Posts Tagged ‘writing’
In many middle schools or intermediate schools, students in the 5th through 7th grades are struggling with reading and writing. We often wonder why–why is it they can read on grade level in the primary grades, by the end of 3rd grade the students are beginning to fall behind and by the time they enter middle school grades teachers frind the student working below grade level in reading and writing. If they are below grade level in reading and writing, chances are they are behind in every subject they take. Reading and writing are the foundation for every subject taught in school.
Another thing that often happens at this age is that schools set up their curriculum in a way that reading as a subject in itself is no longer really taught. Teachers at that middle school level teach literature and writing, but often those secondary certificates do not require teachers to take a reading methods class. They are not trained to teach struggling readers.
So what can we do about this? How about a block schedule where enough time is given to literacy to really teach it and have time to practice what is taught. In reading, teachers actually teach students how to read, how to be a good reader. What is it that good readers do? They are able to choose a book that they are interested in and that is on their level. Good readers really read and read a lot. They read books cover to cover. They understand what they read. They may predictions, inferences, and actually relate to what they are reading. Teachers teach this to their students. They teach them what to do when they come to a word they don’t know. They teach them the skills it takes to be a good reader. But even more important, they provide time for their students to practice these skills.
In writing workshop, they encourage their students to write well. What makes a good writer? Good writers can catch the attention of the reader and keep it. They write in a way that is interesting and uses good literary techniques. Teachers in writing workshop take the skills good writers have and point them out to students as examples in their reading and then turn them into good writing skills. Teachers teach students the writing process. They learn to choose something to write about that is interesting to them. They write a rough draft, read it, add to that draft and make it even better, edit it and make a final copy.
Students are given time to practice writing and reading. A block schedule lets this happen. If you have only 45 minutes to an hour for language arts, students don’t have the time needed to have reading and writing lessons and practice on top of that. If you think your struggling students will do it at home–think again! We have to provide accountable reading practice at school. Now that’s another blog–how do we make that practice accountable.
A good literacy coach and trainer can mentor the teachers in your school and help them make that block schedule work for them and the students. Watch for the next blog–How to make reading and writing practice accountable? Register for updates and get the blogs automatically added to your email inbox!
