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.
About the Author:
Arlene C. Schulze is the author of Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing originally published by International Reading Association (2006), and its accompanying video by the same name, distributed by International Literacy Association (2014) and available on YouTube. (Search Arlene C. Schulze).
Arlene has made her professional life's work a search for the best way to help the struggling reader learn to read. In order to do this work successfully, she discovered it was necessary to thoroughly understand the beginning or emergent reader.
Arlene began her education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education in 1963. After teaching successfully for several years and receiving a lifetime teaching certificate from the state of Wisconsin, she began her own family. Observing how easily her own children became early readers through immersion and exposure to meaningful print made Arlene even more curious as to why many of her former students had difficulties with reading, and how reading should be taught in the schools. In 1989 Arlene returned to college at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) to obtain a master's degree with a focus on reading teacher and reading specialist titles. During this time she discovered the research of Marie Clay and Donald Graves and the critical importance of writing to early reading. Through Clay she also discovered the importance of phonemic awareness. She thoroughly researched phonemic awareness and presented her findings to the Wisconsin State Reading Association in 1993. All of the activities she created for this study have been used by thousands of kindergarten teachers.
Arlene then worked as a language arts and reading instructor for UWSP in the College of Professional Studies School of Education. She successfully taught on and off campus for many years and was recognized by the university as a master teacher. During this time she also worked as a literacy consultant to several school systems in North Central Wisconsin helping K-2 teachers implement writing workshops by incorporating the research of Graves and Clay.
Although Arlene recently retired from UWSP and consulting for school systems, she remains active as a literacy tutor helping children who struggle with reading. She also writes articles for International Literacy Association (ILA) promoting writing's value to reading, especially on the emergent level.
