Writing Enters the History Classroom: Writing Well is Learning Well View Digital Media

Workshop Presentation
M.P. Cavanaugh  

Reading and writing are closely inter-related; we read closer when we know we will write about what we read, and we can write about a particular text well only when we have read it well. The writing does not always have to be a formal essay; it can be a phrase or a passage we especially like, a phrase or passage that is puzzling, a thought that comes to mind because of the text, or a response to something in the text. History is moving toward the world of writing. Interpretation is an exercise in creativity; thus, students can be expected to write creatively in history. Writing is thinking and organizing which are necessities in learning. In this session, I will offer evidence for the importance of incorporating writing in the history classroom at all levels from elementary to adult; encourage arguments from participants; present a variety of strategies, activities, and thought-provoking writings for use in history classes; and discuss their actual classroom use. I anticipate participants to be skeptical and argumentative. The most heard concern is time—we do not have time to incorporate writing in our curriculum. This will be considered.