WRITING ACROSS
THE CURRICULUM
Hendrix College
September 9, 2008
Julia Frost and Tina McCain
University of the Ozarks
Jones Learning Center
Writing Across the Curriculum
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1:15
2:00
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 2:45
 3:15
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The Impact of LD and ADD on
Writing
Teaching Strategies
Break
Assignment Design
Assessing Writing
Learning Disabilities
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“A disorder in one or more of the basic
psychological processes involved in
understanding or in using spoken or
written language, which may manifest
itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think,
speak, read, write, spell or to do
mathematical calculations." (IDEA)
A Learning Disability Is:
Due to central nervous system dysfunction
 Cross-cultural
 Inconsistent
 A life-long issue
 Frustrating!
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A Learning Disability is NOT
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A form of mental retardation
Caused by a poor academic background
A condition that only affects academic
performance
Due to a lack of motivation
Due to poor auditory or visual acuity
Primarily due to environmental or cultural
influences
Facts About LD

15% of the U.S. population, or 1:7 Americans,
has some type of learning disability, according to
the National Institutes of Health.
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Difficulty with basic reading and language skills
are the most common learning disabilities. As
many as 80% of students with learning
disabilities have reading problems.
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Learning disabilities often run in families.
Not All Great Minds Think Alike
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Albert Einstein couldn't read until he was
nine.
Walt Disney, General George Patton, and
Vice President Nelson Rockefeller had
trouble reading all their lives.
Whoopi Goldberg and Charles Schwab and
many others have learning disabilities which
haven't affected their ultimate success.
Owed to a Spell Checker
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I have a spelling checker It came with my PC
It plane lee marks four my revue Miss steaks aye can knot sea
Eye ran this poem threw it You should be glad two no
It’s very polished in it’s weigh My checker tolled me sew
A checker is a bless sing It freeze yew lodes of thyme
It helps me right all stiles of verse And aides me when aye rime
To rite with care is quite a feet Of witch won should be proud
And wee mussed dew the best wee can Miss stakes are knot
aloud
Owed (cont.)
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And now bee casue my spelling Is checked with such grate
care
There are know flaws within my site Of nun eye am a wear
Each frays come posed up on my screen Eye trussed to be a
joule
The checker pours o’er every word To cheque some spelling
rule
That’s why aye brake in two averse My righting wants too
please
Sow now eye sea why aye dew prays Such soft wear for pea
sea
 --Author unknown
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder
A neurobiological disorder characterized
by developmentally inappropriate
impulsivity, inattention, and in some cases,
hyperactivity.
 Evident for at least 6 months
 Onset before age 7

My thoughts were a great
excitement, but when I tried to
do anything with them, it was
like trying to pack a balloon in a
shed in a high wind.
William Butler Yeats
GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING WRITING TO
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
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Emphasize the creating process and the importance of
ideas.
Teach clear, simple strategies.
Use action/multisensory methods.
Be aware of concomitant ADD.
Teach skills—but realize that a learning disability does
not go away. It is physically based.
Realize that spelling ability does not equal writing ability.
Don’t grade the disability.
Build self-esteem by praise of small successes.
(However, avoid false praise.)
Prewriting Strategies
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Organization and Time Management
Introduce technology
 Reading
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and writing
Brainstorming
Research and reading
 Finding
information, understanding information
(Paraphrasing)
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Looking at the Big Picture
Outlining
Organization and Time
Management
Planning
 Awareness of deadlines
 Knowledge of full assignment
 Ability to break down tasks
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Technology
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Reading software
 Kurzweil
Reader
 ClaroRead
 Read Please
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Speech recognition software
 Dragon
Dictate
 Windows Speech Recognition (Windows
Vista)
Paraphrasing
STEPS FOR PARAPHRASING
Step 1 Read a paragraph.
Step 2 Ask yourself, “What were the main idea and
details in this paragraph?”
Step 3 Put the main idea and details into your own
words.
The University of Kansas Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities. Developed by Jean B. Schumaker, Pegi H.
Denton, and Donald D. Deshler
RAP Mnemonic
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Read (Read the text)
 Ask (Ask what is the most
important information)
 Put (Put into your own words)
Structure
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Paragraph
TOPIC SENTENCE (controlling idea)
FIRST PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
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Essay
INTRODUCTION:
THESIS STATEMENT (controlling idea)
FIRST PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECOND PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECOND PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
THIRD PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
THIRD PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
WRAP-UP SENTENCE
CONCLUSION: WRAP-UP
Structure
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Essay
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Research Paper
INTRODUCTION:
THESIS STATEMENT (controlling idea)
INTRODUCTION:
THESIS STATEMENT (controlling idea)
FIRST PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
FIRST PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SUPPORT PARAGRAPH (details)
SUPPORT PARAGRAPH (details)
SECOND PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECOND PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SUPPORT PARAGRAPH (details)
SUPPORT PARAGRAPH (details)
THIRD PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
SECONDARY SUPPORT (details)
THIRD PRIMARY SUPPORT (main division)
SUPPORT PARAGRAPH (details)
SUPPORT PARAGRAPH (details)
CONCLUSION: WRAP-UP
CONCLUSION: WRAP-UP
Working Outlines
Help students plan
the paper—organization.
 Help students see
where they need
more information
—written expression.
 Help students focus.
 Work well with color coding
—gathering and sorting data.
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Color-Coded Working Outlines
Facilitate movement between research
and paper
 Help visual learners
 Defer plagiarism problems
 Help students focus on one point at a time
 Help with structure
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Topic: Hurricane Katrina’s Impact on the Economics of Riverboat
Casinos
I. Introduction
A. Description of problem
B. Background
II. History of Riverboat Casinos along the Gulf Shore
A. When riverboat gambling became popular
B. Revenue generated by riverboat casinos
III. Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on Riverboat Casinos
A. Loss of revenue
B. Loss of property
C. Loss of customers
IV. Economic Analysis
A. Profits versus losses
B. Impact on the state
V. Aid Policies and Rebuilding
A. Government policies to help fix the problem
B. Timeframe for rebuilding
VI. Conclusion
Drafting Worksheet
1.
2.
Consider the topic. Spend time brainstorming. Use any of the techniques.
Create a question for response:
3.
Respond to this question in one or two sentences (working thesis):
Complete the following worksheet with the information you want to use to develop your essay. When using information
from the text, remember to cite the article and page number so that you will not have to search for the
information later.
List the main ideas you may use to develop the working thesis:
Main idea 1.
Main idea 2.
Main idea 3.
Main idea 4. (Optional)
List the specific evidence you may use to support each main idea:
Main idea 1.
Your response:
Support from text:
Main idea 2.
Your response:
Support from text:
Main idea 3.
Your response:
Support from text:
Put the above ideas in complete sentences.
Using the information that you have now gathered, write a rough draft of the essay.
Compensatory Strategies
for the Instructor
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Make yourself available.
 Listen
to the student. Note differences between
verbal ability and written ability.
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Repeat and review.
Make required readings available early.
Allow students to bring outlines to class for inclass writing.
If work is completed in class or extra time cannot
be allotted, expect that the student may produce
less and adjust grading accordingly.
Checking Content
Go over paper with student
 Review outline
 Use color-coding to highlight and group
related information
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 If
it isn’t highlighted, it probably isn’t needed.
 If there is significantly less of one color, then
that topic needs to be developed.
Providing Frequent Feedback
Quizzes
 Faculty/student conferences
 Error analysis of a paper with a student if
requested
 Additional meetings to review rough drafts
of written assignments prior to due date
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Alternative Assignments
Oral presentations
 Videotaped projects
 Research projects
 Creative projects
 Extra-credit assignments
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Assignment Design
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Break assignment into components.
Offer choices for completion.
Use clear language.
Be specific.
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For essay questions, allow outlines.
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 Could
count in grade
 Shows motivation
Research Presentation
The Research You must supply at least four resources for your research. A maximum of three of them may be from
the internet. The other must be a book, magazine article, journal article, or newspaper article from Robson Library.
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This is a presentation about the culture of a country. You should include information about the location and climate
and the political and economic environments of the country, but this information should be minimal. Topics for
major coverage should focus on the following items:
Location and Climate
Type of government and Officials
Economy
Social customs or Rituals
Values of the people or Social mores
Major holidays or Cultural events
Traditional dress
Foods
Major religions
Major subcultures or Social classes
The Handout A Microsoft Word handout should be given to your classmates outlining the major points and information
of your research (there are approximately 30 students in the class.) The handout should be more than only
pictures or an outline. It should contain the information you want your audience to remember about your topic. It
should also include the sources (in APA style) that you used. You should front/back the handout to save paper.
The top right hand corner of the first page of the handout should contain:
Your Names
Marketing Concepts Class Presentation
Title of Presentation
Date of Presentation
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A copy of your handout should be submitted to me the day of your presentation. If you need assistance with using
Microsoft Word, see me during office hours. See the “Submission of Materials” section below for more
information.
Creative Projects
World Civilization
Project 4
Choose one of the following topics. See Discovering the Global Past, Ch. 7 for more information.
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Create a recruiting poster or pamphlet for Crusaders. Include a 1-page explanation and
analysis of your poster or pamphlet.
Write a 2-3 page account of the siege of Antioch (Source 4) or the capture of Jerusalem
(Source 2) from the point of view of the “other side” (i.e., European Christian or Muslim).
You are a Crusader fighting in the first Crusade. Create either a journal or a series of letters
home to a loved one, describing your experiences while on Crusade. Your letters or journal
should be 2-3 pages long.
While the Crusades ended in the medieval era, the “crusading spirit” was an important part of
European culture long after, as illustrated by European crusades against Muslim countries in
the 17th century (the reconquista), and the actions and motivations of the Spanish
conquistadors in the new World. World historians Alfred Andrea and James Overfield argue
that the spirit of the crusades continues; that “the ideal of the crusade – the use of sanctified
violence to combat evil – has remained an integral part of the Western mindset down to
today.”[1] This is a fascinating, and, perhaps, a rather contentious assertion. Write a 2-3 page
essay discussing this idea: Do you think the crusading ideal is still part of the Western mindset,
even today? If so, what impact does it have? And, is it a good or bad thing?
[1] Alfred Andrea and James Overfield, The Human Record: Source of Global History, Vol. 1,
5th ed. (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), 369.
Other Examples
Analytical book report
 Humanities paper notes
 Composition II research timeline
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CLaSS TRaP
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Specify the following:
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The CONTENT desired in
the response
The LENGTH of the
response
The SOURCES to be used
The STYLE of the
response (discuss,
compare, contrast,
evaluate, interpret, etc.)
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The amount of TIME
needed
Include the following:
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REMINDER to answer all
questions
POINT value
GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING WRITING TO
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES








Emphasize the creating process and the importance of
ideas.
Teach clear, simple strategies.
Use action/multisensory methods.
Be aware of concomitant ADD.
Teach skills—but realize that a learning disability does
not go away. It is physically based.
Realize that spelling ability does not equal writing ability.
Don’t grade the disability.
Build self-esteem by praise of small successes.
(However, avoid false praise.)
Effective Assessment
Does not mean lowering standards.
 Means positive grading.
 Positive responses keep students
motivated.
 Consider presentation of assignment.
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 Ideas
 Grammar
 Appearance
Evaluating Knowledge Rather Than
Disability
Avoid correcting every error in a
composition by a student with many
problems in this area.
 Avoid using a red pen for corrections.
 Evaluate the process as well as the final
product.
 Consider dual grading: content vs. style.
 Phrase evaluative comments in a positive
way.
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