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 * Real-world, authentic, student-guided, collaborative, critical thinking skills... You've heard these terms as teachers discuss going beyond traditional means to create understanding of content and look outside use of a textbook or basal reader. All of these terms could be applied directly to the use of writing and the benefits of using writing in each content area. **


 *  Writing can be applied in order to connect to the world outside the classroom. Writing can be authentic and applicable to a student's life. Using writing in all core subjects creates opportunities for students to guide their learning and encourages them to seek out information and resources to answer questions that arise as they become involved in the content. Being collaborative is also a key element in writing; to write for only the purpose of writing is counter-intuitive. Writing is done to be shared and to expand not only a student's knowledge of content but to express that knowledge to benefit the reader. Lastly, critical thinking skills - at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy - include analyzing, evaluating and creating. All of which can be incorporated into writing activities. **


 *  The goal of this Wiki is to create a resource for me and my fellow teachers that gives specific ideas for how to integrate writing into each content area while keeping the integrity of the curriculum in mind. That is, ideas that expand on the content through continued use of the terms and language for the content being learned, supporting higher level thinking skills, are student-guided and -centered, and connect to the student's prior knowledge and to the real world. **


 * The wiki will be set up by content areas - Math, Science, Social Studies. The focus is on these three content areas for several reasons. The first reason is that writing comes more naturally in connection to reading content; thus, resources tend to be easier to come by. The second reason is that each genre of writing - expository, technical, narrative and persuasive - can be applied in different, creative ways in each content area but it takes a bit more time to develop ideas and resources to create those connections. I am attempting to create a basic pattern for each of the three content areas in which a teacher may be able to branch out based on her needs. **


 * Within each section: **
 * 1) **ideas for how to incorporate each genre of writing into the content area **
 * 2) **a link to a rubric creating website to guide student success **
 * 3) **a link to an "e-glossary" of terms supported by Houghton Mifflin **
 * 4) **additional useful resources, such as: **
 * **templates **
 * **links to other lessons or ideas **
 * **keeping in mind the 21st century learner through technology **


 * Feel free to post questions, discussion topics, ideas and resources as this is a dynamic tool! **