Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing

Eighty percent of children learn to figure out the complex reading puzzle for themselves, regardless of the teacher's methodology, just as they learned to talk. However, it takes them longer to become proficient readers without a writing workshop. And what about the remaining 20%? They are dependent on the teacher's methodology. These children need individual, developmentally appropriate guidance by a knowledgeable emergent literacy teacher during their process of writing to prevent them from struggling with reading the rest of their lives. Writing workshop conferences provide the teacher and student a time for this individual guidance. In her book, Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing, and her supplementing video by the same name (available on You Tube), Arlene C. Schulze, master reading teacher and specialist explains and shows kindergarten teachers and administrators how and why young children, especially those making their first foray into formal education, become writers and readers through a workshop approach based on the research of Donald Graves and Marie Clay. Keeping in mind the limitations of a kindergarten teacher's time, the author has provided evidence-based research and the best classroom practices you need to implement writing workshop in your classroom. Chapters are rich with student writing samples and offer the following resources: * A daily kindergarten schedule to help you plan a comprehensive literacy program that includes writing and reading workshops and read-alouds * A description of the stages of kindergartner's written language and spelling development to help you plan appropriate instruction that improves the quality of students' writing * Outlines and lesson plans to help you and your students get ready for writing workshop and to familiarize you with writing workshop components * Writing workshop minilessons to help you construct your own based on students' needs * Tools to help you assess, evaluate, and report on students' progress Plus, the appendixes offer a wealth of information to supplement your instruction such as phonemic awareness activities, high frequency words and word family teaching suggestions, recommended booklists, reproducible forms for letters to parents and assessment checklists and rubrics. Although this book focuses primarily on kindergarten students, it is also appropriate for preschoolers, first and second graders, and often for struggling readers. Use this book to help your emergent writers and readers to become early writers and readers.