Northwest Sampler

The following profiles briefly describe several diverse Writing Across the Curriculum efforts in Pacific Northwest middle and high schools¹. We profile the Montana Heritage Project in which students across the state conduct original research for community-based projects. We describe the strategies of two Oregon high school teachers as they incorporate writing in their art and mathematics classes. In Washington state, two university-school partnerships mentor students in online writing labs—one program mentors English language learners. Finally, we highlight two Washington middle schools that have achieved results by emphasizing all-staff assessment of student writing, collaboration across the content areas in wriging, and continuous staff development.

These educators list many indicators of success observed and/or documented by achievement tests:

• Teachers and mentors see a greater enthusiasm and motivation for writing. They also observe that as students practice writing and prewriting skills, they perfect their skills.
• Some schools report that scores for state achievement tests and local tests have improved—especially in the areas of content, organization, and style.
• Students learn to write for specific audiences and purposes.
• Writing helps students organize and clarify their thoughts and ideas, and analyze and evaluate what they are learning, while they are learning.

¹Programs and curricula listed in these profiles do not necessarily imply endorsement by NWREL. For more information about any of these practices, contact the educators directly.