Writing+Across+the+Curriculum


 * ​Description of Course**


 * This course is designed for teachers from grades K-12. The participant will be introduced to the Effective Writing Techniques put forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and other educational researchers aimed at teaching educators to implement writing strategies across all content areas. The course will also address the skills and strategies necessary to implement the skills needed to address prompt writing, scoring, and differentiating instruction in order for students to be effective writers.**

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 * Day 1 and Day 2:**

I. Introduce yourself through this page.​

A. Tell the class your name, content area, and years in education. B. What is the best part of education? C. What is your worst experience in education?

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 * Read Article**

**After you have read article, please write an article based on your reactions to what Alfie Kohn has to say about student assessment.** **Introduction to the Pennsylvania Reading Speaking and Listening Standards.**

**Discussion questions should be posted on discussion board for all participants to see.**

**Discussion Questions:** 1. Why is it important to get your students to become familiar with the standards? 2. Why is important to teach writing skills across all content areas? 3. What is the accountability of the teacher to establish writing skills across the curriculum? 5. Identify the right and responsibility to ask for assistance in teaching writing skills across the curriculum. 6. How does a teacher identify the need for students to write in all academic areas and provide them with encouragement to motivate them? 7. How does a teacher know what behaviors they need to engage in and how helping your students become better writers and enable them to succeed in all phases of life? successful teachers of writing in all content areas? Hyperlink to Pennsylvania Writing Standards.

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**Discussion**: Read the Standards in place for Writing in Pennsylvania and compare them to another state's standards. Through discussion board what information can you compare and contrast with our standards and the state you chose? media type="youtube" key="F5ht4RlnPhE" height="315" width="420"


 * Day 3:**

1. Why is it important to get your students to write? 2. What are the responsibilities of the teacher to establish good writing skills across the curriculum? <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Identify the responsibility of the teacher to establish good writing skills across the curriculum. 4. How much should the Language Art's teacher be responsible for in establishin good writing skills? 5. How much responsibility should be placed on the teacher to teach writing and it's importance to a student's future? 6. Identify when writing across the curriculum should be implemented by other content area teachers. 7.Examine the necessity of the student to have a teacher who will set up the need for students to write effectively and provide them with encouragement. 8.Examine the rights of the student to know what behaviors they need to engage in how writing will enable them to succeed in all phases of life. 9.Why is it important for a student to have a teacher who will take the time to teach them how to become successful writers?
 * Discussion Questions:**

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Day 4:**

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Discussion Questions:** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Identify and discuss how a lack of writing skills, lack of interest in subject area <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and special education needs can create problems and make it more difficult for students to become successful writers. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Discuss how a teachers negative attitude toward writing can inhibit the student and create a major roadblock to your student enjoying writing. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Identify and discuss reasons why most students who choose not to write have not been encouraged to do so or have not been given positive reinforcement. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Recognize that when a teacher believes that students can write successfully, the expectations about writing and performance is raised. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. List and discuss ways that teachers can use positive reinforcement as keys to students becoming flourishing writers.


 * Day 5:**

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Read the article about Writing Across the Curriculum. Then view "The Digital Corner", what are your thoughts about this article? What are your thoughts on this teams creation of "The Digital Corner" as a resource?


 * Day 6, 7, 8**


 * Post responses to Discussion Board:**

[|http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_system_of_school_assessment_(pssa)/8757/resource_materials/507610]

Visit the website above. You will find a page that has Writing Assessment Item Samplers from the years 2005-2009. On day 6, look at the Item Samplers from 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 for Grade 5 only. Read through each of the Item Samplers, and evaluate the scores that were given to each of the Writing Prompts. These are actually prompts and responses from previous PSSA's. Then discuss if you feel these items were effectively scored, and you positive and negative reactions to the samplers.


 * Day 7:** Evaluate Grade 8


 * Day 8:** Evaluate Grade 11


 * Day 9**


 * Post responses to Discussion Board:**

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Navigate through this website. I use this website a lot when teaching writing strategies. What is your opinion on the effectiveness of the Pennsylvania Writing Project Website for teachers and resources.


 * Day 10 and 11**


 * Post prompts to Discussion Board:**

Topic writing is the most important piece of writing across content areas. Most teachers are unfamiliar with how the topics for Writing Assessment are written and approved. I am asking you to submit 10 topic prompts in your content area for you to use as a writing prompt. I will let you know which prompts would be accepted, and which ones would be denied. Use the item sampler as a tool to help you with the previous prompts that have been used for the Writing Assessment.


 * Day 12**


 * Post response to Discussion Board:**

[|www.pdesas.org] - find the Keystone Exams for composition, compare them to the Writing Assessment that now exists for 8th and 11th grade. After analyzing the anchors for the Keystone Exams, how do you think they will differ or compare to the current Writing Assessment?

If you are not a member of SAS, you will need to register as a new user to SAS.


 * Day 13 and 14**


 * Post response to Discussion Board:**

The first two websites are articles about Writing Across Curriculum. Discuss your thoughts about what the articles are stating? The third website has several access points to areas of reference to teachers for writing strategies. Navigate through the links on the websites. What do you feel are the pros and cons to the following websites?

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 * Day 15:**


 * Post response to Discussion Board:**

Final day of online course is for you to report online 300 words or less your view of how effective Writing Across the Curriculum could be. Please discuss the positive and negative, how it will affect education and curriculum, and how do you feel students will be affected by all content area teachers, teaching writing?