Exploring Writing in the Content Areas

Now more than ever before, students in all disciplines must know how to write with clarity and conviction. Whether they're studying science or social studies, they have to learn to collect and analyze information, and communicate their own ideas with precision.

This book helps teachers of content-area subjects discover ways to help their students become better, more capable writers. It shows them how to take students through all the steps involved in producing written documents—from generating ideas to researching to revising and editing—and provides them a wealth of practical tips for supporting and encouraging student work. Exploring Writing in the Content Areas suggests specific techniques designed to help students:

• organize information into paragraphs;
• use visual elements like photographs, charts, and diagrams to enhance written text;
• find and document secondary source material;
• create powerful pictures using words.

This practical guide also explains how teachers can provide student writers with the concrete, constructive feedback they need, and demonstrates how assessment can guide effective teaching practices.