Art is visual literacy, some would say more basic than writing and speaking, because it is not hampered by the barrier of language. The process of creating a visual narrative and understanding visual literacy is multi-faceted. Because similar cognitive strategies are used in the practice of both visual and written literacy, incorporation of…

Implementation of communication-across-the-curriculum initiatives has outpaced their systematic assessment, leaving many stakeholders wondering whether faculty and students are benefiting from the emphasis on writing, speaking, and other communicative media in discipline-based courses and curricula. Increasing interest in assessment, however, has…

Offers three writing activities in the areas of language arts, life science, and visual arts. (MG)

Discusses writing assignments based on the SOAP technique, which has four primary elements: the Subject, the Occasion leading to the writing, the Audience, and the Purpose. Describes using the technique in a social studies classroom. (RS)

Presents sample writing assignments that enable students to practice social studies skills. Suggests that the use of creative writing assignments allows students to make a jump in time or place to the era and area being studied. Argues that using the imagination is a better approach to learning than memorizing facts. (DK)

Suggests that the use of writing in the social studies classroom deepens the meaning and the students' understanding of the content. Discusses the use of journal writing, the guided writing procedure, interviews, and letter writing in the social studies classroom. (RS)

Describes the Polaroid Education Program. Discusses ways to incorporate instant photography and writing into a range of subject areas. (SR)

Pupils need variety in their writing experiences, and social studies writing involves writing across the curriculum as well as stressing positive attitudes and feelings of the learner. Subject matter should come from the pupil, and diverse learning opportunities should assist the pupil in acquiring the relevant facts, concepts, and main ideas…

This digest summarizes the more than 300 items in the ERIC database concerning writing across the curriculum (WAC) published between 1990 and 1992. The digest presents categories of material about WAC--advocacy, activities, recent research, implementing new programs, and faculty training--and discusses one or two pertinent sources for each…

Presents a model for structuring writing in the geography class with a focus on using maps to prompt writing that will promote student interaction with geographic concepts. Delineates four components of successful writing as fluency, flexibility, frequency, and formality. Includes suggestions for geographic writing activities. (MJP)

Examines whether writing activities promote learning and thinking in elementary and secondary social studies students. Describes writing activities that teachers have used to draw on existing student knowledge, consolidate and review new information, and reformulate and extend knowledge. Concludes that writing activities benefit student learning…

Attempts to clarify the critical, philosophical, epistemological, and pedagogical dimensions and underlying assumptions and relationships of a contemporary view of scientific literacy. Presents a practical framework for using writing in science to enhance scientific literacy and provides illustrative classroom examples. Contains 31 references.…

Author describes use of writing assignments to help ninth grade students learn earth science and increase their interest in it. Presents advice for both formal writing assignments (laboratory reports and library-research papers) and informal assignments (learning logs or journals and role writing). Frequent review and encouragement with lots of…

Contends that writing across the curriculum, including the visual arts, has become a major educational trend in the past decade. Argues that writing helps shape the processes of art criticism and appreciation. Includes suggestions for writing assignments and examples of student writing. (CFR)

Explains that, by including writing in the art curriculum, students learn to plan art assignments and organize their thoughts. Recommends introducing writing to the younger grades because art and writing will become a natural combination for the students. Gives tips for beginning an art/writing curriculum and suggests topics for assignments. (CMK)