Writing to Learn across the curriculum: Tools for Comprehension in Content Area Classes

Knipper and Duggan's article about writing for comprehension in content area classes was very helpful. It proved to me that writing is a vital skill that must be used throughout my future classes and started at an early age. Whether it be in a science log, biopoem, or a simple self-learning reflection, writing must be incorporated into all subjects. These two authors phrased it well, "children need to be writing to learn rather than learning to write." If a student can express their knowledge through writing their thoughts and understandings on paper, then it proves that the student has gained a deeper level of comprehension. 

Children can to use writing for many things in the classroom. Knipper and Duggan gave some great suggestions on how to incorporate "writing to learn" into the classroom. Organized note taking, biopeoms, reflections, and blogging are just a few strategies that I hope to use in my future classroom.

As a child I can not remember practicing writing in fun exciting ways. My teachers always gave us a topic and we had to write a story or opinion from that topic. Since there was no teaching strategy variety used for writing I grew up disliking writing. I never felt like I enjoyed what I got to write about so I developed a dislike for all different types of writing. It was not until my freshman year of college that I had a professor that opened up the beautiful world of writing. I can honestly say since that year my confidence and capability to write has grown. So in conclusion, I clearly see the importance of teaching my future students writing as a learning strategy at a young age. This will benefit their whole education in the years to come.