The document discusses the importance of writing across the curriculum (WAC) at Citrus High School. It provides statistics showing that implementing WAC has increased the percentage of 10th grade students meeting high writing standards from 69% to 89% over three years. However, the rate stalled at 86% in 2008-2009. The document outlines challenges to incorporating writing, benefits of WAC like improved achievement and college readiness, and strategies to implement WAC effectively in classrooms. It emphasizes that writing helps students access, apply, and deepen their knowledge in any subject area.

1. Citrus High SchoolWriting Across the Curriculum Fall 2010

2. Writing in Your Content How do you utilize writing in your content area help students access, apply, and deepen their knowledge of the topic. What challenges do you face with incorporating writing into your class activities?

4. CHS WAC History Start of WAC: Only 69% of 10th Graders Met High Standards in Writing Intensified WAC: Over a 3 Year Period Increased 20 points to 89% of 10th Graders Meeting High Standards - CHS earned an A for school grade WAC Stalled 08-09: Decreased 3 percentage points to 86% WAC 09-10: attached slide -

6. CHS WAC Future School Grading Advanced Placement SAT/ACT FCAT Score 4.0 Course Success Rates College Readiness

7. Why WAC Works! Consistent Pervasive Among LF Strategies that Most Impact Achievement: Extending Thinking Summarizing

9. Khaki Writing: Short answers on some test, some homework assignments, journaling, family letters, letters to adults, informal business writing/ emails.

11. “I think . . .” “I feel . . .” “I believe . . .”

12. Use Proper Punctuation

13. Avoid using the word “because”

14. Sounds elementary

16. Use transitional phrase

17. Avoid repetition

18. Vary the start of each sentence

19. Vary the complexity of each sentence

21. Avoid writing in the “I Voice”

22. May be appropriate in some essays

23. Don’t mix up your homonyms

24. Avoid Slang (thing, contractions, a lot)

26. Elaborate

27. Use imagery and appeal to the senses

28. Remember your FRIES

29. F acts

30. R easons

31. I ncidents

32. E xamples

34. Thinking in a live and learning mind never ends. As we write . . . Thoughts become transformed Ideas evolve and stimulate new ways to think, new directions to follow Analytical and evaluative processes begin We improve our thinking. Adapted from Foundation for Critical Thinking

35. One Last Thought . . . “Humans were born to think; it’s almost impossible to stop us. Writing helps us to bring all that activity into consciousness, helps to clarify and direct our thinking, and generate more thinking. Writing, thinking, and learning are part of the same process.” -Catherine Copley