Highlights - December 2001

Writing as a Tool
for Learning in Secondary Schools USEFUL EXCERPTS FOR UPPER-GRADES ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM THE UFT TEACHER CENTER FLIPBOOK, WRITING AS A TOOL FOR LEARNING IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
Learning Logs: Students need to register their thoughts and responses as they read or take in information during a lesson. A Learning Log (or Journal) acts as students’ personal journal for noting their feelings, observations, questions and associations. A fiveminute writing session can allow students a time to reflect on prior knowledge (as a class session begins) or on new course content (at the end of the class).

Double Entry Notebook: A Double Entry Notebook (or Journal) fosters the connection between reading and writing and gives students an opportunity to comment on- and connect with the passages that they find meaningful in a text. Students note passages in one column (information) and note why they found these meaningful in a parallel column (reaction).

As students become accustomed to integrating their notes and comments, their writing becomes increasingly meaningful. This strategy is especially effective when students are preparing research papers. It encourages them to use their own ideas nd reduces the temptation to copy (plagiarize) from a source.
Instruct students to: • Write the title, author, date, publisher and any other necessary publication data about the selection at the top of the page. (This will greatly facilitate writing their "References" section at the end of a research paper.) • Write a sentence or another meaningful quotation, noting the page number, on the left-hand side of a notebook (or a folded sheet of paper). • Write reactions, comments and questions, et cetera, on the right-hand side of the notebook (or folded sheet of paper).
Four-Paragraph Essay: Constantly confronted with writing essays, many students feel frustrated unless they have the necessary tools. Given the essay structure described below, however, which is adaptable for any content area, students have a framework that enables them to concentrate on content and experience greater success.

Description
This essay structure starts with an introductory paragraph followed by a two-paragraph body and ends with a concluding paragraph. The introductory paragraph begins with an engaging statement and concludes with a thesis. A thesis could be, "Two main reasons for using public transportation are saving travel time and improving the environment."

Each of the paragraphs in the body begins with a topic sentence and contains between five and seven additional sentences with illustrative details. The focus of each of these paragraphs is a component of the thesis. Using the example, above, the first paragraph would focus on how public transportation can save time on travel and the second on how taking public transportation contributes to improving the environment. The concluding paragraph summarizes key points and creates closure.

Students can use a graphic organizer like the one above, to create their preparatory outlines.

Acknowledgement: Institute for Literacy Studies, New York City Writing Project at Lehman College, City University of New York.



	Writing as a Tool for Learning in Secondary Schools USEFUL EXCERPTS FOR UPPER-GRADES ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM THE UFT TEACHER CENTER FLIPBOOK, WRITING AS A TOOL FOR LEARNING IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS. Learning Logs: Students need to register their thoughts and responses as they read or take in information during a lesson. A Learning Log (or Journal) acts as students’ personal journal for noting their feelings, observations, questions and associations. A fiveminute writing session can allow students a time to reflect on prior knowledge (as a class session begins) or on new course content (at the end of the class). Double Entry Notebook: A Double Entry Notebook (or Journal) fosters the connection between reading and writing and gives students an opportunity to comment on- and connect with the passages that they find meaningful in a text. Students note passages in one column (information) and note why they found these meaningful in a parallel column (reaction). As students become accustomed to integrating their notes and comments, their writing becomes increasingly meaningful. This strategy is especially effective when students are preparing research papers. It encourages them to use their own ideas nd reduces the temptation to copy (plagiarize) from a source. Instruct students to: • Write the title, author, date, publisher and any other necessary publication data about the selection at the top of the page. (This will greatly facilitate writing their "References" section at the end of a research paper.) • Write a sentence or another meaningful quotation, noting the page number, on the left-hand side of a notebook (or a folded sheet of paper). • Write reactions, comments and questions, et cetera, on the right-hand side of the notebook (or folded sheet of paper). Four-Paragraph Essay: Constantly confronted with writing essays, many students feel frustrated unless they have the necessary tools. Given the essay structure described below, however, which is adaptable for any content area, students have a framework that enables them to concentrate on content and experience greater success. Description This essay structure starts with an introductory paragraph followed by a two-paragraph body and ends with a concluding paragraph. The introductory paragraph begins with an engaging statement and concludes with a thesis. A thesis could be, "Two main reasons for using public transportation are saving travel time and improving the environment." Each of the paragraphs in the body begins with a topic sentence and contains between five and seven additional sentences with illustrative details. The focus of each of these paragraphs is a component of the thesis. Using the example, above, the first paragraph would focus on how public transportation can save time on travel and the second on how taking public transportation contributes to improving the environment. The concluding paragraph summarizes key points and creates closure. Students can use a graphic organizer like the one above, to create their preparatory outlines. Acknowledgement: Institute for Literacy Studies, New York City Writing Project at Lehman College, City University of New York.