The 2013 National Career Clusters® Institute was held June 10-12 in Fort Worth Texas, and resources are now available on our Web site Institute resources page. These are primarily Power Points, provided by our presenters.
Several presenters also blogged about their sessions prior to the Institute. To find these blog posts, go to http://blog.careertech.org/ and search under Career Clusters® Institute Series. Following is a blog (with the Power Point found on our Web site Institute resources page) for the breakout session Rigorous and Relevant Technical Writing in the High School by Carol Larkin, Instructor, Mentor Public Schools/Lake Shore Compact, Lyndhurst, Ohio:
Blog: Rigorous and Relevant Technical Writing in the Career and Academic Classroom
The Art of Writing is more than telling stories and responding to literature; it is the gymnastics of the mind on paper. Writing fires synapses, pumps ions, and speeds neurons along their path. Writing puts our thoughts and vision into something that a wide range of audience can comprehend. The Common Core State Standards has untethered writing from the English department and sent it across the curriculum. Writing now takes on the role of a real world application for our students. How do we integrate this real world writing into our Technology courses? Through an understanding of technical writing—its style, function and form—and technical writing projects! Why should technical writing be integrated into both academic and technical courses?
- Engages students in critical thinking and writing
- Prepares your students for college level writing
- Makes writing real and relevant to the student
The foundation of technical writing begins in English class with the study of form, style and function; while students apply what they learned about writing in their technical classes. As an Applied English teacher, I work with the technology instructors. We plan projects that require trip reports, progress reports, research, flyers, brochures, instruction manuals, presentations and much more. Our program has existed for over 15 years. On a yearly basis less than five percent of our students need writing remediation upon entering college. This session provides you with three critical components to create rigorous writing assignments:
- Knowledge of how technical writing differs from academic writing
- Structure for the Academic and Tech teachers to create rigorous writing assignments
- Real time projects combining technical class work with Language Arts writing.
Please join us for some “Take It With You Ideas†for your program.
Take advantage of the Power Point and blog resources available at www.careertech.org and learn more about the work of these outstanding presenters.
Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager
Tags: Career Clusters®