Students know what they want to say but don’t know how to say it. This sentiment is backed by new national survey data revealing that only 16% of educators believe students leave Grade 3 highly prepared in sentence writing and handwriting.
As schools focus on decoding instruction aligned with the Science of Reading, sentence-level writing can unintentionally receive less attention. Without explicit, systematic writing instruction, students experience an increased cognitive load that makes it difficult to focus on composing and using writing as a tool for learning.
Join Dr. Cheryl Lundy Swift and literacy expert Joan Sedita for a conversation about restoring writing as a central component of structured literacy. During this webinar, they will:
- Examine data from a recent survey related to the K–3 writing readiness gap and related instructional implications
- Understand how instruction for fluent handwriting and sentence writing supports literacy development
- Explore high-impact classroom practices that strengthen sentence-level writing
- Learn how schoolwide leadership and systems can support coherent, research-aligned writing instruction across grades K–3
Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the role of handwriting and sentence writing in students’ overall academic success.