1. Writing for Learning in Math and Science
Kim Olson: Instructional Facilitator
Melanie Wyckoff: NBCT, 7th Grade Science, LA
Karl Berggren: 7th Grade Math, LA
Billy Harris: 7th, 8th Grade Math

2. Objectives
To gain strategies to help increase your students’ abilities to write in your math and science classroom.
To gain strategies to help increase your students’ abilities to retain math or science content.
To understand that intentional and unified teaching helps increase student achievement.

3. Baker Middle School 1 of 11 middle schools in Tacoma School District
67% free or reduced lunch
Ethnically diverse student population
Asian: 17.9%
African American: 21.9%
Hispanic: 17.7%
White: 36.6%
Special Education: 9%

4. Our Scores

5. African American Students Hispanic Students
White Students Special Education Students

6. Going Deeper into the Data: Low income vs. non low income
In , the difference between
Non low income vs. low income was 25.2%
In , the difference between
Non low income vs. low income was 7.8%

7. Going Deeper into the Data: Special Education vs. Non Special Education
Special Education students are now
higher than our non Special education students 4 years ago.

8. The Process
In school year, Baker schedule changed from a “singleton/block” format to a “team” format, where the common curriculum was language arts.
Teams consisted of 4 teachers; each content area plus language arts
District adopted Step Up To Writing curriculum and all teachers were trained to use this curriculum
SUTW training was done during common planning time, LID days and afterschool workshops
CASL (Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning) process helped teachers to understand that each content area could contribute to writing at each grade level.

9. Getting Started
In your opinion, what is the role of reading and writing instruction in a science classroom?

10. Reality
We, as science teachers, get worried about being able to fit in all the content and process skills required for our grade levels. We don’t think we have time to teach reading and writing strategies as well as our content.
The question is……
How can we teach students to read science texts, write about what they have learned, including all the content criteria and process skills in 180 (or so) days?

11. Learning
The reality is that reading and writing (literacy) instruction leads to learning in ALL content areas.
With a holistic approach to science with reading and writing instruction included: content will be retained as well.
Assumicide
Number of times students need to be introduced to new ideas
Experienced students: 1-4 times
Intermediate students: 4-14 times
Inexperienced and special needs students: times

12. Frayer Model
A graphic organizer that students use to describe the definition of a subject, characteristics, examples and non examples.
Can also be used as formative assessment
Students can draw a “line of understanding” from before the lesson and after the lesson.
Student examples

13. Double Entry Journals Graphic organizer used to:
Pull important details from a text and write down in a graphic organizer.
Readers are asked to think about a detail pulled from the text.
Readers are asked to go one step deeper
Relate the detail to their own prior experience
Relate the detail to a lab
Why is this detail important?
Student Video

14. 3-2-1
Quick technique to check for understanding by having students write responses to their reading. Most commonly after an assignment like a double entry journal.
Example: Designer Genes Article
3-please list three statements from the reading that were interesting to you.
2-what are two reasons that genetic testing is currently limited on embyos?
1-state one reason how genetic profiling could benefit society or harm society.

15. Two-Column Notes
A graphic organizer that pulls the main “details” from a reading on the left side of the organizer and supporting “explains” for the details on the right side of the organizer.
T=Topic
Detail 1
Explain
Detail 2
Explain
Detail 3
Explain

16. IVF Summary (SUTW)
A graphic organizer that leads students through the topic sentence and supporting details of a summary.
I: Identify the article
V: Verb it
F: Finish the main thought
Two column notes for three supporting details for your topic sentence

17. Identify the Article
Verb it (what did it do?)
Finish the main idea
Copy IVF as topic sentence;
Write as a summary paragraph
Detail 1
Explain
Detail 2
Explain
Explain
Detail 3

18. IVF Conclusion: Revelations!!
An IVF summary would be great as a lab write up conclusion!!!
Adapt the “IVF” portion for the lab
I: Identify the lab
V: What did the lab do? Show, explain, etc
F: What specific finding did this lab reveal?
Adapt Two Column Note portion
Hypothesis
Low data point
High data point
Explanatory language

19. Writing in the Math Class Making Sense of the Math…

20. Think Back…
Think back to when you were in 7th grade. Focus your thoughts on your assignments, your tests, your discussions, how the layout of your class was organized, etc. Please write down what you remember.

21. WELCOME TO 2009!!!! The effect of journaling and writing: The Facts:
A close look at The Do Now
The effect of journaling and writing: The Facts:
Impact of writing on assignments
Classroom layout
Evidence of growth through assessments

22. Do Now
Write the objective, standard number and assignment in your journal
Use words to describe what 15 divided by 5 means and then draw a picture to show it.
How many 5s fit into 15. There are 3 groups of 5s that fit into 15. Here there are 15 stars grouped by 5s. Showing 3 groups of 5.
Students too often just want to give us the answer of 3 without the explanation they then get frustrated. The more we ask them to do higher order thinking the easier it will be for them in the future and as well as the ability to exceed standard.

24. The Do Now Usually:
requires some explaining for deeper understanding in their journal that stays in the class
identifies student misconceptions
takes about 15 minutes
has students work by themselves
has students share with their group
has students show examples on the document camera
helps develop students vocabulary
uses higher order thinking skills
accesses prior knowledge
ties in with that days standard

25. Use words to describe what 4 divided by means and then draw a picture to show it.
We know that 15 divided by 5 meant how many 5s fit into 15.
So 4 divided by means how many s fit into 4.
Each whole has a piece with a third left so there are 6 of the pieces in all.

26. Teach our kids to be Mathletes

27. Mathletes The math class is the Gym for the mind!
When we lift weights we tear down our
muscles so that they grow back stronger
In math class, working our brains out allows the brain to get stronger, and doing math really fine tunes the logical processing muscle.
Writing in math class really helps make that muscle even stronger by creating multiple pathways to the same idea
When there is a block in our brains and there are other pathways, a detour can be found!

28. The Facts
Since implementing writing in the math classroom, 7th grade baker WASL scores in math have changed from an average of 18% passing to over 40%.
Writing scores growth

29. The Effect of Journaling
Students take responsibility for their learning
Teacher directed, student response led
Students have daily resources on their assignments in their own writing (misspelled words still have meaning)
A level of self pride and self confidence as they learn new concepts

30. Impact of Writing on Assignments
Scaffolded as the year progresses
Gradual process as the year progresses
No short answer responses
Orally explain answers
Transfer oral answers to written form
Complete one short answer per assignment
Focus on transitions for multi-step problems
Complete two short answers per assignment
Steps for Short Answer Problems
Read problem together with students
Recognize and understand what the question is asking for
Pull out the info that is related to the question.
Figure out what operation to use.
Solve the problem.
Confirm the question has been answered.

31. Impact of Writing on Assignments
Self confidence
“I can explain any problem that is given to me”.

32. Layout of the Classroom
Group collaboration
Team leaders
Writing process within the teams
Can go through the writing process within their team

33. Evidence of Growth Through Assessments
The more experience students have with assessments, the better they do as the content increases in difficulty.
Culmination of their journaling and daily work that is reflected on their assessments.

34. Questions???