Content-Area Literacy

The Authenticity Spectrum: The Case of a Science Journalism Writing Project

Author: Angela Kohnen Summary: The SciJourn project, in which students learn to write like science reporters, was initially designed to help students develop scientific literacy. However, it became much more — a key to high school students’ engagement as learners, researchers, and writers and their teachers’ opportunity to explore “real...

Content Area Literacy and Learning: Selected Sources for the 21st Century, An Annotated Bibliography

Author: Judith Rodby Summary: Those looking for materials related to content area and cross-disciplinary reading may find this annotated bibliography useful. It is organized around three general categories of research and practice: 1) generalized reading strategies; 2) adapting/applying generalized reading strategies to specific content areas (math, science, history); and 3)...

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,...

Why Science Teachers Should Write

Author: Marsha Ratzel Summary: One science teacher explains the importance of students writing to learn in science and science teachers writing to clarify their teaching. This short article gives examples of student work and is a powerful piece to share with science teachers within contexts of professional development to foster...

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...

Expressive Writing in the Science Classroom

Author: John Dorroh Summary: In this account of expressive writing in the science classroom, teacher John Dorroh introduces writing to build students’ curiosity, inviting them to wonder, to ask questions, and to imagine. In the process Dorroh wrestles with the issue of assessment and also demonstrates the importance of teacher-as-writer...

Multiple Texts: Multiple Opportunities for Teaching and Learning

Author: Laura Robb Summary: Offering a vivid glimpse into her middle school classroom, author Laura Robb illustrates how making available a range of texts at different reading levels and from a variety of perspectives promotes student engagement and success in her heterogeneously grouped classroom. Robb also shares a list of...

Exploring Ongoing Questions About Content Area Literacy and NWP Sites

Summary: Twenty-five participants from 15 sites met online to discuss provocative issues related to the recruitment and retention of content area teachers at writing project sites. The group shared thoughts about and experiences with content area literacy and the expansion of sites to include content area literacy teachers into the...

Creating Multimedia Persuasive Commentaries: Adaptable Resources from Let’s Talk About Election 2020

Summary: This resource contains materials and discussions originally created for the KQED Let’s Talk About Election 2020 campaign, but would be useful to anyone who is looking to give students an opportunity to engage in topics, issues, and/or controversies that are relevant to their lives and their communities. The lessons...

Disciplinary, Content-Area Literacy: An Annotated Bibliography

Author: Judith Rodby Summary: Elizabeth Birr Moje offers some of the most provocative viewpoints in content area literacy research. This annotated bibliography was prepared as a companion to her keynote address at NWP’s National Reading Initiative conference featured at Disciplinary Literacy: Why It Matters and What We Should Do About It.