The Reading-Writing Connection

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Why it works

Research shows reading and writing are reciprocal: writing about texts improves reading comprehension and retention, and attention to how texts are written (reading like a writer) improves students' own writing, through shared knowledge of vocabulary, structure, and craft. Teaching them in connection, having students write about what they read and study mentor texts as writers, leverages this reciprocity, rather than treating reading and writing as unrelated silos.

The research: Research on the reading-writing connection (Graham).

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: connect reading and writing

Teachers leave with a plan that uses writing to deepen reading and reading to improve writing.

Pick a text students read.
Plan writing about it that deepens comprehension (summary, response, analysis).
Pick a mentor text and plan to have students read it like writers (noticing craft) and apply it.
Connect the reading and writing rather than siloing them.

Each strengthens the otherWrite about what you read to understand it; read like a writer to write better. Connect reading and writing, and both get stronger.

Facilitator notes

Have students write about reading.
Use mentor texts and read like writers.
Connect the two and leverage the reciprocity.

Siloing reading and writing wastes the connectionTeaching reading and writing as unrelated misses how each strengthens the other. Write about reading, study mentor texts, and connect them.

Adapt it

Elementary: write about read-alouds, mentor sentences.
Secondary: write about texts, analyze mentor texts.
All settings: write about reading, read like writers.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Reading-Writing Connection: each strengthens the other

Reciprocal: write about reading to comprehend, read like a writer to write, connected not siloed.

The text students read:
The writing about it that deepens comprehension:
The mentor text and reading-like-a-writer plan:
How I connect reading and writing:
Where they are currently siloed:

Make it stick

Connect the two:

Connect reading and writing.
Write about reading.
Bring a reading-writing lesson that strengthened both to the next PLC.

Common questions

How does writing help reading?

Writing about a text, summarizing, responding, analyzing, deepens comprehension and retention, because it forces students to process and organize the ideas. Writing about reading is a powerful comprehension strategy.

How does reading help writing?

Reading like a writer, noticing how authors craft sentences, structure, and techniques, through mentor texts, gives students models and craft knowledge to use in their own writing.

Why teach them together?

Because they reinforce each other through shared knowledge. Connecting them, writing about reading, studying mentor texts, gets more from both than teaching them in silos.