This course,
“Reading Improvement through Written Expression”, has given me the opportunity
to learn about the essential connections between the reading and writing
processes. Even though we are half way
through the semester, I have been exposed to countless number of strategies I
can implement in my future classroom to support my students. One of the most interesting readings thus far
discusses reading and writing as parallel processes that build upon one
another. Stephen Kucer and Lynn Rhodes wrote
the article, called “Counterpart Strategies: Fine Tuning Language with Language”,
which represents this idea of reading and writing as parallel processes and
provides meaningful activities to assist students in becoming better readers
and writers.
According to Kucer and Rhodes (1986), both
reading and writing focus a student’s attention “…on discrete language elements.”
I believe the word “elements” in this
quote refers to phonological and phonemic awareness and extends to students
making meaning from text. It is
imperative for teachers to break down the reading process at an early age and
then teach whole language as the students grow older. As learners, it is more beneficial for us to
learn from part to whole; similarly, the writing process is taught in the same
way. First students learn their letters
and sounds and then acquire the ability to write words, sentences and
paragraphs. The more literacy events a
student encounters the more proficient he/she will become as a reader and writer. Therefore, “…each becomes a counterpart to
the other” (Kucer, Rhodes, 1986).
I truly
enjoyed being introduced to the “Card Strategy Lesson” and “Puzzle Strategy
Lesson” because they clearly depict to students how reading influences writing
and vice versa; each of these activities supports students in their literacy
development. As an educator, I would
like to utilize these strategies in my own classroom. The card strategy assists students with
focusing “…on chunks of meaning” (Kucer, Rhodes, 1986), whereas the puzzle
strategy assist students in creating meaning from text. They are helpful tools teachers can make use
of before a writing/reading assignment.
Each strategy allows students to brainstorm topics, organize their
ideas, and collaborate with others. I
believe it is important for teachers to allow students to work with their peers
in order for them to gain more than one perspective and learn from one another.
Dr. Jones
gave us the opportunity to experience utilizing the card strategy in class. As a result, I gained a deeper understanding
of how the activity is actually carried out; I was able to generate many ideas
for my genre project and collaborate with my peers on how to organize them
efficiently. In the end it has made the
writing process more comfortable and less stressful. I can clearly understand and recognize the
connections between reading and writing.
References
Kucer, S., Rhodes, L.
(1986). Counterpart Strategies:
Fine tuning language with language. The Reading Teacher, 186-193.
