Integrating Writing into the Science of Reading
Written by: Erin McNeill
How is writing connected to reading, speaking, and listening?
Do you have a to-do list? Why do you write down the tasks you must complete?
My guess is that if you do not write down the task, you will not remember to do it. This is the same reason why we ask students to write about what they have read – so they remember it.
Writing it down improves what we remember. In fact, all literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) are connected and work reciprocally to improve one another. Steven Graham reminds us of “the reciprocal relationship that exists between reading and writing. Writing and writing instruction improve students’ reading and vice versa” (2020). Writing and discussing what we read helps improve reading comprehension (Graham, 2023).
In my professional development sessions, I often remind educators that my book club has never given me a multiple-choice test. However, I learn something about the text from every discussion we have, which builds my schema or background knowledge. Discussions, which use both listening and speaking skills, are also important as we consider what we have read and generate ideas for writing about it. Offering students the opportunity to discuss their writing plans and receive feedback or new ideas from peers is integral to the writing process and helps them organize their thoughts. Orr states, “classroom conversations can help students develop better writing skills as well” (Orr, 2023). Discussion can build new ideas and skills for writing assignments as students reflect on the topics they discussed and how those topics can inform a piece of writing.
“Offering students the opportunity to discuss their writing plans and receive feedback or new ideas from peers is integral to the writing process and helps them organize their thoughts.”
Additionally, “research has identified three important ways reading and writing are connected…they draw on the same skills, they are communication processes, and they can be combined to accomplish goals” (Shanahan, 2024). As Wexler (2024) points out, “If we see writing as connected to speaking as well as listening and reading—and all of them as part of the overall process of learning—students can benefit greatly.” All literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) matter in a classroom. To become better at any of these skills, we need to practice all of them.
Joan Sedita, creator of The Writing Rope, points out many similarities between the two ropes. Most importantly:
- “Students’ comprehension of content area texts is improved when they write about what they read.”
- “Students’ reading skills are improved by learning the skills and processes that go into creating their own text.”
For some ideas on how to structure this in a classroom setting, see our blog post, “Predictable Routines + Writing = Powerful Results.” In my classroom, I structured all of my English classes to practice all literacy skills daily, following the SWIRL method every day in every lesson. SWIRL is a Multilingual Learner strategy that stands for speaking, writing, interacting, reading, and listening. My goal was for students to complete each of these during a class period.
One way to integrate all of these skills is to use a consensus map. Have them form groups of 4, then ask students to read a passage, and write down important points in their quadrant. Each group member takes a turn sharing what is in their quadrant while the other group members listen, ask questions, and take notes. Then ask students to reach a one-sentence consensus summary page.
It is beneficial to students to participate frequently in speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Writing about what we have read needs to happen every day in every class because writing about what we have read (in all contexts and classes) increases our comprehension.
Why do our students feel defeated and not know how to write?
The Writing Revolution 2.0 (Hochman et al., 2025) reminds educators that writing is one of the hardest activities we ask students to do because of the burden it places on working memory. Working memory can hold only 4-5 pieces of information for about 20 seconds (Hochman et al., 2025). When we consider completing a writing prompt, there are numerous pieces of information our students must remember to complete it effectively. This burden on working memory is what causes many students to feel defeated and to avoid attempting a writing prompt. They do not know where to start or how to put all the new pieces of information together to create a coherent piece of writing.
Therefore, we need to teach students writing strategies they can practice frequently and store in their long-term memory. As Hochman advises, we must practice writing strategies frequently to “transfer this knowledge into long-term memory through deliberate practice and manageable chunks repeatedly as students learn content.” The Writing Revolution offers great strategies for helping students write about any content they are learning. Some of my favorites are using subordinating conjunctions to create complex sentences, expanding sentences with questions (who, what, when, where, and why), and using single-paragraph outlines to help with organization. All of these resources are quick, free (check The Writing Revolution Website), and easy to integrate into any unit of study.
Consider ways to integrate writing daily.
The Keys to Literacy website recommends students spend 40% of their time thinking about and planning for writing. This includes activities like reading, note-taking, and gathering ideas; 20% of their time is spent writing, and 40% revising. If we follow this plan and do a bit of backward planning, we can have students plan and think through a piece of writing or a project throughout the entire unit. In fact, telling students the final project or paper at the beginning of the unit helps with reading comprehension because they are clear on the purpose of the readings they complete. Some ideas for daily writing activities include Two-Column Notes, Quick Writes, or Top-Down Topic Webs. Students can then use these daily writing activities to plan for their final project or writing pieces.
For more ideas on how to integrate writing into all curricula, check out our blog on “Unlocking the power of writing across the curriculum: Tips for teachers.”
Next Steps Challenge
Start small – consider one unit and the final summative assessment. How can you integrate daily writing and discussion in service to the final project, paper, or test in the unit?
Resources
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