Integrating Subjects into Reading Series #4
Today’s series blog post is all about how to use content area writing in the classroom. Writing about the text is not limited to literature. Writing can be a valuable tool to engage students with science and social studies text. Through content area writing, students can form opinions and deepen their understanding. It can serve as a way of evaluating students’ understanding of content area topics.
Connecting social studies and science content with writing is easy. Here are some ideas to get you started in your classroom.
Summary Writing
Write a summary find the most important parts of a text. Use a short science or social studies text. Start by teaching how to write a summary in small group reading instruction. Then start including summary writing practice as a writing center activity.
Explanatory Writing
Use informative/ explanatory writing to help students focus on the facts. Start with a science or social studies text. Then add in a graphic organizer to help organize thoughts. This can be taught whole group or small group, and then practiced in a writing center.
Steps in a Process Writing
Science is full of procedures and processes. Help students learn and organize facts by writing about steps in a process. Take a break from worksheets and use a hands-on life cycle wheel. Teach students to use text features and focus on the facts when process writing.
Writing to Show Understanding
Give students to opportunity to show what they have learned through writing. I like to use foldables, coloring notes, and graphic organizers when possible. Students love them compared to traditional writing pages or comprehension questions! Provide a text and foldable or coloring notes page in a writing center during your reading block.
Opinion Writing
As students get older, they are expected to write opinion pieces. This create critical thinking skills and requires students to support their beliefs. In younger grades, use a graphic organizer first. Then have students formulate a writing piece using their reasons.
Research Writing
Incorporate technology, content areas, and writing through research! Is there something about your content that students can read and write about? Guide student’s research with questions or graphic organizers. Then have students summarize all the information they gathered into one writing piece.
In Conclusion
Writing about the text can easily be a part of your reading block. Teach a writing lesson whole group. Provide small group writing practice. Have students work on writing independently in a writing center. Incorporating content area writing into reading will save your time, and students will learn multiple skills at once without even realizing it!
Have you missed part of this series? You can check out the other posts here!
Integrating Science and Social Studies into Reading #1
Integrating Science and Social Studies text into Reading #2
How to Increase Student Vocabulary by using Science and Social Studies Text #3
Happy teaching!
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