On the previous two pages, we focused on how to use Key Words and The Steps to develop writing skills. Here, we’ll examine how reading emerges from that.
We look first at how writing develops reading skills.
How Reading Skills Develop as Children Learn to Write
From the very first time you show a child how their “talk” looks, written down, they’re beginning to absorb and copy writing skills that easily transfer to reading.*
For instance —
As you write their Key Words, you have them listen for the sounds in the words they want to say. Then you show them the letter(s) needed to spell that sound. Later, they practice doing that on their own. This becomes sounding out unfamiliar words as they read.
Early on, they dictate a sentence about their Key Word. Later, they build their own simple sentences. With this, they absorb the look of several sight words. This becomes recognizing those sight words in a book.
As time goes on, they learn to use punctuation marks to indicate pauses, surprise, questions, etc. This leads to reading with expression.
Once they’re writing on their own, they pause repeatedly to reread what they’ve just written — to decide what more to say. With this, they’re actually practicing reading.
And so forth….
Beyond that, while a child is learning to write, they’re also producing a series of reading books.
Children Write Their Own Series of Pre-primers
The child fills one page in their writing book each day with their own Key Words, sentences, and drawings. These 5-page books replace the pre-primers in a traditional reading program.
The vocabulary and topics are a perfect match for them. So, they serve the same purpose, but are actually much better suited to the child than anything a parent or school district could buy.
Reading and rereading these books to friends, family and to themselves, the child becomes increasingly confident with reading.
With all this experience with print, they’re also beginning to recognize words on signs, cereal boxes, labels, and in the simple books someone’s been reading to them.
When we see that happening, it’s the signal they’re about ready for the “cold” reading of professionally published books. For some children this happens so smoothly, they’ll claim they “just happened” to learn to read.
But others will need a little more help to make the transition into “real” books. So, we’re careful how we help them do it.
Gently Moving into Books & Projects
Handing a “real” book to an emergent reader is exciting, and some are a little anxious about it.
For how to help them be successful, see the video shown in the image. It’s created by Rachel Wyatt, a reading specialist in Great Britain. As you watch her, keep in mind she’s not “teaching reading” with the prompts she’s giving the child.
For we don’t give a child a book to read until they can already read. So, she’s just paving the way into this new book, to be sure the experience leaves the child feeling confident.
About the time a child is ready for these simple books, they’ll also be ready to begin working on simple Projects.
Then, when those simple books and projects are too easy, they can move into high quality children’s literature and more complex “action-based” projects.
We look next at what I devised for a child who wants to have a “reading book,” but isn’t quite ready.
Pre-Reading with Books and Banks
At home, you can give a child all the time they need to grow into reading. But in the classroom, you — and the child — may feel some outside pressure to have them reading books by a certain age or grade level.
But not all children are ready by a pre-established time.
So, for a face-saving alternative, see Books and Banks, near the bottom of this page.
Summary
A child will absorb and copy what they see and hear us doing — if they find it interesting. We see this clearly in how a young child learns to speak and accomplish so much else.
So, to capitalize on this, we begin by showing a child how we write their own Key Words.
We choose Key Words, for they are the words a child uses to describe their heartfelt interests.
We begin with writing for two reasons. First, writing is an overt behavior that’s easier to model than reading. Second, from birth forward, the child is striving to develop more complex ways to communicate what’s on their mind.**
The major difference between this approach and learning to talk is that with speech, we model and then we must wait for their inner guide to work on it — until one day they surprise us by using the word.
But with writing, after we model — we can also guide the child’s practice, using The Steps.
Then, since reading and writing are basically very similar behaviors, the skills a child develops through writing readily transfer to reading. In fact, those skills transfer so automatically within some children that one day they just notice how easily they can read. And from then on, they claim they suddenly “just happened” to learn to read.
Other children need a little more help making the transition. So we carefully help them.
Benefits of Taking the Path Through Writing
Taking the path through writing, there’s no threat of struggle or failure — for any child. Barring extreme physical or emotional barriers, every child succeeds.*
Some just take a little longer than others, which appears to depend on their early experience with print.
A child who has the advantage of a print-rich environment would probably learn to read — with any method. Some would struggle more than necessary, but they’d manage it. This, because they’d already absorbed a lot about print, before they entered any reading program.
So, for them, the benefit of going through writing is that they learn to both read and write, at the same time — and in about the same amount of time it would have taken them just to read with another approach. They’re also more likely to have enjoyed doing it. And they’ve learned to express their thoughts fluently.
On the other hand, the benefit for a child NOT coming a print-rich environment is enormous. For it has allowed them to avoid the possibility of struggle, loss of confidence, and possible failure.
For their lack of experience left them with a gap between speech and reading books. So, taking the path through writing allowed them to use their natural learning strategy to fill the gap between speech and reading books.**
A Personal Note
As you’ve no doubt realized by now, I’ve created this website to sound the alarm that bypassing writing is making reading and writing more difficult for any child than it needs to be. And to provide an example for approaching it in a more natural, child-friendly way — a way I know for certain is highly effective.
It’s those not coming from a print-rich environment that I’m most concerned about.
So, with this all-volunteer project, I’m happy to advise anyone — and not limited to, but especially those working with children who may need a little extra help — whether because of lack of experience, loss of confidence, or something else.
You can reach me by joining the Facebook Group devoted to these ideas, Helping All Kids Write to Read. (See button below.)
Also, if you’ve taken a similar approach, please share with that group what you’ve done — by describing it in a comment there. For it helps to share thoughts and strategies with like-minded people.
NEXT—> KEY WORDS WITH PRESCHOOLERS
* The only exception was a kindergarten boy who also could not speak — in any language.
** Again, from The Child’s Natural Path, another way to visualize why writing helps a child with reading:
