In the second blog post of this series, Marybelle Marrero-Colón discusses the development of children’s English writing skills and the impact this has on their reading ability.
Carol Chomsky (1971) once stated, “children’s minds, at four, five, six, are far from linguistic empty space into which reading information is to be poured…. children should be permitted to be active participants in teaching themselves to read. In fact, they ought to direct the process… by reversing the usual order…” This means that one of the best ways of teaching children to read is by teaching writing first.
Developing reading skills through writing
Research has shown that reading and writing develop at about the same time in young children. In fact, children’s ability to read is directly connected to their ability to write. It is through the cognitive processes of writing that students make the connection between text and meaning. When children begin to write, they learn the principles of spacing, writing from left to right, and writing downward from one line to the next, and begin to functionally use punctuation. Students learn the shapes of letters not only visually but through kinesthetic memory. When students pair the letter-sounds with writing, the letter form, as well as the sound-symbol relationship becomes much more concrete and therefore more accessible (Teegarden, 2014) .
Putting children’s writing skills first
Several different early childhood programs have shown great success when writing is introduced first (i.e. Montessori). Programs demonstrated a number of benefits:
- First is the concept that early writing helps children crack the reading code (Gentry & Peha, 2013). The premise is that words are made of sounds (phonetic structures) that are written with letters creating a sound symbol relationship that is connected to the reading process. For example, the short ‘a’ with ‘t’ creates the sound ‘at’. Knowing this basic sound makes reading, ‘The cat sat in the hat’ much easier not only to decode, but to comprehend as well.
- Second, the first words students read are often the first ones they write. These early experiences allow young writers to express their own thoughts. According to Gentry and Peha (2013), writing is a brainpower workout. They go on to explain that at the early stages, the process of writing introduces students to the skills and techniques for composition and storytelling. It provides an introduction to purposeful writing, and the consideration of format and audience.
- Finally, early writing is a useful assessment of reading ability by allowing a teacher to assess a student’s reading skills by monitoring their writing progress.
For example, let’s say Mrs. Harding wants her students to write a memoir. She starts with a quick-write activity where students list six events in their childhood that stick out in their memories. From those six, the students read over their lists and choose three that are the most prominent in their memories.
From there, they choose one memory to write about. Now they have used an organizational technique to choose a topic and a purpose for their composition. From there they create their memoir, allow their peers to read, comment, and provide feedback, and then create a full draft that will be reviewed and assessed by Mrs. Harding using a rubric. Mrs. Harding then goes on to conference with the student through several rereads and editing.
How can we apply this to English language learners?
However, the question now is, ‘Is this the same process for second language (L2) learners?’ Some research has shown that in learning to write, native English speakers and L2 learners follow a similar developmental process. For example, while still learning English, students can write and compose personalized text. Text produced by English learners is similar in style and format to those who are native English speakers. This demonstrates that the L2 learner is making predictions and is developing a working comprehension of how written English works.
Classroom environment and students’ culture
One thing which should be taken into consideration is that the classroom environment, along with the students’ culture, has a substantial impact, both positive and negative, on writing, such as: the purpose for writing, functions of writing, and the personal view of the student as a writer. For example, a student may come from a culture where one writes an essay through an inductive process where all of the evidence is given first, then a conclusion is drawn.
However, the students’ new culture may prefer a deductive format that begins with a general premise that must be proven. If the teacher is not aware of the cultural format for writing, he/she may mark the student’s work as incorrect. On the other hand, having this understanding may open up the classroom to diverse and enriching formats to try out when it comes to the writing process.
One tool to assist the L2 writer is the use of the native language as the conceptual base which facilitates the child’s ESL writing. It is important to take into consideration that L2 learners apply the writing knowledge gained from L1 settings to L2 settings (Hudelson, 1990).
Conclusion
As previously mentioned, one of the best ways of teaching children to read is by teaching writing first. Writing facilitates the thinking processes, provides guidance as students learn and practice the process, and allows students to express ideas using examples, literary devices, and creativity (Aumen, 2006). Through this knowledge and skill, students are now open to comprehending how authors do the same. Therefore, reading becomes a partner skill where students not only decode, but also analyze, evaluate, and comprehend the written word in a much more personal experience.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out Marybelle’s first blog post of this series, Literacy and young learners: reading, writing and beyond.
References
Aumen, M. (2006) Step-up to Writing; 2nd Ed. Colorado Springs, Colorado; West Ed. Services
Gentry, R. Richard; Peha, S. (2013). 5 Reasons Why Writing Helps Early Reading. In Raising Confident Readers: How to Teach Your Child to Read and Write. Philadelphia, PA.; Da Capo Press.
Hudelson, S. (1990). Children’s Writing in ESL. ERIC Digest; ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics Washington DC.; ED303046 1988-12-0.
Klemm, W. (2013). What learning cursive does for the brain. Psychology Today
Teegarden, K. (2014). Reading or Writing, Which Comes First? Communities Engaging Autism. Retrieved: https://cea4autism.org/reading-writing-comes-first/