Expressions: The Language & Writing Connection
This one-day professional learning experience equips K-5 educators with a research-based understanding of how writing develops and practical, high-leverage instructional routines that strengthen students’ writing across the school day and across content areas.
About Expressions: The Language & Writing Connection
Writing is one of the most cognitively demanding tasks students perform, requiring them to coordinate oral language, reading, cognition, and transcription while organizing and communicating their ideas. Expressions: The Language & Writing Connection helps K-5 educators understand writing through a developmental, language-based lens and translate that understanding into effective classroom instruction. Participants explore how language development and foundational skills shape students’ ability to express ideas in writing and why explicit language and writing instruction are essential for developing successful writers. Throughout this one-day experience, educators learn and practice evidence-based routines that build language as a foundation for writing, strengthen students’ written expression, and support writing within the curriculum they already teach.
Participant Outcomes:
Understand how language, reading, cognition, and transcription work together to support writing development.
Analyze student writing to identify strengths, developmental progress, and next steps for instruction.
Apply evidence-based routines that strengthen language, planning, written expression, revision, and assessment.
Writing is not limited to the literacy block. Participants explore practical ways to integrate meaningful writing opportunities throughout the school day and across content areas, making writing a tool for both communication and learning.
Educators learn routines for planning, writing in response to text, and revision that can be incorporated into existing lessons and curriculum. Participants leave with a plan for implementing one or more high-leverage writing routines in an upcoming lesson or unit.
By the end of this one-day professional learning experience, participants will:
- Develop a research-based understanding of writing as a developmental, language-based process and recognize how oral language, reading, cognition, and transcription work together to support written expression.
- Analyze student writing to identify what students already know, recognize developmental progressions, and determine appropriate next steps for instruction.
- Apply evidence-based instructional routines that strengthen oral language, sentence construction, idea generation, planning, writing in response to text, revision, and formative assessment.
- Integrate explicit writing instruction and meaningful writing opportunities across content areas to deepen student learning while strengthening written communication.
- Create a plan for implementing one or more high-leverage writing routines within an upcoming lesson or unit.
Participants will receive a Participant Resource Guide with instructional routines, resources, and planning tools to support classroom implementation
Expressions is designed for K–5 educators and leaders, with learning available for K–2 and 3–5 grade bands. The experience is appropriate for elementary teachers across content areas, literacy coaches and specialists, interventionists, multilingual learner specialists, special education teachers, and district and school leaders.
Expressions is offered as a one-day, in-person professional learning experience for up to 35 participants.
Build Language as a Foundation for Writing
Strong writing begins with strong language. Participants explore the connections among oral language, vocabulary, sentence construction, reading, and writing and learn how intentionally developing students’ language supports their ability to communicate ideas in writing.
Educators practice high-leverage routines that strengthen oral language, expand vocabulary and sentence construction, and help students generate and develop ideas before and during writing.
Get in touch
Contact CORE to learn more about how Expressions: The Language & Writing Connection can help you strengthen writing instruction.
