April 11, 2018

Dear School Administrator,

I would like to inform you about a writing practice that proves very beneficial to the Social

Studies students in my classroom. It is important that the students be able to explain the content

presented to them, in order to show me that they have in fact learned this information and not

just memorized it. I have found that the best practice includes having the students research the

next topic we will be covering, and then proceed to fill in a chart with the information they have

found. The entire class will work to complete the same chart with the information each student

finds on the internet. I have created the chart, so it will have sections to guide the students

research and keep them on task. The use of the internet is important because it has the students

participating in activities offered outside of the textbooks or lectures they receive in class.

● “...they [the students] should be encountering new information to share with classmates

as well as the teacher.” (Content-Area Writing, pg. 129) This includes information that they have

found through internet research without my guidance.

● The chart can act as an outline as the students are introduced to a new topic.

● It is important that the students do not just copy and paste the first thing they find on the

internet. The chart that I use will ask for specific information, forcing the students to read

and understand before they fill in the chart.

● As a class we will reflect upon the chart that the students had filled in, and how they

came upon that information.

● “...reflection is a way for students to set their own goals as well as guide their own

learning.” (McDonald and Dominguez, pg. 46)

When I told the students to use their time researching a new topic, I saw them take initiative in

their own learning. The class was student-lead with my assistance instead of a simple lecture

from me. I think that this is vital, because when students take responsibility of their own work

they begin to value the information they are taking in. Reflection is also an important aspect of

learning, because it brings meaning to the subject for the students. This activity will also help

develop the students researching and analyzation skills. They will have to decipher what

information relates to the topic and what does not. The chart can also serve as a study guide for

the students, which means it is in their best interests to find valid information.

● 11-12.RH.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse

formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a

question or solve a problem. 8

● 11-12.RH.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary,

into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. 5

Through the internet, the students will have access to many different sources. They will

be able to choose between articles, websites, and ebooks to gather information for the chart. The

chart requires specific information, and the students will need to satisfy both of these Common

Core standards in order to complete it. They will be gathering information from different

platforms and then proceed to make sense of the information they come across. Many students

will find different information that may contradict one anothers. The students will then work

together to decipher what information is valid and belongs in the chart. It will promote peer-

learning and also push students to invest more into their research.

I think that this practice is extremely useful in the classroom. It develops researching skills,

summarizing skills, peer-learning skills, as well as the knowledge of Social Studies. It is

important that students learn how to gather information outside of the classroom with little

guidance from the teacher. I have worked with the students in this practice and I have seen how

beneficial the student-lead classroom can be towards their learning. They are no longer doing it

for me or for grades, but rather for themselves. I would be happy to meet with you at your

earliest convenience to further discuss this method of cross-disciplinary teaching/learning.

Sincerely,

Therese Gallagher

Therese Gallagher
 Works Cited

Daniels, H., Steineke, N., & Zemelman, S. (2007). Content-area writing: Every teacher's guide.

Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

McDonald, J., & Dominguez, L. (2009). Reflective Writing. The Science Teacher, 46-49.
April 11, 2018

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Gerland,

In my classroom, we will be engaging in cross-disciplinary writing. This is writing that involves

two or more academic disciplines. In terms of my class, that means that we will be developing
researching skills, analyzation skills, and peer review skills alongside the Social Studies content.
I will have the students write letters as if they were historical figures, answer various writing
prompts, and participate in reflections to further their learning of Social Studies. For example, I
will have the students, including your daughter, research a new topic on their own with the use of
the internet. The students will then work together to fill in a chart that I provide them with. The
chart provides the students with guidance in their research and can serve as a study sheet later on
in the lesson. They will learn how to properly summarize information and answer stay within
specific guidelines while researching diverse sources. I think that writing is an extremely
valuable tool for students and I plan to include it in lessons throughout the year.

This will satisfy two Common Core standards. One of the standards includes analyzing various
sources of information that can come from books, websites, and articles among other sources.
They will then use these sources to answer a question or solve a problem. The chart that I
provide the students with will act as the question that the students are trying to answer. It calls
for specific information and helps the students stay focused on the task at hand. I think that the
guidance is important because it prevents the students from getting distracted or discouraged
from a plethora of information. It will give the students a reference point, show them what to
look for in these sources. The other Common Core standard that this practice meets is the ability
to use various sources in order to form a coherent understanding of and idea or event. This
standard also requires that the students can point out differences among the diverse sources they
research. Since the students will be working together, they can help each other evaluate
differences in information and come up with the right answer. This way, the lesson remains
student-lead and the students will be invested in their own learning. The chart also calls for
concise summaries of different aspects within the new unit. It will force the students to explain
the information they have gathered in their research, in their own words. If they can succeed in
this task, it shows me they have actually learned the information instead of just memorizing it.

I believe that the use of cross-disciplinary writing benefits the student inside and out of the
classroom. I hope that the students will be able to develop their writing skills as well as their
ability to understand or analyze new information. Something that a teacher had said to me has
stuck with me all of my career, she said that if the students can explain the content in their own
words, then they are learning. I firmly believe that, I think it is important that the students are
active within the classroom, writing and speaking about the topic at hand. I would be more than
happy to meet with you, if you have any questions about this cross-disciplinary practice that I
will be implementing in my classroom.

Sincerely,
Therese Gallagher
Therese Gallagher