The Writing-Reading
Connection
How Writing Can Improve Reading
True or False?
Teaching my students
how to write
is a part of my curriculum.
Curriculum Check
Access your curriculum guide
to determine if writing IS, in
fact, a part of your
curriculum guide.
True or False?
Writing about material
students read enhances their
reading comprehension.
True or False?
Teaching writing strengthens
students’ reading skills.
A note about “effect size”
•
•
•
•
Referenced in large-scale research studies
0.0 to 0.2 = none to small effect
0.5 = moderate effect
0.8 = large or strong effect
• 0.4 = the effect of one year’s worth of
standard, expected student growth
What does the research say?
• Work in teams of 5.
• Divide article, and each member reads and
makes notes on their assigned part
• Be sure to note the effect size of each type of
writing
What does the research say?
--Have Students Write About the Text They Read, p.
13-14
--Have Students Respond to a Text, p. 14-15
--Have Students Write Summaries of a Text, p. 15-16
--Have Students Write Notes About a Text, p. 16
--Have Students Answer Questions About a Text in
Writing, or Create and Answer Written Questions
About a Text, p. 17
What does the research say?
• Share out the key ideas from your reading
selection.
• Take notes using your guided notes for
“Literacy,” through item 4.
Writing Frames
• A writing strategy that explicitly guides
learners to communicate their ideas
through writing without getting stuck in
the writing process.
• Fairly easy to differentiate or scaffold,
depending on the needs of your learner.
Writing Frames
• Text structure is different across content
areas:
– narrative literature
– technical manuals
– word problems
– scientific studies
– primary source documents
Writing Frames
• Part of our curriculum is to teach students the
structure of a text we expect them to understand.
• Writing frames are a guided way to teach text structure.
• Producing writing that matches a text structure is a
more complex skill than simply reading to take in
information because it involves synthesis…combining
was is read, with thoughts about the reading, and
putting it together into words I kinesthetically/mentally
form. A “frame” is helpful if I am needing help
putting my written thoughts together, or when I am
working with a text that is difficult for me.
Writing Frames
A simple frame is
“closed”—AKA fill in the blank—
helpful for low-level
or struggling students.
Writing Frames
• Teachers can scaffold students to harder
and harder frames as students skills
improve.
– In this chapter the author’s main idea was . . .
– This was important because . . .
– Next, they mentioned . . .
– This was a critical concept as . . .
– Finally, they reminded the reader that . . .
Writing Frames
I.
A.
B.
C.
II.
A.
B.
In summary . . .
• Writing is a part of my curriculum.
• Giving students writing practice strengthens not only
their writing skills but also their literacy skills, including
reading comprehension.
• From the scientific article, I learned four writing
strategies I can implement in my classroom. They all
have significant effect sizes.
• I also learned a simpler, note-taking strategy, called a
“writing frame” that guides students through a writing
structure. It can be basic, such as a “closed” frame, and
can progress to more difficult frames, such as outlines.