The Missing Piece in SOR: Writing

In so many ways, the newest science of reading movement (SOR) is a really good thing.  But as with so many things in education, we tend to go all in on some things and consequently neglect others.  Right now, even the very definition of “science of reading” itself is being too narrowly interpreted, and some things are being overdone (like decodables) while others (like comprehension) are sorely neglected.  But there’s also a very big missing piece in today’s popular version of SOR:  writing.  Which is mind-blowing, since the science has shown for years that writing substantially supports reading.  Neglecting writing is only going to mean that students’ reading outcomes will continue to suffer.

Let’s just be clear here–when I say writing, I don’t just mean transcription.  I don’t just mean handwriting.  And I don’t just mean writing down single words, as in many phonics lessons.  I don’t mean writing at only the sentence level, either. I mean actually going through the writing process, from idea generation to drafting to revising and editing for a purpose.  The kind of writing that requires the student to do the heavy lifting: word choice and voice, sentence and paragraph construction, and structure.   A very different animal.

There is a great deal of research about the importance of writing and its impact on reading.  A quick Google Scholar search will show this.   Writing researchers Graham and Hebert sum it up by saying “teaching students how to write improves their reading comprehension, reading fluency, and word reading” and that “increasing how much students write enhances their reading comprehension.” (Harvard Educational Review, 2011)  A more recent Ed Week article (2023) supports this statement, adding that “Most of all, the research indicates, students need opportunities to write at length often.” 

It’s why moving students through the entire writing process is so important.  

So why isn’t everyone doing it?  Why is writing still the missing piece, even with the current massive push for embracing evidence-based practices?

A January 2023 Ed Week article puts it pretty succinctly.   The article calls out the fact that the widely cited NRP report didn’t include writing in their recommendations.  At the time, there just weren’t enough quality studies about writing’s impact on reading to include.  I do, however, blame the NRP authors for not saying enough about the importance of writing in their report. Because we live in an “all or nothing” society, educators took that report–and its 5 pillars graphic–and ran with it…leaving writing out.

The article additionally says that reading and writing have for too many years been treated separately in the research itself.  As the authors point out, these two factors have led to educators treating them as separate as well.  It’s the way we’ve done it for decades. 

To compound the issue, the Ed Week article also points to college prep courses leaving teachers ill-trained in writing.  I know this was most certainly my own experience, and most teachers I talk to say that writing is their weakest area.  It just makes them uncomfortable, and they don’t feel like they can do it justice.

Unless you’re one of the lucky few to have a strong writing curriculum, chances are very high that your core reading curriculum either leaves writing out, too, or does a very poor job of it. The lack of training and support in the area of writing is tremendous, and can leave teachers feeling like throwing their hands up in the air.  

What happens when there’s not enough time in the day and teachers don’t feel comfortable teaching writing?  It gets pushed aside or totally left out.  

As far as the lack of time issue…  

What can be done about that??  Well…

Not only does the science support writing and its impact on reading, more and more is finally being said about the benefits of combining reading and writing instruction.  

Dr. Steven Graham is also one of the original creators of the now very popular SRSD approach.  This approach is very similar to a writing workshop approach, with the goal of moving through the whole writing process at the core.  In an article for Reading Research Quarterly in 2017, Graham concluded that “literacy programs balancing reading and writing instruction can strengthen reading and writing and that the two skills can be learned together profitably.”

Reading and writing are two sides of the very same coin, so it makes little sense to keep them siloed.  I’ve shared before what Tim Shanahan, one of the National Reading Panel authors says about this, but it bears repeating here.  In a 2017 blog post, Shanahan says, “If you want better reading scores, the science of reading says do not neglect writing, nor dispatch it to someplace else in the curriculum. When you feel especially pressured to improve reading achievement, that is the time to embrace more tightly the combination of reading and writing.”

Very wise words.

Combining reading and writing instruction is something I fully support. It has so many benefits! Not only does it lead to much stronger reading-writing connections for kids, but it’s a massive time-saver for teachers.  Whenever possible, cutting down to one lesson that connects both saves a ton of instructional time. This then allows teachers to confer and work with more small groups of students.  And because it means planning just one lesson instead of two, it also saves a lot of planning time.

Want to see what a day might look like with a combined lesson approach?  I’ve got you covered!  Just click here!

And what about the training issue?

Unfortunately for now it’s up to teachers to seek out training if schools and districts don’t provide it.  There are ways to do it though, without relying on just quickly purchasing a TPT download.  That’s maybe an ok materials resource. But it’s definitely not actual training on the ins and outs of writing instruction, and it’s not necessarily based on your standards.  It most certainly isn’t based on your students.  

There are many professional books to read. There are also podcasts for bite-sized PD on the go. A great one is Get Your Students to Write. ThinkSRSD is a spinoff of Graham and Harris’ original SRSD approach.  It’s basically writer’s workshop but the writing is mostly based on prompted writing about reading. Still, it does a nice job of teaching teachers how to take kids through the writing process.  And it’s not expensive–only $200 all in.  Here’s a link to their site.

There are also…ahem, ahem….coaches who can support you with writing instruction.  Whether that’s your school or district’s own instructional coach or an online coach like me, support is available.

These are not perfect solutions, but there are options out there for support.  

So, teacher friend, I urge you to do everything you can to make sure you aren’t missing a critical piece of the science.  Ensuring strong writing instruction will not only help your students become strong writers, they’ll also become much more successful readers.  Instructional time very well spent.

And if you’re ready to save time by combining reading and writing lessons but could use some help getting started, reach out.  I’m here to help–just reach out for a coaching call!   

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Who is Coach from the Couch??  I’m Michelle, a 25-year veteran educator, currently a K-5 literacy coach.  I continue to learn alongside teachers in classrooms each and every day, and it’s my mission to support as many teachers as I can.  Because no one can do this work alone. I’m available to you, too, through virtual coaching calls! 

Or, consider joining my Facebook community–a safe, supportive environment (really!)  where you can ask questions, learn ideas, and share your thoughts among other literacy-loving educators!