5 Big Benefits to Writing Across the Curriculum

Content Area Writing That Works, Part 1

By Kimberly Frahm

Whether you're teaching kindergarteners to explore science, fourth graders how to determine the main idea of a text, or high schoolers to solve complex math problems, incorporating daily writing can be a powerful learning tool. Known as content area writing or writing across the curriculum, this approach helps students process ideas, build vocabulary, and think more deeply. It’s also backed by what we know from cognitive science and the science of learning; writing helps students retain knowledge and make stronger connections across content.

In this first post of a 4-part post series, I’m breaking down how writing helps students retain knowledge and make stronger connections across content. For now, here are five powerful reasons why daily writing belongs in every K–12 classroom—from reading to music. Whether you're just getting started or ready to take content area writing to the next level, these benefits will show you why it matters.

1. Writing Helps Students Remember What They Learn 

When students write in their own words, they have to process what they’re learning, and that’s what helps it stick. When we write, we also assign meaning to the information. Natalie Wexler explains how writing moves information from our working memory to long-term memory. 

👉 Try This: Ask students to write a 1–2 sentence summary after a science experiment or math lesson.

2. Writing Deepens Thinking 

Writing makes students pause, reflect, and organize their ideas. It pushes them to go beyond surface-level learning. In content areas like social studies or STEM, this can lead to a better understanding of cause and effect, process, or reasoning.

👉 Try This: Ask students to complete a sentence stem, such as: “What surprised me today in [music] class was _____, because ________.”

3. Writing Builds Vocabulary and Language 

Writing across the curriculum gives students the opportunity to use academic vocabulary in context. This helps with both comprehension and expression—especially for English learners or developing readers.

👉 Try This: Include a word bank for students to use in short written responses.

4. Writing Promotes Reflection and Ownership 

When students write, they become more aware of what they understand and what they’re still figuring out. This builds independence and confidence as learners. Metacognition is the ability to understand and control one’s own thinking, which is a powerful tool in building knowledge in any content.

👉 Try This: Use sentence starters like: “I used to think ___, but now I know ___.”

5. Writing Prepares Students for Real World Expectations

 In the workforce and higher education, writing is a key mode of communication. Whether it is a lab report, email, application, or technical summary, we use writing on a daily basis. Integrating writing across subjects mirrors real-life tasks.  

👉 Try This: Ask students to create a slide presentation to present to an intended audience. 

Conclusion:

Daily writing doesn’t just belong in writing class. When students write in every content area, they think deeply, comprehend at higher levels, and retain more knowledge. In my next post, we’ll look at how to do this—even in Kindergarten! Future posts will continue the journey from primary to intermediate to secondary.

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