Background: The Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) and Next Generation Science Standards ([NGSS] NGSS Lead States, 2013) emphasize that all students from the earliest grades onward must have the opportunity to learn and actively participate in authentic science. In K-12 science instruction, this means that students should have the…

Within cross-curricular literacy (CCL) initiatives at colleges and universities, there still remain challenges in preparing and supporting instructors from different disciplinary backgrounds. This small, exploratory study investigates the ways that literacy experiences and disciplinary backgrounds shape the teaching practice of five science…

Originally published as a special issue of the "Middle School Journal," this book presents integrative curriculum as a foundational element of the middle school. By addressing the current gap in literature on curriculum integration in the middle grades, this text explores how learning can be organized around authentic concepts or…

Two papers presented at two different conferences and both discussing issues related to writing across the curriculum, are presented in this document. The first paper, "Wanted: Guidelines for Teaching Writing in Non-Writing Courses," (Jan Keessen), presented at the 1992 "four C's" conference, discusses the need to gather data…

Describes a team-taught science writing course that includes a series of assignments aimed at specific real-life audiences and designed for different venues. Includes details of the assignments. (DDR)

In this article, the author shares his experience in incorporating writing into a science curriculum and how to incorporate effective techniques in teaching vocabulary, proper word usage, and reading comprehension skills, all common in a typical English curriculum. As a young teacher, she thought interdisciplinary units had to be extensive,…

This paper aims to situate a research project in the context of the literature about writing, describe the goals and methods of the project, and present some empirical results from the initial stages of the project. Students in four schools were divided into an experimental group (N=43) and a control group (N=48). The experimental group received…

Describes the results of a project in which students adopt a three-meter-by-three-meter plot and make periodic observations of changes in the plot. Students keep a journal, involve their families in plot observations, and visit one another's plots. (DDR)

In six parts, this research panel report focuses on numerous aspects of an institutionally-supported project in Writing and Problem Solving across Disciplines conducted by four teachers at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon. The report's first section, "Introduction," is descriptive and gives some background on the research…

Describes two writing assignments for students in a large physical geology class. For the first assignment, students write two descriptions of the same rock. One is written for students and the instructor the other for people with no background in geology. For the second assignment they write one of four topics. (Author/PR)

This paper reviews attempts to introduce writing skills to undergraduate geoscience students, reports on the status of technical writing in geoscience curriculum, and describes a fully integrated approach to writing across the geosciences curriculum, based on a required sophomore-level technical writing course. The technical writing course leads…

Based on their experiences the authors contend that increased emphasis on communication skills in the geologic curriculum results in the graduation of better geologists. The authors describe writing assignments, including first-year one-page papers, upper-level assignments, memos, oral presentations, projects, field notebooks, and senior thesis.…

Offers suggestions for structuring the writing of paragraphs about data tables and conclusions. States that data tables usually contain: the central or most typical value and the variation or spread within the data. Provides steps for writing a paragraph and an evaluation of effectiveness. (RT)

Describes assignments in abstract writing as well-suited way to integrate writing into curriculum of large introductory geology courses. When students write abstracts on either assigned outside readings or special sections in their textbooks, they develop a concise writing style and polish their writing skills and also increase their understanding…

Authors describe a "writing intensive" physical geology course utilizing both formal and informal writing assignments. The formal assignment consists of a summary paper on four geological articles. A writing tutor provides feedback on drafts of the summaries. The informal writing assignment requires students to keep a journal related to laboratory…