Writing as a Tool for Improving Adolescent Reading Comprehension: An Overview

Intensive writing is a critical element of an effective adolescent literacy program (Biancarosa & Snow, 2004). This session highlights how teachers can intentionally incorporate writing into their classrooms to improve reading. In a meta-analysis of 93 studies, Graham and Hebert (2011) identified three approaches that were effective for using writing to improve reading, including: 1) Having students write about text, 2) Teaching writing skills, and 3) Increasing how much students write. This session focuses primarily on the specific writing practices identified as effective for improving adolescent reading comprehension, including writing personal reactions to text, analyzing and interpreting text in writing, and developing written summaries and syntheses of text, among others.