Opinion
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor

We Must Integrate Reading and Writing

March 07, 2023 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Kudos to Education Week for rolling out a collection of articles on elementary writing instruction, a vital area of literacy development that fails to get the attention it deserves. As EdWeek’s reporters noted in the Jan. 17 special report, “The Science of Reading … And Writing,” all students need high-quality classroom resources that integrate reading and writing, build content knowledge, and provide explicit writing instruction.

I taught for 27 years and I spent way too many of them asking kids to write about topics that were disconnected from what we were reading or learning about in school. A typical writing prompt I used back then might have been, “Write about a time you were surprised.” For some students, the prompt drew blank stares and even tears as they struggled to think of what to write. Later, I stepped away from personal-experience prompts and strategically integrated my reading and writing instruction. A more equitable and creative energy took over. When my 4th graders read knowledge-building books about the anatomical heart and Sharon Creech’s Love That Dog, I could ask them to write about the literal and figurative meaning of the term “great heart.” The work required deep reading comprehension and explicit writing instruction, but it also inspired ideas and upped the writing quality.

It was terrific to see Sumner County schools in Tennessee and Kegonsa Elementary School in Wisconsin spotlighted for their efforts to improve writing instruction using Wit & Wisdom, a literacy curriculum my colleagues and I developed to build student knowledge on important topics and develop strong reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

How to develop a nation of great writers is worthy of further discussion. I hope to see more such coverage from EdWeek and others going forward.

Lorraine Griffith
Chief Knowledge Officer, Humanities
Great Minds
Leicester, N.C.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the March 08, 2023 edition of Education Week as We Must Integrate Reading and Writing

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
The Ripple Effect: Mental Health & Student Outcomes
Learn how student mental health impacts outcomes—and how to use that data to support your school’s IEP funding strategy.
Content provided by Huddle Up
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy What the Research Says Are Early-Reading Laws Changing Teaching Practices?
Laws mandating shifts in professional development and training don't always give teachers curriculum support.
6 min read
A conceptual vector image of a person pronouncing phonemes while another person observes the soundwaves under a magnifying glass.
iStock/Getty Images + Education Week
Reading & Literacy 'Science of Reading’ Advocates Underscore: It’s Not Just About Phonics
At the Reading League's annual summit in Chicago, leaders hoped to change the narrative.
7 min read
A glowing open book with a glowing light bulb against a dark blue background.
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy Opinion Don't Underestimate the Power of Graphic Novels for the Classroom
Not just an easy read: Comics and graphic novels can teach a host of skills, three educators explain.
11 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Reading & Literacy More States Are Taking Aim at a Controversial Early Reading Method
Lawmakers in some states are trying to ban the "cueing" approach, which asks students to rely on pictures or context clues to identify words.
6 min read
A teacher sits on the floor of the classroom with three young children as she reads a story allowed to them.  The children are huddled n closely and are listening attentively.
E+