At University Park, teaching literacy skills is not left to the English teachers alone. Teachers in the content areas teach the reading and writing skills specific to their discipline and use writing-to-learn as a basis for content area instruction.  

 

All Teachers Teach Literacy: Students at UPCS enter so far behind in their basic literacy skills that the English teachers alone could not raise these students to grade level proficiency. Instead content area teachers support literacy instruction as well, so that students read and write in every class.  When students see similar writing assignments with common language and expectations in all classes, they are able to catch up and graduate from high school fully prepared for higher education.

 

A Win-Win, Better Literacy Skills and Stronger Content Knowledge: Literacy instruction in the content areas not only helps students improve their reading and writing skills.  Reading and writing activities are also a critical means by which students develop understanding in content areas. As students’ advance through their education and especially in college, reading becomes that primary means through which they will acquire knowledge.

 

Writing in Math: PEMDAS Stories

At UPCS, student read and write in every class, even math. In their final assessment of order of operations, students write a story that matches the numbers and operations of an equation that they have created. This fun and creative assignement also allows the teacher to ensure they that have a deep understanding of the topic.

The process of writing forces students to think about a topic in new and deeper ways. Consequently, writing activities are used in all classes to encourage critical thinking and help students clarify their own ideas. 

 

Examples of Reading and Writing in the Content Areas: Some examples of literacy-based activities in the content areas that are commonly used at UPCS are “primary source” circles (a variant of literature circles) in social studies, writing poetry about various organisms studied in biology, and writing “Dear Confused” letters explaining how to solve a problem in math.