Increase Critical Thinking with Writing

In a recent meta-analysis, Graham et al. (2018) investigated the effects of reading instruction on the writing quality in more than 90 studies. They found that students' interaction with text as well as reading instruction improved their specific writing skills and the overall quality of writing, leading to evidence of these learning outcomes:

• Students understand and retain material read or presented in science, social studies, and mathematics when they are asked to write about it (Bangert-Drowns et al., 2004; Graham & Hebert, 2011; Graham & Perin, 2007).
• Increasing how much they write and teaching writing improves reading skills (Graham & Hebert, 2011).
• Making writing a part of reading instruction further enhances how well students read (Graham, Liu, Aitken, et al., 2018).

Essentially, writing about a text should facilitate comprehension, providing students with a tool for visibly and permanently recording, connecting, analyzing, personalizing, and manipulating key ideas in text (Graham, 2011).

While this relationship between reading and writing is well established, it is not unusual to find explicit instruction and expectations for writing are limited to a traditional language arts classroom. This singular focus results in two significant challenges; first, the amount of time spent on writing instruction and writing for learning is limited in a school day, and second, writing across all content areas is uneven, as it is not considered a grade level learning expectation. Even when writing instruction is prioritized, teachers may infrequently apply the instructional procedures they are familiar with, including evidence-based practices and adaptations for struggling writers. This may be due to a lack of training in how to best support struggling students, or it may be from uncertainty in how to integrate writing instruction alongside grade level content standards.

This situation has led to a Writing Gap across all levels of school. The Writing Gap represents inconsistencies in instruction regarding the frequency, organizaiton, and overall quality of writing expected from all students, especially regarding the application and transfer of new learning or critical thinking skills. It is imperative that all teachers find adaptable strategies for using writing in their content areas that are both standards-focused and developmentally appropriate for students.