Have you ever finished a read aloud and thought, "Now what should my students write?"

For many first graders, simply saying "Write about the story" is too broad. Young learners need a clear purpose for writing.

In this first episode of the Writing About Reading series, we'll explore two different types of writing after reading: understanding the story and thinking about the story. You'll discover why both are essential, how they work together to strengthen comprehension, and how giving students a specific writing focus leads to more meaningful responses.

Whether you're teaching characters, setting, sequencing, or later moving into comprehension strategies like connections, inferencing, and questioning, this framework will help you intentionally connect  ...