Top 5 Reading and Writing Tips Susan Lloyd, PhD. Number 5 Understand the rocket science of reading.

Top 5Reading and Writing Tips

Susan Lloyd, PhD

Number 5

Understand the rocket science of reading

Three Sources of Information

Meaning Cues(Semantics)

Language structure Cues(Syntax)

Phonics / Visual cues(Graphophonic)

Swimming through TextStudents do not need to know all their letters or

sounds before being able to read (Clay)

Good readers think:

1. Does that make sense?

2. Does that sound right?

3. Does it look right?

Readers swim through text

Number 4

Celebrate and praise approximations in Reading and Writing

EASY TextEnormous amounts of easy and

interesting reading are absolutely essential to developing effective reading strategies, to say nothing of appropriate attitudes and responses. When children struggle with material they are reading, they cannot apply the strategies that good readers use, and they do not develop the habits and attitudes that good readers do.

Allington, 2004

Danger…“Thinking can be overlooked or not taken seriously because the writing is not representational in the conventional sense” (spelling, grammar, sentence structure)

1. Writing that was changed… added … deleted

2. Identifying the audience for this piece of writing

3. Notebook writing that used to develop the piece

4. How the idea got started and was developed

Number 3

Reading and Writing volume is essential for growth

“Time spent reading books is the best predictor of reading achievement and growth in students”

Routman

“When writing everyday … students start to live their lives differently”

Caulkins

Achievement % Minutes of Reading per day

90th 40.4 minutes

50th 12.9 minutes

10th 1.6 minutes

Number 2

Supporting good choices at home

Supporting good choices at home

1. Make time for reading EVERYDAY

Read a few pages and ask for your child’s opinion of the book

Five finger rule

Read aloud

2. Make time for writing EVERYDAY

Functional writing (lists, notes, messages)

Writers notebook

Number 1

Conversation and Praise!

Conversation is the KeyNotice and praise children who stop and notice

something isn’t right.

Ask: What were the questions in your mind as you read today? How do they help you pay attention to the text?

Ask: How does that connection help you understand/ pay attention to the story?

Ask: How do you know what kind of a person the character is? Why is that important?

Ask: What are three of the most important things that have happened so far in the story / text? Why do you think that?

Conversation is the KeyMake opportunities to write to each other

(notes, lists, dialogue journals, messages)

Writers notebooks: PRAISE then…

ASK: Why did you choose to write about this?

ASK: What are you working on here?

Set TIME aside everyday to read and write and LAUGH together!

TeamworkUnderstand the home reading text is and should

be EASY

Praise, praise, praise!

Value approximations

Have a genuine conversation about the meaning

Time READING and WRITING