1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Writing to Read
Developed and Produced by Rae Ross and Dee Shell

2. Research
Writing practices complement reading practices and should be used in conjunction
with the other, with each type of practice supporting and strengthening the other
(Graham, S., & Hebert, M., 2010).
It is believed reading and writing instruction is more effective when they are
designed to work together to achieve common goals and reinforce the reciprocal
acquisition of central literacy knowledge, skills, and strategies (Kiuhara, S., Graham,
S., and Hawken, L., 2009).
According to recommendations from the major English/Language Arts professional
organizations, reading instruction is most effective when intertwined with writing
instruction and vice versa (Brummitt-Yale, J., 2012).

3. Research
Research has found when children read extensively they become better writers.
Reading a variety of genres helps children learn text structures and language that they
can then transfer to their own writing (Brummitt-Yale, J., 2012). At the same time,
practice in writing helps children build literacy skills. This is especially true for younger
children who are working to develop phonemic awareness and phonics skills
(Brummitt-Yale, J., 2012).
Students benefit most when they understand how reading and writing are connected.
A synthesis of the findings indicated that better writers tended to be better readers
and read more than poorer writers; additionally, better readers produced more
syntactically mature writing than poorer readers (National Writing Project, 2011).

4. Research
When teachers recognize the correlation between reading and writing, they will
better understand the importance to teach not only reading skills and strategies, but
also writing skills and strategies. When students think about written information
from the perspectives of both the reader and the writer, they interact with it
differently. This dual process provides greater comprehension and allows for deeper
reflection of the text (National Reading Technical Assistance Center, 2011).

5. THINK about…...
 How does writing improve reading?
 How do you foster reading through writing?”
Reading Writing

6. Recommendations for Using Writing to Improve Reading
 Have Students Write About the Text They Read
Have Students Respond to a Text
o Write a personal response to narrative material read or write about a
personal experience related to it
o Write an analysis of the characters in a novel
o Write a paper showing how to apply material that was read
o Compose a letter to another student explaining how to play a game
described in a text

7. o Compose a letter to another student explaining how to play
a game described in a text
o Analyze a text in writing to develop a particular point of
view
o Extended Writing Examples:
• Guided journal writing
• Analytic essay
 Have Students Write About the Text They Read:

8.  Have Students Write Summaries of a Text
o Write a synopsis with little to no guidance (e.g., writing a one-
sentence summary)
o Write a summary of text using a set of rules or steps
o Develop a written outline of text and convert it to a summary
o Locate the main idea in each paragraph and summarize it
o Create a written/graphic organizer of important information
and convert it to a summary

9.  Have Students Write Notes About a Text
 Have Students Answer Questions About a Text in
Writing, or Create and Answer Written Questions
About a Text

10.  Teach Students the Writing Skills and Processes That Go
Into Creating a Text
o Teach the Process of Writing, Text Structures for
Writing, Paragraph or Sentence Construction Skills
(Improves Reading Comprehension)
o Teach Spelling and Sentence Construction Skills
(Improves Reading Fluency)
o Teach Spelling Skills (Improves Word Reading Skills)

11.  Increase How Much Students Write
o Pen-Palling
o Daily Writing About Self Selected Topics
o Collaboratively Writing With Peers
o Dialogue Journal
o Short Passages Using Inference Words

12.  Technology as a Tool for Writing and Reading
o Pixton - Has an educational portal (paid) that is ideal for schools (no
student email account necessary). Also, there are a ton of options such
as voice recording, drag-n-drop interface, and importing/exporting
features.
o ToonDoo Spaces - One of the most popular online comic creators
that is very similar to Pixton, with the ability to create a private space
for education for sharing/collaborating on comics.
o Comic Master - A very nice-looking site that is user friendly with lots
of features to choose from such as: backgrounds, objects, speech
bubbles, etc.
o Bitstrips - A great site with an educational instance (paid) that allows
students to create comics in a safe/secure environment.

13. o Stage'D - A great-looking site for creating animated comics!
o Make Beliefs Comix - A wonderful site with lots of options to
choose from -- it even lets users create comics in Spanish.
o Super Hero Squad Show - A fun site for kids to make comics off of
their favorite Marvel super hero.
o Chogger - A nice site for creating a comic, with the ability to create a
drawing from scratch.
o Comic Creator - From Read Write & Type, a easy/simple to use
comic creator that is nice to use with the younger kids.
o Witty Comics - A comic creation site that focuses more on creating
text more then anything else.
 Technology as a Tool for Writing and Reading

14. Resources
Brummitt-Yale, J (2012). The relationship between reading and writing. Retrieved from
http://www.k12reader.com/the-relationship-between-reading-and-writing/
Graham, S., & Hebert, M. (2010). Writing to Read. Carnegie Corporation. Retrieved from
https://nsuok.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-36634-dt-content-rid-
123801_1/courses/2014-32117/WritingToRead.pdf
Kiuhara, S., Graham, S., and Hawken, L. (2009). Teaching writing to high school students:
A national survey. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101, 136–160.
National Reading Technical Assistance Center. (2011). Improving reading comprehension
through writing. Professional Development Event, San Diego, CA.
National writing project (2011). The connection between reading and writing. Retrieved
from http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/curriculum/k-6-writing-framework.pdf