Teaching Writing in the Content Areas

Vicki Urquhart and Monette McIver

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About This Book

Most educators intuitively understand the critical relationship between thinking and writing: writing allows us to express what we think, but the very act of writing spurs a process of exploration that changes our thinking and helps us learn.

Teaching Writing in the Content Areas examines nearly 30 years of research to identify how teachers can incorporate writing instruction that helps students master the course content and improve their overall achievement. Building on the recommendations of the National Commission on Writing, authors Vicki Urquhart and Monette McIver introduce four critical issues teachers should address when they include writing in their content courses:

• Creating a positive environment for the feedback and guidance students need at various stages, including prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing
• Monitoring and assessing how much students are learning through their writing
• Choosing computer programs that best enhance the writing process
• Strengthening their knowledge of course content and their own writing skills

The authors also provide 35 classroom strategies, practices, and handouts that teachers can easily implement in most subject areas or grade levels. From prewriting guides and work sheets to instructional guidance and analysis, the strategies offer realistic options to help teachers tailor writing assignments and instruction to the needs of each class.

Teaching Writing in the Content Areas is more than a primer for teaching the mechanics of writing; it is a research-based guide to regularly engaging students in writing that pushes them to express themselves clearly, to explore new ideas, and to become critical thinkers.

See the book's table of contents and read excerpts.

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About the Authors

VICKI URQUHART has 20 years experience as a language arts educator, having taught at the secondary and post-secondary levels. In the classroom, she worked with teens and adults who were struggling with writing as well as those who were soaring. As a teacher, leader, and writing resource specialist, she guided fellow teachers in creating environments for writing and beginning the writing process. Vicki was nominated for Georgia Teacher of the Year, and while she was chairperson of her high school English department, it received the Excellence in English award from the National Council of Teachers of English.

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MONETTE MCIVER is an experienced elementary classroom teacher and researcher. Throughout her 10-year tenure as an elementary teacher, she taught kindergarten through fifth grade. Monette's classroom experience includes working with English Language Learners, adapting instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners, and mentoring preservice teachers. While working as a full-time elementary teacher, Monette completed her doctoral work at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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