There is no question that a connection between reading and writing exists. Although, to what degree does one have to be immersed into literature for it to influence students’ writing experiences? Some ideas to help formulate answers and support this connection can be found in the two following articles in which, authors address the relationship between reading and writing. In the first piece titled The Reading-Writing Connection, author Olness (2005) offers insight to this connection by assembling many teachers and researchers information on the connection between reading, writing, and the value of quality children’s literature. Olness provides examples and ideas of how to successfully join reading with writing in the classroom. In the second article titled Literary Borrowing: The Effects of Literature on Children’s Writing, Lancia (1997) investigates the frequency and diversity of the independent ways children use ideas from literature while composing. Lancia illustrates the active relationship between reading and writing through a study he conducted within his second grade classroom. Both of these articles address the strong connection that reading imposes on student compositions and how inexorably writing affects all aspects of reading and the use of language.
Olness (2005) begins her piece with quotes from prominent teachers and researchers to support the connection between reading and writing and states, “the primary reason for exposing children to quality literature is for its aesthetic value; a secondary benefit is its influence on student writing” (p. 1). Olness continues by explaining the ways students develop literary skills and awareness, expansion of vocabulary, and overall literature experience by hearing t...
... middle of paper ...
...h articles provide strong evidence in which students need to be immersed to a high degree in meaningful, purposeful, high quality literature for his or her writing to be influenced. Furthermore, students not only need to immersed in high quality literature, but this literature has to be discussed and incorporated into a writing community to nurture and foster the development of the readers and writers within the community. In summation, both of these articles address the necessary reading-writing connection in relation to students’ compositions and growth as a reader and language communicator.
Works Cited
Lancia, P. (1997). Literary Borrowing: The Effects of Literature on Children’s Writing. The Reading Teacher, 50(6), 470-475.
Olness, R. (2005). Writing Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Wardle, Elizabeth and Doug Downs. Writing about Writing A College Reader. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's, 2011. Print.
Meyer, Michael, ed. Thinking and Writing About Literature. Second Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001.
Crister, Greg. "Too much of a Good Thing." Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard F. Rosen. New York: Longman, 2003. 461-63.
In his essay, "Teach Writing as a Process not a Product," Donald Murray outlines the major difference between the traditional pedagogy that directed the teaching of writing in the past and his newly hailed model. Traditionally, Murray explains, English teachers were taught to teach and evaluate students' writing as if it was a finished product of literature when, as he has discovered, students learn better if they're taught that writing is a process. For Murray, once teachers regard writing as a process, a student-centered, or writer-centered, curriculum falls into place. Rules for writing fall by the way side as writers work at their own pace to see what works best for them.
Although it has only been 2 weeks that I have been attending in this writing course, I have already expanded my knowledge greatly and gained plenty of courage in a very little time period. I am not an avid reader, nor do I ever bother to take my own time to go out and pick up or buy a book, but throughout the weeks, I have been assigned to read a new article every week, and each article has made me realize the power and potential reading has to a single person. How it can change someone’s life drastically. I mostly enjoyed reading “The Importance of the Act of Reading” by Paulo Freire, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, and “All Writing is Autobiography” by Donald M. Murray.
Reading, Thinking, Writing: Resources for Teaching. By Michael Meyer. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 15-16. Print.
Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Tenth edition. Edited by Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Longman Publishers, pp. 371-377, 2008.
English is an important and required course to take in any level of education. In the past, we all have taken various English courses that have helped us enhance our reading and writing skills. Over the couple of years I have been here at the University of Cincinnati, I have taken English composition classes, which have helped me evolve as a writer. However, after taking this course, my reading and writer skills have enhanced tremendously. With the goals and outcomes set for the class, that allowed students to gain an indication of the level of reading and writing skills will be accomplished. The outcomes entailed knowledge in critical thinking, rhetoric analysis, conventions, electronic environments, and cognitive analysis. In order to determine
Reader I must warn you, the following is not a meticulously composed prose by a master of the pen, rather it is the writings and musings of an amateur. In the coming paragraphs I will provide my perspective on reading, writing, literacy and language.
Exposure to these devices provides students with a broad knowledge of literary style and technique, while serving to develop and improve writing skills. Also, because much of the modern literary ideas and writings allude to and can be traced...
I have taken several literature courses throughout my educational career, such as courses in high school and a couple through Post-Secondary Enrollment Options. The Introduction to Literature course taught at UMR was distinct compared to these previous courses. I don’t mean distinct because we learned what female animals eat their mates or what not to do when a stranger is appreciating your calves. I mean distinct because I actually learned writing skills. From my previous experiences with literature, I have mostly learned how to format a paper. After completing this course, I learned how to analyze writings and tie my thesis into each main point of a paper.
Although the greater picture is that reading is fundamental, the two authors have a few different messages that they seek to communicate to their audiences. “The Joy of Reading and Writing” depicts how reading serves as a mechanism to escape the preconceived notions that constrain several groups of people from establishing themselves and achieving success in their lifetimes. “Reading to Write,” on the other hand, offers a valuable advice to aspiring writers. The author suggests that one has to read, read, and read before he or she can become a writer. Moreover, he holds an interesting opinion concerning mediocre writing. He says, “Every book you pick has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (p.221). Although these two essays differ in their contents and messages, the authors use the same rhetorical mode to write their essays. Both are process analyses, meaning that they develop their main argument and provide justification for it step by step. By employing this technique, the two authors create essays that are thoughtful, well supported, and easy to understand. In addition, Alexie and King both add a little personal touch to their writings as they include personal anecdotes. This has the effect of providing support for their arguments. Although the two essays have fairly different messages, the authors make use of anecdotes and structure their writing in a somewhat similar
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
Devoss, Danielle, et al. "The Future of Literacy." Wardle, Elizabeth and Doug Downs. Writing about Writing A College Reader. Boston: Bedford/St.Martins, 2011. 395-421. Print.
Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG125.10.2/sections/h2.1