Tora's+Page

 **Why a struggling reader is a struggling writer too!:**
 * Recognizing the Reading-Writing Connection to Build Stronger Readers and Writers**



**Imagine walking into an Elementary after school tutoring program as a college student preparing to someday teach children with special needs. Your task: to tutor a twelve-year-old boy in reading so that he can finally make it to the fifth grade. The problem: He reads at a low first-grade level.**


 * At first glance, this task does not seem to be too challenging, right? You just need to teach him how to read! Or so I thought, but in actuality this student's inability to read means that he has not been able to understand a word of the science text book, he failed every social studies test this school year, and while he's a fantastic storyteller he would not know where to begin to write a personal narrative.**

**This is where the reading-writing connection comes into the picture. If a student cannot read, chances are his writing skills are even lower.**



**Reading and writing instruction are often separated in the American education system. This disconnect would suggest that the two areas are mutually irrelevant. One of the reasons for the segregation is merely because there is a greater emphasis placed on reading instruction. Often reading is the dominate element of Language Arts instruction and as a result is explicitly taught but writing is not. Schools have deemed the development of reading skills a priority and only when students reach a mastery level with reading teachers are expected to move onto explicit writing instruction. While reading is clearly important one has to wonder if a teacher is looking for reading skills to reach a mastery level for all students before moving onto writing instruction will there ever be room for writing instruction?**
 * //Why are reading and writing segregated?//**

// **What is the connection between reading and writing?** // **3 main reading-writing connections**
 * 1) **Rhetorical relations: reading and writing are connected because they are both communication activities. Studies suggest that the nature of communication activities requires students to be both the sender and receiver of information.**
 * 2) **Procedural connections: reading and writing are also functional activities and the two skills often need to work in conjunction with one another.**
 * 3) **Shared knowledge: both reading and writing require a linguistic knowledge at various levels; including phonemic, orthographic, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic. These two skills are connected through “similar knowledge representations, cognitive processes and contextual constraints” (Fitzgerald and Shanahan, 39).**



__**TABLE 1** • **Metaknowledge (** //**Pragmatics**// **)** Knowing about functions and purposes of reading and writing Knowing that readers and writers interact Monitoring one’s own meaning making (metacomprehension) and word identification or production strategies Monitoring one’s own knowledge • **Domain knowledge about substance and content (prior knowledge, content knowledge gained while reading and writing)** //Semantics// Vocabulary meaning Meaning created through context of connected text • **Knowledge about universal text attributes** //Graphophonics—// Letter and word identification and generation Phonological awareness Grapheme awareness (letter shapes, knowledge of typographical representations such as punctuation and capitalization) Morphology (word structure and orthographic patterns) //Syntax// <span style="color: #ff3366; display: block; font-family: Times-Roman,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Syntax of sentences Punctuation Text format Syntax of larger chunks of text (e.g., story grammars and expository text structures) Text organization (e.g., sequence of text, graphics) • <span style="font-family: Times-Bold,sans-serif;">**Procedural knowledge and skill to negotiate reading and writing** <span style="color: #ff3366; display: block; font-family: Times-Roman,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Knowing how to access, use, and generate knowledge in any of the previous areas __ <span style="color: #ff3366; font-family: Times-Roman,sans-serif;">Instantiating smooth integration of various processes
 * Categories of Knowledge That Readers and Writers Use **
 * (Fitzgerald and Shanahan, 41)**



**Methods for teaching struggling writers and readers:**

**1. Explicit teaching of the writing process** **It is essential that students are taught the steps of the writing process through direct, explicit instruction. A teacher cannot assume that the writing process is an innate skill because like most skills it is learned. Lessons, classroom posters, activities, modeling are all effective ways to teach about prewriting (generating ideas and organizing thoughts), drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Many teachers have adopted the idea of a writer's workshop. Writer's workshop reinforces the idea that writing is a process by having students go through a series of steps that eventually lead up to their published piece. There are many variations on the idea of a writer's workshop and teachers can design one that is right for their classroom.**

**For more ideas on how to start a writer's workshop check out this link:** ** 2. Using Author's Chair **
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**Establishing an author's chair in the classroom is an effective way to allow students to share their “published” works and gain valuable feedback for future writing endeavors. The implementation of the author's chair also allows students to anticipate the audience they will be sharing their work with in the early stages of the writing process. Some teachers are hesitant to implement an author's chair because of time constraints but there are a number of ways to adapt the program so that it can be used in every classroom. Students can share their work in groups rather than in front of the entire class (cutting down the process to a fraction of the time). Students do not have to share every piece of finished writing either; they can select the pieces they want to share or the teacher can select which pieces are most appropriate. Another strategy is to have an Author's Chair Lottery in which all students write their pieces keeping in mind that they may get to share their work with the class but the teacher holds a lottery drawing to determine who will actually present.**

**For tips on incorporating Author's Chair check out this link:**
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**3. Teach mini-lessons**

**It is important for teachers to constants have their fingers on the pulse of their classroom. For many this is through both formal and informal assessment. Teachers should continually evaluate their student's writing in an effort to predict obstacles and issues as well as to reinforce ideas and skills that students are struggling with, One of the most efficient ways to reinforce previously learned skills or introduce new strategies in an less intimidating manner is through mini-lessons. Mini-lessons address a particular skill or strategy in a short, concentrated lesson. The elements of the mini-lesson includes:** **For tips on structuring mini-lessons check out this link:**
 * **introducing the topic**
 * **sharing examples of the topic (often from samples of a student's writing)**
 * **providing new information (explain misconceptions, correct errors, teacher modeling)**
 * **taking note of the information in a writer's journal or notebook**
 * **applying or practicing the new skill or strategy (Tompkins, 190)**
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4. Model “good” writing **
 * Another way to effectively to build writing skills and strategies is through the modeling of “good” writing. A teacher can demonstrate each step of the writing process in front of the entire class. Not only will students better understand what is expected of them for that particular task but students will also experience the steps needed to produce a “good” piece of writing and develop self-regulating skills like support through self-talk. There are a number of questions students should ask themselves through out the writing process and the teacher can model this self-talk and provide graphic organizers like the one below for students to practice the same behavior. **

**(Englert, 112)**


 * For more information on modeling writing check out this link:**
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 * 5. Making the home/school connection **

**Students often struggle to find the connection between what they learn in school and how it applies to their life. One way to reinforce the idea that writing is an essential part of everyday life is to make the home/school connection. One school adopted what is known as an Intensive Reading and Writing program, or IRW after realizing that students were failing to learn how to read in Elementary School. To fortify the home/school connection the school runs a program called Bag Books. Three times through out the week students take turns bringing home books to share with family members. Teachers can expand this program by having parents provide weekly feedback on the student's progress and by encouraging students to write stories to bring home and share with their families. With the implementation of this program both parents and teachers noticed an significant increase in the student's motivation to share their reading and writing skills with their families (Yadegari and Ryan, 33).**


 * This is just one of the many ways to make the home/school connection. For more ideas check out the following link:**
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 * References **
 * Chan, D. W. (2006). Exploring the reading-writing connection in chinese children with dyslexia**
 * in Hong Kong. //Reading and Writing//, //19//(6), 543-561.**


 * Graham, S. & Perin, D. (2007). //Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescent in//****//middle and high schools.// New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York.**


 * Englert, C. (2009). Connecting the dots in a research program to develop, implement, and**
 * evaluate strategic literacy interventions for struggling readers and writers. //Learning//**
 * //Disabilities Research and Practice//, //24//(2), 104-120.**


 * Fitzgerald, J. & Shanahan, T. (2000). Reading and writing relations and their development. Educational Psychologist, 35(1), 39-50.**


 * Tompkins, G. E. (2002). Struggling readers are struggling writers, too. //Reading and Writing//**
 * //Quarterly//, //18//, 175-193.**


 * Yadegari, S. A. (2002). Intensive reading and writing for struggling readers. //The Education//**
 * //Digest//, //March//.**