In her 1977 article “Writing as a Mode of Learning,” Janet Emig states, “Writing serves learning uniquely because writing as process-and-product possesses a cluster of attributes that correspond uniquely to certain powerful learning strategies.” In other words, writing is learning, and learning to write in content areas produces a deeper understanding of the concepts discussed.
Writing instruction is traditionally considered an activity for the English language arts (ELA) classroom. With pages of grammar lessons and lectures on literary components, most English faculty in high schools and colleges often bemoan that their students cannot write well enough to construct meaningful papers. Often blaming their students’ history of faulty education in middle school and even down into the primary years, these instructors of higher learning wonder how to remediate this most basic skill. Likely their own college education lacked writing methods courses. How do we solve this educational crisis?
The solution appeared in an unlikely place: a professor of West African history at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Webster, who was a contemporary of Ms. Emig and saw the value of writing as a means of learning, received his doctorate in African history from the University of London. He then moved into the world of higher education, where he developed an advanced-level checklist for writing assignments in his African history courses. His students at Dalhousie knew that they would learn more about writing in his class than in the English department’s offerings!
Writing across the curriculum continues to be a common educational trend in the United States. According to Penn State Berks, “Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) is a nationwide movement designed to ensure that students have frequent and significant opportunities to write, revise, and discuss their writing in their classes from their freshman year to graduation, whatever their major course of study.” In summary, writing is more than just mechanics and literary analysis. Writing is learning.
Using the nine IEW structural units as a framework for writing across the curriculum, students deepen their understanding of content by writing about what they learn. Writing becomes not just a language arts activity, but a tool to enhance learning in every subject area. Each unit builds on the previous, guiding students through a structured writing process that can be applied in science, social studies, history, literature, theology, art, and music.
Unit 1: Note Making and Outlines lays the essential foundation. Students learn to plan before they write by writing a key word outline (KWO), which helps them organize their thoughts and eliminate the intimidation of the blank page. As students read a chapter in science or listen to a history lecture, they identify main points. As the year progresses, their note-taking becomes increasingly sophisticated, adapting naturally to more complex content across disciplines.
In Unit 2: Writing from Notes, students use their outlines to write summary paragraphs. This is where understanding takes root. Teachers guide students through proper paragraph formatting and use of a checklist to reinforce expectations. Whether summarizing a passage from a history textbook or explaining how photosynthesis works, students discover writing translates to stronger comprehension in any subject.
Unit 3: Retelling Narrative Stories teaches students to summarize a story using a three-paragraph structure based on the Story Sequence Chart. This unit trains students to ask questions as they articulate ideas. Beyond literature, this process is effective in other subject areas. Students can retell the events of a battle or the life of a historical figure by identifying characters, setting, problem, climax, and resolution. As they retell a story or historical event in three paragraphs, they better understand the content.
In Unit 4: Summarizing a Reference, students begin writing reports. Using source texts, they gather key facts and organize them into topic-based paragraphs. This is a natural fit for science, geography, history, and fine arts. For instance, students may write reports on volcanoes, ecosystems, or a famous artist. The process of writing a topic sentence, supporting it with facts, and ending with a clincher reinforces the logical flow of ideas necessary for academic writing.
Unit 5: Writing from Pictures invites students to describe a series of related images as they focus on event description. Students ask questions—who, what, when, where, why, and how—to write about each picture. This unit enhances descriptive and inferential writing skills, making it particularly useful in subjects like art, history, and science. Students may examine mathematical graphs, images from the Great Depression, or diagrams illustrating the stages of osmosis. They then describe what they see, explain the sequence or process, and deepen their comprehension of the material.
Unit 6: Summarizing Multiple References teaches efficient and accurate research practices. This is ideal for extended reports in subjects like history, science, or current events. Whether writing about the causes of World War II or different types of energy, students learn how to synthesize information, organize it by topic, and present it clearly. This method prepares students for more advanced research assignments throughout their academic journey.
Unit 7: Inventive Writing challenges students to write from a blank page using their own ideas. By this point, students are well-equipped with structural tools and stylistic techniques. Writing across the curriculum in this unit might include crafting a historical fiction piece based on a studied era or imagining the journey of a red blood cell through the body. The 5-paragraph model with an introduction, body, and conclusion provides a structure that can be used to write personal narratives, opinion pieces, college application essays, and imaginative responses in any subject.
In Unit 8: Formal Essay Models, students apply their writing skills to more formal essay formats. They begin by transforming a report from Unit 4 or Unit 6 into an essay by adding an introduction and a conclusion. This unit is particularly effective in helping students compose expository or persuasive essays for history, science, or literature. Students also learn proper citation methods, including bibliographies and works cited pages.
Finally, Unit 9: Formal Critique teaches students to write essays analyzing literary works, films, or other narrative media. While this unit is most naturally aligned with English and literature, it can be used in media studies or even philosophy. The structure differs from previous essay formats as it relies on the Story Sequence Chart from Unit 3 to guide the analysis. By critiquing character, setting, problem (conflict), climax, and resolution, students sharpen their analytical thinking skills and learn to support their evaluations with evidence.
Armed with these nine units along with content resources, an instructor of any discipline can create purposeful and engaging writing assignments for students to develop their skills and have a greater understanding of the subject matter. Their confidence and writing ability will increase. Their comprehension will improve. Most importantly, by wrestling with the subject matter, they will have a better understanding of how to think and respond appropriately to questions, issues, and ideas in topics pertaining to the subject as well as other areas of life.
by Julie Walker
