various components of the text)
-make connections to a text
-summarize a text

16. But my students can’t write like that…
•Students will write according to the
expectation that is set for them.
•Common misconception: Students
will automatically transfer writing
skills to content area writing.
•Content area writing must be
modeled, and expectations must be
clear.

17. How do I get them to write well?
• Model, Model, Model!
• Teach students the thinking process behind
completing a content area writing
assignment.
• Show them how to organize and use
resources to think through a task.
• Give students time to discuss, share, and
revise responses with peers.
• Provide specific feedback

18. How do I evaluate a writing
assignment?
•Quality of the writing
–Coherence of thought over mechanics
•Evidence of content mastery

19. Evaluation Criteria
1: Very Basic 2: Basic
3: Solid
Answer
4:
Demonstrates
Content
Mastery
-Missing multiple
concepts
-Limited/no
content
vocabulary
-Unclear ideas
-Missing some
concepts
-Little content
vocabulary
-Somewhat
unclear ideas
-Most concepts
addressed
-Uses content
vocabulary
-Clear
-All concepts
addressed
-Good use of
content
vocabulary
-Clear

20. Evaluating Practice
• Describe the impact of the 13th amendment on the
citizens of the U.S.
• It stopped slavery from happening
gave everyone equal rights.
• A. African Americans in the North could vote.
• B. State governments were required to protect individual rights.
• C. Former Confederate officials were prohibited from holding elected
office.
• D. African Americans in the South could move elsewhere.

21. Evaluating Practice
• The 13th amendment freed the slaves they
finally had the same rights as everyone else.
They could go where they want and do what
they wanted to do.
• A. African Americans in the North could vote.
• B. State governments were required to protect individual rights.
• C. Former Confederate officials were prohibited from holding elected
office.
• D. African Americans in the South could move elsewhere.

22. Evaluating Practice
• The 13th amendment abolished slavery in
America. Slaves were finally allowed to go free.
They no longer had to answer to a master.
However, this amendment did not make African
Americans completely equal because they still
were not allowed to vote. Racism was still the
norm in America even though the freedom to
choose where they would live was a big step
toward creating an ‘equal’ nation.
• A. African Americans in the North could vote.
• B. State governments were required to protect individual rights.
• C. Former Confederate officials were prohibited from holding elected office.
• D. African Americans in the South could move elsewhere.

23. Let’s Try It!
Directions
• Choose a standard that you teach first 6 weeks.
• Brainstorm possible writing activities that could
be used to deepen students’ understanding of
that standard.
• Write a model of a quality response that you
could show students before having them write.
Consider what content vocabulary words you
would expect in an answer and what concepts a
strong answer would need to address.

24. Reflection
How have your thoughts about writing
in your content area changed?
How will you use writing to help
deepen your students’ understanding of
your content?

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