Grounded in Research.
Designed for Real Classrooms.
Writing with Design transforms students into confident, capable writers by combining the Science of Reading, the Science of Learning, and writing research—all in one powerful framework.
What is the Science of Reading?
The Science of Reading is a large body of research from cognitive science, linguistics, and education that shows how students best learn to read—and how instruction should be structure.
It confirms that students need explicit instruction in:
“Writing about a text enhances comprehension because it provides students with a tool for visibly and permanently recording, connecting, analyzing, personalizing, and manipulating key ideas in text.”
— Graham & Hebert, 2010, p. 5, Writing to Read
The Writing–Reading Connection Is Reciprocal
Writing improves reading. Reading improves writing. But in many classrooms, they’re taught as separate skills.
At Writing with Design, every lesson reinforces vocabulary, decoding, fluency, comprehension, and composition. Reading and writing aren’t just partners—they’re co-pilots.
“Reading and writing share a reciprocal relationship. Instruction in one can influence performance in the other.”
— Fitzgerald & Shanahan, 2000, Reading–Writing Relationships: A Review of the Research
How We Apply the Science of Reading to Writing
Students build deep vocabulary and oral language fluency by labeling images with specific nouns, verbs, and adjectives. This daily activity develops semantic knowledge, background knowledge, and syntactic awareness—key components of both reading and writing proficiency.
“Vocabulary is not just a reading skill—it is central to writing development. Students need words to express ideas with precision and style.”
— Joan Sedita, The Writing Rope, 2023
Each week, students practice a targeted writing skill—such as elaboration, transitions, or closings—through short, focused exercises. These build automaticity, sentence fluency, and syntactic control, helping students internalize complex writing traits one layer at a time.
“Focused instruction on key writing elements improves student performance—especially when skills are taught one at a time, with ample practice and feedback.”
— Graham & Perin, 2007, Writing Next
Students write every day using systematic and explicit instruction—from sentences to full essays. Instruction is scaffolded at every level to reduce cognitive load and ensure that all learners develop the language structures necessary for fluent composition and comprehension.
“Teaching students how to write strengthens their reading, spelling, and thinking skills. Writing instruction must be systematic and explicit.”
— Graham et al., 2012, Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers
Our 13-point diagnostic rubric gives teachers and students a clear view of strengths and needs. It turns writing into data—guiding revision, instruction, and long-term growth through targeted feedback and goal-setting.
“The quality of writing improves when students receive specific, criterion-based feedback.”
— National Reading Panel, 2000; Graham et al., 2016
“If we want students to become skilled readers, we need to teach them how to write.”
— Steve Graham, paraphrased from multiple works including Writing to Read (2010) and Teaching Elementary Students to Be Effective Writers (2012)
-
A meta-analysis showing that writing instruction improves reading comprehension, content learning, and overall academic performance in middle and high school students.
-
Writing about reading—especially summaries, response-to-text, and note-taking—improves comprehension and retention.
-
Research-based guidance for providing explicit, scaffolded writing instruction in grades 6–12.
-
Describes the multiple strands that support skilled writing: critical thinking, syntax, transcription skills, and text structure.
-
Identified writing as a critical factor in vocabulary development, comprehension, and fluency—especially when paired with structured instruction and feedback.
Want the Research? We’ve Got It.
Ready to Bring Research to Life?
Whether you’re starting small or ready to transform your school’s writing instruction, we’ll help you turn research into results.