Cross-Curricular Literacy: Writing for Learning in a Science Program

Teacher educator and researcher Peterson works with eighth-grade science teacher, Rochwerger, who believes that writing is a learning tool that will enable her students to become scientifically literate. Here, we see this belief played out through an action research project that found students using a genre of their choice to write about what they had learned during hands-on activities in the classroom, and analyzing a science fiction story for scientific principles. The authors conclude with a list of recommendations for teachers who would like to teach writing using content area topics or who would like to collaborate with science teachers in their schools.