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Teaching students to write across the school curriculum is the most effective way to ensure that more students are proficient in written communication. It provides the opportunity to integrate writing skills within each of the major academic disciplines. Whether students are headed toward college or entering a career field right out of high school, being able to express themselves through writing, is a skill that is essential in so many facets of everyday life.

Written language skills are an integral part of living life in real-world situations. The ability to problem-solve, take notes, and conduct daily affairs all requires writing aptitude. Even the simple act of composing a letter can be a frustrating venture for those who lack the skill to formulate ideas and put them on paper. Writing across the school curriculum provides the life skills necessary for career advancement, personal growth and development, and socialization.

Approximately twenty-six states [1] currently require students to pass a standardized test that demonstrates competency in oral and written forms of expression, in order to receive their high school diplomas. Recent outcomes have prompted many of those states to lower minimum standards to accommodate a thirty percent dropout rate among students who fear their inability to pass the exam. This raises the question of what kind of difference writing across the school curriculum could have made in these same students' lives.

What is "writing across the curriculum" and how is it accomplished? In what ways can it enhance the development of communication skills and result in greater capability to problem solve?

Writing across the Curriculum

"Writing across the curriculum" simply means that writing exercises are integrated into every subject matter so that students continue to improve written communication even while learning a specific discipline like math or science. This is accomplished with two main objectives; writing in the disciplines and writing to learn. Both of these are designed to improve your students' writing skills while focusing on different outcomes.

1. Writing in the disciplines involves integrating written assignments into every aspect of your curriculum. This means that you can incorporate learning activities involving writing that can be used, not just in English class, but in the math, science, and history, as well.

2. Writing to learn will help you focus your classroom content on ways to help your students use their writing

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