Topic

“This, however, is my teaching: whoever would one day learn to fly must first learn to stand and walk and to run and to leap and to climb and to dance.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher

To be able to fly one must first stand, and walk and to run……… To be able to have active learners one must teach the reading and writing strategies and incorporate both into the content area. For a teacher to succeed in the classroom he or she must learn many strategies. Getting students to incorporate writing into every subject are enhances their learning. The following is a list of on-line resources to assist middle and secondary teachers in improving the literacy in the content area for their students. All the topics were selected from particular sections found in Chapter seven of : Brozo, W.G., & Simpson, M.L.(1999). Readers, teachers, learners: Expanding literacy across the content areas(3^rd Edition). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

There are eight main headings in this chapter; which focuses on the goal of getting teachers to intermingle reading and writing strategies into the content area.

Writing Activities that Encourage Students to Construct Meaning and to Monitor Their Understanding

The Book address the concept that reading and writing are more along the lines of a parallel process, that with using both the results are greater. This just actively involves learners in the construction and monitoring of abstract understanding. And when the writing is add to the existing curriculum both the teacher and the student profit.

Writing to Learn Strategies

I chose this site because it address one of the main headings in Chapter 7, Writing Activities that Prepare Students for Learning, of our text book( Brozo, W.G.., & Simpson, M.L.(1999)Readers, teachers and learners: Expanding literacy across the content areas(3^rd Edition). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

This site focuses on four writing-to-learn strategies. Use these strategies even when it is not graded this will be practice for future assignments and exams. It will help your students considerably just by getting into the habit of writing.

Focused timed Writing: Basically this is where you have your students write on a topic for five to ten minutes in class.

Journals: There are three Journals they discuss. 1st the Free Journal in which any topic, any length and frequency. And the other two are to help students focus on subject matter 2nd is Focused Journals: notebooks filled with specific assignments. And the 3rd is Double-Entry Journals: Notes from readings and lectures on one side and on the other the response and he analyze of those notes.

Preparatory Writing: Writing Proposals, summaries, annotated bibliographies, and progress reports.

This site was amazing it is a collaboration of teacher that help provided fresh new ideas for teachers everywhere. It is a school based professional development program devoted in raising students achievements in Reading and Writing and the English language arts.

Information on funding resources available for the language arts, including information on current grant competitions, links to important federal and state programs and primers on grant writing as well as other valuable resources. http://www.ncte.org/grants

Details on the past and current leadership for the Council, elections, and the overall structural relationship among the many parts that comprise our organization. http://www.ncte.org/governance/

This is a really enjoyable site, there is a teacher link so teachers can chat. I chose this site because it address a section, in our textbook(Brozo, W.G., & Simpson, M.L.(1999). Readers, teachers, learners: Expanding literacy across the content areas (3rd Edition). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall): Writing Activities That Encourage Students To Think Critically.

Here is some questions that a teacher had posted on the site. It helps you as the teacher decide how to make writing serve your instructional goals.

Learn how well students are synthesizing the readings or applying concepts to broader issues?

Give students a chance to grapple in writing with key issues of western civilization?

How can I structure assignments so as to challenge students through writing over the semester?

As I incorporate writing into my course, am I considering the demands on my students and myself?

This site provides a list of strategies from: planning, revising, and writing strategies down to where the students can design the strategies to solve their own writing problems. This site goes into detail explaining many ways a teacher can help a struggling student with strategies. It also gives a book suggestion on this topic; "Strategies For Struggling Writers" by James L Collins. This site suggest that it is not just up to the student, for the teacher must play an active role in achieving success. These strategies are particularly for middle and high school students.

Teaching strategies for improving students' communicatio

This Site offers many, many useful suggestions for teachers who are working on incorporating communication activities into their classes to help students learn the course content. There are several tips on this site including: Assignment Design | Types of Assignments | Classroom Strategies | Grading and Assessment

This was full of help full information and it gave great examples on all the tips mentioned above.

PORPE is an approach to studying textbook materials in which you create and answer essay questions. It can be a time-consuming process, but it is an excellent tool for preparing for essay exams

I chose this site because of the section in the text book under Using Writing To Test Learning. It discuss how effective essay examinations are if the students are well prepared and that requires teaching the process. This site goes step by step in preparing teachers to break down the fear of essay examinations. There is only five simple steps to PORPE( predict, organize, rehearse, practice and evaluate)

Predict: After reading the chapter, predict possible essay questions from the information contained in the text. In the formation of these questions, you should avoid questions that begin with "what" or "when" and do not include analysis. Some key question words are "explain," "discuss," "criticize," "compare," and "contrast." (Hint: Predict more questions than the exam will actually have.)

Organize: Organize, summarize, and synthesize the key points of the chapter using your own words. Then outline answers to the predicted questions.

Rehearse: Recite aloud the information and quiz your memory. This step helps you to place the key ideas, examples, and overall organization in your long-term memory. You should allow a couple of days for this process.

Practice: In practicing, you answer your predicted essay questions from memory. You can sketch an outline of the essay or prepare a complete answer.

Evaluate: Evaluate your own work by asking the following question: Do I have enough concrete examples? Is my answer complete, accurate, and appropriate? Is there anything I should study (going back to step #3) before taking the exam.

Although doing these steps will take some additional time the outcome in your students performance should make it worth the effort.

This site also offers links to study skills, writing services, peer monitoring, peer tutoring, time and stress management and learning disabilities.

Using the sites that I provided should help Educator improve the task of teaching literacy in the content areas. Using all the strategies alone should increase the success rate of the classroom.

Bibliography of Resources for Middle and Secondary Teachers That Facilitate Students Literacy into the Content Areas.

By Paul S. George and John H. Lounsbury - A solid and convincing case for organizing middle schools in ways that create long-term teacher-student and student-student relationships.

bookcover

Taking Center Stage
2002 Edition

Process: Facilitating Literacy in the Content Area

Writing to Learn Strategies

Teaching strategies for improving students' communicatio