While participating in the Literacy Design Collaborative peer-review jurying process at the Southern Regional Education Board Conference this past July, I was blown away by all of the thoughtful, creative, standards-based Science & Social Studies learning modules created by fellow teachers from all over the country. These modules were both content-rich and heavily focused on critical literacy.
For example, an 11th grade Chemistry module titled “Nuclear Sustainability” asks students to research the chemistry of nuclear power, evaluate its sustainability, and write either an editorial or public service announcement persuading their audience of their views. I was elated to read through the overarching goal and daily tasks because it was exactly the sort of student work production the Writing is Thinking team is advocating for.