Everyday Content-area Writing

Book excerpt: Everyday Content-Area Writing shows intermediate-grade teachers how to integrate writing into daily instruction and use it as an authentic, engaging tool that will develop deeper content-area understanding. Kathleen Kopp's fun and creative, write-to-learn strategies span the gamut of math, science, and social studies to show you how to make writing a time-saving, valuable part of your instructional day. Everyday Content-Area Writing includes: strategies to build background; foster review, follow-up, and practice through individual and group activities; and teach content-area vocabulary; note-taking tactics, organizational methods, and ways to save time while bringing meaning to learning; explanations and guidelines for formative assessments that guide instruction and summative, post-unit assessments that evaluate student learning; original ideas for incorporating technology inside and outside the classroom, publishing student work, and differentiating instruction; and tips for establishing a supportive writing environment. Suggested writing resources, ready-to-go templates, unit assessment plans, sample projects, and prompts round out this resource.