Content-Area Literacy

Incorporating Multigenre Writing in the Social Studies Classroom

Author: Kari Scheidel Summary: Noting the gap between the level of sophistication of her students’ writing in writing workshop and in social studies, teacher Kari Scheidel reflected upon her teaching practice, asking “How do I use writing effectively in social studies?” and “How do I find time for it?” In...

Finding Support for Teaching Civic Literacy Skills in the Common Core Standards

Author: Nicole Mirra Summary: Rather than viewing civic education as a particular body of knowledge, belonging in social studies class, Mirra argues that civic literacy is a set of skills that can be incorporated throughout the curriculum, reinforcing Common Core standards along the way.

Writing As a Mode of Thinking

Author: Danling Fu and Jane Hansen Summary: What’s missing in writing instruction that focuses on organization, vocabulary and sentence structure? What is the role of thinking in writing, and how can we make thinking visible in writing? This article, which could provide a useful focus for a study group or...

Reimagining Learning in Libraries and Museums (NWP Radio)

Summary: Imagine out-of-school learning spaces where museum and library educators create digital access for youth. The discussion focuses on students as makers rather than as consumers. Organizational partners discuss ways in which YOUmedia Network has impacted educators’ commitments to teen learning.

Working at the Intersections of Formal and Informal Science and Literacy Education

Author: Tanya Baker and Becky Carroll Summary: This resource describes the NWP’s multi-faceted work (with collaborating organizations) on the Intersections Project, which supported local partnerships to design programming and innovative projects to connect science and literacy learning. The authors present two cases and their benefits to participants: one focuses on...

Argument/Opinion Writing for College Career, and Community (Kentucky Writing Project)

Author: Kentucky Writing Project Summary: The Kentucky Writing Project developed this rich collection of useful resources on argument writing, inspired by NWP’s College, Career, & Community Writing Program (C3WP). With mini-units, text sets, general resources on argument, professional development materials, specific units on science & social studies, and much more,...

Literacy, ELL, and Digital Storytelling: 21st Century Skills in Action

Author: Yumi Matsui and Clifford Lee Summary: This inspiring video documents how an English and a history teacher collaborated to have their high school history students created digital stories as part of the American Immigration Project. The semester-long multimodal project incorporated interviews, transcription. discussion, writing voiceover scripts, and digital production....

Disciplinary Literacy: A Select Research Bibliography

Summary: Literacy researchers across a range of disciplines have been looking at the unique uses of literacy particular to their disciplinary activities. If you and your site colleagues are interested in further study of the research literacy, this is a fairly extensive bibliography. Original Date of Publication: June 2019

The Boise State Writing Project’s Science Pathway

Summary: Created as part of the Building New Pathways to Leadership initiative, this website documents the Boise State Writing Project’s year-long Science Pathway, designed to cultivate science teacher leaders in the site and state. Site leaders interested in expanding their site’s content-area specific offerings, can see each step of the...

Composing Science (NWP Radio)

Guests: Kim Jaxon and Leslie Atkins Elliott Summary: In this engaging NWP Radio Show, Kim Jaxon and Leslie Atkins Elliott, two of the authors of Composing Science: A Facilitator’s Guide to Writing in the Science Classroom, talk about teaching writing, teaching science, and creating classrooms in which students use writing...